I've been searching Verizon's website... do they still offer OPX? I have a business and am opening a additional location in the same town across the street. Had it been in the same block, I'd just run a wire over!!

I have VOIP, not through Verizon, and operate a Nortel Meridian system. Do you think they'd still do an OPX when my primary service isn't with them.

How pricey is an OPX?

Not to sound unhelpful....but it seems the best place to start would be to call Verizon, or even your VOIP provider, they may indeed offer a similar service.

Steve

I suppose I could call, but have you talked to Verizon customer service lately... the cashiers at [name any store] dish better advice. I was hoping to save a headache and a 45 minute phone call!! haha... thanks, though!

OPX is an off premise extension of an existing dial tone line. Since Verizon isn’t providing the dial tone, I doubt very seriously if you could get an OPX. Maybe they could supply you with a designed circuit or a dry copper pair. My guess is that it won’t be cheap. Again, I’d start with Verizon. How about wireless? You didn’t give a distance and say if it’s line of sight.

An off-premise extension is still a valid service… I can not speak directly to what Verizon will or won’t do, but I still see occasional orders for them from two LECs. It’s still a valid and tariffed service.

It's a tariffed service, but as $UNPRONOUNCEABLE points out, it's not going to help the OP.

I would recommend wifi with an AP Client in the building across the street; hang your extra station(s) on that.

I would venture to guess that if you are able to get an OPX from Verizon, that you will be charged some sort of monthly cable rent based on cable footage from point A to point B.

westonjoe,

We still use OPX's for some of our customers around here.
But you will need to call Verizon and see if they offer the service in your area. Not all carriers do.
And yeah, they can get pricey. There is usually a base monthly then so much a foot.

Just so everyone's clear, the OPX *I* am accustomed to hearing about is a line appearance at a street address other than the primary service address, which is multipled to a CO line, but almost never at the customer prem; it's commonly done at a cross-box (if local) or on the MDF with completely separately assigned pairs.

This is why an OPX won't help you for extending non-ILEC dialtone, which is what I gathered the OP actually wants to do.

What he probably wants is an "alarm circuit", which, if he can get it, is dry point to point copper, built from one site directly to the other, or sometimes through the frame, depending on the telco.

Lots of telcos detariffed those, because they let customers run point to point DSL privately, which telcos hate.

I run plenty of non LEC or ILEC dialtones across OPXs. They are conditioned circuits and I run analog station dialtone across them and have for 20 plus years. If he just wants an extension across the street and he has the right CPE equipment he could easily have an extension in his remote location. Hence the name Off Premise Extension.

Hmmm. I thought those were called Private Lines.

No "private Lines" are ring down circuits or "p-lines' like between stockbrokers and such, and like RBF say "OPX" is off premis extension.

Well, not all private lines were ring-down; wideband broadcast RPU were private lines, too, for example.

But we didn't disagree on what OPX *stood* for, merely on how it was implemented.

Here in NYC an OPX is an Off Premise Extension: A PBX extension that appears at a remote site (a non co-located location). The circuit is delivered via a conditioned leased line connecting the PBX site with the distant end. The circuit usually but not always goes through one or more Central Offices.

Sam

If the circuit resides within the same central office, Verizon's rates for OPX circuits are very reasonable in these parts (just a loop charge for each address). If it spans between COs or God forbid, between LATAs, then they become difficult, if not impossible to obtain. THAT is when the price gets crazy.

Verizon will also lease dry pairs here in Northern VA, but only in 25 pair binders. They won't do singles anymore.

Call the business office and request an OL13C, not an OPX. If you order it by the USOC number, you'll stand a better chance of getting a correct answer.

Wow … This post kind-a got all over the place.

As pointed out several times OPX is an off premise extension. It’s still a valid service. There is a possibility that “dry pair” or alarm circuits can be used to accomplish this for a cheaper rate BUT, it will NOT work if there is any pair gain devices that serve either location (yes dry pairs can be replicated over pair-gain devises on some systems.) So just ordering a “dry pair” if offered would be a crap shoot at best.

Private Line= There are SOOO many flavors available under that generalized category. Private Line voice, Private Line data, 2-wire, 4-wire, point-to-point, multi-point (bridged,) ring downs (aka bat phones) just to name a few. An OPX is only one of MANY that fit in to that category.

Baylink, What you’re talking about with a number appearing at an address that it would not normally appear at (outside of it’s exchange) is an FX (foreign exchange) circuit if you mean one telephone number is appearing at one location… If you mean one number appearing at it’s normal subscriber location AND at a remote location at the same time. Well those are a very OLD way of doing a bridged service and isn’t really done any more. The “bridge lifters” required to do that properly were very long ago discontinued. …And by the way, that should never have been done at a cross-box unless it was a temporary thing for an emergency situation only.

OPXs can be done wholly though LEC’s, can be done intra-office (same exchange) inter-office (different exchanges within one LATA.) If the circuit crosses LATA boundaries it would have to be ordered though an IXC (inter exchange carrier, a long distance company.) The LEC would only provide the two end-points.

OL13C is a FID code… OP, you will need that piece of information if you’re OPX port of you PBX is for loop-start (almost always) and is a “c class” port. (most are as I understand it.)

Good explanation Bryan.

Used to wire in quite a few of these, they worked well. :toast:

Yeah, Bryan clarified it nicely, and yes, what I was talking about was "the same phone line and number appearing at 2 separate premise locations in the same wire center serving area", which is what *I've* always seen called an OPX. They generally just set it up as a separate service, and then multiple them together at the MDF; both ring simultaneously, and if both ends pick up, all parties can speak.

But, given the way it's constructed, obviously it's only useful for the LECs circuits.

I still think the OP would be best off using wifi to solve his actual problem... :-)

I have a OSNA Circuit (OPX) in the same town in many locations..Yes these Circuits are Pricey..Distance is the issue..and the contract as well...You say you have a Nortel...Well..My opinion is Price out an OSNA 4 wire Circuit ( Point to Point) You will need a Small Nortel at the other end...Stations go to Lines..Meaning You will have to Buy another telephone System..I never read how many Stations you need at the other end..Very important!! The OSNA will have to be designed the Correct way..You can intercom ,Transfer call ETC.. Just Tell Your Verizon Rep to "Blow the Dust off the OSNA Design Books"...They provide the service But they will have to Research the Circuit..

westonjoe, I have a site in Wenatchee, WA, with a Verizon OPX running just fine. A-end was originally connected to a Norstar system, now works fine on a ShoreTel system. Z-end is an employee's home office.

What you are talking about Baylink, is what we call "Dual Service" around here.

Do they still offer dual service there? They stopped doing about a year ago at AT&T in Ohio... or at least they claim they quit offering it. A customer who used to have it inquired before they built an addition to their business and was denied the service. They wanted them to put in a move order.

Depends on the area, some do and some don't.