Local access and transport area



         


Local access and transport area (LATA) is a term used in U.S. telecommunications regulation. Under the terms of the Modification of Final Judgment (MFJ), a geographical area within which a divested Regional Bell operating company (RBOC) is permitted to offer exchange telecommunications and exchange access services.

Note: Under the terms of the MFJ, the RBOCs are generally prohibited from providing services that originate in one LATA and terminate in another.

Source: from Federal Standard 1037C

LATA boundaries tend to be drawn around markets, and not necessarily along existing state, province, or even area code borders. Some LATAs cross over state boundaries, such as those for Chicago, Illinois, Portland, Oregon, and areas between Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. Area codes and LATAs do not necessarily share boundaries; many LATAs exist in multiple area codes, and many area codes exist in multiple LATAs.

Originally, the LATAs were grouped into regions within which one particular RBOC was allowed to provide services. The LATAs in each of these regions are numbered beginning with the same digit. Generally the LATAs were associated with RBOC 0xxunused 1xxNew York & New EnglandNYNEX 2xxMid-AtlanticBell Atlantic 3xxGreat LakesAmeritech 4xxSoutheastBellSouth 5xxSouth-centralSouthwestern Bell 6xxNorthwest, Midwest, and Rocky MountainsUS West 7xxCalifornia and NevadaPacific Bell 8xxNon-contiguous and international areas 9xxExpansion

Since this time, however, some amount of deregulation, as well as a number of phone company mergers, have blurred the significance of these regions. A number of new LATAs have been formed within these regions since their inception, most beginning with the digit 9.

LATAs contribute to an often confusing aspect of Telcordia telephone routing databases between countries, LATAs were later defined for the provinces of Canada, the other countries and territories of the North American Numbering Plan, and Mexico. Aside from U.S. territories, LATAs have no regulatory purpose in these areas. In 2000, the Canadian CRTC agency eliminated all Canadian provincial LATAs in favor of a single LATA for Canada (888).

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List of LATAs

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U.S. state LATAs

The city or place name given with some LATAs is the name given to identify the LATA, not the limit of its boundary. Generally this is the most significant metropolitan area in the LATA. Also, listing under a state does not necessarily limit the LATA's territory to that state; there may be overlaps as well as enclaves. Areas that include notable portions of other states are explained, but not all LATA state overlaps may be detailed.

LATA boundaries are not always solidly defined. Inter-carrier agreements, change proposals to the FCC, and new wiring developments into rural areas can and do often alter the effective borders between LATAs. Many sources on LATA boundary information conflict with each other at detailed levels. Telcordia data may provide the most up-to-date details of LATA inclusions.

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U.S. territory LATAs

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Non-U.S. LATAs (non-regulatory)

Notes

  1. Includes all of Delaware as well as the metro area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
  2. Half of LATA 636 occupies eastern North Dakota, the other half takes up the northwest quarter of Minnesota.
  3. As of 2000, all of Canada uses LATA 888.
  4. American Samoa will enter the NANP in October 2004 and will presumably be allocated a LATA by that time.
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