value added services (VAS)
Value-added services (VAS) are special teleservices whose services go beyond the provision of a communications link, the basic services, in the technical sense. The telephone service only provides the communication partners with a connection, so that in this case it can clearly be referred to as a basic service. However, if the transmitted information is stored or processed in any way, this is no longer the case.
If, in the case of telephone service, a service is additionally offered which allows spoken messages to be temporarily stored if the desired recipient cannot be found, this is a value-added telephone service. Value-added services can be offered in the voice area and in the data area. Well-known value-added telephone services include computer telephony integration( CTI), least cost routing( LCR) and the Centrex service. In the data area, value-added services include: The intranet, e-commerce or e-mail
Value-added services generally use additional electronic equipment. The use of computers plays a decisive role in the services they offer.
Value-added services are complex telecommunications services designed for sophisticated applications. Telecommunications and their infrastructure, their Tk networks and Tk services are, in principle, available everywhere. Nevertheless, a distinction must be made between the public and private areas of application. Public offerings, i.e., Tk networks and Tk services, are open to all interested parties and are built up with the corresponding area coverage and subscriber capacity. The private area is generally limited to private properties and includes everything that is available in this limited space due to initiatives of the owner or tenant. In simplified terms, we can speak of in-house communications. In addition, there are quasi-public services that are offered nationwide but only to closed user groups.
Providers of value-added services
Various providers appear in the public sector. There are the national carriers, represented in the Federal Republic of Germany by Deutsche Telekom. In addition to being able to set up any telecommunications networks and offer any telecommunications services in Germany and abroad, they generally enjoy nationally bound monopoly rights, which relate primarily to the establishment and expansion of the physical infrastructure. In contrast, all other operators of telecommunications networks and providers of telecommunications services are referred to as private providers. They compete with each other with their offerings.
In the Federal Republic of Germany, private providers require additional licenses if they wish to operate in mobile communications and satellite communications. In the English-speaking world, the terms Value Added Service (VAS) or Value Added Network Service( VANS) have become established for higher-value TC services. There are also the terms Value Added Network( VAN), Value Added Data Service (VADS) and International Value Added Network Service (IVANS). These terms can largely be used interchangeably. In technical articles, they are sometimes placed side by side to highlight minor differences in the way the broad field of value-added services is viewed.