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In telecommunication
Telecommunication

Telecommunication is the assisted Transmission of Signal over a distance for the purpose of communication. In earlier times, this may have involved the use of smoke signals, Drum , Semaphore line, flag signals or heliograph....
, a hotline (also called an automatic signaling service, ringdown
Ringdown

Ringdown: In telephony, a method of Signalling an operator in which telephone ringing current is sent over the telephone line to operate a lamp or cause the operation of a self-locking relay known as a drop....
, or off-hook service) is a point-to-point communications
Information transfer

In telecommunications, information transfer is the process of moving messages containing user information from a source to a sink.Note: The information transfer rate may or may not be equal to the Transmission modulation rate....
 link
Data link

In telecommunication a data link is the means of connecting one location to another for the purpose of transmitting and receiving digital information....
 in which a call
Call

Call may refer to:* A type of Betting * Bird call, part of a bird song* A command in square dancing, delivered by a Caller * Call , often specifically a telephone call...
 is automatically directed to the preselected destination without any additional action by the user
User (telecommunications)

In telecommunications, a user is a person, organization, or other entity that employs the services provided by a telecommunication system, or by an information processing system, for transfer of information....
 when the end instrument
End instrument

In telecommunications an end instrument is a equipment connected to the wires at the end of a telecommunications link. In most cases, this is a telephone....
 goes off-hook
Off-hook

In telephony, the term off-hook has the following meanings:# The condition that exists when a telephone or other User instrument is in use, i.e., during dialing or communicating....
. An example would be a phone that automatically connects to emergency services on picking up the receiver.

True hotlines cannot be used to originate calls other than to preselected destinations.






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In telecommunication
Telecommunication

Telecommunication is the assisted Transmission of Signal over a distance for the purpose of communication. In earlier times, this may have involved the use of smoke signals, Drum , Semaphore line, flag signals or heliograph....
, a hotline (also called an automatic signaling service, ringdown
Ringdown

Ringdown: In telephony, a method of Signalling an operator in which telephone ringing current is sent over the telephone line to operate a lamp or cause the operation of a self-locking relay known as a drop....
, or off-hook service) is a point-to-point communications
Information transfer

In telecommunications, information transfer is the process of moving messages containing user information from a source to a sink.Note: The information transfer rate may or may not be equal to the Transmission modulation rate....
 link
Data link

In telecommunication a data link is the means of connecting one location to another for the purpose of transmitting and receiving digital information....
 in which a call
Call

Call may refer to:* A type of Betting * Bird call, part of a bird song* A command in square dancing, delivered by a Caller * Call , often specifically a telephone call...
 is automatically directed to the preselected destination without any additional action by the user
User (telecommunications)

In telecommunications, a user is a person, organization, or other entity that employs the services provided by a telecommunication system, or by an information processing system, for transfer of information....
 when the end instrument
End instrument

In telecommunications an end instrument is a equipment connected to the wires at the end of a telecommunications link. In most cases, this is a telephone....
 goes off-hook
Off-hook

In telephony, the term off-hook has the following meanings:# The condition that exists when a telephone or other User instrument is in use, i.e., during dialing or communicating....
. An example would be a phone that automatically connects to emergency services on picking up the receiver.

True hotlines cannot be used to originate calls other than to preselected destinations. However, in common or colloquial usage, a "hotline" often refers to a call center reachable by dialing a standard telephone number, or sometimes the phone numbers themselves. This is especially the case with 24-hour, noncommercial numbers, such as police tip hotlines or suicide crisis hotline
Crisis hotline

A crisis hotline is a phone number people can call to get immediate over-the-phone emergency counseling, usually by trained volunteers. Such hotlines have existed in most major cities of the United States at least since the mid-1970s....
s, which are manned around the clock and thereby give the appearance of real hotlines. Increasingly, however, the term is found being applied to any customer service telephone number.

Derived from Federal Standard 1037C
Federal Standard 1037C

Federal Standard 1037C, entitled Telecommunications: Glossary of Telecommunication Terms is a United States Federal Standard, issued by the General Services Administration pursuant to the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949, as amended....
.


Notable hotlines

  • The White House/Kremlin hotline during the Cold War, known as the red telephone, which was established on June 20, 1963, in the wake of the Cuban Missile Crisis
    Cuban Missile Crisis

    File:EXCOMM meeting, , 29 October 1962.jpgFile:Jupiter IRBM.jpgThe Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation between the United States, the Soviet Union, and Cuba that occurred in the early 1960s during the Cold War....
    .
  • On June 20, 2004, both India and Pakistan agreed to extend a nuclear testing ban and to set up a hotline between their foreign secretaries aimed at preventing misunderstandings that might lead to nuclear war.
  • India and China announced a hotline for the foreign ministers of both countries while reiterating their commitment to strengthening ties and building "mutual political trust".
  • Governor
    Governor

    A governor is a governing official, usually the Executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state. In federations, a governor may be the title of each appointed or elected politician who governs a constitutive state....
     Jack Thomason created a hotline for legislators in Vermont
    Vermont

    Vermont is a U.S. state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States United States. The state ranks 43rd by land area, , and 45th by total area....
     to provide feedback on budget cuts.
  • The Pentagon has proposed that the United States and China set up a crisis hotline between their military establishments in high-level defense talks being held in Washington.


See also

  • Crisis hotline
    Crisis hotline

    A crisis hotline is a phone number people can call to get immediate over-the-phone emergency counseling, usually by trained volunteers. Such hotlines have existed in most major cities of the United States at least since the mid-1970s....
  • Moscow-Washington hotline
    Moscow-Washington hotline

    The Moscow-Washington hotline is a system that allows direct communication between the leaders of the United States and Russia. It was originally designed by Harris Corporation for communication between the United States and the Soviet Union....
  • Bat phone
    Bat phone

    A bat phone is a common business euphemism for a private telephone number that is handled at a higher priority than a public line. The name derives from James Gordon 's secure line to the "Batphone" in the 1960s-era Batman ....