Forecasting - V72.0
Description
Forecasting of potential growth is important to interconnection. The availability of inventory is a key component of CenturyLink's Service Delivery process. CenturyLink™ strives to deliver wholesale services to meet your business needs. Through a Joint Forecasting Process, CenturyLink will provide network components in a timely manner to help you develop new solutions for your business.
Your Interconnection Agreement outlines that CenturyLink and Competitive Local Exchange Carriers (CLECs) will work in good faith to define mutually agreed upon Local Interconnection Service (LIS), Wireless Type 2 Interconnection and Collocation forecasts. These forecasts provide information for planning the switch capacity facilities, power, space, and basic space construction, etc. CenturyLink and you will participate in joint planning meetings annually to establish trunk design and provisioning requirement information to assure end-user call completion between networks. Important Note: If you choose to submit forecasts for Unbundled Network Elements (UNEs) to CenturyLink, we will accept them. However, CenturyLink has no obligation to construct facilities for use as UNEs; therefore, these forecasts will be filed for reference only.
If terms and conditions for forecasts are included in your Interconnection Agreement, and those terms differ from those set forth within this Web page, the terms of your Interconnection Agreement will prevail.
General Requirements
LIS/Wireless Type 2
Switch capacity growth requiring the addition of new switching modules may require six months to order and install. To align with the timeframe needed to provide for the requested facilities, including engineering, ordering, installation, and make-ready activities, CenturyLink collects forecasting information about orders that you will submit six to 48 months into the future. To establish trunk design and forecast requirements, CenturyLink and you have the obligation to participate in joint planning meetings at annual intervals (See Schedule below). The forecast shall be for trunking that impacts the switch capacity and facilities of each party.
Typical forecast timelines are discussed in the LIS Trunk Forecast Directions and Wireless Type 2 Directions (shown below under "Forecasting Tools") for growth planning. For capacity growth, CenturyLink utilizes your forecasts to ensure availability of switch and transport capacity. In addition, after the close of the forecast cycle, CenturyLink will advise you, via e-mail, that you can request a copy of your Market Adjusted Forecast. This CenturyLink-adjusted forecast is used in the capital acquisition and build cycle by CenturyLink.
Click here for more information on LIS trunking:
The LIS/Wireless Type 2 annual forecasting schedule is as follows:
Annual Joint Planning:
| Forecast Due | Final View of Forecast For: | Preliminary View of Forecasts For: |
| 04/29/2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
| 04/01/2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| 04/01/2018 | 2019 | 2020 |
| 04/01/2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
| TBD/2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
If the date falls on a weekend or a national holiday, the date will move to the next Monday.
Deposit Process
If, upon review of the CenturyLink-adjusted-forecast, you want to ensure that CenturyLink builds to your higher forecast, a refundable deposit is required. If your Interconnection Agreement does not discuss a forecast deposit, contact your CenturyLink Service Manager to process an amendment. Deposit process terms and conditions may vary by state.
A typical deposit process is as follows:
- If your statewide trunk utilization (trunks in-service versus trunks-required) ratio over the past 18 months is less than 50% each month, you must submit a refundable deposit to CenturyLink if you want assurance that CenturyLink will build to your higher forecast.
- The deposit will be calculated based on the difference between
the higher forecast and the lower forecast.
- For an end office (direct trunk) connection, a deposit of $6,500 per DS1 is required.
- For a tandem office connection, a deposit of $16,000 per DS1 is required.
- If your statewide trunk utilization ratio during the six-month period after submission of the deposit meets or exceeds 50% in any month, the deposit is refunded. If the statewide trunk utilization ratio is less than 50% a pro-rata portion is returned.
Deposits are held in the Billing and Receivable Tracking (BART) billing system.
Collocation
CenturyLink requests that you submit an annual forecast, updated at the end of each quarter, of your future Collocation requirements. Individual CLEC Interconnection Agreements may differ on specific terms and conditions for forecasting. See your Interconnection Agreement for clarification regarding how to submit forecasts prior to Collocation orders. Your forecast can be exceeded by twenty percent for floor space and power requirements where applicable. The forecast must include, for each CenturyLink premises, the following:
- Identification of CenturyLink premises
- Floor space requirements, including the number of bays for a cageless Collocation arrangement
- Power requirements
- Heat dissipation
- Type of Collocation (e.g., caged physical, cageless physical, shared Interconnection Distribution Frame (ICDF), virtual, etc)
- Entrance facility type
- Type and quantity of terminations
- Date you expect to submit your collocation application
- Send quarterly forecast to rfsmet@centurylink.com
Following is the Collocation Quarterly Forecasting schedule:
| Forecast due to Collocation Mailbox | Final View of Forecast for: |
| Last Friday in December | 1st Quarter |
| Last Friday in March | 2nd Quarter |
| Last Friday in June | 3rd Quarter |
| Last Friday in September | 4th Quarter |
| Last Friday in December | 1st Quarter |
If Friday lands on a national holiday, the date will move to the next Monday.
Unbundled Elements
As stated earlier in this document, it is important to note that if you choose to submit forecasts for UNEs to CenturyLink, we will accept them. However, CenturyLink has no obligation to construct facilities for use as UNEs, therefore, these forecasts will be filed for reference only. In order to assist you in developing your forecasts, information is available regarding CenturyLink's existing services by wire center and product type that can be obtained from CenturyLink's Operations Systems Support. CenturyLink provides you a tool, Raw Loop Data Tool that contains information that may be useful in developing your forecasts. Contact your CenturyLink Service Manager for access to this tool.
If you choose to provide your forecast at the Distribution Area (DA) level, download the site for ArcGIS Explorer and User's Guide. In addition to ArcExplorer, you will need the latest updated version of the DA level mapping on CD-ROM. For more information regarding DA Mapping refer to the Pre-Ordering section of Field Connection Point - Cross Connect Collocation.
Because UNE forecasts are not required by CenturyLink, there is no schedule for submitting them.
Terms and Conditions
Confidentiality of Forecasts
CenturyLink fully understands the confidentiality of forecasts. Your forecasts are confidential and CenturyLink will not distribute or reveal, in any form, your forecasts to CenturyLink's retail, marketing, sales or strategic planning personnel. CenturyLink may reveal, on a need to know basis only, your forecasts to our network planning and growth personnel. These personnel understand and are informed of the confidentiality of your forecasts. CenturyLink personnel know they may not reveal or use such information beyond that which is necessary to plan your network growth.
Implementation
Product Prerequisites
If you are a new CLEC and are ready to do business with CenturyLink, view the Getting Started as a Facility-Based CLEC.
If you are an existing CLEC wishing to amend your Interconnection Agreement or Customer Questionnaire, additional information is located in the Interconnection Agreement.
Ordering
Forecasting Tools - Forecasting tools have been created by CenturyLink to simplify the joint forecasting process. New CenturyLink CLECs (CLECs not currently providing forecasts or not participating in joint planning sessions) may use the forms listed below and contact your CenturyLink Service Manager to submit the forecast. Existing CLECs may contact their CenturyLink Joint Planning Engineer to submit annual forecasts.
Unforecasted Demand - LIS/Wireless Type 2, Collocation & Unbundled
If you need to adjust a forecast submitted earlier as a result of
errors, changes or corrections, you may use an Unforecasted Demand
Notification Form at any time between regular forecast submissions.
Accurate forecasts enable timely provisioning although CenturyLink has not changed its practice of readily accepting orders that are not associated with a forecast. CenturyLink's capacity planners will prepare for both planned (they receive both your standard forecast and your adjustment, if any) and unplanned growth.
To access one of the following forms, click on the appropriate form to download the document. Contact your assigned Joint Planning Engineer for assistance in completing the form(s). We will help you specify your needs as requested in the forecasting process. CenturyLink will continue to work with you to refine your forecast as your needs change and as you grow.
Unforecasted Demand Notification Form - LIS/Wireless Type 2,
Collocation Unbundled
Unforecasted Demand Notification Form
LIS Information
LIS
Trunk Forecast Request Form
LIS Trunk Forecast Directions
CLEC POI Forecast Directions
Wireless Products Information
Wireless
Type 2 Trunk Forecast Request
Wireless
Type 2 Trunk Forecast Directions
Collocation Information
Collocation Forecasting Form
Unbundled Downloadable Information
Unbundled
Forecasting Form 2005
Unbundled
Forecasting Form 2006
Training
Local CenturyLink 101 "Doing Business With CenturyLink"
- This introductory web-based training course is designed to teach the Local CLEC and Local Reseller how to do business with CenturyLink. It will provide a general overview of products and services, CenturyLink billing and support systems, processes for submitting service requests, reports, and web resource access information. Click here for Course detail and registration information.
View additional CenturyLink courses by clicking on Course Catalog.
Contacts
CenturyLink contact information is located in Wholesale Customer Contacts.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
This section is currently being compiled based on your feedback.
Last Update: October 1, 2015