ABSTRACT: This document provides the view of Telcordia on generic requirements and objectives for a Packet Assembler/Disassembler (PAD) supporting the T3POS protocol. T3POS is a transaction-oriented protocol that has been designed to provide Point of Sale (POS) equipment already in place, as well as future POS terminals, with efficient and economical transaction switching and transport service over a Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) X.25-based Public Packet Switched Network (PPSN).

The document also introduces a new Binary Local Mode and the capability to loop back in the Local mode. In view of the many similarities among the protocols used for credit/debit authorization, electronic medical claims, and electronic benefits transfer, T3POS eliminates the need for today's plethora of protocol nuances for transaction-oriented applications.