provisioning

Definition of provisioning in The Network Encyclopedia.

What is Provisioning?

The configuration of options on telecommunications equipment at the customer premises. For example, an analog telephone line can be provisioned with only a few options, such as caller ID and call waiting.

An Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) line can be provisioned with many more options, and the configuration of the ISDN equipment at the customer premises must match that at the telco’s central office (CO) for communication to function properly.

For example, the service profile identifier (SPID), which is a phone number with additional digits prefixed and appended to it, must be configured properly on the customer’s ISDN equipment for the telco’s ISDN switching equipment to recognize the type of equipment that is attached, recognize whether one or more devices is attached, and enable calls to be routed appropriately to the equipment.