thumb|300px|Original 1963 Layout of a 100A Traffic Service Position
The Traffic Service Position System (TSPS) was developed by Bell Labs in Columbus, Ohio to replace traditional cord switchboards. The first TSPS was deployed in Morristown, New Jersey in 1969 and used the Stored Program Control-1A CPU, "Piggyback" twistor memory (a proprietary technology developed by Bell Labs similar to core memory) and Insulated Gate Field Effect Transistor solid state memory devices similar to dynamic random access memory.
Features
The TSPS system utilized special analog trunks that originated at Class 5 end office circuit switch systems and Class 4 toll access circuit switch systems that were connected to Class 3 primary toll circuit switch systems such as the 4A-ETS/PBC and 4ESS switch systems. The TSPS system did not perform switching between the originating end office switch and the toll switch for the subscriber voice path.
The TSPS system included the "Remote Trunking Arrangement" (RTA) feature that consolidated the trunk connection at the originating switch and provided a switched connection to a telephone operator only as required for a short duration at the beginning of a call to obtain billing information or at the end of a call in which the caller requested "time and charges".
The TSPS system provided a temporary switched connection to a toll operator who helped facilitate calls requiring human assistance such as person-to-person, collect, third-party-billed, and hotel billing. The TSPS system supported up to seven "Chief Operator Groups" (COGs) with each COG supporting up to 31 operator consoles, with two operator positions per console, for a total of 62 operators per COG. Operator consoles initially used nixie tubes to display phone numbers, that were quickly replaced by light-emitting diode displays due to reliability issues.
The TSPS system was replaced by the Operator Service Position System (OSPS) feature package developed for the 5ESS switching system. During the era of TSPS systems, calls to mobile and marine radiotelephone customers were initially handled by operators at a Special Operator Service Treatment cord switchboard. Operator assisted calls to international destinations were handled by "Code 10" and "Code 11" operators generally co-located at special gateway international switching systems.
Operator Console
The Traffic Service Position keyshelf was organized into functional groups of keys and lamps covering all aspects of call handling. Major sections included AMA (Automatic Message Accounting) timing controls, coin collection and return keys, class-charge keys (Station Paid, Person Paid, Collect, No AMA, Special Number/Credit Card, Hotel), and release and forward keys. A four-compartment ticket box on the console held mark sense billing cards in designated slots (New, Cancel, Scratch, and Completed).
Loops
Operators managed up to three simultaneous call connections, referred to as "loops," each of which contained its own card slot and presented in one of three recognized states: It served as the primary quick-reference source for information needed during live calls. Contents included: Bell System telephone credit card validity check lists (letter–digit correspondence tables, invalid Revenue Accounting Office (RAO) codes, and invalid card number lists); authorized special billing numbers; a zone map for determining Message unit (MU) rate steps for metropolitan area calls; and miscellaneous emergency numbers. The layout of the underglass bulletin was periodically revised by management as procedures changed.
Automated Coin Toll System
Debuted in Phoenix, Arizona in 1977, the Automated Coin Toll System (ACTS) was an addition to TSPS which provided an automated way to perform charge advisory and toll collection of coin paid calls, reducing the need for operator involvement. The ACTS sub-system handled the automated voice announcements, e.g. "Please deposit five cents for the next three minutes" (initially voiced by Jane Barbe, and later Pat Fleet), and worked with TSPS for coin deposit (start of call) and coin collection/coin return (at end of call).
Computerized Position Information System
Introduced in 1986, the Computerized Position Information System (COMPIS) augmented existing TSPS hardware with a video display terminal (VDT) and a movable keyboard on an extended cord. Originally intended for tasks occupying approximately 10% of an operator's shift, COMPIS usage climbed rapidly to around 50% of working time, well beyond the ergonomic parameters of the add-on design. COMPIS was therefore treated as a transitional system to the next generation of equipment.
Successor: Operator Services Position System
With full deployment planned for late 1990, the Operator Services Position System (OSPS) was developed as a feature package for the 5ESS switch to replace the aging TSPS infrastructure. Where TSPS had itself represented a significant advance over manual corded switchboards, the OSPS design incorporated four decades of accumulated ergonomics research that had not been available to TSPS engineers.
AT&T's stated ergonomic goals for OSPS included standardized procedures for call keying and system feedback, and a console and screen display layout designed to support human factors principles across the full range of operator duties.