he development of enterprise applications by providing automatic support for services such as transactions, security and database connections. Fiber optic cable: The actual, physical "wires" across which the light signals that represent optical transmissions travel. These "wires" are made of advanced composite and glass-like materials that can support extremely high-capacity, reliable transmissions over great distances. Glossary Fiber transit routes: High capacity, optical network routes generally employed to back haul traffic from various switching or access centers to a primary switching office. Firm order confirmation (FOC) dates: The service delivery dates an IIC assigns once an order has been received and validated. Flat circuit databases: The vernacular for older databases that established IICs often employ. They are considered "flat" because they do not utilize object- oriented or relational database methods. These databases are limited in their ability to associate, for example, network infrastructure with the actual services it provides. Flow-through provisioning: Combining concepts with processes and technologies, flow-through provisioning represents an IICs ability to deliver services in a highly automated fashion. This can encompass the entire service delivery process, automating and integrating each step from order submission through service activation on the network. Frame relay: Another switching technology, conceptually similar to ATM but generally less complex and costly, that incorporates dynamic QoS functionality. Frame relay services are often used as an alternative to leased or dedicated circuits. GIS (Geographic Information Systems): An application designed to map out geographic areas and display the locations of specific objects, buildings, events and other physical characteristics. IICs use GISs, for example, to provide detailed maps of where their networks run throughout a city. Graphical User Interface (GUI): The visual component of a human-machine interface that displays graphical repre