abstract:An operator-assisted call is one in which the calling party places a telephone call which requires an operator to provide some form of assistance in completing the call. This may include telephone calls made from pay phones, calls placed station-to-station, person-to-person, collect, third number calls, calls billed to a credit card, and certain international calls which cannot be dialed directly.
Traffic on the cellular network was running between 50 percent and 100 percent above normal levels, and its directory assistance and operator services were also overwhelmed, the company said in a statement.