One system serves up to 96 customers. This configuration is more efficient than the alternative of having separate copper pairs between each service termination (house) and the central office. The term comes from the SLC-96 trademark of Western Electric.
A Subscriber Loop Carrier Circuit system manufactured by AT&T (now Lucent). SLC-96 has its own version of T1 frame synchronization between it and the CO. This interface is the Telcordia Technologies (formerly Bellcore) TR-008 or the newer GR-303 interface which are specialized versions of T1 intended to allow transparent transport of analog features such as Caller ID, Call Waiting, etc.