From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Mon Aug 12 11:23:13 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id LAA00901; Mon, 12 Aug 1996 11:23:13 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 11:23:13 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608121523.LAA00901@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #401 TELECOM Digest Mon, 12 Aug 96 11:23:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 401 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Republicans Come to Town - The Lights Go Out! (Stephen Satchell) Re: Republicans Come to Town - The Lights Go Out! (Steven Lichter) "Genuine Nynex Payphone" Limiting Number of Touch Tone Digits (D. Burstein) "Wrong numbers" in Britain (Dave Close) Help Needed With Apartment Building Wiring (scorpio1@interport.net) Re: 612/320 and Beyond (John Cropper) Re: 612/320 and Beyond (Rob Wood) Re: Pay Phone 800 Number Charge? (Kyle Rhorer) Re: Satellite TV Services (Larry Irons) Re: Number Crunch (Ron Kritzman) Re: Number Crunch (Clint Gilliland) Re: ISDN D-Channel Data and Internet Voice (John Agosta) Re: How Low Can Loop Voltage Go? (Jean-Francois Mezei) Re: Why Do US Online Phone Directories Only Have Stale Data? (Mike Fox) Re: Caller ID: Names Passed Between LECs? (Art Kamlet) Re: Caller ID: Names Passed Between LECs? (Tony Harminc) Re: Touch Tones in Movies? (Ed Ellers) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 01:45:21 -0700 From: satchell@accutek.com (Stephen Satchell) Subject: Re: Republicans Come to Town - The Lights Go Out! Organization: Satchell Evaluations In article , ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) wrote: > So, the weekend brought another major power outage to the western USA > once again. Millions of people without power -- most important perhaps > their lights and air-conditioning in hundred degree temperatures -- > for several hours. Tsk, tsk ... > As the Republicans were arriving in southern California for their > convention, the power went out. What a great way to greet your visitors, > guys! > Anyone have the true story/facts/excuses made this time around? From San Francisco radio station KCBS during the coverage (I was at ISPone during the fiasco): At the Oregon/California border, the monitors on the Pacific Intertie detected that there was a frequency mismatch, and the breakers operated as they were supposed to. This caused a HUGE load-shedding event in nine states as the local generators could not begin to keep up with demand. The interesting point about this is that the shedding was spotty. For example, the area around Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco (the center itself, and the traffic lights around it) had power, but two blocks away in just about any direction the power was GONE. Even more funny, as area by area would be restored, sometimes the newly-restored area would drop again, sometimes only after minutes. My home in Incline Village (Lake Tahoe) never lost power, based on the fact that my VCR and microwave oven all show the correct time and not "blinking 12s". I don't know if Reno, Virginia City, or Carson City lost power, but I'll find out on Monday when I compare notes at the local restaurant here. Footnote: when I was driving home, I discovered that Vacaville -- on I-80 about 50 miles east of SF -- had lost power *today*. Stephen Satchell, Satchell Evaluations http://www.accutek.com/~satchell ------------------------------ From: slichte@cello.gina.calstate.edu (Steven Lichter) Subject: Re: Republicans Come to Town - The Lights Go Out! Date: 12 Aug 1996 05:34:21 -0700 Organization: GINA and CORE+ Services of The California State University ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) writes: > As the Republicans were arriving in southern California for their > convention, the power went out. What a great way to greet your visitors, > guys! > Anyone have the true story/facts/excuses made this time around? The power outage I'm sure you know effected everyone from Canada to Mexico and as far east as Texas. They are saying it was a fire that caused wires feeding California to short which in turn caused breakers all over the west to shut down and operate on their own, leaving California with not enough power and the northwest with too much. The outage was from a few seconds to several hours with a couple of areas being out over 24 hours. It caused a bit of a problem because I saw where many stop lights went nuts once the power came back on and all the electronic ran gas pumps had to be reset; I was getting gas at the time and was a little annoyed even thought the power came back right away since I had to wait another five minutes for them to reset. My systems at home stayed on since I have a rather large UPS that was made for a Lan, so all was fine here, with the exception of my air conditioner being a little confused for a while. SysOp Apple Elite II and OggNet Hub (909)359-5338 2400/14.4 24 hours, Home of GBBS/LLUCE Support for the Apple II and Macintosh computers. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 05:26:05 EDT From: danny burstein Subject: "Genuine Nynex Payphone" Limiting Number of Touch Tone Digits Maybe someone could explain the rationale behind this one? I can't figure out any. To make this even more ironic I discovered the problem when calling a Nynex number ... Earlier today I paid my (home) Nynex bill at an authorized payment location. (These are "outsourced" by Nynex, which has very, very, few of their own offices, or employees, anymore). After getting my receipt I called Nynex's automated accounting system to let it know I had paid. This involves a 1-800 number, then punching in the billing number, a code, etc. About two thirds of the way through the menu sequences I got a synthesized voice announcement which said something like "no additional digits may be dialed at this time". And sure enough, anytime I hit a touch tone key I heard the tone, then got the same msg. I suspect that the tone I heard was _not_ sent over the link, and that the voice I heard was generated by the payphone itself, but I can't readily verify this. Anyway, I've been scratching my head to come up with a reason why a "genuine Nynex payphone" (i.e., not a cocot) would have any use for such a limit, and can't come up with any that warrant the disruption and annoyance such a "feature" provides. Oh, I'll be sending off a PSC complaint a bit later today, as I can easily see this blocking my access to other voicemail systems as well as my long distance carrier. dannyb@panix.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Hint ... it has something to do with drug dealers using payphones and the other nemesis of society, toll fraud. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Dave Close Subject: "Wrong numbers" in Britain Date: Sun, 11 Aug 1996 23:01:28 -0700 Organization: Compata, Costa Mesa, California To avoid copyright infringement, I'll merely send along the URL. This article discusses the issue of phone number exhaustion in Britain and the continent. http://www.economist.com/issue/10-08-96/br3.html Dave Close, Compata, Costa Mesa CA dave@compata.com, +1 714 434 7359 dhclose@alumni.caltech.edu ------------------------------ From: scorpio1@interport.net Subject: Help Needed With Apartment Building Wiring Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 10:06:42 -0400 Organization: Interport Communications Corp. I have is this question; I'm in NY my telco is NYNEX. Where I live there are two buildings, that share a inside wall, and other things. We have a main line that come from a pole, to one of the building's basement; like 150ft to 200ft, from the pole to the building basement. From there the main line splits in to two, one for each building going like 75ft each apart to each box. These are the old terminal boxes that need a nut wrench to connect the wires. There is so much of a mess in the boxes with a bunch of wires every- where, that when telco comes to repair or connect a new service always they break someone else's line. I told them that if this happen again I not going to let anyone go there and work in the lines; they better fix it from the street. Usually when some line is not working, the first thing they said is that the problem is in the basement. I know for a fact that the problem is not there; the problem is where the other telco men are working on the street someplace else and breaking the lines on there. Later they want to come to the building and try to find an empty pair so they can change the line to other pair. 1) Can I tell NYNEX to put a new box (one 66 block or two 66 blocks ) where the main cable enters the basement; just there instead of the two boxes? I think one place is much better, so all the lines from each building can go to only one place. Can I specify what type of block like cat 4 or 5 or can I buy a 66 block myself, install it there and tell NYNEX to put all the wires in there? 2) Can I make them change the old main line, and put a new from the basement box to the pole or some where else? Can I specify what type and how many wires, I think 100 to 200 pairs is enough, since there is a total of 24 apartments between buildings. 3) Right know the main line that is coming to the buildings sucks. In that line are I think ten exchanges. None of them offers ISDN or some of the other services like CALL ANSWERING, etc. The problem is that the line routes to some place and that place don't support this services, some of the exchanges do, but since they route to that place is not way to get some of the services. Is there anything that I can do about it?. 4) Is there going to be any charge to the building or that is the telco responsibility. Any ideas, or other things that I can ask them. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You raise a lot of questions and I will answer just a few and pass the others along to whoever wants to answer them. First of all, you do not indicate if you are the landlord (or the landlord's representative) or simply a tenant in the building. If you are the latter, there is nothing at all you can do. If you are the landlord's representative, i.e. caretaker for the property, then I would suggest the best thing you might do is speak to a foreman or supervisor at Nynex responsible for outside plant and tell them what you said here. Tell them you believe it is time to install a new demarc and completely organize/identify the wire pairs coming in to the buildings because of the repeated problems with service interupptions and other problems identifying each subscriber's wires. I do not think you can force them to change any of their own equipment/wiring, and it does belong to them until it reaches the terminal box. From that point on throughout the building is sort of a grey area: some telcos define 'demarc' as the point where the wires enter each individual tenant's apartment. In other cases 'demarc' is the spot in the building where all the 'house pair' wires take over from the wires coming in from outside the building. Typically in real old buildings such as yours, most telcos are willing to make a liberal definition of 'demarc' and not hold the landlord/tenants responsible for the costs of replacement/repair, particularly if telco did all the inside wiring as well how ever many decades ago. See if you can speak with someone in authority at Nynex involved in outside plant repairs and maintainence and relate what you said here. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 06:23:05 GMT Subject: Re: 612/320 and Beyond From: psyber@usa.pipeline.com (John Cropper) On Aug 08, 1996 23.53.40, '"Rob Wood" ' wrote: > I recently had the opportunity to review a US West flyer relating to > NPA 320 and found out that 612 will be down to its final 54 prefixes > by late August. Hopefully Round 2 will not cut it as close. If 612 keeps adding prefixes at the rate it has the first two quarters of this year, US West should begin another permissive period NO LATER than 4Q96, to be mandatory 4Q97. Given the reduced area, I'd have to recommend an overlay this time around ... > Once the permissive period ends, I count 244 prefixes comfortably > available. Therefore, I would anticipate that at the rate we're > using phone numbers, Round 2 may start late 1997 since relief may be > needed perhaps summer 1998 ... Much sooner, I'm afraid ... AT&T's "big experiment" in local service will be in Chicago (they'll actually be laying their *own* fiber). I'm sure they'll want to test the waters in other nearby markets, and this could intensify number consumption. > The vast majority of 612's NXX's will consist of the Twin Cittes > calling area. All calls between any number in the region are local > calls. Therefore, I expect the debate over the next relief to be a > contentious one, since we would be looking at ten-digit local calls. As I said above, an overlay would probably be the recommendation of anyone with common sense. Unfortunately, the heavy hitters (AT&T, MCI, et al.) won't let it happen without a fight. John Cropper * NiS / NexComm Content is the sole property of the * PO Box 277 originating poster. Please relegate * Pennington, NJ USA 08534-0277 ALL on-topic responses to this * Inside NJ : 609.637.9434 newsgroup. Unsolicited private mail * Outside NJ: 888.NPA.NFO2 (672.6362) is prohibited, and will be referred * Fax : 609.637.9430 unabridged to sender's ISP. * email: psyber@usa.pipeline.com ------------------------------ From: Rob Wood Organization: Rob Wood - Minnetonka, MN USA Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 09:01:12 -0500 Subject: Re: 612/320 and Beyond John Cropper responded: > AT&T's "big experiment" in local service will be in Chicago (they'll > actually be laying their *own* fiber). I'm sure they'll want to test the > waters in other nearby markets, and this could intensify number > consumption. >> The vast majority of 612's NXX's will consist of the Twin Cittes >> calling area. All calls between any number in the region are local >> calls. Therefore, I expect the debate over the next relief to be a >> contentious one, since we would be looking at ten-digit local calls ... > As I said above, an overlay would probably be the recommendation of anyone > with common sense. Unfortunately, the heavy hitters (AT&T, MCI, et al.) > won't let it happen without a fight. Given that Minnesota considered an overlay this time, I would be surprised to see an overlay in this case. Mandatory dialing of the NPA for long distance in all cases came in September 1994 - to all parts of Minnesota at the same time, and I doubt that mandatory ten-digit local dialing will sell well outside the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Hence, I am thinking split instead of overlay. However, I am envisioning a lengthy battle with various municipalities jockeying for position on the matter - CO's do not seem to respect city or county boundaries to a major extent. I anticipate that the dialing scheme will be akin to the Seattle area following the three-way split in Round 2. Rob Wood robwoo19@skypoint.com Minnetonka, MN USA ------------------------------ From: rhorer@phoenix.net (Kyle Rhorer) Subject: Re: Pay Phone 800 Number Charge? Date: 11 Aug 1996 23:55:14 GMT Organization: KB5IMO Wes Leatherock (wes.leatherock@hotelcal.com) wrote: > You must not have visited Texas recently. I did, a month or > month and a half ago, and did not find a single pay phone which did > not charge for calls to 800 numbers. (I also did not find a single > SWBT [RBOC] pay phone, although I noted a few such indicated by > signs at places where I did not need to make a call.) I have lived in Texas my whole life, and have only encountered ONE pay phone that wanted money to complete an 800 call. I'm sure that just like everything else, policies vary from region to region (and Texas *is* a big state), but generally speaking it has been my experience that 800 calls from Texas pay phones are still free. Kyle Rhorer rhorer@phoenix.net http://www.phoenix.net/~rhorer ------------------------------ From: Larry Irons Subject: Re: Satellite TV Services Date: Sun, 11 Aug 1996 23:07:46 -0600 Organization: Qadas Online Curtis Wheeler wrote: > On another note. While this is not really laid out in black and > white, you don't necessarily have the right to do what you wish with > radio signals coming into your back yard. At least this is the > argument I would use if I was representing the government in court. The > way I look at it, when the communications act of 1934 was adopted, and > the FCC was created, the radio spectrum in the U.S. was, for practical > purposes, comdemned by the government under what may be called it's > imminent domain. Just like they can condemn your house and force you > to move so they can put in a freeway. Essentially the regulated > "airwaves" have an easment in your back yard. The government took > over because it was obvious that technologies were going to require > that the spectrum be managed and regulated if it was going to do the > public any good. > Could you imagine what it would be like today if there was no management > of radio spectrum and everyone just did as they please? When the federal govenrment condemns property, they must compensate the individual for its fair market value. That's written in the Bill of Rights. If the Federal government seized all radio frequencies for their own use, did they take something without due process and without due compensation. In other words, have they compensated my ancestors, myself, and my descendants for the control of the airwaves. Obviously, prior to the FCC, the airwaves were unregulated and free to be used by anyone without payment. Today, the government auctions off the frequency bands to the highest bidder. Where is my royalty? Now that's a case that I await. Larry Irons irons@qadas.com Lakewood, Colorado [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: No more smart talk like that from you if you please. If you keep making suggestions like that, you will get listed as one of those 'extreme right' type people the government is trying so hard to get rid of right now. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Ron Kritzman Subject: Re: Number Crunch Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 09:15:22 GMT Organization: Kritzman Communications Lauren Weinstein wrote: > First, it is far too easy for entities to reserve huge blocks of > numbers for services before they are needed, eating up large segments > of the numbering space. My many years in the beeper business confirm this. If you want the telcos to connect you as a telco rather than as an end user, you get whole prefixes and take T spans (or higher) from the tandems. When you're running 30,000 calls per hour through your paging switch, you can hardly sit there as an end user hanging off of whatever CO is local to your office building. However, when you hit subscriber 50,001 you need 10,000 more numbers. As early as 1980 someone suggested going back to "overdial" paging to avoid a future number crunch. (Overdial is where instead of each pager having a phone number the caller dials an access number to get into the paging system, then punches in the pager number.) The phone companies, he said, could set up a special three digit access code instead of a seven digit number. This would allow the callers to dial three digits, then the pager number. Hey ... wait a minute ... that sounds like an overlay areacode for wireless. DOH! Ron ------------------------------ From: clintcrg@aol.com (Clint CRG) Subject: Re: Number Crunch Date: 11 Aug 1996 14:10:30 -0400 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Reply-To: clintcrg@aol.com (Clint CRG) There are costs to reserving numbers. Pacific Tel charges us $45 per 100 numbers for our DID blocks. There is a $1500 charge if we release the numbers before two years. You can't tie up large blocks of numbers without some cost. This prevents frivolus hoarding. Clint Gilliland TCI/BR Communications Sunnyvale, CA ------------------------------ From: jagosta@interaccess.com (John Agosta) Subject: Re: ISDN D-Channel Data and Internet Voice Date: 11 Aug 1996 16:01:05 GMT Organization: Agosta and Associates In article , azur@netcom.com says: > Does anyone know which states have tariffed D-channel service, and how > they are priced? Ameritech has D channel packet service available, and you can access thier WEB page for pricing and other specifics. However, I don't think you'll be able to use the Dx.25 service for voice calls, internet or not. ja ------------------------------ From: Jean-Francois Mezei Subject: Re: How Low Can Loop Voltage Go? Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 00:31:12 +0000 Organization: Vaxination Informatique Reply-To: jfmezei@videotron.ca I have an accoustic coupler which provides an RJ11 so that a normal modem thinks it is plugged into a phone line when in fact, it is accoustically plugged into a telephone handset. The accoustic coupler works on a 9vdc battery. If the idle line voltage is anywhere between 30 and 80 volts, how does this affect a modem when the voltage provided by the accoustic coupler wouldn't be much higher than 9vdc? Is the high voltage required because of the very long lines between the CO and the telephone? ------------------------------ From: Mike Fox Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 08:33:12 GMT Subject: Re: Why Do US Online Phone Directories Only Have Stale Data? >> Some of my friends moved *months* ago, as well as some businesses I deal >> with. Their new addresses don't show yet in online directories. > I moved 19 months ago. One of the directories (switchboard.com) still > lists the old number, even though at least one (perhaps two) new > editions of the phone book have appeared since then. Of course they > can't find a new number for me, which may be why they keep the old > one. Or they may have lost interest. I moved from a listed number to another listed number in the same city in February, 1995. New phone books with the correct information have been out for six months. But Switchboard is still not up to date, even though their homepage says they were refreshed in August, 1996 (maybe the refresh is ongoing?). Infospace (http://206.129.166.101/people.html) does give my old address, the date it was last updated, and a notation that "this is the last known address before a note of change of address was received." I wonder where they got the fact that my address changed, but didn't get the new information? I wonder what source they are using. wyp.net was shut down because they were using a commercial phone disc for their data; the phone disc maker found out about it and sued. I would imagine that other pages like this that are using phone discs are pretty short-lived. I don't think these web listing services are any good. I have yet to find one that has my correct information, and I moved 18 months ago! I'm not impressed with the completeness or usefulness of these directories. Later, Mike ------------------------------ From: kamlet@infinet.com (Art Kamlet) Subject: Re: Caller ID: Names Passed Between LECs? Date: 11 Aug 1996 11:54:11 -0400 Organization: InfiNet Reply-To: kamlet@infinet.com In article , Jeffrey Rhodes wrote: > This is where the magic takes place. The delivered CPN can be used to > locate the calling CO. It would be very intensive to have every CO > "know" the SS7 point code of every NPA-NXX, in order to send the TCAP > query message. This is where Global Title Translation at the STPs is > used. The CO only needs to know the SS7 address of its supporting STP > and only the STPs need to keep track of the NPA-NXX SS7 point > codes. A few questions (This is fascinating.) - Who owns the STP? (LEC? Bellcore? IEC?) - I know GTT is based on ten digits for 800 numbers (and I assume 888 numbers too.) With Local Number Portability (the ability of a subscriber to keep his local telephone number when he changes to another local carrier, e.g., from Ameritech to Warner) will GTT have to be ten digits for every NPA? - Who will own those STPs? Who will update those STPs? When will this happen? Art Kamlet Columbus, Ohio kamlet@infinet.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Aug 96 18:06:53 EDT From: Tony Harminc Subject: Re: Caller ID: Names Passed Between LECs? Jeffrey Rhodes wrote: >> When the IAM arrives at the CO that serves the called number, that CO >> returns an Address Complete message (ACM) back through the built-up >> string of CO's, and the circuits are actually connected together >> "backwards" from the called CO to the calling CO as the ACM message is >> passed back to the calling CO. > This opens the talk path in the forward direction so that the caller > can "hear" the audible ringing generated from the called CO. The > called CO is able to keep the audible ringing separate from the power > ringing that the called phone receives. These do not necessarily > occur simultaneously. This is what I would call the backward direction -- that is from the called to the calling end. >> When the call is answered an Answer message (ANM) is returned. > This opens the talk path in the backwards direction and marks every > billing record at every office used in the call as "answered". Surely *this* is the forward direction. Your terminology conflicts with all other usage I've read. >> Calls to busy numbers don't return an ACM. Instead, they return a >> Release Complete message which includes a Cause Code of Subscriber >> Busy. All trunks are released, and the originating CO gives the >> caller a busy signal. > Correct. Contrary to popular opinion, trunks are unusable for billable > calls during the period of time between IAM and REL when the called > number is "busy" or "out of service". The SS7 signals are quite a bit > faster than the MultiFrequency signaling methods that they replace, so > there is about a 7% trunk efficiency gain as a result of faster "busy > handling". Surely the efficiency arises not from faster signalling, but because MF signalling has no provision for releasing trunks on busy, or generating calling-end busy signals in the first place. Tony Harminc ------------------------------ From: Ed Ellers Subject: Re: Touch Tones in Movies? Date: Sun, 11 Aug 96 22:16:51 -0500 Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice) Lionel Ancelet writes: > I see a great potential market for a VCR that would pause recording during > advertising, using CC2 signals! Then the networks would just change their procedures. This happened in Japan a while back, when Mitsubishi introduced a VCR that would automatically pause during commercials, *if* the program had bilingual audio (as do many U.S. shows and movies shown in Japan). This worked because Japanese TV stations shut off the "bilingual" pilot signal during commercials, since those don't have bilingual audio. Of course, when these VCRs appeared the TV stations started leaving the encoder in bilingual mode during commercial breaks (unless a commercial was in stereo). ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #401 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Mon Aug 12 12:47:14 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id MAA09473; Mon, 12 Aug 1996 12:47:14 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 12:47:14 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608121647.MAA09473@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #402 TELECOM Digest Mon, 12 Aug 96 12:47:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 402 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things (Mike Morris) Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things (David W. Tamkin) Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things (Bill Walker) Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things (Nevin Liber) Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things (Matthew B. Landry) Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things (Sam Ismail) Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things (Scot E. Wilcoxon) Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things (Christopher J. Whaley) Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things (Marc Schaefer) Is Moderator Having Memory Loss? (jeichl@acxiom.com) Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things (Mark Brader) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: morris@cogent.net (Mike Morris) Subject: Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things Date: Sun, 11 Aug 1996 16:35:47 PDT In article ptownson@massis.lcs. mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) writes: > Last Sunday night I got on line about 10:00 p.m. here to do some work > on the Digest and I had a bright idea about a new script I wanted to > try out. Well the script flubbed, which was not anything unusual for > scripts that I write or try to hack on, but the main annoyance was > it left me with a directory full of about a hundred .h, .c. and .o > files to clean out when I decided to quit the experiment. > Now, I try to be smart with potentially disasterous commands like > 'rm' and I personally have 'rm' aliased to 'rm -i' meaning to not > erase a file without asking for confirmation. The problem is, if > you have a whole directory full of garbage files to get rid of > then if you go to that directory and do 'rm *' it will stop over > and over again, asking about each file. The command 'rm -f' will > NOT overrride 'rm -i' on this machine at least, although 'rm -f' > will work in a script running in the background with its own shell > regardless of what arguments I happen to have attached to 'rm' > for my use in the foreground. (rest clipped to save space) Yeah, I've had bad cases of brain fade too. I used to have a shell account and the admin had rm aliased to a script that moved the files into a /save-for-delete directory (in the users own space), and a chron job that flushed anything over 14 days old. I don't know enough shell script to write something like that, but maybe you do, or know somebody who can. (If you do, please email me a copy -- I'll be getting a Linux machine runnig here in a month or two and would like to have that functionality). Mike ------------------------------ From: dattier@wwa.com (David W. Tamkin) Subject: Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things Date: Sun, 11 Aug 1996 19:04:51 CDT [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: David wrote me to say that creating an alias which was the name of the command itself was a very bad arrangement. That letter is not available now, however I wrote back to him asking why it was bad. PAT] ptownson responded to dattier: > What is the 'bad arrangement' where aliasing rm -i to rm is concerned? > It has caught me a couple times when I almost erased something in error. It's a very good idea to have an alias for "rm -i" and to be in the habit of using the alias instead of the name of the executable most of the time. It's shortsighted, though, to name the alias "rm". The time can come when: (1) you're using a different system and don't have your aliases in place; (2) your own system for some reason didn't source your alias definitions; (3) somehow your aliases got unset; or (4) you're advising someone else who doesn't have your aliases in his or her environment, and you'll type or dictate "rm" in expectation of your tame substitute but get the feral /bin/rm instead. That's why the alias for "rm -i" should be named something like "delete" or "del" or "erase"; you won't get into the habit of typing "rm" to mean some- thing that isn't the same as rm(1). If any situations like those four exam- ples come up, the worst that will happen is a "delete: not found" message. As a general rule it's not advisable to make an alias name supersede a pro- gram's name, but with something destructive like rm it's especially risky. Because I was used to typing "scratch" for local files on my Commodore equip- ment, I named my alias "scr". Sheer dumb luck (I didn't know at the time that aliases outrank names of executables, so I didn't know that it was possible to alias "rm -i" to "rm") kept me from doing it; I can't claim to have acted out of knowledge or foresight. But if ever my aliases weren't in place for some reason and I were to type "scr *", I'd get "scr: not found" and lose no files. Of course now, after years of typing "rm" to get "rm -i", if you changed it suddenly you'd still be in the habit of typing "rm" instead of your new alias, and then you'd still end up with feral /bin/rm. [I know that this is not what happened to you on Monday. "/bin/rm *" in the wrong directory will have the same results no matter what your alias for "rm -i" is called.] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Aug 1996 17:14:31 -0700 From: wwalker@qualcomm.com (Bill Walker) Subject: Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things Organization: QUALCOMM, Inc. In article , ptownson@massis.lcs. mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) wrote: > Losing all the processing scripts in a clumsy session at the > keyboard! What a way to wind up fifteen years of this Digest! > And this weekend approaching does mark fifteen years of it and > the start of year sixteen. Thanks to my heroes at lcs, I'll be > around to annoy you, abuse you and otherwise amuse you for > another year I guess. Pat, here's a safety tip: change the file attributes on all your valuable scripts (and other "permanent" files) and make them read-only, so that you have to go change the file attributes before you can delete them. That way, an inadvertant "rm *" won't blow them away. I'm not a Unix guy, but I know you can do this on DOS and VMS, so I've gotta assume you can do it on Unix. I mean, really, if _MS-DOS_ can do it, how hard can it be? :-) Bill Walker, QUALCOMM, Inc., San Diego, CA USA WWalker@qualcomm.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: All the archives files (except those which rely on scripts to update them regularly) are set as you suggest for read only. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 07:18:32 -0700 From: nevin@cs.arizona.edu (Nevin Liber) Subject: Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things Organization: University of Arizona CS Department, Tucson Arizona I do an accidental rm about once a year. Welcome to Unix. :-( The current trick I use (which saved me last month) is to do a mkdir ./-i chmod 000 ./-i in every directory I create. Now, when you do an rm -rf * it either (depending on your shell and settings) expands to rm -rf -i ... (since "-" is relatively early in sorting order) and the "-i" usually overrides the "-f" since it appears later on the command line, or it expands to rm -rf -i/ ... which is an error, since "-/" is not a command line option to "rm". Note: I found that aliasing rm to "rm -i" doesn't work for me, since I end up ignoring the messages if I am prompted for them each and every time. Nevin ":-)" Liber nevin@CS.Arizona.EDU (520) 293-2799 http://www.cs.arizona.edu/people/nevin/ ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Aug 1996 15:42:05 EDT From: Matthew B Landry Subject: Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things Organization: Flunkies for the Mike Conspiracy In article TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: > laughing, believe me you. Now all that remains is one of these > days I should make a pilgrimage to Boston, where after an I've wondered for a while now ... why is the Digest hosted on a site at MIT, when you're in Chicago? It's not like Chicago is lacking in quantity of local ISPs, and I'm sure any number of them would clamor for the right to have their domain stamped on every issue. MIT doesn't need publicity to survive ... most ISPs do. > And this weekend approaching does mark fifteen years of it and the > start of year sixteen. Thanks to my heroes at lcs, I'll be around to > annoy you, abuse you and otherwise amuse you for another year I > guess. Congratulations. The Digest's history truly is an impressive achievement, of which you should be proud. However much some of us may disagree with some of your opinions, we all appreciate the work you put in to make this medium work, and keep quality up. (BTW, if that Zip+4 with no address trick really works, you should see a $20 bill from me in the next couple of days. That is the "suggested subscription fee", right? I just figured ... why not kill two birds with one stone ... check out a neat hack, and finally get off my arse and pay my share to help the Digest and c.d.t.) Matthew Landry Well, yeah. Actually I do sometimes speak for Msen. But not from THIS account. O- [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thanks for your kind note of support. The 'suggested amount' of $20 is because only about one out of every twenty readers send anything. About five percent of the readership participates in all. I'd be happy if everyone who reads the Digest sent a dollar per month. Seriously; I'd be happy if half of them sent a dollar a year. If I were to give a Treasurer's Report, it would go like this: my income is about $1200-1500 per month, and this comes from (1) the ITU grant; (2) royalties from the CD-ROM; and (3) reader support. It is hard to live in the rich, white, northern suburbs of Chicago on that sort of income. Having two heart attacks in two years with an accumulated indebtedness to Rush/North Shore Medical Center of about $51,000 did not help. I'm told they wrote that off under Hill-Burton, and from time to time I go see the village food pantry and social worker. I am the village's favorite poor person; they get to practice their liberal social policies on me, and I don't complain. They do mumble occassionally when the water bill is not paid on time. I am fully aware that MIT has no need of me, and I have a very great need of them. MIT has housed the archives since 1988 (they were at Boston University when the archives were much smaller) and although I have done my production work from other locations (including bu.edu in the beginning and at Northwestern University for quite a few years) I happen to like MIT and the great technical support they give me. I've got a Sparc-20 workstation pretty much to myself (massis) and *lots* of storage space for the archives; more than I will use for awhile. I am not really interested in being on the .com domain although to hear Mr. Pfieffer tell it, that's the only way to go. I could move Digest production and distribution to an account at bu.edu anytime I wanted to do so or to berkeley.edu at any time, as I am a user at both sites. PAT] ------------------------------ From: dastar@crl.com (Sam Ismail) Subject: Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things Date: 11 Aug 1996 13:04:27 -0700 Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access (415) 705-6060 [Login: guest] TELECOM Digest Editor (ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu) wrote: > Last Sunday night I got on line about 10:00 p.m. here to do some work > on the Digest and I had a bright idea about a new script I wanted to > try out. Well the script flubbed, which was not anything unusual for > scripts that I write or try to hack on, but the main annoyance was > it left me with a directory full of about a hundred .h, .c. and .o > files to clean out when I decided to quit the experiment. Duh. Can you say "backup"? DON'T LEAVE ALL YOUR IMPORTANT FILES IN JUST ONE PLACE. (Sorry, PAT. Don't mean to be so rash but you need to learn your lesson :) Computer Historian, Programmer, Musician, Philosopher, Athlete, Writer, Jackass ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Aug 1996 12:44:19 -0500 From: Scot E. Wilcoxon Subject: Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things You neglected to mention if you finally decided to make backups of your recovered files. Scot E. Wilcoxon sewilco@fieldday.mn.org [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Backups? What are those? PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 11 Aug 1996 13:15:30 -0400 From: cwhaley@calsun.gtri.gatech.edu (Christopher J. Whaley) Subject: Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things Reply-To: chris.whaley@gtri.gatech.edu The way around the rm -i alias is to use the direct path to the command, e.g., "/bin/rm *". That bypasses the alias. Two other suggestions. First, change the permissions on all of the files you have which are "permanent" by using "chmod -w .*". This will take write permission away from you and if you try to delete a file it will prompt you with a message about "over-riding" the lack of write permission. Second, make a copy of all of your dot files and other scripts in another directory and on your hard disk. Christopher J. Whaley chris.whaley@gtri.gatech.edu ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 00:11:27 +0200 From: schaefer@vulcan.alphanet.ch (Marc SCHAEFER) Subject: Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things In article , ptownson@massis.lcs. mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) writes: > Now, I try to be smart with potentially disasterous commands like > 'rm' and I personally have 'rm' aliased to 'rm -i' meaning to not > erase a file without asking for confirmation. The problem is, if That's very dangerous, because you get used to answering yes anyway. > you have a whole directory full of garbage files to get rid of > then if you go to that directory and do 'rm *' it will stop over > and over again, asking about each file. The command 'rm -f' will > NOT overrride 'rm -i' on this machine at least, although 'rm -f' > will work in a script running in the background with its own shell > regardless of what arguments I happen to have attached to 'rm' > for my use in the foreground. Do a \rm which overrides any alias you did. Or type unalias rm > did 'unalias rm' then I did 'rm *' -- but the trouble is I had > ** forgotten to change directories to the one I wanted **. Go to your friendly system administrator and ask for backups :-) > "In the future we will not use tape backups to restore > individual files. We will use them only for restoration > after a disk failure or other major system problem. I have > 400 other users to support here besides you." There are automated backup software, like Networker for UNIX, allowing any user to backup their own files and restore their files. BTW: I suggest you take the backup tape with you. ------------------------------ From: JEICHL@acxiom.com Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 09:06:13 CDT Subject: Is Moderator Having Memory Loss? > I decided just this one time I would unalias 'rm' instead. > So I did 'unalias rm' then I did 'rm *' -- but the trouble is > I had ** forgotten to change directories to the one I wanted **. > Ooops! Pat, They say that loss of memory is a sure sign of advancing age. Hope this does not apply in this case ;) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What was it I was going to say? I seem to have forgotten. Oh yes! Senile Dementia strikes 75 percent of all newsgroup moderators over the age of fifty. ummm ..... ------------------------------ From: msb@sq.com (Mark Brader) Subject: Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things Organization: SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, Canada Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 00:53:02 GMT [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: For the final item in this issue, I saved the best for last. If this does not get your juices stirred up and moving, I do not know what will. You might like to save this article and put it up on a few bulletin boards around your office. PAT] Pat (ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu) writes: > So I did 'unalias rm' then I did 'rm *' -- but the trouble is ... (The audience leaps to its feat shouting "No!") > I had ** forgotten to change directories to the one I wanted **. Gee, you'd think he'd be nervous about typing *'s like that now. :-) I'm reminded of the following article, which first appeared on Usenet back in 1986. Familiarity with UNIX is assumed; that's what most of Usenet ran on in those days. -------------------------- Mario Wolczko wrote: Have you ever left your terminal logged in, only to find when you came back to it that a (supposed) friend had typed "rm -rf ~/*" and was hovering over the keyboard with threats along the lines of "lend me a fiver 'til Thursday, or I hit return"? Undoubtedly the person in question would not have had the nerve to inflict such a trauma upon you, and was doing it in jest. So you've probably never experienced the worst of such disasters ... It was a quiet Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday, 1st October, 15:15 BST, to be precise, when Peter, an office-mate of mine, leaned away from his terminal and said to me, "Mario, I'm having a little trouble sending mail." Knowing that msg was capable of confusing even the most capable of people, I sauntered over to his terminal to see what was wrong. A strange error message of the form (I forget the exact details) "cannot access /foo/bar for userid 147" had been issued by msg. My first thought was "Who's userid 147?; the sender of the message, the destination, or what?" So I leant over to another terminal, already logged in, and typed grep 147 /etc/passwd only to receive the response /etc/passwd: No such file or directory. Instantly, I guessed that something was amiss. This was confirmed when in response to ls /etc I got ls: not found. I suggested to Peter that it would be a good idea not to try anything for a while, and went off to find our system manager. When I arrived at his office, his door was ajar, and within ten seconds I realised what the problem was. James, our manager, was sat down, head in hands, hands between knees, as one whose world has just come to an end. Our newly-appointed system programmer, Neil, was beside him, gazing listlessly at the screen of his terminal. And at the top of the screen I spied the following lines: # cd # rm -rf * Oh, shit, I thought. That would just about explain it. I can't remember what happened in the succeeding minutes; my memory is just a blur. I do remember trying ls (again), ps, who and maybe a few other commands beside, all to no avail. The next thing I remember was being at my terminal again (a multi-window graphics terminal), and typing cd / echo * I owe a debt of thanks to David Korn for making echo a built-in of his shell; needless to say, /bin, together with /bin/echo, had been deleted. What transpired in the next few minutes was that /dev, /etc and /lib had also gone in their entirety; fortunately Neil had interrupted rm while it was somewhere down below /news, and /tmp, /usr and /users were all untouched. Meanwhile James had made for our tape cupboard and had retrieved what claimed to be a dump tape of the root filesystem, taken four weeks earlier. The pressing question was, "How do we recover the contents of the tape?". Not only had we lost /etc/restore, but all of the device entries for the tape deck had vanished. And where does mknod live? You guessed it, /etc. How about recovery across Ethernet of any of this from another VAX? Well, /bin/tar had gone, and thoughtfully the Berkeley people had put rcp in /bin in the 4.3 distribution. What's more, none of the Ether stuff wanted to know without /etc/hosts at least. We found a version of cpio in /usr/local, but that was unlikely to do us any good without a tape deck. Alternatively, we could get the boot tape out and rebuild the root filesystem, but neither James nor Neil had done that before, and we weren't sure that the first thing to happen would be that the whole disk would be re-formatted, losing all our user files. (We take dumps of the user files every Thursday; by Murphy's Law this had to happen on a Wednesday). Another solution might be to borrow a disk from another VAX, boot off that, and tidy up later, but that would have entailed calling the DEC engineer out, at the very least. We had a number of users in the final throes of writing up PhD theses and the loss of a maybe a weeks' work (not to mention the machine down time) was unthinkable. So, what to do? The next idea was to write a program to make a device descriptor for the tape deck, but we all know where cc, as and ld live. Or maybe make skeletal entries for /etc/passwd, /etc/hosts and so on, so that /usr/bin/ftp would work. By sheer luck, I had a gnuemacs still running in one of my windows, which we could use to create passwd, etc., but the first step was to create a directory to put them in. Of course /bin/mkdir had gone, and so had /bin/mv, so we couldn't rename /tmp to /etc. However, this looked like a reasonable line of attack. By now we had been joined by Alasdair, our resident UNIX guru, and as luck would have it, someone who knows VAX assembler. So our plan became this: write a program in assembler which would either rename /tmp to /etc, or make /etc, assemble it on another VAX, uuencode it, type in the uuencoded file using my gnu, uudecode it (some bright spark had thought to put uudecode in /usr/bin), run it, and hey presto, it would all be plain sailing from there. By yet another miracle of good fortune, the terminal from which the damage had been done was still su'd to root (su is in /bin, remember?), so at least we stood a chance of all this working. Off we set on our merry way, and within only an hour we had managed to concoct the dozen or so lines of assembler to create /etc. The stripped binary was only 76 bytes long, so we converted it to hex (slightly more readable than the output of uuencode), and typed it in using my editor. If any of you ever have the same problem, here's the hex for future reference: 070100002c000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000 0000dd8fff010000dd8f27000000fb02ef07000000fb01ef070000000000bc8f 8800040000bc012f65746300 I had a handy program around (doesn't everybody?) for converting ASCII hex to binary, and the output of /usr/bin/sum tallied with our original binary. But hang on---how do you set execute permission without /bin/chmod? A few seconds thought (which as usual, lasted a couple of minutes) suggested that we write the binary on top of an already existing binary, owned by me...problem solved. So along we trotted to the terminal with the root login, carefully remembered to set the umask to 0 (so that I could create files in it using my gnu), and ran the binary. So now we had a /etc, writable by all. From there it was but a few easy steps to creating passwd, hosts, services, protocols, (etc), and then ftp was willing to play ball. Then we recovered the contents of /bin across the ether (it's amazing how much you come to miss ls after just a few, short hours), and selected files from /etc. The key file was /etc/rrestore, with which we recovered /dev from the dump tape, and the rest is history. Now, you're asking yourself (as I am), what's the moral of this story? Well, for one thing, you must always remember the immortal words, DON'T PANIC. Our initial reaction was to reboot the machine and try everything as single user, but it's unlikely it would have come up without /etc/init and /bin/sh. Rational thought saved us from this one. The next thing to remember is that UNIX tools really can be put to unusual purposes. Even without my gnuemacs, we could have survived by using, say, /usr/bin/grep as a substitute for /bin/cat. And the final thing is, it's amazing how much of the system you can delete without it falling apart completely. Apart from the fact that nobody could login (/bin/login?), and most of the useful commands had gone, everything else seemed normal. Of course, some things can't stand life without say /etc/termcap, or /dev/kmem, or /etc/utmp, but by and large it all hangs together. I shall leave you with this question: if you were placed in the same situation, and had the presence of mind that always comes with hindsight, could you have got out of it in a simpler or easier way? Answers on a postage stamp to: Mario Wolczko Dept. of Computer Science ARPA: miw%uk.ac.man.cs.ux@cs.ucl.ac.uk The University USENET: mcvax!ukc!man.cs.ux!miw Manchester M13 9PL JANET: miw@uk.ac.man.cs.ux U.K. 061-273 7121 x 5699 ------------------------------------------ When I reposted the item in 1993, by the way, Hugh Grierson noted in a followup that in addition to booting off tape or diskette, one might have a spare "miniroot" partition on the hard disk, normally unmounted. If you can boot off that partition, you're all set; if not, if you can copy files you at least have a place to copy them from. Mark Brader, msb@sq.com | "True excitement lies in doing SoftQuad Inc., Toronto | 'sdb /unix /dev/kmem'" -- Pontus Hedman My text in this article is in the public domain. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: There! I told you you would love it! Thanks very much for a nice close to this issue, Mark. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #402 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Tue Aug 13 01:30:38 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id BAA06865; Tue, 13 Aug 1996 01:30:38 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 01:30:38 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608130530.BAA06865@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #403 TELECOM Digest Tue, 13 Aug 96 01:30:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 403 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: AT&T (NY) Adding Extra Charges to 'Casual' Users (Art Kamlet) Re: AT&T (NY) Adding Extra Charges to 'Casual' Users (Jeremy S. Nichols) Re: How Low Can Loop Voltage Go? (Tom Watson) Re: A Short History of 911 Service (Michael D. Adams) Re: USA Technology is Awfully Backward (Roger Marquis) Re: USA Technology is Awfully Backward (Zev Rubenstein) Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? (Tye McQueen) Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? (Tony Harminc) Re: Cable Companies (Christopher Wolf) Re: "Genuine Nynex Payphone" Limiting Number of Digits (Michael Schuster) Re: SOS - TAPI, Caller ID, and Visual C++ (Chris Sells) Re: Need Help Fast With Voice Mail (Craig Owens) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: kamlet@infinet.com (Art Kamlet) Subject: Re: AT&T (NY) Adding Extra Charges to 'Casual' Users Date: 12 Aug 1996 12:07:01 -0400 Organization: InfiNet Reply-To: kamlet@infinet.com In article , Henry Baker wrote: >> This filing proposes to introduce a Non Subscriber Service Charge. A >> service charge is applicble for Dial Station Calls originated from >> residential lines which are presubscribed to an interexchange carrier >> other than AT&T, or are not presubscribed to any interexchange >> carrier. This charge is in addition to the initial period charges for >> calls within the state of New York. >> Non-Subscriber Service Charge: Per Call: $.80 > Has ATT lost their (its?) mind? If I'm at someone's home and want to > call using ATT, why would ATT want to penalize me for this? I am guessing, but it seems AT&T prefers customers to pick AT&T as its PIC, and so would not have this charge. And AT&T has been withdrawing from billing arrangements with many RBOCs, and likely wishes to avoid paying RBOCs for billing services. Dialing 10(10)288 could cause a billing charge from RBOC to AT&T. Or could cause a bill to be generated to a customer of unknown credit worthiness, and possibly for a single call a month. So AT&T may wish to avoid those customers. And it seems to be working. Their last quarterly report showed decreased small residence subscriber income :^( One more item: If the non AT&T PIC goes out of service, many callers might suddenly try to use AT&T as its fair weather friend, placing a sudden high load on AT&T circuits. Isn't is fair to charge those who are only fair weather friends more? Like a delayed insurance premium. After all, AT&T is sitting there providing "insurance" in case of other PIC failure, but is otherwise not receiving any premium for this service. > Is this also true for 1-800-CALL-ATT? They have been encouraging people to use 800 CALL ATT instead of 10(10)288, and since that probably involves using an AT&T calling card, the calling card use aleady has a charge built in. Besides, they don't have any other charge today for 800 CALL ATT so it seems like the answer to your question is no. Art Kamlet Columbus, Ohio kamlet@infinet.com ------------------------------ From: jsn@maroon.tc.umn.edu (Jeremy S. Nichols) Subject: Re: AT&T (NY) Adding Extra Charges to 'Casual' Users Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 01:27:02 GMT Organization: University of Minnesota hbaker@netcom.com (Henry Baker) wrote: > Has ATT lost their (its?) mind? If I'm at someone's home and want to > call using ATT, why would ATT want to penalize me for this? They aren't penalizing you, they're penalizing the person whose phone you're using. Jeremy S. Nichols, P.E. jsn1@rsvl.unisys.com Minneapolis, MN jsn@maroon.tc.umn.edu ------------------------------ From: tsw@3do.com (Tom Watson) Subject: Re: How Low Can Loop Voltage Go? Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 19:51:39 -0700 Organization: The 3DO Corporation In article , Lawrence Rachman <74066.2004@CompuServe.COM> wrote: > My employer is working on a product that will simulate a telephone > exchange, and the question of what is a reasonable battery voltage for > worldwide applications has come up. In North America, the open loop > voltage is 48 volts nominal (I believe that's what part 68 demands). > In Europe, 62 volts seems to have a strong following. My Panasonic PBX > at home measures approximately 24 volts. > Now, if all you've got is a POTS telephone, none of this is typically > an issue. But nowadays, there are gadgets like fax machines and > answering machines that monitor the open loop voltage to determine if > another extension is off hook, or possibly for other reasons. Obviously, > if one of these gadgets considers >36 volts to be on-hook and <36 to > be off-hook, its going to get seriously confused by my Panasonic PBX. > Does anyone out there have any personal or anecdotal experience with > telephone devices that sense line voltage this way? Just how low can > the open loop voltage go? The ON HOOK voltages can (and do) vary all over the place. Modern CO's are usually in the 48 volt range, but if you are on a "line extender" it could go up as high as 72 (even more) volts. Sometimes this is over the trigger voltage of a neon lamp (sometimes used to detect ringing voltage), and can cause false trips. Be sure to put a capicator in series with the ring detector!! As for OFF HOOK voltage, this is a fairly constant thing. The set wants to draw a constant current, and will take the voltage down quite a bit. I have a small PBX at home, and it runs single phones with a 12 volt (open circuit) battery. Now it won't run two phones in parallel, but ti works just fine. The problem is that some equipment that has "busy lights" looks at the tip-ring voltage and if it is "low" it thinks that someone else has a phone off hook. If the battery voltage is low to begin with, the indicator is lit up all the time (yes, it happened to me!!). The threshold for on-hook to off-hook voltages should be somewhere about 10-20 volts (lower is better). I'd experiment by putting a resistor in series with my home set and seing when the central office thinks it is on/off hook. Always an interesting subject. Tom Watson tsw@3do.com (Home: tsw@johana.com) ------------------------------ From: mda-960812b@triskele.com (Michael D Adams) Subject: Re: A Short History of 911 Service Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 01:34:33 GMT Organization: Triskele Counsulting Reply-To: mda-960812b@triskele.com On Sun, 11 Aug 1996 23:31:27 GMT, wes.leatherock@hotelcal.com (Wes Leatherock) wrote: >> Almost all postal address (and the addresses on the phone bill) were >> encoded similar to "Rural Route 15 Box 428" referring to the postal >> carrier route and the box number along the route. There was no street >> name nor street address associated with the location of the phone. To >> implement E911 first required that the post office go through the >> entire county and assign street address to rural and semi-rural homes, >> and in a few cases, assign street names where none had existed. This >> process took over a year of time. Then, each resident, had to notify >> their personal or business contacts of new mailing addresses. > I was involved or an observer in many of these addressing > projects in Oklahoma exchanges, and I never heard of the post office > having anything to do with making the assignments. That may depend on the locality. I just recently moved from a town in rural Alabama which formerly had no house numbering standards. Whenever a new building went up inside street delivery area of the post office, or when the post office expanded its street delivery area, the property owner usually "inferred" the new house number from surrounding properties or distance to the nearest numbered property, and then advised the town postmaster, making the number official. This of course led to a few interesting numbering schemes along some roads, as the town grew. On one street in particular, there is a string of houses on similarly sized lots that are numbered: 201, 203, 205, 301, 401, 401.5, 403, 451, 501, 601, 661. Across the street from 661 is 662, and from there it's 664, 700, 668 ... 700 on that street is a new church, and for some reason they didn't want the number "666". :) When the town got E911 service, it was decided to extend that service to include the police jurisdiction zone (special taxing district, officially unincorporated, but receives city police and fire protection and city cable TV), so street addresses had to be assigned. The town government provided the maps, residents provided street names where necessary, and the postmaster provided the actual house numbers. > Local authorities, committees, whatever, decided what they would > do, just as happens in cities. I have seen the same thing in Texas, > too. I witnessed a number of E911 implementations in that part of Alabama (usually a lead story on the local newscast; many slow newsdays down there). In many cases it was the county or town government that assigned street names and house numbers. In a few cases, the utility company assigned them. In a couple of cases, it was the post office's responsibility. In one case rural routes were retained, but the E911 system reported a map coordinate in addition to the mailing address -- the local police, fire, and ambulance agencies were already familiar with the rural routes, and decided that having a map coordinate "just in case" would be sufficient. > Are you sure the postal addresses changed at all? Most of > them are still Route xx, Box xx. That also probably depends on the jurisdiction. In all but one (guess which one :) of the cases I described above, it was announced that the new E911 address was to be the official mailing address, and that the USPS would honor rural route addresses for only a year after the changeover. Also, at my prior job (at an insurance company), I was sometimes drafted to help open mail. I saw an awful lot of "new E911 address" notices coming from Alabama and Georgia. Michael D. Adams Triskele Consulting Baltimore, Maryland ma@triskele.com ------------------------------ From: marquis@roble.com (Roger Marquis) Subject: Re: USA Technology is Awfully Backward Date: 13 Aug 1996 04:32:46 GMT Organization: Roble Systems (http://www.roble.com) Anthony (HXM3@PSUVM.PSU.EDU) wrote: > simply impossible in USA because companies like the big three simply > would not bother to put billions of dollars in upgrading their out > dated technology. Sad for Americans. It is unfortunate but at least we have the most reliable telephone system in the world, if not the most sophisticated. > And I wonder when would the US Congress approve some extra money > so USA can adapt the international metric system and catch up with the > rest of the world? Why Americans still use the length of the feet of a > British King who died thousands of years ago to measure the length of > every thing? The reason we're no longer making progress towards the metric system is because Ronald Regan canceled the metric program. Anyone know of an interest group behind this one? Roger Marquis ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 18:42:02 GMT From: zev@attmail.com (Zev Rubenstein) Subject: Re: USA Technology is Awfully Backward Anthony wrote: > And I wonder when would the US Congress approve some extra money > so USA can adapt the international metric system and catch up with the > rest of the world? Why Americans still use the length of the feet of a > British King who died thousands of years ago to measure the length of > every thing? Under the presidency of Jimmy Carter, a law was passed to convert the US to the Metric system over ten years. During that time the auto manufacturers began putting km/h along with mph on speedometers and the now-ubiquitous two-liter soda bottles appeared. We were on the way. Unfortunately, when President Reagan was elected, one of his first acts was to put an end to metrication. That is why we are still behind the rest of the world. Many companies applauded what Reagan did (just as they applauded his evisceration of the EPA and other so-called pro-business acts that took place under his administration). Unfort- unately, as US industries have gone increasingly global, the cost of manufacturing to two standards hampers their competitiveness. I don't know what, if any, initiatives exist today to speed up metrication. The last time I complained about Reagan's killing metrication II was told that one item that Reagan signed before leaving office was to move government procurement to a metric-based standard. The logic used was that since the US government is such a large purchaser of nearly everything it would pull the rest of the US toward a defacto metrication. Well, it hasn't happened, has it. Zev Rubenstein Nationwide Telecommunications Resources ------------------------------ From: tye@metronet.com (Tye McQueen) Subject: Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? Date: 12 Aug 1996 16:32:37 -0500 Organization: Texas Metronet, Inc (login info (214/488-2590 - 817/571-0400)) James E Bellaire wrote: > Of course in the United States we do have the FCC, which has shown > interest in protecting phone numbers as property of the user. singular@oort.ap.sissa.it (Poll Dubh) writes: > But not area codes, it would seem, or else overlays would be the rule. No, here the _courts_ are to blame. They have decided that old area codes are "pretty" and forcing potential future competitors or cell phone providers to use (mostly) new "ugly" area codes would be an unfair competitive advantage. It really upsets me that the courts think it is more important to protect potential future competitors from some perceived disadvantage by instead forcing thousands of businesses to incur real costs associated with changing their phone number. And that doesn't even count the harder-to-quantify costs of the residents and of those who call these businesses and residents. Tye McQueen tye@metronet.com || tye@thingy.usu.edu http://www.metronet.com/~tye/ (scripts, links, nothing fancy) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: How about in downtown Chicago, where a mere half-dozen or so *very large* companies gobbled so many numbers that Ameritech is starting area 773? They would have had to start it anyway, but my point is that handful of very large corporations absolutely refused to consider having downtown Chicago get the new code so the rest of the 2.9 million residents and business places could stay 312. Instead, the majority of the city is being forced to change area codes to 773 in order that a few businesses downtown can keep 312 instead. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Aug 96 15:52:44 EDT From: Tony Harminc Subject: Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? mandarin@cix.compulink.co.uk (Richard Cox) wrote: > Er, no. Psychologists confirm that eight digits is the maximum number > of digits that can be reliably remembered and dialled by the average > user. Introduction of ten-digit numbers (which is effectively what the > result of splitting an Wz1 NPA means) will lead to greater incidence > of misdialling. Citation, please! I've dealt with eight-digit numbers in Paris, and I have great trouble remembering them long enough to copy from one place to another. But I have little or no trouble with NANP ten-digit numbers. I'm sure this is because I mentally partition the area code from the easy-to-remember seven-digit number. In Paris, I mentally pull the leading digit (usually 4) off the front, and then remember (say) 42 34 56 78 as 4 234-5678. Much much easier for my brain to deal with. In Toronto I do much the same thing -- except that instead of a leading 4 it's a leading 416 or 905. > So a change by the US to eight-digit local dialling, eliminating all > overlays and NPA splits, would actually reduce the proportion of calls > that end up reaching a wrong number. I very much doubt it. I think the "eight is easier than ten" claim misapplies the research. Three plus three plus four is easier, IMO. Tony Harminc ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 15:11:34 CDT From: Christopher Wolf Subject: Re: Cable Companies Curtis Wheeler wrote: > On another note. While this is not really laid out in black and > white, you don't necessarily have the right to do what you wish with > radio signals coming into your back yard. At least this is the > argument I would use if I was representing the government in court. The > way I look at it, when the communications act of 1934 was adopted, and > the FCC was created, the radio spectrum in the U.S. was, for practical > purposes, comdemned by the government under what may be called it's > imminent domain. Just like they can condemn your house and force you > to move so they can put in a freeway. Essentially the regulated > "airwaves" have an easment in your back yard. The government took > over because it was obvious that technologies were going to require > that the spectrum be managed and regulated if it was going to do the > public any good. On a (only) slightly related note, is it legal for a cable company to tell subscribers in it's area that they cannot get one of those small dishes to pick up satellite broadcasts? Says they interfere with their satellite dish's pickup. The cable company that supplies to my apartment complex (in Texas) made them sign a form stating they will not allow anyone to use the satellite dishes -- that we have to buy from them to get cable. This seems fishy to me. Anyone have some facts? Short Story: Two people in this small complex got the dishes, and when I saw them I asked the people in the office about getting one. They said they would ask us to remove them, and told us the story about the agreement with the cable company. A few days later, the two dishes disappeared. I checked out our lease (standard lease) and since it in no way mentions cable connections or things handing on our balcony, I went back and asked them again. I let it die after the only thing I could get them to say (after pointing out the lease) was "we'll ask you to take it down". Funny enough, the two dishes in the complex re-appeared a few days later, so I assume they had the same idea I had. (Note: cable is $35 for ABC/NBC/CBS, FOX/NICK/CNN, every shopping channel, Mexican oriented channel, and religious channel known to man, while five miles away with a "real" cable company its $20 for twice as much -- which is why nobody wants to pay for it.) Then again, to get phone service from them also requires you use their long distance service, and if you dial 1-800-CALL-ATT on their payphones, you get put through to their operators. Wolf ------------------------------ From: schuster@panix.com (Michael Schuster) Subject: Re: "Genuine Nynex Payphone" Limiting Number of Touch Tone Digits Date: 12 Aug 1996 14:46:51 -0400 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC In article , danny burstein wrote: > About two thirds of the way through the menu sequences I got a synthesized > voice announcement which said something like "no additional digits may > be dialed at this time". > And sure enough, anytime I hit a touch tone key I heard the tone, then > got the same msg. This happened to me, while using a NYNEX pay phone to check my NYNEX voice mail. There's a certian irony there. Mike Schuster schuster@panix.com | 70346.1745@CompuServe.COM schuster@shell.portal.com | schuster@mem.po.com ------------------------------ From: csells@teleport.com (Chris Sells) Subject: Re: SOS - TAPI, Caller ID, and Visual C++ Date: Mon, 12 Aug 96 19:34:36 GMT Organization: Sells Brothers Actually, it turns out there's more to using a USR Sportster Voice with Unimodem/V then I had thought (I just installed one myself). For a full report, go to http://www.teleport.com/~csells/sportv.html. Chris Sells Windows Software Consulting and Development http://www.teleport.com/~csells ------------------------------ From: ctooffcon@aol.com (CTO OFFCON) Subject: Re: Need Help Fast With Voice Mail Date: 12 Aug 1996 16:00:22 -0400 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Reply-To: ctooffcon@aol.com (CTO OFFCON) TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to John M Elliott (stellcom@ ix.netcom.com): > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Have you considered the use of a single > 800 number which terminates in an answering service? Each pet's tags > would say something like, "Animal is registered with a pet identification > service. Please call 800-xxx-xxxx and notify the operator that pet # xxxx > has been rescued." Each person who purchases your product would be > automatically enrolled with their name/number on file at the answering > service, or perhaps with your office. When the rescuer of the animal > called the answering service, the service would in turn notify your > office or the animal's guardian/caretaker. Pat -- you must have been talking with one of our customers! This is exactly how we have established numerous such programs. It's quick, cost-effective, relatively simple to update, and (fairly) painless! Craig Owens -- Office Concepts Phone 800-604-9839 Email OffConGR@aol.com Office Concepts provides complete business support services including live telephone answering and voice mail services, and customized telemessaging solutions. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #403 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Tue Aug 13 03:09:12 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id DAA12756; Tue, 13 Aug 1996 03:09:12 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 03:09:12 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608130709.DAA12756@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #404 TELECOM Digest Tue, 13 Aug 96 03:09:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 404 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Expansion to Longer-than-Ten-Digits in NANP (Mark J. Cuccia) International Conference on Spoken Language Processing (Jim Polikoff) Convention Attendees Receive Wireless Welcome to San Diego (Mike King) New Wireless Phone Network Comes Through Power Outage (Mike King) Requesting Internet Fraud List (DVIEI1@jcpenney.com) Re: Reselling Cellular Airtime (Michael P. Mullineaux) DTMF Tone Keypads Wanted (David Michael) Telecom Instructors Needed at UC Berkeley Extension (course@berkeley.edu) Mixing Voicemail and Unix (Ed James) Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things (Christopher Wolf) Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things (Jon Solomon) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 13:28:16 -0700 From: Mark J. Cuccia Subject: Expansion to Longer-than-Ten-Digits in NANP No, I don't have any specific plans, yet. The INC mailings I have been receiving talk about *various* possibilities for expanding from ten-digits, some of which include a "national destination code" (i.e. there would be a two-digit or three-digit code inserted between '+1' and the area code, indicating US, Canada, particular Caribbean location, etc), four (or more) digit area codes, four (or more) digit central office codes, five (or more) station line numbers, etc. There were also combinations of such, as well as discussions of *where* to tack on the additional digit(s) in a particular subset code. But I had been under the impression that we would tack a '0' or a '1' to the end of existing three-digit area codes, and that there would be a permissive period. Also, during the permissive period, I would have thought that N9X0, N9X1, and/or N9XN would have been the 'new' four-digit area codes. *IF* this would have been the case (current NPA codes using NXX-1 or NXX-0 as four digit area codes, during the permissive period), I was curious as to how non-line-number-based RAO/CIID calling cards would have been handled, unless *all* calling cards had gone to the mandatory use of the '89' format, described in earlier issues of the Digest. Since presently, no 0XX/1XX codes are used for *customer* dialable NANP POTS numbers, they are used for "special" calling cards, of the form NXX-1XX/0XX-xxxx plus PIN (nxxx). The first group, the NXX here, is the RAO or the beginning of the CIID in these card numbers. Also, operators and network test people use 0XX/1XX codes for internal network/system code purposes. All of this could cause a code ambiguity. However, James Bellaire recently stated what seems to be the most likely (and completely overlooked by me) way to give permissive dialing of current area codes into a four digit format. Since the N9X range are reserved for expansion purposes, current area codes (NyX, where y is not '9') would be permissively dialed as N9yX and as NyX. When mandatory use started, they would *have* to be dialed as N9yX, and new four-digit NPA codes would be assigned NyXX, where 'y' is any digit except '9'. I don't know what they would then reserve for *further* expansion from that, other than probably reserving another possible digit in the new 'four-digit' format. This method allows continued use of 1XX and 0XX codes for special calling cards as well as network/system routing codes without any ambiguity. I also recently spoke with someone (who wishes to remain nameless), who used to be with Bell Labs for some decades, and retired from Bellcore a few years ago. His area of work was in switching, but the areas related to the Numbering Plan. He had suggested a few years ago that the easiest way to expand to four-digit area codes, as far as memorization of rules goes, would be that when the NNX format of area codes was being planned for, to *reserve* those codes where the first and second digit are identical. i.e. 22X, 33X, 44X, 55X, 66X, 77X, 88X, 99X This is eighty codes, the same number reserved when using N9X. When the time comes when permissive dialing of four-digit area codes would come about, before any *new* four-digit area codes would be actually assigned, tell the customer to *double* their first digit. i.e. 312 would become 3312, 630 would become 6630, 847 would become 8847, 708 would become 7708, etc. There would not be any three-digit area codes 331, 663, 884, or 770 since those *would have been* reserved. The thinking was that it would be easier for everyone involved (telco and customer) to simply 'double' their NPA's first digit, rather than 'inserting' a specific digit somewhere inside the area code or tacked on to the end (such as what most likely will be happening, placing a '9' between the present first and second digits). However, Bellcore/NANPA/ICCF/etc. didn't follow that plan, as we've seen the introduction of: 330 Ohio, 334 Alabama, 440 Ohio, 441 Bermuda, 443 Maryland, 664 Montserrat, 770 Georgia, 773 Illinois, 880 "Caller-pays-800", 881 "Caller-Pays-888", 888 additional toll-free, and the various other codes in these ranges now reserved for "easy-to-recognize" (888, 777, 666, 444, 333, 222; 555 is now "unassignable"); and the 99X codes are more of the use of '9' in the middle reserved for expansion. With that never adopted proposal aside, If I remember correctly, all expansion plans for the total number of digits of an NANP number being discussed by the INC and other industry forums assume that the final length will be a *fixed* length number. True, we presently do have dialable strings of various lengths (0, 00, N11, 1/0+ten-digits, ten-digits, *-XX/11-XX prefixes, etc.), and a permissive period of three-digit and four-digit area codes would appear to be 'mixed' length, but an existing three-digit area code permissively dialed as three or four-digits would eventually (one year? six-months?) become a mandatory four-digit area code, as new codes assigned would be four-digits, thus a fixed-length system. It is always nice to know how many digits to expect when dialing a number, visually reading a number, or when quoting a number or hearing a quoted number. Use of timeouts, as well as instructing the use of the '#' to cancel/cut-thru right away is IMO always a nuisance. Of course, all of the above assume that we will continue to use 'traditional numbering', rather than some form of new technology or scheme, such as an "electronic directory" (similar to using a webpage to click a choice of URL's to visit). Also, other factors involved include number portability, etc. Whatever does happen during the evolution is the fact that 'numbering' or 'identification' will become less-and-less associated with the actual *switches* involoved, as well as geography or location. MARK J. CUCCIA PHONE/WRITE/WIRE: HOME: (USA) Tel: CHestnut 1-2497 WORK: mcuccia@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu |4710 Wright Road| (+1-504-241-2497) Tel:UNiversity 5-5954(+1-504-865-5954)|New Orleans 28 |fwds on no-answr to Fax:UNiversity 5-5917(+1-504-865-5917)|Louisiana(70128)|cellular/voicemail ------------------------------ From: polikoff@asel.udel.edu (Jim Polikoff) Subject: International Conference on Spoken Language Processing Date: 12 Aug 1996 17:24:03 -0400 Organization: AI duPont Institute ICSLP 96 -- Update and Reminder Fourth International Conference on Spoken Language Processing ****** October 3-6, 1996 Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel Philadelphia, PA, USA ****** There is still time to register for ICSLP 96. ICSLP 96 offers a strong and diverse program covering all aspects of spoken language processing. ICSLP 96 presents an opportunity to keep up with the latest research and developments as well as network among other speech professionals. Registration information, as well as other information about the conference, can be found on our WWW site at http://www.asel.udel.edu/icslp/. This site provides registration forms, information about hotel accomodations, airfare information, and general information about Philadelphia as well as listings of the full contents of the technical program. _____________________Registration Information______________________________ Full registration includes: Admission to technical sessions, Reception, Banquet, Proceedings (printed & CD-ROM) Limited registration includes: Admission to technical sessions, Reception, Proceedings on CD-ROM Early Registration fees: Member* Non-Member Student Full $425 $525 $250 Limited $300 $400 $150 Late registration: After July 1, add $60 After August 9, add $100 Additional Tickets: Banquet $60 Reception $50 Additional Proceedings: Printed $125 CD-ROM $15 * Sponsoring and Cooperating Organizations: The Acoustical Society of America The Acoustical Society of Japan American Speech and Hearing Association Australian Speech Science and Technology Association European Speech Communication Association IEEE Signal Processing Society Incorporated Canadian Acoustical Association International Phonetic Association Linguistic Society of America ICSLP 96 A.I. duPont Institute P.O. Box 269 Wilmington, DE 19899 E-mail: ICSLP96@asel.udel.edu URL: http://www.asel.udel.edu/icslp/ Phone: +1-302-651-6830 Fax: +1-302-651-6895 ------------------------------ From: Mike King Subject: Convention Attendees Receive Wireless Welcome to San Diego Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 14:40:32 PDT Forwarded to the Digest FYI: Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 11:39:38 -0700 From: sqlgate@list.pactel.com Subject: Convention Attendees Receive Wireless Welcome to San Diego FOR MORE INFORMATION: Linda Bonniksen (213) 975-5061 John Britton (619) 237-2430 Convention Attendees Receive Wireless Welcome to San Diego Mayor Golding Uses Pacific Bell Mobile Services PCS Phone to Send a Text Message SAN DIEGO, Calif. - Using PCS, a digital wireless telecommunications technology from Pacific Bell Mobile Services, Mayor Susan Golding today delivered a short-text message welcoming the Republican National Convention to San Diego. Message Sent to 600 PCS Phones Mayor Golding sent her welcome message at 6 a.m. The 85-character message appeared on the screens of approximately 600 PCS phones being used at the convention. "San Diego is America's city of the future so it couldn't be more appropriate for PCS to premiere here at the same time we host the Republican National Convention," Mayor Golding said. "I am thrilled that Pacific Bell Mobile Services brought this exciting new technology to our city first." "Since July 1, more than 200,000 calls have gone through the Pacific Bell Mobile Services network," said Lyn Daniels, president and chief executive officer of Pacific Bell Mobile Services. "When it comes to technology, PCS is the hot property." The digital wireless technology is called Personal Communications Service (PCS), a more reliable and secure alternative to cellular. The service makes its California debut this week at the Republican National Convention where Pacific Bell Mobile Services is the official provider of wireless telecommunications services. The Republican National Convention and Pacific Bell Mobile Services have distributed more than 600 PCS phones among convention organizers, party officials, candidates, security agencies and media. Pacific Bell Mobile Services activated PCS service for the convention last month. The coverage area includes the San Diego Convention Center, downtown hotels, tourist attractions, the airport, major transportation corridors and the coastline. Convention attendees are using their PCS phones to send and receive calls and short-text messages. The phones can also be plugged into laptop computers for wireless faxing and Internet access. After the convention closes, Pacific Bell Mobile Services will prepare for a consumer product launch in California and Nevada in early 1997. The company plans to broadly distribute PCS phones through drug stores, consumer electronics stores and warehouse retailers. Industry analysts expect PCS to cost less than existing cellular service, particularly in California where cellular subscribers pay among the highest rates in the nation. Pacific Bell Mobile Services is the wireless communications subsidiary of Pacific Bell. Pacific Telesis Group, the parent company of Pacific Bell and Pacific Bell Mobile Services, is a diversified telecommunications company headquartered in San Francisco. ------------- Mike King * Oakland, CA, USA * mk@wco.com ------------------------------ From: Mike King Subject: New Wireless Phone Network Comes Through Power Outage Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 14:41:04 PDT Forwarded to the Digest FYI: Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 11:48:44 -0700 From: sqlgate@list.pactel.com Subject: New Wireless Phone Network Comes Through Power Outage FOR MORE INFORMATION: Linda Bonniksen (619) 917-0951 - PCS Phone (619) 237-2430 John Britton (619) 917-1048 - PCS Phone (619) 237-2430 New Wireless Phone Network Comes Through Power Outage Pacific Bell Mobile Services Reports 100 Percent Increase in Call Volumes at Republican National Convention SAN DIEGO, Calif., -- Pacific Bell Mobile Services announced today that its new wireless phone network serving the Republican National Convention performed flawlessly through yesterday's power outage affecting nine western states. When the power outage occurred at 3:45 a.m. Saturday, 25 antenna sites in San Diego automatically switched from a commercial power source to their on-site back-up batteries. Additionally, the company's master switching center in San Diego and its network operations center in Pleasanton, Calif., switched to diesel generators. As a result, the company's new Personal Communications Services network stayed on the air to process 8,000 calls from 3:45 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., a 100 percent increase in calls from the same time period Friday. Pacific Bell Mobile Services is the official provider of wireless telecommunications services for the Republican National Convention. "The network didn't miss a beat," said Frank Casazza, operations vice president for Pacific Bell Mobile Services. "We built back-up power sources into the network for exactly these types of crises, and our planning paid off. More than 600 people using our Personal Communications Services at the Republican Convention made call after call after call without any interruption or delay." Personal Communications Services (PCS) is a new wireless telecommunications technology that offers a secure and private alternative to cellular. Unlike cellular, PCS is 100 percent pure digital. Being digital, PCS offers superior sound quality and reliability, as well as built-in complex encryption for maximum privacy and protection from cloning. The Republican Party and Pacific Bell Mobile Services have distributed more than 600 PCS phones to party officials, candidates, their staffs, event organizers, city officials, security agencies and the news media. Pacific Bell Mobile Services is the wireless communications subsidiary of Pacific Bell. Pacific Telesis Group, the parent company of Pacific Bell and Pacific Bell Mobile Services, is a diversified telecommunications company headquartered in San Francisco. ------------ Mike King * Oakland, CA, USA * mk@wco.com ------------------------------ From: DVIEI1@jcpenney.com Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 11:38:44 -0500 Subject: Requesting Internet Fraud List Would somebody know if there is a list of actual cases in which the Internet was used as a fraud tool against enterprises? (i.e.: theft, viruses, security breaches, etc...) Thanks. Cordially, Demian Vieira de Souza - Comm Analyst JCPenney Communications Systems 12700 Park Central Place M/C 6009 Dallas, TX 75252, USA Office:(214)591-7361 FAX:(214)531-7361/591-6721 Internet: DVIEI1@JCPENNEY.COM / PROFS ID: DVIEI1 ------------------------------ From: michael.p.mullineaux@arthuranderson.com Date: 12 Aug 96 11:48:06 GMT Subject: Re: Reselling Cellular Airtime Dear Readers, I am searching for additional information on cellular reselling; have your inquiries/responses generated any addtional data that you might share? Kind Regards, Mike ------------------------------ From: David Michael Subject: DTMF Tone Keypads Wanted Date: Tue, 09 Aug 1996 04:08:37 +0100 Organization: OiT Ltd. Hi, I want to purchase about 1,000 DTMF tone keypads (you know the things you get with your answerphone), but I only want to spend about $3 max. Does anyone know of a good cheap supply? Thanks, David Michael http://www.oit.co.uk/~david Technical Director, OiT Ltd. tel: +44 1865 785002 Oxford OX4 2JZ, UK fax: +44 1865 785100 ------------------------------ From: course@garnet.berkeley.edu Subject: Telecom Instructors Needed at UC Berkeley Extension Date: 13 Aug 1996 01:10:06 GMT Organization: University of California, Berkeley INSTRUCTORS NEEDED for... *** UC BERKELEY EXTENSION'S *** Telecommunications Engineering 4-Month Diploma Program UC Berkeley Extension is seeking part-time instructors to teach daytime credit courses in Berkeley. The 4-Month Diploma Program in telecommunications engineering is an intensive, focused program, developed for both international and residential students to complete in a concentrated time frame. The curriculum is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of telecommunications essentials and to develop a technical awareness of current practices and future directions. If you are a highly-qualified and experienced telecommunications professional, with a bachelors or higher degree, successful teaching/ training experience, and the desire to teach, we would like to hear from you. We are particularly looking for people with experience in: Data Communication; Computer Networks; Digital Telecommunications; Broadband Communications; Advanced Local Area Computer Networks; Internetworking; Wireless/Mobile Communications; Design and Applications of Mobile Data Networks. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED ... FAX your resume to (510) 642-6027 with a covering note mentioning your interest in teaching in the 4-Month Telecommunications Engineering Diploma Program. Please be sure that the resume specifies your experience as it relates to this program. Or send your resume ELECTRONICALLY to course@garnet.berkeley.edu (attn: 4-Month Telecommunications). Please mention your interest in teaching in the 4-Month Telecommunications Engineering Diploma Program. You may send your resume to us by snail mail at the following address: 4-Month Telecommunications Engineering Diploma Program c/o UC Berkeley Extension Engineering 1995 University Avenue Berkeley, CA 94720-7010 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 18:29:48 -0700 From: Ed James Organization: Migration Software Subject: Voicemail and Unix Has anyone had any experience hooking a unix box up to a vociemail system that isn't designed for it? Specifically. I have a NorTel Startalk of some configuration (floppy, scsi port on the back, parallel port, one card with two lines connected, labeled 1-2 and 3-4), and I would like to have it send email to folks when they get voicemail. Most of our employees are at client sites, and checking one's voicemail daily can be cumbersome. I'd like to instead deliver a piece of email to the mailbox owner that indicates that new voicemail arrived at a certain time. If I could hook the unix box up to the parallel port of the Startalk, and if I could convince the startalk to generate reports on a daily basis (or more frequently), I could parse the report on the unix side, and generate the required voicemail. I have no idea how to make the startalk do this, though. Does anyone out there have any experience with the startalk? Can it be made to generate reports regularly, and can they be easily directed to the parallel port for "printing"? Thanks in advance, ed ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 09:53:41 CDT From: Christopher Wolf Subject: Re: Speaking Ahout Crashes and Doing Dumb Things On Thu, 8 Aug 1996, TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: > Last Sunday night I got on line about 10:00 p.m. here to do some work > on the Digest and I had a bright idea about a new script I wanted to > try out. Well the script flubbed, which was not anything unusual for > scripts that I write or try to hack on, but the main annoyance was > it left me with a directory full of about a hundred .h, .c. and .o > files to clean out when I decided to quit the experiment. > Now, I try to be smart with potentially disasterous commands like > 'rm' and I personally have 'rm' aliased to 'rm -i' meaning to not > erase a file without asking for confirmation. The problem is, if > you have a whole directory full of garbage files to get rid of > then if you go to that directory and do 'rm *' it will stop over > and over again, asking about each file. The command 'rm -f' will > NOT overrride 'rm -i' on this machine at least, although 'rm -f' > will work in a script running in the background with its own shell > regardless of what arguments I happen to have attached to 'rm' > for my use in the foreground. > So far so good. Instead of having to answer 'y' a 120 times for > every garbage file in the garbage directory I am abolishing, I > decided just this one time I would unalias 'rm' instead. So I > did 'unalias rm' then I did 'rm *' -- but the trouble is I had > ** forgotten to change directories to the one I wanted **. Pat, I use the idea of a trashcan when I activate remove. I alias rm to be the following script, which actually moves files to a hidden directory called .trashcan in my home directory and removes directories and symbolic links. Doesn't handle the more complex forms of rm, but it works fine. BTW: I also run a crontab job to clean out the directory every morning ... 20 4 * * 1-5 (/bin/rm /home/cwolf/.trashcan/* /home/cwolf/.trashcan/.??* > /dev/null ) If you use tcsh or csh like I do, you can then use \rm when you want to override the alias. A backward slash before a command means to ignore any aliases for it. #!/usr/local/bin/tcsh -f foreach i ($*) if (-d $i) then echo Removing directory $i /bin/rmdir $i else if (-l $i) then echo Unlinking symbolic link $i /bin/rm $i else if (-f $i) then if (`/bin/ls -l $i | /bin/cut -c23-31` > "500000") then set SIZE=`/bin/ls -l $i | /bin/cut -c23-31` echo -n "NUKING $i of size $SIZE. " /bin/rm $i echo "BOOM! No Backup." else echo Removing file $i to temporary trashcan. /bin/mv $i ~/.trashcan endif endif end ------------------------------ From: jsol@eddie.mit.edu Subject: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things Date: Mon, 12 Aug 96 16:53:02 EDT Here's how to avoid this in the future: % mkdir .backup Copy all the files you want to save into that directory. Put the dot before it so you don't accidentally delete it. Then make .backup2, which should contain a copy of all incoming mail in .backup2/inbox. Clean this out every so often. This way you should not need the backups. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #404 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Tue Aug 13 18:53:20 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id SAA01366; Tue, 13 Aug 1996 18:53:20 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 18:53:20 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608132253.SAA01366@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #405 TELECOM Digest Tue, 13 Aug 96 18:53:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 405 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Three Charged in Telephone System Scam (Tad Cook) Cellular Service! Flat Rate! Scam? (Raymond B. Normandeau) When Was Direct Distance Dialing Cut In? (Paul Houle) Phone Privacy: Collecting Damages From Solicitors (Ken Hamel) Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? (Spyros C. Bartsocas) Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? (Fred R. Goldstein) Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? (Jay R. Ashworth) Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? (Linc Madison) Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? (Jim Jordan) Re: USA Technology is Awfully Backward (Mark Tenenbaum) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tad Cook Subject: Three Charged in Telephone System Scam Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 10:51:39 PDT Three Floridians Charged in Telephone System Scam By Simon Barker-Benfield, The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 13--State officials said yesterday three people have been charged in a nationwide scam headquartered in Jacksonville that sold dealerships for telephone answering systems. Three people associated with Commercials on Hold of America Inc. were arrested over the weekend and charged with racketeering and conspiracy to commit racketeering, said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Bob Crawford. Arrested were Ray Lynn, 53, and Amber Yvonne Lynn, 46, both of Jacksonville, and Philip Axt, 52, of Neptune Beach. "Other arrests are pending," Crawford said. The company offered answering systems that were supposed to play customized, pre-recorded advertisements for a business while callers were on hold, Crawford said. The dealerships were offered in packages priced from $12,995 to $19,995 and included training, equipment and supplies. The company is accused of defrauding victims of more than $350,000 by falsely claiming to manufacture a unique system, setting up false testimonials, misrepresenting how much money could be made and not providing the systems in accordance with the dealer contracts. Crawford said the scheme operated through 1992 and most of 1993. Commercials on Hold of America does not have a telephone number in the Jacksonville area. The company has no connection with Commercials on Hold in Macon, Ga. (c) 1996, The Florida Times-Union. Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News. ------------------------------ Date: 13 Aug 96 13:29:18 EDT From: Raymond B. Normandeau <73770.121@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Cellular Service! Flat Rate! Scam? Pat: This smells like a scam: [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It certainly does seem strange. You will notice he did not include any 800 number in his message ... ... but that in and of itself does not prove anything. Let's see what the other Digest readers think of this offer ... PAT] Date: 08-06-96 (09:54) Number: 126730 of 126994 (Refer# NONE) To: RAY NORMANDEAU From: azimuth@loop.com, AZIMUTH Subj: Re: Cellular Service! Flat Rate! FREE Phone with Signu Read: 08-06-96 (22:33) Status: RECEIVER ONLY Conf: email (500) Read Type: GENERAL HAS REPLIES Message-ID: <32075B77.68D6@loop.com> Date: Tue, 06 Aug 1996 07:49:27 -0700 From: azimuth Reply-To: azimuth@loop.com To: Ray Normandeau Subject: Re: Cellular Service! Flat Rate! FREE Phone with Signu AZIMUTH ONLINE SERVICES AND WESTERN CELLULAR, INC. ARE HERE, SERVING YOUR CELLULAR NEEDS! WE'RE ONLY A PHONE CALL AWAY! Dear Mr. Normandeau, Thank you for responding to our online ad for a new cellular service and pricing plan that has until now, been unheard of. Flat rate cellular airtime! I know this may sound too good to be true, and truly there must be a gimmick. Well I can tell you this is not one of them. This is quite possibly the best cellular service and pricing available anywhere. We are Azimuth Online Services, and we represent Western Cellular and their phenomenal pricing plan for people just like you who want and need to stay in touch. Western Cellular, Inc. is offering cellular service, cellular service with UNLIMITED AIR TIME in your metro or rural cell area for only $450.00 a year! that is only $37.50 per month, and that price will not change if you use it on weekends, weekdays, weeknights, or holidays. This does, however, apply to local usage. If you use long distance, then your long distance carrier will bill you on their bill, not ours. You no longer need to worry about how much your bill is GOING to be per month, because you are paid up for a whole year, with your subscription of $450.00. Nor do you need to continue to pay high prices for air time. (Of course, you will be billed for long distance, but from the Carrier of your choice.) Some cellular bills will cost that much in just a couple of months, and for using only local service! Whether you are a business traveler, business owner, salesperson, parent, or student, you9ll appreciate the convenience and low, low price of just $450.00 a year for unlimited local calls! We also have several value-added services such as voice-mail, call forwarding, three-way calling, and toll free numbers (888 area code) with some of the lowest rates available for your new cellular phone and service! We service all area codes, and every calling area in the nation! Your new cellular service even comes equipped with a free cellular phone! Choose between two different makes and models! The bottom line is this: 1.) You pay a flat rate for cellular service that is $450.00 for your first year of service. 2.) You get a choice of two different makes and models of cellular phone. 3.) You DO NOT get charged roaming fees, relay fees, or have to pay ANYTHING for receiving a call while out of your calling area. 4.) You do not get charged roaming fees, relay fees, or have to pay ANYTHING extra for making a call while out of your calling area EXCEPT for long distance charges that are billed to you from the long distance carrier of YOUR CHOICE. 5.) Your second, third, fourth, and every year after that will cost you $400 a year for all of the above (except the free phone, because you already have one). Still sound too good to be true? Call us and see for yourself, I can promise you, this is the way to go when it comes to low cost cellular service! We are so confident that you will like our service that we are offering a 30 day money back guarantee with no questions asked, if you are not completely satisfied with your new cellular service from Western Cellular, Inc. There are a couple of ways to reach us: Give us a call TODAY at 818-295-3746 Or Send us an e-mail at: azimuthos@aol.com with your name, city, state and telephone number and we will call you (please also specify the best hours to reach you). I would like you to know that these two options are temporary, due to the fact we are waiting for our toll-free line to be installed. Please be sure to include your city, state and telephone number in your e-mail, so that I can take a survey of what regions need our services the most. I would very much look forward to talking to you about this exciting service plan. Please feel free to call anytime I can be of service in providing you and those you know with superior cellular service that cost less than you ever thought possible. Thank you for your interest in Azimuth Online Services and Western Cellular, Inc. Sincerely, Jess Medina, Jr. President, Azimuth Online Services ------------------ Date: 08-07-96 (00:55) Number: 127077 of 127083 (Refer# NONE) To: RAY NORMANDEAU From: azimuth@loop.com, AZIMUTH Subj: Re: Cellular Service! Flat Rate! FREE Phone with Signu Read: 08-07-96 (02:02) Status: RECEIVER ONLY Conf: email (500) Read Type: GENERAL Message-ID: <32082E9F.2789@loop.com> Date: Tue, 06 Aug 1996 22:50:23 -0700 From: azimuth Reply-To: azimuth@loop.com To: Ray Normandeau Subject: Re: Cellular Service! Flat Rate! FREE Phone with Signu >> Is Western Cellular the carrier, or are they a reseller? >> If a reseller, whose service are they reselling? >> Is your service available right now or is this something in the future. >> Which counties of NYC do you consider local? >> Thanks. Hi Mr. Normandeau, Western Cellular is the carrier, I am the reseller. They are not reselling service, they are providing satellite cellular coverage to all of their subscribers across the country. They do have an affiliation with AT&T and are considered a subagent, but they do not resell directly to consumers. This service is available right now with a standard 10 day waiting period for service to take effect after signup. We service all counties in all states of the country. What is considered a local call depends on where you want your service to stem from. For example, if you want a particular area code with a particular prefix (like your prefix on your home phone, with a different last four digits) then the local calling area would be all the prefixes that are considered local for your home telephone service. The best way to determine that, I always suggest, is to look at your phone book and look at what prefixes in your home service calling area are local and not billed as toll, local toll, or long distance. The prefixes that are local are what would be your local calling area for your cell phone (provided you and your phone are physically in that local region as well). If you are physically out of the region, then you incur a long distance call and are billed from the LD carrier of your choice. No extra charges apply. You will NEVER receive a bill from Western Cellular. I hope that answers all your questions. Thank you for your interest. Jess Medina [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Does anyone want to investigate this a bit further and tell us what is known about Jess Medina, his company, and the company he is an agent/reseller for? That phone number he gives is of interest, as is loop.com. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Paul Houle Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 18:25:57 GMT Subject: When Was Direct Distance Dialing Cut In? I have a historical question which I hope isn't a FAQ in this group, but which I have not been able to find an answer on the web or the telecom archives. I'm trying to find out exactly when DDD (direct distance dialing) was cut-in in the US. I have the impression that there was a specific date in the late 50s or early 60s but I've had bad luck looking for it. This surprises me because of the fact that such a date may be a good watershed for the development of our civilization -- the first moment when it was possible for an individual to make a connection across a continent without human attention. ------------------------------ From: hamelk@rintintin.Colorado.EDU (Ken Hamel) Subject: Phone Privacy: Collecting Damages From Solicitors Date: 13 Aug 96 13:52:10 GMT Organization: University of Colorado at Boulder Hello: I have been checking out the Telephone Consumers Protection Act (USC Title 47 Section 227 online at: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/47/227.html) and it sets forth $500 damages for telemarketers that phone you back after requesting not to be called. Can anyone give me a step-by-step to how one would begin collecting the damages? Has anyone reading this group successfully collected damages from telemarketers? I'm expecting AT&T will try yet again: I documented their previous calls and am ready to pounce! Please respond via email. Cheers, Ken Hamel --==*==-- Ken.Hamel@Colorado.EDU --==*==-- Boulder, CO --++*++-- http://rintintin.Colorado.EDU/~hamelk --++*++-- [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The person you want to speak with is Robert Bulmash of the Private Citizen organization. He has a directory of people like yourself which he circulates to telemarketers each year, and when the telemarketers break the rules, he helps the members of his organization collect the penalty they are due. Bob is a regular reader here, so I expect he will see this and be in contact with you, however you can call him if you want. He is listed in the phone book for northern Illinois in the 847 area code under 'Private Citizen'. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 17:12:08 GMT From: Spyros C. Bartsocas Subject: Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? > In Europe, the area code can be of variable length as can the number. > Here everything is fixed. Why? > ie - in Germany a firm's fax number has more digits than the voice > number. A rural area code has more digits than an urban one in > Greece. Although, I can not comment on German numbers, numbers in Greece have a fixed length of 8 (i.e. Length of AreaCode+Length of Number is always equal to 8). The following cases exist: The Athens Metropolitan Area is 1+7 Major Cities and Mobile phones are 2+6 Other Areas and Services are 3+5 Athens used to have a 2 digit area code and six digit numbers, but when it was running out of numbers a couple of decades ago, its area code was changed from "21" to "1", and seven digit numbers were introduced. Also for billing purposes Telex numbers, regardless of their location appear in Area code 1 and start with a 0 (e.g. Telex 234567 is 1+0234567). Total length is still 8. Spyros Bartsocas scb@hol.gr ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 10:43:49 -0400 From: Fred R. Goldstein Subject: Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? One of the management fads that the "Dilbert's Bosses" was the phrase "thinking outside the box". They stopped talking about it when they realized, I suspect, that they were the boxes. Most of the discussion of NANP numbers has focused on two details, overlays and the possible alternative of eight-digit numbers, and the difficulty of changing the phone network itself. The real cost of a change is largely outside of the network. The Bell System adopted the 3+3+4 numbering plan back in the days when its high-end CO switch was the crossbar. A crossbar switch had a sort of relay processor (marker) which could "translate" a dialed digit string into an action. But it only worked on fixed-length strings. So prefix codes had to be 3 digits, and line numbers had to be 4. These numbers were arbitrary but locked into hardware. Newer processor-controlled systems are compatible with this assupumtion. Remember that the cost of software is MUCH greater than the cost of computer hardware these days, especially when it changes! So while new switches are "programmable", it's by no means simple or cheap to change fundamental assumptions. I've written automatic route selection tables for many PBXs. In America, most of them are written around three and six digit translation tables. It's hard coded. You dial 1617 and it knows that the 1 means area code follows; 617 is thus the fixed-length area code, and it translates that. If it needs to, it'll then translate on the next three digits. Toll restriction tables are similar. Switches designed for other countries are "flexible". Thus the European software releases for, say, the Meridian SL-1 are different in this regard from the North American ones. The Mitel SX-2000, a "world" switch, was unusual in allowing a flexible translation scheme into the NorAm market, where it matches on arbitrary-length digit strings. That was interesting to look at, as it was the first time I saw how a European switch would be translated. Of course it works fine here too ... but I suspect there's an efficiency boost in fixed-length scans, and PBX CPUs were until recently notoriously weak. But as I said it's not the switches that matter. It's the rest of the world. Europe grew up with mixed-length phone numbers, so every data base that has a phone number in it allows variable-length fields. Here, most data bases and the applications that feed them (insurance, bank, credit, employer, cash register, utility company, newspaper subscription, whatever, you name it!) are based on FIXED-length numbers. If you think the Year 2000 problem is big, just try to switch over to variable-length phone numbers! It'll take decades. Europe didn't have many crossbars; they did more with steppers, which accomodaste variable-length numbers. This affected their expectations, including data bases, point-of-sale software, etc. What started as a switch architecture decision by telco monopolies took on a life elsewhere! What's simple for Europeans, like adding a digit, is thus nigh-on impossible here. Back outside the box: Why do we always assume, as telcos are quick to do, that overlays mean ten-digit dialing? New York's 917 overlay didn't affect seven-digit dialing. Why should others? I agree that ten digits is too many to handle. I also don't like mini-areas. But we also assume that a seven-digit number is always one in the same area code as one is in. How silly! It is quite possible even in today's technology to have seven-digit numbers default to one's *primary* area code, with ten-digit numbers for one's *own* area code if that happens to be less-often dialed. Look in the Manhattan phone book for a 917 number. Not there. They're unlisted! Who lists cellular phones? (Remember, non-US readers, that here, the cellular user usually pays airtime for all calls in both directions.) Let's extend that. We put in overlays. We reserve the remaining numbers in the old code for LISTED numbers and perhaps some residential unlisted ones. (Resi line growth is not the problem!) We put all new BULK numbers (DID blocks, PBX trunks, pagers, fax servers, cellular, SMDS, ATM, etc.) in the overlay. But we allow them to choose a default seven-digit local-destin- ation-NPA that is not their own. So my home unlisted "data" ISDN line might be in the overlay but it can still dial 7 digits and get 617, or 11 digits for itself. And if a business NEEDS a non-overlay unlisted number, then it can have it FOR A PRICE; this safety valve will cover ISPs, etc, who need say ten numbers in a DID or MSN block, as well as hospitals, etc., who provide a sort of "tenant service" to medical practices who locate there. Fax server users don't want to pay extra for a "familiar" NPA; most business DID users won't either. Competitive LECs should get to share the last remaining prefixes in the old non-overlay codes. Bells should recycle the codes they have, migrating most bulk users to the overlays over time. This is consumer-friendly (seven-digit dialing plus the old number doesn't change) and competition-friendly (CLECs get dibs on what's left until number portability moots the issue). And it doens't muck with ingrained assumptions about 3+3+4 which will take DECADES to change! Fred R. Goldstein fgoldstein@bbn.com BBN Corp. Cambridge MA USA +1 617 873 3850 ------------------------------ From: jra@scfn.thpl.lib.fl.us (Jay R. Ashworth) Subject: Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? Date: 12 Aug 1996 16:16:57 GMT Organization: University of South Florida John Nagle (nagle@netcom.com) wrote: >> Simple answer: The hundreds of "mom & pop" LECs who still have >> antiquated equipment out there _hardwired_ for seven-digit local >> numbers. > The last panel CO shut down years ago. There are very few > step-by-step COs left, and by now most of them have microprocessors in > between the line finder and first selector that capture the dial > digits for processing. Electronic marker upgrades are available for > crossbar COs, and everything later is programmable. Yes, John. You're right. AT&T/Lucent, NorTel and Siemens people: _HOW_ much code is going to need to be re-written _and tested_ in order to expand either half of a NANP style phone number? (My standard fallback:) Deej? Cheers, -- jr 'and what happens after 23:59:59 31 Dec 1999?' Jay R. Ashworth jra@scfn.thpl.lib.fl.us Member of the Technical Staff Junk Mail Will Be Billed For. The Suncoast Freenet *FLASH: Craig Shergold aw'better now; send no cards!* Tampa Bay, Florida *Call 800-215-1333x184 for the whole scoop* +1 813 790 7592 ------------------------------ From: Telecom@Eureka.vip.best.com (Linc Madison) Subject: Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 02:22:00 -0700 Organization: Best Internet Communications In article , goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau) wrote: > Telecom@Eureka.vip.best.com (Linc Madison) writes: >> All area codes with '9' as the second digit are reserved for the >> future expansion to four-digit area codes. The main question at >> this point seems to be whether we will go from 3+7 to 4+7 or to 4+8. > Are you sure it's even been nailed down that specifically? The info > that Mark Cuccia has provided has noted merely that the N9X series of > area codes are "reserved for future expansion of a longer-than-ten-digit > NANP number". Unless something has changed in the past few months > since Mark submitted the following to the Digest, the four-digit NPA was > only a strong contender, not a done deal: The only way that the N9X area codes could be used for a 3+8 scheme would be if everyone else kept 3+7. That could happen, but I doubt it will. I think that we will preserve the notion that all numbers in the NANP are the same length. Linc Madison * San Francisco, Calif. * Telecom@Eureka.vip.best.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Aug 1996 15:14:10 GMT From: jim jordan Subject: Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? Organization: Nortel Technology, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada In article , Ed Ellers wrote: > James E Bellaire wrote: >> Hiding in tarrifs of the phone companies is the little comment that >> 'phone numbers do not belong to the subscriber and can be reassigned >> and any time.' (Or words to that effect.) >> Although forcing a number change is usually avoided by the telcos, it >> has occurred. In North Carolina a few towns had their exchange >> changed (as well as their NPA) recently. It is possible. > That's exactly what happened when the the present plan was adopted. > Until the 1950s most of North America had local numbers that were four > to six digits; seven-digit local numbers only existed in a few large > cities. Some of these "short" numbers persisted until the early 1970s in northwestern Ontario. The town of Red Lake had some two-digit numbers until Bell Canada assigned each of the communities in the district its own prefix code and allowed direct dialing. (Most of the neighbouring towns, such as the one I grew up in, had four-digit numbers, and we considered Red Lake privileged to have these shorter numbers.) However, when the change-over was made, people (and businesses) in Red Lake were more excited about being able to call people in the next town without having to go through an operator than they were annoyed about having to give up their two-digit number. Ah, the memories of growing up in a small town ... W. Jim Jordan, Nortel Technology, Mailstop 314 Qualicum, PO Box 3511 Station C, Ottawa, ON K1Y 4H7 Canada (613) 763-1568 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: An interesting case here in the USA back in the 1960-70's (and for some time before that) was in the towns of Lafayette and West Lafayette, Indiana. Although the towns had seven digit numbers and could dial any other numbers in town, they were non-dialable from outside their town. While much of the rest of that part of the state was in area code 317, operators were quick to point out that Lafayette/West Lafayette was not 'direct dial'. From here in Chicago, to make a call to those towns we had to dial '211' and tell the long distance operator that we wanted in Lafayette. The operator plugged into a tie-line on the switchboard and anywhere from two or three seconds to ten seconds later a voice on the other end would answer saying 'Lafayette' and the operator on this end would say the number desired. An exception to the seven-digit number rule in town was Purdue University, whose 'telephone number' could be given one of two ways: If the five digit extension number at Purdue was not known, locals in town dialed '90'. There would be no audible ringing sound, but after a few seconds a voice answered saying 'Purdue' and you went on from there. Purdue had their own 'information' and the operator would transfer you to that if what you wanted was not readily known. 'Information' would look up the number, flash the operator back and tell the one who always answered 'Purdue' what number to connect you with. If you did know the five-digit extension desired at the university, then you could dial '92' followed by the five digits. But callers from out of town nonetheless could not dial anything. It always had to go through your long distance operator to the Lafayette operator. Layfayette 'information' (and the printed phone book) also had quite a bit of Purdue's number information listed, but Purdue's own 'information' was presumably more up to date. If you asked your long distance operator for 'Lafayette, Indiana, 92-xxxxx' she would pass it that way to the Lafayette operator and the call would go through to the desired extension. Everything else in that part of Indiana was completely dialable as 317-whatever for several years before finally one day Lafayette/West Lafayette was converted, with the Purdue operator also getting a new number in the process. I was in the town occassionally during that period of time, and I recall it was GTE service. I needed to make a call to Chicago and the instructions said to dial '112' or '114' -- something like that -- and tell the operator what you wanted. I quite logically, I thought, told the operator I wanted (in these words) 'area code 312, (rest forgotten).' The operator sort of snapped at me and said 'we do not use area codes here'. The process was reversed with her plugging into a jack on the board and after a few seconds the distant end answered 'Chicago' and the Lafayette operator told her what number in Chicago/suburbs was wanted. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Aug 96 09:44:22 -0500 From: Mark Tenenbaum Subject: Re: USA Technology is Awfully Backward In article Anthony writes: > And I wonder when would the US Congress approve some extra money > so USA can adapt the international metric system and catch up with the > rest of the world? Why Americans still use the length of the feet of a > British King who died thousands of years ago to measure the length of > every thing? Makes *me* wonder: Upon ultimate conversion to the metric system, would that mean that the # button will need to be referred to as the "Gram" button rather than the "pound" button? And wondering even further: Who says the rest of the world is necessarily right? Mark D. Tenenbaum Plano, TX (214, Soon to be 972) ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #405 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Wed Aug 14 09:08:28 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id JAA29999; Wed, 14 Aug 1996 09:08:28 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 09:08:28 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608141308.JAA29999@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #406 TELECOM Digest Wed, 14 Aug 96 09:08:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 406 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: When Was Direct Distance Dialing Cut In? (Mark J. Cuccia) Re: AT&T (NY) Adding Extra Charges to 'Casual' Users (John Higdon) Re: Cellular Service! Flat Rate! Scam? (Dave Keeny) Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? (Poll Dubh) Re: Hardware/Software Required for CallerID via TAPI (WSchochet) Re: End of Permissive Dialing in 954 (Linc Madison) Re: How Low Can Loop Voltage Go? (John McHarry) Re: Call for a Universal Phone Number Format (Alistair Knox) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 19:09:36 -0700 From: Mark J. Cuccia Subject: Re: When Was Direct Distance Dialing Cut In? Paul Houle wrote: > I have a historical question which I hope isn't a FAQ in this group, but > which I have not been able to find an answer on the web or the telecom > archives. > I'm trying to find out exactly when DDD (direct distance dialing) was > cut-in in the US. I have the impression that there was a specific date in > the late 50s or early 60s but I've had bad luck looking for it. This > surprises me because of the fact that such a date may be a good watershed > for the development of our civilization -- the first moment when it was > possible for an individual to make a connection across a continent without > human attention. *Customer* DDD was *phased* in, beginning in November 1951 and continuing through roughly the mid-1960's. Englewood NJ was the *FIRST* place to have an experiment of outward customer DDD, beginning 10 November 1951, just four years after the North American (US/Canada) Area Code format was finalized in October 1947. Operators had been 'dialing' or 'keying' toll calls of various distances in various parts of the US and Canada since the 1920's, but there was no standardized national (US and Canada) numbering plan until 1947. Even then, and throughout the 1950's and early 1960's, there were places where an operator had to manually connect to a party, even if the called party had dial service itself. Even today, there are about 1500 or so locations in the US, Canada, Mexico and Caribbean where you need an AT&T, Bell or local Canada or Caribbean telco operator to place calls to/from there, but these locations are *very* rural and remote! However, with the right equipment in place, in 1949 there was some limited *Operator* toll dialing from San Francisco to certain metro areas (including to New York), using the *Area Code* plus the exchange name and remaining station digits, ringing the called party without the need of a second operator in the terminating city! The November 1951 Englewood NJ experiment of outward customer DDD (the term Direct Distance Dialing wasn't standardized until the late 50's or early 60's, and was referred to as Customer Long Distance Dialing for most of the 1950's) was available from all single (non-coin) and two-party lines, but *only* to certain selected metro areas in the continental USA. The customer dialed straight seven digits (2 letters plus 5 numbers) for northern NJ local and dialable toll locations, without any mention of area code 201. New York City itself was dialed from NJ (and the same is true in the reverse direction, from New York City to northern NJ) as '1-1' plus the 2L-5N. The NY City suburbs of Nassau County (Long Island) was dialed from Englewood NJ as 516 plus the 2L-5N. The NY City suburbs of Westchester & Rockland Counties (including parts of Orange and Putnam counties) was dialed as 914 plus the 2L-5N. Other customer dialable cities from Englewood NJ in November 1951 included Boston metro (617+), Chicago metro but not northwest Indiana (312+), Cleveland metro (216+), Detroit metro but not Windsor ON (313+), Milwaukee metro (414+), Oakland CA (east bay) metro (415+), Philadelphia metro but not Camden NJ (215+), Pittsburgh metro (412+), Providence RI metro (401+), Sacramento metro (916+) and San Francisco (west bay and north of the Golden Gate) metro (318+). Please note that all area codes are still the same for these areas, although there *have* been some splits, *except* for the SF Bay area. In October 1947, area code 415 actually covered *all* of central coastal CA, but the November 1951 DDD "first" for Englewood NJ used 318 for reaching San Francisco points. This was only a temporary use, as AT&T/Pacific-Tel. wanted to have better trunking into San Francisco and Oakland, using distinct area codes. The originating #5XB local office in Englewood NJ could only "three-digit" translate in 1951/52, using internal relays, as the electromechanical Card-Translator box hadn't been introduced. The Card-Translator box was introduced in 1952/53 and was located at #4XB Toll offices (and probably later at XB-Tandem) could "six-digit" translate a much larger block of NPA-NNX codes and establish complex routing and alternate routing arrangements and switching, something an individual local #5XB office wasn't expected to do. San Francisco and Oakland each had toll-switches which would handle inbound customer dialed or operator dialed (or connected) calls, specifically for that city, although there has been local dialing between the two cities for quite some time even before 1951. Sometime in the early to mid 1950's, Area Code 318's use for San Francisco/west-bay was 'reclaimed', and San Francisco 'returned' to area code 415. Area Code 318 was assigned to the 1956/57 split of Louisiana's only area code in 1947, '504', and covers all of Louisiana, except for 504 which covers southeastern La. (at least it will continue for another couple of years, when both 504 and 318 will need some form of split or overlay). Oakland/east-bay split off from 415 in 1991, into Area Code 510, which was previously one of the special TWX area codes! Now, as for the phasing in of customer long distance dialing, it all depended on how fast Bell and the independents were introducing Crossbar equipment into the network, at least #4(A)XB Toll and XB-Tandem, as well as improvements in the transmission portion of the network, and also *numbering* plan standardization. Locations which were *not* on a fixed seven-digit basis (or 2L-5N) were usually *not* able to be dialed direct from areas which did have outward customer DDD. Changing to seven-digits (2L-5N) wasn't mostly realized until the early 1960's. This didn't mean that even an area on a seven-digit basis couldn't continue to dial local calls as three, four, or five digits, which has usually continued to happen in many rural areas and small towns. But the 'official' directory listings and other telco publicizing of numbers had to be seven-digits before a customer could DDD to that location. Operators had special codes in their Rate and Route Guides to dial into a 'less-than-seven-digit' city, which customers weren't permitted access to. And the digits dialed for outward customer DDD weren't always standardized. Areas which had panel and crossbar equipment usually dialed "Home NPA" toll calls as "straight" seven digits, and "Foreign" NPA calls as "straight" ten digits. There was no numbering or code ambiguity, since all area codes were N0X/N1X and all central office codes were NNX as they had been based on the first two letters (and previously in some areas, the first letter or first three letters) of a name (with *few* exceptions, there are no letters on the '1' or '0'). But non-senderized step originating DDD locations had to dial an *access prefix* to gain direct access to incoming dialpulse registers of a #4(A)XB or XB-Tandem office, which could handle the (NPA)-NNX-XXXX dialed digits. In the 1950's, most 'step' areas which did have originating customer DDD used '112', which was one of the usualy 'step-style' local service codes, 11X. In some areas, the customer might have even had to wait for a second dialtone from the XB toll/tandem office before dialing (NPA)-NNX-XXXX. This '112' step access prefix was changed over to '1+' in most step areas about 1960, as well most step areas changed their service centers from 11X codes to N11 codes, or local seven-digit numbers. For standardization, many crossbar/panel areas also adopted the use of '1+', if there were some local step offices in the area which used '1+'. Now, the use of '1+' has two somewhat different meanings: 1+ indicates a ten-digit number follows, regardless of local or toll, while seven digit numbers without a 1+ could also be local or toll; and the 1+ indicates toll, which now means 1+ a full ten digit number if it is toll, while local calls HNPA are dialed seven-digits, and local FNPA are usually dialed straight ten-digits. Hopefully, as overlays become more the rule, 1+ will continue to be a toll-indication prefix, permissible for local ten-digit calls (without incurring toll/extra charges), and straight ten-digits will be all local calls whether in the home HNPA, adjacent/nearby NPA, or within the *overlayed* but different NPA! By the mid-1960's, most parts of the (continental) US and Canada were aware of customer DDD, even if they didn't have it. Most North American telcos were putting Area Code maps and listings in the front of the directory, so the customer would be aware of area codes and even if they didn't have DDD, they could verbally tell the (long-distance) operator the NPA plus seven-digits of their called party, which the operator would readily key in, and the equipment would complete the call within (usually) ten-seconds. But the *rate* of introduction of customer outward DDD (as well as locations which could be inwardly reached DDD by customers *as well as* DDD-keyed by operators all depended on the type of equipment already in place and constantly being upgraded all over this *VAST* US/Canadian telephone network. And there is one other equipment factor to consider ... that of automated ticketing (billing) equipment being introduced (AMA/CAMA/SAMA/LAMA/etc), although DDD *has* been provided with Operator Number Identification, and in the case of any remaining four and eight party lines, ONI is still the rule! MARK J. CUCCIA PHONE/WRITE/WIRE: HOME: (USA) Tel: CHestnut 1-2497 WORK: mcuccia@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu |4710 Wright Road| (+1-504-241-2497) Tel:UNiversity 5-5954(+1-504-865-5954)|New Orleans 28 |fwds on no-answr to Fax:UNiversity 5-5917(+1-504-865-5917)|Louisiana(70128)|cellular/voicemail ------------------------------ Organization: Green Hills and Cows Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 00:26:16 -0700 From: John Higdon Subject: Re: AT&T (NY) Adding Extra Charges to 'Casual' Users kamlet@infinet.com (Art Kamlet) writes: > And AT&T has been withdrawing from billing arrangements with many > RBOCs, and likely wishes to avoid paying RBOCs for billing services. > Dialing 10(10)288 could cause a billing charge from RBOC to AT&T. Or > could cause a bill to be generated to a customer of unknown credit > worthiness, and possibly for a single call a month. So AT&T may wish > to avoid those customers. The long distance carriers have always hated the casual calling code system and have purposely misled the public into the assumption that you had to "subscribe" to a long distance carrier to use its services. This is what has given rise to the over-use of the word "switch". "SWITCH to MCI and save..." It has been the availability of casual calling that has made possible true competition in the long distance business. Just as you can walk into a supermarket and select a particular brand of a can of peas, you can select who will carry your long distance call on the fly. The latest strategy by AT&T, MCI, and others yet to come is to eliminate this option by making casual selection expensive. > One more item: If the non AT&T PIC goes out of service, many callers > might suddenly try to use AT&T as its fair weather friend, placing a > sudden high load on AT&T circuits. Isn't is fair to charge those who > are only fair weather friends more? Long distance companies are not my friends; they are vendors with whom I may or may not choose to do business. None of the carriers is so close to the edge of capacity that a few casual callers would overload circuits. What it amounts to is a way to wring just a few more bucks out of the public without actually raising rates. Casual callers always pay more since they do not participate in those rate plans available to all regular subscribers. Adding a surcharge is adding insult to injury. > Like a delayed insurance premium. > After all, AT&T is sitting there providing "insurance" in case of > other PIC failure, but is otherwise not receiving any premium for this > service. What about the reverse? There are times that AT&T is unusable and other carriers provide backup to AT&T. Is that why MCI has begun this practice as well? No, it has to do with REMOVING instantaneous choice from the hands of consumers. Hopefully, it will bite them in their respective posteriors. I am aware of a company who has been using MCI for years. The firm is a major user of long distance, to the tune of many thousands of dollars per month. So dedicated to MCI is this customer that they programmed 10222 in front of all calls outdialed by the PBX, making all trunks "slam-proof". Unfortunately, they WERE slammed to another carrier without anyone's knowledge. One month the MCI bill showed up with thousands of dollars-worth of SURCHARGES -- one for each and every call made on the PBX, which dutifully dialed the 10222 before each one. So far, MCI has refused to even consider removing those charges even after hearing a complete explanation of what happened. Needless to say, this loyal MCI customer is having serious second thoughts about re-PICing to MCI at all, ever. If the name of the game is "Grab All You Can Get", then the long distance companies will reap what they sow: a non-loyal, steadily churning base of dissatisfied customers. And you talk about "fair-weather friends"? John Higdon | P.O. Box 7648 | +1 408 264 4115 | FAX: john@ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | +1 500 FOR-A-MOO | +1 408 264 4407 | http://www.ati.com/ati/ | ------------------------------ From: Dave Keeny Subject: Re: Cellular Service! Flat Rate! Scam? Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 07:58:03 +0500 Organization: Telecommunications Techinques Corporation Reply-To: keenyd@ttc.com Raymond B. Normandeau wrote: [big snip] > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Does anyone want to investigate this > a bit further and tell us what is known about Jess Medina, his > company, and the company he is an agent/reseller for? That phone > number he gives is of interest, as is loop.com. PAT] Pat, An alt.cellular poster received the same offer from Azimuth, with the following address: > Azimuth Online Services > 120 S. San Fernando Blvd. > Suite 403 > Burbank, CA 91502 > 818.295.3746 Phone The poster made the following note: Note: I called directory assistance and there is no local listing for Azimuth, no 800 listing, and the 888 number I got for Western Cellular was a cell phone itsself! Also, the person who called me back (no one answers their phone) knew nothing about cellular service or his company. I don't know which Western Cellular he called, but there is one in LA that is listed under telephone equipment and systems: Western Cellular...Los Angeles, CA 90016 Phone: (213) 731-6349 The business phone number of Azimuth is the home phone of: Rachel & Jess Medina 534 E Harvard Rd, Apt. #aa Burbank,CA 91501-1800 (818)295-3746 Jess also has been advertising a free online service, using the account lineofsite@aol.com: Azimuth Online Your Free Online Service 818.567.1981 I couldn't reverse-lookup that number. These particular postings went out to *way* off-topic newsgroups, and prompted a spate of cancel messages. Advertising as azimuth@loop.com, he has been much more well behaved in terms of on-topic postings (mainly forsale, and some business groups). He's posted a job offer for VP of Sales: New online services company is seeking entreprenurial minded team player for a new startup venture. There is a lot of work to do, and [snip] This position will require hard work and some risk (no financial investment required). Although this position is executive level, the [snip] Finally, loop.com is an ISP (http://www.loop.com) that seems to be just another access provider. They don't respond to fingering, but that's not too unusual. I know there is not much new information there, but, IMO it does raise a few red flags. It does for me, in any case. Dave [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Yes, it certainly does create a few additional questions. Any readers in the Burbank, CA area wish to look into the address given and try to find out more? PAT] ------------------------------ From: singular@oort.ap.sissa.it (Poll Dubh) Subject: Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? Date: 13 Aug 1996 17:42:51 GMT Organization: Lasciate ogni speranza voi ch'entrate mandarin@cix.compulink.co.uk (Richard Cox) wrote: >> Er, no. Psychologists confirm that eight digits is the maximum number >> of digits that can be reliably remembered and dialled by the average >> user. Tony Harminc replied: > Citation, please! I've dealt with eight-digit numbers in Paris, and I > have great trouble remembering them long enough to copy from one place > to another. But I have little or no trouble with NANP ten-digit > numbers. There are two different issues here. One is what constitutes a "digit" from a psychological standpoint. If you have a handful or two of local area codes, you may consider each of these familiar three-figure sequences as a single "digit" of a base- system. The other point is that claims about eight digits being the maximum (I've also heard it claimed that the maximum is seven) are usually based on the well-known "7 plus or minus 2" limit on human short-term memory. But there is little to keep us from using our long-term memory instead, even for such tasks as copying a number from one place to another. (I think "short-term" means a fraction of a second in this context, although I could be wrong about that.) > I'm sure this is because I mentally partition the area code > from the easy-to-remember seven-digit number. In Paris, I mentally pull > the leading digit (usually 4) off the front, and then remember (say) > 42 34 56 78 as 4 234-5678. Much much easier for my brain to deal > with. In Toronto I do much the same thing -- except that instead of a > leading 4 it's a leading 416 or 905. Each of us does it a little differently. I don't partition the initial 4 off (especially as it could easily be a 3 or a 6). Instead, I split the whole number into 4+4 (others would say 2+2+2+2) and remember each half exactly as I would the last four digits of an NANP number. > I very much doubt it. I think the "eight is easier than ten" claim > misapplies the research. Three plus three plus four is easier, IMO. My guess is that they are about par, once people have had time to optimize their learning strategies for the new scheme. I would still expect a purely mechanical linear scaling of the error rate with the number of digits, so that ten-digit dialing is about 25% more error-prone than eight-digit dialing. More opportunities for your fingers to fumble or for your keys to rebound, that's all. ------------------------------ From: wschochet@aol.com (WSchochet) Subject: Re: Hardware/Software Required for CallerID via TAPI Date: 13 Aug 1996 11:33:49 -0400 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Reply-To: wschochet@aol.com (WSchochet) There are a couple of diferent ways to support TAPI on Northern Telecom systems. Unfortunately, all NT keysets say Meridian on them from the smallest key system to the lagest PBX's and the exact requirments vary. Assuming you have a Meridian 1 switch, you can do TAPI 1.0 stuff, which should support your screen pop type applications using an MCA (Meridian Communications Adapter) and a digital keyset. MCA's are a couple hundred bucks a pop as I recall. There is a TAPI driver for the MCA. TAPI 2.0 stuff (ie third party call control) requires Meridian Link, a product that will interface your PBX to your other systems -- a few bucks there and Nothern isn't exactly the most helpful when it comes to getting the nitty gritty on how the thing actually works -- they would be happy to refer you to an authorized Northern Developer who will do it for you ... Check out http://www.nortel.com/ ------------------------------ From: Telecom@Eureka.vip.best.com (Linc Madison) Subject: Re: End of Permissive Dialing in 954 Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 02:12:49 -0700 Organization: Best Internet Communications In article , wes.leatherock@hotelcal.com (Wes Leatherock) wrote: >> If the call isn't a toll call, you MUST dial 10 digits, and you MUST >> NOT dial a 1. Doesn't this go against all other major cities that >> have split? > Nope, sure doesn't. This is true in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, > and will probably be true in any other Southwestern Bell areas which > have similar splits. > Some customers (by far the vast majority) are not like the > people in this newsgroup and are very concerned to know when they are > dialing a toll call. BUT THIS FEATURE DOES NOT PROVIDE THE BENEFIT YOU DESCRIBE. There is **NO** benefit to PROHIBITING dialing the '1' for a local call. NONE. ZERO. NADA. ZILCH. If you want to know if a call is toll or not, try dialing it without the '1'. If it goes through, it's local. If it doesn't, you'll get a message telling you to redial with the '1', and you know it's toll. (This is in the areas that have the strict "1+ for all toll calls" rule.) However, if you don't care one way or the other, why should you be forced to redial simply because it's a local call? There's NO EXCUSE for it! Linc Madison * San Francisco, Calif. * Telecom@Eureka.vip.best.com ------------------------------ From: John McHarry Subject: Re: How Low Can Loop Voltage Go? Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 06:19:10 -0700 Organization: Erols Internet Services Tom Watson wrote: > The threshold for on-hook to off-hook voltages should be somewhere about > 10-20 volts (lower is better). I'd experiment by putting a resistor in > series with my home set and seing when the central office thinks it is > on/off hook. Always an interesting subject. The CO, like the telephone set itself, is current, not voltage driven. Old analog COs used relays in series with the line that would pull in when a certain amount of current was drawn. Digital COs have feed resistors instead and measure the voltage drop across the feed resistors. Both of these arrangements can allow things like 25 volt feed for short loops (sounds better on some phones) and higher voltage feed on long loops to push enough current. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 22:55:05 +0100 From: Alistair Knox Subject: Re: Call for a Universal Phone Number Format Organization: Macrovision UK Ltd. In article , markus.uhlirz@aut. alcatel.at writes: > In many European countries the international access code is "00", > but in France it is "19", 990 in Finland, 095 in Norway, 011 in USA, > 010 in UK, 009 in Sweden, 07 in Spain and so on. Actually, the UK changed its international access code to 00 (instead of 010) back in April 1995. Alistair Knox ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #406 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Wed Aug 14 10:49:37 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id KAA10402; Wed, 14 Aug 1996 10:49:37 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 10:49:37 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608141449.KAA10402@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #407 TELECOM Digest Wed, 14 Aug 96 10:49:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 407 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Telecom Archives CDROM Ordering Details (TELECOM Digest Editor) BA-NJ Proposes "Overlay" in 609 Area Code (John Cropper) Information Needed on Koll Telecom, Skycom and Globalcom (Steve Samler) Christian Coalition Uses Motorola Envoy (Stephen Satchell) InterLATA Connectivity in 609? (Andrew White) Cellular Tower Agreement (Emily Van Dunk) Jeopardy Situation in NPA 407 (Florida) (Mark J. Cuccia) Recent Bellcore NANPA "PL's" (Mark J. Cuccia) Detritus of 708 Area Code Change (H.A. Kippenhan Jr.) ATT (Lucent) Computer Telephone 8130 (x@worldnet.att.net) Rural Internet Access (Brian M. Sharp) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 09:22:18 EDT From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Subject: Telecom Archives CDROM Ordering Details People have been asking how to order the Telecom Archives CDROM by mail order. Not everyone has been able to find it in a store as of yet. If you can find it in a store, you will save on the shipping charges, however it might simply be easier for you to order it direct from the publisher, so details are given below. The Telecom Archives is a fifteen year collection of the stuff which has appeared in TELECOM Digest since 1981 along with a few hundred other files of telecom related material. There are a lot of technical files, historical files, etc. Everything that was there through the end of 1995 is included. The cost is $39.95. Please buy a copy, as the royalties will help me a lot. Also, if sales are good, there will be an update with the 1996 material on it at some future point. ============================================================================ shipping information: ============================================================================ Shipping is $5 in the USA, Canada, and Mexico for First Class. Overseas is $9 PER ORDER. There is an additional $3 COD charge (USA Only). UPS Blue Label (2nd day) [USA Only] is $10 PER ORDER, UPS Red Label (next day) [USA Only] is $15 PER ORDER. Federal Express (next day) [USA Only] is $20 PER ORDER. For overseas courier rates, please email us. Ordering Information: You can order by sending a check or money order to Walnut Creek CDROM Suite E 4041 Pike Lane Concord CA 94520 USA 1 800 786-9907 (Toll Free Sales) [open 24HRS] +1 510 674-0783 (Sales-International) +1 510 603-1234 (tech support) [M-F 9AM - 5PM, PST] +1 510 674-0821 (FAX) orders@cdrom.com (For placing an order) info@cdrom.com (For requesting more information or for customer service questions) support@cdrom.com (For technical questions and technical support) majordomo@cdrom.com (Info Robot-automated product information and support) We accept Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and Diner's Club. ALL credit card orders MUST include a phone or fax number. COD shipping is available for $8.00 in the US only, NO COD shipping to P O Boxes. Checks and Money Orders payable in US funds, can be sent along with ordering information to our normal business address. California residents please add sales tax. Shipping and handling is $5 (per ORDER, not per disc) for US, Canada, and Mexico, and $9 for overseas (AIRMAIL) shipping. Please allow 14 working days ( 3 weeks ) for overseas orders to arrive. Most orders arrive in 1-2 weeks. -------------------- Therefore, unless you want next day delivery by FedEx which would make it quite expensive you would send $39.95 plus $5 to Walnut Creek at thier address above, or authorize them to charge your credit card, etc. As noted also, customers outside the USA need to pay additional shipping costs. Write to Walnut Creek at the addresses above. If you can find it in a retail outlet then you save shipping and handling charges. In any event, please buy one today! PAT -------------------- The Telecom Archives remains a free resource for the Internet and is available using anonymous ftp massis.lcs.mit.edu. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 21:12:28 GMT Subject: BA-NJ Proposes "Overlay" in 609 Area Code From: psyber@usa.pipeline.com (John Cropper) For Immediate Release Contact: August 12, 1996 Tim Ireland (201-649-2279) SOUTH JERSEY TO GET NEW AREA CODE Bell Atlantic Proposes "Overlay" Plan for 609 Newark, N.J. -- Ever wonder how many grains of sand repose on the seashore? Or how many stars twinkle in the sky? Or how many telephone numbers fill the White Pages? Unlike the infinite stars and grains of sand, the number of telephone numbers is fixed, and eventually the supply will run out. That's about to happen in New Jersey's 609 area code. The unprecedented popularity of cellular telephones, business lines, multiple residential lines, pagers, FAX machines and dedicated computer lines is about to exhaust South Jersey's supply of telephone numbers. So Bell Atlantic is preparing to create a new area code, and we're about to ask the Board of Public Utilities how we should do that. One method for creating new area codes would split the 609 area in half, divide communities and force millions of customers in suburban Philadelphia to change their telephone numbers. The alternative, known in telecommunications parlance as an "overlay," doesn't cut towns in half and doesn't force customers to change their telephone numbers. Bell Atlantic favors this plan. Here's how an overlay would work in 609: before telephone numbers are exhausted, a new area code would be created within the same geographic boundaries as 609. When all 609 phone numbers have been taken, new numbers would be issued with a new area code. As simple as the overlay sounds, it does come with one minor inconvenience. Once an overlay has been introduced, South Jersey callers will need to dial ten digits (area code + seven-digit number) to make some local calls. Next-door neighbors, for example, could have different codes. But thousands of New Jerseyans already dial ten digits to make local calls. A call between Princeton and Monmouth Junction is a local call. But because Princeton is in 609 and Monmouth Junction is in 908, a caller from Princeton must dial ten digits to reach Monmouth Junction. Moreover, statewide ten-digit dialing is inevitable even with a geographic split because the demand for numbers will continue even after new area codes are added. The 908 area code was split from 201 in 1991 -- just five years ago. If geographic splits are used to create new area codes every three-to-five years, New Jersey will be dotted with town-sized area-code zones. So after a series of splits, customers will be dialing ten digits to call from town to town, anyway. The only difference is, that every time another split is announced, thousands of businesses will have to spend millions of dollars changing telephone numbers on stationery, trucks, billboards, print ads, television ads, business cards, automatic dialers and fax machines. With an overlay, all of that inconvenience and unnecessary cost can be avoided. Questions commonly asked about the overlay: If I have one area code and I make a local call to another area code, will that call cost me more than it did before the addition of the new area code? Absolutely not. New area codes do not mean higher telephone rates. Regardless of how many digits a customer dials, a local call before the addition of new area codes will remain a local call afterward. Bell Atlantic computes its rates by measuring the distance between the origin of the call and the place of completion. The number of area codes a call passes through does not by itself determine the price of the call. What part of the current 609 area would change its numbers if a split is approved? The western portion of South Jersey -- the area that corresponds roughly to the suburbs of Philadelphia and Wilmington, Del. -- would receive a new area code under a split. In other words, with a split one million customers in Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, Salem and Cumberland counties would need to change their area codes. How many towns would be broken by a geographic split? A geographic split would cut through eight towns: Dennis, Maurice River, Buena Vista, Monroe, Winslow, Waterford, Medford and Willingboro. How many towns would be broken by an overlay? Not one -- now or in the foreseeable future. How many South Jersey customers would need to change their current area codes with an overlay? Not one. An overlay allows customers to keep their current area codes and numbers. Will either method of area-code relief affect plans for local competition? Not at all. Customers who take their business to a local-service provider other than Bell Atlantic will not have their telephone numbers changed. This feature of local competition, known as number portability, is mandated by the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1995. Why can't New Jersey do a geographic split without dividing towns? Because telephone circuits frequently cross municipal lines and cannot be reconstructed at anything approaching a reasonable cost. The circuits are situated that way for two reasons: The first is that New Jersey's telephone system evolved with population, not town boundaries in mind. That is, circuits were constructed near population centers, and those centers did not necessarily correspond to town boundaries. The second is that many circuits, while now constructed of modern equipment, originally were laid down before some New Jersey towns were incorporated. How many telephone numbers are there in New Jersey? Theoretically, each area code generates eight million numbers. But because some number combinations can't be used -- numbers that begin with 1 or 0, for example -- each area code actually has about 7.7 million useable numbers. So New Jersey's three area codes have a total of 23.1 million numbers. When did New Jersey get its first area code? The 201 area code was created in 1951. It was followed in 1963 by 609, and in 1991 by 908. When 908 was carved out of 201, the new telephone numbers created in both area codes were projected to last until 2005. Currently, 201 is expected to run out in June 1997 and 908 will run out in October 1997. Numbers in the 609 area are expected to exhaust in the second quarter of 1998. Have other states approved an overlay like the one Bell Atlantic is proposing for New Jersey? State regulators in Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York have approved overlays. Bell Atlantic Corporation (NYSE: BEL) is at the forefront of the new communications, entertainment and information industry. In the mid-Atlantic region, the company is the premier provider of local telecommunications and advanced services. Globally, it is one of the largest investors in the high-growth wireless communication marketplace. Bell Atlantic also owns a substantial interest in Telecom Corporation of New Zealand and is actively developing high-growth national and international business opportunities in all phases of the industry. ---------------------- John Cropper NiS / NexComm PO Box 277 Pennington, NJ USA 08534-0277 Inside NJ : 609.637.9434 Outside NJ: 888.NPA.NFO2 (672.6362) Fax : 609.637.9430 email: psyber@usa.pipeline.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 17:13:04 EDT From: Steve Samler Subject: Information Needed on Koll Telecom, Skycom and Globalcom Koll is purportedly in the the wireless equipment business. Skycom is owned or controled by Globalcom Holdings. Both of these companies are in wireless and paging services business. Any help would certainly be appreciated. Steve Samler Editorial Manager, Communications Individual, Inc. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 18:34:47 -0700 From: satchell@accutek.com (Stephen Satchell) Subject: Christian Coalition Uses Motorola Envoy Organization: Satchell Evaluations I have been avoiding the coverage of the Republican National Convention, but while trying to channel-surf away I stumbled across an interesting story being covered either on CNN or PBS about how the Christian Coalition is using the Motorola Envoy as a way to link up their floor people with a central data collection center. For those of you not familiar with the Envoy, it's a personal message pad (using the MagicCap operating system) with a built-in radio. This means that the Envoy can use a radio data link to communicate with a base station in both directions -- a rather nifty thing when trying to poll the sense of the delegates. This means that not only can each delegate-watcher get and send mail, but the applications written for the Christian Coalition can also receive a survey request from the base station over the air, which means that any delegate survey can be set up and running in minutes. (NB: I have worked with the Envoy and find it a pretty neat package.) It's a slick setup using off-the-shelf hardware and technology. Stephen Satchell, Satchell Evaluations http://www.accutek.com/~satchell ------------------------------ From: Andrew White Subject: InterLATA connectivity in 609? Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 22:37:58 -0400 Organization: DCANet - Delaware Common Access Network Hello, fellow telecom enthusiasts. I am working on a project that requires that I run a T1 circuit between the two LATAs in South Jersey, the Atlantic LATA and the Delaware LATA. These two LATAs comprise the 609 area code. I've gotten some quotes from national vendors of Inter-LATA DS1 and frame-relay circuits, but the prices are outrageous -- mostly over $3,000 per month. I've gotten quotes from EMI, Cable & Wireless, and LDDS/WorldCom. I can't imagine MCI, Sprint, or AT&T would be any less expensive. Does anyone know of a vendor, or a less expensive approach, to obtaining 768kbps or greater connectivity between the two LATAs? If you post a follow-up message, an e-mail copy of your message is appreciated. Andrew White | DCANet: Internet Access for the Delaware Valley andrew@dca.net | Offering dialup, ISDN, and dedicated Internet access (302) 654-1019 | in the 215/302/610 area codes. http://andrew.white.org/ | e-mail: info@dca.net web: http://www.dca.net/ ------------------------------ From: Emily Van Dunk Subject: Cellular Tower Agreement Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 22:45:30 -0500 Organization: Internet Connect, Inc. The Wisconsin ISP 414-476-4266 Reply-To: emily@alpha1.csd.uwm.edu I am looking for some information. Our church has been approached by a major cellular service provider to place their antenna on our steeple. Our church is located in a rather densely populated area in Milwaukee, WI (about one mile from a major interstate). They are offering $7000 a year. After doing some poking around it seems that this is quite low (most agreements I've heard about are around $25,000). Can anyone give advice, or references regarding a fair price ... or any other issues? Any information is much appreciated. TIA, Emily Van Dunk emily@alpha1.csd.uwm.edu [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I'd think you could get them to go a wee bit higher in their payments. You might also want to hold out for something which will cost them virtually nothing: cellular phone service for your key employees, i.e. the pastor; office personnel who need to keep in touch regularly; the building engineer/custodian; etc. You are looking at perhaps $200-300 per month in cellular service if it were billed for, but it does not cost the company nearly that much, particularly if it was known that "cellular phone service for church employees was provided through the generosity of xxx company". I'd try to get a bit more than the $7000 per year, but I would not push too much harder, particularly if they are willing to toss in free service and essentially have their tower totally out of sight and handle all required changes to the building wiring needed as their complete responsibility. Its not like you were out in a rural area and the cellular company had nowhere else close by to locate their tower. If you push for too much more, they'll find someone around there with a tall building to do it for them. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 09:23:53 -0700 From: Mark J. Cuccia Subject: Jeopardy Situation in NPA 407 (Florida) From a search on "PL-" documents on Bellcore's Catalog via the web, Area Code 407 in Florida seems to be in a "jeopardy situation". The document which declares this is "PL-NANP-007", dated 6 August 1996. The description of the document (which is *outrageously* priced at US$10.00) indicates that it is only *TWO* pages long, probably just a cover sheet and a single page with a brief paragraph describing that central-office NXX codes are being used up rather fast. Area Code 407 was just recently split, with the new Area Code 561, going into permissive dialing on 13 May 1996, with mandatory dialing to begin on 13 April 1997. MARK J. CUCCIA PHONE/WRITE/WIRE: HOME: (USA) Tel: CHestnut 1-2497 WORK: mcuccia@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu |4710 Wright Road| (+1-504-241-2497) Tel:UNiversity 5-5954(+1-504-865-5954)|New Orleans 28 |fwds on no-answr to Fax:UNiversity 5-5917(+1-504-865-5917)|Louisiana(70128)|cellular/voicemail ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 09:39:52 -0700 From: Mark J. Cuccia Subject: Recent Bellcore NANPA "PL's" In another submission to the TELECOM Digest, I mentioned the Bellcore NANPA "PL" (Planning Letter) regarding the "jeopardy situation" in NPA 407 (Florida), and the fact that these PL's are now US$10.00. Other new NANPA "PL's" (Planning Letters) now available, which I found from a search on Bellcore's Catalog webpage, and all PL's are now at a price, at US$10.00 (although some 'longer' PL's could be priced more) include: PL-NANP-001 (2 July 1996) (six-pages) Introduction of NPA 869 for St.Kitts and Nevis (split from 809) PL-NANP-002 (11 July 1996) (four-pages) Introduction of NPA 345 for Cayman Islands (split from 809) PL-NANP-003 (12 July 1996) (four-pages) Introduction of NPA 767 for Dominica (split from 809) PL-NANP-004 (5 August 1995) (six-pages) Introduction of NPA 671 for Guam PL-NANP-005 (5 August 1995) (thirty-four-pages) Split of NPA 214 (Texas) (it doesn't mention 972 as the new NPA code in the description, however) PL-NANP-006 (5 August 1995) (thirty-two pages) Split of NPA 713 (Texas) (it doesn't mention 281 as the new NPA code in the description, however) And for those who might hope that I have received these PL's, unfortunately, NO, I have not received them, as I have *NOT* allowed myself to be placed on automatic standing order for Bellcore NANPA's 'new' and *priced* Planning Letters, costing (at least) US$10.00 per PL. However, I have not yet decided if I will purchase any of these PL's, as they do include the Caribbean and Guam. There was no mention of a PL announcing anything on CNMI, 670. I wonder if the Guam and Caribbean PL's include maps or lists of central office NXX codes, as these PL's are more than just one or two pages, according to the description. I have absolutely *NO* plans to purchase the two-page PL indicating that Florida's 407 Area Code is going into a 'jeopardy' situation, even if this PL were only 50-cents! MARK J. CUCCIA PHONE/WRITE/WIRE: HOME: (USA) Tel: CHestnut 1-2497 WORK: mcuccia@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu |4710 Wright Road| (+1-504-241-2497) Tel:UNiversity 5-5954(+1-504-865-5954)|New Orleans 28 |fwds on no-answr to Fax:UNiversity 5-5917(+1-504-865-5917)|Louisiana(70128)|cellular/voicemail ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 10:27:22 CDT From: H.A. Kippenhan Jr. Subject: Detritus of 708 Area Code Change Hi: We've just gotten our first notification here at Fermilab about switch software updates that will change the SPID values on all NI-1 ISDN BRI lines. As an example, the 5ESS that serves Geneva and the 5E Remote Module that provides Centrex service to Fermilab will be upgraded on Oct. 17. You may wish to enquire if any of the readers have the complete list for the entire 708 (er, now 630) area code and would care to post it? Best regards, H.A. Kippenhan Jr. | Internet: Kippenhan@FNAL.GOV | HEP Network Resource Center | HEPnet/NSI DECnet: FNDCD::KIPPENHAN | Fermi National Accelerator Lab. | Voice: (630) 840-8068 | P.O. Box 500 MS: FCC-3E/368 | FAX: (630) 840-8208 | Batavia, Illinois 60510 | http://www.hep.net/people/kippenhan.html| [TELECOM Dgiest Editor's Note: I live around here, and I don't even have a copy of the 630/708 split which took place last week. I do not know if Ameritech has even printed a complete copy of the list of which prefixes go where for public use, but I suppose they must have. 630 has been in use for cellular/paging only since January, 1995 when they quit assigning any more cellular/paging numbers in 708. As of this past week, the far western suburbs of Chicago (Dupage County) split from 708 and went into 630. You can begin by looking at the '630-708-847' files in the Telecom Archives in the /areacodes directory therein. You will find there what information I have available although I am sure it needs to be updated somewhat. PAT] ------------------------------ From: x@worldnet.att.net Subject: ATT (Lucent) Computer Telephone 8130 Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 11:50:22 GMT Organization: AT&T WorldNet Services I recently bought the ATT Computer Telephone 8130. This turns out to be a new, but discontinued, product that is now somewhat supported by Lucent. It's a CTI (Computer-Telephony Integration) product - a TAPI compliant two-line caller id phone with a serial cable connecting it to your Windows 3.1 or Windows 95 PC. The only application software included is a very basic address book and call log application, but no facility is provided for import or export of the data. Because this is a TAPI device, it should be usable with various PIMs, but there are a variety of limitations involved. Also, the driver software seems to put an inordinate load on the CPU. Since this unit is discontinued and all but unsupported, I'm looking for other people who have bought this unit and have advice (or even shareware) to help me make the most of it or, if need be, return it while I still have the option. Also, I'm wondering if there is a newgroup for users of CTI or TAPI (especially SOHO users such as myself). I was unable to find one. Please email me directly as well as replying to this post. Thanks. ------------------------------ From: bsharp@cris.com (Brian M. Sharp) Subject: Rural Internet Access Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 22:28:51 GMT Organization: Concentric Internet Services Is there any way people living outside a metropolitan area can get internet access without having to pay per hour? With all the interest in the internet, isn't there some service that can see the huge number of people in this uncomfortable position? B.S. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Some small towns have an ISP or two in the community. Bill Pfieffer has told me for example that where he lives, there are two or three ISPs including a Free Net in the nearby (also relatively small) town of Springfield, Missouri. I think it is just a matter of time until small towns everywhere are included in the net. Maybe we need someone like Andrew Carnagie, the steel mill baron of the 19th century who went around to small towns all over the United States building public libraries, to do the same now with Free Nets. A century later, there are still a large number of 'Carnagie Library' facilities all over the country; for the most part still using the endowments established for them by Andrew Carnagie. Bill Gates is to be praised for the donation he made to the Chicago Public Library system getting them 'online'. Now if Gates and a few others would just do the same thing for libraries all over the United States, so that even if there was no Free Net in town, people could at least go to their local library and participate in the net. A century ago at the (then) very prominent Central Church of Chicago, Dr. George Gunaslov preached one day on the topic 'The Million Dollar Dream'. The things I could do, he said, if I had a million dollars; and he talked about starting a university. Afterward, he was approached by Mr. Armour -- of the meat packing/processing company -- who offered to do just that. Out of it came the Armour Institute which today a century later we know as the Illinois Institute of Technology, one of the finest schools of higher education in the midwest. Will we ever again experience the greatness of the latter years of the nineteenth century as all the new promises for America -- the things we take for granted today -- came to pass? I guess you could say this is my million dollar dream: to see libraries throughout the USA connected to the internet; and to see Free Nets in small towns everywhere. Today the great promise is that thing sitting in front of your face as you read this message. Where are the Carnagies and the Rockefellers to do today for America what those men did a century ago? Where are they to join Bill Gates? I'll close this issue with a quote from the poet John Bunyan who said, "I am opp- ressed by things undone; oh! that my dreams and deeds were one." PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #407 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Wed Aug 14 18:00:08 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id SAA26570; Wed, 14 Aug 1996 18:00:08 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 18:00:08 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608142200.SAA26570@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #408 TELECOM Digest Wed, 14 Aug 96 18:00:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 408 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson GE 916 Wireless Phone Jack System (Atri Indiresan) Northern Telecom List Online (Terry Grace) Teen's Calls From Jail Costly to Parents (Tad Cook) Need Calling Card Rates to Mexico (Yosef Rabinowitz) What is Davar? (Tad Cook) Voice-Band Modem Over VHF/UHF? (Roland Welte) Re: Rural Internet Access (John R. Levine) Re: Cellular Tower Agreement (Bill Sohl) Re: Cable Companies (Mike Fox) Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things (Marc Schaefer) Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things (Christopher Wolf) Re: KT&T 101XXXX Codes (Dave Stott) Re: Article on Bell Labs in Invention & Technology (Charles Cryderman) Re: Cellular Service! Flat Rate! Scam? (Jim Holmes) Loop is an ISP Only (was Re: Cellular Service! Flat Rate!) (Greg Wiley) Re: InterLATA Connectivity in 609? (Bill Sohl) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: GE 916 Wireless Phone Jack System Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 12:23:40 -0400 From: Atri Indiresan This morning, I had a visit from our housing management regarding phone extensions. Many units in our housing complex do not have phone extensions upstairs, and plans are being made to install these extensions. One candidate is the traditional wiring, and the other is the GE 916 wireless phone jack system. It is rather cheap - retailing at $80 (additional extensions are $50), and claims compatibility with answering machines, cordless phones, modems, fax, RCA DSS Receiver (what does this have to do with the phone system?). The limitations mentioned are that modems are limited to 14.4 Kbps, and it will not work with caller-ID units. What follows is a description of the unit, and how it works, summarized from their literature. The system includes a base unit and an extension unit that plug into a regular two-pin electrical socket. The base unit has two telephone jacks - one to connect it to the wall jack, and the other to the phone. The extension unit has a single jack, to which we can attach any telephone, or related device. How it works: Communication with the base is established using FM frequencies transmitted over the electrical wiring in the home -- this clearly does not use typical cordless technology. At most one extension may be used at a time. For conferencing, the base unit and one extension may be used. There are facilities for transferring between extensions, and if one extension is in use, the others give a busy indication. Security: If a neighbor uses a wireless phone jack, there could be some interference like static or a background noise. Each unit has a security code button. First, press the security button on the base unit, and then, within five seconds on the extension unit, and a light flashes once if a compatible security code can be established. This may be repeated until a compatible code is found. In general, it seems cheaper and more versatile than an ordinary phone jack, with some limitations. The main concerns here are of privacy. I plan to visit my neighbor to see if they can pick up my dial tone using my extension unit plugged in their house. Another wireless jack unit is also being acquired for my neighbor, so we can see if there is any interference. If anyone knows more technical details, and comment on its suitability for extensive use in an apartment complex, please do let me know. Also, are there any other competing products that offer something similar. I will follow up on this based on what I find out, both by my experience/experiments with the system, and perhaps, I'll call GE for more information as well (their web site had nothing useful). Thanks, Atri Indiresan http://www.eecs.umich.edu/~atri ------------------------------ From: netmaster@pmh.on.ca (Terry Grace) Subject: Northern Telecom List Online Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 16:37:36 GMT Organization: Peel Memorial Hospital Reply-To: netmaster@pmh.on.ca After searching high and low for an internet mailing list dealing with Northern Telecom products (specifically the SL1 switch) I finally gave up and created one myself. If anyone's interested, send an e-mail message to LISTMASTER@PMH.ON.CA containing only the following: JOIN NORTEL_LIST@PMH.ON.CA ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: Teen's Calls From Jail Costly to Parents Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 09:31:32 PDT Here is a subject we haven't discussed in this forum for some time; exhorbidant pricing on phone calls from jails. As was discussed here before, once a jail contracts with one of these costly "alternate operator services", families of inmates have no other way of talking with them on the phone without paying huge charges. What often drives this is competetive bidding on phone services, where the provider offering the best deal to the municipality gets the contract. Often the highest paying provider is the one that gouges the caller the most. Tad Cook tad@ssc.com Teen's Jail Calls to Parents Prove Costly ST. JOHNS, Ariz. (AP) -- The parents of Justin Ballinger decided to teach the 18-year-old a lesson by letting him go to jail rather than pay his $1,200 fine. The lesson wound up costing them $1,425 in phone calls. Now they're ready to riot. "I think that's a bigger crime than what Justin did," Marsha Ballinger said. "It's ridiculous." Her ex-husband agreed. "It's a scam," said David Ballinger, whose bill included a $125 charge for a 22-minute call. Justin served a week-long sentence for marijuana possession at the Apache County Jail after his parents refused to pay his fine. Like many jails, Apache's collect phone calls are handled by a private phone service that charges much higher rates than larger, well-known phone companies. Zero Plus Dialing of San Antonio got the phone service by paying hefty commissions to the jails, as it does with 100 other jails nationwide despite complaints from its captive audience. "I'm not paying it. Zero," Mr. Ballinger said. "They can take my phone out." [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Mr. Ballinger should be assured that his local phone service may *not* be disconnected for failure to pay the bill from Zero Plus Dialing. ZPD can attempt to collect from him and place him with a collection agency if that is their choice, but the local telco is no longer permitted to disconnect on the basis of unpaid charges for other companies contracting to bill through them. There is sort of a mixed bag here: Phone fraud caused by inmates of correctional institutions is a very severe problem. The big three carriers (AT&T, Sprint, and MCI) are really not interested in having business from the 'corrections industry' at all, so bad is the fraud rate. If the prison/jail is to have any phone service at all -- which the Supreme Court has said is required -- then the service is going to come from outfits like ZPD and other con-artists who themselves might benefit from a term of enforced penitence in an instituiton somwhere. Service from AOS outfits like ZPD became profitable only when universal service -- as the established telcos knew it -- was tossed in the trashcan as a relic of the past. If 'transient guest' service as it was handled by AT&T until about 1983 or so was still being practiced, inmates would be treated as 'guests' behind a PBX at the institution and billed by the institution for their calls. The institution would in turn remit to AT&T less an agreed upon commission. But the institution does not want the headaches which would be involved, and neither do the established carriers. So along comes ZPD and a few others who agree to do it, but at a high enough markup that they don't lose anything due to fraud either. Another view of this is that generally correctional institutions and the government look at the Supreme Court and basic human rights and human dignity as obstacles in their path. Whether a person in jail is guilty or not guilty is quite immaterial to them. They really cannot be bothered with 'formalities' like that. The idea is to keep the inmates as demoralized as possible; fighting among themselves; and generally out of touch with the rest of the world. Over the years as the courts have ruled that inmates are to have some modicum of rights, the government has found ways to work around it. None of the prisons/jails like the idea of having to allow prisoners to use telephones. They would much prefer to operate their institutions in the same way they were operated during the early part of this century but the courts won't allow that. So the 'work around' to this terrible thing the court has allowed; i.e. prisoners able to have contact with their families, their attornies, etc., is to make it as restrictive and expensive as possible. "You want to be friends with one of these miserable prisoners? Okay, then we will do what we can to drive a further wedge between you and the prisoner ..." and they select the lousiest and most expensive phone service they can find. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Yosef Rabinowitz Subject: Calling Card Rates to Mexico Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 10:05:37 -0700 Organization: Telephone Bill Reduction Consulting I have a customer who rents office space in a standard business center. The landlord has exclusivity on the phone lines and charges AT&T's standard rates + 20%. Customer does a few thousand minutes to Mexico zones 4 and 7. I cannot give 10XXX service since the landlord has blocked it. I am looking for a calling card platform (pre-paid or otherwise) that has rates to Mexico at 50 cents per minute or less. Email to yosefr@webspan.net ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: What is Davar? Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 11:07:23 PDT In GTE territory east of Seattle, you can dial 411 (which was retired about a quarter century ago as the directory assistance number) and get a computer voice which reads back the number you are calling from. If you dial # before the voice starts, then it reads back the number in the form of a rapid DTMF sequence. I've heard this system is called DAVAR. What is it used for? I can understand how the voice announcement could be useful for pair identification, but exactly how is the DTMF readback of the calling number used? Tad Cook tad@ssc.com Seattle, WA ------------------------------ From: Roland Welte <100070.3321@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Voice-Band Modem over VHF/UHF? Date: 14 Aug 1996 16:38:32 GMT Organization: CRYPTO AG I am looking for information on using voice-band modem technology for transmitting digital data (4800 bps) over VHF/UHF radio links. For instance, could a standard modem (e.g. V.27) be suitable for this kind of application? Any help/pointers/suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Roland ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Aug 96 12:44 EDT From: johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) Subject: Re: Rural Internet Access Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg, N.Y. > Is there any way people living outside a metropolitan area can get > internet access without having to pay per hour? I live in Trumansburg N.Y., population 1700. Our local independent telephone company resells flat rate dial-up PPP access (from a larger telco in Pennsylvania) for about $19/mo. We also happen to be a local call from Ithaca, which isn't a very big city but since it's home to Cornell University and Ithaca College, there are two independent ISPs, dial-ins for Sprint, Compuserve, IBM, etc., and NYSERNET has multiple T3 Internet feeds into their POP at the downtown phone CO. This admittedly isn't your typical small town. My sister lives in rural Cornwall, Vermont. She gets service from Sovernet's POP in Middlebury, a small town with a small college. Sovernet has dial-ins all over Vermont and seems to be making a go of it. Vermont's a worst case for an ISP, since it's very rural, local calling areas aren't very big, and intra-state toll rates are extremely high. (It can easily cost more to call from Burlington to Brattleboro than from Burlington to France.) Even so, it seems that you don't need a whole lot of customers to make it worthwhile to put in a POP. John R. Levine, IECC, POB 640 Trumansburg NY 14886 +1 607 387 6869 johnl@iecc.com "Space aliens are stealing American jobs." - Stanford econ prof ------------------------------ From: billsohl@planet.net (Bill Sohl) Subject: Re: Cellular Tower Agreement Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 15:58:40 GMT Organization: BL Enterprises Emily Van Dunk wrote: > Our church has been approached by a major cellular service provider to > place their antenna on our steeple. Our church is located in a rather > densely populated area in Milwaukee, WI (about one mile from a major > interstate). They are offering $7000 a year. After doing some poking > around it seems that this is quite low (most agreements I've heard > about are around $25,000). Can anyone give advice, or references > regarding a fair price ... or any other issues? Any information is > much appreciated. The township I live in gets $25,000 a year from NYNEX to hahe a NYNEX antenna on a township watertank. We're in rural NW New Jersey adjacent to an interstate. That agreement was signed eight years ago. Given inflation, etc. I'd think $7000 in today's market is considerably low. Bill Sohl (K2UNK) billsohl@planet.net Internet & Telecommunications Consultant/Instructor Budd Lake, New Jersey ------------------------------ From: Mike Fox Date: 13 Aug 96 08:46:20 GMT Subject: Re: Cable Companies > On a (only) slightly related note, is it legal for a cable company to > tell subscribers in it's area that they cannot get one of those small > dishes to pick up satellite broadcasts? Says they interfere with > their satellite dish's pickup. The cable company that supplies to my > apartment complex (in Texas) made them sign a form stating they will > not allow anyone to use the satellite dishes -- that we have to buy > from them to get cable. This seems fishy to me. Anyone have some > facts? The cable companies cannot put this restriction on you. Unfortunately, the only people that can legally put this restriction on you are landlords. Last week, the FCC issued rules that basically said that no state, local, or homeowner's association rule can be enforced that interferes with TV or satellite reception. This overrode all those homeowner's covenants and local laws that restrict satellite dishes. However, they specifically said that landlords could make this restriction (which makes sense because it IS their own property). I bet your landlord got a kickback or a deal for signing that agreement with the cable company. Makes them kinda like a cable COCOT ... Later, Mike ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 13:52:16 +0200 From: schaefer@vulcan.alphanet.ch (Marc SCHAEFER) Subject: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things > suggestions. First, change the permissions on all of the files you > have which are "permanent" by using "chmod -w .*". This will take > write permission away from you and if you try to delete a file it will > prompt you with a message about "over-riding" the lack of write Far better is to remove the w from the directory: UNIX deletion depends on the right to modify the containing directory. First example: overridable-delete (dangerous if you have the habit of answering y to whatever you see) schaefer:/usr/var/tmp2/t1> ls schaefer:/usr/var/tmp2/t1> touch a schaefer:/usr/var/tmp2/t1> chmod 444 a schaefer:/usr/var/tmp2/t1> rm a rm: a: 444 mode. Remove (y/n)? y Better security with: schaefer:/usr/var/tmp2/t1> touch a schaefer:/usr/var/tmp2/t1> chmod -w . schaefer:/usr/var/tmp2/t1> rm a UX:rm: ERROR: a not removed: Permission denied. schaefer:/usr/var/tmp2/t1> Some UNIX systems like HP/UX offer a temporary trashcan where your deleted files go. This is also easy to implement with a small sh script. Then you can add a purge command, executed manually, or on too old files in this temporary trashcan directory. The SunOS filemanager for example implements a manual trashcan. > permission. Second, make a copy of all of your dot files and other > scripts in another directory and on your hard disk. I would say start by doing cd important_place tar cvf - . | gzip -9 > $HOME/backup.tar.gz Can be extracted with gzip -d < $HOME/backup.tar.gz | tar oxvf - If you don't have gzip, use compress without the -9 argument. Some operating systems use the z option of tar instead, but this one should work. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 09:53:41 CDT From: Christopher Wolf Subject: Re: Speaking About Crashes and Doing Dumb Things On Thu, 8 Aug 1996, TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: > Last Sunday night I got on line about 10:00 p.m. here to do some work > on the Digest and I had a bright idea about a new script I wanted to > try out. Well the script flubbed, which was not anything unusual for > scripts that I write or try to hack on, but the main annoyance was > it left me with a directory full of about a hundred .h, .c. and .o > files to clean out when I decided to quit the experiment. > Now, I try to be smart with potentially disasterous commands like > 'rm' and I personally have 'rm' aliased to 'rm -i' meaning to not > erase a file without asking for confirmation. The problem is, if > you have a whole directory full of garbage files to get rid of > then if you go to that directory and do 'rm *' it will stop over > and over again, asking about each file. The command 'rm -f' will > NOT overrride 'rm -i' on this machine at least, although 'rm -f' > will work in a script running in the background with its own shell > regardless of what arguments I happen to have attached to 'rm' > for my use in the foreground. > So far so good. Instead of having to answer 'y' a 120 times for > every garbage file in the garbage directory I am abolishing, I > decided just this one time I would unalias 'rm' instead. So I > did 'unalias rm' then I did 'rm *' -- but the trouble is I had > ** forgotten to change directories to the one I wanted **. Pat, I use the idea of a trashcan when I activate remove. I alias rm to be the following script, which actually moves files to a hidden directory called .trashcan in my home directory and removes directories and symbolic links. Doesn't handle the more complex forms of rm, but it works fine. BTW: I also run a crontab job to clean out the directory every morning.... 20 4 * * 1-5 (/bin/rm /home/cwolf/.trashcan/* /home/cwolf/.trashcan/.??* > /dev/null ) If you use tcsh or csh like I do, you can then use \rm when you want to override the alias. A backward slash before a command means to ignore any aliases for it. #!/usr/local/bin/tcsh -f foreach i ($*) if (-d $i) then echo Removing directory $i /bin/rmdir $i else if (-l $i) then echo Unlinking symbolic link $i /bin/rm $i else if (-f $i) then if (`/bin/ls -l $i | /bin/cut -c23-31` > "500000") then set SIZE=`/bin/ls -l $i | /bin/cut -c23-31` echo -n "NUKING $i of size $SIZE. " /bin/rm $i echo "BOOM! No Backup." else echo Removing file $i to temporary trashcan. /bin/mv $i ~/.trashcan endif endif end ------------------------------ From: dstott@uswest.com Date: Wed, 14 Aug 96 10:46:07 MDT Subject: KT&T 101XXXX Codes In Telecom Digest #390, ronnie.grant@mogur.com (Ronnie Grant) writes: > A while back someone mentioned that interexchange carrier > KT&T, based in Fort Worth, Texas, had subsidiaries named > "I don't know," "It doesn't matter," and "Whoever," so > customers making operator-dialed calls would get hit with > their rates. For anyone who is interested, I have the > 101XXXX codes for KT&T and its subsidiaries. I noticed the same thing in the FCC's 1995 report on CIC/CAC assignments. At the time, U S WEST was attempting to procure the assignment of a second CIC for handling our own intraLATA traffic in Minnesota. We were told we couldn't have a second CIC, but KT&T got those four. Go figure. MOHO, Dave Stott ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 13 Aug 96 15:55:17 EST From: Charles Cryderman Subject: Re: Article on Bell Labs in Invention & Technology rh120@namaste.cc.columbia.edu (Ronda Hauben) wrote: much snipped > Companies need to watch their bottom line and thus they can't and > don't put the needed investment into the long term research that > produces important scientific advances like the transistor and the > other significant scientific developments made possible by Bell Labs. Now if you really want to talk about invention, lets go to WAR. There were more invention during the Civil War then any other time in history (followed by WWII.) The need to be more efficient killers (without sacrificing oneself) will always help motivate invention. Chip Cryderman [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Oh yes, indeed, and war does wonders for the economy also. Nothing like a good, protracted war with lots of American troops involved to stimulate the economy. Those of us who lived through Vietnam know how there was always lots of money to spend. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 09:47:13 -0400 From: holmesj@disney.crd.ge.com (Jim Holmes) Subject: Re: Cellular Service! Flat Rate! Scam? Pat et all, This is what I get on loop.com from whois: Domain Name: LOOP.COM Administrative Contact, Technical Contact, Zone Contact, Billing Contact: Wiley, Greg (GW138) greg@LOOP.COM (213) 465-1311 Record last updated on 28-Nov-95. Record created on 23-Feb-95. Domain servers in listed order: JANIS.LOOP.COM 204.179.169.2 AUTH00.NS.UU.NET 198.6.1.65 AUTH01.NS.UU.NET 198.6.1.81 Their web page says they are an LA ISP. I'll let you know what I find out about Azimuth and Western. One can always hope it's for real :-) Jim Holmes | holmesj@crd.ge.com IMS/UNIX Client Services | One Research Circle/KW-C255B GE Corp. Research & Development Center | Schenectady, NY 12345 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 12:39:28 -0700 From: Greg Wiley Subject: Loop is an ISP Only Dear Mr. Townson: Garry Spire, a subscriber to your TELECOM digest passed along an item of interest to me. In the digest, you suggest researching Western Cellular Services and also The Loop (loop.com). I operate The Loop Internet Switch Company, a Los Angeles-based internet service provider. Azimuth@loop.com is one of our access subscribers and has no other relationship with The Loop. I hope this clears up at least some of the mystery. Feel free to contact me if I can be of additional help. Regards, Greg Wiley Chief Operating Officer The Loop Internet Switch Co, LLC [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Yeah, I figured he was just one of your subsciribers among many. Thanks for the note of clarification. PAT] ------------------------------ From: billsohl@planet.net (Bill Sohl) Subject: Re: InterLATA Connectivity in 609? Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 15:52:43 GMT Organization: BL Enterprises Andrew White wrote: > Hello, fellow telecom enthusiasts. > I am working on a project that requires that I run a T1 circuit > between the two LATAs in South Jersey, the Atlantic LATA and the > Delaware LATA. These two LATAs comprise the 609 area code. Are you sure that you are dealing with an inter-lata situation? The 609 area code is ONE (1) lata and any two sites in the 609 area code can be served by Bell Atlantic also. When the LATAs were created in 1984m NJ was split into two. One was the 201 area and the other was the 609. Since then the 201 has split into 201 and 908. Bill Sohl (K2UNK) billsohl@planet.net Internet & Telecommunications Consultant/Instructor Budd Lake, New Jersey ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #408 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Wed Aug 14 22:32:19 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id WAA22043; Wed, 14 Aug 1996 22:32:19 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 22:32:19 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608150232.WAA22043@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #409 TELECOM Digest Wed, 14 Aug 96 21:53:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 409 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Jeopardy Situation in NPA 407 (Florida) (John Cropper) Re: Detritus of 708 Area Code Change (John Cropper) Re: USA Technology is Awfully Backward (Demian Vieira de Souza) Joys of Deregulation (Tad Cook) Additional NPA Details: Jamaica, Houston, Dallas (Mark J. Cuccia) CMC 7900 SC Batteries Wanted (aschrock@ziplink.net) Software/Maps for NAP-NXX, LATA Info (National) (Thomas P. Brisco) Re: Voicemail and Unix (Andrew Robson) Re: Information Wanted on Digital PBX (Stan W. Mosley) Re: Calling Card Rates to Mexico (Keith W. Brown) Delay in CLID Release in New Zealand (Ken Moselen) Software Translation Engineer - German and/or French (Paul Smith) Does Lucent or Nortel do PRI on DS3? (William J. Halverson) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: psyber@usa.pipeline.com (John Cropper) Subject: Re: Jeopardy Situation in NPA 407 (Florida) Date: 14 Aug 1996 21:58:48 GMT Organization: MindSpring On Aug 13, 1996 09.23.53 in article , 'Mark J. Cuccia ' wrote: > From a search on "PL-" documents on Bellcore's Catalog via the web, Area > Code 407 in Florida seems to be in a "jeopardy situation". The document > which declares this is "PL-NANP-007", dated 6 August 1996. The description > of the document (which is *outrageously* priced at US$10.00) indicates that > it is only *TWO* pages long, probably just a cover sheet and a single page > with a brief paragraph describing that central-office NXX codes are being > used up rather fast. > Area Code 407 was just recently split, with the new Area Code 561, going > into permissive dialing on 13 May 1996, with mandatory dialing to begin on > 13 April 1997. That is entirely possible, since the 407 NXXs are still being tied up in permissive dialing. Permissive dialing periods are being dragged out WAY too long; Ameritech made theirs 90 *days* in the cases of 708/847 and 708/630; there's no reason why other areas of the country need as much as fourteen months per ... John Cropper NiS / NexComm Box 277 Pennington, NJ USA 08534-0277 Inside NJ : 609.637.9434 Outside NJ: 888.NPA.NFO2 (672.6362) Fax : 609.637.9430 email : psyber@usa.pipeline.com ------------------------------ From: psyber@usa.pipeline.com (John Cropper) Subject: Re: Detritus of 708 Area Code Change Date: 14 Aug 1996 22:03:12 GMT Organization: MindSpring On Aug 13, 1996 10.27.22 in article , 'H.A. Kippenhan Jr. ' wrote: > We've just gotten our first notification here at Fermilab about switch > software updates that will change the SPID values on all NI-1 ISDN BRI > lines. As an example, the 5ESS that serves Geneva and the 5E Remote > Module that provides Centrex service to Fermilab will be upgraded on > Oct. 17. You may wish to enquire if any of the readers have the > complete list for the entire 708 (er, now 630) area code and would > care to post it? Here you go: CHICAGO AREA CODE CHANGE INFORMATION EXCHANGE PREFIXES MOVING FROM AREA CODE 708 TO 630 ON AUGUST 3, 1996 203 207 208 212 213 217 218 220 221 222 223 224 226 230 231 232 234 237 238 241 243 244 245 247 249 250 251 252 253 255 256 257 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 271 272 273 274 275 278 279 282 284 285 287 289 291 292 293 294 300 304 305 306 307 314 315 321 322 323 325 329 332 336 337 347 350 351 355 357 363 365 368 369 372 373 377 378 380 393 405 406 407 408 415 416 420 431 434 436 443 444 462 464 466 469 471 472 477 483 494 495 502 505 507 510 512 513 515 525 527 528 529 530 535 537 538 539 542 543 545 552 553 554 556 557 558 564 565 571 572 573 574 575 582 584 585 586 589 595 600 601 602 603 609 610 612 613 616 617 620 624 627 628 629 632 637 641 648 653 654 655 663 665 668 676 680 682 684 690 691 695 698 702 713 714 716 717 719 722 726 731 736 739 743 744 746 751 752 759 766 767 769 773 775 778 782 783 787 789 790 792 794 801 807 810 814 819 820 826 828 829 830 832 833 834 837 840 844 845 847 850 851 852 856 858 859 860 867 871 875 876 879 887 889 892 893 894 896 897 898 904 905 906 907 908 910 913 916 920 924 930 932 941 942 953 954 955 960 961 963 964 968 969 970 971 972 977 978 979 980 983 985 986 987 990 993 997 ALL EXCHANGE PREFIXES NOT MOVED TO 630 OR 847 REMAIN IN THE 708 AREA CODE. Permissive dialing period begins at 2:00 am CDT on August 3, 1996. Permissive dialing period ends at 2:00 am CDT on November 30, 1996. Test number: (630) 204-1204 gives recording if successfully dialed. Source: Bellcore IL-95/07-015. Accuracy of sources not guaranteed. Compiled by: Pierre Thomson, Telecom Manager, Rifton Enterprises John Cropper NiS / NexComm PO Box 277 Pennington, NJ USA 08534-0277 Inside NJ : 609.637.9434 Outside NJ: 888.NPA.NFO2 (672.6362) Fax : 609.637.9430 email : psyber@usa.pipeline.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 18:36:37 -0500 From: Demian Vieira de Souza Organization: JCPenney Subject: Re: USA Technology is Awfully Backward Mark Tenenbaum (mark.tenenbaum@telops.gte.com) wrote: > In article Anthony > writes: >> And I wonder when would the US Congress approve some extra money >> so USA can adapt the international metric system and catch up >> with the rest of the world? Why Americans still use the length of the >> feet of a British King who died thousands of years ago to measure the >> length of every thing? > Makes *me* wonder: > Upon ultimate conversion to the metric system, would that mean > that the # button will need to be referred to as the "Gram" button rather > than the "pound" button? Well, some people and some automated telephone systems refer to "#" as the "number button." > And wondering even further: > Who says the rest of the world is necessarily right? True, but before perpetuating "Here in the US this is what we do..." and referring to other nations as "...the rest of the world," it is also correct to say that not adopting world standards only creates difficulty in international business, as quoted in some of the other replies concerning automobile production, T1 vs. E1, etc ... On the other hand the use of measurements is particular to the field of work you are in. For example aviation uses "feet", particularly "thousands of feet" worldwide (according to some pilots I know). And we techies all over the world do have an affinity for those darn 1's and 0's we call "bits." So it is all relative. Cordially, Demian Vieira de Souza - Comm Analyst JCPenney Communications Systems 12700 Park Central Place M/C 6009 Dallas, TX 75252, USA Office:(214)591-7361 FAX:(214)531-7361/591-6721 Internet: DVIEI1@JCPENNEY.COM / PROFS ID: DVIEI1 ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: Joys of Deregulation Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 11:45:03 -0700 (PDT) From http://www.sfgate.com/columnists/carroll/index.html Tuesday, August 6, 1996 + Page E8 1996 San Francisco Chronicle The Joys Of Deregulation JON CARROLL I HAVE FIVE PHONE BILLS. I'm supposed to have six phone bills. Where is my other phone bill? This is not a question one used to hear. I have three phone lines. Two people have home offices in my home, so we need three phone lines. One for voice, one for modem, one for fax. At times, that doesn't seem like enough, but we are resisting adding a second voice line. Next, we'd have to hire a receptionist. Back in the good old days, as we call 1995, I got three phone bills, one for each line. That was an arrangement my brain could understand. It was oh so merry and innocent, back in 1995. Then things changed. I don't know why. Perhaps we did something. It is so very hard to understand the deregulated phone system. Every company is competing for my business. They've got Candice Bergen and Whoopi Goldberg and Whitney Houston and 800 happy Asian businessmen, all of them making me an offer I can't refuse. Also: an offer I can't understand. I suppose I could read all the literature that comes with my phone bill, but who has the time? Last time I read one of those pamphlets, it appeared to be offering me a chance on a mountain bike. What does that have to do with phones? So I pretty much drift with the breeze, phone- wise. My friend Adair adopts the opposite tack. She signs up for every introductory offer; she changes phone companies every two weeks. She's a phone slut. Me, I go with the flow. TWO MONTHS ago, I suddenly got three bills from Pacific Bell, as is normal, and two bills from AT&T. That's three lines, five bills. I was concerned. Apparently, while I was off getting my hat blocked, responsibility for my phone service was sundered in twain. Pacific Bell handles calls to people named Ed and everything that happens under my house. AT&T handles videoconferencing, teleporting and all calls to women named Candy who want to give me an earful. But AT&T sent me only two bills. ("Only two bills" -- there's a '90s phrase). What happened to the bill for the services not covered by Pac Bell on Line No. 3? I thought perhaps AT&T had forgotten to send me the third bill. You can see how insulated I am from the real world. So I called AT&T and asked where my third bill was. I was transferred from human to human in an amusing roundelay of brief interpersonal interactions punctuated by long stretches of soothing music. Finally, a woman said, "We're not supposed to tell you who your other carrier is." "Ah." "Perhaps if you give me your account numbers." I did so. She left; she came back. "I have received permission. Your other carrier is MCI." "So I should be getting a bill from MCI?` "I couldn't say. Perhaps." SO NOW I am in the clutches of three distinct telephonic entities. There used to be one phone entity, but we all hated it a lot and demanded that it be broken up. So now it has been, and we are beating our heads upon the flagstones and saying, "Dumb dumb dumb, we were soooo dumb." I have a vague memory of someone asking me if I wanted to save $100. Well, sure I do. But I didn't sign anything. Tracy didn't sign anything. Can things really be switched around just on the word of whoever answers the phone? Maybe it was a houseguest. I have several friends who are easily puckish enough to agree to whatever proposal a telephonic stranger makes. Maybe it was one of those Columbia Record Club kind of mailings: "If you don't want us to change your phone service every month, please make an X in the box below the box labeled Z unless this is August." My plan is to do nothing. That is always my plan. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 14:36:35 -0700 From: Mark J. Cuccia Subject: Additional NPA Details: Jamaica, Houston, Dallas The latest from Bellcore NANPA's webpage: (http://www.bellcore.com/NANP/newarea.html) 876 Jamaica split from 809 (http://www.bellcore.com/NANP/876.html) permissive dialing begins: 01 May 1997 mandatory dialing begins: 01 Nov 1997 test number: 876-JAMAICA (876-526-2422) contact (tel): 809-967-9783 contact (fax): 809-967-2298 Houston Split (http://www.bellcore.com/NANP/281.html) central (core) area remains 713, outer (ring) area becomes 281 permissive dialing begins: 02 Nov 1996 mandatory dialing begins: 03 May 1997 test number: 281-SWB-TEST (281-792-8378) Dallas Split (http://www.bellcore.com/NANP/972.html) central (core) area remains 214, outer (ring) area becomes 972 permissive dialing begins: 14 Sep 1996 mandatory dialing begins: 14 Mar 1997 test number: 972-SWB-TEST (972-792-8378) No contact numbers were given for Dallas or Houston. Houston's 281 already has cellular numbers in that area code. I don't know if Dallas' 972 has any cellular or other wireless numbers already active in its new area code. Both 281 and 972 (as well as 630 in the Chicago area and 562 in the Southern CA area) have been available in switches/equipment that *I've* used for *quite* some time now. Of course, there are those COCOTs which don't have any new NNX format NPA's validly programmed even by now, but I would use the 800 (or 950) access to the carrier of my choice anyway when calling from a COCOT, and *NEVER* 0+NPA- from them! MARK J. CUCCIA PHONE/WRITE/WIRE: HOME: (USA) Tel: CHestnut 1-2497 WORK: mcuccia@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu |4710 Wright Road| (+1-504-241-2497) Tel:UNiversity 5-5954(+1-504-865-5954)|New Orleans 28 |fwds on no-answr to Fax:UNiversity 5-5917(+1-504-865-5917)|Louisiana(70128)|cellular/voicemail ------------------------------ From: aschrock@zipnet.net (Andrew) Subject: CMC 7900 SC Batteries Wanted Date: 14 Aug 1996 18:10:11 -0400 Organization: ZIPNET.NET - The NorthEast US's premier ISP I picked up a CMC 7900SC at an electronics flea market ... A description is a black handset w/chinrest with the standard keypad, plus a set of option keys. In the middle of the handset is a mute and another button, which I'm not sure of what it does. Problem: I brought it home before testing it and realizing that the batteries are dead. The phone number on the handset was disconnected, so I really have no way of getting their type. They are flat and oblong, with "VARTA V100R" stamped on them. There are four of them together used in the phone. I would assume that they are 1.5 volt lithiums, but I'm not sure. I have tried just hooking up four AAA batteries to the correct leads with no effect. If anybody has any ideas about this handset, please let me know. It's appreciated. Sincerely, Andrew aschrock@ziplink.net ------------------------------ From: Thomas P. Brisco Subject: Software/Maps for NAP-NXX, LATA Info (National) Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 18:10:06 -0400 Organization: IEEE I've been doing a lot of work lately with Telcos in some particularly spread-out regions, and have been banging my head against problems finding out particular information about LATAs, NPA-NXX, and service providers in the areas (these areas range from Virginia, to New York State, to California). Does anyone know of a complete North America (or, I'll take just the US) LATA MAPS including NPA-NXX for the major carriers (LEC and IXC) within those LATAs? I think software would be preferred, but I'll take paper ... (street address for COs would be a big plus!!). Or am I looking for the Telecom holy grail? Any help would be much appreciated. Tom ------------------------------ From: arobson@nv2.uswnvg.com (Andrew Robson) Subject: Re: Voicemail and Unix Date: 14 Aug 1996 21:48:10 GMT Organization: U S WEST NewVector Group, Inc. Ed James (edjames@migration.com) wrote: > Has anyone had any experience hooking a unix box up to a vociemail > system that isn't designed for it? Hooking boxes together that weren't designed for each other is allways lots of fun. Be prepared to spend a while at it. I can advise on part of your question. > If I could hook the unix box up to the parallel port of the Startalk, > and if I could convince the startalk to generate reports on a daily > basis (or more frequently), I could parse the report on the unix side, > and generate the required voicemail. I recomend buying a parallel to serial converter. Check at a local computer shop or try some catalogs (e.g. Black Box). You should be able to read serial data into UNIX without much trouble. Causing the machine to generate reports is something else. Does it have a serial port you could cable to one on the UNIX machine and drive from a chron file job? Best of luck, Andy ------------------------------ From: telescan@tricon.net (Stan W. Mosley) Subject: Re: Information Wanted on Digital PBX Date: 15 Aug 1996 00:07:08 GMT Organization: Telescan, Inc. In article , reddp@ix.netcom.com says: > What is a "digital" PBX and when and where would it be used? Would it > carry/conduct normal telephone traffic, say between an internet > service provider and a modem over phone lines ... or is strictly for > connection of computers, e.g. mainframe and satellite systems? I'm > doing research. Thanks! A digital PBX is simply an on premis switch which primarily provides voice services. What makes it "digital" is the matrix which is based on the T1 digital protocol (Time Division Multiplexing). These switches normally have T1 (DS1) interfaces which connect with the local telco and/or interexchange carrier. The line side of the switch provides POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service). Analog to digital multiplexing (and vice versa) is performed on the line side of the switch so that normal telephone instruments (analog) can communicate through the matrix. ------------------------------ From: Keith W. Brown Subject: Re: Calling Card Rates to Mexico Date: 15 Aug 1996 00:28:13 GMT Organization: CallCom International Yosef Rabinowitz wrote in article : > I have a customer who rents office space in a standard business > center. The landlord has exclusivity on the phone lines and charges > AT&T's standard rates + 20%. Customer does a few thousand minutes to > Mexico zones 4 and 7. I cannot give 10XXX service since the landlord > has blocked it. I am looking for a calling card platform (pre-paid or > otherwise) that has rates to Mexico at 50" per minute or less. If your customer has direct access out without having to dial "9" first (can't be on a PBX), we can offer him in Band 4: Peak - $0.53 and Off-Peak - $0.39 per minute. Band 7: Peak - $0.66 and Off-Peak - $0.61per minute. Peak Periods run from 0700 to 1900 hours, all other times are off-peak. This is not calling card access. Hope this helps! Keith W. Brown URL: http://www.callcom.com E-mail: newsinfo@callcom.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 07:54:39 +1200 From: Moselen, Ken Subject: Delay in CLID Release in New Zealand Gidday Pat, Just a couple more things on the introduction of Call Display into New Zealand, which was to be launched this week. As of Monday this week, Telecom said the launch will be delayed until September at the earliest, due to technical difficulties. Apparently the problem has to do with using *67 to block the display of your number. In some cases this is also blocking the delivery of your number to Telecom's Billing Computer -- which makes it understandable that Telecom _wants_ to fix it. On a different but related front, BellSouth New Zealand has announced that it will be offering a Caller ID service on it's GSM Cellular Network by the end of the year. Oh, the * feature codes that are/will be current in New Zealand at the moment (these are generally different to those in the USA and Canada) ... *52 - Disable call waiting for the current call only *67 - Disable the display of your CLID *65 - Enable the display of your CLID Ken Moselen CAD Administrator, City Design, Christchurch City Council, PO Box 237, Christchurch, New Zealand. Ken.Moselen@ccc.govt.nz Tel: +64.3.3711708 Fax: +64.3.3711783 Gsm: +64.21.337963 ------------------------------ From: lloydpc@ix.netcom.com (Paul Smith) Subject: Software Translation Engineer - German and/or French Date: 14 Aug 1996 21:34:55 GMT Organization: Netcom Our client, located on Long Island, is in the process of converting their lead software products specifically for other countries across the world. These software products are well known and leading edge. As a Software Translation Engineer you will be reviewing all translated software for workability and functionality. Specifically you will create and maintain test specification, test scripts, perform testing, perform "look and feel" test, support third party vendors, repair bugs, meet deadlines, prepare reports, etc. It is essential that you have strong linguistic abilities in both English and (German and/or French). Additionally you must be able to grasp complex technical subjects quickly and explain them both orally and in writing. You must be able to work effectively with both company employees as well as third party German and/or French trans- lators and developers. A BS in CS, EE, EET or MIS or equivalent work experience is desired along with at least one year in software localization. A working knowledge of DOS, Windows, Macintosh, OS/2, NetWare, Windows NT, and UNIX would be desirable. If you are looking for a growth position in THE dynamic department of a dynamic software company, this could be the answer. All face-to-face interviews will be at Corporate Headquarters and at their expense. FULL RELOCATION AND/OR VISA SPONSORSHIP IS AVAILABLE. Compensation is planned in the high $30K to low $50K range. A superior benefits package is included. If you should have an interest in pursuing this opportunity, please forward your resume and then contact: Paul D. Smith, President - Lloyd Staffing Phone - 603-424-0020 or 800-763-6707 Fax - 603-424-8207 Email - Paul@Lloydstaffing.com Snail Mail - 7 Medallion Center, Merrimack, NH 03054 ------------------------------ From: William J. Halverson Subject: Does Lucent or Nortel do PRI on DS3? Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 17:28:12 -0700 Organization: Pacific Bell's Healthcare Market Group One way is to take 28 PRI T1s and just M13 up to DS3, but that is not elegant, as 27 other DS0s are wasted on signalling for their respective T1's B channels. [I.e. why use all those DS0 for D channels, when all the BRIs are connected to the same DS3 port at the other end?] Curious if anyone knows of a 'native' PRI-on-DS3 approach, wherein one DS0 of the DS3's 28x24 = 672. DS0 is the D channel for the other 671 B channels. Would same _alot_ of space and hardware $$$ for the ISPs, boy, letmetellya ... Bill Halverson Pacific Bell PH 415 542 6564 wjhalv1@pacbell.com FAX 415 542 4744 PGP Key at http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/~bal/pks-toplev.html ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #409 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Wed Aug 14 23:30:25 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id XAA28288; Wed, 14 Aug 1996 23:30:25 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 23:30:25 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608150330.XAA28288@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #410 TELECOM Digest Wed, 14 Aug 96 23:30:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 410 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Modem Access Fees (Tim Gorman) The Free Speech Issue No One is Talking About (Jack Decker) Re: Questions on Multi-Drop Serial Communications (Scott Nelson) Dedicated Rates to the West Indies (Antilles Engineering) Re: Wireless Satellite Communication - A Challenge (William J. Halverson) PBXs and Year 2000 Problems? (John G. Brouwer) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tim Gorman Subject: Re: Modem Access Fees Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 21:29:10 -0500 Bob Wulkowicz wrote in TELECOM Digest Vol 16, Issue 390: > Maybe I took it badly, but I read Mr. Robeson's post as a pompous > dismissal of us as the technologically and managerially unwashed. I don't know if he meant it that way but it is true that with no real understanding of traffic patterns, density, and provisioning requirements it is difficult to judge whether fees established for service are reasonable or not. "Common sense" is not typically a very good judge. > E.G. The telcos send a packet of information along with each call that > contains internally useful information for system and billing > purposes, etc. As a customer of 40 years, I have paid for the creation > of that system and still pay its "costs" as a part of telco overhead. > Then, access to that same packet is sold to various agencies as 911 > information so they can determine information about any callers into > their PSAP. As a taxpayer, I pay for that as well -- and there are no > competitive or market-driven forces avavilable to keep those costs > down -- the telco charges what it wants. If a telco has 200 such PSAP's > inside their jurisidiction, they have 200 little cash cows. The "system" is a design on a piece of paper specifying protocols and requirements and you DID pay for this in the past - it is real overhead. What was NOT paid for in the past as part of overhead is the physical equipment necessary to route each additional packet of information to each various user. Saying the telco "sends a packet of info along with each call" is really meaningless. It doesn't work that way. The telco is NOT selling access to that "same packet" several times.Several call setup packets get sent between the originating and terminating switch to facilitate call setup and to provide information like caller id and transfer number. These data packets ride an SS7 network infrastructure which must be grown and updated as usage grows and technology updates. Other packets of data get sent to the billing system. These ride other infrastructure which is also needs to be grown as usage increases and technology updates. Call information queries for such as caller number or AIN, while riding the SS7 network, may very well propagate partially or totally separate infrastructure which is, again, sensitive to usage and technology changes. > And if I choose to use Caller ID, I buy personal access to yet that > same packet for four or five dollars a month. The sales departments of > the telcos spend large amounts of ratepayer's money to convince us of > the importance of those features and their revenue generation is > significant. Providing that caller id to you required the telco to invest in new software in every central office switch to handle the feature, not a cheap thing. It also required them to invest in the analog modem equipment in every central office necessary to send that caller id down your phone line, again not a cheap proposition. You ARE paying for much more than some access to a "phantom" data packet. > So, it depends on whose side your're looking from: for the telcos it's > a proper "subdivision" of services for different customers. From our > side as wallet owners, we've had real money extracted 3 times. That's > a ripoff. You may look at it as a ripoff. Respectfully, I would suggest that much of your outlook is based on not seeing the "invisible" infrastructure involved in doing all of this that you never see or hear about. Caller ID modems WERE installed in all CO's providing the service. It was NOT cheap. > Also, replacing digital switches for analog has capital life expectancy > extended by a magnitude or two, so the only real equipment issue left > would be additional purchases for capacity. In fact, most telco planners will tell you today that infrastructure (and therefore capital) life expectancy is a fraction of what it was 20 years ago. Then a central office could be expected to last 25 years or longer. Today, central office lives are measured in years instead of decades. Many of the digital central offices installed in the late 80's and early 90's are going to need replacing early in the next decade as further advances in optical switching and ATM infrastructure enters the market leaving a capital life expectancy of barely more than a decade. The depreciation expenses associated with this shorter life does result in a change in fee levels required to stay in business in a capital intensive market. > If there is a shortfall, the telcos probably have skimped on needed > equipment purchases thinking they could get along on the float -- > routing based on the average call Mr. Robeson mentions -- but that's > really their problem, they're paid to be smarter. In a competitive environment, infrastructure managers are paid to wring the last dollar out of investment - skimping is a way of life. You are playing the typical game of putting the telco's between the rock and hard place. Damn them if they do and damn them if they don't. > Robeson's equipment issue is vaporcrabbing; modem use isn't a threat, > or if it is, it's not in the area of equipment. ISP's are charged for > new hard lines and where available, they're probably not copper, so > capacity can't be >an issue there. Frankly, this is based on a view of "fiber" from about 15 years ago when it was thought that a few fibers laid around the nation could "never" be exhausted. We are installing a Newbridge frame relay frame every three months in a town of 150,000 in a rural state and STILL can't keep up with demand. As has been usual in the telephone network over the past 100 years, we can barely keep up with the bandwidth demands of the customer base as it moves around from locale to locale and grows and grows. If nothing else provides a foothold for competitors, that does. > Hard lines run, individual and isolated, from residences and businesses > to some collection point where they can be identified and accessed. If > I am connected to some customer at the same CO there is simply a point > to point link that is of no consequence outside that office. The > connection can be three minutes or three hours; the duration really has > no cost despite what may be claimed. If that connection is on a voice channel you are tying up memory in a line frame on each end, network crosspoints (be they physical or memory), and ancillary memory and CPU cycles tracking your call and signaling. There IS a cost no matter what you claim. That equipment has to be there whether it is operating at capacity or is under/over capacity. The fact that YOU are using it and require it to be there means you are requiring a cost to be incurred to provide you service when you want it. You are merely grunching about having to pay the freight for the infrastructure you are causing to be placed. As competition comes you will have the option to move to a lower cost provider. You will also find that you don't get something for nothing. Much as has been found out in the long distance market today, the low cost, niche competitors may provide lower costs for specific things but they either don't provide 24x7 full service, they don't provide the same levels of call blockage, etc. > Any connection between CO's simply ties up a line between.the two, but > it also has no real cost -- again these physical lines were fully paid > for years ago. There IS a cost. You just don't recognize it. If the equipment wasn't there when you wanted to make the call, it would cost *you* something. If nothing else, aggravation for not being able to make the call you wanted. It's kind of the equal and opposite reaction thing. It also costs the phone company to make the infrastructure available for *your* call. If they didn't they could use the infrastructure for another purpose or could forego putting it in altogether. I would also bet the multimillion dollar digital central office serving you has NOT been paid off years ago. If it were all paid for years ago, your phone calls would be free and Internet access would be free and long distance would be free and coin phones wouldn't exist and we would all be living in Camelot. The phone network in this country is NOT a grand conspiracy scheme no matter what anyone tells you. Tim Gorman Southwestern Bell ------------------------------ From: jack@novagate.com (Jack Decker) Subject: The Free Speech Issue No One is Talking About Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 05:40:07 GMT Organization: Altopia Corp. - Affordable Usenet Access - http://www.alt.net Pat wrote: > Mark my words: there will be one battle after another with the government > and the big corporations. First it was CDA and they lost that, now it > is copyrights. They'll probably lose on that also ... then it will be > something else. Funny you should write this. I wrote an article about exactly this topic last week for TechKnow Times, an e-mail newsletter published by a friend of mine. I'm attaching the article below. Also, please review the Web page at http://www.knowledgetech.com/tktmenu.html Select the August 7, 1996 issue. They're going through a DNS/webserver transition there, so if the August 7 issue doesn't show up right away, it should be there within a day or two (I hope!). Jack -------------------------------------- The Free Speech Issue No One is Talking About! Far too often, looking closely at the workings of government is like turning over a rock or a log out in the woods. Once in a while you may find something good -- a few coins or a hidden treasure for you. But more often than not, you'll see slimey, disgusting things that tend to run and hide when exposed to the light of day. For several months now, folks have been up in arms about the Communications Decency Act. They turned Web pages black, and protested mightily about the loss of "freedom of speech." I wasn't really worried about it, for two reasons. First, I don't necessarily buy the argument that if you restrict pornography on the net, it follows that all forms of expression can then be restricted. People have this illusion that our Constitution guarantees absolute freedom of speech, any time, any place. Try getting on a commercial aircraft sometime, and start joking about explosives in your suitcase, or make cracks about hijacking the plane -- or, if that isn't a big enough thrill for you, try threatening the life of a high government official. You will quickly find out that your "freedom of speech" AND a few hundred thousand dollars MIGHT get you out of jail on bail until your trial. And that's just two examples of where "freedom of speech" is restricted. You don't have the absolute right to say anything at any time and any place. You never did. And yet, our freedom to express political dissent in a peaceful manner has always been protected by the courts (well, unless you want to picket outside an abortion clinic, but since that's not a "politically correct" form of protest we'll just look the other way on that one. I'm not trying to pick a fight with anyone here, just pointing out that the courts HAVE recently restricted the "freedom of speech" of a particular group that holds a political view that is not looked upon favorably by some. Who knows, but if these same judges had been around during the days of the civil rights protests of the 50's and 60's, Martin Luther King might have remained in jail for quite a long time). But putting that aside, the CDA was simply "showcase" legislation from the start. The legislators that passed it knew from the beginning that it wouldn't hold up in court, but it lets them go home to their constituents and say, "Look, we TRIED to put an end to pornography on the Internet, but the courts stopped us." Since federal judges are appointed and not elected, they can't be voted out of office, and therefore can be made convenient scapegoats at times like this. Still, I wouldn't have any problem with the protests if they weren't so narrowly focused. You get one piece of legislation that threatens "freedom of speech" (mostly pornographic speech, although I do realize that there were potentially serious implications for all of us), and everyone on the Internet is up in arms -- yet these same folks ignore the laws that place some of the most serious restrictions on freedom of speech. Maybe it's because we've lived with them so long that nobody thinks about them anymore, or maybe it's because when "common folk" break these laws on an occasional basis, they are seldom punished, although the threat is ever present. I'm speaking of so-called "intellectual property" laws, and copyright in particular. Like many laws, these started out with a good purpose -- to encourage creative people to develop their ideas and talents. And like many laws, they have come to be exploited and misused by a few rich and powerful people, at the expense of the rest of us (even some of those that they are supposed to protect). And also, as with many laws, our legislators seem to have bought the argument that "if a little is good, a lot is better." So now we are about to see copyright protection extended yet again, so that works from back in the 1920's that would have fallen into the public domain in the next year or two will now be "protected" for another 20 years, at a minimum. You can find out more about this at the Public Domain Information Project's page on the Copyright Extension Act, at this URL: http://ne1.bright.net/pdinfo/copyrite.html It seems to me that this is a movement in exactly the wrong direction. We are living in a day when things have a much shorter "shelf life" than ever before. It must be comforting to software authors, for example, to know that the software they write today will be obsolete in a couple of years, but protected by law until 70 years after they are dead and gone! Common sense ought to tell us a couple of things. First, an author is probably not going to be more motivated to write if copyright protection extends to 70 years after his death rather than 50. The fact is that in most cases, the only beneficiaries of this copyright extension will be the large companies that have been assigned copyrights on works that still may be of commercial interest. But also, when works are under copyright, it imposes a "gag order" of sorts on those who wish to discuss them, or share them with others. Yes, there is the so-called "doctrine of fair use", which says you can quote portions of works for specific purposes, but nobody seems to be really sure of how much quoting is too much -- and in any case, you're limited to quoting bits and fragments out of context, which is hardly the best way to present anyone's work. Another problem is that works that are not commercially viable tend not to get distributed. For example, let's say you find a book from the 1940's or 1950's that seems to contain a lot of wisdom. You'd like to share the thoughts of the author with others, but the book is out of print and nobody seems to know where the current copyright holder(s) are. Yet you don't dare just reprint the book without permission -- for one thing it's illegal, and for another, the current copyright owner just might crawl out of the woodwork and sue you for infringement. By the time the book actually falls into the public domain, it will in all probability be long forgotten, so neither the present generation nor a future one will benefit from this work. Now there is a lot of talk about tightening down on the information that is presently freely available on the World Wide Web, by yet another expansion of the scope of the copyright laws. Someone sent me a clipping earlier this week, where an author was quoted as saying that the slogan "Information wants to be free" is equivalent to saying "I want information to be free ... and I want gasoline to be free." That is utter nonsense, of course. Gasoline is a product -- it has to be manufactured, and there is a fairly fixed cost to manufacture it (probably a lot less than what the oil companies would like us to believe, but still there is a very definite cost). But the big difference is that if you have a gallon of gasoline, you can burn it in your car, or you can give it or sell it to your neighbor and they can burn it in their car, but you can't both use the same gallon of gasoline. Information is quite different -- much of the information we come by in life is information we acquire for free, and even if we do pay, there's no set price for any given piece of information -- it's whatever the buyer and seller can agree on (at least, this SHOULD be the case in a truly free market, which isn't what we have now in some cases -- music licensing in particular comes to mind, although admittedly that's "entertainment", not "information"). But the biggest difference between information (and, indeed, many types of so-called "intellectual property") is that you can give it away and still keep it for yourself. If you have specific knowledge, you can pass that on to others, and yet retain it yourself and continue to use it in your daily life. What's really slimey about this is that no one talks much about copyright issues (except of course for the lawyers that are making big bucks off of the copyright laws), and there's a reason for that. First, the entertainment industry is a big contributor to various political campaigns. As the saying goes, "money is the mother's milk of politics", and when they are getting $10 to $15 for a CD that costs about fifty cents to manufacture, you know they have plenty of money to throw at cooperative politicians. But also, what major publication or news organization is going to come out attacking copyright protection? They are all making money from it! So it would hardly be in their interest to come out and tell all the negatives about existing intellectual property laws. In my mind, this is one of the biggest news stories that is not being told, because people ARE losing their rights to freely share information and knowledge, if someone else can possibly claim "ownership" of that information. I could go on and on about this topic ad nauseum -- we could talk about how "intellectual property" is a legal fiction, similar to the idea that a corporation is the same as a person. We could talk about how copyrights often benefit the folks who didn't do the actual work, while those who actually did the work got peanuts -- and how in other cases it's more like a giant lottery, where certain "superstars" get big money for little effort while others expend great amounts of time and effort and have little or nothing to show for it. We could even wonder why those who write, or make films or music, should be entitled to be paid over and over for work done once, when most of the rest of us only get paid once for the work that we do. I'm sure that any of the topics could promote a heated argument for quite some time (indeed, I've seen it happen in various discussion groups). But let's cut to the chase here, as it pertains to the Internet. Quite simply, there are people who are unhappy that a lot of information is being given away free of charge on the Internet. They don't like it a little bit, because people can access the Web or Usenet News and find out the same things that are in high priced books sold at bookstores. And these people would dearly love to have the copyright laws further tightened, to the point that you'd hardly be able to put anything useful on a Web page (unless it was entirely your own original thinking), unless you (or the viewers of your page) paid some sort of royalty to someone. Now I can understand that if you are the author of a current book, piece of music, or software title, you're not going to want to see people accessing your work free of charge. I have no quarrel with those who want to make sure that people receive fair compensation for work done. It's just that I think that "intellectual property" laws have reached the point of absurdity. If they'd had the type of "look and feel" lawsuits that we've seen recently back in the first half of this century, no two automobiles (from different manufacturers) would have the same layout for steering wheel, foot pedals, etc.! And while some may see the rationale for allowing people to make money off their work for seventy years after they are dead, I certainly do not -- particularly, again, when the vast majority of people in this world get paid only once for the work they do! So the point is, if you truly value freedom of speech -- if you really want to be able to communicate ideas and concepts to people on your Web page, or in other material you'd like to make available on the internet, you have to be aware of what your politicians are doing all the time. Just because the magic words of "obscenity" or "pornography" or "sex" or "profanity" aren't used in a particular piece of legislation, does not mean that your ability to communicate with others is not under attack. And folks, right now there's not a whole lot of light being placed on this issue by the media, so don't just assume that because you're not hearing anything about it, all is well. Take a lesson from history -- the most damaging attacks are the sneak attacks that you don't see coming until it's too late. I'd give you some examples from the American Civil War, but for all I know, that might be violating someone's copyright! * * * * * Here are a couple of more Web pages that deal with intellectual property and copyright issues: Intellectual Property Issues http://sunsite.unc.edu/negativland/intprop.htm "If creativity is a field, copyright is the fence." http://kzsu.stanford.edu/uwi/vircomm/anticopy.html ------------------------------ Date: 14 Aug 96 18:05:06 EDT From: Scott Nelson <73773.2220@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Re: Questions on Multi-Drop Serial Communications On 8/1/96, Don Nordenholt wrote: > My company makes a SONET multiplexer that offers a wide variety > of low speed interfaces (voice, data, video, LAN, etc.). I would like to know more about these products. I admit that I am a little confused, however, because the bulk of your post seems to be focussed on overhead telemetry channels in the SONET mux -- not the actual payload. Am I correct? > 1. I am familiar with a scheme that was used in the old days > for monitoring microwave and fiber optic equipment in long-haul > repeater sites. Me too. My experience came from Rockwell International's Collins Radio division (purchased from Rockwell by Alcatel in 1991). We could create "fault alarm" networks using the analog modems you described. The transport would be the analog orderwire link that was bridged between all the radios in the network. For modems, we could use standard 202T modems rigged to transmit data to the RMU when they detected an active carrier and only to transmit (activate their carrier) when data was coming from the RS-232 port. The RMU was responsible for determining if the incoming data was addressed to that particular RMU or not. We also had proprietary modem cards that weren't used that often to do the same function. When digital microwave came along (and later, fiber optics), we still supported the analog telemetry channel, but also provided a digital channel. This was synchronous as you described. It had separate TX and RX data as well as corresponding clocks. There was a 5th signal, but I cannot recall its purpose at the time ... The point to note is that all this was Rockwell-proprietary format called MCS-11. It initially ran at 32 kb/s, and moved up to about 56 kb/s with the later fiber transmission systems. A few third party vendors like Westronics (now part of Harris) developed compatible remote units that would talk MCS-11, but it was already being displaced by TL-1 by that time, so not a whole lot more came out of it. > 2. The next question is jump ten years to the present. How would > something like this be done now? We can lease data circuits or > provide them directly out of muxes made by manufacturers like > Premisys, Newbridge, etc. You will mainly want to focus on SONET. With SONET, you at least get an analog orderwire channel that is bridged between all terminals in a network. (With most manufacturers, the orderwire can be blocked from being received over a span or selected sites as well. And some products incorporate a DTMF function right on board that will ring a local buzzer when the local site is dialed -- the channel is still a party line; however, so you can always "listen in" ...) There is also an express orderwire, that not all vendors provide, that bypasses repeater/regenerator sites on a SONET network. You can use this orderwire channel just like in "the old days", but it will be incredibly slow versus the information that can be obtained from the in-board data communications channel on the SONET equipment (the section DCC is 192 kb/s, and the line DCC is 576 kb/s). On the other hand, SONET also specifies two 64 kb/s "user channels" that are supposed to come out on all terminals -- one of them (the path user channel) skips regenerators. Specifically, the user channels are part of the STS-1 overhead and are present in every STS-1. For instance, an OC-3 would be made of three STS-1 and have 3 discrete section user channels and 3 discrete path user channels, and OC-12 would have 12+12. But technically, you only have access to the user channels if you fiddle with the STS-1 (ie. manage it's payload: drop a DS3, add/drop DS1 in the VT mux, terminate the DS1, etc.), and I am not sure if it is passed from one device to another that are connected via an electrical STS-1. Also, I am not sure if any vendors bring out any more than just the path and section user channels that are part of the 1st STS-1 in an OC-n system. So how do you use the 64 kb/s channel? As far as I know, it is a balanced TX/RX connection only. No sync/lock signals. For terminals, the application is fairly straightforward, but what about add/drop terminals and rings? Does the signal get dropped/added and added/dropped at each box? In other words, for a route running east to west, is there a TX/RX for the east route, and a TX/RX for the west route. Of course, hubs make this even more demanding. I am most familiar with Lucent (AT&T) SONET gear, and they don't bring it to a physical connector at all. As for other vendors (if they provide user channel access), my hunch is that the TX from your RMU is broadcast to all the outgoing STS paths and the RX to your RMU is a bridged version of all the user channels from incoming STS paths. Scott Nelson Director of Sales ANTEC - Digital Systems Division 73773.2220@compuserve.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 14:16:43 -0400 From: Antilles Engineering Subject: Dedicated Rates to the West Indies The only segment of the telecom industry that I have grown to loath is in dealings with aggregators and brokers. Many promises, much hype and very little delivery. We're an engineering firm that runs over 70,000 minutes a month on a T-1. Seventy percent of this traffic is to the West Indies (not including PR and USVI). The balance is equally divided on calls to Europe, US and Canada. Is there someone on the list who can provision us (or has direct contact with someone who can provision us) with dedicated (T-1) service using a reliable underlying carrier at highly competitive rates, particularly on the West Indies route? Please respond to us directly at our e-mail address. Best, Doug Terman Antilles Engineering, Ltd. PO Box 318 Warren, VT 05674 Tel: (802) 496-3812 Fax: (802) 496-3814 ------------------------------ From: William J. Halverson Subject: Re: Wireless Satellite Communication - A Challenge Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 08:06:51 -0700 Organization: Pacific Bell's Healthcare Market Group Mark Rivers wrote: > Marvin Demuth wrote: >> WHAT WE NEED: >> We need facilities, preferably involving satellite communication with >> voice, fax and email capabilities, at low cost. I have seen figures >> from $1.49 to $9.00 per minute on the Web for satellite service. We >> need something better than this. We need to be spending our funds on >SNIP< > It can be done now but it is not inexpensive! I suggest you check out what Iridium and Teledesyc [sic] have planned for LEOS systems. Iridium [Motorola initiated] is designed to provide voice comm, while Teledesyc [a Bill Gates venture] aims to provide mobile videoconferencing via satellites. Hughes also has a project called Spaceway that will use satellites to provide greater bandwidth at lower cost. Bill Halverson Pacific Bell PH 415 542 6564 wjhalv1@pacbell.com FAX 415 542 4744 PGP Key at http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/~bal/pks-toplev.html ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Aug 96 14:12:18 PDT From: John G. Brouwer Subject: PBXs and Year 2000 Problems My question for all of your wise and knowledgeable readers/ participants is this: Will the "year 2000 issue" which is reported to be threatening so many mainframes, workstations and PCs also have an impact on PBXs or other telephone equipment ? For those who aren't familiar with the issue: simply put, it appears that the internal representation of date in many systems will cause them to crash or otherwise misbehave on or about the first of January, 2000. More details about the problem can be found on the web; there's a good collection of information at http://www.year2000.com John Brouwer Tel. +1 604 360 7128 Fax +1 604 356 0237 Fundamental Planning, Voice Communications ITSD, Ministry of Finance, BC jgbrouwe@bcsc02.gov.bc.ca ---------------------- TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #410 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Thu Aug 15 12:15:02 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id MAA13651; Thu, 15 Aug 1996 12:15:02 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 12:15:02 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608151615.MAA13651@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #411 TELECOM Digest Thu, 15 Aug 96 12:14:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 411 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Internet Sleaze King? (Tad Cook) Call For Papers: AMAST '97 (Mehmet Orgun) AT&T Wants to Buy my Calling Card? (Andrew C. Green) Bellcore TAs and TRs (Stacey B. Lebitz) Clarification of What a T1 Does (john@a3bgate.nai.net) Newsgroup for CTI in Small and Home Offices (Michael Stanford) Video Capture/Compression PC-Board (Qi Li) For Sale: M8000 PictureTell Video Conference Bridge (Doug Neubert) Selecting Local Telco (Theron Derx) G.703 Card For PC Required (Lee Kok Seng) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tad Cook Subject: Internet Sleaze King? Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 00:25:37 PDT Irate Internet Clients Claim Florida Business Cast Worldwide Web of Deceit By James McNair, The Miami Herald Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Aug. 15 -- Steven West duped 50 FBI agents -- and thousands of others -- into paying $99 each for a plug in bogus Who's Who directories. He confessed, but didn't spend a single night in jail. House arrest, a federal judge in New York decreed last year. Prosecutors were flabbergasted. West was the ringleader of a $14 million scam and now he could sleep in his own bed. So West, 55, whose real name is Steven Samuel Watstein, went back to Florida -- to a $350,000 house in Weston Hills Country Club. Back to the home with the maid and the wife's leased Jaguar. Back to a routine in which his chauffeur drove him to work, to restaurants and, on Saturdays, to his psychiatrist. "I drove him all over the place," said Ronald Roth-Watts, the chauffeur. Even before he went to court, West had assumed a new career. The man who penned "How to Live Like a Millionaire on an Ordinary Income" in 1977 was on to a new way to make big money -- on the Internet. Through a succession of Fort Lauderdale-based companies, West has offered a full package of Internet services to get business people up and running on the World Wide Web. He conducts seminars and expos. He sells videotapes. He designs Web sites. For a while, money poured in, sometimes more than $200,000 a week. In his company's current Web site (http://www.internetworldwide.com), users are welcomed to the "nation's largest conglomerate of Internet services." But a lot of people believe that West's lifestyle came at their expense. In interviews with 34 suppliers, customers and former employees, West is consistently described as a con man extraordinaire. Creditors and government agencies have hit West's companies with a stream of lawsuits, default judgments and tax liens. Some don't even bother suing, believing that it would be a waste of time. "There's a lot of flim-flammers down here, but he makes them all look like pikers," said Chuck Meyer, who claims that West owes him $12,000 for public-relations work. "I look at him as the plague." Had people seen West's rap sheet, they might have spared themselves the grief. West pleaded guilty to fraud and income-tax evasion in the Who's Who directory scam that ran from 1988 to 1991. His 38-year-old wife Sherri, who fronted for West, pleaded guilty to income tax evasion. Facing U.S. District Judge Jacob Mishler in Uniondale, N.Y., West cited his work for charities and pleaded for leniency. Mishler responded with six months of house arrest, three years of probation and a $50,000 fine. Federal agents who cracked the case were outraged. It wasn't West's first brush with controversy. In 1992, after the Who's Who scam collapsed, West's brand-new, 19,800-square-foot mansion in posh Mill Neck, N.Y., burned down. Authorities called it arson. No one was charged, but the government seized West's $1.3 million in insurance proceeds on the grounds that the house had been bought with dirty Who's Who money. In the '70s, several West-owned stores in Detroit burned under suspicious circumstances, according to Newsday. West said he passed a lie detector test. He was not charged. In 1977, West made the front page of {The Wall Street Journal}, which called him an "illusionist, merchant and slow payer of bills." To this day, his critics note his uncanny ability to excite people on a "work now, get paid later" basis. "We gave him a check for 13 grand, and they did absolutely nothing," said Robert Soleau, president of Diversified Group Brokerage, a Marlborough, Conn., health insurance company. It won a $12,900 judgment against West's Internet Marketing Corp. last December, but hasn't collected. West made his move on the Internet in early 1995, when he ran a company called West Adams Christopher & Associates. The Internet, a network of computers around the world, was attracting businesses like flies. Companies were scrambling to establish a presence on the World Wide Web. To do that, they needed someone to create Web "pages" that would attract potential customers. West went into high gear. He obtained mailing lists and hired sales people to pursue prospects for seminars, videotapes and creative work. He contracted out the Web site design work, the videotape production and all of the printing, mailing, faxing and public relations vital to a marketing campaign. He booked meeting rooms in hotels around the country. The public loved it. The $99 seminars often drew more than a hundred a pop, while the $99 videotape, a poor rendering of the seminar, sold by the thousands. Companies like Bloomingdale's, Weight Watchers and Drake Beam Morin paid to have Web sites done. Some companies paid $500 for a Web address (as in www.xyzcorp.com), even though that was far above the going rate. One of West's crowning moments came last December, when he drew 10,000 people to a three-day Internet expo at the Broward County (Fla.) Convention Center. Visitors paid $7.50 each. Nearly 120 vendors set up booths. But the mood wasn't celebratory at the office. West's employees were upset because they weren't being paid in full. "Nobody knew where the money was going," said Pat Grady, a former Internet Marketing Corp. employee. "We dealt with hundreds of calls a day from unhappy customers." "We were getting thousands of video orders, and we weren't sending them out," said Frank Rocco, a salesman from October to July. "The excuse was that we were overwhelmed with orders, or that they had to be sent back to the factory." When customers did receive a Web site, the work didn't live up to its billing. Bob Sterling of Drake Beam Morin, a big consulting firm in New York, said he "wasn't terribly impressed" with West's preliminary work, so the firm dropped him. Peter Sardella, a vice president for Prometheus Information in King of Prussia, Pa., described the quality of West's Web sites as "weekend-beginner level." When West delivered Web sites, they would be "hosted" on computers run by Internet service providers, which sell telephonic access to the Internet. West made victims of ISPs, as well. Said Jim Rennie, president of Internet Gateway Connections in Fort Lauderdale: "This guy (West) all of a sudden doesn't pay his bill, he's got five or ten customers on our server, we shut it off, and they don't have Web sites anymore." Federal probation guidelines require defendants to tell third parties of their criminal records. In West's case, clients and creditors say they never heard a word about it. And if West was on house arrest last year, hardly anyone noticed. Then there were the acts of charity West spoke of in court. Right about that time, West was creating a free Web site for Goodwill Industries of Broward County. Actually, West recruited a Fort Lauderdale company called Proclus to do the work, said Proclus President Susan Wallach. She did a needs analysis, a site flow chart and a Web site for Goodwill, she said -- and West still owes her $2,700. "I'm assuming that if the court assigns you to do pro bono work, you're not supposed to hire someone else to do it for you," Wallach said. "That would be like having someone serve your prison sentence for you, wouldn't it?" Some of the bigger claims against Internet Marketing come from companies that printed, mailed and faxed its sales materials. Innovative Marketing Technologies of Pompano Beach, Fla., said it is owed $35,000 for printing and mailing services. M.O.R. Printing of Davie wants $20,000 for a job that ended in March. Sandy Gilmore, owner of Gilmore Associates in Davie, said she's out $10,000 for mailing out tens of thousands of letters to companies nationwide. West, in an interview by fax, said he will honor all valid judgments, but said nothing about all other debts. He said he has no reservations about courting new customers and vendors in the meantime. "Just like the Chrysler Corp. had its low ebb, this company continues to do this in an effort not only to serve new customers, but to discharge all valid obligations," he said. West doesn't deny having problems. But he takes issue with accusations that he's reneging on his debts at Internet Marketing Corp. West said he formed his new company, Internet World Wide, in an attempt to rebound from massive employee evacuations, poor management, a decrease in seminar attendance, greater competition and the theft of $50,000 worth of equipment at Internet Marketing. Unfortunately for West's creditors, judges don't enforce default judgments. Creditors can wave a judgment in a deadbeat's face and still not collect. "A judgment is kind of like a fishing license, and a lot of times you go fishing without catching anything," said Herbert Dell, a Plantation lawyer who won a $10,148 case last November for a California company that did advertising work. "If you can't find any assets, you go back empty-handed." Larry Farber, owner of the Farber Lewis & Paul collection agency in Coral Springs, said he stops at nothing when trying to collect unpaid debts. Shrewd debtors, however, run up smaller debts that aren't worth the cost of lawsuits or collection, he said. "He'll laugh at you and say, 'Come and get me,"' Farber said. West's financial dealings are not lost on the Internal Revenue Service. It already alleges that West Adams Christopher & Associates owes $29,534.51 in payroll withholdings from 1992 and 1993 -- a debt that West said he will pay. But West could be in big trouble -- much sooner -- from his federal probation officer. "If he's scammed people while he's on probation, he's certainly violated his probation," said Seth Marvin, the federal prosecutor in the Who's Who case in New York. "If you're on probation, a probation officer can get a warrant for your arrest, and you can go to jail." ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 12:47:27 +1000 From: Mehmet ORGUN Subject: Call For Papers: AMAST '97 Reply-To: Mehmet ORGUN Preliminary Call for Papers Sixth International AMAST Conference AMAST '97, December 13-17, 1997, Sydney, Australia. Goals The major goal of the AMAST Conferences is to put software development technology on a firm, mathematical foundation. Particular emphasis is given to algebraic and logical foundations of software technology. An eventual goal is to establish algebraic and logical methodologies as practically viable and attractive alternatives to the prevailing approaches to software engineering. Previous meetings of AMAST were held in Iowa (1989 and 1991), Twente, Holland (1993), Montreal (1995) and Munich (1996). During these meetings, AMAST has attracted an international spread of researchers and practitioners interested in software technology, programming methodology and their algebraic and logical foundations. In addition, the first day of each conference has been dedicated to Mathematics Education for Software Engineers. Following this successful trend, the sixth AMAST International Conference will be held at Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia, from December 13 to December 17, 1997. Submissions As in the previous years we invite papers reporting original research in algebra and logic, suitable as a foundation for software technology, as well as software technologies developed by means of logic and algebraic methodologies. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: * SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY systems software technology, application software technology, concurrent and reactive systems, formal methods in industrial software development, formal techniques for software requirements, design. * PROGRAMMING METHODOLOGY logic programming, functional programming, object paradigms, constraint programming and concurrency, program verification and transformation, specification languages and tools, formal specification and development case studies. * ALGEBRAIC AND LOGICAL FOUNDATIONS logic, category theory, relation algebra, computational algebra, algebraic foundations for languages and systems, theorem proving and logical frameworks for reasoning, logics of programs. * SYSTEMS AND TOOLS (for system demonstrations) software development environments, support for correct software development, system support for reuse, tools for prototyping, validation and verification, computer algebra systems, theorem proving systems. All papers will be refereed by the program committee, and will be judged based on their significance, technical merit, and relevance to the conference. As in the past, we expect the proceedings to be published by Springer-Verlag in their Lecture Notes in Computer Science Series. Important Dates Submission of Papers: February 15, 1997 Submission of System Demo Proposals: March 15, 1997 Education Day: December 13, 1997 Conference Days: December 14-17, 1997 Further Information For bulletins on current status of the conference: http://www.comp.mq.edu.au/amast97 amast97@mpce.mq.edu.au For subscribing to the AMAST'97 mailing list: amast97@mpce.mq.edu.au ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 08:17:09 -0500 From: Andrew C. Green Subject: AT&T Wants to Buy My Calling Card? AT&T wants to send me $80 to sign up with them for long-distance service. Great, but there are some complications. Follow me closely here: We've been issued Ameritech long distance calling cards here at the office. The card number is the employee's direct office line (like mine, below) and a four-digit PIN, and is for use whenever we need to make a long-distance business call from somewhere other than the office. Fine. So about, oh, ten days ago I was at home and needed to call Atlanta on business. Consulted my Ameritech card, dialed 0+Atlanta-number, punched in my Ameritech number at my (home) AT&T ka-bong, and all went well. So yesterday an envelope arrives from AT&T, blaring "CHECK ENCLOSED" on the envelope. They would like to switch my _office_ number, listed on the check along with my _home_ address, to AT&T. Yes, this was send to my home address. I see no way for AT&T to figure out that my office number, in area code 312, has any connection to any particular home address in area code 847, though the 847 number I used to make the call is served by AT&T. So AT&T computers handled a call from an AT&T home using an enemy calling card, and this triggered a letter to that address on the theory that the enemy calling card resides there? If so, I could go from one house to another in this manner, making quickie long-distance calls somewhere and leaving a trail of $80 AT&T checks in my wake, sent to the happy homeowners, each of whom gets to temporarily lay claim to (312) 266-4431 until the next homeowner cashes in? This is an income opportunity I hadn't thought of. Perhaps someone here might offer some insight into what AT&T is thinking? Andrew C. Green (312) 266-4431 Datalogics, Inc. 441 W. Huron Internet: acg@dlogics.com Chicago, IL 60610-3498 FAX: (312) 266-4473 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 10:18:30 -0400 From: Stacey B. Lebitz Subject: Bellcore TAs and TRs Pat, I was just looking at the new-readers FAQ on your web site, specifically at the question "How do I contact Bellcore". You mention TAs and TRs. I just wanted to let you know that for new documents or older documents that are re-issued we are not using TAs and TRs anymore, but rather GRs (Generic Requirements). We used to produce TAs to share preliminary info. and to provide an opportunity to comment on documents to the industry. TAs were available at a nominal cost. The "final" requirements would then go into the TRs, which we hoped the industry would buy at a higher price. That wasn't always the case! Now we offer "Early Industry Interaction" (which is described in the "Bellcore Digest of Technical Information". Also, this publication tells you which Bellcore documents have been released and what plans for new/existing documents are.) to get industry input on a topic and then we publish a "GR" that can be subscribed to. With a subscription you would also get any "Issue Lists Reports" that would contain outstanding issues. Thus we are not giving our intellectual property away anymore now that we are trying to become a commercialized company. TAs/TRs would typically be numbered "TA-NWT-000778", while GRs would look like "GR-778-CORE" for the main document and "GR-778-ILR" for the issues list report. To order everything, it would be "GR-778". Just thought you might like to know. Stacey Lebitz Bellcore [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thanks for the update. Readers can also contact Bellcore directly using the Telecom Archives web page by going to the section where 'other telecom-related links' are maintained and clicking on the entry for Bellcore. The archives URL is: http://hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives PAT] ------------------------------ From: john@a3bgate.nai.net (john) Subject: Clarification of What a T1 Does Date: 15 Aug 1996 03:11:30 GMT Organization: North American Internet Hi, When one gets a T1 line, can that line be used for a combination of data/voice/fax line? Can I use a T1 to call long-distance or overseas by voice/data? Please post or email your response. Thanks! John ------------------------------ From: Michael Stanford Subject: Newsgroup for CTI in Small and Home Offices Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 13:03:50 -0400 > Also, I'm wondering if there is a newsgroup for users of CTI or TAPI > (especially SOHO users such as myself). I was unable to find one. Please email David MacCallum if you are inter- ested in such a newsgroup. If we receive enough interest we will start one. ------------------------------ From: runner!qli@uunet.uu.net (Qi Li) Subject: Video Capture/Compression PC-Board Date: 15 Aug 1996 02:13:54 GMT Organization: The Unversity of Texas at San Antonio Hi folks, I'm anxiously looking for a PC plug in board (any BUS), which can capture AND compress PAL video under 2 Mb (about 10 frames/s, or other resolution frame rate trade-offs). And I needs about 100 of them. Thanks in advance! Gary ------------------------------ From: dougneub@ix.netcom.com (Doug Neubert) Subject: For Sale: M8000 PictureTell Video Conference Bridge Date: 14 Aug 1996 17:35:30 GMT Organization: Netcom If you are or know someone who is looking to buy one of these I've got one. Send me E-mail and we can go from there. Thanks, Doug Neubert dougneub@ix.netcom.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 12:17:48 -0700 From: xred@ix.netcom.com (Theron Derx) Subject: Selecting Local Telco Pat, Are you aware of any legislation pending, or in place now, that permits a person or a company to select their local telco? For example, if I live in Southwestern Bell country, but would prefer to have GTE, is there any legislation that would permit me to do that? If it is, (or will be in the future) will it work much the same way as the selection of an LD carrier? I would greatly appreciate any information you could send me. Thank you in advance for your time. Sincerely yours, T.A. "Tad" Derx [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: If/when competition in local service becomes a real thing in your community, you will be able to choose between the companies providing it. Now in a sense, you have always been able to do that using a feature called 'Foreign Exchange Service', but typically a decision to use FX lines was not based on your interest in using a 'competing' telco so much as it was based on your traffic patterns and a decision that FX would wind up costing less than long distance *or* a decision that FX would allow your company a 'presence' in a distant location for the convenience of your customers. FX service -- or the right to use a telco from a distant community -- was never thought of as 'competition' for the local telco, but as noted above you did -- and still do -- have the right to pick a telco located in some other community as your service provider. Your phone number will be a number used by that distant community and generally you will *pay dearly* for the service. You can also at present get *incoming only* service from any telco of your choice by using 'remote call forwarding'. This is a procedure where the telco of your choice -- but normally we think of it as the geographic location of your choice, the telco being immaterial to the discussion -- provides a 'phantom number' in the distant community. The number just terminates on the switch in that town, and anyone who dials it is automatically forwarded to you at the location you specify at direct-dialed rates. This is a hardwired configuration; you cannot change the terminating point by dialing codes as you do with regular call forwarding. In general, if you are looking to do business with a 'local' carrier who is not part of your local community area you can do so, but it will cost you *big money*, and it is not defined as competition. Now if you are interested in doing business with another 'local' carrier or telco *in your community*, the 'laws' have already been passed. When a telco indicates it is accepting customers in your community, you are free to subscribe to their service in place of the service you have always had with the established telco. It is your choice now, and generally the rates will be similar to what you are paying now; probably very competitive. PAT] ------------------------------ From: kokseng@iss.nus.sg (Lee Kok Seng) Subject: G.703 Card For PC Required Date: 14 Aug 1996 01:33:47 GMT Organization: Institute Of Systems Science, National University Of Singapore. Hi Everyone, I need help to identify a source for purchsing a PC card that has a ITU-T G.703 interface (or E1). Please help if you know of the existence of such a card. I would appreciate if you can email any information to me at this address: kokseng@iss.nus.sg Thanks, Lee, Kok-Seng, Project Leader, Multimedia Networking Initiative Institute of Systems Science , National University of Singapore <==+ Work eMail: kokseng@iss.nus.sg Home eMail: leetan@singnet.com.sg Compuserve: 70313,2555 ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #411 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Thu Aug 15 15:09:22 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id PAA04592; Thu, 15 Aug 1996 15:09:22 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 15:09:22 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608151909.PAA04592@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #412 TELECOM Digest Thu, 15 Aug 96 15:09:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 412 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Caller ID: Names Passed Between LECs? (Jeffrey Rhodes) Re: Voice-Band Modem over VHF/UHF? (Eric Chan) Re: Dedicated Rates to the West Indies (Keith W. Brown) Re: Area Code Stalemate (Paul Wilson) Re: Article on Bell Labs in Invention & Technology (Ronda Hauben) Re: CPUC Orders Splits for 415, 916 Area Codes (David W. Crawford) Re: Modem Access Fees (Eric Florack) Re: Cellular Payphones (Robert Raymond) Re: Cellular Payphones (swwv53a@prodigy.com) Re: When Was Direct Distance Dialing Cut In? (Art Kamlet) Re: Why Do US Online Phone Directories Only Have Stale Data? (Ron Newman) Re: AT&T (NY) Adding Extra Charges to 'Casual' Users (Ed Fortmiller) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 00:28:57 -0700 From: Jeffrey Rhodes Subject: Re: Caller ID: Names Passed Between LECs? In article , Jeffrey Rhodes wrote: > This is where the magic takes place. The delivered CPN can be used > to locate the calling CO. It would be very intensive to have every CO > "know" the SS7 point code of every NPA-NXX, in order to send the TCAP > query message. This is where Global Title Translation at the > STPs is used. The CO only needs to know the SS7 address of its > supporting STP and only the STPs need to keep track of the NPA-NXX SS7 > point codes. A few questions (This is fascinating.) Who owns the > STP? (LEC? Bellcore? IEC?) The carrier that wants to deliver names owns STPs. If a call is end-to- end on my network then only my STPs will perform one final translation to find the Name Database (read LIDB) for Caller ID delivery within my network. Some LECs have worked out the GTT translations for calling number conversion to LIDB SS7 point code between their networks. If one LEC starts a call, it can go to an IEC then back to a LEC. The calling LEC STP delivers the CPN to the IXC STP which delivers (as of 6/96) the CPN to the called LEC STP. Now the backwards (yes, I mean backwards this time) STP global title translation, that uses the delivered CPN's calling number as an address, would be sent from the called LEC EO's STP, which may perform an intermediate GTT (all it needs is three to six digits to know that it isn't theirs), requesting final GTT at the calling LEC's STP, which presumably is keeping track of their own network and knows where the LIDB database is for that calling number. > - I know GTT is based on ten digits for 800 numbers (and I assume > 888 numbers too.) Not really, the 800 and 888 are kind of redundant so they really are only seven digit GTTs. They used to be four digit until 800 number portability came along. > With Local Number Portability (the ability of a subscriber to keep > his local telephone number when he changes to another local carrier, > e.g., from Ameritech to Warner) will GTT have to be ten digits for > every NPA? Every call will eventually require a ten digit GTT in a portability numbering plan, even for numbers that have never been ported. Or you could do "Remote Call Forwarding" and tie up part of your network to port a subscriber to your competitor, duh? That's a double whammy, the customer says goodbye and you still have to provide resources without any revenue. Calling Name Delivery will require two ten digit GTTs to work in a portability numbering plan. First, you have to send the dialed number to a lookup database that returns another alias for the ported number, to deliver the call to the ported switch. (If that database knew how to do IS-41 and GSM mobility signaling it would be really nice ;-)... Then the terminating trigger for the delivered unrestricted calling number might be a ported number too, so this will require a ten digit GTT lookup, too. If I port my number I expect that number to continue appearing on caller id displays, right? I mean, that's why I decided to port my number in the first place, so it wouldn't change anything, right? > Who will own those STPs? Well, if you want customers you need a network, STPs are useful for routing intelligent messages for fancy services like Caller ID which includes Calling Number and Network Name. I like to think these are services that benefit both callers and calleds. > Who will update those STPs? The North American Cellular Network is a working example of connected SS7 STPs by many different cellular A-band IS-41 roaming networks. Each network has a person assigned to consult a private web-site for all the updates which must be in place by a given date. PCS-1900 non-GSM systems can also use this network for intersystem roaming. I'm not sure how the LNP translations will be synced, seems like another opportunity to slam. > When will this happen? Who's gonna know? Jeffrey Rhodes at jeffrey.rhodes@worldnet.att.net ------------------------------ From: chaneric@hknet.com (Eric Chan) Subject: Re: Voice-Band Modem over VHF/UHF? Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 03:48:13 GMT Organization: Westel International Reply-To: echan@wimsey.com Roland Welte <100070.3321@CompuServe.COM> wrote: > I am looking for information on using voice-band modem technology for > transmitting digital data (4800 bps) over VHF/UHF radio links. For > instance, could a standard modem (e.g. V.27) be suitable for this kind > of application? > Any help/pointers/suggestions will be greatly appreciated. There are two important considerations when using radio links: modulation and error correction. Modulation is more related to the radio hardware. Most radios will have preemphasis and deemphasis circuit in the audio input/outputs. There are also splatter filters to meet FCC spectral mask requirments. These will distort the normal voice band modem signal too much particularly for phase modulated modems. Typical low speed radio modems will use simple FSK or have direct connection to the radio modulator if higher speed is used with MSK or PSK. The other is the fading and multi-path characters of the radio channel. This will create errors that is not expected nor corrected for in wireline modems. Most radio modems will have some form of packetization and error detection / correction. The good ones will even have different correction algorithms for different frequency bands as the fading characters are different. Like most who have tried using voice band modems with cellular phones, if you are lucky and make sure that the in/out levels are adjusted properly, it will probably work at 4800 baud but not more. Make sure you use modem with error correction or error correction in software. The best choice is to buy modem made for radio. There are a few manufacturers like Repco, Maxon, Ritton and Dataradio. Most of them sell the modem with their own radios. Eric ------------------------------ From: Keith W. Brown Subject: Re: Dedicated Rates to the West Indies Date: 15 Aug 1996 05:01:02 GMT Organization: CallCom International Antilles Engineering wrote in article : > The only segment of the telecom industry that I have grown to loath is > in dealings with aggregators and brokers. Many promises, much hype > and very little delivery. Try this site: http://www.webcom.com/~longdist/dldfaq.html . Here you will find a list of Carrier's and Reseller's that you may contact directly in your search for the lowest T-1 rates to the West Indies. Good Luck! Keith W. Brown URL: http://www.callcom.com E-mail: newsinfo@callcom.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 04:48:03 -0700 From: Paul Wilson Subject: Re: Area Code Stalemate John Cropper (psyber@usa.pipeline.com) wrote: > OVERLAYING a new code means people on the same block, even in the > same home, will end up with different area codes, and local calls for > the first time will require dialing an area code -- or ten numbers for > every call. "If you go with a split, you can stay with seven-digit > dialing," AT&T spokesman Dan Lawler said yesterday. "Surveys we've > conducted show (customers) prefer that method." "Down the road, It's strange AT&Ts "study" supports their position while my experience shows just the opposite preference. In the matter of the 214/972 split in Texas the majority of my neighbors and most of the speakers at the PUC public hearings supported the overlay solution. The major support for the split came from AT&T, MCI, the cable companies, etc. - just the folks who felt they would be disadvantaged in the impending competitive local market. Ten digit dialing (forget about the concept of "area" codes) is inevitable. The state commissions will have to stop caving in to the "anti-competitive" argument eventually. I just wish the Texas PUC could have had the fortitude to do it this time! Paul Wilson Rowlett, Texas ------------------------------ From: rh120@namaste.cc.columbia.edu (Ronda Hauben) Subject: Re: Article on Bell Labs in Invention & Technology Date: 15 Aug 1996 06:28:10 GMT Organization: Columbia University Charles Cryderman (ccryderman@ccm.frontiercorp.com) wrote: > rh120@namaste.cc.columbia.edu (Ronda Hauben) wrote: >> Companies need to watch their bottom line and thus they can't and >> don't put the needed investment into the long term research that >> produces important scientific advances like the transistor and the >> other significant scientific developments made possible by Bell Labs. > Now if you really want to talk about invention, lets go to WAR. There > were more invention during the Civil War then any other time in > history (followed by WWII.) The need to be more efficient killers > (without sacrificing oneself) will always help motivate invention. But Bell Labs wasn't a war! So to compare it to such is to change the issue that I was writing about. Bell Labs was an important research institution that needed to be cherished, and AT&T needed to be supported, not broken up to support some corporate entities that cared only for their own bottom line, rather than for the social fabric of the society they were part of. Ronda rh120@columbia.edu ------------------------------ From: dc@panix3.panix.com (David W. Crawford) Subject: Re: CPUC Orders Splits for 415, 916 Area Codes Date: 15 Aug 1996 04:28:43 -0400 Organization: Woo Studios Ltd. Mike King writes: > CPUC Orders Splits for 415, 916 Area Codes > Both area codes are running out of new prefixes which are the first > three digits of the seven-digit number. The 415 area code may run out of > new prefixes by October 1977; 916 may run out by April 1998. There are ^^^^ No doubt this should be October 1997. David W. Crawford Los Gatos, CA. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I was just checking to see if you were awake and actually reading the Digest, David. :) PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 06:30:30 PDT From: Eric_Florack@mc.xerox.com (Florack,Eric) Subject: Re: Modem Access Fees Tim Gorman spoke with Bob Wulkowicz re Modem Access Fees in #410, and caused some windmill tilting on my part: >> Maybe I took it badly, but I read Mr. Robeson's post as a pompous >> dismissal of us as the technologically and managerially unwashed. > I don't know if he meant it that way but it is true that with no real > understanding of traffic patterns, density, and provisioning > requirements it is difficult to judge whether fees established for > service are reasonable or not. "Common sense" is not typically a very > good judge. Hmmmm. Common sense isn't what drives telcos? Look out Dilbert. Here comes Telco. >> And if I choose to use Caller ID, I buy personal access to yet that >> same packet for four or five dollars a month. The sales departments of >> the telcos spend large amounts of ratepayer's money to convince us of >> the importance of those features and their revenue generation is >> significant. > Providing that caller id to you required the telco to invest in new > software in every central office switch to handle the feature, not a > cheap thingIt also required them to invest in the analog modem > equipment in every central office necessary to send that caller id > down your phone line, again not a cheap proposition. You ARE paying > for much more than some access to a "phantom" data packet. A common sense examination of this is in order: Let's assume that every CO has 10,000 customers, just to keep the figure nice and round. Let's say half of them take the LEC up on it's offer of CID. Lessee ... $5/mo it what was quoted here, and its a nice figure. So ... 5000*$5=$25000 per month or, of income, or 12*$25,000= $300,000/yr on CID alone. Over a quarter million on CID profits per year alone, on a per-switch basis! Can you confirm that CID cost telco more than that to install? If not, the initial investment is in reality paid off in less than a year. That leaves aside the multiple data-use issues. Speaking of the modem use issues, you say: > As competition comes you will have the option to move to a lower cost > provider. You will also find that you don't get something for nothing. > Much as has been found out in the long distance market today, the low > cost, niche competitors may provide lower costs for specific things but > they either don't provide 24x7 full service, they don't provide the same > levels of call blockage, etc. Fact is that as competition comes, Telcos are going to find that they no longer have the capacity problems they once did. People will be leaving in droves for cable modems to run everything ... including voice traffic ... and the telcos know it ... which is why Jack Brooks is not exactly considered the best friend of the telco, these days. The fact is that all this complaining about modems sucking up capacity is utter nonsense, on several levels. The telco would be involved no matter what the traffic on the wire is, no matter what format it is. Matter of fact, I suggest that capacity problems would be far WORSE, if not for the modem. Modems convey information far faster than voice, after all. And the information would need to be transmitted in /some/ form. Or are you suggesting we'd all be using the USPS? This is naught but the Telcos trying to obtain more money for providing what is essentially the same service; an audio channel of 300-3000cps on a point to point connection. The bitching and the clamoring for additional price increases, based on what is /in/ those limits; IE; the type of data being put on that audio channel, will end up driving the data traffic off the telcos. It's true. data traffic will leave for cheaper, less regulated pastures. Cable being only one such option. But what the telcos have not planned on, in my opinion, what they'll be caught flat-footed by, is the amount of voice traffic that leaves with it. Internet voice calls are, I think a harbinger of something the telcos don't want to talk about much; the fact that the people, the customers, are getting nearly as technical as the telcos ... at least enough that they're able to get around technical and legal roadblocks set up by people whose only interest is maintaining a hammerlock on the nation's communications. I'm sorry, but I find it hard indeed to work up any sympathy for telco's cries of 'foul'. ------------------------------ From: Robert Subject: Re: Cellular Payphones Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 13:27:30 -0700 Organization: Mobility Canada Romesh C.D. Singh wrote: > I am looking for a list or contacts with manufacturers/distributors of > cellular payphones. Can anyone help? You can contact Absolu Technologies in Quebec City ... they are specialze in this service area code 418 ... sorry don`t have the number. Robert ------------------------------ From: SWWV53A@prodigy.com Subject: Re: Cellular Payphones Date: 15 Aug 1996 01:06:42 GMT Organization: Prodigy Services Company 1-800-PRODIGY I think a company called Telular makes cellular pay phones for use on boats and places far from a wireline payphone. Their stock symbol is WRLS and is on Nasdaq. I think they are undervalued and should be bought. ------------------------------ From: kamlet@infinet.com (Art Kamlet) Subject: Re: When Was Direct Distance Dialing Cut In? Date: 15 Aug 1996 11:00:13 -0400 Organization: InfiNet Reply-To: kamlet@infinet.com In article , Mark J. Cuccia wrote: > plus the 2L-5N. The NY City suburbs of Nassau County (Long Island) > was dialed from Englewood NJ as 516 plus the 2L-5N. The NY City > suburbs of Westchester & Rockland Counties (including parts of Orange > and Putnam counties) was dialed as 914 plus the 2L-5N. Well, maybe it was "called" 2L-5N, but how you said it to the operator sure made a difference. In New York, my number was CLoverdale 2-5862. But my fiance's number in Detroit was LIncoln-77938. The latter following the 2L-5N. When I called the operator to get a call placed to NY or Detroit I found myself using the parsing of the place being called, until one day. That day I was in NY and asked the opertator for a number in Detroit, "LIncoln (pause) 77938) and the NY operator said That's not a legal number, please state the number correctly. I hadn't caught on yet, so I again said, more slowly, Lincoln (pause) 77938, and she got mad and said she could not connect me. I caught on, being a New Yorker and all that, and corrected to LIncoln 7 (pause) 7938 and she said, that's a number she could try. One more note: In the movies, they used KLondike 5 (XXXX) for 555-XXXX numbers, even back then, though they still had Murray Hill 7, and BUtterfield 8 (I think with Elizabeth Taylor). (Not to mention PEnnsylvania 6 - 5000). Art Kamlet Columbus, Ohio kamlet@infinet.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: And what was that movie they made about vampires where the phone number was TRansylvania 2 - 5000? PAT] ------------------------------ From: rnewman@cybercom.net (Ron Newman) Subject: Re: Why Do US Online Phone Directories Only Have Stale Data? Date: 14 Aug 1996 00:12:48 -0400 Organization: Cyber Access Internet Communications, Inc. In article , Mike Fox wrote: > I moved from a listed number to another listed number in the same city > in February, 1995. New phone books with the correct information have > been out for six months. But Switchboard is still not up to date, > even though their homepage says they were refreshed in August, 1996 > (maybe the refresh is ongoing?). I have had the same listed phone number for almost twelve years, and I'm not in Switchboard. Wasn't there before this supposed "August 1996 update", and still not there right now. I don't know where Switchboard is getting its Boston-area listings, but it sure isn't from NYNEX. Ron Newman rnewman@cybercom.net Web: http://www.cybercom.net/~rnewman/home.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Count your blessings. I mean, were you writing to complain or writing to express your thanks? :) PAT] ------------------------------ From: egf@ultranet.com (Ed Fortmiller) Subject: Re: AT&T (NY) Adding Extra Charges to 'Casual' Users Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 08:29:06 -0400 Organization: UltraNet Communications, Inc. In article , vantek@northcoast.com (VANTEK COMMUNICATIONS) wrote: >> From an AT&T small print advertisement in the {NY Daily News}, >> Wednesday 7-Aug-1996, p. 67. >> Title: Service charge for AT&T Communications of New York, Inc. >> AT&T Communications of New York, Inc., has filed a tariff with the NYS >> Public Service Commission to become effective August 23, 1996. > AT&T has already implemented this charge on INTERSTATE calls for > several months now. It was originally $.40, but that didn't last > long. MCI quickly followed suit, and has its own $.80 surcharge. > Sprint (still) has none. WorldCom and its subsidiary WilTel have also > been charging a $.35 per call surcharge to casual callers for several > months now. Is this true in ALL states or just New York? Ed Fortmiller | Hudson MA | egf@ultranet.com [TELECOM Dgiest Editor's Note: Since the New York PSC as of yet has no authority outside that state, I assume it only applies there. But I have seen a similar notice in the Chicago papers regarding AT&T in this state. It really seems incredible to me the way AT&T lately seems to have gone out of its way to alienate its long time allies (the local telcos) and its customers. Anyone else think so? PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #412 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Fri Aug 16 00:14:09 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id AAA25498; Fri, 16 Aug 1996 00:14:09 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 00:14:09 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608160414.AAA25498@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #413 TELECOM Digest Fri, 16 Aug 96 00:14:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 413 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Pacific Bell Spins A More User-Friendly, Customer-Focused Website (M. King) New California Area Codes Unveiled (Tad Cook) USAir Orders Gag On Phones (Mike Pollock) Re: Rural Internet Access (Joel Upchurch) Re: When Was Direct Distance Dialing Cut in? (Wes Leatherock) Re: InterLATA Connectivity in 609? (Bill Sohl) Re: AT&T Wants to Buy My Calling Card? (John R. Grout) Re: AT&T (NY) Adding Extra Charges to 'Casual' Users (Stanley Cline) Employment Opportunity - Voice Network Service Eng / Admin (B. Gallatin) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Mike King Subject: Pacific Bell Spins A More User-Friendly, Customer-Focused Website Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 12:29:04 PDT Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 17:13:50 -0700 From: sqlgate@list.pactel.com Subject: Pacific Bell Spins A More User-Friendly, Customer-Focused Website FOR MORE INFORMATION: David A. Dickstein (213) 975-4074 dadicks@legal.pactel.com Pacific Bell Spins A More User-Friendly, Customer-Focused Website SAN FRANCISCO -- New sites appear everyday on the World Wide Web, from personal home pages to large corporations just establishing an Internet presence. But for companies like Pacific Bell, host of one of the original corporate websites, it's time for the second generation. So now it's out with the old and in with the new for visitors to www.pacbell.com . The Pacific Bell website, first launched in February 1994 and thus ancient by Internet standards, has been completely redesigned to be more user-friendly, while reflecting the needs and priorities of its on-line guests. The new look was unveiled today. "We've learned a lot about what is and isn't effective in a website since we first launched, and this new site reflects that," said Jona Roomian, Pacific Bell webmaster. "Our site has been redesigned to respond to our visitors' needs, rather than being focused exclusively on products. Visitors to the site can not only find information on the company, they can do practical things, like ordering services on-line any time of the day or night. We're making it easier for them to do business with us at their convenience. "In short, the new-look website provides solutions to customers rather than acting as just an information repository." The 24-hour on-line ordering feature will be of particular benefit to Pacific Bell customers, as more than 60 percent of e-mails requesting services from Pacific Bell are received after normal business hours. Besides offering tremendous convenience to customers, the around-the-clock ordering service shifts calls away from peak business hours, allowing Pacific Bell to serve its customers more efficiently and cost-effectively. In keeping with the people-orientation of the redesign, everyday Californians are profiled on the site, each talking about the specific ways they use the Pacific Bell Network of products and services in their homes and businesses. The profiles, which can be reached by clicking on an icon titled "How Do Other People Use It?" on the home page, add a human element to the site, while providing visitors with insights into the many ways Pacific Bell can benefit them. Profiles will grow in number and constantly evolve, encouraging continuing visits to the site. Other home page icons include "Help Me Find A Solution," "Good Ideas and Special Offers" and "About Pacific Bell." In addition, a branded, robust search center icon allows visitors to search all of the site's pages by keywords, pull-down menus, customer need and a site map. Among the other unique tools that will be up at launch are a calling simulator, which allows visitors to preview a variety of calling features prior to purchase, and a bandwidth simulator that enables consumers to compare the speed of Internet connections at 14.4, 28.8, ISDN and ACN. Even more enhanced sections are scheduled for winter when video clips and other features will be added. As a special service to parents, the Pacific Bell website also will eventually offer software that can be downloaded into visitors' home computers. The software will be designed to teach children how to use the telephone in emergencies, including instructions on dialing 911. Pacific Bell is a subsidiary of Pacific Telesis Group, a diversified telecommunications corporation based in San Francisco. ----------------- Mike King * Oakland, CA, USA * mk@wco.com ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: New California Area Codes Unveiled Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 15:39:02 PDT New Area Codes Unveiled For Large Portions Of 415, 916 Regions; 650 New Area Code for San Francisco Region; 530 To Be Added In Northern California SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 15, 1996--The California Area Code Administrator announced today that the 650 area code will be assigned to the geographical area south of San Francisco being split off from the 415 area code. He also announced that 530 will be the new area code for a very large portion of the existing 916 area code, generally to the east, north, and west of Sacramento County. The numbers represent California's 17th and 18th area codes, assigned to areas whose boundaries were approved by the California Public Utilities Commission earlier this month. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the CPUC has ordered the 650 area code to go into effect on August 1, 1997. It will cover most of San Mateo county, and the northern portion of Santa Clara county, plus a very small portion of Santa Cruz county (see map). This area was split off from the remainder of the current 415 area code, including Marin County and the city and county of San Francisco. Under the 916 geographic split, most of Sacramento County, south Placer County, including the cities of Roseville, Loomis and Rocklin, and the city of West Sacramento in Yolo County will keep the existing 916 area code. The remainder of the 916 region, which includes all or portions of 23 Northern California counties with more than one million residents and businesses, will receive the new 530 area code and must change that portion of their phone number. This area includes all of Nevada, Yuba, Sutter, Colusa, Sierra, Butte, Glenn, Plumas, Tehama, Lassen, Shasta, Trinity, Modoc and Siskiyou counties and the rest of Placer County, the majority of Yolo County (excluding West Sacramento), the 916 portions of El Dorado and Alpine counties and small portions of Solano, Mendocino, Lake and Humboldt counties as well as the Mono County community of Coleville. The 530 area code is expected to take effect for these areas on November 1, 1997. `One of the most difficult challenges in developing these relief plans was to keep as many communities of common interest as possible in the same area code, but at the same time obtain the longest life span for both the existing and the new area codes,` said Bruce Bennett, California area code relief coordinator. `It's a delicate balancing act. We need to minimize inconvenience to the largest possible number of people, while making sure these area codes last as long as possible,` Bennett added. Industry estimates indicate that the new 530 area code should last about 18 years while the remainder of the existing 916 area code will have enough numbers to accommodate growth through the year 2002, Bennett said. Similarly, the new 650 area code for the southern San Francisco peninsula is expected to last about 11 years while the remaining portion of the old 415 area code should last until mid-2002. While customers in the new 650 and 530 area codes will have to change the first three-digit portion of their telephone number, the new area codes will not affect the price of telephone calls in any of these areas, Bennett said. Call distance determines the price and is not impacted by the creation of a new area code, he explained. `It's also important for customers to know that PBX's, auto-dialers and other telecommunications equipment will have to be re-programmed to recognize the new area codes,` said Bennett. `Historically, area codes always had either a `1' or a `0' as the middle digit for identification purposes, but all of those codes have been used up and are gone.` These new number combinations will allow area codes to be any three digits from 220 to 999, creating an additional five billion telephone numbers, Bennett said. The estimated three million residents and businesses who will need to change to the new 650 or 530 area codes will get to keep their existing seven-digit telephone numbers. When the new area codes are introduced next year, there will be a permissive dialing period of at least six months where callers can dial existing numbers in either the old area code or the new one. Plans for the two area code splits were collectively developed by a telecommunications industry group representing more than 30 companies. They included Pacific Bell, GTE, Contel, Roseville Telephone Co., Evans Telephone Co., Citizens Utilities, Foresthill Telephone Co., AT&T, MCI, SPRINT, AirTouch, Pagenet, AT&T Wireless, MFS Communications Co., Teleport Communications Group (TCG), the California Cable Television Association and others. CONTACT: Pacific Bell John Lucas, 415/542-9509 Dave Miller, 916/972-2811 Dick Fitzmaurice, 415/394-3764 Bill Kenney, 916/972-6604 Business Wire's full file on the Internet with Hyperlinks to your home page. URL: http://www.businesswire.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 17:30:40 -0700 From: Mike Pollock Organization: SJS Entertainment Subject: USAir Orders Gag On Phones NEW YORK (AP) -- If you were on a plane and it suddenly was in trouble, would you want to phone a relative -- or even alert the news media? Two weeks after the crash of TWA Flight 800, USAir pilots were advised to disable their in-flight telephones during potential disasters, The New York Times reported today. The memo seemed to say it was for the airline's image, but USAir says the rule is really for safety's sake. "There may be occasions where an in-flight anomaly could occur where it is desirable to disable the phone system," the memorandum read. "USAir prefers to furnish press releases for in-flight anomalies instead of having the information reported live via telephone from the aircraft!" Richard M. Weintraub, a spokesman for USAir, the nation's sixth-largest carrier, told the newspaper that senior management had been unaware of the memo's wording. "The language has been rescinded," Weintraub said, adding that the memo was intended "to prevent a situation where a phone call from a passenger on an aircraft could have interfered with the safety or security of the aircraft." The memorandum was written by Capt. Paul Sturpe, manager of flight operation procedures for USAir, and circulated on Aug. 2, two weeks after the New York-to-Paris flight exploded off the coast of Long Island. USAir just retained G.T.E. Airfone to install the in-flight telephones earlier this month. The phones have become increasingly popular, allowing passengers to conduct business during flights or call ahead to their destinations. G.T.E. Airfone spokeswoman Laura Littel said she could see a need to disconnect the phones in certain disasters. "The only thing I could think of would be a hijacking," she said. "Someone could use this phone to say, 'I want this plane to go to XYZ, or I'm going to do something.' That is a potential." ------------------------------ From: joel@oo.com (Joel Upchurch) Subject: Re: Rural Internet Access Date: Fri, 16 Aug 96 01:58:18 GMT Organization: Upchurch Computer Consulting In article , bsharp@cris.com (Brian M. Sharp) wrote: > Is there any way people living outside a metropolitan area can get > internet access without having to pay per hour? With all the interest > in the internet, isn't there some service that can see the huge number > of people in this uncomfortable position? I remember reading an announcement several months ago, that Southern Bell was going to offer Internet service. I hope this something different from their recent announcement of offering ISPs the ability to have the same local number accross the Southern Bell region. It seems to me that if Southern Bell does offer Internet access it will cover their whole region and not just the major metro areas. Joel Upchurch @ Upchurch Computer Consulting joel@oo.com 28 27 23 N 718 Galsworthy Ave. Orlando, FL 32809-6429 phone (407) 859-0982 81 23 11 W ------------------------------ From: wes.leatherock@hotelcal.com (Wes Leatherock) Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 01:46:43 GMT Subject: Re: When Was Direct Distance Dialing Cut In? Mark J. Cuccia wrote: [ ... text deleted ... ] > ... The originating #5XB local > office in Englewood NJ could only "three-digit" translate in 1951/52, > using internal relays, as the electromechanical Card-Translator box > hadn't been introduced. The Card-Translator box was introduced in > 1952/53 and was located at #4XB Toll offices (and probably later at > XB-Tandem) could "six-digit" translate a much larger block of NPA-NNX > codes and establish complex routing and alternate routing arrangements > and switching, something an individual local #5XB office wasn't > expected to do. Six-digit translation later became a common feature of 5XB offices, but required additional hardware. When Waxahachie, Texas, originally got DDD (the third office in Southwestern Bell to do so, as I recall), Italy, Texas, was specifically deleted from the list of dialable points furnished to customers. The reason was because Italy was a class 5 office homing on Waxahachie, and if a customer dialed 214+the Italy 7D number the call would go into the Dallas 4A machine, then back through Waxahachie to Italy. Waxahachie had only three-digit translation, as you noted, and remember that in those days channels were precious. Later, as similar cases proliferated all over the country, and 5XBs offering DDD became very common, six-digit translation was added to many, if not most, 5XBs. [ ... text deleted ... ] > Now, as for the phasing in of customer long distance dialing, it all > depended on how fast Bell and the independents were introducing > Crossbar equipment into the network, at least #4(A)XB Toll and > XB-Tandem, as well as improvements in the transmission portion of the > network, and also *numbering* plan standardization. One of the biggest factors delaying the points which authorized for customer dialing were the channel capacity. A point would not be made customer-dialable unless it had a final group with a capacity of P.01, and comparable routes between higher class offices. (Generally, by this time, the capacity of the final group was controlling.) Presumably there would have been too many failed attempts, too much load on trunks resulting from these failed attempts, and too many calls for operator assistance if the busy hour probability of reaching all-trunks-busy was greater than .01 (1 per cent). [ ... text deleted ... ] > But non-senderized step originating DDD locations had to dial an > *access prefix* to gain direct access to incoming dialpulse registers > of a #4(A)XB or XB-Tandem office, which could handle the > (NPA)-NNX-XXXX dialed digits. In the 1950's, most 'step' areas which > did have originating customer DDD used '112', which was one of the > usualy 'step-style' local service codes, 11X. In some areas, the > customer might have even had to wait for a second dialtone from the XB > toll/tandem office before dialing (NPA)-NNX-XXXX. This '112' step > access prefix was changed over to '1+' in most step areas about 1960, > as well most step areas changed their service centers from 11X codes > to N11 codes, or local seven-digit numbers. For standardization, many > crossbar/panel areas also adopted the use of '1+', if there were some > local step offices in the area which used '1+'. Sherman and Denison, Texas, are similar sized and competitive cities in North Texas. When Southwestern Bell introduced DDD in Denison, GTE apparently had so much pressure in Sherman that they had to introduce DDD in Sherman, too (I believe Sherman was SxS). Their access code was 70+. (I believe Denison, a 5XB office, was using 1+ by then, although as you noted no access code is actually required operationally in a 5XB office ... or wasn't until interchangeable office and area codes came into existence.) Wes Leatherock wes.leatherock@hotelcal.com wes.leatherock@origins.bbs.uoknor.edu ------------------------------ From: billsohl@planet.net (Bill Sohl) Subject: Re: InterLATA Connectivity in 609? Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 03:06:01 GMT Organization: BL Enterprises billsohl@planet.net (Bill Sohl) wrote: > Andrew White wrote: >> Hello, fellow telecom enthusiasts. >> I am working on a project that requires that I run a T1 circuit >> between the two LATAs in South Jersey, the Atlantic LATA and the >> Delaware LATA. These two LATAs comprise the 609 area code. > Are you sure that you are dealing with an inter-lata situation? The > 609 area code is ONE (1) lata and any two sites in the 609 area code > can be served by Bell Atlantic also. When the LATAs were created in > 1984m NJ was split into two. One was the 201 area and the other was > the 609. Since then the 201 has split into 201 and 908. Boy was I wrong ... several people have sent me email detailing the exact information about the two LATAs in southern NJ. But even with two LATAs, isn't it possible for Bell Atlantic to provide the interLATA intrastate service also because of the recently based telecom bill? Bill Sohl (K2UNK) billsohl@planet.net Internet & Telecommunications Consultant/Instructor Budd Lake, New Jersey ------------------------------ From: grout@polestar.csrd.uiuc.edu (John R. Grout) Subject: Re: AT&T Wants to Buy My Calling Card? Date: 15 Aug 1996 16:46:16 -0700 Organization: Center for Supercomputing R and D, UIUC In article Andrew C. Green writes: > So AT&T computers handled a call from an AT&T home using an enemy calling > card, and this triggered a letter to that address on the theory that the > enemy calling card resides there? Quite possibly. > Perhaps someone here might offer some insight into what AT&T is thinking? Between the new telecom act and the last round of divestiture at AT&T (done in anticipation of it), AT&T's goal is for their subscribers to have AT&T local service, AT&T long distance service, AT&T calling cards and AT&T credit cards. It surprises me that AT&T has honored Baby Bell LEC calling cards and Baby Bell LECs have honored AT&T calling cards for this long ... one reason (beyond the tradition of dear old departed Ma Bell) is that calling cards are a traditional way of paying for calls at payphones, and, since AT&T has been the only IXC outside New Jersey to handle coin-paid inter-LATA calls at non-COCOT telephones, they have continued to provide inter-LATA service at these non-COCOT telephones. Ironically, in AT&T's home state of New Jersey, Bell Atlantic's New Jersey Bell has limited IXC privileges into New York City and Philadelphia from nearby counties, and their ads encourage people to dial 10NJB before calls made at payphones, including those paid for with coins. It would not surprise me to see the Baby Bells provide coin-paid inter-LATA long distance service (and IXC payphones) as they (and the IXCs) ramp up to compete with each other on all fronts. As far as I know, MCI and Sprint never generally honored LEC calling cards (and vice versa), but, since Sprint now owns some LECs, and was in the same corporate family with GTE's LECs before that, I suppose it is possible that they might have (or might have had) arrangements with those LECs. Within the last few years, those state public utility commissions around the country which didn't do it earlier have mostly acted to allow competition (and, at least here in IL, "dial 1" pre-subscription) for intra-LATA calls, which used to be the province of the LECs (I believe Judge Greene's decree allowed state PUC's to totally reserve intra-LATA calls to the LEC at the PUC's option, but the model of local phone service competition established in New York requires LECs to allow, or even subcontract, competition for both local and intra-LATA service, and I expect that this will become general in the wake of the new telecom act). In Illinois, the competition for intra-LATA phone service has already seen some ugly incidents. Earlier this year, Ameritech's notice to their customers about selecting an intra-LATA carrier (printed on their local phone bills) was so slanted against IXCs (playing on people's fears about being slammed to get in the way of IXCs soliciting their _own_ inter-LATA customers to change to their intra-LATA service) that Ameritech was required by Illinois regulators to issue a clarifying statement to their customers on a subsequent bill and give them another opportunity to choose an intra-LATA carrier. In recent months, in response to AT&T's plans to stop allowing AT&T calling cards to be used when someone dials "0" at enemy (i.e., Ameritech) payphones, Ameritech has run a ad campaign warning AT&T customers that they will now _have_ to dial 1-800-CALL-ATT at payphones to use an AT&T calling card (ironically, neither ad campaign mentions the existence of the much more convenient to use 10ATT prefix code). For the last several years, AT&T has been issuing dual-purpose calling/major credit cards, but they have begun to push them much harder since the most recent divestiture. In a recent well-documented case, AT&T "slammed" some of their traditional calling card customers by replacing their AT&T calling cards with dual purpose calling/major credit cards _without permission_ (they gave people a chance to refuse by calling a special 800 number) ... an action worthy of the kind of shady competitors AT&T ads warn people against. John R. Grout Center for Supercomputing R & D j-grout@uiuc.edu Coordinated Science Laboratory University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ------------------------------ From: scline@usit.net (Stanley Cline) Subject: Re: AT&T (NY) Adding Extra Charges to 'Casual' Users Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 22:55:55 GMT Organization: Catoosa Computing Services In comp.dcom.telecom, kamlet@infinet.com (Art Kamlet) wrote: >> Is this also true for 1-800-CALL-ATT? > They have been encouraging people to use 800 CALL ATT instead of > 10(10)288, and since that probably involves using an AT&T calling > card, the calling card use aleady has a charge built in. Besides, > they don't have any other charge today for 800 CALL ATT so it seems > like the answer to your question is no. In the Atlanta paper today, there was yet another "Notice to AT&T Long Distance Customers" -- it said that as of August 16, that the surcharge would be added to *some* (they didn't say exactly which ones) "Operator Handled" calls as well. I am not sure if they are referring to: a) someone at their home uses 10(10)288+0(0) and has the AT&T operator place a call (to a remote location, does number verify/interrupt, etc. AT&T is still the only carrier that can do some of these things,) b) calling card/collect calls billed to a customer who is not PICed to AT&T (AT&T has raised their charges for use of LEC calling cards again, to $1.20,) or c) both. If b) or c) is true, then AT&T will be joining the ranks of "AOSlime" that heavily surcharge calls in addition to high calling card charges. BTW: *MCI*'s surcharge does NOT apply to 900 numbers or 0+ calls (my phone bill this month is proof positive) ... I am not sure if AT&T applies the surcharge to 900 calls or not. (I believe the FCC would not allow AT&T to do so, given the already notorious nature of 900 numbers.) Stanley Cline (Roamer1 on IRC) ** GO BRAVES! GO VOLS! mailto:scline@usit.net ** http://www.public.usit.net/scline/ CompuServe 74212,44 ** MSN WSCline1 ------------------------------ From: Bryan Gallatin Subject: Employment Opportunity - Voice Network Service Eng / Switch Admin Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 15:14:55 -0500 Organization: DynetX Reply-To: gallatin@onramp.net email resumes to: gallatin@onramp.net Voice Network Service Engineers Project Management experience needed; Voice Network Service Evaluation; PBX traffic study analysis and routing evaluation; Initiate requests for optimization orders / track optimization savings; Understand Nodal services (SDN, Megacom, Megacom 800, TSAA, SDDN, LESA); Working knowledge of BC services databases (TIRKS, DOCITS, TSP, WATS/SOP); Familiar w/ PBX hardware. Switch Administrators: Responsible for ARS Patterns updates for networks; Knowledge of SDN, MEGA, MEGA 8, TSAA, LESA, DLD/DOD, IDA, ISDN; Knowledge of Call Routing Patterns and Load Balance. All are long term positions in Orland, FL area. Rates determined by position and experience levels. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #413 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Fri Aug 16 00:44:05 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id AAA28027; Fri, 16 Aug 1996 00:44:05 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 00:44:05 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608160444.AAA28027@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #414 TELECOM Digest Fri, 16 Aug 96 00:44:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 414 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Pacific Telesis Launches Field Tests Of Both xDSL And Cable Modems (M King) Major Telco Ships Internet Voice Product (Peter Judge) Re: End of Permissive Dialing in 954 (Greg Monti) Re: Clarification of What a T1 Does (John R. Levine) Re: GE 916 Wireless Phone Jack System (Bill Newkirk) Last Laugh! Recent Telecomics (Dave Leibold) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Mike King Subject: Pacific Telesis Launches Field Tests Of Both xDSL And Cable Modems Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 12:25:35 PDT Date: Wed, 14 Aug 1996 14:30:09 -0700 From: sqlgate@list.pactel.com Subject: Pacific Telesis Launches Field Tests Of Both xDSL And Cable Modems FOR MORE INFORMATION: Craig Watts (415) 394-3708 chwatts@legsf.pacbell.com Pacific Telesis Launches Field Tests Of Both xDSL And Cable Modems Parallel Six-Month Tests In San Francisco Bay Area Presage New High-Speed Services for Consumers In 1997 SAN FRANCISCO -- To meet the explosive growth in consumer demand for ever-faster access to data services such as the Internet, Pacific Telesis is launching separate field tests in the San Francisco Bay Area of two promising high-speed access technologies for consumers: cable modems and xDSL (high-speed Digital Subscriber Line) modems. "Every day more Californians seem to want faster Internet access as new applications using higher bandwidth continue to emerge," said Glenn Estes, President of Telesis Technologies Laboratory, a subsidiary of Pacific Telesis. "It's no wonder that California leads the nation in Internet usage as well as demand for ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) lines. "Our Pacific Bell FasTrak ISDN service already meets the high-speed needs of 80,000 residential and business customers, and will serve many more in the near future," he said. "In addition, we're also now testing xDSL and cable modem services to give consumers even higher-speed options. As part of our product line, these three services will offer Pacific Bell customers some serious horsepower for their on-line travels, for both business and pleasure," Estes said. Since the two new services use different kinds of networks, according to Estes, Pacific Bell customers in the future will be offered one of the high-speed services but not both, depending on which type of network serves their neighborhood. That's because xDSL modems make full use of Pacific Bell's traditional copper telephone lines which today serve over 9 million homes. Conversely, cable modems operate on broadband networks such as Pacific Bell's advanced communications network, which the company is building to replace its copper network in San Jose and San Diego. xDSL: Dedicated Speed Short for high-speed Digital Subscriber Line, xDSL will use existing copper telephone lines to connect people to Pacific Bell's network at speeds up to 1.5 megabits per second (Mbps). That makes xDSL 12 times faster than ISDN, and 50 times faster than today's 28.8 kilobits per second (Kbps) analog modems. "xDSL will turbo-charge people's on-line and Internet sessions," said Mark Gallegos, Director - xDSL Product Management, Pacific Bell. "xDSL will download in 10 seconds the kind of complex graphic that now takes 18 minutes for users with today's fastest analog 28.8 Kbps modem. That's warp speed," Gallegos said. He added that this same acceleration will benefit other network uses such as videoconferencing and exchanging multimedia files. Other applications ideally suited for xDSL include working at home, access from home to a company's computer or Local Area Network (LAN), and related off-site applications. "In addition to faster speed, xDSL technology offers customers two key benefits by giving each customer a dedicated circuit to the network," Gallegos said. "First, having a dedicated circuit means getting the same fast connection speed to an on-line gateway, every time." For users accustomed to Ethernet-type access at their workplace, xDSL will provide comparable speed and convenience for linking their home PC to their workplace, the Internet or other destinations, with none of the slowdown in data transmission rate that can occur with shared circuits. "As a second key benefit," said Gallegos, "our dedicated xDSL circuit will offer unmatched network security. This can be vital for telecomm- uters, people working in remote offices, and home businesses which send confidential information over the public network." In addition, he said, an xDSL-equipped line will provide a virtual channel for regular phone conversations conducted at the same time as high-speed information access. According to Gallegos, the company's xDSL technology test will be conducted in two phases, starting on August 15 with about a dozen pre-selected customers in San Ramon, California. For phase one, Pacific Bell will use an asymmetrical service with a data rate of 1.5 Mbps for participants to receive or download information, and a data rate of 64 Kbps to send information to others. Higher sending rates up to 768 Kbps will be used as the technology test progresses. Test participants will use Pacific Bell Internet Services as their pre-selected Internet service provider. While Pacific Bell has not yet selected an equipment vendor for the future commercial service, the company has chosen Westell Technologies, Inc. for the first phase of the test. Westell will provide their FlexCap modems as well as multiplexing equipment and software for the gateway in Pacific Bell's central office. In addition, Cisco Systems, Inc. is providing technology to multiplex services onto Pacific Bell's high-speed backbone network. Pacific Bell plans to test other vendors' products for the gateway during the second test phase. Phase two could begin in November with an increase in trial size to about 100 pre-selected consumers. If the technology performs as expected, Pacific Bell plans to introduce service to consumers in a limited area in Spring 1997, followed by a broader service launch mid-year. Cable modems on the Full Service Network In June, Pacific Bell began testing cable modems in Santa Clara County, California, by initially connecting a dozen households to Pacific Bell's full service, advanced communication network. "Our new broadband network is uniquely engineered to support two-way, interactive technologies and applications that require greater bandwidth, such as high-speed access to the Internet through cable modems," said Lou Pelosi, Director of Broadband Data Services - Pacific Bell Video Services. "Cable modems need a highly reliable, hybrid fiber/coax network with a clean upstream signal, something Pacific Bell's advanced communications network provides because it is designed to support telephone services," he said. "Cable modems can provide significantly faster data speeds through this network than is possible with analog modems over conventional copper telephone lines." According to Pelosi, these faster speeds will open the door to dynamic video and multimedia applications for consumers, such as two-way videoconferencing that connects distant homes. "We believe peak information access rates as high as 10 Mbps delivered to the PC are possible through Pacific Bell's advanced communications network," Pelosi said. However, he added that a more realistic typical speed will be approximately 1.5 Mbps. He cautioned that actual response times and data throughput may depend on how many people use the network at the same time and which applications they use. Pacific Bell will continue to test the cable modem service through the end of this year. "By year-end," said Pelosi, "our cable modem test could include about 100 homes. If all technical issues are resolved, we could begin a marketing trial in early 1997, and start commercial service later on in cities served by the new network." In addition to resolving technical issues, the test also will help the company understand operational issues involved in delivering a highly reliable, customer service-intensive solution. Initially, Pacific Bell is using Zenith cable modems, Hewlett-Packard file servers, and is partnering with Hewlett-Packard to provide customer support. "Consumers in San Jose currently are receiving superb telephone and video services over Pacific Bell's advanced communications network," Pelosi said. "Now we want to add high-speed access to the Internet and other multimedia services to increase the network's value and reach." He said likely target markets for the new service would include Internet users, telecommuters and home businesses. Pacific Telesis is a diversified telecommunications corporation based in San Francisco. Pacific Bell is the largest subsidiary of Pacific Telesis as well as California's leading telecommunications provider, serving more than 10 million residence and business customers. Pacific Bell Video Services, a separate subsidiary of Pacific Telesis, is pursuing a comprehensive strategy to offer customers new choices in video services. Pacific Bell Internet Services, a subsidiary of Pacific Bell, provides value-added Internet access services to consumers and businesses. --------------- Mike King * Oakland, CA, USA * mk@wco.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 17:53:13 +0100 From: Peter Judge Subject: Major Telco Ships Internet Voice Product << News story from Internet Business, a CMI Technology Watch service >> BT ships Internet voice ======================= No one expected a major telco to encourage the use of the Internet for telephone calls, but this is just what British Telecom is doing - albeit by accident. BT will be supplying its Internet subscribers with the Microsoft Internet Explorer browser - a product which includes NetMeeting, a voice telephony / whiteboard product. Although BT could theoretically switch off the voice links on its servers and prevent users from making connections to each other, this is most unlikely. Shipping a Net telephony product which didn't work would be a worse PR blunder than shipping one which does. A BT spokesman shared our amusement at the situation, but expressed the opinion that Internet telephony was a toy' which would not have a serious impact on voice traffic. The major telecoms providers in Ireland, Switzerland, Pakistan and other countries, which have at various times attempted to ban Internet voice, clearly do not agree. BT's Internet service is one of the newest in the UK, and has a small market share. --------------------------- (c) Cambridge Market Intelligence (CMI), 1996. This story is an extract from Internet Business, a 'Technology Watch' service from CMI, edited by Peter Judge. CMI can be found at http://www.cmi.co.uk Peter Judge is at peter@pjudge.demon.co.uk --------------------------- Peter Judge, 89 Upper Tulse Hill, London SW2 2RA Tel/Fax: +44 181 671 4842 "Normal people believe that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Engineers believe that if it ain't broke, it doesn't have enough features yet." ----- S. Adams, The Dilbert Principle ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 00:08:37 -0400 From: cc004056@interramp.com (Greg Monti) Subject: Re: End of Permissive Dialing in 954 On Aug 07, 1996 01.30.31 in article , 'Telecom@Eureka.vip.best.com (Linc Madison)' wrote: >> If some states want to have a rule that you must dial the '1' for any >> direct-dialed toll call, that's fine. However, they should NEVER >> prohibit dialing the '1' for local calls. And on 12 Aug 96, John Cropper (psyber@usa.pipeline.com) wrote: > Actually, they should also NOT prohibit it, as it impinges on the > customer's ability to route calls through the carrier of their choice, > as well ... John, you are implying here that the '1' dialed at the beginning of a long distance call chooses the *company* that carries the call. No. The company carrying the call is chosen by regulatory boundaries, by default carriers, and by 10XXX or 101XXXX codes. To positively choose a carrier, the caller would need to dial a 10XXX (or 101xxxx) code first. The remainder of the number would be dialed just the way it would be if no 10XXX code had been prepended. For example, in area code 609 in southern NJ, to make an inter-LATA, intra-NPA toll call from Camden to Atlantic City using your default inter-LATA carrier, you would dial, say, 345-XXXX. To force it to be on, say, MCI, you would dial 10222-345-XXXX. No '1' and no area code are required. They are permitted, however: 10222-1-609-345-XXXX would be perfectly legal and would route and rate the call the same way. There aren't very many area codes where this works, but 609 is one of them. In toll-alerting area codes, the '1' also does *not* determine the carrier. In Virginia's 703, a call from Herndon to Quantico, is toll and must be dialed 1-703-640-XXXX. But it will be carried by Bell Atlantic because both ends are in the same LATA. The '1' does not force the call to a long distance company. By the same token, from Herndon, VA, calling the White House as 202-456-1414 or 1-202-456-1414 has no bearing on what company carries the call. Both of these would also be carried by Bell Atlantic. If you want to force that call to be over AT&T, you could dial either 10288-1-202-456-1414 or 10288-202-456-1414. Both would work. '1' may or may not be a toll indicator. But it is definitely not a carrier indicator. Greg Monti Jersey City, New Jersey, USA gmonti@interramp.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 96 21:12:00 EDT From: johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) Subject: Re: Clarification of What a T1 Does Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg, N.Y. > When one gets a T1 line, can that line be used for a combination of > data/voice/fax line? > Can I use a T1 to call long-distance or overseas by voice/data? A T1 line is four copper wires that deliver 1.544 megabits per second in each direction between one place and another. I have one (one end of one, to be precise) here on my desk. Beyond that, it's up to you. A common way to use a T1 is to treat the 1.544 megabits as 24 independent channels of 64K bits/sec* apiece. You use a device called a channel bank to split out the channels. By making suitable arrangements with whoever's on the other end of your T1, your local telco most likely, you can attach some of the channels coming out of the channel bank to a data device like an Internet router, some of them as dedicated trunks to a long distance company, and some of them to the telco's switch and treat them like regular phone lines. If you plug your end of a T1 into a PBX, the PBX often can split out the 24 channels as well. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, Trumansburg NY Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies" and Information Superhighwayman wanna-be * If you use a channel for voice transmission, sometimes you can only use 56K of the 64K bits because some of the bits are borrowed to indicate the status of the call using that channel. ------------------------------ From: Bill Newkirk Subject: Re: GE 916 Wireless Phone Jack System Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 19:14:07 -0400 Organization: Rockwell Avionics/Collins Atri Indiresan wrote: > One candidate is the traditional wiring, and the other is > the GE 916 wireless phone jack system. It is rather cheap - retailing > at $80 (additional extensions are $50), and claims compatibility with > answering machines, cordless phones, modems, fax, RCA DSS Receiver > (what does this have to do with the phone system?). The limitations The DSS (and similar boxes) need to call in to get authorization for certain actions (such as ordering a movie on demand ...) > mentioned are that modems are limited to 14.4 Kbps, and it will not > work with caller-ID units. What follows is a description of the unit, > and how it works, summarized from their literature. The limit of 14.4 kbps would be a stopper for me ... > How it works: Communication with the base is established using FM > frequencies transmitted over the electrical wiring in the home -- this The idea is similar to "carrier current" radio, however there's lots of harmonics and they don't stay in the wires apparently. The harmonics are also modulated so someone with the right kind of receiver close enough could listen in. I saw one article on the GE "wireless phone extension" interference in a recent CQ magazine. One carrier is at 3.03 MHz (so there could be harmonics a 6.06, 9.09, 12.12, 15.15, 18.18, 21.21 (i think that's the frequency that the article author first detected the "birdie" from the unit ...) etc. There's probably more to this. > clearly does not use typical cordless technology. At most one "Typical cordless technology". It's radio fer crying out loud. Put a new name on it and everyone thinks it's not the same.. I'd go for wired extensions. ------------------------------ From: Dave.Leibold@superctl.tor250.org (Dave Leibold) Date: 06 Aug 96 00:22:28 -0500 Subject: Last Laugh! Recent Telecomics Here are the latest sightings of telecom-related daily funnies as can be found in the newspapers. Comic names and dates of issue (where determined) are followed by a description of what went on. Not all comics, let alone newspapers can be read, thus some eligible material will be missing. Contributions to fill this gap are welcome at this e-mail. 'Net addresses for some comics appear at the end. . . . . . . Non Sequitur (mid-1996, exact date unknown): Tarzan goes cellular ... and the monkeys "don't have to listen to that annoying yell anymore". Shoe (weekend of 3 Aug 1996): Wizard extols the virtues of on-line commerce ... but admits to being out $300ish on web software upgrades. Perfessor decides it's time to pick up a lottery ticket instead. Beetle Bailey (18 July 1996): Sarge gets an "obscene" phone call ... actually one suggesting romance with his ever-unrequited suitor, Sgt Louise Lugg. Adam (somewhere in 1996): Adam gets e-mail from USPS, advising him to pay less attention to the e-mail and more attention to all his snail mail left piling up outside. Shoe (10 Aug 1996): Professor calls his insurance company, only to get the "Shaft" theme for music on hold. The Better Half (16 Mar 1996): Harriet Parker calls the Women's Forum ... press the appropriate key according to the husband's character deficiency ... PC and Pixel (30 Jul 1996): This is a fairly new comic in town (though it did kick out On The Fastrack on the funnies locally) ... the cat logs onto Contortionist Cyberworkshop with relevant results. Peanuts (weekend of 21 July 1996): On special occasions, Charles Schulz will stray into a telecom topic. In this episode, Snoopy reassures a bird buddy that his mother can find him: "aren't you on the Internest"? Reality Check (12 Jul 1996): The big bad wolf gets a restraining order. The huffing and puffing at the three pigs now has to be done as an obscene phone call. Ernie (12 July 1996): Ernie surfs up some cyber-trash ... of course, he's reluctant to switch websites. The Better Half (weekend 13 Jul 1996): Stanley's willing to discuss his lack of attention to his wife ... but she needs to sort it out with him via e-mail. Hi and Lois (14 Jul 1996): A call for Chip, but he's apparently nowhere to be found ... until he shows up after already taking the call in the den. Adam (9 Jul 1996): Laura fought traffic congestion on the way home ... Adam fought it on the 'Net at home. On the Fastrack (8 July 1996): Bud and Chelonia have to say goodbye to the 'Net ... they surfed to the edge of the World Wide Web. The Better Half (6 Jul 1996): Does the cat really need a web site? On the Fastrack (27 Jun 1996): Ms Trellis doesn't want the employees using the 'Net for personal amusement. Even if Bud was accessing a computer resource page (though one's work is another's amusement there). Beetle Bailey (1 Jul 1996): Beetle does a live emulation of voice mail. Sarge barges in and provides the "BEEP". Animal Crackers (weekend 30 Jun 1996): Bird goes wild over products on a home shopping channel ... of course, he won't go broke since he had his phone disconnected. Suburban Cowgirls (weekend 23 Jun 1996): Someone tries to train his dog to dial 911, hoping to be on Hard Copy or to get a trip to Disneyland ... The Better Half (weekend 16 Jun 1996): Play telemarketers' sales pitches back to the telemarketers and watch them buy stuff from themselves. Reality Check (8 May 1996): Beggars keep with the time ... a spider bum has a "No Web Site" sign. Adam (somewhere in 1996): Laura's unimpressed by chat rooms ... she gets multiple conversations for free from the kids. Sherman's Lagoon (13 May 1996): Little fish are telling Fillmore about their web sites ... Sherman's Lagoon (14 May 1996): Sherman gets a web site complete with all the multimedia thrills. Too bad his life isn't as exciting. Sherman's Lagoon (16 May 1996): Someone suggests Fillmore put up a web site to pick up a 'Net romance. He's reluctant at first until it was pointed out he went on Love Connection. Sherman's Lagoon (17 May 1996): Fillmore's website only gets two hits ... Sherman suggests replacing the poetry with porno ... Doonesbury (1 May 1996): Zack goes on line and gets a job at Intel as Mike tries to console Zack for the loss of the last job. Reality Check (1 May 1996): Breakfast of robots - fibre optics. Adam (sometime in 1996): The road to the info. highway is paved with strewn toys ... Charlie (19 Apr 1996): A modern wedding ceremony ... the part where the minister asks for objections is updated to include a double-click option on "no marry" for the Internet audience. Family Circus (19 Apr 1996): One of the kids makes a premiere on a radio talk show ... "I just learned how to dial". Hi & Lois (4 Jun 1996): Garbage day was changed ... Hi could have found this out on the garbage collector's website. Charlie (27 May 1996): Telephone booths ... with a shower booth among them. Adam (11 Jun 1996): Clayton was too late in calling up a friend ... Dad was on the line with the computer for too long ... Adam (sometime in 1996): More time with cyberspace that with family? Adam e-mails his wife a response on the subject. Hi & Lois (1 Dec 1995): Lots of messages on the answering machine ... which means Chip has to deal with a very interested girl. Bound & Gagged (sometime in 1996): An update to the tin can string phone ... use a big barrel on one end and it becomes "Kid's Speaker Phone". Family Circus (4 Jan 1996): Kids get tired of building a snowman ... so they decide to find a virtual one on the 'Net. Charlie (5 Jun 1996): Some folks can't stop their beepers. Charlie, on the other hand, needs to run a classified ad to get people to beep him. Dave (some time in 1996): New 'Net products from the World Wide Wait catalogue: including Internet Clock that's stopped "just like your browser" (but it's at least correct twice a day) ... or Chia Inter-Pet which grows on the monitor and at least provides something to see ... and more. On the Fastrack (1 Apr 1996): Ms Trellis notes how "archaic and neander- thal" tapping in on employee phone conversations is ... e-mail tapping is the in thing to do instead. I Need Help (21 May 1996): Wrong number ... but the callee had to get up to answer it anyway. Charlie (21 May 1996): The boxer shorts company calls on Charlie to see how things are with their product ... but Charlie wonders how Inspector #32 got his number. Bound & Gagged (some time in 1996): Smoke signals that say "http://pow.wow.com/". On the Fastrack (20 May 1996): Videoconferencing on a slow modem is a bit of a drag ... almost like ... a comic strip. Adam (sometime in 1996): Adam gets an e-mail ... from his wife to remind him to get this from the store, do that, etc etc. Adam (seen 26 May 1996): Laura believes the 'Net is a guy thing. Adam disagrees, pointing out the number of females he's chatted with. Now Laura wants that one explained. Adam then backtracks suggesting you never know who you're really communicating with ... Reality Check (seen 26 May 1996): Explorers discover an inscription inside a pyramid ... http://www ... etc. The Better Half (weekend 5 May 1996): Stanley calls a tone menu ... press 1 for midlife crisis counselling but is advised to "do it carefully" to avoid back injury. Blondie (6 May 1996): Dagwood has to wait through a bank's voice menu options ... he protests that he doesn't want any of those... to which he gets a response "... what DO you want? We're very busy over here!". Peanuts (27 Apr 1996): Lucy is leaving the ball game to go home. If a ball is hit to field, Charlie Brown can contact Lucy via phone number, fax, or e-mail. Adam (some time in 1996): Adam gets excited over being on line, being able to communicate world wide ... Laura gets less than excited over Adam not being able to communicate with "those only steps away". Adam (some time in 1996): A day without e-mail is a complete waste ... especially at 9:05 in the morning. Shoe (12 Aug 1996): Wizard wires up Professor for the 'Net. Wizard gives the invoice; Professor says "the check is in the e-mail". Family Circus (8 Aug 1996): One of the kids gets an experience with Grandma's voice mail ... Charlie (13 Aug 1996): Charlie comes home wondering if any e-mail has arrived... but he did get a brick through his window. Beetle Bailey (5 Jul 1996): Soldier is at a payphone, only to get orders to get back to base. Before he does, some phone grafitti is in order: "For a bad time, call Sarge ..." Doonesbury (series, mid-Aug 1996): A series where Mike goes to France, meets a recent ex-girlfriend, returns home after realising his daughter Alex was intercepting his ex's e-mails ... . . . . . . e-mails and other comix net addresses: Adam adamathome@aol.com Dave http://www.davetoon.com/dave, davetoon@aol.com Doonesbury http://www.doonesbury.com/ Ernie piranhaclub@aol.com Farcus 74777.3301@compuserve.com For Better or Worse http://www.uexpress.com/ Frank and Ernest FandEBobT@aol.com Ghost Story Club http://www.comicspage.com/ghostclub/ I Need Help friknfrak1@aol.com Mary Worth TellMary@aol.com Mother Goose and Grimm http://www.grimmy.com Non Sequitur sequitoon@aol.com On the Fastrack 76711.2174@compuserve.com PC and Pixel artattak@astral.magic.ca Sherman's Lagoon http://www.slagoon.com/lagoon Shoe http://macnelly.com/ The Better Half http://www.borg.com/~rjgtoons/bh.html ... and no doubt more are available using the search sites like Yahoo, Open Text or Alta Vista. Fidonet : Dave Leibold 1:259/730@fidonet.org Internet: Dave.Leibold@superctl.tor250.org ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #414 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Fri Aug 16 01:31:35 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id BAA02057; Fri, 16 Aug 1996 01:31:35 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 01:31:35 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608160531.BAA02057@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #415 TELECOM Digest Fri, 16 Aug 96 01:31:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 415 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson LATAs: Numbers and "Names" (Mark J. Cuccia) Numbering Chaos in the UK (Peter Judge) Pulse Metering on D-channel (ISDN) (Florian Damas) Looking for English/French Telecommunications Dictionary (Florian Damas) Re: Calling Card Rates to Mexico (Michael Wengler) Re: Wireless Satellite Communication - A Challenge (Michael Wengler) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 12:56:34 -0700 From: Mark J. Cuccia Subject: LATAs: Numbers and "Names" [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: This was published in the Digest a few months ago, however Mark has since made some changes. PAT] I have made some modifications to this, including some additions (details) and fine-tuning. Thanx! Mark. --------------- While inTRA-LATA competition (particularly being able to choose a primary 1+/0+ default toll carrier for inTRA-LATA) and even *local* competition is becoming more available, as well as the local carriers being able to offer toll inTER-LATA, the concept of "LATA's" might become meaningless or obsolete in the near future, But presently, LATA's still do exist. LATA's (ocal ccess ransport reas) were "created" in the early to mid 1980's as part of the divestiture (breakup) of the one corporate Bell System and the MFJ (odification of inal udgement). As mentioned below, there was an "initial" LATA scheme, but there were some changes to this just at the time of divestiture and the beginnings of "Equal Access" services. I am interested in what the original LATA scheme really was intended to be, including the LATA codes. I mention below *some* of the original intended LATA's and how they were actually changed when LATA's "officially" took effect in January 1984. If anyone has a list of the 1982/83 LATA's and the associated "LATA Codes", I'd be interested in some of these original but later modified LATA situations. LATA codes are three digit codes assigned to each LATA or LATA-Like territory. I don't know who did the original numbering scheme (AT&T/Bell? DOJ? USITA? NECA? FCC? or a combination of them?), nor do I know who maintains the LATA numbering for any slight modifications which might be necessary (Bellcore? FCC? ATIS or their forums? etc). The LATA codes are used for "administrative" and "organizational" purposes. They are not really intended to be network routing or switching codes (but what a particular interexchange carrier does *within its own network* for routing and switching is really its own business), but used to organize listings of NPA-NXX codes of a particular carrier or switching entity as well as for billing functions, such as division of toll revenues. LATA codes are indicated in such materials as: -tariffs filed with the FCC by AT&T and other toll carriers, -Bellcore TRA products, -NECA products, etc. The listing below has been compiled from various sources, particularly from tariff filings. So any additions, corrections, further details will be appreciated! --------------------------------------------- LATA Names and Service Regions by LATA Number: Within "Bell" LATA's, there can be and are independent telco central offices and even independent telco operator/toll/tandem switches and regions. (there are 164 total "Bell" Latas) Within an "independent" LATA, there can be and some do have central offices of other (usually smaller) independents. LATA's can and most do cross state/NPA lines-- sometimes in rather large chunks; sometimes just 'zigzagging' about a state/NPA boundary. There are even cross-state situations where one LATA contains central offices of an adjacent state served by a *different* Regional Bell Company (i.e. Some Bell South LATA's can extend into portions of TX and AR, and include central offices of Southwestern Bell as well as some small local independent telcos- Likewise, some Southwestern Bell LATA's can extend into portions of LA, TN, and include central offices of Bell South as well as some small local independent telcos) Also, there are some individual LATA's which are geographically discontiguous, split into two parts by another LATA. LATA's are grouped by Regional Bell company as follows: 1NX NYNEX 2NX Bell Atlantic 3NX Ameritech 4NX Bell South 5NX Southwestern Bell 6NX US West 7NX Pacific Telesis 8NX "offshore" and "international" Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, US Virign Islands; also includes 'pseudo' LATA's for Canada, other Caribbean, etc) 9NX "independents" -- LATA's and Lata-like regions of: Cincinnati Bell, Southern New England (Bell), large "independent" telco regions This listing represents the Bell, "offshore" and "independent" LATA's of the US (including AK, HI, PR, USVI, etc) as finalized around 1984/85. There were some modifications made to the "initial" LATA scheme as submitted in 1982/83. Originally, there were to be only 161 "Bell" LATA's. After further negotiations betweem AT&T and DOJ/Greene, there were changes to some of LATA boundary lines origianally drawn up. In the complete list, most "Bell" LATA's are identified by consecutive even numbers. But there are some "skipped" even numbers, as well as some "odd" numbers for the LATA code. The following summarizes which even numbers were skipped and which odd number codes were probably added: (start off with 161 "Bell" LATA's) Delete the following four: #372 (part of IL - east St.Louis area?) #622 (part of MN - Brainerd MN?) #642 (part of SD? NE?) #662 (part of UT? NM?) Add the following seven: #133 Poughkeepsie NY #325 Akron OH #477 Huntsville AL #521 Westphalia MO (was to be LATA #959 Jefferson City & Columbia MO) #570 Hearne TX (was to be an indep.LATA 9NX Bryan TX) #635 Cedar Rapids IA #721 Pahrump NV (was to be an indep.LATA 9NX Las Vegas NV) (end up with 164 "Bell" LATA's) There were also to have been some other "independent" LATA's using "9NX" codes such as: (9NX) Ashland KY (GTE) -absorbed into existing #466 Winchester KY #955 Dothan AL (GTE) -absorbed into existing #478 Montgomery AL #959 Jefferson City MO (United) & Columbia MO (GTE) -transformed into NEW #521 Westphalia MO (9NX) Bryan TX (GTE) -transformed into NEW #570 Hearne TX (9NX) Las Vegas NV (Centel) -tranformed into NEW #721 Pahrump NV Some of the above "deleted" independent LATA's had their boundaries redrawn to become a "Bell" LATA, by adding some Bell central offices of an adjacent "initial/existing" Bell LATA. Others were just completely absorbed into an intial/existing adjacent "Bell" LATA. There were also some additional "independent" LATA's added in 1984/85. 1NX - NYNEX (12 total) =========== 120 Maine 122 New Hampshire 124 Vermont 126 western MA 128 eastern MA 130 Rhode Island 132 New York City METRO (also includes the exchanges of the towns in southwestern CT handled by NYNEX- Byram and Greenwich, but not SNET's 'Old Greenwich' exchange; also includes Long Island and portions of counties just north of Bronx NYCity) 133 Poughkeepsie NY (*added to 'original' 1982/83 scheme*) 134 Albany NY 136 Syracuse NY 138 Binghampton NY 140 Buffalo NY 2NX - Bell Atlantic (19 total) =================== 220 Atlantic Coastal area (NJ) 222 Delaware Valley area (NJ) 224 northern NJ area 226 Capital PA 228 Philadelphia PA (includes entire state of Delaware) 230 Altoona PA 232 northeastern PA 234 Pittsburgh PA 236 Washington DC METRO (includes MD and VA suburbs) 238 Baltimore MD 240 Hagerstown MD 242 Salisbury MD 244 Roanoke VA (discontiguous LATA; split by LATA #932) 246 Culpepper VA 248 Richmond VA 250 Lynchburg VA 252 Norfolk VA 254 Charleston WV 256 Clarksburg WV 3NX - Ameritech (29 total) =============== 320 Cleveland OH 322 Youngstown OH 324 Columbus OH 325 Akron OH (*added to 'original' 1982/83 sheme*) 326 Toledo OH 328 Dayton OH 330 Evansville IN 332 South Bend IN 334 Auburn-Huntington IN 336 Indianapolis IN 338 Bloomington IN 340 Detroit MI 342 upper peninsula MI (incl. part of northwest WI) 344 Saginaw MI 346 Lansing MI 348 Grand Rapids MI 350 northeastern WI 352 northwestern WI 354 southwestern WI 356 southeastern WI 358 Chicago IL METRO (includes some WI and IN suburbs) 360 Rockford IL 362 Cairo IL 364 Sterling IL 366 Forrest IL 368 Peoria IL 370 Champaign IL (skipped 372, was to be IL east of St.Louis???, now part of #520) 374 Springfield IL 376 Quincy IL 4NX - Bell South (38 total) ================ (note within Florida, there are *also* "sub-LATA zones" as per state regulatory stipulations. They are known as "Equal Access Exchange Areas", EAEA's; this *also* happens in "independent" areas in Florida using '9NX' LATA codes) 420 Asheville NC 422 Charlotte NC 424 Greensboro NC 426 Raleigh NC 428 Wilmington NC 430 Greenville SC 432 Florence SC 434 Columbia SC 436 Charleston SC 438 Atlanta GA 440 Savannah GA 442 Augusta GA 444 Albany GA 446 Macon GA 448 Pensacola FL (448-13 WA-EA; 448-14 CR-EA; 448-15 FW-EA) 450 Panama City FL (450-09 PC-EA; 450-10 SJ-EA; 450-11 QC-EA; 450-12 MR-EA) 452 Jacksonville FL (452-04 CL-EA; 452-05 LO-EA) 454 Gainesville FL (454-02 NW-EA; 454-03 OL-EA) 456 Daytona Beach FL (456-01 PO-EA) 458 Orlando FL (458-06 OR-EA; 458-07 LB-EA; 458-08 WI-EA) 460 southeastern FL (460-17 GG-EA; 460-18 GR-EA) 462 Louisville KY 464 Owensboro KY 466 Winchester KY (includes GTE- Ashland KY, was to be own LATA) 468 Memphis TN 470 Nashville TN 472 Chattanooga TN 474 Knoxville TN 476 Birmingham AL 477 Huntsville AL (*added to 'original' 1982/83 scheme*) 478 Montgomery AL (includes GTE- Dothan AL, was to be own LATA 955) 480 Mobile AL 482 Jackson MS (Incl.part of LA across the Miss.River from Natchez MS) 484 Biloxi/Gulfcoast area MS 486 Shreveport LA 488 Lafayette LA 490 New Orleans LA 492 Baton Rouge LA 5NX - Southwestern Bell (27 total) ======================= 520 St.Louis MO (also includes a rather sizeable portion of central IL Ameritech and independent central offices) 521 Westphalia MO (includes United- Jefferson City MO and GTE- Columbia MO, was to be its own LATA 959) (*LATA 521 was added to original 1982/83 scheme*) 522 Springfield MO 524 Kansas City MO/KS area (northwest MO, eastern KS) 526 Ft.Smith AR 528 Little Rock AR 530 Pine Bluff AR 532 Witchita KS 534 Topeka KS 536 Oklahoma City OK 538 Tulsa OK 540 El Paso TX 542 Midland TX 544 Lubbock TX 546 Amarillo TX 548 Witchita Falls TX 550 Abilene TX 552 Dallas TX 554 Longview TX 556 Waco TX 558 Austin TX 560 Houston TX 562 Beaumont TX 564 Corpus Christi TX 566 San Antonio TX 568 Brownsville TX 570 Hearne TX (incl. GTE- Bryan TX, was to be its own LATA) (*LATA 570 was added to original 1982/83 scheme*) 6NX - US West (27 total) ============= 620 Rochester MN (skipped 622, was to be Brainerd MN???, now part of #636) 624 Duluth MN 626 St.Cloud MN 628 Minneapolis-St.Paul MN 630 Sioux City IA 632 Des Moines IA 634 Davenport IA (incl. some of northwest IL indep/Ameritech) 635 Cedar Rapids IA (*added to 'original' 1982/83 scheme*) 636 Brainerd MN / Fargo ND (northwestern MN and eastern ND) 638 Bismark ND 640 South Dakota (skipped 642, was to be somewhere in SD??? NE???) 644 Omaha NE (incl. part of southwestern IA) 646 Grand Island NE 648 Great Falls MT 650 Billings MT 652 Idaho (southern) 654 Wyoming 656 Denver CO 658 Colorado Springs CO 660 Utah (skipped 662 southeast UT? northwest NM? now part of Navajo's #980/981?) 664 New Mexico 666 Phoenix AZ 668 Tucson AZ 670 Eugene OR 672 Portland OR (incl.part of southwestern WA) 674 Seattle WA 676 Spokane WA (includes part of central Idaho) 7NX - Pacific Telesis (12 total) ===================== 720 Reno NV 721 Pahrump NV (southern NV, including Sprint's Centel Las Vegas, was to be own LATA) (*LATA 721 was added to original 1982/83 scheme*) 722 San Francisco CA 724 Chico CA 726 Sacramento CA 728 Fresno CA 730 Los Angeles CA (extends into 'independent' southwestern AZ) 732 San Diego CA 734 Bakersfield CA 736 Monterey CA 738 Stockton CA 740 San Luis Obispo CA 8NX - "offshore & international" ================================ 820 Puerto Rico (ITT) 822 US Virgin Islands (ITT) 824 Bahamas (pseudo-LATA) (C&W) 826 Jamaica (pseudo-LATA) (C&W) 828 Dominican Republic (pseudo-LATA) (GTE/ITT) 830 "other Caribbean islands" (pseudo-LATA) (C&W) (Trinidad & Tobago, Bermuda, Cayman Is, Turks & Caicos Is, British West Indies from British Virgin Is to Grenada including Barbados) 832 Alaska (AT&T Alascom) 834 Hawaii (GTE) 836 Midway-Wake (also CNMI-Guam-Am.Samoa?) (GTE/RCA) 838 Mexico (pseudo-LATA) (Telemex/ITT) 840 "international/overseas" (pseudo-LATA) Canadian "pseudo" LATA's 850 Bell Canada- Quebec (BCE- Bell Canada Enterprises; this "LATA" also includes many of BCE-Telebec's local and toll switches, particularly in central/western PQ and the Iles-de-la- Madeline area in the Gulf of St.Lawrence, also Schefferville PQ on the PQ/NF(LB) border; also in this "LATA" are local central offices of a number of small indep.telcos in Quebec which home on a Bell Canada toll/tandem switch) 851 Bell Canada- Ontario (BCE- Bell Canada Enterprises; this "LATA" also includes: the ON Govt/Railways owned Ontario Northland Telecommunications local and toll office switches (which BCE-Northern Tel homes on) and BCE-Northern Telephone's local central offices, as well as the local central offices of a number of small independent telcos in Ontario which home on a Bell Canada toll/tandem switch, in particular: Thunder Bay Telecommunications and Manitoulin-Is.Tel/Amtelicom) 881 Edmonton AB (EdTel, now part of "Telus" Corp) 882 Prince Rupert City BC (municipally owned "independent") 883 GTE's Quebec Telephone (discontiguous- separated into two parts of Quebec, eastern and southern by some of Bell Canada's territory; this "LATA" also includes a number of small independent telcos in Quebec which home on a GTE-Quebec toll switch, in particular: Sogetel with about a dozen local offices in the southern PQ part of this "LATA"; BCE-Telebec's Fermont PQ local exchange on the PQ/NF(LB) border is in the eastern PQ part of this "LATA") 884 Alberta (except Edmonton) (AGT is part of "Telus" Corp) 885 Newfoundland (NewTel is partially owned by BCE) 886 GTE's British Columbia Telephone Co. 887 Prince Edward Island (Island Telephone, owned by MT&T of NS) 888 Manitoba (MTS) 889 Nova Scotia (MT&T- Maritime Tel & Tel, partially owned by BCE) 890 New Brunswick (NBTel is partially owned by BCE) 891 Saskatchewan (Saskatel) 892 "Northwestel" (owned by BCE) (northern BC, YT, NWT-incl.old Bell Canada in eastern/Arctic NWT) 9NX - "independent" LATA's (continental US) =========================================== 920 Connecticut (SNET) (two NYNEX exchanges in southwestern CT- Byram and Greenwich are NOT in this LATA- they are in NY City Metro, #132 but SNET's 'Old Greenwich' IS in this LATA; also a local independent, Woodbury (CT) Tel is in this LATA) 921 Fishers Island NY (Fishers Is Telephone Co) 922 Cincinnati OH METRO (Cincinnati Bell Telephone) (includes suburbs in OH, KY, IN; some nearby small independents are also in this LATA) 923 Lima-Mansfield OH (SPRINT-United) (discontiguous- separated into two sgmnts by LATA #324 Columbus OH, into Mansfield area in central OH and Lima area in western OH) 924 Erie PA (GTE) 927 Harrisonburg VA (GTE-Contel) 928 Charlottesville VA (SPRINT-Centel) 929 Edinburg VA (Shenandoah Telephone) 930 Epps Fork VA (SPRINT-United's Carolina Tel & Tel) 932 Bluefield WV (Citizen's Telecom, southern WV; GTE, western VA) 937 Richmond IN (GTE) (incl. part of western OH) 938 Terre Haute IN (GTE) (incl. part of eastern IL) 939 Ft.Myers FL (SPRINT-United) (939-01 Avon Park EA; 939-02 Ft.Myers EA) 949 Fayetteville NC (SPRINT-United's Carolina Tel & Tel) 951 Rocky Mount NC (SPRINT-United's Carolina Tel & Tel) 952 Tampa FL (GTE) 953 Talahassee FL (SPRINT-Centel) 956 Bristol TN/VA - Johnson City TN (SPRINT-United's Inter-Mountain Tel) (northeastern TN and extreme southwestern VA) 958 Lincoln NE (Lincoln Tel & Tel) 960 Coeur d'Alene ID (GTE)- north Idaho, parts of northeast WA 961 San Angelo TX (GTE) 963 Kalispell MT (Northwestern Telephone Co. of Montana) 973 Palm Springs CA (GTE) 974 Rochester NY (Frontier's Rochester Tel) 976 Mattoon IL (Illinois Consolidated Telephone Co) 977 Macomb/Galesburg IL (GTE) 978 Olney IL (GTE) 980 Navajo Communications of Arizona (northeastern AZ) 981 Navajo Communications of Utah (southeastern UT) 999 (default "LATA" code for NPA's 500, 800, 900, etc) MARK J. CUCCIA PHONE/WRITE/WIRE: HOME: (USA) Tel: CHestnut 1-2497 WORK: mcuccia@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu |4710 Wright Road| (+1-504-241-2497) Tel:UNiversity 5-5954(+1-504-865-5954)|New Orleans 28 |fwds on no-answr to Fax:UNiversity 5-5917(+1-504-865-5917)|Louisiana(70128)|cellular/voicemail ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 17:58:54 +0100 From: Peter Judge Subject: Numbering Chaos in the UK Dear Patrick, Here is a story, from another publication which I edit, which might be of interest to TELECOM Digest readers. << from Telecoms Newsline, a news service sponsored by Hewlett-Packard >> ------------------------------ Oh no! It's PhoneDay again! =========================== UK telephone subscribers are to face further upheaval in the national numbering scheme by the end of the decade, says Oftel. Despite the extra digit 1 added to most area codes on the so-called PhoneDay barely 16 months ago, codes in London, Cardiff, Portsmouth, Southampton and Belfast will all have to change to meet demand for numbers. If the proposals go through, London will have its third code change in ten years. Oftel's Director General Don Cruickshank - who inherited a shambles on the numbering front - did the only thing possible in the circumstances, confessing; "Our ability to forecast the increase in demand for numbers hasn't been too good." On a more robust note, he added, "The UK is in the forefront of the information revolution because we have one of the world's most competitive and dynamic markets in telecoms networks and services. If we are to maintain our leading position and its rewards, our numbering scheme must keep pace." For London, the proposals would mean a new code, 020 (and possibly 022), followed by eight digit numbers consisting of the existing phone number, preceded by a 7 or 8. The proposals also aim to iron out inconsistencies involving mobile phones, premium rate numbers and other 'special' tariffs. Mr Cruickshank said that between 25 and 30 other areas are running out of numbers and would need action in the next 15 or 20 years. Oftel has been reported as predicting that these changes, taken together will be the last - though similar things were said about PhoneDay. They should last for thirty years, reported Radio 4's Today programme, by which time everyone will use portable numbers and Internet addresses. TN particularly enjoyed the pithy views expressed by Mr Derek Broom of Northampton on 7 August in a letter to the Financial Times: "BT's PhoneDay swept the problem under the mat, and the industry regulator, Oftel, is again lifting a carpet bulging with effluvium. "Eleven digits imply an ultimate address potential of 99 billion," says Mr Broom. "Where have all the numbers gone?" He blames holdovers from the electromechanical Strowger system (such as the initial zero in UK numbers), and from BT's monopoly. His interesting suggestion is an Internet-style agency to register numbers to subscribers and hold directory information, paid for by enquiry and registration fees. "Although Oftel has now taken responsibility for numbering,", he says, "it has neither the resource nor the scope to tackle this fundamental problem." ------------------------------ (c) Hewlett-Packard. Telecoms Newsline is a free independent news service cvering the UK telecoms market, sponsored by Hewlett-Packard. Editor: Peter Judge Contributor: Annie Turner To subscribe, send a message to hp@globalnews.com, with the word 'subscribe' in the subject or the body of the message. ------------------------------ From: Florian <104665.1403@compuserve.com> Subject: Pulse Metering on D-channel (ISDN) Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 15:05:50 -0400 Organization: CyberGate, Inc. Reply-To: 104665.1403@compuserve.com What are the solutions for pulse metering using the D-channel? Are there any specifications/recommendations available on the subject for the US and the European market? Florian Damas mailto:104665.1403@compuserve.com ------------------------------ From: Florian <104665.1403@compuserve.com> Subject: Looking for English/French Telecommunications Dictionary Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 15:01:54 -0400 Organization: CyberGate, Inc. Reply-To: 104665.1403@compuserve.com Are there any good telecommunications dictionaries on the Web in English with the translations of the terms in French? Florian Damas mailto:104665.1403@compuserve.com ------------------------------ From: Michael Wengler Subject: Re: Calling Card Rates to Mexico Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 09:24:06 -0700 Organization: QUALCOMM, Inc. Yosef Rabinowitz wrote: > I have a customer who rents office space in a standard business > center. The landlord has exclusivity on the phone lines and charges > AT&T's standard rates + 20%. Customer does a few thousand minutes to > Mexico zones 4 and 7. I cannot give 10XXX service since the landlord > has blocked it. I am looking for a calling card platform (pre-paid or > otherwise) that has rates to Mexico at 50 cents per minute or less. The VoiceNet International Travel Card has these rates to Mexico: Mexico band 1 $0.45 Mexico band 2 $0.51 Mexico band 3 $0.63 Mexico band 4 $0.71 Mexico band 5 $0.79 Card can be used from any US phone, requires making an 800 number call to access. This is a credit card, customer is billed after calls are made. Charge is 6-second increment with a 30-second minimum per call. No other charges apply (no signup, monthly, surcharge or anything. Just pay for minutes on the phone.) http://www.he.net/~wengler/VoiceNet for information, rates, and application form. Thanks, Mike ------------------------------ From: Michael Wengler Subject: Re: Wireless Satellite Communication - A Challenge Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 09:37:45 -0700 Organization: Qualcomm, Inc. William J. Halverson wrote: > Mark Rivers wrote: >> Marvin Demuth wrote: >>> WHAT WE NEED: >>> We need facilities, preferably involving satellite communication with >>> voice, fax and email capabilities, at low cost. I have seen figures >>> from $1.49 to $9.00 per minute on the Web for satellite service. We >>> need something better than this. We need to be spending our funds on > >SNIP< >> It can be done now but it is not inexpensive! > I suggest you check out what Iridium and Teledesyc [sic] have planned > for LEOS systems. Iridium [Motorola initiated] is designed to provide > voice comm, while Teledesyc [a Bill Gates venture] aims to provide > mobile videoconferencing via satellites. 1) Motorola's Iridium is not there yet. I *think* they are scheduled for commercial service in 1998, but a quick glance at their web pages didn't yield the date to me. 2) Teledesic is, I'm pretty sure, even further into the future. 3) Globalstar will also be up for commercial service in 1998 (I don't speak officially, I'm just trying to accurately present plans that have been made public in the past.) Some info on Globalstar can be found at http://www.qualcomm.com/IR/stockmtg/comm/P001.html and following pages. Mike Wengler NOT speaking officially for Qualcomm, but as a TELECOM Digest reader only. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #415 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Fri Aug 16 02:24:17 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id CAA05279; Fri, 16 Aug 1996 02:24:17 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 02:24:17 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608160624.CAA05279@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #416 TELECOM Digest Fri, 16 Aug 96 02:24:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 416 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Internet Law Symposium 96 (ils95@halcyon.com) Destiny Telecomm Spam (Clive Dawson) Inbound Call Blocker (Glenn Kurtzrock) Agis - Formerly Net99 Performance (Eberhard Weber) Need Simple Phone Line Tester (Dave Close) Re: What is Davar? (John Dearing) Re: PBXs and Year 2000 Problems (Mickey Ferguson) Re: Voicemail and Unix (Jailbait) Re: What is a Panasonic 12/32 Worth? (Michael N. Marcus) Re: Wireless Satellite Communication - A Challenge (Marvin Demuth) Re: End of Permissive Dialing in 954 (Ron Schnell) Re: ISDN D-Channel Data and Internet Voice (Gary Sanders) Re: USA Technology is Awfully Backward (Craig Morton) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Internet Law Subject: Internet Law Symposium 96 Date: 16 Aug 1996 02:50:02 GMT Organization: IGI A N N O U N C I N G INTERNET LAW SYMPOSIUM 96 http://www.internetlaw.org THE SECOND ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL LAW & POLICY SUMMIT FOR THE GLOBAL INTERNET internet.l@w/symposium/96..Seattle, Washington..USA..September 9 & 10, 1996 I N T R O D U C T I O N T O I L S 9 6 INTERNET LAW SYMPOSIUM 96 (ILS96) is the second annual international law and policy summit for the global Internet. Within a few years, the Internet has dramatically changed the way the world shares information in a borderless environment. Because law is an information business, it too will undergo immense change as the Internet re-configures domestic and international political and economic structures. INTERNET LAW SYMPOSIUM 96 soars beyond other Internet conferences by providing a platform where technology and law converge in a healthy tension balanced by experts or delegates from business, education, policy, legislation security, and justice. From this wealth of perspectives ILS96 will develop a sound framework for Internet law, regulations, and legislation. INTERNET LAW SYMPOSIUM 96 not only provides a platform for conversing with many international Internet legal and technology experts, it will present some of the latest Internet technology breakthroughs in the areas of electronic commerce and distance collaboration -- and even a glimpse into the future. INTERNET LAW SYMPOSIUM 96 September 9 & 10, 1996 - Seattle USA Host: Seattle University School of Law Approved CLE Credits: 10.5 With Support of: IBM MICROSOFT US WEST AT&T CHRISTENSEN O'CONNER JOHNSON & KINDNESS CORPORATE COMPUTER INC. INTERNET GROUP INC. In Cooperation With: PROGRESS & FREEDOM FOUNDATION CENTER FOR INTERNET FUTURE ELECTRONIC COMMERCE RESOURCE CTR. (ARPA) WASHINGTON ST. DEPT. OF INFORMATION SERVICES UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON CLE e-COMM NORTHWEST P R E S E N T I N G HON. ALEX KOZINSKI A highlight of ILS96 will be the appearance of Judge Alex Kozinski of the US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals (Pasadena). Associates describe Judge Kozinski as a "path breaker who refuses to do things the same old way. He innovates as he goes ... The sky is Judge Kozinski's limit. "His non-judicial talents include bungee jumping, snow boarding, and performing magic tricks . According to Professor Laurence Tribe, Judge Kozinski possesses "one of the few genuinely interesting minds in the judiciary." D I S T I N G U I S H E D F A C U L T Y ...Neil Abrams, Counsel, Internet Division, IBM ...Bret Arsenault, Director, Internet Western Division, Microsoft, San Francisco ...Eric Bozich, Market Development, US West !NTERPRISE, Denver ...Lisa Brownlee, Attorney, Trenite Van Doorne, Amsterdam ...Scott Charney, Computer Crimes Division, Department of Justice, Washington DC ...Tony Clapes, Senior Advisor, IBM, Armonk NY ...Robert C. Cumbow, Associate, Perkins Coie, Seattle ..Carl R. Middlehurst, Asst. Gen. Counsel, Sun Microsystems, Mountain View ...Dr. Peter Gemmell, Sr. Member Technical Team, Sandia National Labs, Albuquerque,NM ...Neal Friedman, Attorney, Pepper & Corazzini, LLP, Washington DC ...M.Graeber Jordan, Sr. Mgr., Electronic Commerce Implementation, Boeing Co., Bellevue ...Margaret Chon, Assoc. Prof., Syracuse Univ. Law School; visiting Seattle Univ. law professor ...Michael J. Phillips, Pres. & CEO, The Frank Russell Company, Tacoma ...Robert Gellman, Exec. Director, Virtual Magistrate Project, Washington DC . ...Richard T. Black, Associate, Christensen O'Connor Johnson Kindness, Seattle ..Giuliano Chicco, Mgr. Legal Resources, General Electric Company, Faifield, CT ...Rex B. Hughes, Internet Strategist, Corporate Computer, Seattle ...Charles C. Marson, Outside Counsel, Netscape, San Francisco ...Tom C. Rose, Consultant, Market Response/ Sr. Applications Engineer, GTE Northwest, Everett ...James E. Bond, Dean, School of Law, Seattle University ...Chun M. Ng, Attorney,Christensen O'Connor Johnson Kindness, Seattle ...Joan Rogers, Legal Editor, ABA, Bureau of National Affairs, Washington DC ...Robert C. Smith, Sr. Engineer, Electronic Commerce Resource Center/ Concurrent Technologies Inc.,Bremerton ...Mark Ryland, OLE Business Systems Group, Microsoft, Redmond ...David Skover, Professor, School of Law, Seattle University ...Horton Smith, Exec. Direc., Pacific Basin Council, RAdm. US Navy, Attorney, Seattle ...Walter Taucher, President, Corporate Computer, Inc. ...Dr. Robert Spitzer SJ, CPA & Professor of Ethics, Seattle University ...Daniel J. Weitzner, Co-founder Center for Democracy & Technology, Washington, DC ...Dr.Peter Gemmell, Sr. Team Member, Sandi National Laboratories, Albuquerque ... ...Dan M.Waggoner, Partner, Davis Wright Tremaine, Seattle ...Jonathan Wallace, Author, Attorney & VP Operations, Pencom Systems, Brooklyn ...Charles C. Marson, Outside Counsel, Netscape, San Francisco ...Hon. Walter E. Webster, Presiding Chief Judge. Wash. St. Court of Appeals, Seattle ...Hon. Rick White, US House of Representatives, WA 1st District (w/ US Congress Internet Caucus) Quick Info................Quick Info................Quick Info.............. Information 206 329 3392 Tel Registration 206 236 9559 Fax Registration 203 329 3225 Secure Internet Registration by IBM: http://shop.ibm.com/shopping/law Mail Registration coupon at end of this message: ILS96 - PO Box 1400 - Seattle, WA 98114 Housing Hotline (Seattle Visitors Bureau) 800 535 7071 Seattle University Location: Broadway & Madison SU Parking: Broadway parking garage Email: ils96@internetlaw.org On the World Wide Web: http://www.internetlaw.org ILS96 program chair Robert C. Cumbow of Perkins Coie Seattle explains the purpose of this annual forum: "INTERNET LAW SYMPOSIUM 96 is an important event that will address growing concerns about digital communications and Internet issues that face the entire international community--attorneys and clients alike. There is worldwide interest in this second annual meeting to update our ongoing analysis of legal and civil rights issues related to the Internet." Who? What? How? Hence, with sleeves rolled up during the two days of INTERNET LAW SYMPOSIUM 96 managers, executives, educators, lawyers, judges, engineers, developers among others will examine the Internet as a medium with no equal and one that challenges all sectors. Through lively Q&A delegates from all walks of life will offer advice for the scheduled faculty of experts. ILS96 Program Topics ...Reviewing the Year of the Internet ...Questions & Advice for US Congress Internet Caucus: Live ...Harmonization Across the Global Internet ...Black Letter Law & Blue Ribbon Rights: Internet Civil Liberties ...Alternative Dispute Resolution via the Internet ...Net Crime Report from US Dept. of Justice ...Internet Technology Break Throughs Especially for Professionals ...Intranets in Corporate Legal Departments ...New Directions in Electronic Commerce ...Intellectual Property Adventures on the Internet ...Netiquette, Etiquette, & Ethics ...The Futurists Look at the Internet, the Law, & You WHAT GEORGE GILDER SAID AT INTERNET LAW SYMPOSIUM 95... As Forbes ASAP contributing editor, George Gilder, noted at last year's INTERNET LAW SYMPOSIUM: "In the future, virtually, all law will be Internet law in one way or another ... Law is an information business, and like all other informational businesses, it will be transformed." For the sake of your company or profession, by attending ILS96 you can do your part to make sure that the information/communication transformation works for you and your interests! REGISTRATION FEE The cost of the program is $345 per person with advanced registration paid on or before August 20, 1996. After August 20, the fee is $395. SEPTEMBER 9-10 SEATTLE UNIVERSITY USA http://www.internetlaw.org ils96@internetlaw.org Name___________________________________________________________________ Firm/Company___________________________________________________________ Practice_______________________________________________________________ Address________________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip_________________________________________________________ Tel____________________________Fax_____________________________________ WWW____________________________E-Mail__________________________________ PAYMENT INFORMATION: Charge: __Visa __MasterCard #________________________________________________ Exp.Dat __ __ __ __ *Essential Information* Street Address of Cardholder_________________________________________________ CANCELLATION/REFUND POLICY: Cancellations must be made in writing. All refunds are based on U.S. Postmark date of written notice. Cancellations postmarked on or before August 10, 1996, receive full refund less $50 processing fee. No refunds will begiven after August 20, 1996. Substitutions are allowed when notice of such presented in writing. By my signature below, I hereby authorize ILS 96 to debit my credit card for the total amount. I have read and understand the terms and conditions of this registration agreement. ________________________________Date___________________Total $_______________ (Signature) ________________________________________________ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 96 17:04:50 CDT From: Clive Dawson Subject: Destiny Telecomm Spam Hi Pat, I just got spammed by somebody representing Destiny Telecomm International which is apparently in the business of reselling prepaid calling cards. Apparently you can sign up to be one of their "agents", and then you get to sign up still more agents, etc. Of course it's not long before one or more of them resorts to spamming. Have you heard of this outfit before? I would be VERY surprised if you haven't already been asked to publish this drek in the Digest. Cheers and congrats on getting to year 15! Clive Dawson [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Yes, I've heard of Destiny and I get their junkmail now and then ... every couple weeks or so. What you say is true; its just another MLM scheme with lots of spamming and junkmailing to the net as part of the process. Thanks for your kind note of encouragement on the latest anniversary here. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Glenn Kurtzrock Subject: Inbound Call Blocker Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 01:49:24 -0400 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC Hello, I was wondering if someone could help me out. I'm trying to find a place that sells inbound call blockers (you may know it by a different name). What it is, is a device which you hook up to your phone line, and when anyone calls you a recording asks them to enter a code. If they type in the correct code the phone rings, if they don't it hangs up on them. This obviously is a fantastic way to eliminate unsolicited telemarketers, wrong numbers, crank calls, etc. I've spoken to several electronic retail outlets and a few of them said they sold these years ago (one said they ran out a few months ago). I would figure an item like this would be very popular (one place told me it was only about $45). I have been looking for this for some time, if anyone knows where I might be able to get one, please let me know, it would be much appreciated. Thanks! ------------------------------ From: glosys@valleynet.com (Eberhard Weber) Subject: Agis - Formerly Net99 Performance Date: 15 Aug 1996 15:31:28 -0700 Organization: Research Project On Global Systems My service provider uses Agis, formerly net99, and the performance of Agis is pathetic, to be generous in my choice of terms. Invariably, if traffic slows down or is interrupted, it is due to Agis. Does anyone else share this experience? I am puzzled that a company is allowed to remain part of the internet communication links when its performance is routinely far below acceptable standards. Your experiences/impressions would be appreciated. Eberhard Weber glosys@psnw.com Research Project On Global Systems ------------------------------ Subject: Need Simple Phone Line Tester Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 23:09:17 -0700 From: Dave Close I've looked through a few catalogs but I haven't found what I really need. We have quite a few users with portable PCs using PC-Card modems in strange locations daily. All too frequently, they connect those modems to digital phone lines and then get very upset when their calls don't go through. Sometimes they destroy the modems. What I'd like is a simple test tool they could use to verify that the phone line is appropriate and working before they connect their modem. I know that a handset connector device would solve the problem. But in a portable world, carrying a separate power supply, indeed carrying anything more than a three-inch line cord with a green light at one end, just wouldn't get done. I don't need a solution for a permanent location, I need a test that can be performed in a minute or less. And, of course, price is important; I suspect such a device should be possible for less than ten dollars. Any suggestions? Dave Close, Compata, Costa Mesa CA dave@compata.com, +1 714 434 7359 dhclose@alumni.caltech.edu ------------------------------ From: jdearing@netaxs.com (John Dearing) Subject: Re: What is Davar? Date: 15 Aug 1996 17:06:32 GMT Organization: Philadelphia's Complete Internet Provider Tad Cook (tad@ssc.com) wrote: > In GTE territory east of Seattle, you can dial 411 (which was retired > about a quarter century ago as the directory assistance number) and > get a computer voice which reads back the number you are calling from. > If you dial # before the voice starts, then it reads back the number > in the form of a rapid DTMF sequence. > I've heard this system is called DAVAR. What is it used for? I can > understand how the voice announcement could be useful for pair > identification, but exactly how is the DTMF readback of the calling > number used? DAVAR is used by the Telco to verify what is actually on each pair. The results are then passed on to folks that compare the DAVAR records with the mechanized database. Discrepancies are then corrected in the mechanized databse. This is a quick way to verify large numbers of pairs that appear at places like SAI (Serving Area Interface) boxes and large DC terminals in businesses. There are plenty of opportunities for discrepancies to creep in to the databases placing the database "out of sync" with the Real World. 'Fer instance ... It's late in the afternoon and pouring rain. You just fixed a customers trouble by dropping the "out pair" at a SAI. Everything is OK now and you head off to the C.O. to dry off and give the updated information to the inside forces. You call and call but can't get through because there are too few inside folks for the call volumes. It's getting late and it's time to start heading back to the garage to drop off the truck and go home. Back at the garage you make one last try to get through ... no luck. You make a mental note to call back again on Monday but forget. And so it goes ... (Been there, done that) John Dearing : Philadelphia Area Computer Society IBM SIG President Email : jdearing@netaxs.com U.S.Snail : 46 Oxford Drive, Langhorne PA 19047 (USA) Voice Phone : +1.215.757.8803 (after 5pm Eastern) ------------------------------ From: Mickey Ferguson Subject: Re: PBXs and Year 2000 Problems Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 10:18:56 -0700 Organization: Stac, Inc. John G. Brouwer wrote: > My question for all of your wise and knowledgeable readers/ > participants is this: > Will the "year 2000 issue" which is reported to be threatening so many > mainframes, workstations and PCs also have an impact on PBXs or other > telephone equipment ? Short answer: Absolutely! When I worked for Rolm, we had even talked about this issue back at least four years ago. We knew it was coming, and were putting plans into place to deal with it. But let's face it; some companies keep their equipment in place for many years, so a PBX which was built in 1992 may still be in service, yet never dealt with the issue. Every company with their own equipment (not under a maintenance contract which would / should cover this) will have to deal with it. Typical issues that are affected are things like Call Detail Recording (Rolm's term, maybe not industry-wide), where they make a record of all calls made. Basically, just about any statistics gathering will be affected, and PBXes have many areas where they gather and analyze stats that have time and date impact. Note that I no longer work for Rolm and obviously have no official word from them. ------------------------------ From: jailbait@asylum.apocalypse.org (Jailbait) Subject: Re: Voicemail and Unix Date: 15 Aug 1996 12:55:22 -0400 Organization: JB Distribution Uninc. Reply-To: jailbait@apocalypse.org Ed James (edjames@migration.com) wrote: > Has anyone had any experience hooking a unix box up to a > vociemail system that isn't designed for it? > If I could hook the unix box up to the parallel port of the > Startalk, and if I could convince the startalk to generate > reports on a daily basis (or more frequently), I could parse > the report on the unix side, and generate the required > voicemail. Not that it's acutually helpful in this instance, but FYI: If you want to consider changing voicemail systems to Meridian Mail, I know that the controling hardware/software behind the system is a HP/UX box. In your case, you may want to badger your verdor for as much technical information as possible, wherein you may find out that the underlying hardware is already something much more useful than you thought. My big switch question is: WHY haven't they built TCP/IP support into phone switches yet? With a little bit of work you could make a secure system that could be programmed from the office of the person who does the programming work and not just from a dedicated terminal in the same room with the switch. Hell, at a very very minimum, I want NTP (Network Time Protocol) support built in. Having to reset the time and date manaually on my (well, my (previous) company's (previous)) switch everytime power went out or such, and having to check it regularly for drift when we had a perfectly good ntp server sitting ten feet away from the switch was always really annoying. JB ------------------------------ Date: 15 Aug 96 13:00:10 EDT From: Michael N. Marcus <74774.2166@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Re: What is a Panasonic 12/32 Worth? > I have a Panasonic PBX that is a 12/32 (but configured as an 8/32) > that I want to sell, and am curious what it is worth. It is mfg'd in > Dec. 94, and was lightly used between 1/95 and 3/96. I think we paid > about $2700 for it. Any suggestions as to how I can find out the > going price for this item would be appreciated (and any offers will be > considered). The price you get will depend on how close to the "end-user" you can sell it. If you can sell directly to an end-user, you should be able to get 60-80% of what you paid. If you sell to a dealer, probably 40 - 50% of what you paid. If you sell to a wholesale distributor (or "refurbisher"), who sells to dealers, you might get only 25-30% of what you paid. You did not indicate whether this is the analog or digital 1232. There is currently much less market for the analog 1232. My company (Able Communications, Inc.) specializes in Panasonic KX-T systems. Our Website has a "flea market" page, with free classified ads for people who want to sell used equipment. There is no charge for a listing, and we don't make any money on the sale. Take a look at www.ablecomm.comm, and send email if you want to list your system. Good luck, Michael N. Marcus Able Communications, Inc. 74774.2166@compuserve.cpm www.ablecomm.com ------------------------------ From: MarvinDemuth@worldnet.att.net (Marvin Demuth) Subject: Re: Wireless Satellite Communication - A Challenge Date: 15 Aug 1996 14:18:30 GMT Organization: AT&T WorldNet Services Earlier I wrote: > WHAT WE NEED: > We need facilities, preferably involving satellite communication with > voice, fax and email capabilities, at low cost. I have seen figures > from $1.49 to $9.00 per minute on the Web for satellite service. We > need something better than this. We need to be spending our funds on > drilling wells and providing medical care for people who have no > resources. Preferably, we need to be able to operate at both ends with > non-licensed operators, just the same as it would be if we were making > a telephone call. Mark Rivers confirmed the cost of INMARSAT-M at $4.50 (US) and wrote: > A cheaper alternative would be using an MSAT which provides coverage > over North and Central America. Currently the system offers voice and > data capabilities but does not offer fax. The fax capability should > be out soon but do not hold your breath. Cost for this system is > approximately $4K US for the equipment (+ or - $1K depending on the > model) and airtime rates vary but range between $1.55 - $2.75 per > minute CANADIAN. I am not sure how the rates and billing proceedures > work in the states. Can anyone give their experience with MSAT from the US to the Caribbean area? Can anyone give me by posting or e-mail the best rates available in the US for this service? Does anyone know of any special MSAT arrangements that can be made for organizations engaged in humanitarian work? Marvin Demuth ------------------------------ From: ronnie@twitch.mit.edu (Ron Schnell) Subject: Re: End of Permissive Dialing in 954 Date: 15 Aug 1996 12:33:40 GMT Organization: MIT In article wes.leatherock@hotelcal. com (Wes Leatherock) writes: > Some customers (by far the vast majority) are not like the people in > this newsgroup and are very concerned to know when they are dialing a > toll call. Your sarcastic generalization is misplaced. How does allowing customers to dial 1 before any ten digit number prohibit this? If you want to know if it is a toll call, don't dial 1. If the call goes through, it isn't a toll call. It would be the same as it is now. The only difference is that software and people who expect to be able to dial 1 would be able to. If you had read previous posts, it would be obvious that "people in this newsgroup" don't want to prohibit what you are looking for. Ron ronnie@space.mit.edu ------------------------------ From: gws@monroe.cb.att.com (Gary Sanders) Subject: Re: ISDN D-Channel Data and Internet Voice Date: 15 Aug 1996 12:41:55 GMT Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Columbus Ohio. Reply-To: gary.w.sanders@att.com In article is noted: > Ameritech has D channel packet service available, and you can access > thier WEB page for pricing and other specifics. However, I don't think > you'll be able to use the Dx.25 service for voice calls, internet or > not. They may have it but it doesnt go anywhere outside ameritech as of a few months ago. Gary W. Sanders (N8EMR) gws@sunray.cb.att.com AT&T Columbus,Ohio 614-860-5965 ------------------------------ From: Craig Morton Subject: Re: USA Technology is Awfully Backward Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 14:51:38 -0700 Organization: Communications Engineer / Moving Data P/L Reply-To: cmorton@ozemail.com.au Demian Vieira de Souza wrote: > On the other hand the use of measurements is particular to the field > of work you are in. For example aviation uses "feet", particularly > "thousands of feet" worldwide (according to some pilots I know). And > we techies all over the world do have an affinity for those darn 1's > and 0's we call "bits." So it is all relative. I believe its feet for vertical, metres for horizontal - standardization at work. Do you count your bits from the left or right? Ha Ha Craig ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #416 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Fri Aug 16 11:11:02 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id LAA05595; Fri, 16 Aug 1996 11:11:02 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 11:11:02 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608161511.LAA05595@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #417 TELECOM Digest Fri, 16 Aug 96 11:11:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 417 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Prefix Changes in Houston (Tad Cook) Calififornia Peninsula Gets New Area Code (Tad Cook) California Split (Tad Cook) A Particularly Vicious Bulk E-mailer (Dave Keeny) Announcement: Third Workshop on Telematics (Johann Ong) Letter to New York PSC (Danny Burstein) Re: End of Permissive Dialing in 954 (Robert McMillin) Re: Calling Card Rates to Mexico (Yosef Rabinowitz) Re: New California Area Codes Unveiled (Jared Gottlieb) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tad Cook Subject: Prefix Changes in Houston Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 23:58:13 PDT Change in 36 Prefixes is First Step Toward New Area Code in Houston By Michael Davis, Houston Chronicle Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 16--Houston takes its first step toward a new area code Saturday with the change of 36 existing phone number prefixes. The prefix changes -- affecting mostly cellular phones -- are being made to eliminate duplication among numbers involved in the overall split of Houston into two area codes over the next nine months. The prefix is the first three digits of a seven-digit telephone number. Under the final area code split, numbers outside of a boundary that roughly follows Beltway 8 will carry the 281 area code. Those within will remain 713 numbers. About 1.2 million people outside the beltway will see their numbers change when the split takes place. Thousands of people will get a new phone number Saturday with the change in prefixes. Most of the numbers affected in this initial changeover involve cellular phones and pagers, although some traditional lines will change, too. Southwestern Bell estimates about 60 of its customers will be affected by the change in prefixes. GTE estimates it will have about 600 to 1,000 customers affected. GTE Mobilnet, which as a rule does not disclose how many customers it has, would say only "several thousand" will be affected. A Houston Cellular spokeswoman said several thousand of the company's customers will see a change. Although the 281 area code has been in use for more than a year for wireless telecommunications devices, such as cellular phones and pagers, Saturday will mark the first time a 713 number will change to the 281 area code. The majority of prefixes changing Saturday are existing 281 wireless numbers. Only three 713 residential prefixes -- in Kemah, Stafford and west Houston near Cinco Ranch -- will change. "GTE Mobilnet is personally contacting all customers affected by this ruling and will be making every effort to make the transaction as easy as possible," said Karen Puckett, president of GTE Mobilnet-Texas. Customers of Houston Cellular who will see number changes have been notified by letter, said Peggy Mahoney, company spokeswoman. They will have to come in and have their phones reprogrammed at a company outlet, she said. The problem of duplication arose when the Public Utility Commission ordered the city geographically split into two area codes rather than allow Bell to overlay a second area code over 713, as was originally planned. Because Bell and other companies have been issuing 281 numbers for wireless communications since March 1995, many of the 713 numbers that will change to 281 will duplicate already-issued 281 numbers. The 36 new prefixes will eliminate the duplication. For example, (281) 256- numbers will change to (281) 270- because there is an existing (713) 256- group of numbers outside the beltway that will have to change to (281) 256- in November. "The PUC mandated that whoever had the number first gets to keep it," said Chris Talley, spokesman for Southwestern Bell in Houston. "This is what needs to be done for a clean geographic split in Houston." Clovis McCallister, spokesman for GTE in Irving, said the company notified its customers of the coming change in a July 12 letter. To assist people whose numbers will change, a "mini-transitional" period will be established from Saturday through Oct. 2. During this time, callers may reach people with either their old or new number. From Oct. 3 through Oct. 23, if someone dials an old number, a recording will ask the caller to redial using the new number. The full area code split for all of Houston is scheduled for Nov. 2. For six months after that date, callers will be allowed "permissive dialing" in which those called can be reached by either their old or new number. The final split is set to occur on May 3, 1997. After May 3, calls from 281 to 713, or vice versa, will require dialing of all ten digits of the number. Callers will not be required to dial 1 before the area code, since the calls will still be local. Calls made within an area code will require only seven digits. Toll-free dialing will not change. People whose numbers are changing should remember to reprogram all speed-calling programs on their telephone systems, fax machines, computers and cellular phones. Security systems should be checked as well. Callers wanting more information on the changeover can call Bell's hot line/resource center at (281) 464-9000. Separately on Thursday, AT&T Corp. said it will seek arbitration in 20 states, includng Texas, to allow it to offer local phone service in areas served by GTE Corp. Currently, Southwestern Bell and AT&T are in arbitration over how they will interconnect their networks so AT&T can provide local phone service and Bell can expand into long-distance service. ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: California Peninsula Gets New Area Code Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 00:00:09 PDT California Peninsula to Get New Area Code By Howard Bryant, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 16--When the Peninsula's 49-year-old area code marriage to San Francisco ends next summer, the new number to remember will be 650. The new area code territory, the result of a vote earlier this month by the California Public Utilities Commission to split the Peninsula from the 415 code, will begin just south of the San Francisco County line, dividing Daly City and Brisbane, and will end slightly south of the Santa Clara County border, where the 408 area begins. The new code will also exist in a small portion of northern Santa Cruz County. The 650 code is scheduled to take effect Aug. 1 of next year, said Bruce Bennett, the state's area code administrator. After the code takes effect, callers will be able to use either 415 or 650 when dialing into the Peninsula for a six-month grace period, Bennett said. After that, 650 will become the Peninsula's only code. Because telephone charges are based on distance instead of dialing between area codes, no rates or charges in the new code areas will be affected, according to the PUC. Pac Bell also announced that 530 will be the new area code when the 916 area is geographically split on Nov. 1 of next year. The city and county of Sacramento will remain 916, while most of the rest of the current 916 area changes to 530. The 415 and 916 territories might be two of the last area codes to undergo geographical splits. Earlier this month, the PUC voted to use area code "overlays" -- where one code is placed within an existing one -- as a preferred method of relief. However, overlays cannot be considered until Pac Bell puts into effect "number portability," which allows customers to keep their numbers should they opt to change phone companies, and "10-digit" dialing, which means people must dial both the area code and phone number for all calls. Until these standards are met, geographic splits will continue to be the method the state uses to create new area codes. According to PUC regulatory analyst Natalie Billingsley, number portability and 10-digit dialing aren't expected to be in place for 18 months to two years. Thus the 408 area code, San Jose's since 1959, could be one of the first area codes to be subject to an overlay when it reaches capacity, which is expected in the first quarter of 1999. The recent code crunch is the result of the rapid growth of cellular phones, pagers and homes with multiple phone lines, combined with the rising number of prospective new entrants to the state's $6 billion local phone market. AT&T and MCI are among the companies that will need a pool of numbers for customers when they begin offering local phone service. The new codes are the state's 17th and 18th. By the year 2000 or shortly thereafter, California is expected to have 26 area codes, according to the PUC. The split of the 415 area code comes not a moment too soon, Pac Bell said. The company had begun rationing numbers in that region. It estimates that the 650 area code will last 11 years. "We're responding to a crisis," Bennett said. This marks the second time in five years the 415 area code has been split geographically. In 1991, the East Bay split off into the 510 area code. Pac Bell and the PUC will have to repeat this move, Bennett predicts. He estimates 415 will need yet another new area code within five years. ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: California Split Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 23:43:43 PDT 415, 916 Area Codes to Split in Two By BURT HERMAN Associated Press Writer SACRAMENTO (AP) -- Two of California's three original telephone area codes will be split in two next year, Pacific Bell announced Thursday. The 415 and 916 area codes will be divided to accommodate the increasing demand for phone numbers brought on by cellular phones, facsimile machines and pagers. About three million people will fall into the new area codes, to be known as 650 and 530. The new 650 code for the southern San Francisco peninsula begins at the southern city line and extends southward to include most of San Mateo and parts of Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. San Francisco International Airport will be included under the new area code, which is expected to last for 11 years before another area code split is needed. The 650 area code will go into service Aug. 1, 1997, and include about two million people. One million subscribers in northeastern portion of the state will be put in the new 530 area code on Nov. 1, 1997. Sacramento County and parts of southern Placer and eastern Yolo Counties will retain the 916 area code. There will be a six-month grace period after the area codes go into effect during which the old numbers will still work. Callers will be charged the same rates that are currently in effect, regardless of whether they have to dial seven or ten digits to make a call, said Bruce Bennett, California code administrator for Pacific Bell. "The number of digits that you dial has no impact on the cost of the call," he said. The remaining portions of the 415 and 916 area codes are expected to last until 2002 before further relief is needed. Currently, more than 50 percent of the phone numbers in both area codes are assigned to cellular phones and pagers. Growth of both area codes is at an annual rate of more than 720,000 each. The day where all calls will have to be dialed with ten digits is close at hand, Bennett said. "There's a crisis going on throughout the nation," he said. In the future, new area codes will not be assigned by splitting up existing areas, but by overlaying new numbers on top. But before this can happen, Bennett said the state Public Utilities Commission has mandated that ten-digit dialing and number portability -- where a person's phone number stays with them no matter where they go -- be fully operational. Bennett estimated technology would reach that level by the beginning of 1999. To decide what the new area codes will be, research is done with focus groups to determine the most easily recognizable numbers, said Dave Miller, spokesperson for Pacific Telesis, the parent company of Pacific Bell. In the next five years, 13 new area codes will be introduced in California. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 09:50:44 +0500 From: Dave Keeny Reply-To: keenyd@ttc.com Organization: Telecommunications Techinques Corporation Subject: A Particularly Vicious Bulk E-mailer I wonder if anyone has heard of or had dealings with: Tim Luedtke Owner, First Look P.O. Box 770441 Orlando, FL 32877 (407)438-8892 Phone (407)438-7083 Fax He's been advertising bulk e-mail services, search engine registration, and the like for some time now, under various e-mail accounts (at least four that I know of). In his latest incarnation (see the "New Bulk Email Program" thread in misc.consumers) an individual who complained to him was threatened with 300,000+ e-mailings. Luedtke made good with his threat, from his 1stlook@digital.net account. The recipient called Luedtke's ISP and they pulled his account within 30 minutes. Within a couple hours, apparently, Luedtke was back again, this time flinging mailbombs from A1stlook@aol.com. I don't know how else to combat this type of miscreant other than to let others know who he is and how he operates so that, with any luck, his own reputation will drive him out of business. Too bad he has no 800 number ... Dave ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 16:54:32 HKT From: Johann Ong Subject: Announcement: Third Workshop on Telematics Third Regional Workshop on Telematics The Third Regional Workshop on Telematics is being organized by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, Italy and the United Nations University, Tokyo, Japan in collaboration with the Advanced Science and Technology Institute of the Department of Science and Technology, Government of the Philippines, and the National Engineering Center of the University of the Philippines at Manila, Philippines from 18 November 1996 to 6 December 1996. The workshop will be directed by Professor M.V. Pitke of Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay, India and Professor Romeo G. Solis of the Advanced Science and Technology Institute, Manila, Philippines. Mr. M. Periasamy will be the co-director in charge of the laboratory sessions. I. PURPOSE AND NATURE The workshop aims at upgrading the technical and analytical capabilities of scientists and engineers of academic institutions, R&D organizations and the industry. It will also help faculty members in establishing new and strengthening existing programs in telecommunications and information technology. The three week program will focus on fundamental aspects of communications technology and its role in the present and evolving information networks of the future. In addition to basics, modern communication techniques, technologies, systems and networks will be covered. A set of specially developed laboratory exercises will form an integral part of this Workshop, giving participants a unique hands-on experience. The faculty is drawn from leading academic and R&D institutions around the world. The Workshop programme will broadly cover the following topics: Communication Basics Digital Transmission, Switching, Signalling and Networking SS7 and Intelligent Networks Optical Fibres Broadband Networks Wireless and Cellular/Mobile Technology DSP and Multimedia VLSI Design for Telecommunications Communications Software Rural Communications Power System Engineering for Telecommunications Outside Plant Engineering Product Engineering and Technology Transfer II. PARTICIPATION The Workshop is open to scientists, engineers and faculty members from academic institutions, research agencies, and industrial companies in the ASEAN region and the neighboring countries. Participants should preferably have experience in research and/or knowledge of digital telecommunications and computers. They are also expected to have adequate working knowledge of English language, since the workshop will be conducted in this language. The workshop will be divided into two groups, alternating formal lectures and laboratory classes in the mornings and afternoons. As a rule, travel and subsistence expenses of the participants should be borne by their home institutions. However, limited funds are available for a few participants selected by the organizers. For technical reasons, the total attendance will be strictly limited to 50 participants. The closing date for requesting participation is August 30, 1996. The "Request for Participation" form, attached at the end of this document should be completed, signed and posted to: Advanced Science and Technology Institute 4/F National Engineering Center U.P. Campus Diliman, Quezon City Philippines 1101 Republic of the Philippines Department of Science and Technology ADVANCED SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY INSTITUTE 4/F NEC Bldg., U.P. Campus Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines 1101 Tel. No: +63 2 918 813 9017 Fax No: +63 2 922 4714 or +63 2 932 5703 E-Mail: juvy@asti.dost.gov.ph; ode@asti.dost.gov.ph WWW: http://www.asti.dost.gov.ph Additional Note: There is an online version of this announcement including an online "request for participation" form that can be accessed at http://www.asti.dost.gov.ph/announce/telework.html ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 06:22:36 EDT From: danny burstein Subject: Letter to New York PSC Danny Burstein New York, NY 10027 August 13, 1996 NYS Public Service Commission Telecom division 1 Penn Plaza CSD 8th floor New York, NY 10119 via UPS Blue re: Problems with (genuine) Nynex pay phones and touch tone cut-off Good day: I'd like to report some difficulties with Nynex which I believe warrant investigation, and definitive action, by the Public Service Commission. Ironically, I discovered this problem when calling an inhouse Nynex number. As I'll explain further, I suspect that these problems are widespread and, as such, should not be considered as a single phone line complaint but rather as a major issue and should warrant a full scale PSC investigation. Yesterday, August 12, 1996, I paid my Nynex bill at an authorized service location. I then proceeded to go to a "Genuine Nynex Payphone", (212) 678-9601, located at 110th street and Broadway in Manhattan, to report this to Nynex's automated accounting system. This involves punching in a 1-800 number, followed by the billing number, and then accessing a menu of choices. In the midst of doing this, I got a response from the phone that said (roughly) "no further digits may be dialed at this time". I tried again and got the same response. It seems evident that some sort of limit has been programmed by Nynex as to the number of digits that can be entered through the keypad. (This may have been done via a physical count of digits or a timeout). This is clearly an inconvenience, and is quite disruptive. While this specific incident "only" caused me aggravation and wasted time, I can easliy see situations when this "feature" installed by Nynex would prevent access to voice mail, long distance carriers, or numerous other services. Accordingly I would appreciate it if: a) this gets counted by the PSC as not a single line complaint, but as one reflecting all the Nynex coin lines in the NYC region, and that this larger figure be used in calculating Nynex's service record, and b) the PSC assigns this matter a Case Number and advises me of any actions it undertakes. Thank you, Danny Burstein ------------------------------ From: rlm@netcom.com (Robert McMillin) Subject: Re: End of Permissive Dialing in 954 Organization: Charlie Don't CERF Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 13:26:34 GMT On 15 Aug 1996 05:33:40 PDT, ronnie@twitch.mit.edu (Ron Schnell) said: > In article wes.leatherock@hotelcal. > com (Wes Leatherock) writes: >> Some customers (by far the vast majority) are not like the people in >> this newsgroup and are very concerned to know when they are dialing a >> toll call. > Your sarcastic generalization is misplaced. How does allowing > customers to dial 1 before any ten digit number prohibit this? > If you want to know if it is a toll call, don't dial 1. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Heh? Jeez, Louise, tell that to anyone living in El Lay, Chicago, or New York, with their tower-of-babble area codes. Dialing 1+ doesn't imply a toll call in those places, nor should it anywhere else. For those of you living in states with erstwhile single area codes where this used to be true, I have a suggestion: get used to it. Sorry the telcos lied to you about 1+ == toll, but sometimes, them's the breaks. In any event, 1+ to other area codes regardless of toll is mandated by the F-C-C. If your local telco still allows ten-digit dialing without the prepended 1+, well, good luck trying to keep it. Robert L. McMillin | rlm@helen.surfcty.com | Netcom: rlm@netcom.com ------------------------------ From: Yosef Rabinowitz Subject: Re: Calling Card Rates to Mexico Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 10:01:26 -0700 Organization: Telephone Bill Reduction Consulting Recently, I wrote: >> I have a customer who rents office space in a standard business >> center. The landlord has exclusivity on the phone lines and charges >> AT&T's standard rates + 20%. Customer does a few thousand minutes to >> Mexico zones 4 and 7. I cannot give 10XXX service since the landlord >> has blocked it. I am looking for a calling card platform (pre-paid >> or otherwise) that has rates to Mexico at 50" per minute or less. In the last couple of days, many wrote to me with a variation of the following response: > The VoiceNet International Travel Card has these rates to Mexico: > Mexico band 1 $0.45 > Mexico band 2 $0.51 > Mexico band 3 $0.63 > Mexico band 4 $0.71 > Mexico band 5 $0.79 > Mexico band 6-8 $0.82 Thank you to all who responded, Except ... 1) I already sell the VoiceNet card. 2) Can't anybody read? I said I need a rate of 50 cents (FIFTY CENTS) for BOTH zones 4 and 7. Please, no more e-mail with offers of more than 55 cents on a calling card. Thanks, Y.R. ------------------------------ From: jared@netspace.net.au (jared gottlieb) Subject: Re: New California Area Codes Unveiled Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 19:32:18 +1000 Organization: NetSpace Online Systems In article , Tad Cook wrote: > New Area Codes Unveiled For Large Portions Of 415, 916 Regions; > 650 New Area Code for San Francisco Region; > 530 To Be Added In Northern California > SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 15, 1996-- > While customers in the new 650 and 530 area codes will have to change > the first three-digit portion of their telephone number, the new area > codes will not affect the price of telephone calls in any of these > areas, Bennett said. Call distance determines the price and is not > impacted by the creation of a new area code, he explained. Except for a number of hotels whose logic is if it's another area code it must be long distance. This was a problem along the 415 / 408 boundary. Even if one pulls out a phone book and shows the desk clerks what the directory says is a local call, they can't change the computer. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Even if the desk clerk cannot change the computer the desk clerk generally has the authority to write off certain small amounts of the total bill which are disputed without further approval/verification. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #417 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Fri Aug 16 12:54:31 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id MAA15940; Fri, 16 Aug 1996 12:54:31 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 12:54:31 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608161654.MAA15940@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #418 TELECOM Digest Fri, 16 Aug 96 12:54:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 418 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: InterLATA Connectivity in 609? (Mark J. Cuccia) Re: InterLATA Connectivity in 609? (John R. Levine) Re: GE 916 Wireless Phone Jack System (John R. Levine) Re: GE 916 Wireless Phone Jack System (Atri Indiresan) Re: Teen's Calls From Jail Costly to Parents (Stormy Trevino) Re: 900 MHz Digital vs. Analog Cordless (Kenneth R. Teleis) Re: When Was Direct Distance Dialing Cut In? (The Old Bear) Re: USAir Orders Gag On Phones (Jean-Francois Mezei) Re: Information Wanted on Digital PBX (Jay R. Ashworth) Clarification on ISDN Rate Proposal (Robert Deward) Interswitch Voice Messaging Interface (Celine Anelone) Wireless Phone With Modem Connection? (Ken Mandelberg) Information Wanted on Furst Group (Maude Lin) Help!! Need Fiber Optic Network Provider in Washington DC. (Eric Brobeck) Transfer Powerpoint to VHS (blair@instep.bc.ca) Books About T-1/E-1 Wanted (Marc Samson) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 12:24:45 -0700 From: Mark J. Cuccia Subject: Re: InterLATA Connectivity in 609? billsohl@planet.net (Bill Sohl) wrote: > Andrew White wrote: >> I am working on a project that requires that I run a T1 circuit >> between the two LATAs in South Jersey, the Atlantic LATA and the >> Delaware LATA. These two LATAs comprise the 609 area code. > Are you sure that you are dealing with an inter-lata situation? The > 609 area code is ONE (1) lata and any two sites in the 609 area code > can be served by Bell Atlantic also. When the LATAs were created in > 1984 NJ was split into two. One was the 201 area and the other was > the 609. Since then the 201 has split into 201 and 908. New Jersey has *three* LATA's: 220 Atlantic Coastal area (NJ) 222 Delaware Valley area (NJ) 224 northern NJ area The three-digit LATA-code numbers are a Bellcore-created (or maybe a concept created by pre-divestiture AT&T, circa 1982/83, as well as the DOJ/etc) industry standard used for administrative purposes, the first digit '2' indicating Bell-Atlantic as the (primary) LEC operating in that LATA under the mid-1980's understanding of LATA's and Local Telco jurisdiction vs. Long-Distance Company operations. These codes are not intended to be routing codes used by the switching network(s) themselves, although what one Long Distance Company (interexchange carrier) does internally within its own switching network as far as routing and switching of traffic is more-or-less its own business. LATA and NPA boundaries and regions do *NOT* necessarily coincide. One LATA can contain all-or-part of one-or-more NPA(s). Conversely as well, an NPA can contain all-or-part of one-or-more LATA(s). The northern NJ LATA (#224) is primarily NPA's 201 and then the split off 908. LATA's #220 and #224 are primarily NPA 609. Atlantic City NJ is in LATA #220, Atlantic Coastal area (NJ). Trenton NJ is in LATA #222, Delaware Valley area (NJ). LATA boundaries *CAN* and many *DO* contain portions of more than one state! Some LATA's in the central plains and mountain area states contain portions of as many as *SEVEN* states! It might be that the large number of states contained in a single LATA is due to instances of only single telco switches or central office NXX codes of an adjacent state, but it does happen! What *does* remain uncertain to me is how (if) the "LATA" concept will continue under the latest regulations and legislation, where it could happen that everyone can compete with everyone else, in all aspects of the telecom industry. MARK J. CUCCIA PHONE/WRITE/WIRE: HOME: (USA) Tel: CHestnut 1-2497 WORK: mcuccia@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu |4710 Wright Road| (+1-504-241-2497) Tel:UNiversity 5-5954(+1-504-865-5954)|New Orleans 28 |fwds on no-answr to Fax:UNiversity 5-5917(+1-504-865-5917)|Louisiana(70128)|cellular/voicemail ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 96 13:52:00 EDT From: johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) Subject: Re: InterLATA Connectivity in 609? Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg, N.Y. >> I am working on a project that requires that I run a T1 circuit >> between the two LATAs in South Jersey, the Atlantic LATA and the >> Delaware LATA. These two LATAs comprise the 609 area code. > Are you sure that you are dealing with an inter-lata situation? The > 609 area code is ONE (1) lata and any two sites in the 609 area code > can be served by Bell Atlantic also. Sigh. Don't you hate it when people make definitive sounding statements that are 100% wrong? New Jersey has three LATAs: 201/908 (North Jersey), western 609 (Trenton/Camden), and eastern 609 (Atlantic City.) Look in any N.J phone book if you don't believe me. The middle of 609 is mostly empty pine barrens which make a natural boundary between the two areas. NJ Bell Atlantic, or whatever they're calling it this week, provides all the local service in 609, but that's unrelated to where the LATA boundaries are. I can also report from experience that all of the phone calls between my beach cottage in Harvey Cedars and my parents' house in Princeton were handled by my long distance carrier, not Bell. Both places are in the 609 area. Trivium: Ocean County N.J. spans three LATAs, with most calls across the LATA line in fact being handled as toll calls. (Only Toms River in 908 to Barnegat in 609 is treated as inter-LATA local.) Are there any other three-LATA counties in the U.S.? John R. Levine, IECC, POB 640 Trumansburg NY 14886 +1 607 387 6869 johnl@iecc.com "Space aliens are stealing American jobs." - Stanford econ prof ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 96 13:54:00 EDT From: johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) Subject: Re: GE 916 Wireless Phone Jack System Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg, N.Y. My one attempt to make one of those GE carrier things work was a complete failure. I couldn't get it to work at all. In retrospect, I think that the problem was that the house had a 220V feed and the two places I was trying to use it were fed from opposite sides of the 220. This is a problem you'll probably have in your apartment complex, too. I'd bite the bullet and pull some real phone wire. John R. Levine, IECC, POB 640 Trumansburg NY 14886 +1 607 387 6869 johnl@iecc.com "Space aliens are stealing American jobs." - Stanford econ prof [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You know, the same thing is true for me where 'wireless intercoms' are concerned. I have yet to find one that works correctly with my electrical wiring here. They always have a small hum in the background or never seem to transmit at all. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 13:58:41 EDT From: Atri Indiresan Subject: Re: GE 916 Wireless Phone Jack System I had no problem getting it to work -- I got a dialtone when I plugged it in upstairs, both in 110V sockets. My concern is privacy/noise, and I still need to talk to my neighbor about it. I'll get back to you as soon as I have more information. Thanks, Atri [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Do you think your neighbor will be honest about it and *actually tell you* if he can hear you on similar appliances in his home? ... "Oh no, Atri, its just fine with me, you go right ahead and keep using your wireless equipment." PAT] ------------------------------ From: Stormy Trevino Subject: Re: Teen's Calls From Jail Costly to Parents Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 12:10:24 -0700 Organization: Call America Business Communications Most of article deleted: > Zero Plus Dialing of San Antonio got the phone service by paying > hefty commissions to the jails, as it does with 100 other jails > nationwide despite complaints from its captive audience. (more clipping) Pat wrote: > the Supreme Court has said is required -- then the service is going > to come from outfits like ZPD and other con-artists who themselves > might benefit from a term of enforced penitence in an institution > somwhere. I think a correction needs to be made here. ZPDI is not an OSP or an AOS. ZPDI is a billing clearing house that contracts with OSPs and AOSs to provide their billing (since it is extremely expensive to set up LEC billing agreements for smaller carriers). To misleadingly group ZPDI with con-artists (like Integratel) is not too cool in my book. Call America (we are legit, you'll agree I think) uses ZPDI as our billing clearinghouse for our operator services and we have never had any trouble of this magnitude (of course our rates aren't sky high so I'm saved the headaches that higher rated OSPs have to deal with). The exorbitant rates are set by the OSP or AOS that provides the service. It is this very same OSP or AOS that pays the jail the commission. ZPDI doesn't pay a cent to the jail. The money ZPDI collects goes directly back to the OSP. I think this is something that is too easily lost on the majority of people who use LEC calling cards. If the person who received the bill were to look at the bill he would have seen that the calls were billed by ZPDI ON BEHALF OF ________. ZPDI would have directed the customer to contact the OSP or AOS directly if they didn't feel the charges were warranted. I know because I've dealt with customers who have contacted ZPDI about bills they have received on our behalf (most want to know who we are). I hope this helps out a little. I really didn't feel that ZPDI was treated too fairly, Pat, in your reply. Thanks, Stormy Trevino http://www.callamerica.com Call America Business Communications Customer Service Manager [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: First, I'll say without hesitation that Call America is a very legitimate company, and their 800 number service called 'MyLine' is in my opinion the best of its kind. I have used MyLine 800 service for a few years now and strongly recommend it to anyone who needs an 800 number. In fact it is probably about time to print a detailed article on the MyLine service once again for newer readers not familiar with it. Their web page noted above is a good starting point for information. The best thing Zero Plus Dialing might do to enhance its image is to be a wee bit more selective in who it chooses to accept as clients. Like Integratel, some of its clients are better than others, and some are the pits. Although it is true that ZPD refers customers with complaints direct to their client for any adjudication required, it is also true that like many of the clients of Integratel, making *actual contact* with someone at the carrier is nearly impossible. Who was the 'carrier' we attempted to locate that time in the Empire State Building responsible for a hot-chat phone service with ripoff rates and service? According to Integratel, they were only allowed to give out a street address for the company. After some effort, a phone number became available. Dialing that number at any time merely got us to an answering machine which was full of messages and would not accept any more. Calls and correspondence were never answered. ZPD has a few clients of the same genre. Now it is not the fault of ZPD or Integratel that some of their clients are really bad news in the industry, and both firms do provide a valuable service as Stormy points out by handling the often-times complex and expensive business of getting billing tapes into the systems of the local telcos. But still, you'd think both firms might set some standards of minimum compliance for their clients if for no other reason than the common misconception of the general public that Ripoffco = ZPD and vice-versa. If the billing agencies repeatedly take on clients who are ripoffs where the public is concerned, can you blame the public for its perception of ZPD/Integratel as companies 'with a reputation' for high priced calls? It may be a lose/lose proposition however. By the time the local telcos get their cut for accepting the billing and by the time the billing agency grabs some for itself, the proceeds may have thinned out enough that the original carrier has so little left over they have to charge the rates they do, especially if great gobs of their traffic has to be written off to fraud, etc. Overall Stormy, you are correct; I just wish the agencies would turn the screws a little better on some of their clients. PAT] ------------------------------ From: ken@marconi.w8upd.uakron.edu (Kenneth R. Teleis) Subject: Re: 900 MHz Digital vs. Analog Cordless Date: 16 Aug 1996 03:49:22 GMT Organization: University of Akron Amateur Radio Club Geordon Portice (gap@plotit.com) wrote: > I've been looking into purchasing a two-line 900 MHz phone, and have > seen a number of comments/complaints of sidetone and echo with certain > models. Is this only a concern with digital phones? If so, what are > the disadvantages of using a 900 MHz analog phone. > Are most 900 MHz phones analog, unless digital is specifically > advertised? More specifically, how about Panasonic, AT&T, and Uniden? I have a two line Uniden digital spread spectrum, the model number of which I can't recall. The only complaint I have is that is doesn't seem to have enough volume on the handset. If you have any background noise at all it is very difficult to hear. Otherwise the phone quality is very clear. I can walk at least a half block away with no problems. If I can be of further help to you please let me know. Regards, Ken Teleis, KZ3E/8 System Administrator University of Akron Amateur Radio Club (W8UPD) E-mail: ken@marconi.w8upd.uakron.edu [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Chances are likely if you get inside the handset and look around, there is a trim-pot in there somewhere you can adjust slightly to get more volume. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 00:20:14 -0300 From: The Old Bear Subject: Re: When Was Direct Distance Dialing Cut In? Organization: The Arctos Group - http://www.arctos.com/arctos Paul Houle writes: > I have a historical question which I hope isn't a FAQ in this > group, but which I have not been able to find an answer on the web or > the telecom archives. > I'm trying to find out exactly when DDD (direct distance > dialing) was cut-in in the US. I have the impression that there was a > specific date in the late 50s or early 60s but I've had bad luck > looking for it. This surprises me because of the fact that such a > date may be a good watershed for the development of our civilization > -- the first moment when it was possible for an individual to make a > connection across a continent without human attention. Mark Cuccia did a fine job of answering this question. I just wanted to add a personal note from my own memories ... About 1957, when I was in the 5th grade, a woman from New England Telephone came to talk at an assembly at my elementary school in Boston about "Direct Distance Dialing" and how it would work. Not many kids in those days made long distance calls, so I'm not sure why this program was conducted as part of the product roll-out. Possibly it was a good way to get all the handouts (area code maps, dialing instruction cards, etc.) into the hands of the parents. Most of the kids figured it was a "wonders of technology" topic, that being the year that the USSR launched the first Sputnik space satelite and all the schools were going nuts to get more scientific stuff into the curriculum. I also recall that following the dialing of the number, a human operating would come on the line and as "Your number please!" to which you were to respond with your own number and not the number which you were calling. Rumor had it that this was for billing purposes and if you gave someone else's number, they would be billed for your call. (I was an honest kid and never tried it, however, so I don't know if this was true.) At the beginning of "DDD", the "access code" of 1+ was not required, with the result that many people unknowingly placed wrong- number toll calls while attempting to dial a local number. (The newspaper would periodically carry some little story about a toddler who had managed to place a call to the other side of the country by playing with the telephone set. I never figured out how the toddlers managed to give their number to the operator, however.) It was only in the 1960s that collect and person-to-person calls could be placed by direct dialing with the 0+ access code. Until then, we dialled 211 (?) and asked the long distance operator to place such calls. Cheers, The Old Bear <--now feeling even older! The Arctos Group [Information Strategies for the Real Estate Industry] Post Office Box 329 - Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 02167-0003 USA tel: 617.342.7411 - fax: 617.232.0025 - email: arctos@arctos.com visit our WWW site at URL: http://www.arctos.com/arctos [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: We had the same program at our school with a speaker from Illinois Bell about the same time. I was probably in 9th grade or 10th grade. If you dialed the call direct, then your number got captured by the equipment in most cases, but if you either (a) wanted to make a person-to-person call; (b) a collect/third number billing call; or (c) get assistance in dialing then we had to dial '211' (except hotels and other places requiring time and charge information for rebilling to guests on a PBX, etc dialed '811'). The operator at 211 would always ask for *your* number and you had to at least give a number on the same prefix. They could tell what prefix you were on, just not what the last four digits were. If you gave incorrect (last four) digits then that person got billed for the call instead of yourself. But international calls were a different matter: all those had to be placed manually through the operator at 211 but she only looked up the gateway point for the call and handed it off, so that as soon as you said you wished to call an international point she dialed in to the overseas operators at White Plains, NY or Oakland, CA to have them complete the call. Those operators would likewise ask for your entire number, and you could say whatever you wanted because they had no way to tell anything. But the catch was then the overseas operator would say, "Thank you. Please hang up and I will *call you back on a direct line* and try to establish the connection." If you had given incorrect information by accident or otherwise you just did not get the callback. In addition to White Plains and Oakland for many international calls, other gateways were Miami and San Diego. Now and then the gateways were outside the USA as in the case of Montreal (much of the Yukon/NWT area); Alma, Quebec (radio relay points in the eastern Arctic area); New York City Operator 478 (ships on the high seas); Paris, France (most of Africa); and Sydney, Australia (the Antartic region). PAT] ------------------------------ From: Jean-Francois Mezei Subject: Re: USAir Orders Gag On Phones Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 02:46:10 +0000 Organization: Vaxination Informatique Reply-To: jfmezei@videotron.ca > G.T.E. Airfone spokeswoman Laura Littel said she could see a need to > disconnect the phones in certain disasters. > "The only thing I could think of would be a hijacking," she said. > "Someone could use this phone to say, 'I want this plane to go to XYZ, > or I'm going to do something.' That is a potential." Au contraire. In the case of a highjacking, a quiet passenger in the back might be able to establish a connection with the ground and relay VITAL information or even leave the phone connected and hope that the ground can hear what is going on (place phone on floor under seat, or in seat-pocket etc. I think that those who decided on the gag order probably saw Die Hard II (the movie) and decided that should there be a reporter on board, it would ruin the airline's image with live coverage from the lavatory. This whole business about electronics on board has to be settled once and for all. If such integrated phones interfere with the plane's instruments during a disaster, why would they not interfere during normal times? I am even more surprised that an airline would leak/release this policy to the public. ------------------------------ From: jra@scfn.thpl.lib.fl.us (Jay R. Ashworth) Subject: Re: Information Wanted on Digital PBX Date: 15 Aug 1996 20:56:16 GMT Organization: University of South Florida reddp@ix.netcom.com wrote: > What is a "digital" PBX and when and where would it be used? Would it > carry/conduct normal telephone traffic, say between an internet > service provider and a modem over phone lines ... or is strictly for > connection of computers, e.g. mainframe and satellite systems? I'm > doing research. Thanks! A 1A ESS. :-) Seriously, a "digital" PBX is simply one in which the internal voice switching is digital rather than analog. Some companies will attempt to bill stored program control (ie: computerized) analog switched PBXs as "digital", I suppose, but if they do, they're a) lying, and b) stupid. Most of them do switch voice, but newer ones use BRi lines for the internal connection, allowing the connection of (more) standardized ISDN phones, as well as TA's for data service. This can cause some excitement with the LEC, deciding what information to believe when the PBX supplies it. Cheers, Jay R. Ashworth jra@scfn.thpl.lib.fl.us Member of the Technical Staff Junk Mail Will Be Billed For. The Suncoast Freenet *FLASH: Craig Shergold aw'better now; send no cards!* Tampa Bay, Florida *Call 800-215-1333x184 for the whole scoop* +1 813 790 7592 ------------------------------ From: bobd@well.com (Robert Deward) Subject: Clarification on ISDN Rate Proposal Date: 15 Aug 1996 21:07:08 GMT Organization: The Well, San Francisco, CA I'd like to clarify some misinformation that's been circulating concerning who opposed and who supported a proposal from Pacific Bell that FasTrak Home ISDN increase from $24.50 monthly to $29.50 and include 200 free hours of "off-peak" usage. During the peak usage period and if the 200-hour allowance were exceeded, users would have paid normal voice rates. The proposal would have replaced an earlier rate increase request by Pacific Bell. In fact, the only parties who opposed this proposal were Intel and UCAN, a consumer group headquartered in San Diego. Signing the proposal were the California Cable Television Association, Jetstream Communications, FlowPoint, and Siemens-Rolm. Unfortunately, opposition from Intel and UCAN scuttled the possibility that the California Public Utilities Commission would accept the proposal. Now the Commission will hold full scale hearings on ISDN rates, which could result in rates higher than those sought by Pacific Bell and the other parties to the proposal. Find further information at the Pacific Telesis Web site at http://www.pactel.com/cgi-bin/getrel?1250. Bob Deward, Pacific Telesis External Affairs, S.F. voice: 415-394-3646 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 15 Aug 96 12:33:00 EDT From: Celine Anelone <0002027431@mcimail.com> Subject: Interswitch Voice Messaging Interface All: I am looking for information on "Interswitch voice messaging Interface: (ISVM) also called or ten digits SMDI. 1- Technical overview 2- What are the RBOCs offering this service? Is it tariffed anywhere? 3- What is the price per RBOC? Thanks for your help. Celine ------------------------------ From: km@mathcs.emory.edu (Ken Mandelberg) Subject: Wireless Phone With Modem Connection? Date: 16 Aug 1996 15:05:18 GMT Organization: Emory University, Dept of Math and CS Reply-To: km@mathcs.emory.edu Are there any wireless (not cellular) phones with a rj11 jack for a modem connection? Presumably a 900mhz phone would be best. Ken Mandelberg | km@mathcs.emory.edu PREFERRED Emory University | {rutgers,gatech}!emory!km UUCP Dept of Math and CS | km@emory.bitnet NON-DOMAIN BITNET Atlanta, GA 30322 | Phone: Voice (404) 727-7963, FAX 727-5611 ------------------------------ From: mlbockol@midway.uchicago.edu (Maude Lin) Subject: Informtion Wanted on Furst Group Organization: University of Chicago -- Academic Computing Services Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 04:43:53 GMT What is the general opinion about this private reseller? Thanks. Please mail me at mlbockol@midway.uchicago.edu ------------------------------ From: fv2@aol.com Subject: Help!! Need Fiber Optic Network Provider in Washington DC. Date: 13 Aug 1996 12:48:36 -0400 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Reply-To: fv2@aol.com (FV2) Our client needs access to four single or multimode fibers between two office sites in downtown Washington DC: 1255 23rd Street, NW 1875 Connecticut Ave, NW The local phone carrier -- Bell Atlantic -- no longer provides "dark" fiber; rather they only provide very expensive "circuits" (consisting of fiber + transceivers as a "circuit package". Your referral to any firm that has a network in place, that can lease these fibers or refer any one to us, would be greatly appreciated. Eric Brobeck Future View - fv2@aol.com 202-882-7400 202-882-7450 - fax 1250 Taylor St, NW Washington DC 20011 ------------------------------ From: blair@instep.bc.ca Subject: Transfer Powerpoint to VHS Reply-To: blair@instep.bc.ca Organization: InStep Mobile Communications Inc. Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 20:11:55 GMT Does anybody know how I can transfer a timed PowerPoint presentation (version 7.0 running on Windows 95 on a PC) to VHS video? Resolution should be 1024x768. Any information will be greatly appreciated! Please respond to blair@instep.bc.ca ------------------------------ From: Marc Samson Subject: Books About T-1/E-1 Wanted Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 14:24:36 GMT I was looking through the archives for a good reference on T1 and E1. I did not find anything, and was woundering if you could point us in the right direction. We have a strong background in SS7 and are doing some T1/E1 work. We are looking to get good reference material on the message structure, differences in implementation Any pointers or ideas are welcome. Thanks, Marc Samson I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to the light I have. -Abraham Lincoln ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #418 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Sat Aug 17 09:09:09 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id JAA11667; Sat, 17 Aug 1996 09:09:09 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sat, 17 Aug 1996 09:09:09 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608171309.JAA11667@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #419 TELECOM Digest Sat, 17 Aug 96 09:09:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 419 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Timed Local Internet Calls (Stewart Fist) Latest ITU Bulletin Available (Zev Rubenstein) 415, 916 and Jeopardy in 510 (Tad Cook) EMail Bombs From the Mad Hacker (Tad Cook) Getting a Semi-Public Pay Phone? (Lisa Hancock) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 17 Aug 1996 13:23:21 +1000 From: fist@ozemail.com.au (fist) Subject: Timed Local Internet Calls I write a weekly column on telecommunications in Australia's national newspaper "The Australian", and last week I wrote a piece attacking the claims being made by the CEO of Telstra (ex-Telecom Australia) that Internet users were costing the carrier money because they locked up the telephone exchanges through long-held calls. My information was based on my own knowledge plus confirmation from some telecommunications consultants. The CEO (ex-AT&T executive Frank Blount) is lobbying the Australian government to be able to impose timed-local calls on Internet users (God knows how!). Or perhaps he is just using the Internet users (again!) as a whipping boy, to gain some political sympathy. Telstra is required to maintain fixed-price local calls, but can offer timed local calls as an option (they do already with ISDN) - this may be a way to introduce timed-calls for all data transmissions. Here is the guts of the piece I wrote: > In an interview last week with Kirsty Simpson of the Melbourne > Herald Sun, Blount railed against the iniquities of the Internet > and called, once again, for the right to impose timed local calls on > domestic and residential users. "We have to do something," he > said. "We can't have people on the Internet ring up for 25c and > sit there for 24 hours; they tie up the whole exchange." > He said much the same a couple of weeks before to another > Melbourne journalist. > Frank's advice about exchange-blocking must be coming from > some real old-timer from the Telstra Sunset Retirement Home. > Anyone who thinks Internet users can "tie up the whole > exchange" was obviously weaned from Strowger switches to > Crossbars only in his declining years, in the early 1970s. > The old Crossbar exchanges were limited in the number of calls > they could handle, but, these days, digital exchange switches are > virtually unblockable. > At least, that's is true in all other countries and in switches not > owned and operated by Telstra. > Hopefully, in the budget, Senator Alston could find the > pennies to buy Telstra a pocket calculator. Then, if they train > someone to work this strange new technical device, they may be > able to calculate exchange loadings. > Can you imagine a network built to handle Xmas, Mother's Day, > stock-market panics and natural disasters which is unable to > cope because of the load imposed by the 5% of Australians who > seriously use the Internet - mostly at midnight? > The average digital switch and inter-exchange network can > handle about 75% of all connected lines simultaneously - except > for some of the older inter-exchange city connections which, > perhaps on Monday morning during the peak-load period, run > close to their limits. > But that's just a matter of dragging cables through existing > ducting - with each fibre-pair then able to carry another 40,000 > calls. A single length of the same cable used for Pay TV trunks > (by the thousands), would carry individual connections for every > Internet user in Australia, a couple of times over. > So if all Internet users sat on their service-provider connections > for 24 hours next Monday, they could perhaps increase Telstra's > capacity problems by 2-3 percent in a few inter-exchange > connections, for a few minutes around 10 am, in some > circumstances, at some old exchanges. > Mind you, all those companies that use long-held inter-office > voice and data links between PABXs and LANs at their various > sites, might also contribute somewhat to the same problem - if > such a problem ever exists. Frank will need to turn his eagle- > eye on corporate users next. --------------------------------------------- In reply to this article, I received a number of comments and criticisms from Telstra technicians. This is typical: > You make several remarks about the capacity of the digital > exchange to switch calls, but have not identified the bottleneck > that exists in switching customers. There are two stages in our > AXE digital switch, the customer stage, (where customers are > connected) and the group stage (where the switching occurs). > The bottleneck referred to by Frank Blount , occurs at the > connection between these two stages. > Typically for 2048 customers there are a maximum of 512 > connections available to the group switch, providing a maximum > capacity of 25 percent. Your figure of 75 percent refers to the > capacity of the processor to switch calls through the group > switch, which as I have just mentioned is not the bottleneck. > I hope this has clarified the situation and illustrated that there > are indeed technical limitations with the current day digital > switches. ------------------------ And another from an on-line discussion group: > It would be nice if the argument was so simple. Unfortunately > the underlying problem here is the basic model that telco's have > used (quite rightly) for sizing the switches at their exchanges. > This model uses an average call hold time of approximately 3 > minutes, which is entirely reasonable in a voice (and even fax) > world. The exchanges concentrate a large number of subscriber > tail circuits into a *much* smaller number of active crosspoints > in the switch. A subscriber line is only connected to the switch > when the phone is taken off hook, and released again when its > hung up. > Now enter the wildly different call hold patterns typical of > Internet usage. Calls are routinely held by dial up users for > hours at a time which causes resource depletion and potential > denial of service to other customers on that exchange. > And the same problem is considerably worse at the exchange > which services the ISP, where there are hundreds or thousands > of lines that are tied up virtually 24 hours a day. This is causing > terrible problems to telcos world wide with *all* of them facing > meltdown in key central office resources. The result of course > will be lack of dialtone to *all* telco customers which is good for > no one. ----------------------- Since I am getting different information from Telstra insiders and Telstra outsider/critics and telecommunications consultants, I'd like to hear the opinions of those of you who know about these switches, and who don't have any local vested interest. The switches are Ericsson AXEs and Alcatel System 12s. Is Telstra's CEO Frank Blount right when he claims that long-held Internet calls block Telstra's exchanges, and are therefore unfair to other normal customers - needing, as he says (when he is lobbying the politicians) to become "timed-local calls"? If so. Is there some mechanism that allows the carrier to do this - to identify which calls on a line are to an ISP (other than just looking for modemised data) - bearing in mind that Telstra also has a mandatory requirement to maintain the option of 25 cent, fixed price local calls? Would the carrier be able to read the CLI of each call going to an ISP, link back to the home exchange billing mechanism where the call originate, and implement timed-calls on that line for the duration? Or are the Telstra critic's right in claiming that a modern Ericsson AXE and Alcatel System 12 digital exchange doesn't block at any conceivable load-increase imposed by long-held Internet calls? And therefore, there is no technical justification for timed-local call-charging specifically aimed at Internet users. One writer claimed that System 12 exchanges don't block at all. Is that right? Thanks in anticipation for your input. I'll use this stuff in another column as follow-up. Stewart Fist Technical writer and journalist. Homepage: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/stewart_fist Archives of my columns: http://www.abc.net.au/http/pipe.htm [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The Telecom Archives web page has a link to Stewart Fist enabling users to read his columns on line. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 20:54:42 +0000 From: zev@attmail.com (Zev Rubenstein) Subject: Latest ITU Bulletin Available Readers of TELECOM Digest may find the Operational Bulletins issued by the ITU to be a valuable resource. The latest one (# 625) is now available. I have added below excerpts from the summaries generated by a colleague at AT&T of the contents of some of the earlier bulletins. This should give an idea of the variety of information available in them. To track when they become available, monitor the following URL: http://www4.itu.ch//itudoc/itu-t/op-bull.html Zev Rubenstein Nationwide Telecommunications Resources ---------------------------- Bulletin No. 625: MARITIME MOBILE SERVICE Spain announces that coast station HUELVA RADIO has closed. MOBILE COUNTRY OR GEOGRAPHICAL AREA CODES Mobile Country Code (Rec. E.212) 901 has been assigned as a shared code for Global Mobile Satellite System (GMSS). OPENING AND CLOSING OF CIRCUITS India - list of "closed" circuits is announced Malawi - list of new (opened) circuits is announced TELEPHONE SERVICE ANTIGUA & BARBUDA C&W (West Indies) announces that a new geographical area code NPA 268 has been assigned to Antigua and Barbuda by the NANPA. JAPAN International prefixes for KDD, International Telecom Japan and International Digital Communications are provided. MONTSERRAT C&W (West Indies) announces that a new geographical area code NPA 664 has been assigned to Montserrat by the NANPA. ROMANIA New numbering ranges for the city of Predeal, area code 68, are provided. TRINIDAD & TOBAGO TSTT anounces that on August 1, 1996, Trinidad and Tobago's international prefix will change from 01 to 011 for automatic dialled calls. The permissive dialing period is six months. DATA TRANSMISSION SERVICE Japan announces two new data network identification code assignments and one change. CHANGES IN ADMINISTRTIONS/ROAs ISRAEL Bezeq International has received the status of a recognized operating agency and is licensed to supply international services ONLY. SLOVENIA A new address and telephone number for the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Slovenia is provided. AMENDMENTS TO SERVICE DOCUMENTS LIST OF COAST STATIONS (LIST IV) Changes to the List of Coast Stations is provided for the following countries: Sweden Turkey LIST OF SHIP STATIONS (LIST V) Changes to Sub-Section 2A are provided. LIST OF DATA NETWORK IDENTIFICATION CODES (DNIC) (REC. X.121) Changes are provided for the following country: Japan LIST OF INTERNATIONAL SIGNALLING POINT CODES (ISPC) (REC. Q.708) ISPC changes are provided for the following countries: Cyprus Sweden United Arab Emirates LIST OF MOBILE COUNTRY OR GEORGAPHICAL AREAS CODES (REC. E.212) 901 has been assigned as a shared code for Global Mobile Satellite System DIALLING PROCEDURES (International prefix, national prefix and national significant number) (REC. E.164) Changes to the dialing procedures for the following countries has been announced. Japan Trinidad & Tobago ------------------------------- Bulletin No. 625: TELEPHONE SERVICE Andorra: Reminder to all administrations detailing the telephone numbering plan for Andorra. Japan: The Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications of Japan announces the introduction in the public land mobile telephone service of the following new series of numbers. Companies, assigned numbers and implementation dates are provided. Peru: Telefoncia del Peru, Lima, announces the introduction of a new numbering format for the cellular telephone system. CHANGES IN ADMINISTRATION/ROAs United Kingdom: C&W PLC, London, has ceased to occupy the "90 Long Acre" address. C&W's new address is provided. SERVICE RESTRICTIONS: CALL BACK: Tanzania: The administration of Tanzania announces that Call-Back practices are not authorized in Tanzania AMENDMENTS TO SERVICE DOCUMENTS LIST OF SHIP STATIONS Various changes to sub-section 2A and 2C are provided. LIST OF INTERNATIONAL SIGNALLING POINT CODES (ISPC) The following countries have revisions to their respective information contained in the list. Brunei Spain France Macau Sweden LIST OF NAMES OF ADMINISTRATION MANAGEMENT DOMAINS The following countries have revisions to their respective information contained in the list. Austria Denmark Hongkong LIST OF ISSUER IDENTIFIER NUMBERS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATION CHARGE CARD Denmark: New IIN Assignment: Telia A/S 89 45 03 Ukraine: New IIN Assignment: Ukrainian Mobile Comm. 89 380 01 New IIN Assignment: Ukrainian Radio Systems 89 380 02 ------------------------------- Bulletin No. 622: MARITIME MOBILE SERVICE List of Ship Stations (List V) (36th Edition-June 1996) (3 volumes) is available. ASSIGNMENT OF SIGNALLING AREA/NETWORK CODES (SANC) (ITU-T REC. Q.708) Assignment of SANC codes: United Kingdom, Northern Ireland TELEPHONE SERVICE Australia: Austel announces modifications to the numbering scheme for specific localities. Monaco: The country code 33 will change to the new country code 377 effective June 21. TELEX SERVICE Subscriber telex numbers in Uruguay are provided. DATA TRANSMISSION SERVICE (ITU-T REC. x.121) Austria: Additional data country code of 233 is assigned to Austria. CHANGES IN ADMINISTRATIONS/ROAs Change of name from ARENTO to EGYPT TELECOM OTHER COMMUNICATIONS Botswana: Request to respond to BTC if other administrations are operating "ELTEX V BETA" equipment. Tanzania: Tanzania Telecommunications Company Ltd. announces corporate appointments and contacts. Zaire: New address for correspondence and transactions regaring the settlement of accounts, debt collection or consolidation. SERVICE RESTRICTIONS Service restriction in force. CALL BACK Yemen: Call Back to obtain international telephone access from the Republic of Yemen is prohibited. AMENDMENTS TO SERVICE DOCUMENTS List of Coast Stations List of Ship Stations List of international carrier codes List of international signalling point codes List of signalling area/nework codes List of data country or geographical area codes List of names of administration management domains List of issuer identifier number for the international telecommunication charge card Barbados: Barbados Telephone Company IIN: 891 012 Change in corporate telephone and fax numbers at Barbados Tel. Co. TA Table - transferred account telegraph and telematic service International Telecommunication Union - universal postal union ------------------------------ Bulletin No. 619: Ship station selective call numbers Legal time changes Telegram destination indicators Telegram service Telephone service China: Announces the introduction of international inbound service for the mobile telephone network (GSM) Columbia: old numbers vs. new numbers ->Finland: Expansion of the Finnish telephone numbering plan beyond 12 digits United Kingdom: Areas Code 1734 replaced by 118 Changes in Administration/ROAs Ecuador Pakistan Other United Kingdom: Changes of address Kenya: Public holidays Service Restriction Call Back (positions on Call Back service) Ecuador Kazakstan Moroco Viet Nam Amendments to Service dcouments List of Coast Stations List of Ship Stations List of Internatinal Monitoring Stations International Signalling Point Codes (ISPC) for Signalling System 7 List of Signallig Area/Network Codes (SANC) List of International Carrier Codes List of Indicators for the Telegram Retransmission System (TRS) and Telex Network Identification codes List of Administration Management Domains (ADMD) List of Issuer Identifier Numbers for the International Telecommunications Charge Card Service (no reported changes this edition) Table of Rates for Telegrams ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: 415, 916 and Jeopardy in 510 Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 12:27:58 PDT California's San Francisco Bay Area to Get Another Area Code By George Avalos, Contra Costa Times, Walnut Creek, Calif. Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 16--In less than a year, Bay Area telephone customers will have a new area code -- 650 -- to memorize. The current 415 area code stretching from Marin County through San Francisco and taking in most of the Peninsula will be split into two phone regions. One area, primarily the Peninsula, will be served by the new 650 area code. San Francisco, Marin and a sliver of northern San Mateo County will retain the current 415 code, telecommunications officials said Thursday. The 916 region will be split to add a 530 area code; Sacramento and some surrounding cities will remain in 916. A huge area that includes the Interstate 5 corridor north of Sacramento, the Sierra foothills, northeastern California and the Lake Tahoe area will be in the new 530 service region, according to the California Area Code Administrator. Some parts of California are about to run out of phone numbers. The state's phone companies are struggling to serve not only a growing population and expanded business needs, but also an explosion of demand for second phone lines for homes, fax machines, beepers, wireless phones and online services. About 840,000 customers will be assigned to the 650 area code. Another one million people will keep their current 415 numbers, said John Lucas, Pacific Bell spokesman. Each area code that is split off from an old one costs about $7 million to $10 million to establish, Lucas said. The new area code for the Bay Area is scheduled to go into effect Aug. 1, 1997. But that might not be soon enough to mitigate the exhaustion of area codes. "It's very uncertain if there is enough time," Lucas said. "Numbers may not be available for everyone." "Not everyone may be able to get phone numbers immediately," said Joanne Collins, Area Code Administrator for Northern California. Pac Bell has proposed a plan to ration phone numbers. The state Public Utilities Commission is evaluating the company's suggestions. According to Collins, officials may deny or delay the orders of: -- People who need a second phone line in their home. -- Large business customers who need large blocks of phone numbers. -- Wireless phone customers What's more, some customers may be placed on a waiting list. Others might not be assigned initially to the local phone company of their choice. The East Bay's 510 area also is running out of phone numbers. That region could suffer some shortages of numbers as more prefixes are assigned. "The 510 is in jeopardy," Collins said. So far this year, officials have assigned 102 prefixes serving about 1 million phone numbers in the 510 area code. In all, 588 prefixes serving 5.9 million phone numbers have been assigned in the East Bay, said David Miller of Pac Bell. The 510 area code can accommodate no more than 204 more prefixes. The region will max out at 7.9 million phone numbers, Miller said. (c) 1996, Contra Costa Times, Calif. Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News. ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: EMail Bombs from the Mad Hacker Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 15:15:54 PDT Mad Hacker Burying His Enemies in E-Mail Via AP By JARED SANDBERG The Wall Street Journal Anyone trying to send electronic mail to Sandy Gookin, author of "Parenting for Dummies," won't get through to her. She was "mailbombed" -- Internet parlance for a hacker prank that sends scores of unsolicited e-mail messages. Ms. Gookin has some impressive company: Her fellow victims in this mailbombing attack, waged by a vitriolic hacker who calls himself "Johnny (Xchaotic)", include many of America's rich and famous -- or merely powerful. The hacker had the temerity to publicly claim responsibility for the stunt -- the on-line equivalent of short-sheeting every bed at summer camp -- and posted a manifesto explaining why, in each case, he did it. For the less-known Ms. Gookin, the missive mischief began last Friday night when the hacker (or hackers) was adding her name to subscriptions for thousands of Internet "mailing lists," or group discussions that take place via e-mail. Her mailbox was flooded with 20,000 pieces of e-mail daily -- some pages long -- crippling her account on CompuServe and making it impossible for her to log on. "My CompuServe account is ruined," says Ms. Gookin. While the hacker probably used an automated mailing program to sign her up for so many lists, she had to manually "unsubscribe" to each of the thousands of sources -- to no avail. "I'd send out 50 messages to unsubscribe and 70 more subscriptions would come back. I couldn't send them out fast enough. Then I started getting the mail," she says. And what mail it was! It came from groups of cat lovers, tuba lovers and Germans. Another mailing list gave her hourly updates on wind conditions around the country. Johnny Xchaotic, in his posted message, said Ms. Gookin was hit because, "Anyone who needs a book to be a good parent should not have kids. You are contributing to the overall stupidity our society possesses." Needless to say, Mr. Xchaotic couldn't be reached for comment. ------------------------------ From: hancock4@cpcn.com (Lisa) Subject: Getting a semi-public pay phone? Date: 17 Aug 1996 02:16:42 GMT Organization: Philadelphia City Paper's City Net My condominium has a swimming pool and clubhouse. There is an extension phone (from the office line) for emergency calls from the pool. We are finding more requests by people to use that phone to check their home machine for messages, call friends, etc. Also, guests at clubhouse events want to call home to check the babysitter, etc. The emergency phone is abused -- we get overseas calls on it. We called Bell about installing a pay phone, but they wanted a very high installation charge and a guaranteed minimum use which we do not expect to meet. We expect maybe average five to ten calls per week in summer, and two calls per week in winter, spring, and fall. Could anyone suggest perhaps a tariff on how we could get a Bell pay phone more inexpensively? I've seen Bell phones at other condo pools with a layout similar to ours that can't get that much usage. Or, could someone suggest how we'd find and _evaluate_ a vendor to provide privately owned pay phone service? We want it to be revenue neutral -- not costing us anything, but not getting any commission. We don't want users price gougaged either. Any general suggestions would be appreciated. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #419 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Mon Aug 19 11:25:19 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id LAA16106; Mon, 19 Aug 1996 11:25:19 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 11:25:19 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608191525.LAA16106@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #420 TELECOM Digest Mon, 19 Aug 96 11:25:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 420 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Hackers Deface Justice Web Page (TELECOM Digest Editor) Trouble Using 888 Toll Free Services (Bruce Bergman) DFW Dialing (was End of Permissive Dialing in 954) (Greg Monti) Inmarsat Prices Tumble (Van Hefner) Microwave Rural Phone System? (Dave Perrussel) Does New Area Codes Mean New Caller Cost? (Lou Jahn) Will Full Number Portability Occur? (Lou Jahn) TCP Parameters For GSM Data? (Tom Worthington) 1+ Dialing and How it's Billed (John Cropper) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 09:51:28 EDT From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Subject: Hackers Deface Justice Web Page Friday overnight into Saturday morning, it appears someone was busy at their keyboard ... ... the web page maintained by the United States Department of Justice (http://www.usdoj.gov) was looted and ransacked by hacker(s) of identity yet unknown who replaced the page installed by the government with one of their own which, to put it mildly, as charitably as possible, was most unflattering to Janet Reno and President Clinton. The official web site of the Department of Justice, which was taken off line when the webmaster discovered it on Saturday morning had been renamed to "United States Department of Injustice". A swastika was at the top next to the government agency name. The text of the page was written over a background of grey swastikas. Large letters declared that 'this page is in violation of the Communications Decency Act' ... The page included a picture of Adolf Hitler, who on the web page is referred to as the attorney general. Another picture is of a topless Jennifer Aniston, one of the stars of NBC's 'Friends' show. Numerous sexually explicit images were on the page, and interspersed with the lewd and sometimes crude images of Ms. Reno, President Clinton and others engaged in rather preposterous (funny, though!) sexual acts while Hitler watches and leers at them was text criticizing the Communications Decency Act, signed in February but in suspense at the present time pending litigation regards its constitutionality. A defiant Adolf Hitler (US Attorney General) is pictured saying 'anyone who does not agree with me on everything I say and do will be sent to jail. Anyone who is different in any way must be jailed or murdered.' President Clinton looks on approvingly. The text continues, "it is hard to trick millions of people into allowing us to take away their Bill of Rights and basic freedoms but if Clinton is elected for another term we should be able to complete the job by the end of this century ... " Then there were links to 'other pages of interest', each marked with a little swastika or a little picture of Hitler where one would click to go to that other page. The other pages, equally rude, had a variety of sexually explicit pictures and/or cartoons. All of the links were very unflattering to Clinton, Republican nominee Bob Dole and Pat Buchanan. In one, Clinton is identified as President Ben Dover and he is sexually assaulting someone identified as John Q. Public while Bob Dole waits patiently in line for his turn. A sheet of paper marked 'Bill of Rights' flies out the window in the breeze. In another link, Hitler is said to be Pat Buchanan's campaign advisor, and Hitler explains why his candidate is better than Clinton: "At least he doesn't lie about his intentions; you always know right where you stand with Buchanan. There is no putting him in office and finding out the bad news later. Look at how Clinton lied to all the gay people and tricked them into supporting him. Are they in for a surprise later on!" -------------------------- Justice Department officials were alerted Saturday morning to the hacking which had been done. The site was taken off line immediatly and restoration is underway now to put the 'official' page back up. It is expected that http://www.usdoj.gov will be back on line by Monday. Washington bureaucrats who had an opportunity to view the 'Department of Injustice' page before it was removed were outraged. Justice Department spokesman Joe Krovisky said Saturday afternoon it was not clear at this point what statutes had been violated 'by whoever defaced our web page'. Janet Reno did not comment or respond. I suppose President Clinton could get on television and say that they will catch whoever did it and charge them with defacing government propaganda ... ooops, I mean government *property*. -------------------------------------- Election '96 ... one of the nastiest yet. And although you did not ask my opinion, I'll give it anyway: I think the government simply has no conception of how difficult it would be to police or censor the net, even if they *really tried*. There are an awful lot of fourteen year old kids out there with more knowledge of the most obscure workings of the net than all the government agents combined. The government will eventually get down to business and try to put the net offline so to speak, reserving its use mostly for the government itself and large corporations. They'll fail, but it should be fun watching them try. PAT ------------------------------ From: bbergman@westworld.com (Bruce Bergman) Subject: Trouble Using 888 Toll Free Services Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 06:22:08 GMT What are the legal time requirements for Customer Owned Pay Telephone providers to program access to 888 Toll-free services? 888 was announced well over a year ago, and most providers should have changed their programming by now. However, *every* time I have tried to access our small business' 888 line from a COPT in the greater Los Angeles area, it has met with failure. And every time I contact the various COPT vendors, I get no answers or satisfaction. And even when I go through the local or Long Distance Provider operators, I've only been successful once out of about a dozen tries. And this has never been a problem with either 800 numbers, or when using Telco owned paystations Can anybody provide information on the legal requirements for allowing connection, or is the only recourse to start a California PUC complaint file on every carrier? I have been reading through comp.dcom.telecom for several months now, and am amazed that I'm the only one with this problem! Of course, being an electrician with 13 years of telco experience both in installing steppers and digital switchrooms, and as an OSP splicer, I've never had insurmountable problems. ( Though one *must* be discreet when using Butt Sets, there's almost no problem that a Dracon TS-32 can't solve :-P ) P.S.: Anyone else noticed how quiet switchrooms are today? Bruce L. Bergman Woodland Hills, CA. bbergman@westworld.com Electrician, HVAC-R Mechanic, Telephone Tech, And More..... WARNING: SPAM FREE ZONE. Send *NO* Junk E-mail. Violators will be shot. Survivors will be persecuted. ISP's will be notified. Other steps taken as necessary. You have been warned. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 888 is merely an extension of 800, and for all intents and purposes is considered to be the same thing. For example, 800-555-1212 gives out the information for both 800/888. If the one group of numbers is made available then the other should be also. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Aug 1996 15:30:01 -0400 From: cc004056@interramp.com (Greg Monti) Subject: DFW Dialing (was End of Permissive Dialing in 954) Of late, there have been several complaints posted about the dialing patterns required by Southwestern Bell and by GTE in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The gist of the complaints havs been that 1+10 digit dialing should be allowed for all calls from all phones in the NANP, even if the call is local. The concept is: even if the caller mistakenly dials the call using the "toll procedure" of 1+10, they should be pleasantly surprised when they are not billed for this call because it is local. I wholeheartedly agree with this position. Like Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Dallas-Forth Worth does not allow 1+10 dialing on cross-area-code local calls. Subscribers are forced to dial exactly ten digits, no more, no less. Although I disagree with this, I can see how it came about. Dallas and Forth Worth began being required to dial 10 digits for local calls between them about four years ago. Prior to that, local calls which crossed the area code boundary between the two metro areas were dialed with just seven digits. There are two levels of local calling area that can be purchased from telephone comapnies in the DFW area: ordinary service and Extended Metro Service (EMS). The EMS level of service lets you call (and be called by) virtually every number in the Dallas Metro area and in the Fort Worth metro area without toll charges. The local calling area from downtown Forth Worth and the local calling area from downtown Dallas -- from non-EMS phones -- touch each other but do not overlap. Obviously most businesses which deal with their customers by phone have EMS service, which offers almost 100% overlap. For tens of years, businesses advertised in newspapers and on the sides of their vans, their seven-digit local number (preceded by "Dallas" or Fort Worth") and their seven-digit EMS number (preceded by the word "Metro"). It was assumed by callers that the Dallas number was in 214 (which never had to be dialed if you were calling from Dallas), the FW number was in 817 (which never had to be dialed if calling from Forth Worth). The metro number was perceived NOT to have an area code because it could be dialed from everywhere with seven digits. Of course, each EMS number did have an underlying area code, they just weren't published except in the fine print of exchange lists in the front of the phone book. Then came mandatory ten-digit dialing. All of a sudden, businesses had to identify which area code their Metro number was in. Some people, as soon as they saw ten digits printed anywhere, assumed that that call was toll. So they refused to do business with that company and called somebody else. A great hue and cry was raised by the consumers (who thought half of the EMS numbers had been made into toll calls) and by the business (who were losing customers). The solution was to do everything possible, even if it was technically stupid, to train the consumers and businesses that cross-area-code calls that were local in the old seven-digit era, were still local in the ten-digit era. In 1993 editions of the Dallas phone directory, the businesses who had EMS numbers in the 817 area stood out dramatically. Their metro numbers were printed in boldface capitals preceded by asterisks: *** TOLL FREE 817 NXX-XXXX The same was true of Dallas EMS numbers printed in the Fort Worth directory: *** TOLL FREE 214 NXX-XXXX The phone numbers and the "TOLL FREE" designations were actually printed in larger type than the name of the business itself. The phone companies were required to do one more thing to *absolutely assure* the little blue-haired ladies that local calls between area codes were still local: They disallowed the 1+ on toll calls. This way, your Aunt Tilly in Richardson could not possibly -- not even accidentally -- dial a call to a Fort Worth EMS number as 1-817-NXX-XXXX and get through. She would instead receive the assuring recorded message that the call was local and must be dialed without a '1'. Sure, this is an inconvenience for laptop users who plug into hotel room lines and have to try two or three times to get through. Sure this is an inconvenience for people who move and have to figure out how to reprogram their memory telephones. Who is the phone system supposed to serve anyway? Those big, rich businesses? Those newfangled internet users (who run up over $100 per month). Or those lowest common denominator subscribers who make no long distance calls and get a bill for $20 a month? If you are the Texas PUC, subject to appointment by elected officials, how would you answer that question? And don't worry. The culture that got us to this point is about to strike again. When I was in Dallas last week, I saw a story on the 10 PM news about a public hearing on splitting the 817 area code. *All* of the commenters who were shown by the TV station were age 70 and over. (Everyone else was at work.) One of them said (paraphrased here), "Old people don't like change. Do what you need to do, but don't change anything that old people have to dial." I swear. Why do Miami and Fort Lauderdale now have the same dialing procedure as Dallas and Forth Worth? Well, what percentage of the Mia-FtL population consists of persons over 70? Greg Monti Jersey City, New Jersey, USA gmonti@interramp.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Aug 1996 08:50:10 -0700 From: vantek@northcoast.com (VANTEK COMMUNICATIONS) Subject: Inmarsat Prices Tumble Bethesda, MD, August 17, 1996 (DLD DIGEST) -- COMSAT Personal Communications (CPC) took an important step recently toward offering global satellite communications to consumers by placing the world's first personal satellite communications (PSC) call using its PLANET 1(SM) service. COMSAT officials in Malaysia placed the call with the NEC- and COMSAT-developed PLANET 1(TM) phone through the Inmarsat-3 satellite operating over the Indian Ocean region. The call was received by CPC vice president and general manager, Christopher J. Leber, while on business travel in Germany. "Today, COMSAT celebrated an historic milestone as PLANET 1 opened a new era for global communications -- the world's first personal satellite communications call," said Leber. "The first phone call demonstrated the potential uses for our PSC technology -- it was successful because of a team effort with NEC, Inmarsat, Telecom Malaysia, and COMSAT RSI, which built and installed the ground network equipment for PLANET 1 service. COMSAT's PLANET 1 service will enable individuals who travel internationally and work or live outside cellular coverage to be in touch and conduct business by phone, fax, or E-mail." The PLANET 1 service coverage area will initially include: Africa, the Middle East, Russia, Western Australia and Asia, including Japan, China and India. COMSAT expects to offer PLANET 1 service in this initial coverage area by fourth quarter 1996. Four additional Inmarsat-3 satellites are scheduled to be launched by October 1997, including one operational spare. Worldwide PLANET 1 service is expected to be available at that time. "With the completion of the world's first PLANET 1 personal satellite communications call, COMSAT has secured a place in telecommunications history," said Warren Grace, director general of Inmarsat. "As one of Inmarsat's leading service providers, COMSAT is committed to bringing satellite communications solutions to market -- PLANET 1 is an excellent case in point." The world's first PSC call originated from the shores of the South China Sea, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. From there, the call was picked up by a "spot beam" emanating from the satellite which is in geostationary orbit over the Indian Ocean. The call was then transmitted to COMSAT's Indian Ocean region ground station and routed to Chris Leber via the public switched telephone network. PLANET 1 phones will retail for about $3,000, with an all-inclusive (fully terminated) call charge of approximately $3 per minute (pending FCC approval). The PLANET 1 system will integrate cellular and mobile satellite technologies to offer seamless global, personal voice and data communications. COMSAT's PLANET 1 phone will incorporate the functionality of a standard business phone with fax and data capabilities. It will also use subscriber identity module (SIM) cards for security and flexibility. SIM cards will allow companies to create a "terminal pool" where multiple employees, each with their own SIM card and billing account, can share a limited number of terminals. Additionally, future PLANET 1 services will include voice/fax mail notification, call-in absence indicator, E-mail and Internet access, and short messaging service. A proven leader and innovator with more than 30 years of experience in global satellite communications, COMSAT, via Inmarsat, is the first service provider to introduce a complete PSC solution to the global marketplace. COMSAT Personal Communications is a business unit of COMSAT's International Communications (CIC) division. CPC is responsible for personal satellite communications services including PLANET 1 and future hand-held personal satellite communications services planned to be offered through the ICO Global Communications satellite network. Certain statements in this press release related to PLANET 1 service are forward-looking and are based on management's current expectations, which may be affected by subsequent events (e.g., unexpected delays in completion of product testing, delivery of terminals or satellite launch schedules). PLANET 1 is a trademark and servicemark of COMSAT Corporation. COMSAT and the COMSAT logo are registered trademarks or COMSAT Corporation. Van Hefner - Editor Discount Long Distance Digest The Internet Journal of the Long Distance Industry http://www.webcom.com/longdist/ ------------------------------ From: diamond@viper.nauticom.net (Dave Perrussel) Subject: Microwave Rural Phone System? Date: 18 Aug 96 02:47:15 GMT I work for a company that has a field station in the middle of the New Mexico desert. We currently have phone service there via two ways: The older service uses a "open wire carrier" that transmits phone data over two bare copper wires for over 30 miles from the nearest town's telco building (the local telco is GTE). We can successfully transmit data at 9,600 baud and sometimes up to 14,400 baud. The problem with this is that the technology is vacuum tube based and the local GTE people will no longer support it. Our new system uses a VHF or UHF low power signal to a phone system on a nearby mountain (30 miles away). This works well for voice, but only does data at 1,200 baud -- if its a good day weatherwise. This is not good enough for what we want to do. We need a higher bandwidth but the local telco will not (or cannot) give us a system with higher bandwidth. Is there a commercially available product that will do a high bandwidth (say 14,400 baud or 28,800 baud) using point to point microwave that is reasonabally priced? Thanks in advance. Please E-mail me at diamond@interserf.net Dave ------------------------------ Date: 18 Aug 96 00:38:32 EDT From: Lou Jahn <71233.2444@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Does New Area Codes Mean New Caller Cost? Can anyone help with a minor pricing point? As the new area codes are introduced, are callers forced to pay higher costs for things such as Directory Assistance? Right now in NJ - when I dial 411, I can get any telephone number in the 609 Area code - my cost after six free calls is 20 cents per 411 call. If 609 is split into two area codes will I need to call long Distance (NPA-555-1212) to the new area code and then be charged 90 cents per DA call by AT&T? While it doesn't sound like much the numbers of "extra 70 cents/calls" will add up and somebody makes a bundle -- yet I get no better service than before. Can anyone justify the extra cost? If 609 is split into two area codes several smaller towns end up being split 65/35% into both area codes. If someone dials 609-555-1212 for such a split city, will the 609 DA operators be able to give the DA info for the non-609 part of town or will remote DA callers simply get billed for the DA call and be told to redial the correct area code (which happens on wrong NPA-555 calls today)? Any comments? Can anybody provide some call volumes from prior NPA splits which might size the "extra costs to Callers"? Secondarily -- Bell Atlantic charges differing amounts fo DA services in each state or situation: NJ Residential = six free DA calls then 20 cents/call thereafter PA Residential = two free DA calls then 57 cents/call thereafter Yet as C-LECs and IXCs work with Bell Atlantic for handling their DA traffic, BA charges somewhere between 28 to 35 cents per DA call landed and given out -- can anyone attempt to explain so many prices from the same business for the same service? Isn't DA one of the "cost plus" services under the FCC ruling? Lou [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: At least around this part of the country in Chicago (Ameritech territory) we are able to still use 411 regardless of the actual area code (312/630/708/773/847) involved. There is no extra cost involved other than what is usually charged for directory assistance. Area 815 however is not included, and never was available through our local 411. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: 18 Aug 96 00:38:36 EDT From: Lou Jahn <71233.2444@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Will Full Number Portability Occur? While the FCC has just started LEC's moving toward Number Portability several of us were arguing whether "Full" Portability will ever occur (or how far does the FCC plan to go)? Within an area code the FCC is stating that in two-three years I can keep my telephone number as I move amoung local LECs, but does the FCC and industry plan to go eventually to "Full" portability so I can take my NPA-NXX-#### with me to Cailifornia, PA or FL? If this can occur someday -- why keep on expanding NPAs -- aren't they about to become just part of the routing game? Once I can take my number across a LATA boundary, dont' we have universal routing similar to 800/888 services? Who pays for re-engineering the full network to provide such service? First -- can I assume "local Number portability" will occur no matter the cost? If that is a definite, can anyone shed a longer term prognosis for number portability beyond a given LATA? Suppose you move to the next town in a diffeent LATA, do you need to take on new numbers yet someone moving within a LATA will not? How will it be Handled in "overlay area codes"? I'd love to see a "Dick and Jane" story version of the longer term industry plans for portability ... sounds like we are headed for ten digit dialing either due to increasing NPAs or from portability. Lou ------------------------------ From: Tom Worthington Subject: TCP Parameters For GSM Data? Date: Sun, 18 Aug 1996 16:27:18 -0700 Can anyone suggest appropriate settings for the TCP/PPP software to work with the GSM standard? The parameters are: * Maximum Transmission Unit * Receive Window * TCP Maximum Segment Size * TCP Retransmission Time Out I purchased a GSM mobile phone with a PC card interface cable a few weeks ago. It works very well with the dial-up PPP software for connecting to the Internet (http://acslink.net.au/~tomw/travel/balloon.htm). I just used the same parameters as for the land line connection. However I assume GSM uses some sort of packetised data and it would be better to have the software set to suit the GSM packet size. Tom Worthington President, Australian Computer Society, GPO Box 446, Canberra ACT 2601 http://www.acslink.net.au/~tomw 1996 World Conference on Mobile Communications, Sep 96 in Canberra: http://www.acs.org.au/ifip96/mobile.html ------------------------------ From: psyber@usa.pipeline.com (John Cropper) Subject: 1+ Dialing and How it's Billed Date: 16 Aug 1996 17:44:55 GMT Organization: Pipeline On Aug 16, 1996 00:08:37 in article , 'cc004056@interramp.com (Greg Monti)' wrote: > John, you are implying here that the '1' dialed at the beginning of a > long distance call chooses the *company* that carries the call. No. > The company carrying the call is chosen by regulatory boundaries, by > default carriers, and by 10XXX or 101XXXX codes. Actually, in my case, Yes. If I dial intra-NPA to AC, as in your example, using 345-xxxx, the charge appears on the LEC portion of my bill. If I dial using 1-609-345-xxxx, it appears on the LD carrier portion of my bill (or at least it has been appearing there.) Of course, BA was also charging me for local calls to my neighbor before they realized that my (new) local exchange was part of the same Trenton calling area. So is my experience a fluke, or is it policy to refer ALL 1+ calls to my LD provider? John Cropper NiS / NexComm PO Box 277 Pennington, NJ USA 08534-0277 Inside NJ : 609.637.9434 Outside NJ: 888.NPA.NFO2 (672.6362) Fax : 609.637.9430 email : psyber@usa.pipeline.com ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #420 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Mon Aug 19 13:53:06 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id NAA00629; Mon, 19 Aug 1996 13:53:06 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 13:53:06 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608191753.NAA00629@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #421 TELECOM Digest Mon, 19 Aug 96 13:52:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 421 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Northern Canada Exchange Profile (Dave Leibold) Setting Up Server - Requesting Advice (Mark A. Weiss) Re: Detritus of 708 Area Code Change (Allan Munsie) Re: Transfer Powerpoint to VHS (Greg Monti) Re: Cable Companies (Ed Ellers) Re: 1+ Dialing and How it's Billed (John R. Grout) Re: GE 916 Wireless Phone Jack System (Bill Newkirk) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Dave.Leibold@superctl.tor250.org (Dave Leibold) Date: 18 Aug 96 21:08:12 -0500 Subject: Northern Canada Exchange Profile Northern Canada NPA/NXX Profile 17 August 1996 David Leibold This is a list of NXX ("exchange" or central office codes) as used in various northern Canadian points. The Northwest Territories and Yukon points (switching to NPA 867) are listed, as well as associated northern British Columbia and Quebec points (i.e. those British Columbia points operated by NorthwesTel, those northern Quebec points operated by Bell Canada). 403/819/867 split (the territories): NPA (area code) 867 has been assigned for use throughout the Northwest Territories and Yukon. This will be in service as of 21 October 1997 and NPAs 403 and 819 will cease to operate into the territories as from 26 April 1998 and 867 (or "TOP" on the phone dial) becomes "mandatory" in the territories. Northwestel has set up a hotline to deal with the area code changes: 1 888 777.1867. A test number (867) 669.5448 will be in effect when the new 867 code is activated. 604/250 split (British Columbia): Northern British Columbia points operated by Northwestel will change area code from 604 to 250 beginning 19 October 1996. NPA 604 can still be used in parallel with 250 until 6 April 1997, at which time NPA 250 becomes "mandatory". Test numbers when 250 comes into effect will be (250) 371.0123 and (250) 371.0124. Contents: * 403 Northwest Territories (western part), Yukon * 819 Northwest Territories (eastern part) * 819 Northern Quebec (Nunavimmiitunut directory area) * 250 (from 604) Northern British Columbia * General Notes ----------------------------------------------------- -- 403 Northwest Territories (western part), Yukon -- ----------------------------------------------------- [These NorthwesTel points will be changing to the 867 NPA] 206 Trout Lake ; NWT; new as of July '96 360 Gjoa Haven ; NWT 370 Lutselk'e ; NWT; formerly Snowdrift 371 Edzo ; NWT; connected as Rae-Edzo 390 Teslin ; Yukon 392 Rae ; NWT; connected as Rae-Edzo 393 Whitehorse ; Yukon; formerly for Pine Point, see [note 2] 394 Fort Resolution ; NWT 396 Holman ; NWT 399 Tagish ; Yukon; also Marsh Lake, see [note 4] 536 Watson Lake ; Yukon 537 Pelly Crossing ; Yukon 561 Taloyoak ; NWT; formerly Spence Bay 573 Wha Ti ; NWT; formerly Lac La Martre 580 Paulatuk ; NWT 581 Wrigley ; NWT 587 Norman Wells ; NWT 588 Tulita ; NWT; formerly Fort Norman 589 Deline ; NWT; formerly Fort Franklin 598 Fort Good Hope ; NWT 602 Nahanni Butte ; NWT; new as of July '96 633 Whitehorse ; Yukon 634 Haines Junction ; Yukon 667 Whitehorse ; Yukon 668 Whitehorse ; Yukon 669 Yellowknife ; NWT 690 Sachs Harbour ; NWT 695 Fort Simpson ; NWT 699 Fort Providence ; NWT 709 Colville Lake ; NWT; see [note 3], new as of July '96 713 Snare Lake ; NWT 769 Pelly Bay ; NWT 770 Fort Liard ; NWT 821 Carcross ; Yukon; see [note 5] 841 Destruction Bay ; Yukon; also Burwash Landing, see [note 6] 851 Swift River ; Yukon 862 Beaver Creek ; Yukon 863 Carmacks ; Yukon 872 Fort Smith ; NWT 873 Yellowknife ; NWT 874 Hay River ; NWT 920 Yellowknife ; NWT 952 Fort McPherson ; NWT 953 Tsiigehtchic ; NWT; formerly Arctic Red River 966 Old Crow ; Yukon 969 Ross River ; Yukon; see [note 7] 977 Tuktoyaktuk ; NWT 978 Aklavik ; NWT 979 Inuvik ; NWT; NXX to be changed, see [note 1] 982 Kugluktuk ; NWT; formerly Coppermine 983 Cambridge Bay ; NWT; also Ikaluktutiak 984 Enterprise ; NWT 993 Dawson ; Yukon 994 Faro ; Yukon 995 Elsa ; Yukon; also Keno, see [note 8] 996 Mayo ; Yukon 997 Rae Lakes ; NWT ** Notes: [note 1] 403-979 Inuvik will need to have an NXX change as NPA 867 is established. This is because it conflicts with 819-979 Iqaluit which will become 867-979. Inuvik's new NXX is unknown at this point. [note 2] Some exchanges that had been listed for NWT have apparently been removed from service. Recent examples are: - 391 Lady Franklin NWT (test pack), now assigned to Red Deer, Alberta - 393 Pine Point NWT, now assigned to Whitehorse, Yukon - 777 Tungsten NWT, now assigned to Calgary, Alberta Some explanations for 391, 393 and 777: 391 was a code only used for calling cards associated with DEW Line personnel. These would be used for billing when placing calls with the Northwestel operator at Fort Nelson. These were replaced with 148-numbered cards in the early 1980s. 391 was retained as a "mark-sense" code for billing/ID purposes until it became obsolete circa 1990-91. 393 Pine Point has vanished. 393 has been assigned to Whitehorse since 1994 initially in service for "switched 56" services, then for Centrex and eventually for conventional lines. 777 Tungsten was decommissioned due to the 1989 shutdown of the tungsten mine in that centre. The exchange then only had two or three telephones in service and was eventually shut down two years after the mine shutdown. [note 3] The 1996 NWT directory has a page for Colville Lake. The catch is, there aren't any Colville Lake numbers to be found on it; just external numbers such as NorthwesTel contacts, RCMP, territorial services etc. 403-709 (to become 867-709) is the designated NXX for this locality. [note 4] 399 Tagish is the main rate centre. Marsh Lake is a remote Nortel DMS-100 type switch off Whitehorse exchange, established December 1989. Marsh Lake telephone numbers are in the 399-4xxx range. Tagish has all other ranges: 399-2xxx, 399-3xxx, 399-9xxx. Calls between Tagish and Marsh Lake are long distance, despite the use of the same NXX. [note 5] One pay phone and one or two business phones in Fraser, BC (approx 55 km from Carcross) are connected to the 821 Carcross exchange. Canada Customs for the Klondike Highway is based in Fraser. [note 6] Burwash Landing is connected to the 841 Destruction Bay exchange, albeit at an extra $4.19/month local service rate representing the connection distance to the central office. The two communities have local calling with each other. [note 7] 969 Ross River used to have a remote number series with Ketza River having the 969-7xxx number range. Long distance applied between Ross River and Ketza River. [note 8] Keno (or Keno Hill, or Keno City) has rural multi-party service off 995 Elsa central office. [note 9] Direct dial access is expected to two other communities in 1997: Jean Marie River and Kakisa. Assignments under NPA 403 may be needed if the introduction of these exchanges is prior to the activation of NPA 867. Umingmaqtok (Baychimo) is another place slated to have a direct dial connection. This is contingent on the installation of commercial power in that community, likely after NPA 867 comes into effect. ---------------------------------------------- -- 819 Northwest Territories (eastern part) -- ---------------------------------------------- [These NorthwesTel points will be changing to the 867 NPA] 252 Resolute Bay ; NWT 253 Little Cornwallis Island ; NWT 266 Sanikiluaq ; NWT 436 Nanisivik ; NWT 439 Arctic Bay ; NWT 462 Repulse Bay ; NWT 473 Pangnirtung ; NWT 645 Rankin Inlet ; NWT 793 Baker Lake ; NWT 857 Arviat ; NWT, formerly Eskimo Point 896 Whale Cove ; NWT 897 Cape Dorset ; NWT 898 Chesterfield Inlet ; NWT 899 Pond Inlet ; NWT 924 Clyde River ; NWT 925 Coral Harbour ; NWT 927 Broughton Island ; NWT 928 Hall Beach ; NWT 934 Igloolik ; NWT 939 Kimmirut ; NWT, formerly Lake Harbour 979 Iqaluit ; NWT, formerly Frobisher Bay 980 Grise Fiord ; NWT ** Notes: [note 10] 980 Grise Fiord was billed by Bell Canada as the world's most northerly exchange some years ago. Whether this accomplishment has been beaten is not known. ---------------------------------------------------------- -- 819 Northern Quebec (Nunavimmiitunut directory area) -- ---------------------------------------------------------- [These Bell Canada northern points are in Quebec and as such will not be changing to the 867 NPA] 254 Inukjuak 255 Salluit 331 Umiujaq 337 Kangiqsualujjuaq ; formerly Port-Nouveau-Quebec 338 Kangiqsujuaq 491 Aupaluk 492 Quaqtaq 496 Akulivik 633 Tasiujaq 922 Ivujivik 929 Poste-de-la-Baleine ; Kuujjuarapik 935 Kangirsuk 988 Puvirnituq ; was listed Povungnituk - Misspelled? Changed? ** Notes: [note 11] Interestingly enough, Bell Canada doesn't use the standard 310.BELL business office number in this region, but instead uses 811 (with the exception of 1-811 used in Kangiqsualujjuaq and Kangiqsujuaq exchanges). ---------------------------------------------- -- 250 (from 604) Northern British Columbia -- ---------------------------------------------- [These points will not be changing to the 867 NPA] 232 Toad River ; also Summit Lake (232-7xxx) 233 Fort Nelson ; new, cellular and Centrex only as of Aug. '96 234 Iskut 235 Telegraph Creek 236 Bearskin Lake 237 Bob Quinn 239 Good Hope Lake ; [note 12] 471 Fort Ware 771 Dease Lake 774 Fort Nelson 772 Wonowon ; also Upper Halfway, see [note 13] 773 Prophet River ; formerly referred to as Minaker 776 Muncho Lake ; also Mould Creek (776-7xxx) 778 Cassiar 779 Lower Post ; see [note 15] ** Notes: [note 12] 239 Good Hope Lake is local to Cassiar 778. This local connecion adds $4.98/month to local rates in Good Hope Lake. [note 13] 772 Upper Halfway (772-50xx), Wonowon (772-3xxx, 772-4xxx) 772 Wonowon is the main centre with numbers in the 772-3xxx and 772-4xxx range. Upper Halfway (772-50xx range) is a "Rural Serving Area", costing customers $41/month extra, but connected to the Wonowon switch with local calling between places. [note 14] Atlin (604-651, soon to be 250-651) is a northern BC Tel exchange, but listed in the Northern BC/Yukon directories for reference. [note 15] 779 Lower Post has locality with Watson Lake, Yukon (403-536) and an extra $2.91/month per line local service rate. ------------------- -- General Notes -- ------------------- Telephone directories for these regions are currently: - Yukon and Northern British Columbia (NorthwesTel) - Northwest Territories (NorthwesTel) - Nunavimmiitunut (Northern Quebec, Bell Canada) Phone book information was used in updating the above NXX listings. Prior to a corporate shuffle in recent times, the phone book areas were split along corporate lines: NorthwesTel areas (western NWT) had directories for Yukon/northern BC (similar to today) and a western NWT directory (their NPA 403 points). Bell Canada had one northern directory which consisted of its eastern NWT and northern Quebec points (their NPA 819 points). The Nunavimmiitunut phone book is small, but is tri-lingual (Inuktitut, French, then English). There were three introductory sections (one per language) and two sets of listings (one with the Inuktitut character set, and the other which was for French and English). NorthwesTel's Northwest Territories phone book had Inuktitut and English sections. The Yukon/Northern BC book is in English only. Phone bill forms are English and French in the Northwestel 403/604 (or soon 867 west/250) regions, and English/Inuktitut in the 819 (soon 867 east) regions. Printed details are in English in these cases. Disconnect notices are in English, French and Inuktitut. No other regional language such as Dogrib or Loucheux is used by Northwestel. Information compiled from various Northwestel, Bell Canada and other telco sources. Thanks to Geoff Capp and Ray Chow for additional info for this document. Fidonet : Dave Leibold 1:259/730@fidonet.org Internet: Dave.Leibold@superctl.tor250.org ------------------------------ From: mweiss7401@aol.com (MWeiss7401) Subject: Setting Up Server - Requesting Advice Date: 19 Aug 1996 00:08:06 -0400 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Reply-To: mweiss7401@aol.com (MWeiss7401) Hello everyone, I'm seeking advice on setting up a server on the internet. The application is going to be field support, primarily. My job will be to build and administer the site. We plan to have e-mail support to field reps and clients, as well as ftp and www service to the reps, to provide and exchange information, software updates for the company's proprietary application, etc. Some degree of security will be needed for guarding against unauthorized access to certain file areas. My questions are as follows: What type of connection do we need to become linked to the Internet? (Some suggest 56K Frame Relay) What does it cost to get an IP address? What is the monthly cost of the data line? We're in a rural area. Does that pose a special problem to getting high speed lines brought in? Are there ongoing expenses to having an IP address registered on the Internet? Will a Pentium box with Windows NT Server provide adequate support for a small organization? How many users can a midrange PC handle concurrently? Can you list any additional issues/items I need to address with this project? Thank you for your assistance. Sincerely, Mark A. Weiss Media Consulting Services ------------------------------ From: allenm19@mail.idt.net (Allan Munsie) Subject: Re: Detritus of 708 Area Code Change Date: Sun, 18 Aug 1996 12:13:19 -0400 Organization: IDT Corporation In article , H.A. Kippenhan Jr. wrote: > We've just gotten our first notification here at Fermilab about switch > software updates that will change the SPID values on all NI-1 ISDN BRI > lines. As an example, the 5ESS that serves Geneva and the 5E Remote > Module that provides Centrex service to Fermilab will be upgraded on > Oct. 17. You may wish to enquire if any of the readers have the > complete list for the entire 708 (er, now 630) area code and would > care to post it? > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I live around here, and I don't even > have a copy of the 630/708 split which took place last week. I do not > know if Ameritech has even printed a complete copy of the list of > which prefixes go where for public use, but I suppose they must have. I work for a CAP in the Chicago area, and the talk around our office is that Ameritech has been quiet about the 630 change due to the problems that came down with the 847 change - people calling across the street and being charged long distance rates, etc. They want to make sure that the switches are handling things before the big media blitz. We'll probably see something around mid-October, near the end of the grace period. Allan Munsie ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 18 Aug 1996 15:29:56 -0400 From: cc004056@interramp.com (Greg Monti) Subject: Re: Transfer Powerpoint to VHS On 15 Aug 96, blair@instep.bc.ca wrote: > Does anybody know how I can transfer a timed PowerPoint presentation > (version 7.0 running on Windows 95 on a PC) to VHS video? Resolution > should be 1024x768. I assume that what you want to do is to transcode the video of each PowerPoint still frame into several seconds (or minutes) of video which can be recorded and played back *readably* on a Canadian-US style VHS video tape recorder. You can't do it at that resolution. The "System M" (also sometimes called NTSC) television scanning standard used in the US and Canada (among other places) has 525 horizontal scanning lines, of which about 50 are not usable for video because they contain the vertical frame synchronizing signals. This means that 475 lines are usable, so the vertical resolution is 475 pixels. Horizontally across the screen, NTSC (being an analog encoding system) supports more than one resolution, depending on how good the equipment and transmission path are. For studio-grade professional cameras, video tape recorders and monitors, the horizontal resolution can probably approach 500 pixels per line. Once it has been broadcast over the air on a limited-bandwidth television channel, the horizontal resolution falls to about 300 or 350 pixels per line. VHS recorders are as cheap as they are because they remove even more of the video resolution, which the human eye finds acceptable. Once this video is recorded and played back on VHS, even at the highest speed, the horizontal resolution will be about 250 pixels per line. So your presentation will be blurred down to from 1024 (horiz) by 768 (vert) to 250 (horiz) by 475 (vert) pixels per frame. Yes, even though the TV screen is wider than it is tall, there are fewer pixels horiziontally than vertically. That's the black and white resolution of NTSC. The resolution of color NTSC is even worse. The human eye accepts a picture with blurry-edged color objects if the black and white outline of the object is relatively sharp. The color resolution in NTSC varies by what the color is. I think the finest color resolution is about 150 pixels per horizontal line. I'd recommend: - Restrict yourself to using only very large type, 50 points or larger, in any part of your presentation. - Limit yourself to about six lines of text per "slide" (you may have to divide complex slides into two or three simpler slides). - Make sure you have no small areas of color which are significant to the content. - Don't crowd together color characters with fine horizontal resolutions (The "Illi" in "Illinois" may come out looking like a rectangle of blurry color). - Avoid vertical stripes of any color, especially black and white (they cause flickering herringbone effects in NTSC). Look in the yellow pages to find a service house that can do the job of converting it to VHS for you. You may want to "test" their service out on your more complex slides (since they will be the most difficult to reproduce) before committing to the full job. Companies listed under "Slide Printing Services" may not be able to do the job themselves but could refer you to companies that can. Good luck! Greg Monti Jersey City, New Jersey, USA gmonti@interramp.com ------------------------------ From: Ed Ellers Subject: Re: Cable Companies Date: Sun, 18 Aug 1996 15:34:21 -0400 Organization: Mikrotec Internet Services, Inc. (MISNet) Christopher Wolf wrote: > On a (only) slightly related note, is it legal for a cable company to > tell subscribers in it's area that they cannot get one of those small > dishes to pick up satellite broadcasts? Says they interfere with > their satellite dish's pickup. The cable company that supplies to my > apartment complex (in Texas) made them sign a form stating they will > not allow anyone to use the satellite dishes -- that we have to buy > from them to get cable. This seems fishy to me. Anyone have some > facts? What often happens in these deals is that the cable company, when it is not required by its franchise to provide service to an apartment complex (or a new subdivision), demands such a clause in order to make the service available. The developer of course has to knuckle under, or else he'll be stuck with an apartment building (or subdivision) that 60% or more of Americans would not be willing to live in -- why move to Evergreen Manor and settle for a few off-air signals when you can live in Brookwood Estates and get cable? This is why, in the Telecommunications Act of 1996, the FCC was ordered to strike down such non-governmental restrictions on small satellite dishes, conventional TV antennas and MMDS antennas. They've done so for private homes, but the Commission is still wrestling with exactly how far to go with regard to apartments and condos. FWIW, DirecTV, USSB and (AFAIK) Echostar's The DISH Network are moving to make their service available in apartment complexes using a 2-3' master dish feeding every unit; Sony already has a system that will feed the signals, and those of a normal TV antenna or cable system, into each apartment through a single cable, using a small diplexer box connected to the DSS receiver. ------------------------------ From: grout@polestar.csrd.uiuc.edu (John R. Grout) Subject: Re: 1+ Dialing and How it's Billed Date: 19 Aug 1996 11:07:58 -0700 Organization: Center for Supercomputing R and D, UIUC In article psyber@usa.pipeline.com (John Cropper) writes: > On Aug 16, 1996 00:08:37 in article , > 'cc004056@interramp.com (Greg Monti)' wrote: >> John, you are implying here that the '1' dialed at the beginning of a >> long distance call chooses the *company* that carries the call. No. >> The company carrying the call is chosen by regulatory boundaries, by >> default carriers, and by 10XXX or 101XXXX codes. > Actually, in my case, Yes. If I dial intra-NPA to AC, as in your > example, using 345-xxxx, the charge appears on the LEC portion of my > bill. If I dial using 1-609-345-xxxx, it appears on the LD carrier > portion of my bill (or at least it has been appearing there.) > Of course, BA was also charging me for local calls to my neighbor > before they realized that my (new) local exchange was part of the same > Trenton calling area. > So is my experience a fluke, or is it policy to refer ALL 1+ calls to > my LD provider? It sounds like a clumsy way to provide choice of intra-LATA carriers ... but plausible enough. By comparison, the situation is much cleaner here in Illinois. At the best of the state PUC, this spring, Ameritech gave its customers the opportunity to choose an IXC as one's presubscribed intra-LATA carrier or to retain Ameritech (they had to reissue the notification a few months later after IXC complaints that the first notification was too slanted against choosing an IXC instead of retaining Ameritech). So, here in Illinois, if you don't dial a "10xxx" prefix, it shouldn't make any difference how you dial an intra-LATA toll call ... it should go to your presubscribed intra-LATA carrier. I can imagine things being much murkier in states where the concept of "local" calls is fuzzier. For example, from New York City, you can call anywhere in the NYC LATA except the few exchanges in Connecticut as a "local" call ... so what would presubscription to a carrier for intra-LATA "toll" calls _mean_ within NYNEX territory in New York state? What if you wanted to keep NYNEX for the closer rate bands, but use an IXC for the really far out ones? John R. Grout Center for Supercomputing R & D j-grout@uiuc.edu Coordinated Science Laboratory University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ------------------------------ From: Bill Newkirk Subject: Re: GE 916 Wireless Phone Jack System Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 09:55:59 -0400 Organization: Rockwell Avionics/Collins John R Levine wrote: > My one attempt to make one of those GE carrier things work was a > complete failure. I couldn't get it to work at all. In retrospect, I > think that the problem was that the house had a 220V feed and the two > places I was trying to use it were fed from opposite sides of the 220. > This is a problem you'll probably have in your apartment complex, too. > I'd bite the bullet and pull some real phone wire. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You know, the same thing is true for me > where 'wireless intercoms' are concerned. I have yet to find one that > works correctly with my electrical wiring here. They always have a small > hum in the background or never seem to transmit at all. PAT] You have to bridge the two sides of the transformer with a small value high voltage capacitor to let the RF across. The transformer's inductive reactance (2*pi*frequency*inductance) is very high at rf and acts to block the signal. I don't remember the values we used to use back when i was involved with a carrier current radio station in college. seemed like it was a 1000V cap (or maybe 1500 V) and on the order of 1 uF or so, maybe smaller. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #421 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Mon Aug 19 18:00:46 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id SAA24482; Mon, 19 Aug 1996 18:00:46 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 18:00:46 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608192200.SAA24482@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #422 TELECOM Digest Mon, 19 Aug 96 18:00:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 422 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: DFW Dialing (was End of Permissive Dialing in 954) (Linc Madison) Re: 1+ Dialing and How it's Billed (Linc Madison) Re: Rural Internet Access (Tony Toews) Re: When Was Direct Distance Dialing Cut In? (Ed Ellers) Re: When Was Direct Distance Dialing Cut In? (John R. Levine) Re: Phone Privacy: Collecting Damages From Solicitors (Big Drum) Re: Wireless Satellite Communication - A Challenge (Curtis Wheeler) Re: Need Simple Phone Line Tester (Jeff Becklehimer) Re: Getting a Semi-Public Pay Phone? (Dave Sellers) Re: Getting a Semi-Public Pay Phone? (S.J. Slavin) Re: Modem Access Fees (Tim Gorman) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Telecom@Eureka.vip.best.com (Linc Madison) Subject: Re: DFW Dialing (was End of Permissive Dialing in 954) Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 12:47:59 -0700 Organization: Best Internet Communications In article , cc004056@interramp.com (Greg Monti) wrote: > Although I disagree with this, I can see how it came about. > Dallas and Forth Worth began being required to dial 10 digits for local > calls between them about four years ago. Prior to that, local calls which > crossed the area code boundary between the two metro areas were dialed with > just seven digits. > [discussion about "Metro" numbers, toll-free local calls from the entire > Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area. Metro numbers in the other area code > used to be dialed as just the 7-digit number, but are now dialed as > exactly 10 digits. Many people were confused when they started having > to dial 817-xxx-xxxx or 214-xxx-xxxx to reach "metro" numbers, so the > businesses complained and made the telcos list the numbers as > ********** TOLL-FREE 817 xxx-xxxx, etc.] I think your historical perspective is off by a couple decades. The current procedure of forbidding dialing the initial '1' on local calls predates the 10-digit FNPA local dialing by a long stretch. In 1971, when I first moved to Dallas, if I dialed 1-744-xxxx for a number in downtown Dallas, I got a reorder and was told to dial without the '1'. If I dialed 1-265-xxxx or 1-817-265-xxxx for a metro number in Arlington, I got a reorder and was told to dial only the 7-digit number. If I dialed 1-214-xxx-xxxx for a toll call within 214 (Tyler or Texarkana, for example), I got a reorder and was told to dial just '1' plus the 7-digit number. Southwestern Bell has always been very particular that you must have one and only one way to dial any given call. I thought it was silly in 1971, and I think that much moreso now. Protecting businesses from losing customers who are afraid of tolls can easily be accomplished with the big bold "TOLL-FREE" listings in the directory, and by simply telling people that if you don't dial the '1' then the call won't go through if it's toll. There is neither a technical nor a user-interface reason for forbidding dialing '1' on local calls. As far as "metro" numbers go, people had better be used to dialing the area code but knowing it's still local, because if you're in downtown Dallas, *ALL* "metro" numbers will be dialed with 10 digits -- all 214 "metro" numbers will move to 972. As the area codes get smaller and smaller, and people become more and more mobile, it becomes more and more important to have a single uniform dialing procedure that is guaranteed to work anywhere in the U.S. Southwestern Bell and the Texas PUC should stop dragging their feet and make the change. Linc Madison * San Francisco, Calif. * Telecom@Eureka.vip.best.com ------------------------------ From: Telecom@Eureka.vip.best.com (Linc Madison) Subject: Re: 1+ Dialing and How it's Billed Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 13:04:30 -0700 Organization: Best Internet Communications In article , psyber@usa.pipeline.com (John Cropper) wrote: > On Aug 16, 1996 00:08:37 in article , > 'cc004056@interramp.com (Greg Monti)' wrote: >> John, you are implying here that the '1' dialed at the beginning of a >> long distance call chooses the *company* that carries the call. No. >> The company carrying the call is chosen by regulatory boundaries, by >> default carriers, and by 10XXX or 101XXXX codes. > Actually, in my case, Yes. If I dial intra-NPA to AC, as in your > example, using 345-xxxx, the charge appears on the LEC portion of my > bill. If I dial using 1-609-345-xxxx, it appears on the LD carrier > portion of my bill (or at least it has been appearing there.) If by "AC" you mean Atlantic City, that's inter-LATA from Pennington, although they're in the same NPA. If New Jersey Bell is handling it differently depending on whether you dial 7 or 11 digits, then the switch is (once again) misprogrammed, in violation of applicable laws. Unless you are pre-selected for NJBell for your inter-LATA toll calls, they should all be handed off to and billed by your selected IXC, no matter how you dial the calls. As an example here in California, if someone in San Jose (in the northern portion of area code 408, in the San Francisco LATA) calls someone in Monterey (in the southern portion of 408, in the Monterey LATA), the call will be handed off to and billed by his selected IXC whether he dials 7D or 11D. When Pacific Bell is allowed to enter the market for inter-LATA tolls, the situation will remain the same for that call. (Neither California nor New Jersey requires dialing '1+NPA' for toll calls within the same area code.) Linc Madison * San Francisco, Calif. * Telecom@Eureka.vip.best.com ------------------------------ From: ttoews@agt.net (Tony Toews) Subject: Re: Rural Internet Access Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 15:57:44 GMT Organization: AGT Ltd. bsharp@cris.com (Brian M. Sharp) wrote: > Is there any way people living outside a metropolitan area can get > internet access without having to pay per hour? With all the interest > in the internet, isn't there some service that can see the huge number > of people in this uncomfortable position? Here in Alberta the new president of the telco, or so I hear the story, told his staff to cut the BS and get Internet service throughout Alberta. Which we now have. Every little hamlet or remote location now has a local access phone number. This includes some places up near the border of the Northwest Territories accessible only by winter road, river or airplane. I, for one, certainly enjoy thier service. It's pretty darned good quality service compared to some other ISP's which I was previously accessing via long distance. Tony Toews, Independent Computer Consultant Jack of a few computer related trades and master (or certified) of none. Microsoft Access Hints & Tips: Accounting Systems, Winfax Pro, Reports and Books at http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm ------------------------------ From: Ed Ellers Subject: Re: When Was Direct Distance Dialing Cut In? Date: Mon, 19 Aug 96 13:49:58 -0500 Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice) Art Kamlet writes: > That day I was in NY and asked the opertator for a number in Detroit, > "LIncoln (pause) 77938) and the NY operator said That's not a legal > number, please state the number correctly. I hadn't caught on yet, so > I again said, more slowly, Lincoln (pause) 77938, and she got mad and > said she could not connect me. I caught on, being a New Yorker and > all that, and corrected to LIncoln 7 (pause) 7938 and she said, that's > a number she could try. Sounds like her head was in the wrong place. :-) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 96 02:26:00 EDT From: johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) Subject: Re: When Was Direct Distance Dialing Cut In? Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg, N.Y. > I also recall that following the dialing of the number, a human > operator would come on the line and ask "Your number please!" to which > you were to respond with your own number and not the number which you > were calling. Rumor had it that this was for billing purposes and if > you gave someone else's number, they would be billed for your call. > (I was an honest kid and never tried it, however, so I don't know if > this was true.) They sure would. At my relatives' telco in rural Vermont, my aunt used to spend a fair amount of time each month handling complaints about misbilled numbers and figuring out who actually should get charged for them. The towns were small enough that it usually wasn't all that hard to figure out who knew who and who called who, but it was still a pain in the butt. They were greatly pleased to switch from ONI (Operator Number Identification) to ANI (Automatic Number Identification) and leave that particular task behind. John R. Levine, IECC, POB 640 Trumansburg NY 14886 +1 607 387 6869 johnl@iecc.com "Space aliens are stealing American jobs." - Stanford econ prof ------------------------------ From: Big Drum Subject: Re: Phone Privacy: Collecting Damages From Solicitors Organization: APACHE LTD Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 13:55:07 GMT Why deal with them at all? There's a company selling a single-line CallerID box with a brilliant twist -- it won't pass a call through to your handset unless its configuration says the call's OK. You program in a list of phone numbers you ALWAYS want to ring through and a list of phone numbers you NEVER want to ring through. An incoming call will either be 1)rung through if on the ALWAYS list , 2) hangs up if on the NEVER list , or 3) routes the call to your answering machine. I'd imagine there are other ways to program it with what to do with the three types of calls you can receive. And then there's all the "special cases" - collect calls, etc, that you'd have to anticipate. But the concept is beautiful! Probably as good as you can get without a jam-proof traceback capability (so you could call *them* at the dinner table). Tom Screaming Sky reference: "Computer Telephony" magazine, 07/96 issue, p120 ------------------------------ From: Curtis Wheeler Subject: Re: Wireless Satellite Communication - A Challenge Date: 18 Aug 1996 23:57:30 GMT Organization: Just Me and My Opinions (Std. Disclaimer) MarvinDemuth@worldnet.att.net (Marvin Demuth) wrote: > Earlier I wrote: >> WHAT WE NEED: >> We need facilities, preferably involving satellite communication with >> voice, fax and email capabilities, at low cost. I have seen figures >> from $1.49 to $9.00 per minute on the Web for satellite service. We >> need something better than this. We need to be spending our funds on >> drilling wells and providing medical care for people who have no >> resources. Preferably, we need to be able to operate at both ends with >> non-licensed operators, just the same as it would be if we were making >> a telephone call. > Mark Rivers confirmed the cost of INMARSAT-M at $4.50 (US) and wrote: >> A cheaper alternative would be using an MSAT which provides coverage >> over North and Central America. Currently the system offers voice and >> data capabilities but does not offer fax. The fax capability should >> be out soon but do not hold your breath. Cost for this system is >> approximately $4K US for the equipment (+ or - $1K depending on the >> model) and airtime rates vary but range between $1.55 - $2.75 per >> minute CANADIAN. I am not sure how the rates and billing proceedures >> work in the states. > Can anyone give their experience with MSAT from the US to the > Caribbean area? The Caribbean seems to be well within the coverage of the MSAT foot print. With that, I would assume that it works as well between stations there as it does bewteen stations within the ConUS. I have demo'd some MSAT equipment and find the performance quite acceptable. > Can anyone give me by posting or e-mail the best rates available in > the US for this service? "SkyCell" (American Mobile Satellite Corp) has offers that can get the telephone airtime down to about $1.19 per minute with a $25 or less per month access charge. Another service they offer is dispatch. This allows you to set up groups that can use the MSAT like a two way radio system (similar to a SMR service). At this time I have seen offers from Skycell that flat rate this service -- in other words, no airtime charges when using the system as a two way. They don't offer this service by itself. It is an additional option to the telephone service. They have deal now for dispatch service at $69 per month -- again, flat rate but in addition to the regular access charge. If you didn't make any "phone calls" you wouldn't rack up additional airtime charges using the two way. The disadvantage of the two way system is that each station has to have a terminal ... at about $4K each. At least one of the terminals they sell, the Mitsubishi ST151, is fax capable -- but only at 2400bps. There is a "modem interface" that operates to 4800. Note this is a narrowband, digital service so data rates are limited. "Tellular" is soon to release an "adapter" that will let you use a POTS type device on the unit. This is simialr to the adapter they offer for cellular phones. The transportable ST151 that we tried was available for between US$3500 and US$4500. It depends on the deal you strike and the options you want/need. Fax and dispatch capability are options to the unit. > Does anyone know of any special MSAT arrangements that can be made for > organizations engaged in humanitarian work? The worst they can say is "no". Give them a call in Reston, VA at 800-872-6222. Regards, Curtis KD6ELA / GROL / PP-ASEL cwheeler@ccnet.com cgwh@chevron.com ------------------------------ From: beck@slidell.com (Jeff Becklehimer) Subject: Re: Need Simple Phone Line Tester Date: 19 Aug 1996 03:55:03 GMT Organization: slidell.com inc, Slidell Louisiana Dave Close (dave@compata.com) wrote: > What I'd like is a simple test tool they could use to verify that > the phone line is appropriate and working before they connect their > modem. > I need a test that can be performed in a minute or > less. And, of course, price is important; I suspect such a device > should be possible for less than ten dollars. Well, they're not less than ten dollars. Go to Yahoo and look for "modem savers". Jeff Becklehimer slidell.com, inc. ------------------------------ From: Dave Sellers Subject: Re: Getting a Semi-Public Pay Phone? Reply-To: sellers@on.bell.ca Organization: Bell Sygma Inc. Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 12:48:27 GMT Lisa wrote: > My condominium has a swimming pool and clubhouse. There is an > extension phone (from the office line) for emergency calls from the > pool. We are finding more requests by people to use that phone to > check their home machine for messages, call friends, etc. Also, > guests at clubhouse events want to call home to check the babysitter, > etc. > We called Bell about installing a pay phone, but they wanted a very > high installation charge and a guaranteed minimum use which we do not > expect to meet. We expect maybe average five to ten calls per week in > summer, and two calls per week in winter, spring, and fall. > Could anyone suggest perhaps a tariff on how we could get a Bell pay > phone more inexpensively? I've seen Bell phones at other condo pools > with a layout similar to ours that can't get that much usage. Would Bell put the phone in because it is needed for emergency use? (Take out the office line phone.) Bell puts many phones in on bus routes for this purpose ... Just a thought. Dave Sellers Managing Consultant - Broadband Support Systems Room 1950, 160 Elgin St. Voice 613-785-2694 Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2C4 FAX 613-781-3620 ------------------------------ From: sjslavin@aol.com (SJSlavin) Subject: Re: Getting a Semi-Public Pay Phone? Date: 19 Aug 1996 00:02:37 -0400 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Reply-To: sjslavin@aol.com (SJSlavin) Your title says it all -- why not install a semi-pub. Are they not still available? Semi-pub is a coin phone on your business line. Pay the monthly line rate (which you are apparently paying already), telco keeps the coins. What is missing here? Steve Slavin, Sr. Regulatory Analyst San Ramon, CA [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I think what is missing is Lisa said they did *not* want to have to pay the monthly fee for a phone out there and that telco would not install it as a purely public (or commissionable) pay phone because of the lack of regular usage. One thing they might consider however is leaving the phone they have there, but disabling the touch tone pad, or at least disabling all of it except the '9' and '1' keys. That would enable a user to dial 911 and nothing more. They could also clearly mark the phone 'Emergency Use Only - Phone Rings Police' and then have a one-number speed dialer attached which, when the phone went off hook would dial '911' or some other preset number. They could have that on their existing line which is there now and it would not interfere with the regular use of the phone from other locations. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Tim Gorman Subject: Re: Modem Access Fees Date: Mon, 16 Aug 1996 10:46:38 -0500 Eric Florack (Eric_Flrack@mc.xerox.com) in #412 tilted at the windmill built by Tim Gorman (tg6124@tyrell.net) and Bob Wulkowicz (bobw@enteract. com): >>> Maybe I took it badly, but I read Mr. Robeson's post as a pompous >>> dismissal of us as the technologically and managerially unwashed. >> I don't know if he meant it that way but it is true that with no >> real understanding of traffic patterns, density, and provisioning >> requirements it is difficult to judge whether fees established >> for service are reasonable or not. "Common sense" is not typically >> a very good judge. > Hmmmm. Common sense isn't what drives telcos? Look out Dilbert. > Here comes Telco. Respectfully, you ARE tilting at windmills. I did not say that common sense was not what drives telco's. Common sense, however, is NOT a good indicator of what reasonable fees should be for anything. Common sense would indicate that farmers get rich when food prices go up. It isn't usually the case. >> Providing that caller id to you required the telco to invest in >> new software in every central office switch to handle the >> feature, not a cheap thingIt also required them to invest in >> the analog modem equipment in every central office necessary >> to send that caller id down your phone line, again not a cheap >> proposition. You ARE paying for much more than some access to >> a "phantom" data packet. > A common sense examination of this is in order: > Let's assume that every CO has 10,000 customers, just to keep the > figure nice and round. Let's say half of them take the LEC up on > it's offer of CID. Lessee ... $5/mo it what was quoted here, and > its a nice figure. So ... > 5000*$5=$25000 per month or, of income, or 12*$25,000= $300,000/yr > on CID alone. > Over a quarter million on CID profits per year alone, on a > per-switch basis! Can you confirm that CID cost telco more than > that to install? If not, the initial investment is in reality > paid off in less than a year. That leaves aside the multiple > data-use issues. This is where the common sense starts to lead you astray. Capital investment is not expense. It doesn't get paid off in less than a year. You must earn on the investment, you must place sufficient earnings in depreciation to replace the investment when it is obsolete, and you need to earn a contribution to net revenue. The modems that are installed are not $140 USR Sportster modems either. They are industrial grade design intended for 24x7 operation for decades with zero downtime -- and they are much more expensive. What you calculated was gross revenues and called them profits. That is not common sense either. And while a penetration rate of 50% for CID may also sound like common sense for CID I sincerely doubt you will find very many locales with that high of a rate. > Speaking of the modem use issues, you say: >> As competition comes you will have the option to move to a lower >> cost provider. You will also find that you don't get something >> for nothing. Much as has been found out in the long distance >> market today, the low cost, niche competitors may provide lower >> costs for specific things but they either don't provide 24x7 full >> service, they don't provide the same levels of call blockage, etc. > Fact is that as competition comes, Telcos are going to find that > they no longer have the capacity problems they once did. People > will be leaving in droves for cable modems to run everything ... > including voice traffic ... and the telcos know it ... which is > why Jack Brooks is not exactly considered the best friend of the > telco, these days. This is yet another case where common sense will lead one astray. You are speaking as if the telecommunications market is a zero sum game. It is not. While the telco's will certainly see some areas where they lose market share they will also find other areas where they will pick up market share. And this does not even factor in the growth anticipated from a competitive market. In any case, the telco's have never had a capacity "problem". They may run into capacity shortages but this is not a problem, it is an opportunity! You should also try Internet phone sometime. While usable for some things it's quality and even usability is hardly ubiquituous. It will be quite some time before investment in sufficient data packet infrastructure, be it frame relay, ATM, or something different exists in sufficient capacity to make "droves" leaving the present infrastructure anything more than a pipedream. > The fact is that all this complaining about modems sucking up > capacity is utter nonsense, on several levels. The telco would > be involved no matter what the traffic on the wire is, no matter > what format it is. Matter of fact, I suggest that capacity > problems would be far WORSE, if not for the modem. Modems convey > information far faster than voice, after all. And the information > would need to be transmitted in /some/ form. Or are you suggesting > we'd all be using the USPS? Wire? You mean the local loop? Do you really think this discussion is about the local loop? The point of discussion is cost allocation. If a local network between two central offices need 100 trunks (using typical assumptions for voice traffic) and growth in long holding time data calls necessitates an increase in the number of trunks to say, 200, then why should the users making the long holding time data calls not pay for the additional infrastructure they cause to be placed? Why should the cost of this infrastructure be placed on those only making voice calls? > This is naught but the Telcos trying to obtain more money for > providing what is essentially the same service; an audio channel of > 300-3000cps on a point to point connection. The bitching and the > clamoring for additional price increases, based on what is /in/ those > limits; IE; the type of data being put on that audio channel, will end > up driving the data traffic off the telcos. It's true. data traffic > will leave for cheaper, less regulated pastures. Cable being only one > such option. Again, your common sense is misleading you. The discussion concerning modems has nothing to do with channel bandwidth but, instead, how long that bandwidth is tied up to a specific call and not available for other use. Usage dependent infrastructure that is needed IS dependent on usage -- by definition. As voice traffic moves to other "pastures", access to those pastures as well as the pastures themselves will be sized to handle the bandwidth demand. And cost causers will be charged more, regardless of the pasture. > But what the telcos have not planned on, in my opinion, what they'll > be caught flat-footed by, is the amount of voice traffic that leaves > with it. Internet voice calls are, I think a harbinger of something > the telcos don't want to talk about much; the fact that the people, > the customers, are getting nearly as technical as the telcos ... at > least enough that they're able to get around technical and legal > roadblocks set up by people whose only interest is maintaining a > hammerlock on the nation's communications. Suffice it to say that the "data" providers in this country do not have the infrastructure available to handle today's voice traffic with the same grade of service available in today's voice network. By the time the infrastructure is even available from the vendors the telco's will be right in there with everyone else installing the infrastructure. I have used internet voice. It is NOT ready for prime time. It is far from being ready for prime time on anything resembling a competitive widespread offering. > I'm sorry, but I find it hard indeed to work up any sympathy for > telco's cries of 'foul'. Your common sense has lead you into developing a strawman that doesn't even resemble what is being discussed. This is not a cry of foul from the telco's. It is a recognition of a need for equitable cost allocation. Expecting my grandmother to pay the freight for your 24 hour long data call is what is foul. More and more state commissions are becoming aware of this and are making inquiries of the industry as to how it can be handled. As I pointed out before, if it were free then local calls would be free, toll calls would be free, there wouldn't be any coin phones, and no need for 800 service. That just isn't the case. Tim Gorman SBC - I speak only for myself ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #422 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Tue Aug 20 10:40:31 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id KAA06117; Tue, 20 Aug 1996 10:40:31 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 10:40:31 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608201440.KAA06117@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #423 TELECOM Digest Tue, 20 Aug 96 10:40:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 423 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Club Wired: Simson Garfinkel on ISDN, 21 Aug, 4 pm PDT (Ron Hogan) Pacific Bell Offers Ten Tips for Prepaid Phone Cards (Mike King) Encryption and Telnet (Derek Balling) Who Runs the InterNIC? (Joshua Rehman) Need Reverse Directory (Michael Muderick) Guatemala Country Code Change? (Julie Lumine) Telecom Corruption Scandal (Dr. Jai Maharaj) CPSR Conference October 19-20 in DC (Monty Solomon) Request to Participate in Internet Survey (Emad Kawas) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: ron@hotwired.com (Ron Hogan) Subject: Club Wired: Simson Garfinkel on ISDN, 21 Aug, 4 pm PDT Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 19:32:20 -0800 Organization: Grifter Information Technologies Simson Garfinkel writes the Technology column for Packet, HotWired's new Web commentary and analysis channel. He's also written about computers for a lot of other magazines, including Wired. Join Simson and host Janelle Brown on Wednesday, 21 August at 4 p.m. PDT (23:00 GMT) to reveal what the telcos aren't telling you about ISDN. I'd tell you what some of that is, but they didn't tell *me*, either. So bug Simson and Janelle with all your questions, or see PacketChat's home page at http://www.hotwired.com/packetchat/ Talk.com (http://talk.com) is the all-new version of HotWired's popular chat room feature, utilizing Java to create a colorful new way of doing the text-based chat thang. For those of you whose browsers don't work with Java, chat.talk.com will give you telnet access. Club Wired is restricted to registered users of HotWired ... see the URL below to sign up. Ron Hogan ron@hotwired.com The HotWired Network http://www.hotwired.com/ ------------------------------ From: Mike King Subject: Pacific Bell Offers Ten Tips for Prepaid Phone Cards Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 17:51:11 PDT Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 08:26:39 -0700 From: sqlgate@list.pactel.com Subject: Pacific Bell Offers Ten Tips for Prepaid Phone Cards FOR MORE INFORMATION: (Bay Area) Rebecca Perata (415) 394-3701 Dick Fitzmaurice (415) 394-3764 (Sacramento/San Joaquin County) Dave Miller (916) 972-2811 (San Diego/Orange County) John Britton (619) 237-2430 (Los Angeles) Linda Bonniksen (213) 975-5061 David Dickstein (213) 975-4074 Pacific Bell Offers Ten Tips for Prepaid Phone Cards SAN FRANCISCO--The prepaid phone card, the latest convenience to capture consumer attention, has invaded grocery and drug stores, copy centers, gas stations, truck stops and newsstands, making its way into consumer hearts and wallets everywhere. Additionally, this summer, the colorful telephone tools have become highly successful promotional items and are quickly becoming one of the hottest new consumer items around. But not all prepaid cards are created equal. To navigate through all the choices, clutter and hype, Pacific Bell reminds consumers to consider the following ten tips before purchasing a prepaid phone card: 1 Determine if the card is represented by an established telecommunications company that will ensure consistent voice quality and customer service. Some companies offering prepaid phone cards have gone out of business, leaving customers, distributors and retailers who sell their cards, with a worthless pieces of plastic. 2 Check the card's expiration date and make sure there is enough time to use it up. 3 Make sure the card has a printed 800 number and 24-hour customer service that is accessible. Some providers do not have enough capacity to handle customers' calls -- leaving the customer indefinitely on hold. 4 Find out how much it costs to use a prepaid phone card. For example, Pacific Bell offers a flat rate of 40 cents per minute for local, local toll and domestic long distance calls. International rates vary by region. Rates from other companies can be as high as 60 cents per minute, which affects the calling time available on the card. 5 Find out in what increments calls are billed. Some companies bill in one-minute increments so that if the caller talks for one minute and one second, two minutes are deleted from the card's time allotment. Others, like Pacific Bell, bill in 6 second increments, rounding down. Ensure you are billed only for actual conversation time and not for call set-up time. 6 Some prepaid card companies charge customers a surcharge for first use of the card. Be sure there aren't any hidden surcharges. 7 Ensure that the card's rate is valid for all desired calling areas. For example, some cards offer a flat rate for calls within the U.S., but charge significantly more for calls to Mexico. 8 Inspect the card's packaging. All a thief needs to use the time you've purchased, is the 800 number and authorization code. Ensure that the authorization code has not, or could not be compromised. For example, Pacific Bell applies a "scratch-off" coating on all prepaid cards to secure the authorization code. 9 Some prepaid phone card companies, like Pacific Bell, also offer cards with Spanish-language capabilities. With the Pacific Bell card, Spanish-speaking operators also are available to assist Spanish-speaking customers with their prepaid phone card calls. 10 A prepaid phone card is like cash. You can't lose more than the face value of the card, but you can't get it back, either. How to Use the Pacific Bell Prepaid Phone Card * Customers dial an 800 number to reach the network, then dial in their card number. When customers dial in their card number, a recorded message will tell them the value left on the card. * After customers have dialed the desired telephone number, the message will tell them how many minutes they can talk to that location before the card runs out. * A message -- which only the caller can hear -- will indicate when there is one minute of talk time left on the card. * Customers who wish assistance with their card can signal for a live operator, either English- or Spanish-speaking. * The back of the prepaid phone card will have instructions printed in both English and Spanish. * After a prepaid phone card has either expired, or the time or amount exhausted, there still may be some life left in it. Some cards can be recharged by retailers, or by using the 800 number and a credit card. Pacific Bell Prepaid Phone Cards can be purchased from Pacific Bell payment locations, selected retail outlets, including Chevron stations, Pic 'N Save and Save Mart stores, Northern California and Nevada Raley's/Bel-Air supermarkets, Nob Hill Foods and Quick Stop markets. In addition, customers interested in ordering any of the Pacific Bell Prepaid Phone Cards by phone, or locating the retail outlet nearest them, may call 1-800-600-0094. Pacific Bell is a subsidiary of Pacific Telesis Group, a diversified telecommunications corporation based in San Francisco. ------------- Mike King * Oakland, CA, USA * mk@wco.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 17:01:00 EST From: Derek Balling Subject: Encryption and Telnet Pat and readers: We have a customer who has international locations using the Internet, and I'm at a loss on who to turn to for help in my dilemma. The usual places I might expect to find an answer have yielded none, so I'm hoping that the readers of the digest may be able to help me out. We have a customer with offices in Japan that wants to allow them to use an encrypted telnet session with their American office. The basic criteria for the software we're looking for is: 1.) Windows-based client 2.) HP9000 compatible server/daemon 3.) Exportable 4.) Secure I hope someone out there may know where I can turn. STEL (Secure TELnet, a product released by CERT-Italy) was great EXCEPT that it has no windows based client. (Which for the purposes of our customer is a requirement.) Thanks in advance, Derek J. Balling Director of Technical Operations Midwest Internet Exchange, Inc. dredd@mixi.net | http://www.megacity.org | dredd@megacity.org ------------------------------ From: joshua@uci.edu (Joshua Rehman) Subject: Who Runs the InterNIC? Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 06:05:16 GMT Organization: Univeristy of California, Irvine I am a curious internet user who wants to learn a little more about the workings of the actual network. One of the topics that has me a little confused is the registration of domain names. I have seen various other threads on that topic in this group, so I hope to get some help! Here are my questions: What facilities does the InterNIC actually use? Who pays for them? How does one register a domain name? Any other facts regarding the nature of the InterNIC would be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Joshua Rehman University of California at Irvine Internet Address: joshua@uci.edu ------------------------------ From: am004d@netaxs.com (Michael Muderick) Subject: Need Reverse Directory Date: 19 Aug 1996 23:06:27 GMT Organization: Philadelphia's Complete Internet Provider At one point one of the website phone directories allowed lookup via phone number. I know. I used it. Now I can't find it. Can anyone give me the website address? TIA. Mike@Muderick.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 12:39:44 -0700 From: Julie Lumine Organization: MTC Subject: Guatemala Country Code Change? Hi! We just heard informally that the above country is changing and are not sure if someone is confusing it becouse of geographical proximity with the 809 npa changes, or if they are actually changing to a new cc. Any hard copy news? ------------------------------ From: jai@aloha.com (Dr. Jai Maharaj) Subject: Telecom Corruption Scandal Date: 20 Aug 1996 03:20:37 GMT Organization: Coconut Wireless A new corruption controversy has jolted India's drive to open its telecommunications industry to private investors. Correspondent Michael Drudge reports large sums of cash have been found in the homes of India's former communications minister. by Michael Drudge New Delhi August 18, 1996 Indian police have filed bribery charges against the former Communications Minister Sukh Ram and one of his senior aides after police found more than one million dollars (3.65 crore rupees) in cash in two of Mr. Ram's houses. The Central Bureau of Investigation, India's premier law enforcement agency, has filed charges against Mr. Ram alleging he took kickbacks from an Indian telephone equipment supplier. Also charged is Runu Ghosh, a finance director at the Telecommunications Department who had worked closely with Mr. Ram. Ms. Ghosh has been taken into custody. Mr. Ram is reportedly in Britain undergoing medical treatment. The case against Mr. Ram brings renewed controversy to India's efforts to open up the lucrative telecommunications sector to private investors. There have been persistent allegations of favoritism in awarding bids for cellular and basic telephone services. The privatization drive has been upset by lawsuits and intense political bickering. The case against Mr. Ram also adds to the problems of the Congress party, which lost the general election after a string of corruption controversies. Mr. Ram had served as Communications Minister under the former Prime Minister P-V Narasimha Rao, who himself is confronting charges that he swindled a businessman and bought votes to survive a no-confidence motion during his tenure. ------- additional report received ------ The CBI has arrested Ms. Runu Ghosh, a senior official in the Telecom Ministry under the Prevention of Corruption Act. A.I.R., August 18, 1996 The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested Ms. Runu Ghosh, Director Finance in the Telecommunication Ministry last night under the Prevention of Corruption Act. CBI officials had uncovered huge amounts of cash, jewellery and incriminating documents during raids conducted at her residence and office. Earlier in the day, the CBI arrested a Sub-Divisional Officer of the Mahanager Telephone Nigam and registered a case against four other officers and a General Manager. News from A.I.R., Delhi Jai Maharaj ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 00:48:05 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: CPSR Conference October 19-20 in DC Reply-To: monty@roscom.COM Forwarded to the Digest FYI: Date: Fri, 16 Aug 1996 23:20:49 -0700 From: Susan Evoy COMPUTER PROFESSIONALS FOR SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY presents a conference on COMMUNICATIONS UNLEASHED What's At Stake? Who Benefits? How To Get Involved! OCTOBER 19-20, 1996 Georgetown University - Washington, DC Co-sponsored by the Communication, Culture, and Technology program of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Georgetown University SATURDAY, OCTOBER 19 KEYNOTE SPEAKER - RALPH NADER (invited); consumer advocate and founder of the Center for the Study of Responsive Law; Green Party presidential candidate THE COMMUNICATIONS TSUNAMI - In today's world of corporate mergers and the mega-packaging of services, what's at stake for consumers and who will represent their views? What is the meaning of "public interest" in the new digital environment? Panelists will examine the ramifications and effects of the Telecommunications Act in such critical areas as universal service, the opening of local exchanges to competition, the provision of fair pricing rules, and the stewardship of the dazzling array of emerging broadband services. TOOLKITS FOR ACTIVISTS - Media giants and merger-mania dominate the public dialogue on communications issues. How can activists at the local, state, and national levels develop an effective voice in the currently one-sided debate over changes in the marketplace and the regulatory environment? How can community-based organizations use the Internet as a tool for online organizing, enhancing public interest campaigns and increasing the efficiency of their internal communications? THE INTERNET: COMMERCIALIZATION, GLOBALIZATION, AND GOVERNANCE - The accelerating commercialization and globalization of the Internet raises new and divisive problems of governance and control that will profoundly affect the future of the net and all of its users. What is the outlook in key areas like pricing schemes, access to information and services, and Internet telephony? INFORMATION RIGHTS - New information technologies and the policy responses to them raise many critical issues related to information rights on the Internet. Panelists will discuss these topics in detail, including the Communications Decency Act and freedom of speech online, copyright protection, and threats to privacy from the collection of personal information online. COMPUTERS AND ELECTIONS: RISKS, RELIABILITY, AND REFORM - There are widespread, legitimate concerns about the accuracy, integrity, and security of computer-generated vote totals. Panelists will explore the technical, social, and political origins of these concerns within the context of today's little-scrutinized election system. They will also make recommendations for changes in the areas of technology, election law, accountability, and oversight. SUNDAY, OCTOBER 20 will feature WORKSHOPS on: communications access and the consumer; broadcasting and mass media; civic networking; media tactics and outreach; Internet legal issues; and using the Internet for political action. The 1996 CPSR Annual Meeting will take place Sunday afternoon. All conference attendees are welcome. ****************************************************************** REGISTRATION --- Space is limited so register early. Name ______________________________________________________________ Address ___________________________________________________________ City_________________________________State________Zip______________ Telephone____________________________E-mail________________________ Payment method: Check___Visa___MC___Card #___________Exp. Date_____ Early registration: through 9/19 Late registration: postmarked after 9/19 Early registration Late registration CPSR $60______ $70______ Non member $85______ $95______ New CPSR membership ($50 value) & registration $105______ $115______ Low income/student $25______ $35______ Saturday night buffet $25______ $30______ Additional donation to further CPSR's work ________ Total enclosed: ________ Scholarships are available. For more information contact the CPSR national office at 415-322-3778 or cpsrannmtg@cpsr.org. Make check payable to CPSR. Send the completed registration form with payment to: CPSR, PO Box 717, Palo Alto, CA 94302-0717. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE CONFERENCE, CONTACT CPSR at 415-322-3778, 703-739-9320 or cpsrannmtg@cpsr.org or http://www.cpsr.org/home.html **** http://www.georgetown.edu/grad/CCT ***************************************************************** HOTEL AND TRAVEL INFORMATION The GU Conference Center has reserved a block of guest rooms operated by the Marriott and located in the Leavey Center on campus. The $85 a night rate applies until September 30. For reservations call the GU Conference Center at 202-687-3200. The closest off-campus hotel is the Holiday Inn (202-338-4600) located at 2101 Wisconsin Avenue NW where a block of rooms at $109 a night has been reserved. This rate applies until September 17. Rooms are limited so make your reservation as early as possible. United Airlines is the official airline of the conference and is offering a discount to attendees. For reservations call the United Meetings Desk at 800-521-4041. The Meeting ID Code is 503ZV. There are many restaurants and shops located in the historic neighborhood adjoining the Georgetown campus. The events on Saturday will take place in the Bunn InterCultural Center (marked on the map as ICC). This building is not accessible by car. Participants have several choices: 1- Take the blue or orange line Metro to Rosslyn and walk over the Key Bridge to campus (probably about a 15-20 minute walk). There is also a Georgetown blue and gray shuttle bus that runs from the Rosslyn (and Dupont Circle) metro station to the campus. 2- Take a taxi to the main campus entrance at the corner of 37th Street and O Streets, NW. 3- Take one of the many city buses that stops at the main campus entrance to Georgetown, 37th and O Streets, NW. 4- Drive and park in the Campus Parking Lot #3 (accessible either off M Street, just west of the Key Bridge, or at the end of Prospect Street) which is free on the weekends. This is the lot with the large P in the lower left-hand corner of the map. Participants can then walk up the driveway and around to the ICC building. Signs will be posted for your convenience. ------------------------------ From: ekawas@echidna.stu.cowan.edu.au (Emad Kawas) Subject: Request to Participate in Internet Survey Date: 20 Aug 1996 05:16:26 GMT Organization: Edith Cowan University This is a request for IT/IS proffessionla to participate in answering a master student research survey questionnaire. It is an html document. The URL is: http://echidna.stu.cowan.edu.au/es/es_survey.shtml A text version also exist for people who are intrested. I can send you this one by email. You are kindly required to send me email and I will reply with email that include the survey. Please tell everybody about it. The more people participate the better for the research and the results. Thanks in advance, Emad Kawas email: e.kawas@cowan.edu.au ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #423 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Tue Aug 20 11:25:11 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id LAA10584; Tue, 20 Aug 1996 11:25:11 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 11:25:11 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608201525.LAA10584@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #424 TELECOM Digest Tue, 20 Aug 96 11:25:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 424 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Microwave Rural Phone System? (Robert McMillin) Re: Selecting Local Telco (Fred Goodwin) Re: Books About T-1/E-1 Wanted (Richard Neveau) Re: Voicemail and Unix (Ferdinand Verbelen) Re: Voicemail and Unix (David Crawford) Re: Timed Local Internet Calls (Fred Goodwin) Re: When Was Direct Distance Dialing Cut In? (Ed Ellers) Re: Northern Canada Exchange Profile (Jean-Francois Mezei) The World's Most Northerly Exchange (was Northern Canada) (Martin Kealey) Re: Getting a Semi-Public Pay Phone? (A.E. Seigman) Re: 1+ Dialing and How it's Billed (John R. Levine) Re: Does New Area Codes Mean New Caller Cost? (John R. Levine) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 06:33:49 -0700 From: rlm@netcom.com (Robert McMillin) Subject: Re: Microwave Rural Phone System? On 17 Aug 1996 19:47:15 PDT, diamond@viper.nauticom.net (Dave Perrussel) said: > I work for a company that has a field station in the middle of the New > Mexico desert. > We currently have phone service there via two ways: [An old service using bare copper wires with decent data bandwidth, and a new service using VHF/UHF low-power that bites doing data.] > Is there a commercially available product that will do a high bandwidth > (say 14,400 baud or 28,800 baud) using point to point microwave that is > reasonabally priced? I remember reading in the papers here in LA circa 1988 about telephone service in the extremely thinly populated eastern parts of Riverside and/or San Bernardeno Counties. Residents had been petitioning the PUC and Pacific Bell for years to provide service, but Pac*Bell wouldn't do it because of the cost of running the copper, and they wouldn't surrender their monopoly because of what it would mean if competition entered anywhere. Finally, an outfit in Fresno came through for them after the PUC granted a waiver. They planned to install point-to-point microwave, and service was to cost $14.95 a month. I lost touch with the story after that, but maybe someone here knows a bit more than I do about it. Also, if what you're after is a purely data connection, there are dedicated microwave links that aren't too horribly expensive (under $5k, I think). Robert L. McMillin | rlm@helen.surfcty.com | Netcom: rlm@netcom.com ------------------------------ From: fgoodwin@tri.sbc.com (Fred Goodwin) Subject: Re: Selecting Local Telco Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 09:07:56 -0500 Organization: SBC-Technology Resources, Inc. In article , xred@ix.netcom.com (Theron Derx) wrote: > Are you aware of any legislation pending, or in place now, that > permits a person or a company to select their local telco? For > example, if I live in Southwestern Bell country, but would prefer to > have GTE, is there any legislation that would permit me to do that? > If it is, (or will be in the future) will it work much the same way as > the selection of an LD carrier? I would greatly appreciate any > information you could send me. Thank you in advance for your time. At least in Texas, legislation was passed in 1995 that allows for local competition. Potential competitors for the local exchange business must apply to the Public Utility Commission of Texas for authority to provide local service, whether by resale of the incumbent carrier's service, or by providing their own facilities and services. It just so happens that GTE recently applied for and received permission to provide local service in most of Southwestern Bell's operating territory in Texas. As for how you request service from GTE, you probably need to talk to them. Re: Pat's suggestion about FX service: everything he said is true, but for FX customers here in Texas, an FX line gives the local calling scope of the dialtone exchange, but does not provide local calling within the exchange where the FX customer is physically located. E.g., if you are located in Denton, TX (a GTE exchange) and you want an FX line into Dallas (about 30 miles and a toll call away), SWBT would provide you the FX line for all the local calling you can eat in Dallas, but you cannot use it to make local calls in Denton (because the dialtone is coming from Dallas, get it?) So FX is really a replacement for toll service, not for local service. Hope this helps. Fred Goodwin SBC-TRI Austin, Texas fgoodwin@tri.sbc.com ------------------------------ From: richard neveau Subject: Re: Books About T-1/E-1 Wanted Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 02:36:11 -0500 Organization: DSC Communications Reply-To: rneveau@dp.tpd.dsccc.com Marc Samson wrote: > I was looking through the archives for a good reference on T1 and E1. > I did not find anything, and was woundering if you could point us in > the right direction. We have a strong background in SS7 and are doing > some T1/E1 work. We are looking to get good reference material on the > message structure, differences in implementation You need a bunch of books. Of course you MUST get the Flanagan book. The Guide to T1 Networking (Fourth Edition) William A. Flanagan Telecom Library, 1990. ISBN 0-936648-26-0. I've never seen a good book in English that went into E1 much except the ITU standards. Once you have a grip on T1 you can pick up the basics of E1 with very little effort. Hit the ANSI web site http://www.ansi.org, the ITU web site http://www.itu.ch and Bellcore web site http://www.bellcore.com and shell out big bucks for: {ANSI T1.107} Digital Hierarchy - Formats Specification, 1995 {ANSI T1.231} Digital Hierarchy - Layer 1 In-Service Digital Transmission Performance Monitoring, 1993 *{ANSI T1.403} Network to Customer Installation DS1 Metallic Interface, 1995 {ANSI T1.408} ISDN Primary Rate - Customer Installation Metallic Interfaces Layer 1 Specification, 1990 *{GR-499-CORE} Bellcore Generic Requirements, Transport System Generic Requirements (TSGR): Common Requirements (a module of TSGR, FR-440), 1995 {GR-820-CORE} Bellcore Generic Requirements, General Digital Transmission Surveillance, Issue 1, Nov, 1994. {ITU-T (CCITT) G.703} Physical/Electrical Characteristics of Hierarchical Digital Interfaces, 1991 *{ITU-T (CCITT) G.704} Synchronous Frame Structures used at Primary and Secondary Hierarchical Levels, 1995. *{ITU-T (CCITT) G.706} Frame Alignment and CRC Procedures Relating to Basic Frame Structures Defined in Recommendation G.704, 1991 {ITU-T (CCITT) G.732} Characteristics of Primary PCM Multiplex Equipment Operating at 2048 Kbits/s, 1988. {ITU-T (CCITT) G.736} Characteristics of Synchronous Digital Multiplex Equipment Operating at 2048 Kbits/s, 1993. {ITU-T (CCITT) G.823} The Control of Jitter and Wander within Digital Networks Which are based on the 2048 Kbits/s Hierarchy, 1993. {ITU-T (CCITT) G.826} Error Performance Parameters and Objectives for International Constant Bit Rate Digital Paths At or Above the Primary Rate, 1993. and not sure WHO got the document revenue stream but get ... {AT&T TR 54106} Requirements for Interfacing Digital Terminal Equipment to Services Employing the Extended Superframe Format *{AT&T TR 62411} ACCUNET T1.5 Service Description and Interface Specifications from whatever part of the old empire still sells documents. These standards will point you off in search of others but the basics are all covered pretty well (in great detail) if you start with the documents on this list. The ones with *'s are the base documents or "starter set" you 'gotta' have. You will need a rich uncle before you are done if you are developing a product. An often overlooked source would be framer chip vendors. They might have some good presentations, etc. that go into less detail but use real English words. ------------------------------ From: Ferdinand Verbelen Subject: Re: Voicemail and Unix Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 12:32:40 -0700 Organization: Alcatel Bell Jailbait wrote: > My big switch question is: > WHY haven't they built TCP/IP support into phone switches yet? With a > little bit of work you could make a secure system that could be > programmed from the office of the person who does the programming work > and not just from a dedicated terminal in the same room with the > switch. The Alcatel 4400 PBX is based on a real-time OS with a Posix-compliant Unix look-alike on top of it. The OS is called Chorus/MiX (tm, no doubt). The system is a full-blown Unix machine, with support for TCP/IP networking, including telnet, rlogin, ftp etc. The main processor boards have Ethernet interfaces, allowing the PBX to be connected to the corporate LAN or WAN. Alternatively, dial-in access is possible via a serial port (SLIP). I would be very surprised if the A4400 were the only product out there that is based on Unix and provides this level of integration with TCP/IP networks. After all, Unix was originally dreamed up by AT&T ... > Hell, at a very very minimum, I want NTP (Network Time Protocol) > support built in. Having to reset the time and date manaually on my > (well, my (previous) company's (previous)) switch everytime power went > out or such, and having to check it regularly for drift when we had a > perfectly good ntp server sitting ten feet away from the switch was > always really annoying. Sadly, the A4400 does not support NTP at this time either (although I have suggested that this feature be added on several occasions). However, I'd like to make the point that there is something seriously wrong with a PBX that loses its time-of-day when it is powered down. First of all, a PBX should have batteries providing it with ample autonomy in case of mains power failure. In addition to that, the time of day and other critical information should be maintained by a separate battery, just like in a PC. ****************** A L C A T E L T E L E C O M ****************** Jan Ceuleers Systems Engineer, Defence and Avionics Alcatel Bell, Radio Space and Defence Division Berkenrodelei 33, B-2660 Hoboken, Belgium Tel: (32/3)8295385 Fax: (32/3)8295086 e-mail: ceuleerj@btmaa.bel.alcatel.be X400: C=BE,A=RTT,P=ALCANET,OU1=BELA1,O=ALCATEL,S="Jan",G="Ceuleers" ******************************************************************* ------------------------------ From: David Crawford Subject: Re: Voicemail and Unix Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 16:21:41 -0400 Organization: epix.net Ed James wrote: > Has anyone had any experience hooking a unix box up to a vociemail > system that isn't designed for it? > Specifically. I have a NorTel Startalk of some configuration (floppy, > scsi port on the back, parallel port, one card with two lines > connected, labeled 1-2 and 3-4), and I would like to have it send > email to folks when they get voicemail. > Most of our employees are at client sites, and checking one's voicemail > daily can be cumbersome. I'd like to instead deliver a piece of email > to the mailbox owner that indicates that new voicemail arrived at a > certain time. > If I could hook the unix box up to the parallel port of the Startalk, > and if I could convince the startalk to generate reports on a daily > basis (or more frequently), I could parse the report on the unix side, > and generate the required voicemail. Try Gert Doering's gert@greenie.muc.de http://www.leo.org/~doering/mgetty/ mgetty package. Doing a hack from it wouldn't be too hard. I'm not sure how interfacing it to that box of yours but you might want to at least ask him. Good Luck, David Crawford crawford@pnr.com http://www.pnr.com/ ------------------------------ From: fgoodwin@tri.sbc.com (Fred Goodwin) Subject: Re: Timed Local Internet Calls Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 09:30:13 -0500 Organization: SBC-Technology Resources, Inc. In article , fist@ozemail.com.au (fist) wrote: > I write a weekly column on telecommunications in Australia's national > newspaper "The Australian", and last week I wrote a piece attacking > the claims being made by the CEO of Telstra (ex-Telecom Australia) > that Internet users were costing the carrier money because they locked > up the telephone exchanges through long-held calls. My information > was based on my own knowledge plus confirmation from some > telecommunications consultants. [quoted article and replies deleted for brevity's sake] > Since I am getting different information from Telstra insiders and > Telstra outsider/critics and telecommunications consultants, I'd like > to hear the opinions of those of you who know about these switches, > and who don't have any local vested interest. Well, since I work for a regional Bell company, you may decide to ignore my post; and since I was never a switching engineer, I don't bring those credentials to this discussion. But it layman's terms (which for this topic, I *am* a layman), it is easy to see that central offices (whether digital or not) are not sized for unlimited usage. There are many examples of COs blocking due to heavy, unexpected usage. The one that comes to mind is the case of a CO in Oklahoma, US, where the switch was so swamped by callers to a radio call-in show for concert tickets, that 911 calls were blocked (i.e., either could draw no dialtone or hit an "all trunks busy" signal), and supposedly someone actually died when EMS technicians could not be quickly dispatched. Of course, I exaggerate to make my point (but the incident is true): COs are not sized to handle unlimited usage. I've heard the oft-repeated statistic that the typical voice call holding time is approx. three minutes, which seems reasonable (they obviously have not talked to my spouse!), but Internet calls (and before that, BBS calls) do seem to exceed that greatly. I don't know the answer -- it would seem CO capacity will need to be resized if Internet usage drives typical call holding times upward. Who should pay for this? In another thread, it is said the telcos have been compensated and no one should pay extra for this. I think my example above shows clearly there *is* a cost for extremely high usage, namely that other users are blocked. Should all users pay a portion of the cost of beefing up switch capacity, or should those of us who cause the increased usage pay the cost? I don't know -- but I do know that usage is not free, and extremely high, and long duration usage has tangible effects on the telco and on other users. A final question: if (as some believe) there is no additional marginal or incremental cost to the telco for long-duration calls, why then do so many online and Internet providers charge for usage rather than a flat rate? If there is a cost to online providers, why not a cost to the telco also? Fred Goodwin SBC-TRI Austin, Texas fgoodwin@tri.sbc.com ------------------------------ From: Ed Ellers Subject: Re: When Was Direct Distance Dialing Cut In? Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 22:34:55 -0400 Organization: Mikrotec Internet Services, Inc. (MISNet) The Old Bear wrote: > At the beginning of "DDD", the "access code" of 1+ was not > required, with the result that many people unknowingly placed wrong- > number toll calls while attempting to dial a local number. (The > newspaper would periodically carry some little story about a toddler > who had managed to place a call to the other side of the country by > playing with the telephone set. I never figured out how the toddlers > managed to give their number to the operator, however.) As Pat mentioned, *some* areas had full-blown ANI early on, while others didn't. In a number of cases the telcos had to send a technician to every location that was on a party line to double-check the ringer wiring on their telephones before an ANI upgrade could be implemented in a given office. > It was only in the 1960s that collect and person-to-person calls > could be placed by direct dialing with the 0+ access code. Until then, > we dialled 211 (?) and asked the long distance operator to place > such calls. We didn't get this in Louisville until the 1970s. Then again, South Central Bell used to be rather slow to add new services (though BellSouth has recently done better in this regard). AFAIK we never had 211 -- we used to place long distance calls through the local "0" operators. Perhaps they weren't overburdened around here. ------------------------------ From: Jean-Francois Mezei Subject: Re: Northern Canada Exchange Profile Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 00:06:47 +0000 Organization: Vaxination Informatique Reply-To: jfmezei@videotron.ca Does anyone know if the Eagle Plains Hotel on the Dempster highway in the Yukon will still have local INUVIK (NWT) dial tone after next year's shuffle? (Inuvik is a few hundred kilometres away from Inuvik, and Fort McPherson is actually closer to Eagle Plains Hotel than is Inuvik.) Is Fort McPherson also a local call to Inuvik? (about 125km away). Another question: A while back, I saw a coverage map for Northwesttel's cellular service and it included much of the Dempster highway. The Dempster is about 750km long with only Eagle Plains Hotel at km 371 and Fort McPherson at about km 620 as "civilisation" spots. (There are a couple of spots such as Arctic Red River fairly near to Fort McPherson.) Does anyone know how many towers they would have setup to cover that whole area (betwen Dawson City and Inuvik), and whether a hand held phone would actually function along much of that road? Another question: Back in the days of Bell providing services to the eastern Arctic, dialing 0 gave you an operator in Montreal. Dialing 0 from Inuvik (Western Arctic, Northwestel) gave you a Whitehorse operator. Are all operator services now provided from Whitehorse or does Bell still provide "0" service for the eastern Arctic? (Has Northwestel completely absorbed the Bell-Arctic services, is the transition still in progress, or has it been abandoned and Bell will continue serving eastern Arctic for the foreseable future?) ------------------------------ Subject: The World's Most Northerly Exchange (was Northern Canada) Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 02:26:06 +1200 From: martin@kcbbs.gen.nz (Martin D Kealey) Dave.Leibold@superctl.tor250.org (Dave Leibold) wrote: > 980 Grise Fiord was billed by Bell Canada as the world's most > northerly exchange some years ago. Whether this accomplishment > has been beaten is not known. I don't know about the most northerly, but I believe the most southerly exchange is +64-24099xxx, at Scott Base in Antarctica. Grise Fiord is around 77 degrees North, 82 degrees West, while Scott Base is around 78 degrees South, 168 East - approximately 45' latitude further from the equator. The Scott Base operator is available on +64-24099700 (during "daytime" hours -- assuming timezone UT+1200). McMurdo Base (a few kilometers away) also has a payphone! Calls to and from New Zealand cost NZ$1.58 per minute. Calls from other countries cost the same as calls to New Zealand. Martin ------------------------------ From: siegman@ee.stanford.edu (AES) Subject: Re: Getting a Semi-Public Pay Phone? Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 19:09:33 -0800 Organization: Stanford University Lisa's address was gone from this thread when I came to it, so I can't email her, but: Our vacation condo has a phone service from a company that puts a little box on the line in an inaccessible place, after which you can only dial toll-free local calls directly from the phone (in return for paying the monthly basic service fee to the local telco). Any long-distance or toll-bearing numbers that are dialed are blocked and grabbed by this company and have to be done as credit-card calls. They don't charge the owner of the phone directly for this -- I think they make their money by putting most long-distance calls on some carrier they have an arrangement with. Any caller can, however, still get to AT&T or whatever via the appropriate 800 numbers; and the owner of the line can use a PIN to bypass the block for anything. Has worked well for us, on two different units, for several years. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 96 18:31 EDT From: johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) Subject: Re: 1+ Dialing and How it's Billed Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg, N.Y. > Actually, in my case, Yes. If I dial intra-NPA to AC, as in your > example, using 345-xxxx, the charge appears on the LEC portion of my > bill. If I dial using 1-609-345-xxxx, it appears on the LD carrier > portion of my bill (or at least it has been appearing there.) If this is the case, call repair service and report it. It's a programming bug in your local switch. (My local telco just squashed such a bug a couple of weeks ago here. They couldn't figure out why the occasional call to Ithaca, which is a local call from here, was getting routed to toll trunks, until someone mentioned their laptop computer which was programmed with all 11-digit numbers so they'd work regardless of where they were.) > So is my experience a fluke, or is it policy to refer ALL 1+ calls to > my LD provider? The way you dial your calls is not supposed to affect how they're billed or routed unless you force routing with 10XXX. In ancient times (ten years ago) when there were SxS exchanges that sometimes happened, but New Jersey's been all electronic for years. While you're at it try making a local call to Pennington or Princeton and make sure that gets handled as a free local call. John R. Levine, IECC, POB 640 Trumansburg NY 14886 +1 607 387 6869 johnl@iecc.com "Space aliens are stealing American jobs." - Stanford econ prof ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 96 18:35 EDT From: johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) Subject: Re: Does New Area Codes Mean New Caller Cost? Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg, N.Y. > Right now in NJ - when I dial 411, I can get any telephone number in > the 609 Area code - my cost after six free calls is 20 cents per 411 > call. If 609 is split into two area codes will I need to call long > Distance (NPA-555-1212) to the new area code and then be charged 90 > cents per DA call by AT&T? Of course not. DA in 609 is a bargain, since for your 20 cents you can get a number within either of the 609 area LATAs. You'll continue to dial 411 or 555-1212 for anywhere in south Jersey. After 201 and 908 split, DA worked the same as always. I believe there's still a single DA bureau for north Jersey, so 201-555-1212 and 908-555-1212 reach the same people at the same price. John R. Levine, IECC, POB 640 Trumansburg NY 14886 +1 607 387 6869 johnl@iecc.com "Space aliens are stealing American jobs." - Stanford econ prof ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #424 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Tue Aug 20 12:15:14 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id MAA16504; Tue, 20 Aug 1996 12:15:14 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 12:15:14 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608201615.MAA16504@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #425 TELECOM Digest Tue, 20 Aug 96 12:15:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 425 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Getting a Semi-Public Pay Phone? (Roger Wells) Re: Getting a Semi-Public Pay Phone? (Michael Ayotte) Re: Letter to New York PSC (Barry F. Margolius) Re: Letter to New York PSC (Zev Rubenstein) Re: Transfer Powerpoint to VHS (Clarence Dold) Re: Transfer Powerpoint to VHS (Michael Ayotte) Re: Does New Area Codes Mean New Caller Cost? (Linc Madison) Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? (Al Varney) Re: End of Permissive Dialing in 954 (Bob Goudreau) Re: GE 916 Wireless Phone Jack System (Bill Newkirk) Re: What is Davar? (Gerry Belanger) Re: InterLATA connectivity in 609? (Mark Smith) Re: ISDN D-Channel Data and Internet Voice (Steve Schear) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: rwells@usin.com (Roger Wells) Subject: Re: Getting a Semi-Public Pay Phone? Date: 20 Aug 1996 15:08:06 GMT Organization: U.S. Intelco Networks, Inc. In article , sjslavin@aol.com (SJSlavin) writes: > Your title says it all -- why not install a semi-pub. Are they not > still available? Semi-pub is a coin phone on your business line. Pay > the monthly line rate (which you are apparently paying already), telco > keeps the coins. What is missing here? > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I think what is missing is Lisa said > they did *not* want to have to pay the monthly fee for a phone out > there and that telco would not install it as a purely public (or > commissionable) pay phone because of the lack of regular usage. > One thing they might consider however is leaving the phone they have > there, but disabling the touch tone pad, or at least disabling all of > it except the '9' and '1' keys. PAT] I would suggest getting the Hello Direct catalog by calling 1-800-444-3556. They have all sorts of devices to restrict calls and apparently good customer support (I have never had occasion to use it but I understand it's very good.) Incidently, I first heard about Hello Direct from this newsgroup. Roger Wells (speaking only for myself) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Yes, Hello Direct is a good place to start looking for a variety of odds'n'ends to make your telephone work more efficiently for you. Some say their prices are a little high, but the quality of their stuff seems to be worth it. Another way of remembering their phone number is 800-HI-HELLO. I certainly wish they would consider becoming one of the sponsors here. PAT] ------------------------------ From: michael@ayotte.com (Michael Ayotte) Subject: Re: Getting a Semi-Public Pay Phone? Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 17:57:07 -0800 Organization: Ayotte In article , hancock4@cpcn.com (Lisa) wrote: > My condominium has a swimming pool and clubhouse. There is an > extension phone (from the office line) for emergency calls from the > pool. We are finding more requests by people to use that phone to > check their home machine for messages, call friends, etc. Also, > guests at clubhouse events want to call home to check the babysitter, > etc. > The emergency phone is abused -- we get overseas calls on it. > Could anyone suggest perhaps a tariff on how we could get a Bell pay > phone more inexpensively? I've seen Bell phones at other condo pools > with a layout similar to ours that can't get that much usage. You might try seeing if you can get another phone line installed with local only dialing. If you can get one of the local residents who uses it the most to pay for it, then you could prabably get in under residential terrifs, which means no local call charges. Then they would be able to call their machines, babysitter's etc, and recieve calls from wherever with no toll charges. Michael Ayotte ------------------------------ From: bfm@pobox.com (Barry F Margolius) Subject: Re: Letter to New York PSC Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 02:25:04 GMT Organization: Zippo I too had a similar problem calling my voicemail from a Nynex payphone in the Greenwich Villiage area. Hopefully the PSC will take some action. barry ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 13:22:22 +0000 From: zev@attmail.com (Zev Rubenstein) Subject: Re: Letter to New York PSC Danny Burstein wrote: > I got a response from the phone that said (roughly) "no further > digits may be dialed at this time". I believe that a couple of years ago, NYNEX wildely publicized the replacement of a number of DTMF payphones with rotary dial phones in areas where there was known to be high drug trafficking. The theory was that drug dealers use pagers heavily to keep in touch, and by preventing the entry of DTMF to pager systems, crime would be reduced. In their wisdom, the use of rotary dial phones would accomplish this. Good PR, bad idea. It inconvenienced legitimate customers and could easily be bypassed by the use of hand-held DTMF tone generators. I suspect that NYNEX has enhanced their anti-crime efforts by implementing a software solution, so that they no longer have to replace phones, which is very labor intensive. Hey, that's progress ! Zev Rubenstein Nationwide Telecommunications Resources ------------------------------ From: Clarence Dold Subject: Re: Transfer Powerpoint to VHS Date: 20 Aug 1996 14:57:48 GMT Organization: a2i network blair@instep.bc.ca wrote: > Does anybody know how I can transfer a timed PowerPoint presentation > (version 7.0 running on Windows 95 on a PC) to VHS video? Resolution > should be 1024x768. Resolution of the final product can't be 1024x768. A standard VHS recorder is only about 250 wide, and 500 tall. S-VHS bumps this up to 375 wide, I think, still 500 tall. On the other hand, if you only mention the 1024x768 because that's what your screen is, and you can deal with the lower resolution from the playback, then there are devices that will record SVGA output from your PC. The "windows95" part doesn't matter, as the device I am thinking of plugs inline between your monitor and the PC connector. They are probably available from many sources. I have seen them at JDR Microdevices in San Jose, CA. JDR CatalogSales 800-538-5000 408-559-1200 BBS 408-559-0253 FAX 408-559-0250 San Jose Store 1238 S. Bascom 408-280-7144 Clarence A Dold - dold@rahul.net - Pope Valley & Napa CA. ------------------------------ From: michael@ayotte.com (Michael Ayotte) Subject: Re: Transfer Powerpoint to VHS Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 17:51:33 -0800 Organization: Ayotte In article , blair@instep.bc.ca wrote: > Does anybody know how I can transfer a timed PowerPoint presentation > (version 7.0 running on Windows 95 on a PC) to VHS video? Resolution > should be 1024x768. Umm, VHS can only handle around 400 lines of resolution. A presentation designed for 1024x768 would look like garbage even on the the best broadcast quality NTSC format. There are plenty of ways to get a presentation onto a VHS tape, but you will prabably need to redo the presentation to make it readable. A couple of suggestions: Use only two to four lines of text. Use bold, simple fonts (no italics, no serifs). Display the presentation on a 15" monitor at 640x480 then walk 20-30' away and look at it. If it is still readable, then you are prabably O.K. Michael Ayotte ------------------------------ From: Telecom@Eureka.vip.best.com (Linc Madison) Subject: Re: Does New Area Codes Mean New Caller Cost? Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 13:19:17 -0700 Organization: Best Internet Communications In article , Lou Jahn <71233.2444@ CompuServe.COM> wrote: > Can anyone help with a minor pricing point? As the new area codes are > introduced, are callers forced to pay higher costs for things such as > Directory Assistance? > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: At least around this part of the country > in Chicago (Ameritech territory) we are able to still use 411 regardless > of the actual area code (312/630/708/773/847) involved. There is no > extra cost involved other than what is usually charged for directory > assistance. Area 815 however is not included, and never was available > through our local 411. PAT] When the 415/510 split went final, directory assistance was cut over so that you had to dial 1-NPA-555-1212 for numbers across the Bay. For a while, that was to our advantage, since *all* directory assistance calls to other NPAs within our LATA were free, but that has since changed. However, I believe Pacific Bell still charges the same for '411' as for '1-NPA-555-1212', as long as it's within the LATA. Inter-LATA charges, of course, are determined by the IXCs and the California PUC. Pacific Bell has not made any announcements about the upcoming splits and how they will affect directory assistance charges. In particular, before 415/510, a single call to '411' could get two numbers, say one in San Francisco and one in Oakland. Those two numbers now require two separate calls to 415 and 510 D.A. Will the same happen with, say, San Francisco and San Mateo after the 415/650 split? The only situation now that would have a significant effect would be in NPAs that currently straddle LATA boundaries but get split. For example, someone in Barstow can dial '411' for a number in San Diego, and will be charged the Pacific Bell intra-LATA rate, since both numbers are currently in area code 619, even though they're in different LATAs. Next year, when the 619/760 split becomes final, though, that Barstow customer will have to dial 1-619-555-1212, and the call will be carried and billed by the IXC, since all of 619 will then be in a different LATA. However, the reverse will not hold true -- the customer in San Diego will be able to dial 1-760-555-1212 and be billed intra-LATA by Pacific Bell, because 760 will still straddle the San Diego and Los Angeles LATAs. Are you confused yet? Linc Madison * San Francisco, Calif. * Telecom@Eureka.vip.best.com ------------------------------ From: news@ssbunews.ih.lucent.com Subject: Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? Date: 19 Aug 1996 21:02:45 GMT Organization: Lucent Technologies In article , Jay R. Ashworth wrote: > John Nagle (nagle@netcom.com) wrote: >> The last panel CO shut down years ago. There are very few >> step-by-step COs left, and by now most of them have microprocessors in >> between the line finder and first selector that capture the dial >> digits for processing. Electronic marker upgrades are available for >> crossbar COs, and everything later is programmable. > Yes, John. You're right. > AT&T/Lucent, NorTel and Siemens people: > _HOW_ much code is going to need to be re-written _and tested_ in order > to expand either half of a NANP style phone number? (My standard > fallback:) Deej? SWAG -- Switch and PBX code will be about 10% of the total, with billing, accounting, maintenance, provisioning, third-party Visual Basic modules, third-party DBase code, COBOL applications, turn-key TELCo systems and the usual Gov'ment/DOD programs making up the lion's share of the effort. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Having survived the conversion of No. 1 ESS to 1A ESS, 1A ESS memory expansion, Carrier Code expansion (from XX to XXX to XXXX), IDDD expansion to 15 digits, NPA expansion from the N0/1X format, di/trivestiture, and the 60's, my '.plan' file contains one line: "... to RETIRE before the North American Numbering Plan grows beyond 10 digits." Al Varney ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 17:21:47 -0400 From: goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau) Subject: Re: End of Permissive Dialing in 954 rlm@netcom.com (Robert McMillin) writes: >> Your sarcastic generalization is misplaced. How does allowing >> customers to dial 1 before any ten digit number prohibit this? >> If you want to know if it is a toll call, don't dial 1. > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > Heh? Jeez, Louise, tell that to anyone living in El Lay, Chicago, or > New York, with their tower-of-babble area codes. I don't think such an abrupt reply was appropriate, particularly since he was *not* talking about the cities you mention, but was continuing to discuss the subject noted above, namely, calling in the Miami area. His advice is thus 100 percent correct. > Dialing 1+ doesn't imply a toll call in those places, nor should it > anywhere else. For those of you living in states with erstwhile > single area codes where this used to be true, I have a suggestion: get > used to it. Sorry the telcos lied to you about 1+ == toll, but > sometimes, them's the breaks. In any event, 1+ to other area codes > regardless of toll is mandated by the F-C-C. If your local telco > still allows ten-digit dialing without the prepended 1+, well, good > luck trying to keep it. The above is a rather impressive agglomeration of ignorance and arrogance. What evidence do you have that the FCC has mandated that calls to other area codes must be dialed with eleven (and not ten or seven) digits? How then do you explain the existence of 10D inter-NPA local dialing in places like the Washington, DC metro area, the Dallas/Ft. Worth metro area, or parts of North Carolina? What do you and the FCC plan to do about 10D local dialing in metro Toronto (remember, Canada is beyond the FCC's jurisdiction)? If there's anyone who needs to "get used to it", it's the minority of NANP residents (in just eight US states) who refuse to accept that the "toll requires 1+" rule is the NANP norm (covering over two-thirds of its residents), not the exception. And yes, I said "toll requires 1+", not "1+ == toll". The whole point of this thread is that even local numbers should be dialable as 1+10D, as Bellcore recommends, even if they can also be dialed using seven or ten digits. Once the NANP phases out 7D dialing, even the holdouts in CA, IL, NY, NJ, PA, WV, NH and ME should probably consider allowing local calls to be dialed without mandating a leading 1+. The dialing plan then becomes simple and uniform: all NANP calls can be dialed as 1+10D, be they local or toll. But local calls can also be dialed using the 10D short-cut method. Only toll calls would *require* the leading 1+. Bob Goudreau Data General Corporation goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com 62 Alexander Drive +1 919 248 6231 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA ------------------------------ From: Bill Newkirk Subject: Re: GE 916 Wireless Phone Jack System Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 11:33:12 -0400 Organization: Rockwell Avionics/Collins Bill Newkirk wrote: > I don't remember the values we used to use back when I was involved with > a carrier current radio station in college. Seemed like it was a 1000V > cap (or maybe 1500 V) and on the order of 1 uF or so, maybe smaller. I've since been informed that's there's a device available with the right size caps in the form of a 220 V appliance adapter. You unplug the dryer or stove, plug in the device, plug the appliance into the device. The device's internal caps cross connect the RF between the two sides of the transformer and the appliance continues to operate normally. However, I don't know how hard a sale it is to tell people ... "to get your phone to work, put this thing on the end of the dryer cord and plug it in." ------------------------------ From: wa1hoz@a3bgate.nai.net (Gerry Belanger) Subject: Re: What is Davar? Date: 19 Aug 1996 21:51:56 GMT Organization: North American Internet Tad Cook (tad@ssc.com) wrote: > In GTE territory east of Seattle, you can dial 411 (which was retired > about a quarter century ago as the directory assistance number) and > get a computer voice which reads back the number you are calling from. > If you dial # before the voice starts, then it reads back the number > in the form of a rapid DTMF sequence. What you have described is an Automatic Number Announcer (ANA). > I've heard this system is called DAVAR. What is it used for? I can > understand how the voice announcement could be useful for pair > identification, but exactly how is the DTMF readback of the calling > number used? Davar is CO test equipment used for line and records verification. It uses the ANA's DTMF spill to somewhat automate the process. A tech puts a special head on a cross-connect block, and the Davar dials the ANA for each line on the block. Results can be checked against office records. The ANA is still available for use by frame techs and outside installers. I have not actually seen a Davar. But the chances are better than even I designed the ANA. 8-). Gerry Belanger, WA1HOZ wa1hoz@a3bgate.nai.net Newtown, CT g.belanger@ieee.org ------------------------------ From: Mark Smith Subject: Re: InterLATA connectivity in 609? Date: Tue, 20 Aug 96 10:30:39 EDT Organization: New Jersey Computer Connection, Lawrenceville, NJ In article , writes: > I am working on a project that requires that I run a T1 circuit > between the two LATAs in South Jersey, the Atlantic LATA and the > Delaware LATA. These two LATAs comprise the 609 area code. > I've gotten some quotes from national vendors of Inter-LATA DS1 and > frame-relay circuits, but the prices are outrageous -- mostly over > $3,000 per month. I've gotten quotes from EMI, Cable & Wireless, and > LDDS/WorldCom. I can't imagine MCI, Sprint, or AT&T would be any less > expensive. My company has sites in Lawrenceville, NJ (609 Delaware Valley), Pomona, NJ (609 Atlantic) and Langhorne, PA (215). It turned out to be cheaper to make sure each segment crossed a state line. Therefore, we have no direct link between Lawrenceville and Pomona - just links to Langhorne, PA. Since the computer room is in Langhorne anyway it works out well. Mark ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 13:59:09 GMT From: azur@netcom.com (Steve Schear) Subject: Re: ISDN D-Channel Data and Internet Voice >> azur@netcom.com wrote: >>> Although I believe few consumer devices now feature D-channel data >>> support, I think it would be an excellent way to enable reasonable >>> cost Internet phone service. It removes the requirement for having to >>> remain on-line while still offering fast call set-up. It would also >>> enable inexpensive home Web servers, again because the server need >>> only be on-line when its in use. >> But wouldn't the fact that the D channel is only 9.6Kbps make for problems >> given the relatively small bandwidth? >> Most of the Internet Telephony producvts I've seen (heard) demonstrated >> are passable at 14.4Kbps but don't get "good" until 28.8Kbps. > It would be wrong to transmit the "data" on the D-channel. IMHO, it > should be used only for signalling (or the packet switched connection, > if the phone company supports this). However it might be used to > established a connection to the ISP on demand, like the usual > call-back works. I didn't intend to imply that the D-channel be used for the actual transport of voice or home/small business Web pages. The D-channel's bandwidth is too small for adequate performance and the per packet charges would likely be too high to make it economical. As Thomas said, the D-channel is best for on-demand set-up and tear-down of B-channel connections, which typically require only in the 10s of milliseconds. This cooperative use could make Internet telephony and small Web servers constantly available and at low cost. PGP Fingerprint: FE 90 1A 95 9D EA 8D 61 81 2E CC A9 A4 4A FB A9 Steve Schear | Internet: azur@netcom.com Lamarr Labs | Voice: 1-702-658-2654 7075 West Gowan Road | Fax: 1-702-658-2673 Suite 2148 | Las Vegas, NV 89129 | ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #425 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Tue Aug 20 14:06:48 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id NAA22449; Tue, 20 Aug 1996 13:11:37 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 13:11:37 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608201711.NAA22449@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Bcc: Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #426 TELECOM Digest Tue, 20 Aug 96 13:11:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 426 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson New Area Codes Unveiled For Large Portion Of 415, 916 Regions (Mike King) Is Nynex Being Straight With Us? (waitingis@aol.com) Anyone Know New GETS Home Page Address? (Andy Yee) Free: Mitel Smart-1 PAV Chaining Box (Steve Bagdon) T1 Direct Dial In Standards (Zohar Golan) Wireless Freedom Rings at GOP Convention (Mike King) GSM Course Wanted (Shawn Malone) Re: New California Area Codes Unveiled (John Cropper) Re: A Particularly Vicious Bulk E-mailer (John Cropper) Re: Timed Local Internet Calls (Christian Van Boven) Re: Who Runs the InterNIC? (John Agosta) Re: Microwave Rural Phone System? (Robert Beeman) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Mike King Subject: New Area Codes Unveiled For Large Portion Of 415, 916 Regions Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 14:25:27 PDT Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 14:59:48 -0700 From: sqlgate@list.pactel.com Subject: New Area Codes Unveiled For Large Portion Of 415, 916 Regions FOR MORE INFORMATION: John Lucas (415) 542-9509 Dave Miller (916) 972-2811 Dick Fitzmaurice (415) 394-3764 Bill Kenney (916) 972-6604 New Area Codes Unveiled For Large Portion Of 415, 916 Regions 650 New Area Code For San Francisco Region; 530 To Be Added In Northern California SAN FRANCISCO -- The California Area Code Administrator announced Friday that the 650 area code will be assigned to the geographical area south of San Francisco being split off from the 415 area code. He also announced that 530 will be the new area code for a very large portion of the existing 916 area code, generally to the east, north, and west of Sacramento County. The numbers represent California's 17th and 18th area codes, assigned to areas whose boundaries were approved by the California Public Utilities Commission earlier this month. In the San Francisco Bay Area, the CPUC has ordered the 650 area code to go into effect on August 1, 1997. It will cover most of San Mateo county, and the northern portion of Santa Clara county, plus a very small portion of Santa Cruz county (see map). This area was split off from the remainder of the current 415 area code, including Marin County and the city and county of San Francisco. Under the 916 geographic split, most of Sacramento County, south Placer County, including the cities of Roseville, Loomis and Rocklin, and the city of West Sacramento in Yolo County will keep the existing 916 area code. The remainder of the 916 region, which includes all or portions of 23 Northern California counties with more than 1 million residents and businesses, will receive the new 530 area code and must change that portion of their phone number. This area includes all of Nevada, Yuba, Sutter, Colusa, Sierra, Butte, Glenn, Plumas, Tehama, Lassen, Shasta, Trinity, Modoc and Siskiyou counties and the rest of Placer County, the majority of Yolo County (excluding West Sacramento), the 916 portions of El Dorado and Alpine counties and small portions of Solano, Mendocino, Lake and Humboldt counties as well as the Mono County community of Coleville. The 530 area code is expected to take effect for these areas on November 1, 1997. "One of the most difficult challenges in developing these relief plans was to keep as many communities of common interest as possible in the same area code, but at the same time obtain the longest life span for both the existing and the new area codes," said Bruce Bennett, California area code relief coordinator. "It's a delicate balancing act. We need to minimize inconvenience to the largest possible number of people, while making sure these area codes last as long as possible," Bennett added. Industry estimates indicate that the new 530 area code should last about 18 years while the remainder of the existing 916 area code will have enough numbers to accommodate growth through the year 2002, Bennett said. Similarly, the new 650 area code for the southern San Francisco peninsula is expected to last about 11 years while the remaining portion of the old 415 area code should last until mid-2002. While customers in the new 650 and 530 area codes will have to change the first three-digit portion of their telephone number, the new area codes will not affect the price of telephone calls in any of these areas, Bennett said. Call distance determines the price and is not impacted by the creation of a new area code, he explained. "It's also important for customers to know that PBXs, auto-dialers and other telecommunications equipment will have to be re-programmed to recognize the new area codes," said Bennett. "Historically, area codes always had either a "1" or a "0" as the middle digit for identification purposes, but all of those codes have been used up and are gone." These new number combinations will allow area codes to be any three digits from 220 to 999, creating an additional 5 billion telephone numbers, Bennett said. The estimated 3 million residents and businesses who will need to change to the new 650 or 530 area codes will get to keep their existing seven-digit telephone numbers. When the new area codes are introduced next year, there will be a permissive dialing period of at least 6 months where callers can dial existing numbers in either the old area code or the new one. Plans for the two area code splits were collectively developed by a telecommunications industry group representing more than 30 companies. They included Pacific Bell, GTE, Contel, Roseville Telephone Co., Evans Telephone Co., Citizens Utilities, Foresthill Telephone Co., AT&T, MCI, SPRINT, AirTouch, Pagenet, AT&T Wireless, MFS Communications Co., Teleport Communications Group (TCG), the California Cable Television Association and others. --------------- Mike King * Oakland, CA, USA * mk@wco.com ------------------------------ From: waitingis@aol.com (Waiting Is) Subject: Is Nynex Being Straight With Us? Date: 19 Aug 1996 21:10:55 -0400 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Reply-To: waitingis@aol.com (Waiting Is) I have a technical question concerning Nynex's ability to modify an existing alternative optional calling plan and how long this modification should reasonably take to implement. The existing plan has only been offered to four of their exchanges in Maine by order of the PUC (Public Utilities Commission) and is as follows: It offers a choice of one-way local unlimited calling to a couple of nearby exchanges for a $6.00 per month fee or a block of time for $3.00 for the first hour and each subsequent minute at $.05 per minute. Nynex is contending that to change the $6.00 per month fee to $3.00 per month would take "at least 18 months to implement." (Nynex's words) Is this true? What exactly is involved in setting this up? Our PUC claims that they cannot disprove what Nynex is telling us. As we are at a critical point in our negotiations with them, it would be helpful to know definitively if they are misleading us. I personally find it doubtful that Nynex's system is that antiquated to cause such a delay, but need someone who is familiar with this type of stuff to give me the straight scoop. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Pat ------------------------------ From: nde@mail.visi.com (Andy Yee) Subject: Anyone Know New GETS Home Page Address? Date: Tue, 20 Aug 96 14:18:41 GMT Organization: New Directions Engineering, Inc. It seems that the Government Emergency Telecommunications Service (GETS) has either moved or hidden their home page. Can anyone still get into their homepage? This is the address I have: http://164.117.147.223/~nc-pp/html/gets.htm Andy Yee, President, ex-Winternet customer, New Directions Engineering Inc. Personal Home Page: http://www.visi.com/~nde "Democrats...They think that all government is good; it can make you healthier, taller, improve your golf game... Republicans, on the other hand, think that all government is bad. Then they get elected to office and PROVE IT." - P. J. O'Rourke ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 06:53:34 -0400 From: bagdon@rust.net (S and K Bagdon) Subject: Free: Mitel Smart-1 PAV Chaining Box I've had this darn thing lying around for the last two years. If anyone needs it (much less knows what it is!) for an expirement, or even has a *use* for it, let me know. Just looking for the cost of shipping ($3-$4?). Unit currently has the CCC rom in it, and it is either 2 or 4 port capable (unit has 4 RJ-11 plugs on it). Unit does *not* produce beeps on pickup and verification - remember, it's a PAV box with a CCC rom in it. Includes manual, power supply, 'trick plug' to reset the unit, etc. Complete. Hey, it's free, what more do you want? :-) Steve B. bagdon@rust.net (h) USFMDDKT@ibmmail.com (w) http://www.rust.net/~bagdon Katharine aNd Steve (KNS) ------------------------------ From: Zohar Golan Subject: T1 Direct Dial In Standards Organization: NICE Systems Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 20:57:30 GMT Hello everybody, I'm looking for the standards for Direct Dialing In (DDI or DID) in digital T1 trunks. If anyone can tell me where can I find those standards or what standards I need, it would be very helpful to me. Bye, Zohar Golan Zoharg@nice.com ------------------------------ From: Mike King Subject: Wireless Freedom Rings at GOP Convention Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 14:24:13 GMT Date: Thu, 15 Aug 1996 13:03:54 -0700 From: sqlgate@list.pactel.com Subject: Wireless Freedom Rings at GOP Convention FOR MORE INFORMATION: Linda Bonniksen John Britton (619) 237-2430 Wireless Freedom Rings at GOP Convention More Than 400,000 Wireless Calls Completed on SAN DIEGO--More than 600 people holding new wireless phones from Pacific Bell Mobile Services made approximately 400,000 calls and short-text messages during the 1996 Republican National Convention in San Diego. Frank Casazza, vice president of operations for Pacific Bell Mobile Services, said the network performed flawlessly among customers with high expectations. "The GOP convention has been a great test of our network, and a sign that we're ready to launch this new technology," Casazza said. The new wireless technology is Personal Communications Services (or PCS. Unlike cellular, PCS is a 100 percent pure digital service. Being digital, PCS does away with static, cross-talk, eavesdropping, and a form of electronic theft known as "cloning." For convention organizers, PCS made the difference between order and chaos. "We could not have put on the convention as smoothly without PCS," said Patrick Garahan, telecommunications director for the Republican National Convention. "We were able to react to situations as they occurred. If we needed to reach somebody, we just dialed them up. We're all walking around with these little phones in our pockets." As the convention's official provider of wireless telecommunications technology, Pacific Bell Mobile Services built and operated California's first PCS network offering coverage across a 500-square mile area that included the San Diego Convention Center, downtown hotels, tourist attractions, the airport, major transportation corridors and the coastline. "I kept the phone on all the time and never had a problem," said Jack Ford, executive director of the San Diego Host Committee. Ford, whose PCS phone rang as he walked to the convention's podium opening night, marveled at the technology's simplicity. "The combination of improved sound quality with voice mail and short-text messaging all in one phone simplified my telecommunications needs," he said. "I didn't have to carry 18 different products to stay in touch." Manufacturers Nokia, Motorola and Ericsson provided more than 600 phones to the convention. The Nokia and Motorola phones came in bold stars-and-stripes designs, while the Ericsson model displayed the convention logo featuring the GOP's trumpeting elephant. PCS phones integrate the features of a phone, pager and personal digital assistant. The phones also can be plugged into laptop computers for wireless e-mail, faxing, and access to the Internet and corporate file servers. Recent improvements in battery life offer longer "talk" and "standby" time. "My phone has been on all the time. I think the battery's going to last the whole convention." said Arthur Bruzzone, chairman of the San Francisco Republican Party. "The best thing about PCS was being able to set up an office within an hour of landing in San Diego," Bruzzone said. "PCS has given me a central point from which to send and receive calls, messages and voice mail." After the convention closes, Pacific Bell Mobile Services will prepare for an end-of-year consumer product launch in San Diego. The company plans to broadly distribute PCS phones through drug stores, consumer electronics stores and warehouse retailers. Industry analysts expect PCS to cost less than existing cellular service, particularly in California where cellular subscribers pay among the highest rates in the nation. Pacific Bell Mobile Services is the wireless communications subsidiary of Pacific Bell. Pacific Telesis Group, the parent company of Pacific Bell and Pacific Bell Mobile Services, is a diversified telecommunications company headquartered in San Francisco. --------------- Mike King * Oakland, CA, USA * mk@wco.com ------------------------------ From: smalone@vfb25aces.vf.lmco.com Subject: GSM Course Wanted Date: 20 Aug 1996 15:20:50 GMT Organization: Lockheed Martin Corp, Valley Forge PA Does anyone know of any short courses on GSM in the US or Europe? Looking for a "professional" type course like those offered by George Washington University and some private companies. Thanks, Shawn Malone Lockheed Martin Corp. smalone@vfb25aces.vf.lmco.com 610-354-3214 ------------------------------ From: psyber@usa.pipeline.com (John Cropper) Subject: Re: New California Area Codes Unveiled Date: 20 Aug 1996 12:10:40 GMT Organization: Pipeline On Aug 15, 1996 15:39:02 in article , 'Tad Cook ' wrote: > In the San Francisco Bay Area, the CPUC has ordered the 650 area code > to go into effect on August 1, 1997. It will cover most of San Mateo > county, and the northern portion of Santa Clara county, plus a very > small portion of Santa Cruz county (see map). This area was split off > from the remainder of the current 415 area code, including Marin > County and the city and county of San Francisco. Is 8/1/97 the proposed mandatory date, or the beginning of permissive dialing? > The 530 area code is expected to take effect for these areas on > November 1, 1997. Same question here ... John Cropper NiS / NexComm PO Box 277 Pennington, NJ USA 08534-0277 Inside NJ : 609.637.9434 Outside NJ: 888.NPA.NFO2 (672.6362) Fax : 609.637.9430 email : psyber@usa.pipeline.com ------------------------------ From: psyber@usa.pipeline.com (John Cropper) Subject: Re: A Particularly Vicious Bulk E-mailer Date: 20 Aug 1996 12:01:02 GMT Organization: Pipeline On Aug 16, 1996 09:50:44 in article , 'Dave Keeny ' wrote: > I wonder if anyone has heard of or had dealings with: > Tim Luedtke > Owner, First Look > P.O. Box 770441 > Orlando, FL 32877 > (407)438-8892 Phone > (407)438-7083 Fax > He's been advertising bulk e-mail services, search engine > registration, and the like for some time now, under various e-mail > accounts (at least four that I know of). In his latest incarnation > (see the "New Bulk Email Program" thread in misc.consumers) an > individual who complained to him was threatened with 300,000+ > e-mailings. Luedtke made good with his threat, from his > 1stlook@digital.net account. The recipient called Luedtke's ISP and > they pulled his account within 30 minutes. > Within a couple hours, apparently, Luedtke was back again, this time > flinging mailbombs from A1stlook@aol.com. I don't know how else to > combat this type of miscreant other than to let others know who he is > and how he operates so that, with any luck, his own reputation will > drive him out of business. Too bad he has no 800 number ... Call each provider in sucession (as he bombs you), and file formal complaints. You might also want to contact your provider, explain the situation, and have steps taken at their level to filter out anything he would throw your way. As well, file a complaint with the FCC on the grounds of harassment (indirectly, but harassment nonetheless) by phone (since he is probably using a dial-up connection with AOL). If you *really* want to get nasty, and don't mind paying for a few telephone calls, dial up some fax-back services and have them send him some rather large technical manuals via his fax number. It never hurts to share information (at least not you). :-) John Cropper NiS / NexComm PO Box 277 Pennington, NJ USA 08534-0277 Inside NJ : 609.637.9434 Outside NJ: 888.NPA.NFO2 (672.6362) Fax : 609.637.9430 email : psyber@usa.pipeline.com ------------------------------ From: Christian Van Boven Subject: Re: Timed Local Internet Calls Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 22:38:12 +0200 Organization: EUnet Belgium, Leuven, Belgium Stewart Fist wrote: > Since I am getting different information from Telstra insiders and > Telstra outsider/critics and telecommunications consultants, I'd like > to hear the opinions of those of you who know about these switches, > and who don't have any local vested interest. The switches are > Ericsson AXEs and Alcatel System 12s. > Is Telstra's CEO Frank Blount right when he claims that long-held > Internet calls block Telstra's exchanges, and are therefore unfair to > other normal customers - needing, as he says (when he is lobbying the > politicians) to become "timed-local calls"? Probably he is. In the old circuit-switched based world, Erlang's law shows you it is nonsense to provide more then 25% capacity assuming the normally observed connection time distribution. > If so. Is there some mechanism that allows the carrier to do this - > to identify which calls on a line are to an ISP (other than just > looking for modemised data) - bearing in mind that Telstra also has a > mandatory requirement to maintain the option of 25 cent, fixed price > local calls? That should be easy, using the Intelligent Network concept. You can simply identify the called number and depending on that charge the caller. If the called number is an ISP number, you can instruct the originating switch to trigger a higher "tick rate". This is already implemented in most countries around the world (e.g. green and special higher rate numbers). The former can only be implemented if all ISP numbers are known; anybody can find them looking into the relevant FAQ's on the user groups. > Or are the Telstra critic's right in claiming that a modern Ericsson AXE > and Alcatel System 12 digital exchange doesn't block at any conceivable > load-increase imposed by long-held Internet calls? And therefore, there is > no technical justification for timed-local call-charging specifically aimed > at Internet users. Once again, delving into statistics (notably Erlang's law), it shows up that it is crazy to equip an Alcatel S12 digital exchange up to the capacity where everybody could call someone else. By the way, one more remark: All the same applies just as well to the RSU's (remote subscriber units, in Alcatel terminology) that you can hook up to connect subscribers. Typically there is only one "line" between the exchange and the RSU for every four subscribers you hook up to the RSU. It has already been observed by some operators that the RSU's can become overloaded due to Internet surfers. This problem can be solved however, if you use simple TDM multiplexers that do not perform this 4-to-1 concentration. Of course, this will force the network operator to use more line equipment to transmit the calls. Anyway, I am not sure that Telstra are using any concentrating equipment like the RSU's mentioned before. Christian Van Boven Belgium ------------------------------ From: jagosta@interaccess.com (John Agosta) Subject: Re: Who Runs the InterNIC? Date: 20 Aug 1996 14:57:26 GMT Organization: Agosta and Associates In article , joshua@uci.edu (Joshua Rehman) says: > What facilities does the InterNIC actually use? Who pays for them? > How does one register a domain name? Call 703 555 1212. Ask for Network Solutions / Herndon, Va. Ask them to explain their services to you, as they perform InterNIC functions. ja ------------------------------ Date: 20 Aug 1996 11:01:15 -0500 From: Robert Beeman Subject: Re: Microwave Rural Phone System? On 18 Aug 96 02:47:15 GMT diamond@viper.nauticom.net (Dave Perrussel) wrote: > Is there a commercially available product that will do a high bandwidth > (say 14,400 baud or 28,800 baud) using point to point microwave that is > reasonabally priced? Glenayre Technologies, Inc. in Charlotte, NC makes a wireless line extender that operates on UHF. You can get specs from their web page (http://www.glenayre.com). They also have digital microwave radio products, one of which is a spread spectrum radio that does not have to be licensed. This may be an alternative for you. Bob Beeman Wireless Marketing Sprint Business Systems Group ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #426 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Tue Aug 20 15:09:23 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id PAA05413; Tue, 20 Aug 1996 15:09:23 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 15:09:23 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608201909.PAA05413@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #427 TELECOM Digest Tue, 20 Aug 96 15:09:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 427 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson On-Line Vandalism Shows Net's Risks (Tad Cook) Area Code Confusion (Tad Cook) Re: Pacific Bell Offers Ten Tips for Prepaid Phone Cards (Linc Madison) Re: Who Runs the InterNIC? (Keith W. Brown) Re: Timed Local Internet Calls (Ian Angus) Re: Timed Local Internet Calls (Jack Decker) North American Numbering Plan Expansion (Jim Lord) PacBell Blames Intel and UCAN for Rate Increase (Eric Smith) Re: "Genuine Nynex Payphone" Limiting Number of Touch Tone (Bob Ponce) Re: 900 MHz Digital vs. Analog Cordless (Hudson Leighton) Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? (Ed Ellers) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tad Cook Subject: On-Line Vandalism Shows Net's Risks Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 09:52:22 PDT On-line vandalism shows Net's risks By Rory J. O'Connor Mercury News Washington Bureau WASHINGTON -- You can't believe everything you read -- especially on the Internet. An intrusion to the World Wide Web site of the U.S. Department of Justice last weekend shows how easily information and images can be altered. The intrusion also underscores how outsiders could tamper with information in cyberspace in such a way that would make it difficult to impossible for the Internet's estimated 20 million users to detect. Solving the problem requires a combination of better security and the use of technology called digital signatures to verify the authenticity of data, according to many experts. "There are several levels of trust that need to be added onto the existing infrastructure," said Asim Abdullah, executive director of CommerceNet in Palo Alto. "Authentication is a very vital issue." In the case of the attack early Saturday on the Justice Department "home page" -- what World Wide Web users first see when they go to the a particular site on the Internet -- the results were obviously unauthorized. The hackers littered the home page with a swastika and a nude photo of what appeared to be TV actress Jennifer Aniston and rewrote the department's welcome message in a satirical vein. But experts said the intruders could just as easily have subtly changed information that many users seek from government sites. In that case, the problem would have gone from a briefly offensive incident that prompted Justice Department operators to shut down within two hours, to the potential of widespread distribution of erroneous information. Given the breadth of information available on the Internet, a hacker could alter the electronic text of everything from Supreme Court decisions to presidential executive orders to the size of the national debt. While the on-line versions aren't the definitive ones, the problem has implications for trust in other areas as well, including commerce. "When you're talking about data, the integrity is the most important thing," said Jim Christy, a computer security expert working for the U.S. Senate Investigations Committee. "NASA told us the worst thing that could happen to them is if someone changed the value of pi in all their formulas." Sensitive Justice Department files were never in danger, according to officials. As is the case with most systems on the Internet, the computers that provide public access to information aren't connected to the department's internal network with data on investigations. "This is like a bulletin board tacked up outside the department," said spokesman Bert Brandenburg. World Wide Web sites on the Internet are often vulnerable to hackers because computer operators have failed to take basic security precautions. But even with top-notch security, systems can still be vulnerable simply because they are in the open, readily accessible to all users. "The Web was built on the principle of its being open," said Marc Cannady, director of the Highway One project, an industry-funded technology laboratory in Washington. "There are not a lot of methodologies to ensure the data you see beyond the front page are the real stuff." The security of systems could be greatly enhanced, many experts believe, by the routine use of "encryption" technology -- scrambling data so that only authorized users could read it. That would be coupled with the related digital signature technology, which would alert a user if the file in question had been altered by anyone other than the authorized users. "We're going to be living in a world where determining the authenticity of information is going to be all-important," said Mike Godwin, general counsel of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Digital signatures are small files that act as a kind of tamper-proof on-line ID card. They would be issued by private firms or public entities -- some are already issued experimentally by Verisign, GTE and the Postal Service. Sent between a user's computer and a "server" computer run by an agency or company, they assure the user the data they see is unchanged. They also verify the user's identity to a merchant. But many on-line activists are at odds with the Clinton administration over how to implement technologies like digital signatures and encryption. Critics claim commercial development of the technology has been stymied by the administration, notably law enforcement agencies like the FBI, who fear it will allow criminals to hide their computer activities from authorities. Until that debate is resolved, experienced Internet users said the best defense is a healthy dose of skepticism when surfing the Net. The Justice Department home page itself contains a disclaimer page calling the Web site "an experiment" and cautioning that it "cannot guarantee" the accuracy or timeliness of any information on-line. ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: Area Code Confusion Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 09:29:21 PDT PG&E service fails; so does wake-up call By Mark Leibovich Mercury News Staff Writer How periodic and unannounced power outages can mess with your head, Exhibit #4869: Bob Branham of Almaden Valley, a habitual early bird, relies on his electronic clock radio to awaken him at 3:45 each morning. It gives him ample time to accomplish things before arriving at his San Jose Federal Building office at 5:50 a.m. But when the power blew in Almaden Valley for the sixth time one night last week, Branham felt unnerved as well as annoyed. Nothing worse than a faulty alarm clock to ensure a fitful night's sleep. No problem, the PG&E service rep told Branham: They would provide a wake-up call at 3:45. "That put me at ease," Branham said. Still, Branham had his unconscious back-up generator working. Good thing, too. He woke up on his own at 3:40 a.m. The call from PG&E never came. Branham called a PG&E supervisor to complain at 4:25 a.m. "He said they called the number I gave them but in 707," said Branham. He used to live in that area code until he moved to San Jose from Fairfield two years ago. Seems the PG&E employee charged with Branham wake-up duty mistakenly tacked his old area code onto his current number. PG&E official Jeanette Valentine said the misunderstanding underscores a cautionary lesson: "It shows the importance of PG&E customers keeping their records updated with us." Branham said the supervisor tried to impart the same lesson -- which he was in no mood to receive at 4:25 in the morning. "I assumed they could figure out I was in 408 when I told them I was calling from San Jose," Branham said, adding that he felt sorry for whoever got the 3:45 wake up call up in 707. (A call placed to the wrong number could not be completed as dialed.) Valentine said PG&E is willing to make wake-up calls on a limited basis to customers victimized by outages. "We are working on technology that could provide several wake-up calls at once," she said. For his part, Branham said he'll wait for the utility to master single wake-up calls -- never mind basic energy service -- before he places faith in any new PG&E technology. "Not to make a bad pun," he said, "but I felt powerless." -------------------- [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I am sorry but I cannot be sympathetic with Mr. Branham. I thought *everyone* knew that when you buy a digital clock which has to serve a critical function -- like waking you up in the morning -- you always get the kind with the backup battery. My digital clock from Radio Shack has a place for a nine-volt battery which is there to do two things: keep the clock on time for when the power is restored (avoid the blinking twelve o'clock) and sound the alarm at the time indicated if it has been set. Of course, if he was a subscriber to Call America's 800 service (MyLine) like I am, then he could also use the automated 'wakeup service' feature of MyLine at no extra charge like I do. You enter the time you want the system to call you and the number to be used. Then you hang up the phone and go to bed. You get a call from the robot voice at whatever time you requested, and you have to enter your passcode to complete the call. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Telecom@Eureka.vip.best.com (Linc Madison) Subject: Re: Pacific Bell Offers Ten Tips for Prepaid Phone Cards Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 09:09:20 -0700 Organization: Best Internet Communications In article , Mike King wrote: > Pacific Bell Offers Ten Tips for Prepaid Phone Cards > 4 Find out how much it costs to use a prepaid phone card. For > example, Pacific Bell offers a flat rate of 40 cents per minute for > local, local toll and domestic long distance calls. International > rates vary by region. Rates from other companies can be as high as > 60 cents per minute, which affects the calling time available on > the card. Rates from other companies can also be MUCH LOWER than Pacific Bell's. Don't the wonderful, altruistic folks at Pacific Bell want us to know *that* in with their "ten tips"? > 7 Ensure that the card's rate is valid for all desired calling areas. > For example, some cards offer a flat rate for calls within the > U.S., but charge significantly more for calls to Mexico. For example, the PACIFIC BELL prepaid calling card charges a flat rate for calls within the U.S., but charges significantly more for calls to Mexico. They certainly seem to think this is a boogeyman they're conjuring up here, but it's one of the features of their own card. I find self-serving advertisements disguised as public service announcements very annoying. Linc Madison * San Francisco, Calif. * Telecom@Eureka.vip.best.com ------------------------------ From: Keith W. Brown Subject: Re: Who Runs the InterNIC? Date: 20 Aug 1996 16:18:51 GMT Organization: CallCom International > What facilities does the InterNIC actually use? Who pays for them? > How does one register a domain name? > Any other facts regarding the nature of the InterNIC would be greatly > appreciated. Joshua: I don't know about your first two questions, but as to the third ... you can register or modify a domain name at the following InterNIC site address: http://rs.internic.net/cgi-bin/itts/ Just follow the instructions (Hint ... Be sure to obtain the service providers primary and secondary IP addresses that you intend to register your new domain name with) and input the information. They will confirm your order via e-mail. Some ISP's will offer you an address for a homepage, but you will have to use a generic domain address that they provide. The only problem with that is if they go out of business ... so do you! You can have your page set up through a service provider just about anywhere in the country and use a local service provider for Internet access. Prices do vary (dramatically) so shop around. I use a provider in Washington called Troubador.com. They charge about $150 a month (depending on MB size) to maintain your page and provide all the frills including page development. You can use this as a starting point on getting a quote on pricing etc. (it will vary dramatically from provider to provider). You can contact: Steve Clayton at: stecla@troubador.com for more info. Good Luck! ;-) Keith W. Brown URL: http://www.callcom.com E-mail: newsinfo@callcom.com ------------------------------ From: Ian Angus Subject: Re: Timed Local Internet Calls Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 12:34:24 -0400 Organization: Angus TeleManagement Group In article , fist@ozemail.com.au (fist) wrote: > I write a weekly column on telecommunications in Australia's national > newspaper "The Australian", and last week I wrote a piece attacking > the claims being made by the CEO of Telstra (ex-Telecom Australia) > that Internet users were costing the carrier money because they locked > up the telephone exchanges through long-held calls. My information > was based on my own knowledge plus confirmation from some > telecommunications consultants. > Since I am getting different information from Telstra insiders and > Telstra outsider/critics and telecommunications consultants, I'd like > to hear the opinions of those of you who know about these switches, > and who don't have any local vested interest. We have gone through a similar discussion in Canada, with telco people claiming that Internet traffic overloads their switches, and various non-telco people saying "how can you have a traffic problem if your switches are non-blocking?" After considerable discussion, we found that there is indeed a traffic problem -- not in the switches as such, but in the equipment which grooms traffic for the switches. Its true that modern switches are non blocking. But residential phones are used, on average, for only a few minutes every hour -- so it would not make economic sense to assign separate port full time to every residential line. To keep costs and phone rates down, telcos use devoces which allow residential lines to contend for ports -- contention rates of 4:1 to 8:1 are not uncommon. These concentration devices aren't cheap, and they don't have unlimited capacity. If any significant percentage of the customers connected to a concentrator stay on the line for hours at a time, then the telcos have to reduce the contention ratio and, ultimately, buy more concentrators. Our review of this issue as it affected Bell Canada and Internet Service Providers in Canada can be found at http://www/isp-bell/ib.html. An article dealing specifically with the traffic question is at http://www/isp-bell/ib-trfc.html IAN ANGUS ianangus@angustel.ca Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca 8 Old Kingston Road tel: 905-686-5050 ext 222 Ajax ON L1T 2Z7 Canada fax: 905-686-2655 ------------------------------ From: jack@novagate.com (Jack Decker) Subject: Re: Timed Local Internet Calls Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 12:02:52 GMT Organization: Altopia Corp. - Affordable Usenet Access - http://www.alt.net On Sat, 17 Aug 1996 13:23:21 +1000, fist@ozemail.com.au (fist) wrote: > I write a weekly column on telecommunications in Australia's national > newspaper "The Australian", and last week I wrote a piece attacking > the claims being made by the CEO of Telstra (ex-Telecom Australia) > that Internet users were costing the carrier money because they locked > up the telephone exchanges through long-held calls. My information > was based on my own knowledge plus confirmation from some > telecommunications consultants. >> In an interview last week with Kirsty Simpson of the Melbourne >> Herald Sun, Blount railed against the iniquities of the Internet >> and called, once again, for the right to impose timed local calls on >> domestic and residential users. "We have to do something," he >> said. "We can't have people on the Internet ring up for 25c and >> sit there for 24 hours; they tie up the whole exchange." Here is the problem with that. Take the number of incoming lines of ALL ISP's in any given exchange. Assume that you have that many connections in use 24 hours a day. What percentage is that, really, of the entire exchange? Or of the daily telephone usage in a city? Telephone companies like to talk as though there are an infinite number of modem lines out there, when in fact many ISP's have less than a hundred lines in their modem pool (and if a phone company switch can't handle 100 simultaneous connections, they are in very sad shape indeed!). >> The average digital switch and inter-exchange network can >> handle about 75% of all connected lines simultaneously - except >> for some of the older inter-exchange city connections which, >> perhaps on Monday morning during the peak-load period, run >> close to their limits. >> But that's just a matter of dragging cables through existing >> ducting - with each fibre-pair then able to carry another 40,000 >> calls. A single length of the same cable used for Pay TV trunks >> (by the thousands), would carry individual connections for every >> Internet user in Australia, a couple of times over. Actually, in many cases they don't even have to run new cable; they just put higher capacity equipment on each end of the cable. With fiber optics, the bottleneck isn't usually the cable itself, it's the equipment at each end. >> So if all Internet users sat on their service-provider connections >> for 24 hours next Monday, they could perhaps increase Telstra's >> capacity problems by 2-3 percent in a few inter-exchange >> connections, for a few minutes around 10 am, in some >> circumstances, at some old exchanges. On a 10,000 line exchange, there would have to be at least 200 or 300 modems in the modem pool of various ISP's (served by that exchange) for that to happen -- and they'd all have to be in use at once. BTW, a per call charge simply makes the problem worse. Where I live, there is no charge for a local call, so I am not afraid to drop my connection even if I think I may want to go back online a few minutes later. Whereas, if I were charged by the call, I would likely hold the connection open "forever" once I dialled in. If they want to reduce usage, they should ELIMINATE the per-call charge! >> Now enter the wildly different call hold patterns typical of >> Internet usage. Calls are routinely held by dial up users for >> hours at a time which causes resource depletion and potential >> denial of service to other customers on that exchange. As I say, not at all surprising that calls are held open for long periods, considering the per-call charge -- but "resource depletion" and "denial of service"? There would have to be some HUGE ISP's (or a lot of them) there for that to happen! >> And the same problem is considerably worse at the exchange >> which services the ISP, where there are hundreds or thousands >> of lines that are tied up virtually 24 hours a day. This is causing >> terrible problems to telcos world wide with *all* of them facing >> meltdown in key central office resources. The result of course >> will be lack of dialtone to *all* telco customers which is good for >> no one. HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF LINES? You might want to ask them which ISP has this huge modem pool -- they have to be the granddaddy of all ISP's! I mean really, you should not let pie-in-the-sky statements like this go by without challenge. Ask them how big the modem pool REALLY is at the local ISP's. THAT is the maximum number of Internet connections possible. I doubt that even New York City has "hundreds of thousands" of Internet connections going over the Public Switched Telephone Network at this point in time. But okay. If the problem is really that the SWITCHES can't handle the traffic, then what they (or you) should be asking the goverment to do is to let (or force) them to sell you a dedicated line pair to your ISP at the same amount (or less) than what a switched line would cost. Consider that you have a dedicated pair of wires to the central office. Your ISP also has a dedicated line to their modem (the one you are using at the modem pool). This passes through a phone company switch. But for many uses, it would be just as adequate to have a "dry" line going straight through to the ISP. Then you'd be using ZERO capacity in the switch, you'd have a 24 hour per day connection to your ISP, and you could probably even use higher capacity modems in many cases. So, let's say that you pay $15 a month for a residential phone line for your modem. Your ISP also pays for a modem line, but at business rates, let's say $25 per line (I am of course basing this on typical U.S. rates, YMMV). Now if you and the ISP are both in the same exchange, there should be no reason the telco can't simply hardwire two pairs together at the central office and give you a dedicated circuit to the ISP for far LESS than the $40 a month that the two of you are paying for line charges AND the use of the CO switch. This really seems like such a simple solution -- if people are tying up switch capacity to the point that it is seriously impairing performance of the exchange (and to be honest, I really doubt that is happening to the extent that the phone company would like you to believe), then get the traffic off the switch by offering a hardwired "dry" circuit from the user to the ISP. Let the ISP in effect become the CO for data traffic. It never fails to amaze me that a phone company can dedicate a pair of wires to a customer's telephone and still make money, but if you and I want to lease that exact same pair for data, background music, alarm system monitoring or whatever, the price jumps way up! Something is seriously wrong there. It will be interesting to see what happens when the phone companies here in the U.S. are required to "unbundle" the components that they now sell as "local phone service". I will bet that some smart ISPs will begin to offer 24 hour per day dedicated connections to their customers using bare wires leased from the telco, hopefully at a much lower charge than what they are paying now for wires + dial tone. I'm not sure what the modem configurations would have to be in such a case, but I am aware that many existing modems have a "leased line" setting (often software configurable!) that does not require the presence of dial tone (not sure about line voltage, but if that were a necessity I'm sure that either the ISP or the customer could hang a 24 or 48 VDC filtered power supply across the line). Jack ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 10:34:35 -0500 From: Jim Lord Subject: North American Numbering Plan Expansion The Industry Numbering Committee has been working for some time on an expansion plan for the NANP. There are some eight to ten options not requiring expansion and another eight or nine using various methods of expansion, e.g., five digit line numbers, four digit NXXs, and four digit NPAs. All options must be evaluated against various functional criteria and additional assessment critieria. Any final recommendation requires an extensive process to come up with a plan that provides the least impact to users, vendors, and networks. It is not anticipated that the expansion plan that is recommended will need to be implemented for many years, however transition and implementation may in fact require an extended period. An initial recommendation is probably at least a year away. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 01:51:08 PDT From: Eric Smith Subject: PacBell Blames Intel and UCAN for Rate Increase Robert Deward of Pacific Telesis (Pacific Bell's parent company) writes: > Unfortunately, opposition from Intel and UCAN scuttled the possibility > that the California Public Utilities Commission would accept the > proposal. Now the Commission will hold full scale hearings on ISDN > rates, which could result in rates higher than those sought by Pacific > Bell and the other parties to the proposal. Or could result in rates lower than those sought by Pacific Bell. Intel and UCAN seemed to me to be doing a pretty good job as consumer advocates in this case; Pac Bell's publicity (like Mr. Deward's email) seems to be intended to make them out as the bad guys. Nice try, but IMNSHO the California ISDN Users Group really sold out when they endorsed that plan. PacBell claims that their costs are higher than anticipated because more than the expected percentage of ISDN BRI customers have long loops that need repeaters. I can see this justifying increased installation charges, or maybe even sligthly increased basic monthly charges, but not increased per-minute charges (even for only minutes after the first 200 hours). And there's no way in hell it justifies raising all three kinds of charges as PacBell is trying to do. ISDN U-interface repeaters aren't that expensive, and they last a long time. This is an investment in infrastructure and should be amortized over the anticipated useful life of the repeater. When I got my third POTS line at the last house I lived in, they did a lot of work because they were out of pairs and had to install some new pair gain equipment, but they didn't tell me they were going to have to jack up my per-minute charges because of it. The PUC is smart enough not to allow that, and it looks like maybe they are smart enough not to allow it for ISDN U repeaters either. And of course they cleverly filed their actual financial justification for this proposed increase under seal so that us ratepayers don't get to see it. Why do we let them get away with this? They claim that the financial information would harm them if it got into the hands of competitors, but they don't have any competitors for local loops, and they won't any time soon. (Sure, they might lease loops to some new LECs, but that isn't real competition despite all the ballyhoo it is getting.) And it was only a few years ago that Pacific Bell protested to the FCC that the proposed imposition of a few dollars per month of CALC charges per B channel would *kill* ISDN. How soon they forget (when it is convenient). I'm looking eagerly forward to competition, so that instead of being stuck with the bozo phone company I have now (that takes three weeks and four hours of my time waiting on hold just to make a few simple changes to the provisioning of my ISDN line), I'll at least be able to choose an *inexpensive* bozo phone company. Cheers, Eric ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 06:44:53 -0700 From: I-Contact Media Subject: Re: Genuine Nynex Payphone" Limiting Number of Touch Tone > Maybe someone could explain the rationale behind this one? I can't > figure out any. To make this even more ironic I discovered the problem > when calling a Nynex number ... > About two thirds of the way through the menu sequences I got a synthesized > voice announcement which said something like "no additional digits may > be dialed at this time". > And sure enough, anytime I hit a touch tone key I heard the tone, then > got the same msg. I'm glad somebody else has noticed this -- and this is not an effort to fight drug dealers, it's an effort to render most prepaid cards practically useless. Of course, it also renders a lot of other calls useless as well, such as dialing in for voice mail messages, etc. I've noticed this being slowly implemented all over Manhattan now, and in places where there are no sign of drug dealers or illicit activity. Just another example of the type of service that drove customers to start a "NYNEX sucks" website (http://www.nynexsucks.com). Bob Ponce I-Contact Media Inc. (914) 761-4328 Interactive Phone Cards/ Web Sites/ Promotion, Marketing and Public Relations for Online Ventures ------------------------------ From: hudsonl@skypoint.com (Hudson Leighton) Subject: Re: 900 MHz Digital vs. Analog Cordless Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 09:36:29 -0500 Organization: SkyPoint Communications, Inc. In article , gap@plotit.com wrote: > I've been looking into purchasing a two-line 900 MHz phone, and have > seen a number of comments/complaints of sidetone and echo with certain > models. Is this only a concern with digital phones? If so, what are > the disadvantages of using a 900 MHz analog phone. I have a Tropaz Vtech Platinum 900 Mhz two line cordless and I love it. I can go anywhere on the block and the phone is clear as a bell. It is scrambled all I hear on my scanner is a hiss. One audiofile friend says it distorts a little. ------------------------------ From: Ed Ellers Subject: Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 15:40:37 -0400 Organization: Mikrotec Internet Services, Inc. (MISNet) > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: How about in downtown Chicago, where > a mere half-dozen or so *very large* companies gobbled so many > numbers that Ameritech is starting area 773? They would have had > to start it anyway, but my point is that handful of very large > corporations absolutely refused to consider having downtown Chicago > get the new code so the rest of the 2.9 million residents and > business places could stay 312. Instead, the majority of the city > is being forced to change area codes to 773 in order that a few > businesses downtown can keep 312 instead. PAT] That brings up a point -- why should a business customer be allowed to have so many seven-digit numbers? Why can't they instead have callers dial extension numbers after the main seven-digit number, and then have only a few other seven-digit numbers for departments that get a lot of specific calls? ------------------------------- TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #427 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Wed Aug 21 00:06:15 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id AAA11022; Wed, 21 Aug 1996 00:06:15 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 00:06:15 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608210406.AAA11022@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #428 TELECOM Digest Wed, 21 Aug 96 00:06:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 428 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Alex Mandl Hangs it Up (TELECOM Digest Editor) Shortwave Radio in the USA (TELECOM Digest Editor) No Local Phone Competition in 'Small' Markets (Greg Monti) Why is the Internet So Slow? (Mark Friedman) What is "Number Portability"? (Michael Graff) Re: Will Full Number Portability Occur? (Al Varney) Re: Area Code Confusion (John Cropper) Re: Getting a Semi-Public Pay Phone? (Brian Brown) Re: "Genuine Nynex Payphone" Limiting Number of Touch Tone (Henry Baker) Re: Encryption and Telnet (Thor Lancelot Simon) Correction: Re: Anniversary of First Singing Telegram (David Whiteman) Re: Timed Local Internet Calls (Bill Ranck) Re: Timed Local Internet Calls (Jean-Francois Mezei) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 20:35:02 EDT From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Subject: Alex Mandl Hangs it Up Alex J. Mandl gave up a chance to lead the world's biggest communications company, AT&T, saying he would rather start a telephone company of his own instead. Mandl has resigned as president and chief operating officer of AT&T, ending a five-year tenure in which he helped engineer the biggest aquisition ever of the company, McCaw Cellular Communications. He was a top candidate to be the next chief executive of AT&T. Instead he decided to chairman and chief executive officer of Associated Communications, a brand new unit of the Associated Group, a company located in Pittsburgh, PA with significant investments in Mexican wireless firms, and Tele-Communications, INc, the biggest USA cable television operator. His resignation takes place immediatly, but he will assist AT&T as needed in making an orderly transition of management responsibilities. Good luck, Alex ... I think AT&T was the loser in this deal. PAT ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 22:31:52 EDT From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Subject: Shortwave Radio in the USA A question or two for shortwave radio enthusiasts among the readership ... Is it just me, or does it seem that the various shortwave broadcasters who specifically target the Americas lately are overrun by some very strange people and programming ideas? Yesterday I purchased a small little shortwave radio for my seven year old nephew who lives here with his father (my brother) and myself. I know as a child I enjoyed listening to shortwave radio and seeking out stations I had not heard before. Our little guy may still be a bit too young, but he is smart and he learns fast, so the little $39 shortwave I got him at Radio Shack will be a good 'show and tell' item when he goes into the first grade at school next month. With the radio came a 'listeners guide' with the time of day broken down by five or ten-minute intervals from 0000 GMT through 2359 GMT, a time conversion chart, etc. In each time period was listed around eight or ten major broadcasters and what they do on each day of the week at that time. The listener's guide made a point of saying that stations which were exclusively of a religious nature at all times were not included, and it listed the usual bunch: WYFR, Family Stations, Inc, Oakland, CA WINB, World International Broadcasters, Red Lion, PA WJCR WGTG KTBN Speaking of Family Stations, Inc, d/b/a Family Radio, those people have become *huge*. They now seem to own a couple dozen AM or FM stations all over the United States to complement their shortwave station *and* lots of transponders (?) to complement all the local stations. I hear their station WJCH, Joliet, IL at 90.5 FM all the way up here in Skokie many miles away, and when they give their station ID they give the call letters and then follow up with a list of the transponders for just that station alone. I guess all the 'affiliate stations' as they call them are mostly unmanned and operate by remote control with Oakland turning them on and off, etc. But I digress ... Anyway, the listener's guide said it was only including stations which were not *exclusively* religious, and then proceeds to include the listings minute by minute of such powerhouses as HCJB in Quito, Equador, and what I call the Unholy Trinity in Nashville, TN: WWCR-1 and WWCR-3. World Wide Christian Radio's transmitters one and three had all their programs listed but the guide noted that since WWCR-2 is devoted 24 hours per day to the teachings of Dr. Gene Scott they would not include that. There was some nice stuff like the BBC World Service and the Voice of America service to the Americas, as well as Monitor Radio International from Boston (although really in Greenville, SC) but it seems like almost all of 41, 49 and 60 meters was nothing but one hate-monger after another, interspersed with conspiracy theories, Liberty Lobby programs and *very strange* preachers. It went on all night long ... no matter where I would tune on this little (admittedly poor band spread, very cheap) shortwave radio, all I would get was this sort of junk. There were these call-in programs where all they would talk about was their theories about the murder of John F. Kennedy and the Federal Reserve System, etc. WWCR seemed to be the worst of the bunch. Maybe I have just forgotten things in my own life over the past forty years or so, but I do not remember shortwave radio being as full of junk like this years ago. The World Harvest people on WHRI-1 and WHRI-2 were also loud and obnoxious, but not nearly as bad as that Tom Valentine guy with his Radio Free America program on WWCR. By comparison, Family Radio was rather mild; and they certainly did not ask for money via your credit card every couple of minutes. I know there is a limit to what one can expect from a $39 shortwave battery operated radio which fits in the palm of your hand, but I really thought that BBC, VOA and Monitor Radio International (although I am not extremely fond them then like I used to be) -- to name just three good examples -- would be as easy for a child to tune in as would be Tom Valentine with all that march music of Sousa he plays and that other guy who was everywhere on the dial promoting the various militia/vigilante organizations. Has shortwave radio really filled up with a lot of this junk? I knew local 'talk radio' on the AM band was pretty bad, but still ... PAT ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 21:31:17 -0400 From: cc004056@interramp.com (Greg Monti) Subject: No Local Phone Competition in 'Small' Markets In a story, entitled, "Why Phone Rivals Can't Get Into Some Towns," in the _Wall Street Journal_, August 19, 1996, page B1, writer Leslie Cauley explains that not all areas of the U.S. will be subject to local phone company competition. The gist of the story is that the new federal Telecommunications Law exempts rural phone companies and small companies from the competition requirements put on the baby Bells, Sprint and most of GTE. The definitions of "small" and "rural" exempt some multibillion dollar telcos from competition. Examples: Southern New England Telephone, with 2.1 million access lines and $1.8 billion in 1995 revenue, is exempt from competition. Little Rock, Arkansas, based Alltel, with 1.6 million access lines and 1995 revenue of $3.1 billion is, too. So is $2 billion Frontier, with almost a million lines. Same with Cincinnati Bell and Century Telecommunications, each with over $600,000,000 in annual revenue. In fact, most of the 1,300 "independent" telcos are exempt. These companies cover 10% of the U.S. population, or about 26,000,000 residents. A rule also allows small, rural divisions of large telcos (those with less than 50,000 accesss lines in a "market," whatever that is) to also apply to be exempt from competition. In some parts of the country, that rural company is none other than GTE, the largest local telco in America. A carrier with less than 2% of the nation's access lines (like Frontier) or those with fewer than 3,000,000 lines company-wide can apply to become exempt from competition. The story quotes a Houston woman, who moved from SBC territory, where basic local service was $11.05 per month, into Alltel territory in Sugarland, Texas, where the same service is priced at $20.65. The story notes that call waiting is $6.50 per month from Alltel, and $2.80 from SBC. The story notes that Alltel feels it provides good service at good rates in all of its markets. A consumer advocate in Pennsylvania is quoted as saying that most of the rural companies in his state will apply for and get the exemption, which he laments will mean that 20% of the the population will not see local competition in the foreseeable future. Greg Monti Jersey City, New Jersey, USA gmonti@interramp.com ------------------------------ From: Mark Friedman <71534.332@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Why is the Internet So Slow? Date: 21 Aug 1996 01:00:17 GMT Organization: Demand Technology I am performing some research and am interested in hearing from anyone with an interesting theory of why Internet access is so slow? For instance, Is it the data com backbone, the protocol, the routers, the Servers, or the browsers? Thanks, Mark Friedman email: markf@demandtech.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 20 Aug 96 17:09:37 PDT From: Michael Graff Subject: What is "Number Portability"? In TELECOM Digest V16 #417, Tad Cook submitted two press articles about California area code splits. Both talk about "number portability", and each article gives a different definition of that term. In "California Peninsula to Get New Area Code", it says: > "number portability," which allows customers to keep their numbers > should they opt to change phone companies In "415, 916 Area Codes to Split in Two", it says: > number portability -- where a person's phone number stays with them > no matter where they go Which of these definitions is correct? Michael Graff [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It refers to keeping your phone number **within the same local community** regardless of which telco you choose to use. It does not mean you can take your phone number all over the USA. There would be no way to keep track of long distance versus local calls, etc. Of course you can get something like a 500 number from AT&T and take *that* all over the country. PAT] ------------------------------ From: news@ssbunews.ih.lucent.com Subject: Re: Will Full Number Portability Occur? Date: 20 Aug 1996 19:34:38 GMT Organization: Lucent Technologies In article , Lou Jahn <71233.2444@CompuServe.COM> wrote: > While the FCC has just started LEC's moving toward Number Portability > several of us were arguing whether "Full" Portability will ever occur > (or how far does the FCC plan to go)? Within an area code the FCC is > stating that in two-three years I can keep my telephone number as I > move amoung local LECs, but does the FCC and industry plan to go > eventually to "Full" portability so I can take my NPA-NXX-#### with me > to Cailifornia, PA or FL? > If this can occur someday -- why keep on expanding NPAs -- aren't they > about to become just part of the routing game? Once I can take my > number across a LATA boundary, dont' we have universal routing similar > to 800/888 services? Who pays for re-engineering the full network to > provide such service? Current short-term plans for Number Portability limit movement of your telephone connection to the Rate Center associated with the number. This allows NPA-NXX to continue to be used for charging/rating/ separations and call restrictions. The major thrust of "portability" is making the number portable between service providers, not in making the number portable across large geographic areas. The level of changes needed for the next step in Geographic Portability would support portability within an NPA (or a block of overlay NPAs), or even within a LATA. This has major implications on call restrictions and charging/rating, and some messy interactions with IntraLATA Toll Presubscription (one has to determine the "toll-ness" of an intraLATA call to determine if an IXC is to carry the call). Some human complexity is also introduced with the idea that "1+ means Toll" in an environment where each service provider can define the "local call" boundaries, and can start timing calls after usage reaches some pre-defined limit. Does that mean a call may the dialable without "1+" at the beginning of the month, but you have to add "1+" after your monthly credit is used up? Long-term Geographic Portability beyond a State boundary (even within a LATA) has some politics attached, since Number Portability is being driven primarily at the State level (the FCC has some ground rules, but the State PUCs have a lot of flexibility). It's unlikely States will look favorably on the idea of their traditional "NPAs" leaving -- New York is very possessive of "212", for example. GTE has proposed that folks wanting very-movable numbers be assigned numbers in well-defined non-geographic NPAs, similar to NPA 500. But even this doesn't address the problem of people wanting to understand the per-minute cost of a call prior to dialing. In some cases, it may be the moving party that pays the "extra" toll charges (like FX, but probably cheaper than 800 inbound). > First -- can I assume "local Number portability" will occur no matter > the cost? No -- but portability constrained to a Rate Center is probably not extremely expensive. Expanding the area of portability for a given number raises those costs considerably. Going beyond the LATA raises it even more. > If that is a definite, can anyone shed a longer term > prognosis for number portability beyond a given LATA? Suppose you > move to the next town in a diffeent LATA, do you need to take on new > numbers yet someone moving within a LATA will not? How will it be > Handled in "overlay area codes"? Don't see how overlays complicate anything for NP. Moving to another LATA probably won't happen so long as the LATAs are meaningful. If they disappear (from competitive pressure or edict), then portability will probably be available within a State. > I'd love to see a "Dick and Jane" story version of the longer term > industry plans for portability ... sounds like we are headed for ten > digit dialing either due to increasing NPAs or from portability. The ten-digit dialing will come from 1) overlays and 2) movement to more-than-ten-digit NANP numbers. Portability won't be driving it, but (per California PUC) overlays are more attractive in areas of portability, because you can select a service provider without changing to a "new" NPA for your existing phone number. In that sense, portability makes overlays more likely, and overlays make 10-digit dialing more likely. By the way, number portability is not just a USA issue. Canada is moving forward on plans similar to the USA, and several other countries are looking at portability along with other pro-competitive changes in their telecommunications infra-structure. Al Varney [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Al, what I do not understand is how anyone could be expected to know where they were calling or how much it would cost if phone numbers could be taken all over the USA. If I took my 847 number and moved to California then what would happen when my next door neighbor in California wanted to call me? I assume they would dial my 847 number but would telco in California first assume the number was in Illinois and look over here to the telco to get instructions on forwarding it back to California, etc? I think portability in a geographic sense would be a disaster. PAT] ------------------------------ From: psyber@usa.pipeline.com (John Cropper) Subject: Re: Area Code Confusion Date: 20 Aug 1996 23:52:59 GMT Organization: Pipeline On Aug 20, 1996 09:29:21 in article , 'Tad Cook ' wrote: > PG&E service fails; so does wake-up call > By Mark Leibovich [snip] > For his part, Branham said he'll wait for the utility to master single > wake-up calls -- never mind basic energy service -- before he places > faith in any new PG&E technology. [snip] > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I am sorry but I cannot be sympathetic > with Mr. Branham. I thought *everyone* knew that when you buy a digital > clock which has to serve a critical function -- like waking you up in > the morning -- you always get the kind with the backup battery. My > digital clock from Radio Shack has a place for a nine-volt battery > which is there to do two things: keep the clock on time for when the > power is restored (avoid the blinking twelve o'clock) and sound the > alarm at the time indicated if it has been set. PAT] I did one better ... I took an old 250VA UPS I had lying around and put a light and a clock radio on it. With the intermittent storms and other outages, it comes in real handy... :-) John Cropper * NiS / NexComm PO Box 277 Pennington, NJ USA 08534-0277 Inside NJ : 609.637.9434 Outside NJ: 888.NPA.NFO2 (672.6362) Fax : 609.637.9430 email : psyber@usa.pipeline.com ------------------------------ From: bfbrown@csn.net (Brian Brown) Subject: Re: Getting a Semi-Public Pay Phone? Date: Mon, 19 Aug 1996 21:48:48 GMT Organization: SuperNet Inc. +1.303.296.8202 Denver Colorado hancock4@cpcn.com (Lisa) wrote: > My condominium has a swimming pool and clubhouse. There is an > extension phone (from the office line) for emergency calls from the > pool. We are finding more requests by people to use that phone to > check their home machine for messages, call friends, etc. Also, > guests at clubhouse events want to call home to check the babysitter, > etc. The emergency phone is abused -- we get overseas calls on it. In college, my fraternity house had similar problems -- people making long distance and overseas calls by grabbing a phone during parties. However, at one point we had documented (via registered mail, etc.) our request to the LEC that our three phone lines have NO long distance carrier, and that all long distance, 900, etc. calls be totally blocked from those lines. Anyone who wanted to call long distance from one of these lines had to use a calling card. Whenever long distance charges showed up on the bill, we made a phone call, faxed a copy of the letter sent years back requesting the line restriction, and had the charges removed immediately, no problem -- what could they say? (Nynex, believe it or not). Has your association thought of or investigated this? Of course, you'd still have to pay the $20 or $30 a month for the extra basic phone line (since, I presume, you want to be able to make long distance phone calls from the office) ... As another possibility, I have heard of this (but can't verify it - can anyone else): There are these phones you can buy that will dial only a preset number of digits, after which the tones become useless. Of course, the old way to get around this was to manually pulse the tones by pressing the hook repeatedly; this phone I heard about, however, enforces a three-second on-hook every time its hook is depressed (eliminating manual pulse dialing). This solution, however, means that touch tones are disabled for the remainder of the call, so checking answering machines or making calling card calls is not possible. In addition, someone with a hand-held DTMF tone producer could defeat this phone too. Brian Brown Visionary Consulting ------------------------------ From: hbaker@netcom.com (Henry Baker) Subject: Re: Genuine Nynex Payphone" Limiting Number of Touch Tone Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 00:13:21 GMT In article , I-Contact Media wrote: >> Maybe someone could explain the rationale behind this one? I can't >> figure out any. To make this even more ironic I discovered the problem >> when calling a Nynex number ... >> About two thirds of the way through the menu sequences I got a synthesized >> voice announcement which said something like "no additional digits may >> be dialed at this time". >> And sure enough, anytime I hit a touch tone key I heard the tone, then >> got the same msg. > I'm glad somebody else has noticed this -- and this is not an effort > to fight drug dealers, it's an effort to render most prepaid cards > practically useless. Of course, it also renders a lot of other calls > useless as well, such as dialing in for voice mail messages, etc. A number of payphones in Europe don't support the '*' and '#' touchtones, thus making it difficult to retrieve voice mail internationally. Don't throw out those portable touch tone (DTMF) generators just yet ... ------------------------------ From: tls@panix.com (Thor Lancelot Simon) Subject: Re: Encryption and Telnet Date: 20 Aug 1996 19:24:40 -0400 Organization: Panix Reply-To: tls@rek.tjls.com In article , Derek Balling wrote: > We have a customer who has international locations using the Internet, > and I'm at a loss on who to turn to for help in my dilemma. The usual > places I might expect to find an answer have yielded none, so I'm > hoping that the readers of the digest may be able to help me out. If you're looking for an encrypted version of telnet, you should be aware that there is a standard for authentication in Telnet, and accompanying encryption support, but that for various reasons the protocol is considered not to be entirely secure; it is vulnerable to attack as the session begins, though still useful against passive sniffers. I do not know where you could get a telnet client with support for the ENCRYPT option outside the U.S., but I know that such clients exist. Another good option is 'ssh'. It's not actually telnet, but it does quite a bit more, is available worldwide, and has good Windows support. Thor Lancelot Simon tls@panix.COM ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 18:54:53 -0700 From: dbw@autopsy.com (David Whiteman) Subject: Correction: Re: Anniversary of First Singing Telegram Originally I wrote: >> I just heard on the radio that July 28 was the anniversary of the >> first singing telegram which was sent on July 28, 1933 to the singer >> Rudolph Valentino for his birthday. Carl Moore wrote to me in response: > But didn't Valentino die in 1926? Yes I made a mistake, it was Rudy Vallee ... the guy who sang with a megaphone. I heard a replay of the radio announcement after I made the posting, and realized I made a mistake. David Whiteman ------------------------------ From: ranck@joesbar.cc.vt.edu Subject: Re: Timed Local Internet Calls Date: 20 Aug 1996 19:53:21 GMT Organization: Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia Jack Decker (jack@novagate.com) wrote: > But okay. If the problem is really that the SWITCHES can't handle the > traffic, then what they (or you) should be asking the goverment to do > is to let (or force) them to sell you a dedicated line pair to your > ISP at the same amount (or less) than what a switched line would cost. This moves the switching problem to the ISP. Either that or the ISP has to dedicate a modem to each customer, which is inefficient use of their resources. > Consider that you have a dedicated pair of wires to the central > office. Your ISP also has a dedicated line to their modem (the one > you are using at the modem pool). This passes through a phone company > switch. But for many uses, it would be just as adequate to have a > "dry" line going straight through to the ISP. Then you'd be using > ZERO capacity in the switch, you'd have a 24 hour per day connection > to your ISP, and you could probably even use higher capacity modems in > many cases. Yes, you make an interesting point, but it still just moves the switching and capacity problems to another location, and in fact makes them worse. Queuing theory says that as the subscriber population goes up you need a lower percentage of simultaneous connections to meet demand. The ISP's subscriber base is much smaller than the telco's so they would need much closer to 100% simultaneous connection ability. I've seen this first hand. When our campus had a couple hundred users we had to have ports on the system available for about 50% of them to be logged on at a time. When the user population went up to 10,000 or so the number of ports needed only went up to about 10%. > It never fails to amaze me that a phone company can dedicate a pair of > wires to a customer's telephone and still make money, but if you and I > want to lease that exact same pair for data, background music, alarm > system monitoring or whatever, the price jumps way up! Something is > seriously wrong there. Uh, the problem would be another capacity crunch. If leased copper was as cheap as phone lines then there would be a sudden demand for lots of leased circuits, but not enough pairs to fill the demand. Thus, the telco would suddenly have to spend *lots* of money to install lots of wire over top of existing plant. Although you do make a somewhat valid argument. Bill Ranck +1-540-231-3951 ranck@vt.edu Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Computing Center ------------------------------ From: Jean-Francois Mezei Subject: Re: Timed Local Internet Calls Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 21:14:45 +0000 Organization: Vaxination Informatique Reply-To: jfmezei@videotron.ca Fred Goodwin wrote: > credentials to this discussion. But it layman's terms (which for this > topic, I *am* a layman), it is easy to see that central offices (whether > digital or not) are not sized for unlimited usage. > There are many examples of COs blocking due to heavy, unexpected usage. Being a layman too, I will venture to say the following: I probably don't monopolise my phone line any more than my mother does when she talks for hours on end. Another point to consider: phone systems are designed to widthstand the busy hours. So, if the worst usage is at 10:30 am, would atypical phone calls to an ISP during non-busy hours really cause havok? In other words, if those long "internet" phone calls occur at night when telco infrastructure is not overwhelmed by business calls, I wonder if they have such an impact. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #428 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Wed Aug 21 11:51:01 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id LAA01061; Wed, 21 Aug 1996 11:51:01 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 11:51:01 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608211551.LAA01061@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #429 :::::::::::::: output :::::::::::::: TELECOM Digest Wed, 21 Aug 96 11:51:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 429 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: DFW Dialing (was End of Permissive Dialing in 954) (Brian Purcell) Re: Will Full Number Portability Occur? (Mark J. Cuccia) Re: What is "Number Portability"? (John Cropper) Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? (John Agosta) Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? (Robert McMillin) Re: Alex Mandl Hangs it Up (John Cropper) Re: Alex Mandl Hangs it Up (Rick Strobel) Re: No Local Phone Competition in 'Small' Markets (John Cropper) Re: Timed Local Internet Calls (David Richards) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: bpurcell@centuryinter.net (Brian Purcell) Subject: Re: DFW Dialing (was End of Permissive Dialing in 954) Date: Wed, 21 Aug 96 14:36:38 GMT Organization: Wide-Lite Linc Madison wrote: > As the area codes get smaller and smaller, and people become more and > more mobile, it becomes more and more important to have a single > uniform dialing procedure that is guaranteed to work anywhere in the U.S. > Southwestern Bell and the Texas PUC should stop dragging their feet and > make the change. Make the change? Make *what* change? A quick review of the dialing plans section of this year's NANP shows that there is no concensus on how to dial local FNPA calls. Many states use 1+10D, many use 10D, and lots use 7D. In addition, several use more than one as standard or permissive. Virginia will let you use any of the three. Just because California has elected to use 1+10D does not mean that this is the way everyone else should do it. If you ask me, most consumers have come to believe that 1+ means "toll" while it seems to me that many telco people (particularly in this newsgroup) will say the 1+ means "the following number includes an area code." If that's the way it is, we should just do away with 1+ completely and let the system figure out if: a) it's 7D or 10D b) it's local or toll c) it's intra- or inter-LATA Otherwise, what's the point of adding the 1+? Maybe we should just incorporate 1 into everyone's NPA (1415, 1510, 1213, etc.). That's pretty much what dialing 1+10D on every FNPA call (local or toll) means anyway. IMHO, it makes sense to use 1+ only to designate *toll* calls, and forbidding it on local calls. That way, the consumer know when dialing if it's a free call or not. A little bit of education (read: marketing) will help to reduce the dialing public's confusion. So, let me propose a "uniform dialing procedure": HNPA local: 7D HNPA toll: 1+NPA+7D FNPA local: 10D FNPA toll: 1+NPA+7D Regards, Brian Purcell bpurcell@centuryinter.net ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 09:39:10 -0700 From: Mark J. Cuccia Subject: Re: Will Full Number Portability Occur? In a response to Al Varney's post on this subject, Pat mentions: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Al, what I do not understand is how > anyone could be expected to know where they were calling or how much > it would cost if phone numbers could be taken all over the USA. If > I took my 847 number and moved to California then what would happen > when my next door neighbor in California wanted to call me? I assume > they would dial my 847 number but would telco in California first > assume the number was in Illinois and look over here to the telco > to get instructions on forwarding it back to California, etc? I > think portability in a geographic sense would be a disaster. PAT] Full NANP-wide number portability is not necessarily ruled out. It may be some decades before it is possilbe and available, but it is just an extrapolation of local portability among service providers and geographically within a local calling area. Likewise, it would be an extrapolation of existing toll-free (800/888 and later 877, 866, 855, 844, 833, 822) number portability. "Full-blown" number portability will require a *great* deal of regulatory and industry negotiations, as well as further technological development and actual hardware/software installation. Presently, even 500 and 900 numbers, while geographically portable, are not portable amongst *service-providers* (i.e. the 500-NXX and 900-NXX codes are 'fixed' assigned to carriers, service providers and 'functions'), but even those Special Area Codes might even have some form of service-provider portability, similar to 800/888 number portability. Full NANP geographic number portability will obviously use SS-7 (or whatever the next technological platform is) interconnected databases, similar to 800/888 portability. A call from your next-door neighbor in California dialing 'your' 847-NXX-XXXX number will do a *database lookup*. Something like a "Location Routing Number" (similar to a circuit number) will be returned from the database, which will route the call to you. This LRN will *NOT* be a standard NXX-NXX-XXXX dialable number, but from a numbering scheme not 'dialable', and it will not even 'conflict' or be 'ambiguous' with any NXX-NXX-XXXX number. These databases need not be located in the 'old' area where your 847- number had previously been located. The network of databases and the location of individual databases (and back-up copies) aren't really important to the customer dialing the call. When you place a calling-card call from Dallas to Chicago, the card-number verification process could access a database in New York City or California, etc. Then again, the database to verify the card number could even be located in Dallas or Chicago. Also, the IXC's switch you first accessed to place the card-call might be in a different location from the verification database, altogather! As for billing and rating, this will be something also to be looked at further, as tariffs for charges are affected. It could be possible that all calls within the NANP (or portions of it) in the future will either be 'free' or they will be 'fixed rate' similar to postage rates. Of course, 800/888/877/etc. numbers will continue to be 'toll-free' to the caller, and certain other numbers (900, etc) will be expensive "PAY-PAY-PAY-per-call". If charges are still based on some form of distance or location for POTS numbers, the information on location of the ten-digit number will be also associated in the database network for rating purposes. You might even be able to arrange it with your service-provider(s) such that any call from the Chicago metro area to your 847-NXX-XXXX number will continue to be 'free' to Chicago originating callers. *YOU* would be paying the 'toll' charges for those calls. Calls from the California local area would be free (or low-rate 'local'), as all of this billing/rating information would be associated with your 847-NXX-XXXX number in the network of numbering databases. But then, you might not want to pay the toll charges for originating Chicago area callers. This info, as well, would be associated with your 847-NXX-XXXX number in the databases. The toll charge or 'local/free' differentition for customers who wouldn't want to dial a call carrying a charge without prior notification since they don't know the location anymore based on the NXX-NXX- code *SHOULD* (IMO) be determined on the use of the '1+' prefix: *IF* the call is 'free' or 'local', it could be dialed as 'straight' ten-digits and be completed as dialed. If there is a charge above a certain price barrier, calls dialed without the '1+' would be given a recording "You must first dial a '1' or '0' before dialing this number". *All* calls dialed with a '1+' prefix would go through, and be charged at the proper rate, if such a charge applies. 'Free' or 'local' calls dialed with a '1+' would still go through, but billed 'free' or 'local'. Again, the charge information in the database associated with that NXX-NXX-XXXX number would determine the call processing results based on whether or not the calling party dialed a '1+'. And of course, anyone with 900- (and pay-per-call prefix) blocking would continue to be blocked against calls to certain area codes or NXX-NXX- codes which carry such a premium rate charge. And as I mentioned earlier, *all* of this, while possible, is still a long way off! But look at the Worldwide Web, etc. Domain names (URL's) *are* portable in these ways, as there are database lookups which return a 'location' or 'routing' URL. MARK J. CUCCIA PHONE/WRITE/WIRE: HOME: (USA) Tel: CHestnut 1-2497 WORK: mcuccia@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu |4710 Wright Road| (+1-504-241-2497) Tel:UNiversity 5-5954(+1-504-865-5954)|New Orleans 28 |fwds on no-answr to Fax:UNiversity 5-5917(+1-504-865-5917)|Louisiana(70128)|cellular/voicemail ------------------------------ From: psyber@usa.pipeline.com (John Cropper) Subject: Re: What is "Number Portability"? Date: 21 Aug 1996 06:33:40 GMT Organization: Pipeline On Aug 20, 1996 17:09:37 in article , 'Michael Graff ' wrote: > In TELECOM Digest V16 #417, Tad Cook submitted two press > articles about California area code splits. Both talk about "number > portability", and each article gives a different definition of that > term. > In "California Peninsula to Get New Area Code", it says: >> "number portability," which allows customers to keep their numbers >> should they opt to change phone companies > In "415, 916 Area Codes to Split in Two", it says: >> number portability -- where a person's phone number stays with them >> no matter where they go > Which of these definitions is correct? > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It refers to keeping your phone number > **within the same local community** regardless of which telco you > choose to use. It does not mean you can take your phone number all > over the USA. There would be no way to keep track of long distance > versus local calls, etc. Of course you can get something like a 500 > number from AT&T and take *that* all over the country. PAT] Actually, Pat (and Michael), the FCC would like BOTH to eventually (5-15 years) be correct. The days of an NPA representing a particular geographic boundary may be numbered if some individuals get their way ... Distance-based rate structures will have to fall away completely (almost there), and a few other technical modifications will have to be made at the "mom & pop" LEC level, but we're 65-70% there for that kind of portability for all NPAs now. Personally, I hate the idea, but it's not yet "up to me". :-) John Cropper NiS / NexComm PO Box 277 Pennington, NJ USA 08534-0277 Inside NJ : 609.637.9434 Outside NJ: 888.NPA.NFO2 (672.6362) Fax : 609.637.9430 email : psyber@usa.pipeline.com ------------------------------ From: jagosta@interaccess.com (John Agosta) Subject: Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? Date: 21 Aug 1996 14:33:35 GMT Organization: Agosta and Associates In article , Mark Friedman <71534.332@CompuServe.COM> says: > I am performing some research and am interested in hearing from anyone > with an interesting theory of why Internet access is so slow? It's because of all the JERKS out there sending electronic junk mail to thousands of users trying to sell US get rich quick schemes, investments, cures for baldness, and other magic potions. ja [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Oh, I don't really think so. Certainly there is a lot of junk on the net but the computer does not know the difference between a jerk sending thousands of pieces of mail trying to sell something and a jerk sending out thousands of pieces of mail referred to as a 'Digest' of some sort. It is a combination of all these things; the net is just getting a lot more traffic than it used to get. We see the same thing on the streets in every large city. Thirty to forty years ago traffic on the road and highways was not nearly as heavy as it is now. Other than 'rush hour' roads were relatively quiet all day with cars going past occassionally. Now the slow times of day look like 'rush hour' used to look thirty years ago on busy roads, etc. Prior to the construction of the interstate highway system in the 1950- 60's era people still traveled; they just did not travel as much or go as far, and it took longer to get where they did go. The net is the same thing all over again. And although I am not trying to be particularly protective of the 'jerks who send out thousands of pieces of mail trying to sell something' there *are* a lot of people using the net who are as equally sincere in their efforts as you and I. I honestly do not think many of the people who do junkmail and spam realize they are considered offensive. PAT] ------------------------------ From: rlm@netcom.com (Robert McMillin) Subject: Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? Organization: Charlie Don't CERF Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 14:43:33 GMT On 20 Aug 1996 18:00:17 PDT, Mark Friedman <71534.332@CompuServe.COM> said: > I am performing some research and am interested in hearing from anyone > with an interesting theory of why Internet access is so slow? > For instance, > Is it the data com backbone, the protocol, the routers, the > Servers, or the browsers? Pac*Bell has reported serious problems with their ATM switch at their California NAP. For full details of what's going on and how they hope to fix it, read http://www.pacbell.com/products/business/fastrak/networking/nap/nap2-6.html My understanding is that Pac*Bell is the only NAP operator using ATM at this time. Robert L. McMillin | rlm@helen.surfcty.com | Netcom: rlm@netcom.com ------------------------------ From: psyber@usa.pipeline.com (John Cropper) Subject: Re: Alex Mandl Hangs it Up Date: 21 Aug 1996 06:39:19 GMT Organization: Pipeline On Aug 20, 1996 20:35:02 in article , 'ptownson@ massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor)' wrote: > Instead he (Alex J Mandl) decided to chairman and chief executive officer > of Associated Communications, a brand new unit of the Associated Group, a > company located in Pittsburgh, PA with significant investments in Mexican > wireless firms, and Tele-Communications, INc, the biggest USA cable > television operator. > His resignation takes place immediatly, but he will assist AT&T as > needed in making an orderly transition of management responsibilities. > Good luck, Alex ... I think AT&T was the loser in this deal. Who could blame him? ACC offered a $20 *million* signing bonus, plus 18% of all future growth of ACC's market value (currently at $200 million; if he grows ACC's market value to only $1 billion, that's $144 *million* in his pocket). Sounds like a major sports-figure contract, when you think about it ... :-) John Cropper * NiS / NexComm PO Box 277 Pennington, NJ USA 08534-0277 Inside NJ : 609.637.9434 Outside NJ: 888.NPA.NFO2 (672.6362) Fax : 609.637.9430 email : psyber@usa.pipeline.com ------------------------------ From: rstrobel@infotime.com (Rick Strobel) Subject: Re: Alex Mandl Hangs it Up Date: Wed, 21 Aug 96 11:43:07 GMT Organization: InfoTime In article , ptownson@massis.lcs. mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) wrote: > Alex J. Mandl gave up a chance to lead the world's biggest communications > company, AT&T, saying he would rather start a telephone company of his > own instead. > Instead he decided to be chairman and chief executive officer of Associated > Communications, a brand new unit of the Associated Group, a company > located in Pittsburgh, PA with significant investments in Mexican > wireless firms, and Tele-Communications, Inc, the biggest USA cable > television operator. Pat, Could you, or someone in the group, comment on the technology that Mandl finds so compelling at this new company? Apparently Mandl feels that it's the next big thing. At least that's what I gather from the news reports I read. They have all been light on the tech side. Thanks. P.S. - I'm still looking for a follow up to the Flat Rate Cellular post from last week. Did I miss it, or are we still waiting for more info? Rick Strobel InfoTime Fax Communications 502-426-4279 502-426-3721 fax rstrobel@infotime.com http://www.infotime.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: As John Cropper points out in the message just before yours, perhaps it was the money rather than the technology which he found 'so compelling'. :) I have not seen much on the flat rate cellular item from last week so a reminder is perhaps in order: Anyone who would care to comment to Mr. Strobel or the group on 'flat rate cellular' per the item which appeared in the Digest several days ago? PAT] ------------------------------ From: psyber@usa.pipeline.com (John Cropper) Subject: Re: No Local Phone Competition in 'Small' Markets Date: 21 Aug 1996 06:50:46 GMT Organization: Pipeline On Aug 20, 1996 21:31:17 in article , 'cc004056@interramp.com (Greg Monti)' wrote: > In a story, entitled, "Why Phone Rivals Can't Get Into Some Towns," in > the _Wall Street Journal_, August 19, 1996, page B1, writer Leslie > Cauley explains that not all areas of the U.S. will be subject to > local phone company competition. The gist of the story is that the > new federal Telecommunications Law exempts rural phone companies and > small companies from the competition requirements put on the baby > Bells, Sprint and most of GTE. > The definitions of "small" and "rural" exempt some multibillion dollar > telcos from competition. Examples: Southern New England Telephone, > with 2.1 million access lines and $1.8 billion in 1995 revenue, is > exempt from competition. Perhaps, but they're still going head-to-head with AT&T at the moment. AT&T's currently offering 5c per minute rates intra-LATA within Connecticut, and has a huge media blitz under way in New England (Boston, Hartford) and mid-Atlantic (New York) radio and TV markets. SNET has countered with a plan of their own, and has pioneered 1 *second* billing on long distance calling (minimum 18 seconds, I believe). > Little Rock, Arkansas, based Alltel, with > 1.6 million access lines and 1995 revenue of $3.1 billion is, too. So > is $2 billion Frontier, with almost a million lines. Same with > Cincinnati Bell and Century Telecommunications, each with over > $600,000,000 in annual revenue. In fact, most of the 1,300 > "independent" telcos are exempt. These companies cover 10% of the > U.S. population, or about 26,000,000 residents. If they want to compete, they can, though, I'm assuming ... > A rule also allows small, rural divisions of large telcos (those with > less than 50,000 accesss lines in a "market," whatever that is) to > also apply to be exempt from competition. In some parts of the > country, that rural company is none other than GTE, the largest local > telco in America. Surprise, surprise ... > A carrier with less than 2% of the nation's access lines (like > Frontier) or those with fewer than 3,000,000 lines company-wide can > apply to become exempt from competition. > The story quotes a Houston woman, who moved from SBC territory, where > basic local service was $11.05 per month, into Alltel territory in > Sugarland, Texas, where the same service is priced at $20.65. The > story notes that call waiting is $6.50 per month from Alltel, and > $2.80 from SBC. The story notes that Alltel feels it provides good > service at good rates in all of its markets. > A consumer advocate in Pennsylvania is quoted as saying that most of > the rural companies in his state will apply for and get the exemption, > which he laments will mean that 20% of the the population will not see > local competition in the foreseeable future. No wonder the LECs were crowing over the Telecom Act ... :-) John Cropper NiS / NexComm PO Box 277 Pennington, NJ USA 08534-0277 Inside NJ : 609.637.9434 Outside NJ: 888.NPA.NFO2 (672.6362) Fax : 609.637.9430 email : psyber@usa.pipeline.com ------------------------------ From: dr@ripco.com (David Richards) Subject: Re: Timed Local Internet Calls Organization: Ripco Internet BBS Chicago Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 05:56:55 GMT In article , Fred Goodwin wrote: > A final question: if (as some believe) there is no additional marginal or > incremental cost to the telco for long-duration calls, why then do so many > online and Internet providers charge for usage rather than a flat rate? > If there is a cost to online providers, why not a cost to the telco also? As an online provider, I can authoritatively state that a small minority of Internet providers (fewer every day) charge by usage. Most charge a flat 'all you can eat' rate, while some include a fixed number of hours (usually around 200 hours/month) with an hourly fee for extreme usage. Internet Providers, like the telco, oversell their connections, but on a smaller scale. For example, we charge $15/month for an 'untimed' personal account, with the expectation that you will only be online while you are awake and at the computer -- if you have a wife, job, etc. this is at most three to six hours a day. Because of this and other factors, we can oversell by 10-1 and the only time all the lines are full for a full five minutes straight is at the peak point of the day -- just about when Seinfeld goes off the air :-) We also charge a much higher (X3) rate for a 'dedicated' type account where we EXPECT the user to be connected full time. If we sell ten of these accounts, we order ten phone lines, because we know for a fact that this user will probably call once and never hang up. The phone company has the same thing, but they call it a 'leased line' and (for 64K service) their higher rate isn't X3 a regular residential phone line- Ameritech charges about $1000 for installation and several hundred dollars per month- _TEN_ times as much! If I could get a leased line installed from my home for about what ISDN costs now (for both my circuit and my ISP's) then I wouldn't be (ab)using ISDN as a dedicated service. An earlier article made a good point -- while a conservative estimate gives 30,000 local Internet _customers_ in Chicago, there are at most 1,500-2,000 phone lines total going _to_ their ISPs, scattered throughout the metropolitan area. Coupled with Ameritech's distance based phone rates, and the load on any one switch or trunk is minor, and with the amount we've paid them alone they should be able to buy a new 5ESS for the local central office. David Richards Ripco, since Nineteen-Eighty-Three My opinions are my own, Public Access in Chicago But they are available for rental Shell/SLIP/PPP/UUCP/ISDN/Leased dr@ripco.com (312) 665-0065 !Free Usenet/E-Mail! ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #429 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Thu Aug 22 19:34:08 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id TAA17165; Thu, 22 Aug 1996 19:34:08 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 19:34:08 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608222334.TAA17165@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #430 TELECOM Digest Thu, 22 Aug 96 19:34:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 430 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Atlanta 911 and COCOTs: The Bomb Call Transcript (Howard Pierpont) Gee Whiz Stuff From Bellcore (Tad Cook) End to Phone Card Pacts (Tad Cook) AT&T Offers Check to Distintive Ring Number (Robert E. Haussmann) 800 Number Routing Question (John Perkins) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 22 Aug 96 12:54:49 EDT From: Howard Pierpont Subject: Atlanta 911 and COCOTs: The Bomb Call Transcript I noted a discussion about LOTS of COCOTs being placed in ATlanta before the Olympics. I haven't heard if the phone used was a COCOT, but I think [based] on the way the 911 call was handled] it was. Not sure if you have seen the transcript. interesting read. howard Pierpont Business Resumption MAnager, Digital Semiconductor hudson MA. ------ From RISKS DIGEST 18.35 ------ Date: 20 Aug 96 01:11:11 GMT From: risko@csl.sri.com (RISKS List Owner) Newsgroups: comp.risks Other items deleted---- Date: Fri, 16 Aug 96 10:45:34 PDT From: "Peter G. Neumann" Subject: The Atlanta 911 transcript [The following transcript of the Olympic 911 bomb call and the ensuing conversation suggests that many of our nontechnological risks are not being adequately addressed. PGN] http://www.cnn.com/US/9608/09/olympics.bomb.911/911.transcript.wir/transcript.html Excerpts from a transcript released Thursday by the Atlanta Police Department regarding the bomb threat telephoned to 911 on July 27. Times have been converted from military time to standard notation, and punctuation and spelling have been edited. Parenthetical notes are part of the police transcript except where labeled as an editor's note. The transcript refers to these police terms: Code 73, bomb threat; and Zone 5, a police precinct near Centennial Olympic Park. The transcript did not explain the Zone 5 dispatcher's references to Code 17 and Code 8, which apparently were unrelated to the bomb call. 12:58:28 a.m.: [Call to 911] 12:58:32 a.m.: Atlanta Police Department 911 Operator: "Atlanta 911." Caller: "There is a bomb in Centennial Park, you have 30 minutes." 12:58:45 a.m.: Caller hangs up. 1:01:20 a.m.: 911 operator calls APD Agency Command Center (all lines busy). .... 1:01:30 a.m.: 911 operator calls Zone 5 and notifies Zone 5 of Signal 73 and requests address of Centennial Park -- unable to get street address. Dispatcher: "Zone 5." 911 Operator: "You know the address to Centennial Olympic Park?" Dispatcher: "Girl, don't ask me to lie to you." 911 Operator: "I tried to call ACC but ain't nobody answering the phone ... but I just got this man called talking about there's a bomb set to go off in 30 minutes in Centennial Park." Dispatcher: "Oh Lord, child. One minute, one minute. I copy Code 17. OK, all DUI units are Code 8 and will not be able to assist on the freeway. Oh Lord, child. Uh, OK, wait a minute, Centennial Park, you put it in and it won't go in?" 911 Operator: "No, unless I'm spelling Centennial wrong. How are we spelling Centennial?" Dispatcher: "C-E-N-T-E-N-N-I -- how do you spell Centennial?" 911 Operator: "I'm spelling it right, it ain't taking." Dispatcher: "Yeah." 911 Operator: "Centennial Park is not going. Maybe if I take 'park' out, maybe that will take. Let me try that." Dispatcher: "Wait a minute, that's the regular Olympic Stadium right?" 911 Operator: "Olympic Stadium is like Zone 3, though. Centennial Park." Dispatcher: "That's the Centennial Park?" 911 Operator: "It's near the Coca Cola Plaza, I think." Dispatcher: "In 5?" 911 Operator: "Uh huh." Dispatcher: "Uh, hold on. Sonya, you don't know the address to the Centennial Park?" 2nd Dispatcher (in background): "Downtown." 911 Operator: "Male, about 30." Dispatcher: "1546, Code 17, 23." 911 Operator: "White." Dispatcher: "Uh, you know what? Ask one of the supervisors." 911 Operator: "No, Lord help me, you know they don't know." Dispatcher: "I know, but it gets it off you." 911 Operator: "Alrighty then, bye." Dispatcher: "Bye." 1:02:40 a.m.: 911 operator calls APD ACC for address (telephone line problem; operators cannot hear each other.) ... 1:02:50 a.m.: 911 operator calls APD ACC again and requests address for Centennial Park and is given the telephone number. ACC: "Atlanta Police, Agency Command Center." 911 Operator: "Hey, can you hear me now?" ACC: "Uh huh." 911 Operator: "OK, can you give me the address of the Centennial Park?" ACC: "I ain't got no address to Centennial Park, what y'all think I am?" 911 Operator: "Can you help me find the address to Centennial Park?" ACC: "I can give you the telephone number of Centennial Park." 911 Operator: "I need to get this bomb threat over there to y'all." ACC: "Well." 911 Operator: "But I need the address of Centennial Park. It's not taking, the system is not taking Centennial Park, that's not where it came from, but you know the system is not taking Centennial Park, that's where he said the bomb was." ACC: "No particular street or what?" 911 Operator: "He just said there's a bomb set to go off in 30 minutes in Centennial Park." ACC: "Ooh, it's going to be gone off by the time we find the address." 911 Operator: "Are you kiddin'? Give me that, give me that." ACC: "I mean I don't have an address, I just have phone numbers." 911 Operator: "Give me the phone number." ... 1:05:10 a.m.: 911 operator calls Centennial Park for street address and is placed on hold. Receives address at 1:07:10 a.m. Centennial Park: "Centennial Park, this is Operator Morgan." 911 Operator: "Hi, can you give me the address to Centennial Park?" Cen Park: "The address?" 911 Operator: "Uh huh." Cen Park: "Uh, hold on a second." 1:06:30 a.m.: 911 operator notifies Communications Supervisor, Sgt. Montgomery. 911 Operator: "Does anybody -- Sgt. Montgomery, do you know the address of Centennial Park? Do you know the address to Centennial Park. Well, I need to get the address of Centennial Park 'cause, I mean I don't mean to upset nobody, but we got a bomb threat over there." (Editor's note: The transcript does not further indicate whether this comment about a bomb threat was directed only to Sgt. Montgomery in the 911 center or to Centennial Park's Operator Morgan, who is shown to come back on the line just after the comment.) Cen Park: "Ma'am." 911 Operator: "Yes." Cen Park: "OK, it's 145 International Boulevard." 911 Operator: "145 International Boulevard." Cen Park: "Uh huh." 911 Operator: "OK." Cen Park: "All right, uh huh." 911 Operator: "Thank you. Bye bye." 1:08:35 a.m.: 911 operator sent call to dispatch. 1:11:10 a.m.: Dispatcher: "1591. Radio raising 1594." Unit 1594: "1594. You call?" 1:11:20 a.m.: Dispatcher: "1594, that's affirmative, got a Signal 73 at 145 International Boulevard. It came from the pay phone at the Days Inn. The caller is advising that he has one set to go off in 30 minutes at Centennial Park. Sounded like a white male." (Editor's note: The same information is then given to Unit 1593 and the dispatcher calls Unit 1546.) 1:12:30 a.m.: Dispatcher: "Did you copy?" 1:12:40 a.m.: Unit 1546: "1546. I copy. Advise the state police, they police that park. I'll go the Days Inn and see if I can locate the caller." Dispatcher: "OK, that's affirmative." (Editor's note: There are sporadic entries over the next seven minutes. Another officer, designated Unit 1593, also instructs the dispatcher at 1:18:50 a.m. to "contact the state police supervisor." The transcript contains no indication, however, that state police were notified.) 1:20:00 a.m.: Unit 2924: "2924 to Radio, be advised that something just blew up at Olympic Park." --------------------------- [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That situation in Atlanta was certainly a tragedy which was no doubt compounded by the confusion expressed by police dispatchers shown above. One victim of the explosion is Mr. Jewell, the security officer who was involved. As everyone knows by now -- I trust -- he was completely innocent of any complicity in the affair, yet the FBI saw fit to put him through an incredible smear job -- a common FBI tactic -- in order to find him guilty in the eyes of the public. The Democratic convention starts here in Chicago this weekend with much inconvenience for the regular citizens who are finding a lot of streets blocked off; busses rerouted several blocks out of the way; and many public facilities such as Navy Pier closed to the public entirely. Those politicians really think they are something special. Some city officials believe privately there will be riots or at least more violence than usual during the week ahead; there have already been bomb threats called in, etc. I personally will be glad to see them all get out of town after a week so things can get back to some semblance of normality. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: Gee Whiz Stuff From Bellcore Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 10:10:20 PDT Some High-Tech Gadgets of the Future are Showing Up Now By Mimi Whitefield, The Miami Herald Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 22--In the not too distant future, a TV viewer settling in to watch a favorite program may be able to do a little shopping as a car commercial flashes on the screen. With technology under development at New Jersey-based BellCore Corp., a viewer watching a sleek sedan may be able to click on the image and electronically equip it to taste. A click of a mouse and the viewer can paint the car and select interior options. After selecting red with a leather interior, for example, the viewer may be able to get a price for that particular car, check its availability at local dealerships and perhaps even buy it with a credit card. "You complete your transaction and then you go back to your television show," said Dave Sincoskie, executive director of computer networking research at BellCore, a research and engineering firm for telecommunications companies. The technology: Real time video delivered over IP (Internet protocol) into a web browser. "It's a little fanciful but not out of the ballpark," said Sincoskie. Telecommunications is no longer a routine, black telephone type of industry. Technological advances are coming fast and furious -- changing the way people shop, get in touch and do business with each other. In some communities in California -- home of Silicon Valley and the microchip revolution -- people order their groceries by computer. The state is also experimenting with teleconferencing to hold town meetings. Though some people still derisively refer to the World Wide Web as the "World Wide Wait" because of overcrowding and bottlenecks, more and more people are delving into electronic communication. When Bob Lucky, BellCore's vice president for applied research, spoke at a gathering of telecom executives last year, more than 70 percent had not yet used the Internet. But at BellCore's annual technology forum this spring, the majority of those in the room raised their hands when Lucky asked how many had surfed the Net. An estimated 37 million Americans and Canadians now have access to the Internet. "What a difference a year makes. It's a sea change and this is going to happen every year from now on," said Lucky. Five years from now, predicts George H. Heilmeier, president and CEO of BellCore, the Internet will have more switching capacity than the telephone system has today. "In the next five years video and voice communication on the Internet will be a reality and of a quality equivalent to what you get on your television set today," he said. "It won't be this herky-jerky stuff you get in video-conferencing over ISDN (a technology that allows high-speed data transmission over copper-wire phone lines)." And instead of having to search the World Wide Web for things that are of interest, Heilmeier predicts there will be a concierge-type service that stores information on consumers' personal interests and then forwards specific data on their selections. A consumer, for example, might specify that he wants to see the largest selection of blue suits possible in a size 42 at stores within 15 minutes of his home and the information would be forwarded to his home computer. "Essentially the Internet will become vital to commerce in this country. It will be a very, very different world," said Heilmeier. "It will be a PC-centered world, rather than a TV-centric world, although both will co-exist." Telecom technology is already revolutionalizing the way Americans do business. Try this scenario on for size: It's a glorious day -- too glorious for the office but you really need to work. Not to worry. Head to the beach with a wireless laptop computer equipped with a tiny antenna. You can set up a virtual office under a beach umbrella. With Air Boss software developed by BellCore, you can send and receive faxes, e-mail and paging messages. You can even send a computerized document via fax to two different places at the same time: to an insurance company and a hospital archive, for example. This technology isn't someday. It's available right now. Although many large companies already use video-teleconferencing to link employees at distant sites, some people aren't comfortable talking to the small, boxed images of their colleagues that appear on their computer screens. Prototype software now under development at BellCore will go a long way toward personalizing video-conferencing. Picture this: Eight branch managers of a tire company are assembled in their individual offices for a video-conference with the chief financial officer at headquarters. With BellCore's Personal Presence system, all those images can be overlapped and blended together, and a "virtual environment" can be created for them. Instead of addressing eight employees in small computerized blocks, the CFO sees the eight managers as a group -- sitting behind a "virtual" conference table. And the system, which is expected to be available next year, has the capability to zero in on a photograph or document the CFO is holding, for example, and display it full size on the computer screens of the branch managers. Two employees also can "leave" the conference and conduct a private conversation, while still monitoring the main meeting on their computer screens. Closer to home, local and long-distance companies are getting into the techno act, too, with new products and services. BellSouth's latest telephone offering is the Nortel 350, a phone set that has a small display screen and a deluxe call-waiting feature. If a call comes in while the phone is in use, the identity of the caller comes up on the display. With a touch of the keypad, the call may be picked up, turned into a three-way call, or sent to voice mail. It also can be used as a speaker phone; is bilingual (English and Spanish); and stores a list of 85 numbers that can be dialed automatically. The pricetag: $224. Before the end of the year, BellSouth will be introducing a cordless- cellular phone, the Motorola PPS, in the Florida market. When the phone is used in the customer's home or office it works like a regular cordless telephone. But the handset becomes a cellular phone when the customer is on the go. For those interested in even more avant-garde communication, Japan's Nippon Telegraph & Telephone Corp. has developed a tiny cell phone that fits into a wristwatch -- reminescent of Dick Tracy's two-way wrist radio of comic strip fame. There's no number pad on the prototype because the user "dials" by speaking. Slightly larger but still in the fly-weight category is Motorola's StarTac cellular phone. The flip-up model weighs just 3.1 ounces and provides up to 60 minutes of continuous talking without a recharge. But lightness doesn't equate with economy. The StarTac carries a hefty $1,000 to $2,000 price tag. Consumers' home phone systems also will become more versatile and take on new tasks in the future. This spring Ameritech, the Baby Bell that serves the Midwest, and Commonwealth Edison and Wisconsin Energy Corp. began a "smart home" test in the Chicago area and Wisconsin. In a "smart home," the air conditioning system, heater, or even the washing machine can be turned on and off over the phone. Some companies also have begun to test "smart" phones equipped with small display screens. They can do all the old phone chores plus read credit cards, carry out banking transactions, deliver e-mail and tap into local online services. Philips Electronics is putting the new technology to a test in Garden City, N.Y., where it distributed its P100 screen phones to 7,000 households. Someday it also may be routine to link television sets with appliances. A message on the television screen in the family room, for example, will alert a viewer that a pot of coffee has finished brewing in the kitchen. Also, wireless technology may become cheap enough that parents can afford to give any school kid their own cell phone to use in case they're in trouble, said Jim Lipsit, an AT&T operations employee who works in new technologies. Many Americans -- especially young people -- are embracing the innovations. But for others, high-tech can be terrifying. Some people just want peace and quiet. They don't want to be flooded with e-mail; they don't want to be accessible 24 hours a day; and they don't want to study a 25-page booklet to operate their cellular phone. "It's too much. It's all so confusing, and so technical sometimes. We don't need half of these gimmicks and gadgets," said Vivian Tuchman, who works with her husband at their downtown Miami men's shop. "You get Internet access and then the kids are up are until 3 in the morning e-mailing their friends. There are all these things you have to monitor now," she lamented. "Now you have all these zillions of TV channels, too, and we're paying through the nose for all this stuff." But Mike Zorovich, a 48-year-old Miami Shores resident who runs a wholesale sales business out of his home, says he's always been comfortable with the new technology. It's a good thing. At last count he had five phone lines (fax, business, home and two kid's lines), a fax machine, three notebook computers and two desktop computers at his home, as well as a beeper and cellular phone. And he's thinking about adding a sixth phone line that will be used exclusively for access to online services. "Could I imagine life without all this stuff? Probably," he says. "But the question is would I be as productive. I've seen a substantial increase in sales since I wired up. Service is the name of the game today, and you can't provide it unless you can communicate." But, he said, perspective is important: Just because evolving telecom technology is enabling people to stay in touch any time, virtually anywhere, doesn't mean they have to let it control their lives. "The reality is that people still want to have a certain quality of life. They aren't going to want to be wired up 24 hours a day, sitting in their beds online," said Zorovich. "Just because we have these capabilities doesn't mean we have to work 24 hours a day." ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: End to Phone Card Pacts Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 09:53:56 PDT End to Telephone Card Pacts Means More Dialing in Houston Area By Nelson Antosh, Houston Chronicle Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 22--Making a credit card call to area codes around Houston may mean dialing even more digits than before. A caller with AT&T service who lives inside the Loop and wants to bill the call to an AT&T credit card now must first dial 1-800-CALL-ATT. Behind this change is the gradual termination of agreements between AT&T Corp. and local telephone companies to honor each other's cards. In the case of Southwestern Bell, such an agreement between it and AT&T was canceled on Aug. 9, according to Southwestern Bell spokesman Chris Talley of Houston. Now, when someone tries to place a call on the Southwestern Bell network with an AT&T card, Southwestern Bell blocks the call. The recorded message says, "The card number you dialed is not valid; please enter your card number again." To avoid this dead end, a customer can either go to the Southwestern Bell operator or dial the lengthy 1-800-CALL-ATT sequence. This change guarantees that customers will get lower AT&T rates on all their calls, said Kelly Stratmore, a card specialist for AT&T in Basking Ridge, N.J. AT&T is canceling similar agreements with local telephone companies across the nation. This first occurred in April and the final termination is scheduled for the middle of next year, Stratmore said. Termination of the agreement for the Houston area was initiated by Southwestern Bell, which announced its intention to cancel in August 1994. The reasons cited in the company's announcement included "rising telecommunications fraud, rapidly diminishing the net value of the agreement." The companies were reimbursing each other for fraud, but Southwestern Bell was bearing a bigger burden, Talley said. Also, an aggressive advertising campaign by AT&T resulted in fewer calls being placed on the Southwestern Bell network, Talley said. ------------------------------ From: Robert E. Haussmann Subject: AT&T Offers Check to Distinctive Ring Number Date: 21 Aug 1996 22:17:05 -0700 Organization: Primenet (602)416-7000 I've just recently acquired three new telephone numbers with US West's "distinctive ring" feature. Of course, all three numbers are tied to a single physical line. Over the past few weeks, I've been getting calls from various long-distance companies asking me to switch the long distance carrier for one of the distinctive ring numbers. In fact, even though AT&T carries all long distance calls on that line, they've called two of the three distinctive ring numbers trying to get me to "switch". (I suppose the only information they have is that a particular number is *not* using AT&T for long distance, and have no way of checking whether that number corresponds to a physical line). The calls, of course, are getting annoying. But today I received an AT&T offer in the mail, with a $100 check (if I cash the check, they'll "switch" one of my distinctive ring numbers). The fine print reads "Endorsement and cashing of this check will switch your long distance service to AT&T." and "Your signature on and cashing of this check authorize AT&T to process your order and notify your local telephone company of your decision to switch to AT&T Dial-1 Long Distance Service." The obvious question is, can I cash this check? Bob Haussmann haussma@primenet.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Certainly you can cash it. And when AT&T gets it back they will notify your local telco to put that one distinctive ring number on their service. Your local telco will look at the order and decide there has been some mistake and just not process it. None the less you will have AT&T service on your line. It is not your fault they give their money away in a stupid fashion is it? Now I must caution people reading this however against tampering with the endorsement or scratching out any of the provisions in an effort to get the money without getting AT&T service at all. If you take the money, give them one of your lines. If you give them a line which has no outgoing service on it thus they will never see a nickle from it, that's their problem. PAT] ------------------------------ From: johnper@bigbird.rosemount.com (John Perkins) Subject: 800 Number Routing Question Organization: Rosemount, Inc. Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 22:50:06 GMT I have a single 800 number that is being routed to two different carriers at the same time. Recently I transferred the number from AT&T to PNG, but have found that of several (legitimate) calls made on the same day, some are being carried and billed by AT&T and some by PNG. To be a bit more specific, I had calls carried (correctly) by AT&T in early July. Then I switched to PNG and had calls carried (correctly) by PNG in late July. However, in early August I find I have a *some* calls carried by PNG and some by AT&T, even on the same days, while I did not expect to have any more calls carried by AT&T. Can someone please explain to me how this could possibly happen? I was under the impression that 800 numbers were routed according to a single national database. It appears that there is more than one database out there and they are not necessarily in sync. John Perkins (johnper@bigbird.frco.com) ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #430 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Thu Aug 22 20:59:27 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id UAA25115; Thu, 22 Aug 1996 20:59:27 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 20:59:27 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608230059.UAA25115@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #431 TELECOM Digest Thu, 22 Aug 96 20:59:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 431 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson San Jose State University and PacBell Internet Services (Mike King) BellSouth and Newbridge Networks Forge Co-Marketing Venture (Mike King) Bells Allege Internet Growth Clogging Network (jodins@uswest.com) Rural Telephone Service (John W. Shaver) Actors Use ISDN to Remotely Tape Ads (Tad Cook) Telecom Scandal in India (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Mike King Subject: San Jose State University and PacBell Internet Services Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 16:14:13 PDT Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 09:56:30 -0700 From: sqlgate@list.pactel.com Subject: San Jose State University, Pacific Bell Internet Services Team Up To Offer Students And Faculty New Dial Up Internet Access Service FOR MORE INFORMATION: Tanya Orman, San Jose State University (408) 924-1166 torman@sjsuvm1.sjsu.edu Dave Miller, Pacific Bell Internet Services (916) 972-2811 dnmille@legal.pactel.com San Jose State University, Pacific Bell Internet Services Team Up To Offer Students And Faculty New Dial Up Internet Access Service SAN JOSE - The university that has launched the careers of many of Silicon Valley's brightest engineers, scientists, computer and high-technology experts is turning to Pacific Bell Internet Services to make it easier for the campus community to access the online world of the Internet. San Jose State University, the West Coast's oldest public institution of higher education, selected the San Francisco-based Internet services company to provide the new dial up access service for the school's 29,000 students, faculty and staff. Under a joint marketing and distribution agreement, Pacific Bell Internet Services will offer university users who live and work in the greater Bay Area special discount pricing, which includes unlimited local dial up Internet access at speeds up to 28.8 Kbps (kilobits per second). A standard, one-time setup fee for each user is also being waived as part of the deal. "The demand for Internet access is expanding so dramatically that we need to find ways to give our students easier, cost effective and routine access to the 'Net' to enhance their education," said University President Robert L. Caret. Students and faculty will be able to use the service to access online course materials, the library and other university services from their homes. Caret said the school needed more Internet access to aid academic research, enhance communications and make electronic mail as easy as making a local phone call. With Pacific Bell Internet, the university user will get: * High speed 28.8 Kbps access to every dial up point * Unlimited Internet access at a discounted price * Support for both IBM compatible and Macintosh personal computers * Free, customized version of the latest Web browser client software from industry-leading Netscape Communications * 24 hour, 7 day a week customer service and support * Specialized services and support for disabled users * Unrestricted access to the World Wide Web, e-mail and newsgroups The dial up access service, which is available free for one month, offers students, teachers and staff fast, reliable connections to the Internet, global e-mail and access to a vast array of directories and news and information, according to Regina Wiedemann, sales and channel management vice president for Pacific Bell Internet Services. "Today, the Internet is an integral part of campus and community life," she said. "Students, faculty and staff rely on it for a wide variety of academic, administrative and social activities. That's why it's important for this service to be as widely available, reliable and as easy to use as the telephone." In addition to fast, reliable and affordable Internet access, the Pacific Bell Internet service includes a free, customized version of Netscape Navigator tm , Netscape's popular browser software with simple, easy online registration (toll free 800 number), customer support and convenient payment options via credit card or the monthly Pacific Bell phone bill. The service will also support other Web browser software and offers university users another important feature -- a unique navigational tool for access to local content and information. Unlike other Internet service providers who require users to purchase telephone service from their company to receive the full array of pricing options, Pacific Bell Internet is available to all prospective users without a separate, higher pricing structure for non-Pacific Bell customers. University officials plan to promote the availability of Pacific Bell Internet through publicity and a series of direct mail campaigns beginning next week. For more information or to order the service, San Jose State University students, faculty and staff can call toll free 1-800-708-INET (4638), Dept. 705. Free registration software will also be available at the school's computer center. Located in the heart of the Silicon Valley, San Jose State University is a metropolitan campus of 26,000 students and more than 3,000 faculty and support staff. The university has aided the development of the computer industry and the resulting nationwide technological advances by supplying Silicon Valley companies with the largest source -- 6,000 annually -- of engineering, science and business graduates. Founded in 1857, it was the first public institution of higher learning on the West Coast. From its humble beginnings as a normal school to train teachers for the developing frontier, it has matured into a master's university offering 191 bachelor's and master's degrees. San Jose State University prides itself in its cultural and ethnic diversity and is pre-eminent in broadly educating leaders and professionals for an increasingly complex and global society. Introduced in May, Pacific Bell Internet is the brand name for Internet access services provided by Pacific Bell Internet Services (www.pacbell.net), a full service Internet access provider serving business and residential customers in California. The company offers a broad range of Internet access services, including e-mail, news groups, the World Wide Web and a host of other features. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Pacific Bell, the largest unit of parent company Pacific Telesis Group, a San Francisco-based diversified telecommunications corporation. Mike King * Oakland, CA, USA * mk@wco.com ------------------------------ From: Mike King Subject: BellSouth and Newbridge Networks Forge Co-Marketing Venture Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 16:15:42 PDT Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 14:37:44 -0400 (EDT) From: BellSouth Subject: BELLSOUTH AND NEWBRIDGE NETWORKS FORGE CO-MARKETING VENTURE BellSouth and Newbridge Networks Forge Co-Marketing Venture to Provide Total Digital Networking Solutions HERNDON, VA -- - BellSouth and Newbridge Networks today launched a strategic co-marketing venture, part of the BellSouth Network Complementary Applications Program (NCAP), to provide the full range of Newbridge(r) networking systems and services to BellSouth customers. Effective immediately, BellSouth and Newbridge Networks will jointly market the entire Newbridge MainStreet(r) and VIVID(tm) family of products along with the BellSouth narrowband and wideband services. BellSouth and Newbridge Networks, the first ATM networking solutions provider to be selected for the NCAP technology partners program, entered into this agreement to meet growing customer demand for comprehensive network solutions that can handle a multitude of communications traffic, interconnect diverse systems on a unified platform and provide a seamless migration path to high bandwidth applications. "BellSouth is delighted to join with Newbridge Networks to create optimal digital networking solutions for our customers," said John Thacker, BellSouth Director of Indirect Marketing. "The co-marketing agreement with Newbridge is BellSouth's first with a provider of ATM products, and we believe that the high level of performance and service we deliver will set the industry standard." Using the comprehensive suite of Newbridge networking equipment, BellSouth customers will for the first time be able to combine all of their high-speed communications traffic -- including voice, data, video and image -- and interconnect Local Area Networks (LANs) and Wide Area Networks (WANs) on one seamless advanced network. Customers will also benefit from the convenience of having a single point of contact for the full range of digital networking needs, versus negotiating with multiple vendors, and from access to round-the-clock customer support provided by Newbridge Networks. Failsafe command and control will be provided by the powerful Newbridge 46020 MainStreet Network Manager, which interworks with the entire family of Newbridge MainStreet products, and offers features including point-and-click configuration, partitioning, and the ability to manage thousands of nodes and multiple technologies from a single site. "As customers' networks become more diverse and complex, there is a strong demand for full service, unified networking and systems solutions that smooth the path from low bandwidth to high bandwidth applications," said Mike Pascoe, President of Newbridge Networks Inc. "Now customers can benefit from the combined power of BellSouth's peerless network services and support capabilities and the world's leading network equipment and network management provider." BellSouth provides telecommunications services in nine Southeastern states, including Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. With its headquarters in Atlanta, BellSouth serves more than 21 million local telephone lines and provides local exchange and intraLATA long distance service over one of the most modern telecommunications networks in the world. Newbridge Networks (www.newbridge.com) is the global leader in ATM and TDM systems, according to independent research. The company is a world leader in designing, manufacturing and servicing a comprehensive family of networking products and systems that delivers the power of multimedia communications to organizations in more than 100 countries throughout the world. Newbridge products are the choice of an expanding range of customers which includes most of the world's 200 largest telecommunications service providers, and over 10,000 corporations, government organizations, and other institutions. The company has facilities throughout Canada, the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Australasia. Newbridge Networks Corporation is a public company whose common shares are listed for trading on the New York Stock Exchange (NN) and on The Toronto Stock Exchange (NNC) in Canada. # # # For Information Contact: David A. Storey, BellSouth, (205)977-5001 Vivian Kelly, Newbridge Networks, (703)736-5761 --------- Mike King * Oakland, CA, USA * mk@wco.com ------------------------------ From: jodins@uswest.com Date: Thu, 22 Aug 96 14:50:59 MDT Subject: Bells Allege Internet Growth Clogging Network BELL STUDIES SAY FLOOD OF INTERNET USE IS HARMING ACCESS TO PHONE NETWORK Copyright 1996 Warren Publishing, Inc. 8-21-96 Studies sponsored by several RHCs suggest that rapid growth of Internet calls for usage-sensitive pricing for Internet service providers (ISPs). And U S West (USW) urged FCC to consider burden imposed by Internet on phone network when reforming access charges to forestall what telcos claim would be disaster. Four Bell companies -- Bell Atlantic (BA), Nynex, Pacific Telesis (PT) and USW -- said in studies that rapid Internet growth is forcing LECs to pay for costly network improvements while not providing means to recover those costs from ISPs, which pay flat fee for lines and don't pay access charges. America's Carriers Telecommunication Assn. (ACTA) submitted BA's study last week in petition asking FCC to regulate Internet telephony (CD Aug 19 p2). PT study said that company had $13.6 million in central office reengineering costs in first half of year but received no access charge revenue from ISPs. ISPs pay 12% of what long distance carriers pay for similar service, telco said. Nynex had said in July 10 letter to FCC that its Internet lines were growing 10% per month, meaning that "the rapid expansion of such traffic suggested by the explosive growth in lines portends dire consequences for network access." BA's study of traffic in first quarter of year estimated that serving ISPs would cost $30 million in 1996 but revenues from ISPs would be $8.2 million. Assuming 40% growth in Internet traffic per year, "this cross-subsidy would grow to approximately $120 million in 5 years," study said. USW said "explosive use of the Internet... will continue to require additional investment to prevent serious blockage." To solve problem, telco said FCC needs to put usage-sensitive pricing in place to "send rational pricing signals" and agency should consider issue as part of access charge reform proceeding, which it has said it plans to complete by early 1997. FCC official said privately that agency is actively looking at issue but hasn't decided on course of action. For now, it's "focused on reforming the broader regulatory structure" of access charges and universal service, he said. New technologies such as asymmetrical digital subscriber line (ADSL) and integrated services digital network (ISDN) that turn traditional phone lines into high-speed lines and cable modems could make difference, official said: "With all those uncertainties, we're trying to determine how significant a problem it is." But agency is concerned about "incentives created by our pricing structure." FCC Chmn. Hundt has said in recent speeches that he doesn't favor regulating Internet telephony as traditional telephony but that different pricing structures should be examined, official said. Four studies are first information FCC has received on topic, he said. Agency hasn't opened formal docket on issue, and received studies after asking telcos to substantiate their anecdotal arguments, official said. Executives of several Internet or technology trade organizations said they hadn't conducted studies or examined telco studies in detail. But Jack Nadler, counsel for Information Technologies Assn. of America (ITAA), said unbundling subloop would alleviate problem because data traffic could avoid going through switch. Data packets have address labels on them and don't need switches to be directed to their destinations, he said. "There is obviously a need for fundamental access charge reform," he said: "Simply taking the subsidy-ridden regime and dumping it on ISPs and saying they should pay like IXCs, that is not reform." Commercial Internet Exchange hasn't taken formal position, but Asst. Dir. Ivan Kotcher said ISPs have developed to point where "it's unrealistic to expect not to pay anything." But he said they shouldn't have to pay what IXCs do and regulators should be wary of Bell companies' claims that Internet should be regulated to "protect the public." CDviaNewsEDGE/LAN: 8/21/96 Copyright 1996 Warren Publishing, Inc. ------------------------------ From: Shaver, John W. Subject: Rural Telephone Service Date: Thu, 22 Aug 96 10:20:00 PDT I have family in eastern Colorado. US West has sold all of the service in the outlying counties beyond the metropolitan Denver and suburbs to a local Telephone Cooperative. They get rid of all their old switches, problems and let the coop struggle with it. Don't have many details, but I can't keep wondering if they didnot let go of the cellular service also since they might not have access to the transmitters and would not have service personnel or contracts in the near vicinity. I grew up on a locally owned telephone company. We were just inside the Colorado border from Kansas and were service by a Bell exchange in St. Francis about 20 miles away. We were West St. Francis Colorado. In the early 30s, a one-wire ground return system was inagurated. That sufficed with the wooden crank phones and local dry cell service in the home until the 50s. The Rural Electical Administration put in power lines and 60 cycle ground currents overwhelmed the ground returns. The service delivered to the common state line became two-wire with transformers. not improvedment. The Colorado company then put in two wire service above ground which endured until the late 70s. The exhange became a switch in Kansas. A telephone cooperative came alive and plowed underground copper cables. No ice or wind problems and gave rural customers private dial service. ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: Actors Use ISDN to Remotely Tape Ads Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 13:38:47 PDT Ad Agencies, Talent Use ISDN Phone Lines to Remotely Tape Radio Ads By Otesa Middleton, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va. Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 21 -- Actors no longer have to be in the same studio to tape radio commercials. They don't even have to be in the same state. When Richmond's Barber Martin & Associates recently recorded a Heilig-Meyers Co. spot, the producer was in Richmond; the engineer and an actor were in Asheville, N.C.; and an actress was in Greenville, S.C. Using a microphone, a digital stereo system and high-speed ISDN telephone lines, the Richmond-based advertising agency coordinated everything from its headquarters in the Boulders office park. Integrated Services Digital Network technology transforms sound into digital signals and then translates it back at the receiving end. The regular telephone lines are divided into two channels to carry the digital information. The result is exceptional sound quality, said Bill Martin, vice president of Barber Martin. "It sounds great compared to telephone reports you hear on television," Martin said. "(The technology) enables us to do better work, quicker," he added. "It broadens our talent search. We could use someone next door or on the other side of the country." Before Barber Martin started using this technology in March, the agency usually sent a producer to coordinate tapings. "It was very costly," Martin said. If the agency didn't send someone to the taping location, the person would listen in by telephone, then wait for the studio to send a tape of the commercial overnight. Now, just as if he were on-site, Martin can call the shots from his office. Because the sound quality is so good, he can tell the engineer when to make the music louder or talk to the actors about the inflection in their voices. "If the music or sound effects are too loud, you can't tell on the phone," Martin said. Barber Martin uses the equipment on about five commercials a month, and "I see our use increasing a great deal," Martin said. Some actors who do a lot of work have the ISDN lines and special equipment in their homes. The technology also can be used for television commercials with announcers or actors who aren't speaking on camera, Martin said. Barber Martin leases the equipment from ProComm Studio Services Inc. in Asheville, N.C. ProComm also provides the voice talent for many of the agency's commercials. "We've been using ISDN lines for two years," said Bill James, senior engineer at ProComm. Before it started using the digital telephone lines, ProComm had actors come into its studios to do commercials, while agencies listened to the sessions by telephone. Now, thanks to the new technology, ProComm has doubled the number of actors it works with to 50. "Now we can offer agencies additional voices that haven't been heard in their market," James said. The other agencies that ProComm works with do not have the equipment installed in their offices. Officials at those agencies usually listen in from recording studios in their towns. "We do so many sessions with Barber Martin, it made sense for them to have everything in their office," he said. Terry Stroud, director of marketing at In Your Ear, said his Richmond-based studio has been using ISDN lines for three years. "We also use it to send radio spots out for distribution. Everything is immediate usage vs., at your best, overnight," Stroud said. He said many local advertising agencies use In Your Ear's facilities to listen in on recording sessions. "Before we started using this, agency personnel would go to the recording facility or try to listen over a normal phone line," he said. Martin said his agency leases the equipment, which sells for about $10,000, because of the rapid pace of technology. "It's smarter to lease because by the time the lease is up, there will be something else bigger and better," he said. "It's like your first Xerox machine," Martin said. "You wonder how in the world you ever did without it." ------------------------------ Subject: Telecom Scandal in India Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 11:37:22 PDT From: rishab@dxm.org (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh) Reply-To: rishab@dxm.org [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Several days ago in the Digest I printed a report on this event from another correspondent but it was not quite as detailed as the report which follows sent to us by our regular correspndent from the {Indian Techonomist}. PAT] ----------------- The Indian Techonomist: bulletin, August 19, 1996 Copyright (C) 1996 Rishab Aiyer Ghosh. All rights reserved Indian ex-Minister for Telecom raided; Harris Corp jv in trouble August 19, 1996: On Friday night about US$ 1 million in small-denomination rupee notes was found in the homes of Sukh Ram, who was Communications Minister during the past year's telecom privatisation process. On Saturday Runu Ghosh, a senior official in the Department of Telecommunications (DoT), was arrested on corruption charges, including having allegedly favoured an Indian telecom equipment manufacturer Advanced Radio Masts Ltd (ARM) in purchase contracts. ARM, which denies being favoured, is involved in two projects with US-based Harris Corp, in equipment manufacturing and as a joint bidder (with Harris and Shyam Telecom, another Indian firm) for telecom licences. Mr Sukh Ram has revelled in charges of corruption before, notably during protests in Parliament after the announcement of changes in the bidding process to the benefit of one of the bidding consortiums (comprising the Indian HFCL, Israeli Bezeq and Thai Shinawatra). More significantly has been his instutionalised subversion of the checks and balances supposed to be present in the DoT's bureaucratic purchase process. Mr Sukh Ram liked to clear personally every purchase, and every tender for equipment. He either transferred or ignored bureaucrats objecting to this breach of procedure - which reportedly extended to his control of the purchases of government-owned but independent MTNL, which runs the phone network in Delhi and Mumbai (Bombay). The raid resulted from police investigations into a DoT contract for MARR (multiple access rural radio) systems awarded to ARM, a small (at the time of the order, in 1992) Indian telecom equipment manufacturer. The DoT allegedly paid ARM approximately $500,000 more than the order was worth. ARM claims that the DoT tried to reduce its price by that amount, and eventually paid the full price instead; it denies links to the Minister. ARM is in the process of setting up a $3.5 million joint venture with Harris Corp for assembling small exchanges in India; it is part of the Telelink consortium whose other members are Shyam Telecom (India), Harris Corp and Guangdong PTT. Telelink was the winning bidder for a licence for basic telephony in the northern state of Rajasthan. Telecom companies have for long grumbled privately about the Ministry's under-the-table "processing charges" - orders and contracts were generally delayed until a personal meeting with the right people - but lacking proof of demands for bribes and fearing that the competition may not go along nobody openly protested. Some companies in particular have been highlighted by the press for their complaisance: HFCL, ARM and Shyam Telecom among others. All three are small firms that grew over 100-fold in turnover in the past five years - coinciding with Mr Sukh Ram's term in office. This does not mean that growth was the result of bribing the Minister, of course. It coincided with the general growth of the Indian telecom equipment industry which has also occasionally been astonishing (the Telecom Equipment Manufacturer's Association estimates 250% annual growth in exports this year), as well in the opening up of the DoT purchase system to the private sector (previously it bought equipment only from govenment-owned firms). Small start-ups succeeding rapidly would be expected in such a scenario, and the huge growth figures of these three companies is balanced with their small revenues even after growth - under $100 million all. The more pertinent point is that as long as the DoT was the only (domestic) purchaser of equipment, it held the fate of small (and even large) companies in its hands. If it was a private company, it would have used its monopsony to beat down purchase costs; as a branch of government its procedures allowed that fatal control to fall into the hands of greedy bureaucrats and politicians. Almost any company, for any purpose, had to pay something to be considered. A previous Minister allegedly demanded $100,000 from all bidders for a particular tender - though the winner would naturally be decided on merit. It was hoped that the opening up of the telecom service sector to private providers would change this, offering equipment suppliers more customers (each in competition with the DoT's own network, though, which would remain by far the largest buyer). This privatisation process, though underway fairly successfully in pager and to a lesser degree in cellular services, has all but come to a halt in the case of basic wireline telephony. One reason is that basic telephony is the only service the DoT itself provides, and where it would face real competition both as a seller of services and a buyer of equipment. Mr Sukh Ram's million and Ms Ghosh's jewellery and Swiss watches form only the tip of a golden iceberg. With the DoT's $1.5 billion worth of equipment purchases every year, $1 million is an unbelievably small profit margin - particularly as the police and tax officials were only searching for half that amount. Ms Ghosh is believed to be keen on assisting in the investigations, and is thought to know much - the Minister could hardly clear all the purchases on his own, and had allegedly put her in a position of considerable power. So more details should come to light soon - and at any rate will keep the more corrupt of DoT officials worried stiff. Meanwhile, Mr Sukh Ram himself is believed to be in Britain or America for medical treatment, but according to early reports has simply vanished into thin air. The former Minister did much for Indian telecom, not all negative. He realised the economic importance of communications in relatively poor, rural areas of India and benefitted politically through his insistence on state-wide telephone connectivity in his home state of Himachal Pradesh. As last week's events have definitively proved, he also recognised the importance of telephones to his own wallet (or shall we say bedsheets, plastic bags and suitcases - which is where the money was found). Did anyone say telecom in India was not commercially viable? ------------------------ For the latest on cellular and basic bids see http://dxm.org/techonomist/news/31jul96.html On pager services: http://dxm.org/techonomist/news/15may96.html On cellular services: http://dxm.org/techonomist/news/cellular.html The Indian Techonomist: weekly summary. http://dxm.org/techonomist/news/ Copyright (C) 1996 Rishab Aiyer Ghosh (rishab@techonomist.dxm.org) A4/204 Ekta Vihar 9 Indraprastha Extension New Delhi 110092 INDIA May be distributed electronically provided that this notice is attached ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #431 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Fri Aug 23 08:23:34 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id IAA10799; Fri, 23 Aug 1996 08:23:34 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 08:23:34 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608231223.IAA10799@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #432 TELECOM Digest Fri, 23 Aug 96 08:23:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 432 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: IP: Bells Allege Internet Growth Clogging Network (Gordon Jacobson) Re: San Jose State University and PacBell Internet Services (C. Wheeler) Re: 800 Number Routing Question (Linc Madison) Re: 800 Number Routing Question (John R. Levine) Re: Timed Local Internet Calls (Lars Poulsen) Re: Alex Mandl Hangs it Up (Michael D. Sullivan) Re: Atlanta 911 and COCOTs: The Bomb Call Transcript (James E. Bellaire) Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? (Charles Buckley) Re: Transfer Powerpoint to VHS (Ed Ellers) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 05:24:32 -0400 From: Gordon Jacobson Subject: Re: IP: Bells Allege Internet Growth Clogging Network > Studies sponsored by several RHCs suggest that rapid growth of > Internet calls for usage-sensitive pricing for Internet service > providers (ISPs). And U S West (USW) urged FCC to consider burden > imposed by Internet on phone network when reforming access charges to > forestall what telcos claim would be disaster. > Four Bell companies -- Bell Atlantic (BA), Nynex, Pacific > Telesis (PT) and USW -- said in studies that rapid Internet growth is > forcing LECs to pay for costly network improvements while not > providing means to recover those costs from ISPs, which pay flat fee > for lines and don't pay access charges. America's Carriers > Telecommunication Assn. (ACTA) submitted BA's study last week in > petition asking FCC to regulate Internet telephony (CD Aug 19 p2). I have been saying for years now that given the bandwidth onslaught, the Telecos and Carriers are faced with obsolescence over the next two decades. Their "cash cow" -- intelligently switched services -- has a finite life and the end is in sight (Telcos and Carriers must think in longer time frames than you or I, as the very existence of their "Widow, Orphan and Pensioner" bondholders and stockholders determines to a great extent how their long term decisions are made). Now that they are finally beginning to recognize the reality of their position, there is this mad scramble to find a replacement/put off the inevitable. Bellcore recently completed a comprehensive study on the topic of the effect of ISP traffic on average call length and the financial ramifications to the Telcos of the increase. Last month, in a preliminary review of the as yet unreleased study, one commentator in the alt.dcom.telecom newsgroup reported that Bellcore estimates the cost per region of increasing the number of ports on CO switches to compensate for the average call length increase is in the $30 million range. I find this minuscule number hard to believe and have ordered a copy of the report for further "first hand" analysis. If true, however, the brouhaha that the above 4 RBOCs are fostering is no more than a tempest in a teapot. The report is due to be released in September. Given that all business service is usage based, ISP's unmetered traffic essentially originates in the calling patterns of residential users who either have "no charge" local calling or "flat rate" local calls (ie no per minute charges). In the case of NYNEX in NY for example, a residential local call costs about 10 cents (day rate). While the Telcos make a point in that the average call length has increased, not much sympathy should be wasted on them. The increase in the "average call time" brought with it a vast increase in the number of residential subscribers putting in 2nd lines and a corresponding increase in the revenue stream from "flat rate" usage charges. (Just for informational purposes, my average monthly residential bill jumped from $36 per month to $86 per month, not including any increase attributable to the added number of lines.) Moreover, is it just my imagination, or aren't AT&T, MCI, Sprint (just this week), PacBell, BA/NYNEX, Ameritech and many other Telcos and Carriers all in the business of providing dial-up Internet access themselves? Where's the beef? More news at 11! Regards, GAJ Home Page: http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~gaj1/home.html [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: After you have reviewed it more closely please get back to us with an analysis/rebuttal, etc. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Curtis Wheeler Subject: Re: San Jose State University and PacBell Internet Services Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 16:17:34 -0700 Organization: Just Me and My Own Opinions (A Standard Disclaimer) Reply-To: cwheeler@ccnet.com Mike King wrote: > San Jose State University, Pacific Bell Internet Services Team Up To > Offer Students And Faculty New Dial Up Internet Access Service > SAN JOSE - The university that has launched the careers of many of > Silicon Valley's brightest engineers, scientists, computer and > high-technology experts is turning to Pacific Bell Internet Services > to make it easier for the campus community to access the online world > of the Internet. > San Jose State University, the West Coast's oldest public institution > of higher education, selected the San Francisco-based Internet > services company to provide the new dial up access service for the > school's 29,000 students, faculty and staff. > Under a joint marketing and distribution agreement, Pacific Bell > Internet Services will offer university users who live and work in the > greater Bay Area special discount pricing, which includes unlimited > local dial up Internet access at speeds up to 28.8 Kbps (kilobits per > second). A standard, one-time setup fee for each user is also being > waived as part of the deal. > "The demand for Internet access is expanding so dramatically that we > need to find ways to give our students easier, cost effective and > routine access to the 'Net' to enhance their education," said > University President Robert L. Caret. Students and faculty will be > able to use the service to access online course materials, the library > and other university services from their homes. [snipped] I find it amusing that I can read two articles in this newsgroup, that are right next to each other, that make it APPEAR that Pac Bell is talking out of both sides of it's mouth. I just read "Bells Allege Internet Growth Clogging Network" where Pac Bell's parent, Pac Tel, joins with three other bells to complain that they are losing money due to the exploding internet use. Then they start giving their own internet service away for free. They complain about people "nail up" calls to ISP's on a second line -- because they push advertising for second lines that allow their customers to do just that. I have a second line (though not for long since my new wireless connection seems to be working so well) and not 90 days after I had it installed, they sent me direct mail trying to convince me to get a third! And they are losing money? I am not usually one to bash big business, but this makes Pac Bell look pretty silly ... or is it just me? Curtis KD6ELA / GROL / PP-ASEL [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: So you liked the way those two items were placed in juxtaposition in the same issue of the Digest? I thought by doing that a few people might catch on. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Telecom@Eureka.vip.best.com (Linc Madison) Subject: Re: 800 Number Routing Question Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 01:24:23 -0700 Organization: Best Internet Communications In article , johnper@bigbird. rosemount.com (John Perkins) wrote: > Recently I transferred an 800 number from AT&T to PNG ... > I had calls carried (correctly) by AT&T in > early July. Then I switched to PNG and had calls carried (correctly) > by PNG in late July. However, in early August I find I have a *some* > calls carried by PNG and some by AT&T, even on the same days, while I > did not expect to have any more calls carried by AT&T. > Can someone please explain to me how this could possibly happen? I > was under the impression that 800 numbers were routed according to a > single national database. It appears that there is more than one > database out there and they are not necessarily in sync. Consider yourself fortunate. I have an 800 number that is served by PNG. They connected the number a little over a year ago. However, no one bothered to inform me of the 800 number they had given me. I just got a bill, which had only an account number (HSGCxxxxxx) and no mention of the 800 number for which they were billing. After six calls to their "customer service" department (which usually landed in an overflowed voice mailbox, even calling during business hours), I finally reached a person who was able to tell me my 800 number. Everything was fine for a few weeks, but then someone else signed up for an 800 number from PNG Telecommunications, so they just took my number and gave it to the new subscriber. I was, to say the least, a little surprised to dial my own 800 number and speak to a housewife in South Dakota. It took another five calls to their customer service to get that one sorted out, not least because when they gave me back my number they first connected it to my work number, since I had given them that number as a way to reach me during business hours. In the months that followed, they assigned my 800 number to two more new subscribers, although they didn't bother to redirect the actual service. Thus, I started getting those customers' calls. Since one of them was in Pennsylvania, some of these calls were at unpleasantly early hours of the morning here in California. My PNG 800 number has been working flawlessly since mid-January, but they have certainly demonstrated a level of technical incompetence and lack of customer service that I find astounding. Linc Madison * San Francisco, Calif. * Telecom@Eureka.vip.best.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 96 23:10 EDT From: johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) Subject: Re: 800 Number Routing Question Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg, N.Y. [On a single 800 number, some calls go via old carrier, some via new carrier.] > Can someone please explain to me how this could possibly happen? I > was under the impression that 800 numbers were routed according to a > single national database. It appears that there is more than one > database out there and they are not necessarily in sync. There is a single database in principle, but in practice there are many mirrored copies all over the country. (Just imagine the bottleneck of every 800 call had to visit the same database.) It does indeed sound like some of the mirrors aren't up to date. I know that a new 800/888 number can be turned up in an hour or so, but I don't know how long it takes to propagate changes to an existing number. I'd talk to your new carrier, since it's clearly in their interest to get things working so they get all of your traffic. They'll probably have to work with DSMI, who maintains the 800 database, to straighten things out. John R. Levine, IECC, POB 640 Trumansburg NY 14886 +1 607 387 6869 johnl@iecc.com "Space aliens are stealing American jobs." - Stanford econ prof ------------------------------ From: lars@anchor.RNS.COM (Lars Poulsen) Subject: Re: Timed Local Internet Calls Date: 22 Aug 1996 18:37:21 -0700 Organization: RNS / Meret Communications In article jack@novagate.com (Jack Decker) writes: > So, let's say that you pay $15 a month for a residential phone line > for your modem. Your ISP also pays for a modem line, but at business > rates, let's say $25 per line (I am of course basing this on typical > U.S. rates, YMMV). Now if you and the ISP are both in the same > exchange, there should be no reason the telco can't simply hardwire > two pairs together at the central office and give you a dedicated > circuit to the ISP for far LESS than the $40 a month that the two of > you are paying for line charges AND the use of the CO switch. Indeed, GTE has been quite willing to do that; in my case, they let us connect two businesses with a dry pair for $30/month. But since this requires a dedicated modem (and a dedicated port on the access server) for you to use at the ISP, the ISP will probably charge you a premium rate. On the other hand, I suppose the ISP could connect these incoming wires to a PBX in order to aggregate them ... wait, I think we just re-invented one of the models for local telephone competition. Lars Poulsen Internet E-mail: lars@RNS.COM RNS / Meret Communications Phone: +1-805-562-3158 7402 Hollister Avenue Telefax: +1-805-968-8256 Santa Barbara, CA 93117 Internets: designed and built while you wait ------------------------------ From: Michael D. Sullivan Subject: Re: Alex Mandl Hangs it Up Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 23:41:17 -0700 Organization: Wilkinson, Barker, Knauer & Quinn John Cropper wrote: > Who could blame him? ACC offered a $20 *million* signing bonus, plus > 18% of all future growth of ACC's market value (currently at $200 > million; if he grows ACC's market value to only $1 billion, that's > $144 *million* in his pocket). The benefit isn't all on Mandl's side. The deal guarantees that when ACC goes public next year all Wall Street will want a piece of it, and the price will go up accordingly. How many IPOs have a former AT&T president involved, for what it's worth? In fact, the market value of ACC's parent has gone up more than $20M just since the hiring. This was a classic case of both parties scratching each others' backs. Michael D. Sullivan, Bethesda, Maryland, USA mds@access.digex.net / avogadro@well.com / 74160.1134@compuserve.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 96 22:47 EST From: James E Bellaire Subject: Re: Atlanta 911 and COCOTs: The Bomb Call Transcript What was missing from the transcript published in TD430 was the laughter of the 911 operators. I heard it on the local news versions of the tapes. I understand that during public events such as the Olympic Games and political conventions people love to stir up the police by calling in bomb threats, and that the majority of these threats are false, but that is no reason for the 911 operators to take any threat lightly. The other half of the problem was a system that would not serve the users. Their system continually refused to take Centennial Park as an address, therefore *no one* could be dispatched because the computer would not pass data. Evidently the phone at the Days Inn was in the database, so police could have known where the call was coming from immediately, but the dispatch was held up by a lack of a street address for the target. I wonder if someone claimed to have seen 'an accident on Route 13 about a mile east of town' if that could have been entered, without a dispatcher being required to find an address for something one mile east of town. It looks like both the carefree operators and the demanding system are to blame for delaying response. I am glad that someone found the bomb and tried to move people away. James E. Bellaire bellaire@tk.com Webpage Available 23.5 Hrs a Day!!! http://www.holli.com/~bellaire/ [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But the guy who found the bomb (Jewell) was then smeared and falsely accused by the FBI of being the person who planted it and making the phone call. And never once has the FBI said that Jewell was the wrong guy and apologized to him in any way or made any corrective announcements to the media. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 22:30:40 -0700 From: Charles Buckley Subject: Re: Why Not Eight-Digit USA Numbers? Tony Harminc wrote: > mandarin@cix.compulink.co.uk (Richard Cox) wrote: >> Er, no. Psychologists confirm that eight digits is the maximum number >> of digits that can be reliably remembered and dialled by the average >> user. Introduction of ten-digit numbers (which is effectively what the >> result of splitting an Wz1 NPA means) will lead to greater incidence >> of misdialling. > Citation, please! I've dealt with eight-digit numbers in Paris, and I > have great trouble remembering them long enough to copy from one place > to another. But I have little or no trouble with NANP ten-digit > numbers. I'm sure this is because I mentally partition the area code > from the easy-to-remember seven-digit number. In Paris, I mentally pull > the leading digit (usually 4) off the front, and then remember (say) > 42 34 56 78 as 4 234-5678. Much much easier for my brain to deal > with. Hmm. I've been busy, and haven't had time to read this group for a while. I look in just now, and Gee! I remember a discussion like this from seven years ago. The memory and digit grouping thing is an example of what the psychologists call "chunking." The mind chunk a bunch of marks on the paper into one semantic token, which then proceeds to float around in your brain indivisibly. Dimes'll get you dollars that many of the psychological studies in question make the same mistake that I've seen many contributors to this list make (hi, Bob!), namely to assume straight away that a chunk corresponds to a single digit. As Mr Harminc's comment above shows, it's simply not true. He (and most of us) chunk off an area code, or a central office prefix, into one easy to remember concept. The neat thing about the French phone numbering scheme is that it has a fundamental understanding of this principle built in from the beginning. The chunks there are groups of two digits, and this is uniform throughout. Not only are subscriber numbers four groups of two, but emergency codes, extra-area-code prefixes, even the shortened numbers that one uses to access the to international trunk lines, the Minitel services, everything is coded in digits grouped by two's. If it weren't for the need to call to countries which do not follow this scheme (and the curious exception of Paris' area code), French telephones could have 100 keys instead of ten, and you'd only have to push four of them to connect to a subscriber (well, five if calling the provinces). Is having a basic "vocabulary" of 100 elements too much for the human brain? There are lots of Chinese in the world who evidently don't think so, but maybe they were just brought up prejudiced. The French chunking scheme is certainly more transportable than the regional variations that we come up with here, where the chunck are regionally dependent. They work fine for people who call frequently in a region with three or four area codes, and make most of their calls between, say, eight to ten CO's, each of which constitutes a chink Take these people away from their milieu, and they have to climb the learning curve again, inventing new chunks as they go. It's like a telephone number tower of Babel. If people could be convinced to retrain themselves (and this is always the hardest thing), uniform two-digit chunks seem a better way to cope with numbering expansion. Now let me run and put on my lead suit for all the NIH and NIMBY flames. ------------------------------ From: Ed Ellers Subject: Re: Transfer Powerpoint to VHS Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 19:12:27 -0400 Organization: Mikrotec Internet Services, Inc. (MISNet) blair@instep.bc.ca wrote: > Does anybody know how I can transfer a timed PowerPoint presentation > (version 7.0 running on Windows 95 on a PC) to VHS video? Resolution > should be 1024x768. First of all, you aren't going to get 1024x768 resolution this way. You can't even get full 640x480 resolution (meaning fully readable small-size text) on VHS -- the system doesn't have the bandwidth. There are some scan converter units available, such as Digital Vision's TelevEyes Pro, that can convert a VGA output to NTSC for recording on a normal VCR. (This is the same technique that allows 625-line PAL or SECAM video from other countries to be converted to NTSC, or vice versa.) These are generally acceptable for presentation use, but if your presentation has to be displayed at 1024x768 you may not be able to make the conversion. Unfortunately these converters tend to be rather expensive because of the frame buffers needed to read in the incoming VGA RGB signals and output at the scan rate used for normal NTSC. There are lower-priced "converters" around like the original TelevEyes or Advanced Digital Systems' VideoKey, but these require the VGA board itself to change to the video scan rate of 15.734 kHz; many video cards can't do this in all modes, and even if they can you may not be able to get a Windows driver to handle the job. TelevEyes Pro and other true scan converters need no special hardware or software (other than the box) to work. ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #432 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Fri Aug 23 09:44:03 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id JAA18008; Fri, 23 Aug 1996 09:44:03 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 09:44:03 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608231344.JAA18008@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #433 TELECOM Digest Fri, 23 Aug 96 09:44:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 433 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson NYNEX Service Miserable. It's Now Official, Again (Danny Burstein) Optus Targets Corporate/Government Customers With Solutions (P. Aithal) PCM-24 to PCM-30 Transition (Vincent Kuo) Pac*Bell: Speed Call 8 to Die (Robert McMillin) 64kbit Digital Phones? (Othman bin Hj. Ahmad) Cellular Phones: Analog v. Digital? (James Crawford Ralston) Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? (John R. Levine) Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? (Steve Rice) Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? (Joshua Rehman) Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? (Tom Watson) Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? (Bradley Dunn) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 22:45:23 EDT From: danny burstein Subject: NYNEX Service Miserable. It's Now Official, Again Per NYS-PSC As per the Associated Press, NYS's Public Service Commission has released yet another scathing report on Nynex. (The PSC has a website at www.dps.state.ny.us, but the press release/report wasn't there today). To quote a few key phrases: ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Nynex's quality of service deteriorated on every level over the past year, according to a critical report Thursday from the state Public Service Commission. One PSC member complained that Nynex's record was the worst in the nation. The article continues quoting from the report. Normally I'd summarize it, but the piece is so definitive that any clipping of it wouldn't do it justice. So with the hope that the AP won't get too mad at me for posting the rest of it, here it is: The report, which measured the company's service quality from April through June, found the number of complaints against the company had increased, it missed more repair appointments, had higher numbers of 24-hour outages, and provided weaker service on every other level measured by the state agency compared with the same period last year. Nynex was also assessed $4.1 million in penalties for missing monthly and quarterly targets in its service quality, PSC officials said. The fines will be paid in the form of customer rebates. The critical report comes just as the PSC is reviewing whether to approve the planned alliance between Nynex and Bell Atlantic, in which Bell Atlantic would assume control of the telecommunications giant. It also comes on the heels of tough criticism from PSC Commissioner Eugene Zeltmann. Zeltman said he found it "exceedingly embarrassing ... that New York Telephone continues to provide the worst infrastructure-related basic service quality of any other telephone company across the nation." In the wake of the report, one consumer group called on the PSC to reject the Nynex-Bell Atlantic deal. "We think the commission should wield that power in order to get this rouge company in line," Robert Ceisler, executive director of the Citizens Utility Board in Albany, said Thursday. But Nynex spokesman Mark Marchand said the company has been working closely with the PSC to improve its service, and said the alliance with Bell Atlantic would not be a detriment to its performance. One Nynex executive chalked up the bad report to an increasingly complicated telecommunications industry. "It's important to note that the service quality difficulties discussed today don't involve basic elements of telephone service, such as completing calls," said Stanley Fink, a Nynex senior vice president of government and regulatory affairs. "At issue here is maintaining and improving services ranging from repair to installation in the face of tremendous growth," Fink, a former speaker of the New York state Assembly, said. The PSC has been monitoring Nynex's service for years, but has taken even a closer look at the company since last year, when it reached a deal that would freeze consumer rates over the next seven years while giving Nynex permission to pursue other telecommunication ventures. The plan included penalties if Nynex failed to live up to quality standards. "Ten months into the Performance Regulation Plan, we remain deeply disappointed with the company's actual service quality performance," the PSC report said. The commission noted that this was the third quarter in a row that the company was assessed the maximum penalty for missing its complaint rate targets for the state, New York City and the greater New York City area. "Clearly the company has made the decision that paying penalties and refunds is preferable to improving service quality," Ceisler said. However, Marchand said from the first quarter of this year to the second quarter, its service has actually improved. Officials credit the hiring of 1,500 more employees and the decision to spend an additional $110 million this year on top of $1.4 billion to boost its customer service. PSC spokesman David Flanagan would not directly comment on whether the report would effect the commission's decision on the Bell Atlantic deal, but said Nynex may face additional sanctions if it does not improve its service. "I think based on the comments made by the commission yesterday that the commission is keeping a very close eye on this service quality problem and if it continues it will possibly reassess their performance plan," he said. ---------------------- Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com ------------------------------ Date: 23 Aug 1996 11:34:08 +1000 From: Prabha Aithal Subject: Optus Targets Corporate/ Government Customers With New Solutions Press release possibly of interest to Digest readers: Optus targets corporate and government customers with new mobile solutions Optus is aiming to increase its share of the $4.3 billion corpoarate and government sector with the launch of two new mobile communications solutions for this market. The launch includes the new Optus Mobile BusinessNet Elite product which allows a company's fleet of mobile phones to be incorporated into its private phone network. This means employees can dial an abbreviated mobile extension number only (rather than full ten digit numbers) to reach a company mobile phone. Mobile phones can access an internal desk phone by dialling its extension number only. There are cost savings for intra-network calls. Optus Mobile Fleet Management means that Optus will help its customers manage their mobile phone fleets more effectively and cost efficiently. This includes: monthly reports tracking a number of aspects of mobile use, co-ordination of mobile phone purchases or leasing, car kit installation, phone repairs and provision of loan phones. The 'Mobility' package which is designed to provide communication solutions for organisations on the move, is made up of these two new products plus existing mobile products: Optus Mobile Fax and Data via GSM, the Optus MobileSat=AE service, Optus Calling Card and Optus Mobile = Digital. Mr John Filmer, Director of Optus' Corporate and Government Division, said: " Global trends show that businesses today are increasingly mobile. An estimated 69 per cent of Australian workers spend some time out of the office travelling each year. "We would estimate that the total mobile market for the Corporate and Government sector is worth around $520 million per annum in Australia. This equates to around 670,000 mobile phones - 30% of which are digital. The growth rate for GSM in Australia for this market is currently around 100 per cent. "The challenge is for businesses today to continue to improve productivity and cost saving while their employees spend more and more time out of the office. Optus is offering its 'Mobility' package to help meet the needs of these businesses. Whether their business takes them to Uluru or to Hong Kong -- Optus has a solution which keeps them in touch with the office." Optus defines the Corporate market as being those organisations which spend more than $250,000 per annum on telecommunications. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 13:36:33 -0800 From: vincent_kuo@stsl.siemens.com.tw (Vincent Kuo) Subject: PCM-24 to PCM-30 Transition The telephone transmission system in Taiwan is now PCM-24, but a transition from PCM-24 to PCM-30 is on the way. I discovered a problem that may cause in such a transition, which may occur someday in the U.S. or other countries that use PCM-24 system now. As you probably have known, a PCM-24 system uses mu-law to encode speech signal, and a PCM-30 system uses A-law. That means an analog signal encoded in one law and decoded in the other law will be slightly different, causing distortion, and probably noise. So an A-law/mu-law conversion must be performed. And international gateways, which link different transmission systems, are already doing such conversions. The problem arouses when a country is in transition. An old subscriber using a mu-law phone set, will have to buy a new one if the switch is upgraded, but a video phone can cost as much as several thousand dollars. If the subscriber is allowed to keep the mu-law phone set, then the switch must be able to do the conversion in a port-by-port, or at least, group-by-group base, since new subscribers are supposed to use an A-law phone set. But things get more com- plicated since some switch manufacturers do not provide such a capability. Their switch is designed for A-law or mu-law only, but not both. The service changeability of ISDN also requires the conversion to be desabled during a call when speech is changed to data communication, in which no conversion is allowed. But one of my colleague suggests another solution: use mu-law all the way, even in a E1 trunk (which uses A-law by convention). Then no conversion is needed, and only mu-law phone sets will be allowed. Well, that's simpler. But the long established convention that PCM-30 uses A-law and PCM-24 uses mu-law will be broken. I don't know whether this is allowed by ITU-T or whether this will cause some other imcompatibilities. The bottom line is: if you live in a mu-law country and want to by a digital phone set or video phone, be sure it is configurable between A-law and mu-law, and if you are a switch maker and want to make profit in such countries, be sure to your switch has the capability to handle A-law and mu-law simutane- ousely, or you have the power to ensure a less conventional, all-mu-law environment. Vincent Kuo Software Engineer Siemens Telecommunication Systems Ltd., Taiwan ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 08:38:09 -0700 From: Robert McMillin Subject: Pac*Bell: Speed Call 8 to Die Reply-To: rlm@syseca-us.com I got a letter yesterday informing me that Pac*Bell wants to terminate its Speed Call 8 service offering in California. Existing installations will continue to work, but if the rule change get through the CPUC, new installations will not be available. The reason given is that demand for this feature is low, since there are many programmable phones out there. No doubt but this is true. Still, I like having a set of programmable phone numbers that work on all extensions in my house without having to reprogram all my phones individually when a number changes. As a related aside: does anyone else remember Speed Call 32? If it existed, when did Pac*Bell terminate it? Robert L. McMillin | rlm@helen.surfcty.com | Netcom: rlm@netcom.com ------------------------------ From: othman@oasys.pc.my (Othman bin Hj. Ahmad) Subject: 64kbit Digital Phones Question Date: 23 Aug 1996 09:22:59 GMT Is there anyone who knows about the 64kb digital phones that are used by NTT? Homepage: http://members.tripod.com/~othmanA/index.html ------------------------------ From: qralston+@pitt.edu (James Crawford Ralston) Subject: Cellular Phones: Analog v. Digital? Date: 22 Aug 1996 21:14:43 GMT Organization: University of Pittsburgh [CIS] Since I'm currently looking to upgrade my Motorola Micro-Tac DPC550 cell phone to something smaller and more intelligent, I figured that now would be a good time to investigate whether buying a dual analog/digital phone would be prudent. Unfortunately, I've had a difficult time tracking down information on the current (and anticipated future) state of analog and digital cellular systems. Briefly, this is what I've been able to determine. I'm not sure how much of it is accurate. Current analog systems in the U.S. are AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), N-AMPS (Narrow-Band AMPS), and possible others. They use a mechanism called FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access) to actually carry the cellular signals. FDMA involves taking a frequency range and partitioning it into channels; calls are then transmitted by negotiating a channel to be used exclusively for the duration of the call. Several digital systems use a mechanism called TDMA (Time-Division Multiple Access) to carry calls. TDMA was designed to be similar to FDMA, in order to be backwards compatible (to some extent) with existing analog equipment. It further divides the FDMA channels into 3 "time-based" partitions. Current digital systems which use TDMA are NADC (North American Digital Cellular; IS-54), the European GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), and possibly others. AT&T Wireless Services currently uses NADC/TDMA. An apparent rival to TDMA is CDMA (Code-Division Multiple Access). Instead of using mutually-exclusive fixed frequency partitions, in CDMA, calls are transmitted across a wide (and shared) frequency range. Calls can be distinguished from each other by using some sort of encoding mechanism which creates unique code prefixes for each call being carried; calls can be decoded by using the code prefix to pick out the corresponding call. Bell Atlantic (and possibly others) plan to use some sort of CDMA-based digital system in the future (one of their reps told me he expected to see it take off in 12-18 months). I've also made the following observations: 1. The NADC/TDMA digital system never really seemed to catch on in the United States. It exists (obviously), but it's not widely available, and the AMPS/TDMA phones themselves are still fairly expensive (usually running more than most analog-only phones). 2. Out of the small number of analog/digital phones currently sold in the U.S., almost all of them are [N]AMPS/TDMA. Few (if any) CDMA phones seem to exist yet. 3. GSM doesn't look like it's going to happen in the U.S. anytime soon. 4. In the U.S., TDMA seems to be on the way out, and CDMA seems to be on the way in. Assuming that the information I've gathered and my observations are reasonably accurate, that would seem to leave three choices: 1. Buy an analog-only phone now, and wait and see what happens with the digital system(s). 2. Buy a [N]AMPS/TDMA phone now; gamble that enough TDMA systems will be around (either right now, or in the future) to make the purchase worthwhile. 3. Wait until [N]AMPS/CDMA phones become available and buy one of them; gamble that enough CDMA systems will be around (either right now, or in the future) to make the purchase worthwhile. Ok, now the fun part: does anyone have any comments on the above? Also, does anyone have analog or analog/digital phones they like well enough to recommend? I've been eyeing the Motorola Micro-Tac Elite and the Nokia 232 (both are about the size I'm looking for), but I'm not sure whether or not they're "user-friendly" or not. (One of the common definitions of "user-friendly" seems to be "assume the users are idiots and their brains will explode if you present them with anything other than pre-chewed information, bright colors, and shiny objects". Needless to say, I find this attitude offensive; I'd much rather have a device which gives me all the possible information it can (e.g., information about the particular cell my phone happens to be using), and assumes that I will ignore what I do not find useful and educate myself on what I do not understand.) Thanks, James Crawford Ralston \ qralston+@pitt.edu \ Systems and Networks [CIS] University of Pittsburgh \ 600 Epsilon Drive \ Pittsburgh PA 15238-2887 "Computer, you and I need to have a little talk." - O'Brien, ST:DS9 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 96 00:24 EDT From: johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) Subject: Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg, N.Y. > I am performing some research and am interested in hearing from anyone > with an interesting theory of why Internet access is so slow? It's largely because our expectations are going up. If you compare the performance of the net now in throughput bytes per second, packets dropped, etc., I believe you'll find that the Net's working at least as well as it ever did. On the other hand, a year or two ago nobody was optimistic enough to expect that you could click on an icon and a 400K JPEG would instantly appear from a server 10,000 km away. If you're looking for a lower level question of why a particular connection is slower than you'd like, you'll probably find that the main problem is congestion at gateway between networks and on expensive links across oceans, along with some problems routing everything correctly. John R. Levine, IECC, POB 640 Trumansburg NY 14886 +1 607 387 6869 johnl@iecc.com "Space aliens are stealing American jobs." - Stanford econ prof ------------------------------ From: Steve Rice Subject: Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 10:10:20 -0500 In TELECOM Digest V16 #429 Pat said: > the net is just getting a lot more traffic than it used to get. That is very true. MFS Communications runs some of the larger NAPS in the US. On their Web site, http://www.mfst.com/MAE/ they provide traffic data for the devices at their NAPS. MAE East is the busiest, and in the past six months, traffic has doubled to around 450 Mbs at peak times during the day. This traffic is only for a single device (a DEC Gigaswitch). Bob Metcalf [sp] wrote a few articles in {Info World} last December that predicted the collapse of the Internet. His major premise was that as a collection of independent networks, there is not much incentive to take responsibility for "quality of service" issues. It is easy for an ISP to blame their problems on other ISPs, telcos, etc. In addition to increased traffic, the number of connected networks has increased substantially. Routers on the Internet are taxed to extreme levels as they are attempting to deal with 40,000 + routes. With the number of networks increasing, the number of devices is also increasing. Therefore the potential for a device failure on the backbone increases. When a major router or link drops, traffic is re-routed, pushing links that are almost at capacity over the edge. In the same Digest jagosta@interaccess.com (John Agosta) said: > It's because of all the JERKS out there sending electronic junk mail > to thousands of users trying to sell US get rich quick schemes, > investments, cures for baldness, and other magic potions. A manager for a major ISP recently told me that some networks have packet loss as high as 40%! These packets are usually sent again by the application, adding to the traffic burden on network. Don't blame SPAM, junk mail and other text for the congestion. A single Web page can contain as much data (in bytes) as 20 - 30 email messages. Through applications like Real Audio, Internet Telephony, and other real time services into this mix, and you have a high latency, low throughput mess. If you really want to blame an individual or organization, blame Netscape and Microsoft for their browser wars. Every time one of them adds a new feature or application to their browser, the size of the average Web page grows. Steve ------------------------------ From: joshua@uci.edu (Joshua Rehman) Subject: Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 19:34:28 GMT Organization: Univeristy of California, Irvine I think it is wrong to give a simplistic answer to this question. THe right question to ask is "Why is my connection to this particular IP address so slow?" Then an answer can be given. If you choose to take a survey of all IP addresses that you might choose to access, I imagine that connect speeds follow a normal distribution (probably flattened out a bit) where some connect speeds are limited to your immediate available bandwidth (and very "fast") while others are slow, and limited to "their" bandwidth. If someone is running a Web page off their Linux system with a 2400 baud modem, your not going to get 10Mb/s access to that page. Of course, the problem is even worse if the guy's site is popular. There is a direct analogy to a freeway system. Sometimes they are big enough for traffic, sometimes they are not. There is a daily cycle (rush hours) and a larger epicycle fueled by economic growth. Then there are individual events, such as an Angels game or a big anniversery sale at Guitar Center (which they have seemingly every week) which will cause congestion in the immediate vicinty. This makes getting to those individual localities difficult, but there is also "collateral congestion", which interferes with the commute of someone not interested in baseball or guitars. As the tempo of usage increases, freeways are widened, and more freeways are added. Businesses sponsor new surface streets. And it happens on a case by case basis. Like it will for the Internet. Joshua Rehman, University of California at Irvine Internet Address: joshua@uci.edu ------------------------------ From: tsw@3do.com (Tom Watson) Subject: Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 18:26:57 -0700 Organization: The 3DO Corporation In article , Mark Friedman <71534.332@CompuServe.COM> wrote: > I am performing some research and am interested in hearing from anyone > with an interesting theory of why Internet access is so slow? > For instance, > Is it the data com backbone, the protocol, the routers, the > Servers, or the browsers? It is all of the above, and the needs of the users for capacity. Yes, its called the "information superhighway" (a term I dislike), and one might think of it as a highway: It has a finite number of "lanes" and lots of "cars" that want to go lots of "places". Given that there are few "lanes" (backbone capacity), many "cars" (browsers) and many "places" (servers), one can see why it is "slow". This does not mention the fact that some of the "lanes" (backbone capacity) converge in really tied up "interchanges" (routers). Be thankful. You could be accessing your data with 300 bps modems which were "hi speed" 25 years ago. Then you might think that the current speed things happen is "warp" speed. Tom Watson tsw@3do.com (Home: tsw@johana.com) ------------------------------ From: Bradley Dunn Subject: Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? Date: 23 Aug 1996 12:35:25 GMT Organization: Harbor Communications Robert McMillin was incorrect. The Chicago NAP is also ATM-based. As for why the Internet is "slow", asking fifty people will get you fifty different answers. In a lot of cases it is the hosts, for example a busy web server is simply consuming all of its RAM and CPU, therefore serving pages at a reduced rate. The reason a lot of end users think the Internet is slow is because of their own equipment, though. They may have a computer that only has 4 or 8 MB of RAM, which is really insufficient for running the latest and greatest browsers. Most end users are also using a 14.4 or 28.8 Kbps modem for their access. This "pipe" from the end user to the ISP is usually the smallest pipe bandwidth-wise. As for the exchange points, they have their problems from time to time, but I really do not see them as a major bottleneck. Some providers have circuits running into exchange points that are running near capacity, but that type of problem really cannot be blamed on the exchange points themselves. The bottom line is that the Internet is a network of networks. Each individual network that a user traverses during his/her Internet experience will have a different level of available bandwidth and a different commitment to quality of service. Therefore it is often difficult to diagnose exactly where a problem exists. It is an evolving medium. Bradley Dunn Harbor Communications ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #433 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Fri Aug 23 11:41:35 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id LAA00776; Fri, 23 Aug 1996 11:41:35 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 11:41:35 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608231541.LAA00776@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #434 TELECOM Digest Fri, 23 Aug 96 11:41:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 434 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Some Thoughts on Custom Calling Features (Mark J. Cuccia) Re: Atlanta 911 and COCOTs: The Bomb Call Transcript (Bill Newkirk) Re: Atlanta 911 and COCOTs: The Bomb Call Transcript (Andrew C. Green) Re: GE 916 Wireless Phone Jack System (Mike O'Dorney) Re: Voicemail and Unix (David G. Lewis) Re: Selecting Local Telco (Wes Leatherock) Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? (Kevin E. Bertsch) Re: T1 Direct Dial In Standards (John Agosta) Re: Encryption and Telnet (Jason Gabler) One Suggestion For Dealing With Spammers/Junk Mailers (Babu Mengelepouti) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 09:41:54 -0700 From: Mark J. Cuccia Subject: Some Thoughts on Custom Calling Features In "Pac*Bell: Speed Call 8 to Die", Robert McMillin wrote: > I got a letter yesterday informing me that Pac*Bell wants to terminate > its Speed Call 8 service offering in California. Existing > installations will continue to work, but if the rule change get > through the CPUC, new installations will not be available. The reason > given is that demand for this feature is low, since there are many > programmable phones out there. One reason might be that Speed-Call-8 uses 'single' digit codes to activate a call to that programmed number 'slot'. Most North American telcos (and switches) use the Bellcore recommendation of *-74 (11-74) _or_ 74-(#) to program a Speed-8 list, and *-75 (11-75) _or_ 75-(#) to program a Speed-30 list. The actual _use_ of Speed-8 involves dialing a single 'N' digit from '2' throught '9', and then either wait for 'time-out' or entering the DTMF '#' button, while actual _use_ of Speed-30 uses the digits '20' through '49', followed by the same 'time-out' wait which can be cut-through right away by entering the DTMF '#' button. At one time, use of the '11' digit or '*' button before the single digit Speed-8 entry or two-digit Speed-30 entry was intended (I think that Chicago did it this way in the ESS offices, twenty years ago in the mid-1970's), and I've been told that some DMS or #5ESS offices allow the _use_ of Speed-8/30 this way. Bellcore NANPA and INC/ICCF recommendations on "Vertical Service Codes" (also known as "star-x-x" codes) indicate that *-2X (11-2X) and *-3X (11-3X) as 'activation' or 'control' codes (as opposed to Speed-30 _use_) be reserved for future expansion to three-digit VSC's (i.e. *-2XX and *-3XX). This might be a reason why Pac*Bell is phasing out Speed-Calling-8, as well as maybe some customer confusion about other FCC mandated codes (*-67 and *-82). Some LEC's also offer feature packages for multi-line groups in a single home or business. Some of the features involved are "Call-Pickup" (answering a call on the 'other' ringing line) and "Call-Park" (putting a call on hold and answering it on the other line), and many other 'standard' vertical features are also included in these packages. BellSouth calls this package "Prestige". Activation and use of these package features involve the use of the '*', '#', and switch-hook flash. Answering Call-Waiting 'beep' on a "Prestige" number group is usually handled by 'flashing', _getting recall or 3-way dialtone_ and then entering a *-X or *-XX code to answer the 'beep', rather than just simply 'flashing' to answer. Many of these features are similar to some PBX features which have been available since the 1970's. When the FCC mandated *-82 (11-82) nationwide for allowing a number to display, regardless of the 'default' private or public status of a line's number, BellSouth had to change the '*-8' code for whatever "Prestige" feature used it to '*-8-#' to prevent any confusion with *-82. Another sidenote about BellSouth is regarding 'per-use' 3-Way Calling. I subscribe to 3-Way on a monthly flat basis. In #1(A)ESS offices, 'per-use' 3-Way Calling had to be activated _in advance_ of the call, by dialing 11-71 (*-71). You couldn't 'add-on' a third party during a conversation, unless you subscribed to monthly 3-Way, as you didn't have the use of 'flash' to bring in a recall dialtone. You also couldn't 'cancel' Call-Waiting during a call ('flash', wait for 3-Way dialtone, enter 11-70 or *-70), again as you didn't have 'flash' privilages for 3-Way dialtone _during_ a call in progress. DMS and #5ESS (digital) offices here never had the use of *-71/11-71 for 'per-use' 3-Way calling. You could _only_ subscribe on a monthly basis to 3-Way calling. Recently, BellSouth added Call-Return (*-69/11-69) and Repeat Dial (*-66/11-66) to _ALL_ customers. I subscribe to both on a monthly basis, however, so I wasn't affected. But customers who did _NOT_ subscribe on a monthly basis were charged 75-cents 'per-use' for *69 and *66! They _CAN_ get free blocking if they don't want the kids using these features. _AND_ BellSouth also added 'per-use' 3-Way Calling in Digital offices, but _NOT_ with the use of *-71/11-71, but giving those customers _FLASHING_ privilages to gain a 3-Way 'recall' dialtone! Visitors to a friend's house might think that their friend subscribes to 3-Way, since they get a recall dialtone when flashing, while they are actually putting a 75-cent charge on their friend's monthly bill if the 3-Way connection completes! This has recently caused a _LOT_ of confusion and angry customers, some who have had $20.00 to $30.00 per month of 'per-use' 3-Way Calls! And yes, you _CAN_ get 'per-use' 3-Way blocked. By the way, I do subscribe to _BOTH_ Speed-8 _AND_ Speed-30. I had Speed-8 for about two years, and then wanted to add Speed-30. This was about a year ago. It is possible to have both on the #1AESS that serves my home. But the service-rep at the Business Office thought I wanted to drop Speed-8. I had to tell her that I wanted _BOTH_ and I _DO_ have both! MARK J. CUCCIA PHONE/WRITE/WIRE: HOME: (USA) Tel: CHestnut 1-2497 WORK: mcuccia@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu |4710 Wright Road| (+1-504-241-2497) Tel:UNiversity 5-5954(+1-504-865-5954)|New Orleans 28 |fwds on no-answr to Fax:UNiversity 5-5917(+1-504-865-5917)|Louisiana(70128)|cellular/voicemail [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What exactly is the purpose of having both, other than to be a little snobbish and peculiar? PAT] ------------------------------ From: Bill Newkirk Subject: Re: Atlanta 911 and COCOTs: The Bomb Call Transcript Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 09:24:54 -0400 Organization: Rockwell Avionics/Collins Reply-To: wenewkirk@rodes.cca.rockwell.com Howard Pierpont wrote: > Not sure if you have seen the transcript. interesting read. > howard Pierpont > Business Resumption MAnager, Digital Semiconductor > hudson MA. > ------ From RISKS DIGEST 18.35 ------ > Dispatcher: "Zone 5." > 911 Operator: "You know the address to Centennial Olympic Park?" Ok, there's the problem. 911 ops should be telling everyone they talk to that they've got a bomb report to file; not "how do you spell the park's name?" -- that could be someone didn't clean up their dog's poop. Much like the Eastern Airlines flight that crashed in south Florida because the entire crew got tied up trying to fix the "gear down" lamp and no one was flying the plane. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That situation in Atlanta was certainly > a tragedy which was no doubt compounded by the confusion expressed by > police dispatchers shown above. > One victim of the explosion is Mr. Jewell, the security officer who > was involved. As everyone knows by now -- I trust -- he was completely > innocent of any complicity in the affair, yet the FBI saw fit to put > him through an incredible smear job -- a common FBI tactic -- in order > to find him guilty in the eyes of the public. Must have been some of the Waco gang on this case ... just exactly when did the FBI start becoming the "shakiest gun in the west"? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 08:25:37 -0500 From: Andrew C. Green Subject: Re: Atlanta 911 and COCOTs: The Bomb Call Transcript Howard Pierpont writes: > I noted a discussion about LOTS of COCOTs being placed in ATlanta > before the Olympics. I haven't heard if the phone used was a COCOT, > but I think [based] on the way the 911 call was handled] it was. I don't see the significance here; I think your concern is misdirected. The problem the dispatchers were dealing with was that their system would not allow them to enter the bomb threat location without a valid street address for Centennial Park. The pay phone used (which did not look like a COCOT in news footage, FWIW) was at least two blocks away from the blast, so its address, whether displayed on the dispatcher's system or not, would not have been correct for Centennial Park in any event. Andrew C. Green (312) 266-4431 Datalogics, Inc. 441 W. Huron Internet: acg@dlogics.com Chicago, IL 60610-3498 FAX: (312) 266-4473 ------------------------------ From: modorney@aol.com (MODorney) Subject: Re: GE 916 Wireless Phone Jack System Date: 22 Aug 1996 17:05:23 -0400 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) In article , Bill Newkirk writes: >> I don't remember the values we used to use back when I was involved >> with a carrier current radio station in college. Seemed like it was a >> 1000V cap (or maybe 1500 V) and on the order of 1 uF or so, maybe >> smaller. > I've since been informed that's there's a device available with the > right size caps in the form of a 220 V appliance adapter. I have solved this problem when I encountered it using X-10 controllers. I solved it by putting a 1 microfarad/1000 volt across the terminals on the dryer. I just unplugged my dryer and took off the cover to access the screws that connected the cord. I loosened the two hot screws (the middle screw is neutral) and installed the capacitor. This way, I did not have to work on a hot circuit, and I had an rf path from one side of the 220 to the other, since I (and most people) never unplug my dryer. Mike O'Dorney - Mikeod@scscom.com ------------------------------ From: dlewis@hogpc.ho.att.com (David G. Lewis) Subject: Re: Voicemail and Unix Date: 22 Aug 1996 12:36:45 GMT Organization: AT&T In article , Ferdinand Verbelen wrote: > Jailbait wrote: >> My big switch question is: >> WHY haven't they built TCP/IP support into phone switches yet? With a >> little bit of work you could make a secure system that could be >> programmed from the office of the person who does the programming work >> and not just from a dedicated terminal in the same room with the >> switch. If by "programmed" you mean "provisioned" (e.g. entering, viewing, and changing switch data), then the answer is "they have" (although some data networking protocol stack other than TCP/IP may be used); provisioning data into a telco central office from an onsite terminal is the exception, not the rule. If by "programmed", however, you mean "programmed" (i.e. changing the software that performs call control or other functions of the switch), then the answer is "you really don't want to." Think about it - if you leave a semicolon out of a c program on your workstation, you just fix and recompile. Worst case, you reboot the workstation. If you leave a semicolon out of a switch program you're rewriting, you could, say, take down half a long distance network ... (Strictly hypothetically, of course ...) Switch (and other telecom network element) software is designed, coded, built, and rigorously tested offline in what are referred to as "non-penalty environments" before being loaded into active network elements. AT&T operates an Integrated Test Network which is, in effect, a scale model of the AT&T LD network, strictly to test new features before deployment to the field. Once a feature is tested, it can, of course, be loaded remotely. We don't send techs out to all the switch sites with tapes to load software updates. But the development per se, and a ton of associated testing, is all done offline. David G Lewis AT&T Network & Computing Services david.g.lewis@att.com or Network Services Planning deej@taz.att.com Call Processing Systems Engineering The Future: It's a long distance from long distance. ------------------------------ From: wes.leatherock@hotelcal.com (Wes Leatherock) Subject: Re: Selecting Local Telco Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 14:02:16 GMT fgoodwin@tri.sbc.com (Fred Goodwin) wrote: > In article , xred@ix.netcom.com > (Theron Derx) wrote: >> Are you aware of any legislation pending, or in place now, that >> permits a person or a company to select their local telco? For >> example, if I live in Southwestern Bell country, but would prefer >> to have GTE, is there any legislation that would permit me to do >> that? If it is, (or will be in the future) will it work much the >> same way as the selection of an LD carrier? I would greatly >> appreciate any information you could send me. Thank you in >> dvance for your time. > At least in Texas, legislation was passed in 1995 that allows for > local competition. Potential competitors for the local exchange > business must apply to the Public Utility Commission of Texas for > authority to provide local service, whether by resale of the incumbent > carrier's service, or by providing their own facilities and services. > It just so happens that GTE recently applied for and received > permission to provide local service in most of Southwestern Bell's > operating territory in Texas. As for how you request service from GTE, > you probably need to talk to them. And in June Southwestern Bell applied to the Public Utility Commission to provide telephone service in "all or parts of several cities now served by GTE, including the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and the suburban communities of Denton, Plano and Richardson." > Re: Pat's suggestion about FX service: everything he said is true, but > for FX customers here in Texas, an FX line gives the local calling > scope of the dialtone exchange, but does not provide local calling > within the exchange where the FX customer is physically located. > E.g., if you are located in Denton, TX (a GTE exchange) and you want > an FX line into Dallas (about 30 miles and a toll call away), SWBT > would provide you the FX line for all the local calling you can eat in > Dallas, but you cannot use it to make local calls in Denton (because > the dialtone is coming from Dallas, get it?) > So FX is really a replacement for toll service, not for local service. This is the way FX service works everywhere: that's why it's called "Foreign Exchange" service. You actually get service from the "foreign" exchange, by having a leased line from your telephone to the distant central office. There was an amusing story in the paper in Oklahoma City a number of years ago about people calling the number they had for a laundry (which had since gone out of business) and the number was answered "Washington," and the called party was somewhat annoyed by calls about laundry and cleaning and decline to answer any questions about what had been reached. It turned out the number was assigned now to the FBI's FX to their Washington, D.C., switchboard. Some businesses have found it cost effective for several different locations each to have FXs to a more or less centrally located (with respect to the various business sites) exchange where the business does not even have operations. Each location can then call another location by using their FX to call the other location's FX in the centrally-located city. Wes Leatherock wes.leatherock@hotelcal.com wes.leatherock@origins.bbs.uoknor.edu ------------------------------ From: Kevin E. Bertsch Subject: Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? Date: 22 Aug 1996 14:22:45 GMT Organization: Phonettix Intelecom Mark, The latest issue of {BYTE} as an excellent article that addresses this issue, as well as including a technical description of the new Internet addressing scheme. Hope it helps. Kevin ------------------------------ From: jagosta@interaccess.com (John Agosta) Subject: Re: T1 Direct Dial In Standards Date: 22 Aug 1996 15:13:14 GMT Organization: Agosta and Associates In article , Zohar Golan says: > I'm looking for the standards for Direct Dialing In (DDI or DID) in > digital T1 trunks. > If anyone can tell me where can I find those standards or what > standards I need, it would be very helpful to me. You may find what you are looking for in ATT 43801 which elaborates on all sorts of standard signaling schemes. Its been a while since I've looked in it myself. I remember, however, that there were about 13 pages of related signaling information for just about every trunk type you can imagine. ja ------------------------------ From: jygabler@ucdavis.edu (Jason Gabler) Subject: Re: Encryption and Telnet Date: 22 Aug 1996 15:35:33 GMT Organization: University of California, Davis Derek Balling (dredd@lawgiver.megacity.org) wrote: > We have a customer who has international locations using the Internet, > and I'm at a loss on who to turn to for help in my dilemma. The usual > places I might expect to find an answer have yielded none, so I'm > hoping that the readers of the digest may be able to help me out. > We have a customer with offices in Japan that wants to allow them to > use an encrypted telnet session with their American office. The basic > criteria for the software we're looking for is: > 1.) Windows-based client > 2.) HP9000 compatible server/daemon > 3.) Exportable > 4.) Secure > I hope someone out there may know where I can turn. STEL (Secure > TELnet, a product released by CERT-Italy) was great EXCEPT that it has > no windows based client. (Which for the purposes of our customer is a > requirement.) One solution to this might be an MD5 based kerberos suite. I believe MD5 is legally exportable (DO NOT use kerberos with DES, or RSA I also believe, out side the US and Canada because it will land you in jail). You can also, if Kerberos is as forgiving as it used to be, fairly easily insert your own encryption mechanism. Kerberos generally comes with encrypted session capability for telnet, rsh and rlogin. If anyone knows better the circumstances regaring exporting MD5 PLEASE correct me. As a side note, I telecommute over 128k isdn which is dialed directly into the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) campus. I work, however, for UCDavis (70 mi NE). So my connections generally go thru the ISDN, UCSF's (a subnet and then their) backbone, out to the UC SMDS and then thru UCDavis (and occassionally across CERFnet orr BARRnet). That's alot of cable. Every login I do is fully encrypted. Lehitra'ot! Jason Gabler Home Office: 415-752-1969 (M-W,F) Programmer/Analyst Campus Office: 916-752-9215 (Th) Information Technology - DCAS E-Page: jygabler@dcaspager.ucdavis.edu University of California, Davis http://quadrophenia.ucdavis.edu ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 00:05:57 PDT From: Babu Mengelepouti Subject: Suggestions For Dealing With Spammers and Junk Mailers >> Tim Luedtke >> Owner, First Look >> P.O. Box 770441 >> Orlando, FL 32877 >> (407)438-8892 Phone >> (407)438-7083 Fax > Call each provider in sucession (as he bombs you), and file formal > complaints. You might also want to contact your provider, explain the > situation, and have steps taken at their level to filter out anything > he would throw your way. As well, file a complaint with the FCC on the > grounds of harassment (indirectly, but harassment nonetheless) by > phone (since he is probably using a dial-up connection with AOL). While calling the providers is a good idea, it's ineffective to file a complaint with the FCC -- they won't do anything. On the other hand, it could be very productive to call his local police department and try to file charges for "phone harassment." Police detectives start to slobber when they hear about "internet crimes," especially if you tell them that this individual is a "hacker." They'll make up all kinds of nonsense to get search warrants and spend enormous amounts of time researching very petty things. You could even try to get a restraining order. The detective will probably even make up lies for you about what he's done to you, to make it even more convincing. > If you *really* want to get nasty, and don't mind paying for a few > telephone calls, dial up some fax-back services and have them send him > some rather large technical manuals via his fax number. It never hurts > to share information (at least not you). :-) While getting the police involved is probably going to be his worst nightmare (at the very least, if they're convinced that he's a "hacker" or even better yet an "internet terrorist," they'll raid his house, point a gun at him, wife, and kids, and use a very broadly written search warrant to seize everything even remotely electronic in the house, as well as any "hacker paperwork."), you could do something a bit less harassing perhaps -- call him collect repeatedly using all sorts of different carrier access codes (some carriers just don't understand the meaning of no!), and use fax-back devices to call his VOICE line. Some of them are very persistent and will call dozens of times trying to reach a fax machine. Of course, if you choose to harass him with fax-back devices and collect calls, use of a pay station is recommended. It's probably not illegal, though ... if his line isn't blocked for collect calls then he's inviting them, right? And you dialed the wrong number on the fax-back machine ... Our horribly misguided justice system can be a valuable ally in cases such as this one. It helps that many police detectives are basically dishonest, too ... they'll make up whatever they need to, in order to make themselves look good. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Umm! It sounds funny, but I think it should be reserved for the cases where the 'hacker' really is a very bad person on the net. Most of the spammers/junk mailers are just not very savvy on netiquette; most of them can be trained with a little patience. Some are vicious and can't be trained however, and for those I would say your suggestion would be a real treat to watch, as one bunch of stumbling, bumbling fools is pitted against another stumbling, bumbling fool. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #434 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Fri Aug 23 12:38:09 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id MAA07112; Fri, 23 Aug 1996 12:38:09 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 12:38:09 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608231638.MAA07112@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #435 TELECOM Digest Fri, 23 Aug 96 12:38:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 435 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA (Theron Derx) Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA (Robert Hoare) Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA (John Mayson) Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA (Ray Chow) Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA (John W. Shaver) Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA (pheel@sprynet.com) Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA (reganm@nationwide.com) Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA (Tad Cook) Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA (Eric Engelmann) Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA (Greg Lucas) Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA (Henry Baker) Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA (Tim Shoppa) Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA (Steven Lichter) Radio Canada International (was Re: Shortwave Radio in USA) (Nigel Allen) Monitor Radio (was Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA) (Phyllis W. Eliasberg) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 06:48:16 -0700 From: xred@ix.netcom.com (Theron Derx ) Subject: Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA You are correct! The freqs around 40 meters are probably the worst, but the signals travel best at night when most folks are listening. It is not at all like it was when we were kids. We used to send off for QSL cards. Stations now have no idea what that is. You and I would have killed for a radio as good as the $39 number you bought. We had vaccuum tubes that drifted like crazy. Your nephew might enjoy the world of AM radio after sundown. He should be able to suck in stations from all over, including Europe after about 2100 hrs local time. I spent many hours doing that. Could it be that there is a HAM license in the future? Thanks for your post ... it brought back many memories. Tad (N5ODR) ------------------------------ From: rh@buttle.com (Robert Hoare) Subject: Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA Organization: Buttle and Tuttle Ltd Date: Fri, 23 Aug 96 01:04:04 GMT > Maybe I have just forgotten things in my own life over the past > forty years or so, but I do not remember shortwave radio being as > full of junk like this years ago. I don't know about in the US, but when I used to listen to short wave in the seventies and eighties in Europe and Australia the loudest stations were Radio Moscow, Radio Prague, Radio Tirana, Radio Peking and other communist propaganda stations. It was tough to pick out the BBC World Service, CBC, Radio Australia, Radio Netherlands, Radio Sweden amongst all the junk (sorry, but VOA was also in the category of a propaganda station really). So nothing much has changed, just communist state propaganda replaced with the propaganda of anybody else who has money (the US anti-patriotic lot, and religious outfits of all sorts). Rob [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well I imagine they would say *they* are the patriots, not the anti-patriots. PAT] ------------------------------ From: jmayson@tng.net (John Mayson) Subject: Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 16:21:33 GMT Organization: The Network Group Reply-To: jmayson@tng.net ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) wrote: > A question or two for shortwave radio enthusiasts among the readership ... > Is it just me, or does it seem that the various shortwave broadcasters > who specifically target the Americas lately are overrun by some very > strange people and programming ideas? It's not your imagination at all. I've been a shortwave listener since junior high school and it seems the 90's have introduced some very, well, unique broadcasters. > Yesterday I purchased a small little shortwave radio for my seven year > old nephew who lives here with his father (my brother) and myself. I > know as a child I enjoyed listening to shortwave radio and seeking out > stations I had not heard before. Our little guy may still be a bit too > young, but he is smart and he learns fast, so the little $39 shortwave > I got him at Radio Shack will be a good 'show and tell' item when he > goes into the first grade at school next month. He should enjoy it. :-) > The listener's guide made a point of saying that stations which were > exclusively of a religious nature at all times were not included, > and it listed the usual bunch: > WYFR, Family Stations, Inc, Oakland, CA > WINB, World International Broadcasters, Red Lion, PA > WJCR > WGTG > KTBN It's all part of the UN conspiracy, Pat. ;-) > ... and what I call the Unholy Trinity in Nashville, TN: WWCR-1 > and WWCR-3. World Wide Christian Radio's transmitters one and three > had all their programs listed but the guide noted that since WWCR-2 > is devoted 24 hours per day to the teachings of Dr. Gene Scott they > would not include that. > WWCR seemed to be the worst of the bunch. WWCR is pretty bad, but on the other end of the political spectrum is Radio For Peace International out of Costa Rica. They have some pretty bizarre views too. > I know there is a limit to what one can expect from a $39 shortwave > battery operated radio which fits in the palm of your hand, but I > really thought that BBC, VOA and Monitor Radio International (although > I am not extremely fond them then like I used to be) -- to name just > three good examples -- would be as easy for a child to tune in as > would be Tom Valentine with all that march music of Sousa he plays and > that other guy who was everywhere on the dial promoting the various > militia/vigilante organizations. > Has shortwave radio really filled up with a lot of this junk? I knew > local 'talk radio' on the AM band was pretty bad, but still ... What has happened is shortwave stations have scattered themselves all over North America and flame throwing power ratings. Unfortunately on a poor shortwave radio, they're going to drown out BBC, Radio Nederland, etc. All I can suggest if challenge your nephew to tune around them. :-) If he would like any listening tips, feel free to contact me. I always enjoy furthering the hobby, especially amongst the nation's youth. :-) John ------------------------------ From: Ray Chow Subject: Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 11:41:35 EDT > Is it just me, or does it seem that the various shortwave broadcasters > who specifically target the Americas lately are overrun by some very > strange people and programming ideas? Most of the ones in the USA are like that these days. They're the only ones willing to put up the money. I tend to listen mostly to the European broadcasters these days. The only shows I ever listened to on WWCR were Spectrum and World of Radio. Unfortunately, World of Radio keeps getting bumped off the schedule (because it's not a paid program), and reception has been horrible. > Maybe I have just forgotten things in my own life over the past > forty years or so, but I do not remember shortwave radio being as > full of junk like this years ago. The World Harvest people on > WHRI-1 and WHRI-2 were also loud and obnoxious, but not nearly as > bad as that Tom Valentine guy with his Radio Free America program > on WWCR. By comparison, Family Radio was rather mild; and they > certainly did not ask for money via your credit card every couple > of minutes. The other thing about Family Radio is that they provide a relay of the Voice of Free China from Taiwan, which is not otherwise easy to pick up here. You're right about the other "religious" broadcasters, though. Even the Catholics get in on the act with WEWN. > I know there is a limit to what one can expect from a $39 shortwave > battery operated radio which fits in the palm of your hand, but I > really thought that BBC, VOA and Monitor Radio International (although > I am not extremely fond them then like I used to be) -- to name just > three good examples -- would be as easy for a child to tune in as > would be Tom Valentine with all that march music of Sousa he plays and > that other guy who was everywhere on the dial promoting the various > militia/vigilante organizations. BBC is still easy enough. 5975 and 6175 work well in the evening; 7325 may also be a good bet. I'm not usually home during the day, so I can't give any advice there. VOA is a bit more difficult as they have closed down many of their US transmitters (Bethany, Ohio, for example). MRI sold their Maine transmitter site to one of the SDA splinter groups, but the transmissions from South Carolina are easy to pick up. Evening is still prime time for shortwave. Most evenings I can hear Voice of Free China, Radio Canada International, BBC, Deutsche Welle, Radio Prague, Radio France Internationale, etc. (no, I don't have a fancy antenna setup ... just the whip antenna on a portable). ray chow / canada / czg@inforamp.net aa813@freenet.hamilton.on.ca ------------------------------ From: Shaver, John W. Subject: Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA Date: Thu, 22 Aug 96 10:09:00 PDT Pat, I have an early Sony which allows you to use numeric entry of frequencies and does not require the manual dexterity of tuning knobs and bandspead stuff. It has image problems. I suspect that the RS $39 does not have much image rejection. To get rid of that effectively requires one of costing $300 to $500 with triple conversion. Popular Communications has had a section about international listening on a seasonal basis. Their guy used to do a similar feature for Radio Electronics. I haven't been following either magazine for several years. Pop Comm also has features on Pirate Radio and on scanners in general for up to almost 1 GHz. Radio Shack has a house organ related to scanners and coverage. I am not sure whether it covers the Short Wave section. The local store sells the outdated ones for $0.50 or $1.00. I am several thousand miles away and get a different mix of programming than you might. I suspect that my image problem is several orders of magnitude below yours. I do get the German, Netherlands, BBC (Saturday Cricket matches, news program, info on DXing, and the Christmas Program from some infamous cathedral), a native Spaniard has found a Spanish schedule and I regularly get Chinese (don't know which side) with some fair classical music, I get a lot of Mexican stuff which seems to be intended for their internal consumption in the Northern states along the border where their networks don't reach. We have in our community the retired technical chief for VOA. He installed the satellite terminals which allowed VOA (and now most of the other services) to not have to rely on Short Wave (or so-called HF {high frequency} relays. We get a lot of relays from Carribean and South American colonies for retransmission in the hemisphere. Others which are not so accessible are from Maritania and the Seychelles. Oh yes, almost forgot Canadian Broadcast Corp (or whatever) does a lot of stuff for their far northern provinces. With the advent of satellite terminals some of those locations are going in for television. Several years ago, the Russians were using an over-the-horizon (otn) low frequency radar in the HF band and we got funny chirps, relatively broadband compared to communications signals. Don't hear them any more. Part of their long range air defense. If we had them, you had to be close to them because they were always pointed away from the US. I suspect some of the wild-eyed-radicals are relative local and low powered. They may also think that Arizona doesn't need any help. We have recently recalled a governor. We have a sitting governor under indictment for bankruptcy fraud, and one of our conservative congressional represented has been "outed" as a gay because he did not vote for same sex marriages. Again, I think that you may find more versions of the junk transmissions than you ought because of the image rejection problem. I have assumed that you knew what I was talking about. If not ask the question. Really what happens is that the local oscillator heterodynes with a received signal. The product of the detector is that frequency plus (and minus) the local station frequency. The Intermediate frequency section of the radio selects out a 5 Kilo herts section of that and amplifies and audio detects it. Triple detection allows several heterodyning processes and one can get rid of (90 db suppression) of the images. Interestingly I have a double conversion scanner. It cannot pick up directly the cellular phone frequencies. It can receive them on the image frequency, if one gets his kicks out of eavesdropping on ones neighbors. Pat, It has not been totally coherent. If you have questions, feel free to write privately back. I am a registered profession engineer in Arizona (used to be in Texas, but they were trying to reduce their debt with registrations fees), I am a life Senior member of the IEEE (I no longer pay dues and I have a Gold colored card which tells me my status), and I have been around for a heck of a long time. I also help organize the local cowboy poetry and music gathering 7-9 February 97. WE have shirt sleeve weather and some fantastic artists and humorists. It is cowboy, Sons of the Pioneers, Riders of the Purble Sage, not country and western. We don't swing at all. A cowboy complained the other day. He came from such a large poor family that it was only after he got married that he was able to sleep alone. The Best of Everything. John ------------------------------ From: pheel@sprynet.com Date: Wed, 21 Aug 1996 13:25:49 -0700 Subject: Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA >> They now seem to own a couple dozen AM or FM stations all over the United >> States to complement their shortwave station *and* lots of transponders (?) >> to complement all the local stations. "Translators" is the term you were looking for. And yes, I agree that US shortwave stations have turned into a barrage of demented infomercials by wackos who apparently haven't figured out how to work the Internet yet . I suggest you go to your local Barnes & Noble and pick up a copy of The World Radio-TV Handbook to find out about all the normal stations on the air worldwide. This invaluable volume also has mailing addresses for these stations, and an afternoon of letter writing will bring regular mailings of program schedules with postmarks from around the world. I sure he will find those stations more interesting than all militias, all the time. Good listening, Mike ------------------------------ From: reganm@nationwide.com Reply-To: reganm@nationwide.com Subject: Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA Date: Fri Aug 23 13:11:19 1996 GMT A good resource for shortwave info can be found at http://www.trsc.com ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 11:35:50 GMT PAT writes: > Is it just me, or does it seem that the various shortwave broadcasters > who specifically target the Americas lately are overrun by some very > strange people and programming ideas? That's putting it mildly! Actually, its always been illegal to target domestic audiences with shortwave. This seemed to change under the Reagan FCC. Now we have several shortwave stations (like WWCR and WRNO) who sell time to anyone, much like the old radio preacher stations, in blocks as little as 15 minutes. In the past few years these stations have emerged as the voice of various crackpot extremist groups. A lot of the programs are sponsored by precious metal dealers, who have a financial interest in promoting program content which emphasizes fear and end-time paranoia. Well, at least shortwave isn't all bland government propaganda anymore. Now we have such folks as the National Alliance (with their American Dissident Voices program), whose founder William Pierce wrote THE TURNER DIARIES, Timothy McVeigh's favorite book. Or there are the various Christian Identity programs (Pete Peters or the LaPorte Church of Christ, or Pastor Bob, of the Herald of Truth Program) which promote the view that Jews are descendents of Satan, non-whites are "beasts of the field", and that the Bible calls for death to homosexuals by stoning. Various militia oriented programs come and go, and then of course you mention Tom Valentine's Radio Free America, underwritten by Willis Carto's Liberty Lobby, the same folks who founded the holocaust denying Institute for Historical Review. For an interesting reference on Carto, the IHR, *and* Pierce, see: http://www.smartpages.com/faqs/holocaust/ihr/part02/faq.html Another popular nutty program is William Cooper's Hour of the Time on WWCR. Cooper is unique in that he is probably the first to merge conspiracy theories involving alien abduction with the JFK assassination (you see, Kennedy *had* to be killed because he was about to reveal the sinister conspiracy between US Govt and The Greys!). If anyone wants a really funny article on Cooper (too long to post here) just email me. While these stations have attracted a lot of extremists, they do seem to sell time to *anyone* at a low cost. For instance, Glen Roberts who in the past has posted here, hosts his Full Disclosure Live on WWCR. Due to the low budget nature of many of the programs, some of the arrangements for transmitting the program audio to the stations are unique. Many of them supply taped programs, but I know of several cases where someone has hosted a live show by doing a dialup into the studio over their fax line, and taking calls from listeners on a second line in their home! Hey, maybe this is a new media opportunity for PAT! tad@ssc.com | Tad Cook | Seattle, WA | KT7H | [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Anyone want to talk to me privately about doing a telecom show on shortwave? PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 10:59:09 GMT From: Eric Engelmann Subject: Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA > A question or two for shortwave radio enthusiasts among the readership ... > Is it just me, or does it seem that the various shortwave broadcasters > who specifically target the Americas lately are overrun by some very > strange people and programming ideas? Maybe it's just me (though markets seldom lie), but I listen to shortwave BECAUSE of its "strange people and programming ideas." If I want to listen to the same old party line of the majority, I can get it from TV, FM, AM, newspapers, public schools, neighbors, etc. What's the matter with a little diversity of opinion and programming? Every major political and reglious change that has ever occurred has been led by "strange people and programming ideas." The puzzling thing to me is that you even thought this worthy of mention. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well I have no objection to differences of opinion and new ways of presenting things, but some of those people I heard the other night are just plain weird. I do agree that a lot of people are just saying the same old things over and over and that fresh voices are needed; but gee whiz ... PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri 23 Aug 1996 08:38:49 -0500 From: Greg Lucas Subject: Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA Reply-To: lucas@cig.mot.com Organization: Cellular Infrastructure Group, Motorola Pat, Shortwave listening is a hobby of mine. But, I haven't had much time for it the last couple of years. The main problem is your cheap - that is inexpensive radio. Those religous stations are all located here in the USA and run very high power. Your radio is very poor for sensitivity and selectivity -- which means that the US stations overwhelm the radio and you can't hear the better overseas stations. You need to spend over $150 for a decent radio. Believe it or not, Radio Shack carries a very good line of shortwave radios in that price catagory. I recommend you purchase the "World Radio Handbook", it is an excellent reference of stations and their broadcast schedules. The handbook is sold by the larger book store chains in the Chicago area. The best services are the BBC and VOA. VOA can be hard to hear because the beam their signals away from the US, they claim the programming is not for our citizens. Greg Lucas lucas@cig.mot.com Motorola Cellular Infrastructure Group Arlington Heights, IL 60004-1469 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But I do not intend to purchase a $150 radio for a seven year old child who may wind up not liking it or wind up breaking it in a short time. PAT] ------------------------------ From: hbaker@netcom.com (Henry Baker) Subject: Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 15:19:32 GMT In article , ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) wrote: > Yesterday I purchased a small little shortwave radio for my seven year > old nephew who lives here with his father (my brother) and myself. I > know as a child I enjoyed listening to shortwave radio and seeking out > stations I had not heard before. Our little guy may still be a bit too > young, but he is smart and he learns fast, so the little $39 shortwave > I got him at Radio Shack will be a good 'show and tell' item when he > goes into the first grade at school next month. [snip] > I know there is a limit to what one can expect from a $39 shortwave > battery operated radio which fits in the palm of your hand, but I > really thought that BBC, VOA and Monitor Radio International (although > I am not extremely fond them then like I used to be) -- to name just > three good examples -- would be as easy for a child to tune in as > would be Tom Valentine with all that march music of Sousa he plays and > that other guy who was everywhere on the dial promoting the various > militia/vigilante organizations. A few hundred feet of well-placed wire should improve the situation quite a lot. Your seven year old nephew can help string the wire from a ~ $30 or so Radio Shack antenna kit. Unfortunately, your $39 radio probably doesn't have SSB, so s/he won't be able to listen to very much of this new-found wealth. Perhaps it is time to learn Morse code. ------------------------------ From: shoppa@alph02.triumf.ca (Tim Shoppa) Subject: Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA Date: 23 Aug 1996 04:50:48 GMT Organization: Tri-University Meson Facility In article , TELECOM Digest Editor wrote: > I know there is a limit to what one can expect from a $39 shortwave > battery operated radio which fits in the palm of your hand, but I > really thought that BBC, VOA and Monitor Radio International (although > I am not extremely fond them then like I used to be) -- to name just > three good examples -- would be as easy for a child to tune in as > would be Tom Valentine with all that march music of Sousa he plays and > that other guy who was everywhere on the dial promoting the various > militia/vigilante organizations. Are Tom Valentine and the other kooks on the SW dial today really all that different than, say, Radio Albania in the past? Radio Moscow and the other Eastern block broadcasts were really quite mild compared to Radio Albania. As a matter of fact, I distinctly remember Radio Albania condemning the other communist countries because they were far too moderate :-). On a cheap SW radio, it ought to be easy to also listen to the massively powerful Spanish-language stations from south of the border where they have the re-re-re-re-verb-verb-verb-verb turned up to the max continuously. It's good to have kooks to listen to occasionally, but after a few decades of SW listening my mind is capable of immediately classifying them as noise to be ignored. If a child with a SW radio is encouraged to regard them as just noise and interference encountered while in search of truly interesting and original points of view, I think he (or she) will learn a most valuable lesson. Tim (shoppa@triumf.ca) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 21:21:23 PDT From: Steven Lichter Subject: Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA I have never seen a guide that came with a radio to be of much good other then to get you started. I have been doing it since the mid 50's and things have really changed, I mean for the better. Al the major countries have stations and they are used to get their views out, but they are interesting. RSA in South Africa was good as it the Swiss Broadcasting system, RA in Italy and on and on. The best time is late at night. A good long wire will do very well. Most are in English. If he can get the Freq and the time, date and a little information he can get a QSL card. I have some real nice ones from years ago, but today they are not as fancy since costs have gone up. A tape of the broadcast will bring some interestings sometimes. Years ago I picked up RSA before they had programming to the US and sent a tape, what I got was a 30 minutes of native music and a hand typed program guide and QSL card; still the pride of my collection. Radio Moscow could be interesting, but it also has changed. Radio Peking and Radio Japan are also good. Just a little time and he will get the hang of it, a slow turn of the dial should do it. I have an old Hallicrafters that still plus on even better then my $300.00 Sony. I hope he has fun with it, I sure learned a lpot over the years and even got to learn Japanse from Radio Japan with their program Lets Speak Japanese. SysOp Apple Elite II and OggNet Hub (909)359-5338 2400/14.4 24 hours, Home of GBBS/LLUCE Support for the Apple II and Macintosh computers. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 16:18:24 -0500 From: ndallen@io.org (Nigel Allen) Subject: Radio Canada International (was Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA) Radio Canada International, the international shortwave radio service of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, is usually worth listening to, although severe budget cuts have adversely affected it. The studios are in Montreal. The Radio Canada International web site can be found at http://www.radio.cbc.ca/radio/rci/rci.html My late grandfather, Ralph Marven, worked for Radio Canada International in the mid-1940's as its public relations manager. Nigel Allen ndallen@io.org http://www.io.org/~ndallen/ [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: And I just found out that someone I knew from years ago is working for MRI ... PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 13:38:05 -0400 From: pwe@tiac.net (Phyllis W. Eliasberg) Subject: Monitor Radio (was Re: Shortwave Radio in the USA) Could you tell me why you like Monitor Radio less now than you did in the past? The reason for my interest is that I broadcast for CSM radio on the weekends, where our main venue is the Web, and I can't compare today's casts with those of years ago. I would be interested in your assesment of today's Monitor Radio. Thank you, Phyllis [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I answered Phyllis privately with some long reminisences going back into the 1950's ... nothing worth putting here in this already lengthy thread which I will end at thiks time unless there is something someone wants to add. I imagine Phyliis would like to hear from other Monitor Radio International listeners with their ideas and suggestions. And coincidentally, my favorite newspaper in years gone by is now online, and I encourage you to check it out if you like the paper otherwise. The {Christian Science Monitor} online edition can be viewed at http://www.csmonitor.com with all the usual features of the print edition. Thanks to all who wrote me in reply to my shortwave radio comments. PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #435 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Sun Aug 25 01:00:00 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id BAA03632; Sun, 25 Aug 1996 01:00:00 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 01:00:00 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608250500.BAA03632@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #436 TELECOM Digest Sun, 25 Aug 96 01:00:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 436 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson SW Bell Ponders Flat Fee Long Distance (Tad Cook) Some Disappointed With Caller ID (Tad Cook) Can ISP Dial-ins Really Cause Blocking in the CO? (Lars Poulsen) How are Telegrams Sent Today? (Jeremy Buhler) MCI a $500 Million Waste of Talent (mexitech@netcom.com) GTE Says Continuous Internet Connection Desirable (Jack Decker) Nuke Attack? No, Bug in DNS! (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tad Cook Subject: SW Bell Ponders Flat Fee Long Distance Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 17:12:40 PDT Southwestern Bell Eyes Flat-Fee Service By Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 24--When Southwestern Bell gets into the long-distance business, it might offer an "all-you-can-eat," flat-fee service as an option to its customers. The simple monthly fee for domestic long-distance calling is just one of several pricing packages Bell is considering for the time when it can begin offering long-distance services, a company spokesman said Friday. "Our research shows us that customers would be very receptive to this," said Bob Ferguson, Bell's director of communications. "But this is just one of many items under consideration. We don't know for sure what we'll end up doing." Ferguson said the phone company has been experimenting with different kinds of flat-fee long distance in Houston, the Rio Grande Valley, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Under federal communications regulations, local phone companies cannot offer long distance except within local areas, known as LATAs. Southwestern Bell sells a service in Houston called Local Plus for customers living on the fringes of the 713 area code. For $3 a month, they can place unlimited calls to other 713 numbers that would otherwise be billed by the minute. In Oklahoma and Arkansas, Bell offers a service similar in concept to MCI's Friends and Family. Ferguson said Bell customers can designate about a dozen numbers within a local area that might normally be toll calls and place unlimited calls for $22.50 per month. But the most popular flat-fee service is in the Rio Grande Valley. The local area there runs almost the entire length of the Valley, and for $25 a month Bell customers can call anywhere in the region. Both state and federal regulators are in the process of examining Bell's request to offer domestic long-distance service to all its customers -- and even Bell isn't sure of just how the regulation may be handled. The federal Telecommunications Reform Act of 1996 grants local phone companies the ability to compete in the long-distance market for the first time since the breakup of AT&T in 1984. "There are 700-plus pages of rules, and we're still deep into analyzing them," Ferguson said. He would not say how much Southwestern Bell would charge per-month if it decides to offer flat-fee long-distance services. Both Southwestern Bell and Pacific Telesis -- the California phone company with which Southwestern Bell is merging -- have contracted to resell long-distance services from Sprint. Under federal law, phone companies can't sell long-distance services for less than it costs them. But Ferguson said Bell could still offer long distance routed through its own facilities and not use Sprint's lines. Jerry Cooperman, a vice president and research director for the Gartner Group, which studies high-tech industries, said phone companies have been looking for a way to get out of the long-distance price wars. "They don't want to do that anymore, but even more price pressure is going to come at them through the local phone carriers," Cooperman said. Southwestern Bell, which analysts consider to the most financially healthy local phone company, "has the strength to drive this kind of pricing in their territory," he said. Cooperman said other phone companies also have experimented with flat-fee long-distance services, including AT&T, which just launched a flat-fee trial in a region of New England. ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: Some Disappointed With Caller ID Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 17:18:30 PDT Caller Identification Not the Panacea Customers Thought it Would Be By Matt Cory, Grand Forks Herald, N.D. Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 25--Buyer beware. Caller identification systems, or Caller IDs, have been one of the hottest products on the telecommunications market the past few years. But they are not the cure-all many think they are. Many people have become dissatisfied with the systems because they do not trace every call to individual user's systems. It has some definite advantages; "it does do what it says it will do -- to a point," said Bruce Nyhlen, who has owned a Caller ID for three months. Caller IDs can be plugged into a phone or wall jack. Sizes and features vary, but most feature services to track incoming callers and their telephone numbers. Some also will show the time and date of the call, as well as how many calls have been received. Caller ID systems can range in price from $25 to more than $100. Phones that come with Caller ID installed can cost up to $200. But the problem lies when the calls are long distance. Cost for the sevice is about $6 a month from local long-distance companies. Prices vary on what features the user chooses. Nyhlen said that many of his incoming calls that are long distance are not showing up on his system. With relatives scattered across the country, he has to answer, he said. What he's found, more often than not, is a telemarketer. "It is to the point now, we have to check it because of family members and we automatically assume it is a telemarketer," he said. "What I'm suspecting is that the telemarketing industry has found a way to get around it, so the signal will come out as out of area." But when Caller IDs first became available from U$S West last September, only local calls could be identified. That is still the dilemma, a US West official said. "It's really a technology situation," US West spokeswoman Vivian Dockter said. " The first phase of Caller IDs was the local systems putting it in and only local calls will pop up. The second phase is when the long-distance companies are putting in Caller IDs and not all of them have done that. Dockter said it depends on the company the long-distance caller is using. If they offer the Caller ID services, even the numbers of those who don't order the service in the area should appear on your ID system. But if the company does't offer the services, or the person or business takes steps to block its number from you, it will not show up on your system, she said. Dockter also said cellular phones almost always will show up as out of area on a system, simply because the software isn't there yet for those numbers to be included. Telemarketers are facing the same issue as other individuals and business across the country, Dockter said. They simply may not have the local long-distance service that offers Caller ID. Or the system they have bought may not be able to trace long-distance calls, even if the caller has Caller ID. With the many phone lines in the country to go through, some with Caller ID, some without, technology can't keep track of all the telemarketing firms. Bashing telemarketers ProMark One Marketing Services Inc. opened its doors in Grand Forks in August 1994. In that time, the telemarketing firm has grown to be one of the city's largest employers. ProMark also has offices in Phoenix and Tempe, Ariz, as well as Minot and Mandan, N.D. ProMark is one of the sixth-largest telemarketing companies in the nation, Grand Forks assistant center manager Bruce Senti said. He said there simply isn't the technology available nationwide to track all telemarketing companies. "It is a technology issue; it is simply not possible," Senti said. Senti said the Grand Forks offices does not call residents in the Grand Forks area, but calls 43 other states. With so many calls originating at the one office traveling though fiber-optic trunk lines and other switches, there isn't the technology to keep track of all the calls, he said. Senti said there was no movement in the industry to skirt the Caller ID system. He said it will even benefit telemarketing. "People like to bash telemarketers," he said. "But we have been successful, and it is not driven on sales. It is quality driven. We have measured standards for everything we use. When we call, for whoever we are representing, we must identify ourselves on the phone and identify the individual we represent. The (bad) reputation was earned by the telemarketers that are the small and unprofessional and the scam artists." Senti said that when technology becomes available, people will be better able to know who is calling them. And if they are the victim of scam artists, the number will available to authorities. Despite some of the complaints about the long-distance calls, Dockter said overall response to Caller IDs has been positive. "The sales have been way above our expectations. Customers are enjoying it a lot," she said. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 15:27:53 -0700 From: lars@anchor.RNS.COM (Lars Poulsen) Subject: Can ISP Dial-ins Really Cause Blocking in the CO? Both in TELECOM Digest and on the COM-PRIV mailing list, the issue has been raised about telephone companies complaining to the regulatory authority that home access to the Internet through modem dial-in to a local ISP places an undue burden on the local exchange facilities, and the telco wants a regulatory change to put an end to this "misuse" which is caused by the availability of flat rate local calling. As a suggested remedy, at least in the US, the telco wants ISPs to be subject to the same two cent per minute access charges as the long- distance telephone carriers. Many outside of the telco management are sceptical of these claims of blocking, and observe that this request for tariff relief (which ISPs claim will drive them out of business) comes just as the telcos themselves are getting ready to roll out internet access services. The following quote from a knowledgeable journalist is illustrative: The [telcos] aren't provisioning their switches in suburban areas to provide access rates at anything near the blocking rates. In the city areas I am told that the modern switches are usually provisioned to something near the 70-75% blocking rate limit, while in suburban areas it is down around the 30%. So, suburban calls are more likely to come up against the busy barrier - however, no one I know has ever seen this happen at times when people are surfing the Internet - which, is 9 to 11 at night. The problem is that the carrier is claiming that the Internet users are pushing the 'technical limits' of their exchange, and leaving everyone with the suggestion that it would be a very expensive thing to fix. In fact, we see no limit, and it is a financial decision rather than a technical one. The carrier argument is cogently expressed by Bell Atlantic: Bell Atlantic did a study of the impact of the Internet explosion during February and March, 1996. We submitted the study to the Federal Communications Commission. ... We have posted both the article and the original study on the Bell Atlantic Internet site (http://ba.com/ea/fcc). The study shows that there are in fact some exchanges where Internet access traffic has exceeded the traditional busy hour, creating a new busy hour during the evening hours, around 9 PM. In particular, this seems to happen where a suburban area with no concentration of business subscribers acquires an ISP. Such a bedroom community may for years have been served by a Remote Switching Unit (RSU) using a minimum amount of connection paths within the RSU and an even smaller amount of trunkage to connect the RSU to the main switch, located in another community. The typical subscriber line in this area may have had 20 minutes of local calls per day and 10 minutes of calls outside of the RSU. As the ISP moves in, some percentage of the residences now have 120 minutes of internet access per day (i.e. five to six times to previous traffic), and if the ISP is on the main switch, this new traffic requires interoffice trunkage (so that the need for interoffice trunkage for these subscribers is 12-15 times the previous traffic). If the ISP is located on the same RSU, they take up a number of line groups which will be fully loaded during the busy hour. According to the Bell Atlantic report, each line group module can accept 512 station ports, but provides only 64 channels into the switching fabric. Thus, it is much more expensive to equip the RSU to accommodate the ISP lines. After pondering these facts for a while, I realize that this doesn't have to be a problem. If the telco spreads the ISP lines evenly across the switch (putting no more than 16 on any one 512-port module) the switch as described can easily take the load. Friends, if we are to survive this assault, we need to educate the commissioners, so that they will be able to understand that the "dangerous overload caused by ISP traffic" is just another manifestation of a total failure of the telcos to understand the nature of Internet access, leading to a failure to construct a working network out of the perfectly good building blocks that they have on hand. In the long run, I think we are nearing the end of flat-rate local calls for residential subscribers. Back in February, I wrote an article about the issues, it is still available on: http://www.silcom.com/~lars/editorial/telecom.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 11:48:45 GMT From: Jeremy Buhler Subject: How Are Telegrams Sent Today? This morning, I sent a Western Union telegram to my grandparents, who are on vacation for their 50th anniversary. Never having sent a telegram before, I was astounded how much it cost -- nearly $40 for only 20 words, plus the cost of tracking and receipt confirmation! This experience has left me with a couple of questions: 1. Has the cost of a WU telegram (in real dollars) always been this high? If not, when did the cost attain the present level? 2. How are telegrams transmitted today? Western Union's Commercial Services web site (http://www.wucs.com/) gave me the impression that the company now uses the telcos for data transport and adds value through data-processing and assured rapid-delivery services. 3. I found various materials in the Telecom Archives describing WU's history through the early 60's. What's happened to the company since then? Jeremy [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What has happened to the company since then is that they have gone through bankruptcy; they have gone through being picked apart by numerous other firms which took the most profitable parts of the company away; and they have been assaulted by a lot of new technology they have been unable to keep up with. That, in a nutshell is what happened to Western Union. In the 1960's the cost of a telegram of perhaps a dozen words or so was about two dollars, *and that included delivery of a printed copy to you by a messenger.* You were free to give the messenger a small additional tip if you wanted to do do, and most people did. When WUTCO operated their public offices -- where you could walk in off the street to send a telegram or wait for one to arrive in your name -- the same dozen or so words was about a dollar provided they did not have to deliver it (you were there waiting for it or you went to their office in response to their phone call that a telegram was waiting.) Telegrams sent 'collect' instead of paid had a surcharge just like phone calls, or if you used your Western Union credit card to pay for messages you called in on the phone there was a surcharge. There was no surcharge for billing a telegram to your phone bill and there was no surcharge if you were at a pay phone and dropped coins in the box when they asked you to pay for it. They were happy to read the telegram to you over the phone and send you a copy in the mail for the same rate as if you called for it in person at their office. (Remember, in those days the US Mail was delivered in many places *twice per day* and typically a letter sent several hundred miles got delivered the next day, so it was not like getting a telegram mailed to you would take a week or so as the regular mail does now.) The local agent would drop a copy in the mail on your request and you would receive it from your postman usually the next morning anyway. There were certain types of telegrams which were considered non-deliverable by telephone and these included messages stating that someone had died, or that some tragedy of a personal nature had occurred of direct relevance to the recipient. During the Second World War and the Korean 'police action' for instance, messages pertaining to the deaths of military personnel were required to be delivered by messenger in writing. Larger customers of WUTCO were given charge accounts (as opposed to the little card anyone could carry around which was the same as a phone company calling card, but for telegram purposes) and they usually had 'commercial rates' which were better than those given the general public. Anyone could have (but usually only the larger commercial accounts had) a 'cable address'. A 'cable address' was what would these days be referred to on your computer network as an 'alias' for delivery purposes. Instead of the sender needing to know your complete name and address for the purposes of delivery, all he needed to know was your 'cable address'. For example, the cable address 'Housereps' was for the House of Representatives. Here in Chicago I recall that 'Symphony' was tbe cable address for the Orchestral Association, the management side of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Cable addresses were almost invariably cutesey little words and short phrases. A couple others I remember seeing a lot were 'Largest Store' for Sears, Roebuck and 'Beacon Hill' but I do not remember who that was. Certain cable addresses were automatic reverse charge addresses, much like 800 phone service where the recipient always agreed to accept collect telegrams. If you went to their office or called on the phone and said you wanted to send a message to a cable address, the clerk would just refer to a flip-chart and see what that 'aliased out' to be. Larger customers quite often had a teletype machine on their premises which was used to send/receive messages through the local Western Union office eliminating the need for a messenger, but these were customers getting fifty or sixty or even a hundred telegrams daily and quite often sending that many out as well or perhaps they had a 'telex machine' hooked directly into the network bypassing the local telegraph office completely. I do not know what a dozen words for two dollars including delivery in 1960's money would be in 1996 money. And a rate that high was only for casual users; anyone who was a regular user of WUTCO had lower rates, I am sure. At the time WUTCO clock service was dropped in the middle 1960's they charged sometime like a dollar per month per clock for the hourly pulse. Have some fun! Call and tell them now you want to send a message to a 'cable address' ... probably most of them never heard of such a thing. A lot of them probably do not know telegrapms printed on little yellow sheets of paper could be sent 'restricted delivery to addressee only' (basically like a person-to-person phone call, if anyone still makes calls that way) and in that event, the messenger would not just leave it with whoever answered the door at your house. He would insist on seeing the specified person and putting the telegram in his hands only. PAT] ------------------------------ From: mexitech@netcom.com (Patrick) Subject: MCI a $500 Million Waste of Talent Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest) Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 14:57:50 GMT I did some on line checking the other day for all the carriers web pages and after viewing sprint, At&T and others, I tried MCI, unbievably fast in both shell and netcruiser. I was impressed! I go to the search engine, find what I am looking for, backtrack to business and fill out the form, requesting quotation, in the memo or notes field I amplify my request, we have a 1500 mile T-1, proprietary switch, teleport acccess in L.A, and another San Diego, I want to buy some bandwith! What do I get instead, after filling out the form in good faith, I get what I percieve as harrassing calls from their residential group in Atlanta "referring to my internet form". I explain very nicely that I am in business, want bandwith and he keeps going back to residential, after four times explaining, and five times hearing his obviously canned sales pitch, I tell him, "Look, I am in the business, I have been for nearly 20 years as an telecom analyst, If you can't understand what I want to buy, I will have to teach you". Now send me a check for as many hours as your feeble mind can take at one time at $65 dollars an hour, in addition, cancel all of my MCI lines and connect me to AT&T. Is anyone else experiencing this flagrant slamming tactic? They just buiilt a $500 million dollar link with Avantel in Mexico, another 1.5 billion dollars to go, a new switching center fully staffed in Mexico and they abuse the stockholders money with this kind of idiocy. Ma Bell, I am sorry, please come home, Patrick needs you! Patrick mexitech@netcom.com ------------------------------ From: jack@novagate.com (Jack Decker) Subject: GTE Says Continuous Internet Connection Desirable Date: Sat, 24 Aug 1996 05:14:35 GMT Organization: GTE Intelligent Network Services, GTE INS I was looking for soimething else on GTE's Web site, and came across the press release at this URL: http://www.gte.com/Glance/News/Releases/Corp/1996/Aug/19960814.html This page is a standard press release about an Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) trial in Texas. However, two paragraphs of this release immediately jumped out at me. The first states: "ADSL service works by connecting a pair of modems to each end of a telephone line, with one modem being located in the telephone company's central office and the other at the home or office of the user. ADSL also maximizes the use of existing technology because it operates over twisted-pair copper telephone lines, streamlining installation and controlling expenses." Note, please, that in this scenario, you do not connect to a C.O. telephone switch and get dial tone. You have an ADSL modem on one end of the line, and GTE puts their ADSL modem on the other end. Of course, one fully expects (given the requirements of the Telecommunications Act) that other Internet Service Providers will also be able to lease "twisted-pair copper telephone lines" from the phone company, to run between between their Points-of-Presence and customer locations, and put their own ADSL (or other) modems at each end. In any case, with this setup Internet users cannot possibly cause any "congestion" of the local telephone switching equipment because they're bypassing it completely! And the second paragraph is even better: "DSL services are also significant in that they provide continuous Internet access rather than traditional dial-up modem connections. This enables many new types of services that benefit from the 'always connected' nature of these DSL offerings. These applications (e.g. multicasting) historically could only be offered in the Local Area Network (LAN) environments of corporate networks, but can now be extended to residences and remote offices." So, in this press release, we have GTE on record as saying that a continuous connection to the Internet is a desirable thing - not that we needed GTE to tell us this, but it's refreshing to hear a phone company admit that a 24 hour per day connection is desirable, rather than blaming Internet users who spend time online as the reason that the phone system is "going to Hell in a handbasket" (as some of the "Baby Bells" are apparently trying to do)! Jack ------------------------------ Subject: Nuke Attack? No, Bug in DNS! Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 13:03:57 PDT From: rishab@dxm.org (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh) Reply-To: rishab@dxm.org Was I the only one nuked by the DNS/BIND crash yesterday? As not everyone here reads c.p.tcp-ip.d I've attached Karl Denninger's analysis. For those who were luckily immune, my ISP (best.com) like many others, had it's DNS crash for _local_ domain names (belonging to the ISP and customers like me) through most of yesterday. No, not a virus, but bad DNS records "floating around" as Karl puts it, that happened to expose a bug in the latest version of BIND. So much for immunity to nuclear war! Rishab From: karl@MCS.COM (Karl Denninger) Newsgroups: comp.protocols.tcp-ip.domains Subject: SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH DNS SERVERS AND BAD RECORDS - Rev 4.9.4 Date: 23 Aug 1996 10:10:39 -0500 Organization: MCSNet Ops, Chicago, IL > CAUTION! > There are a series of bad nameserver records floating around on the net > which are blowing up BIND versions 4.9.4 (REL and T5B) and possibly other > releases as well. > This has been VERIFIED to be impacting multiple ISPs and their DNS servers. > We are shutting off updates from ANY DNS server which presents bogus data, > which stops it from killing our code, but is of no help to the large number > of domains which are presumably rendered unreachable. > At present, this list is: > bogusns 204.94.129.65 158.43.192.7 > ; > bogusns 199.3.12.2 38.241.98.5 199.71.224.105 206.215.3.10 > bogusns 134.75.30.253 198.41.0.4 128.63.2.53 198.41.0.4 > bogusns 206.66.184.11 206.66.104.37 > ; > bogusns 163.173.128.6 163.173.128.254 200.6.39.1 192.33.4.12 128.174.36.254 > bogusns 129.79.1.9 128.174.5.58 > All of these have presented at least one malformed record to us in the > last two hours! > Folks, if you run one of these servers, start tracking down the problem on > your end. If this is bad cached data, THOSE AFFECTED MUST FLUSH IT > AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO TRY TO PREVENT PROPAGATION. > This problem started as an isolated set of incidents yesterday, and is now > spreading like wildfire. > The actual bad data appears to be a domain name being returned in an > authority record which is of the form "domain.comcom". We have not > yet caught a bad returned record in a debug file; that is being attempted > now. > When this goes through "dn_expand" in the BIND code, it causes memory > arena corruption and subsequent failure to resolve VALID zones which you > are authoritative for. First signs are reports of "corrupted authority data" > if you are using "dig" to check zones which you hold authority records for. > We are working on a way to "harden" the code against this kind of junk data, > but until we can get one deployed our defense is to shut down communication > from those who are presenting us the garbage. > PLEASE CHECK YOUR NAMESERVERS OUT AND TAKE NECESSARY STEPS YOURSELF! This > is a serious problem which has the possibility of melting significant parts > of the Internet infrastructure. > Karl Denninger (karl@MCS.Net)| MCSNet - The Finest Internet Connectivity > http://www.mcs.net/~karl | T1 from $600 monthly; speeds to DS-3 available > | 23 Chicagoland Prefixes, 13 ISDN, much more > Voice: [+1 312 803-MCS1 x219]| Email to "info@mcs.net" WWW: http://www.mcs.net/ > Fax: [+1 312 248-9865] | Home of Chicago's only FULL Clarinet feed! ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #436 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Mon Aug 26 01:25:02 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id BAA08400; Mon, 26 Aug 1996 01:25:02 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 01:25:02 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608260525.BAA08400@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #437 TELECOM Digest Mon, 26 Aug 96 01:25:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 437 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Telcos as Info Providers (Tad Cook) Ohio Probing Ameritech's Overbilling (Tad Cook) Telephone Technicians in Nova Scotia End Strike (Nigel Allen) What Does a Call Cost? (David Clayton) Computer Companies Join ISDN Pricing Fray (Monty Solomon) Integretel, Inc. Strikes Again (Dan Kaufman) Get Two Rings Then Ring at Extension (Lillian Connors) AT&T V-H Coordinates (Drew Larsen) WTB: A Wireless Phone Network (10,000 + Numbers) (nwres203@wolfenet.com) Channel Bank With ACD? (Pete Kruckenberg) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Tad Cook Subject: Telcos as Info Providers Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 11:10:19 PDT Some Telephone Companies are Returning to the Days of Providing Information By Jon Van, Chicago Tribune Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 26--The days when the telephone company provided "information," instead of "directory assistance," may be returning, at least for customers willing to pay. Operators will not only give callers street addresses and ZIP codes as well as phone numbers, but will recommend restaurants, florists and night spots if asked. This chatty new world of telecommunications, spawned by advanced technology and burgeoning competition, is a throwback to the days when telephone operators knew their towns and had more time to help customers in need. It was the era before the term "directory assistance" was introduced to let customers know that they shouldn't bother the phone company for numbers they could look up themselves. Since the breakup of the Bell System more than a decade ago, local phone companies mostly have looked upon directory assistance as a burdensome and money-losing public service. But as deregulation prompts companies to compete for customers, some are rethinking that attitude and starting to look upon inquisitive customers as profit opportunities, instead of lazy nuisances. The current system can test the patience of even mild-mannered consumers. Callers, especially out-of-towners, may not know the area code, the spelling of the community where their desired party is or perhaps even the name of the town. As people move around and new area codes proliferate, trying to obtain information from standard directory assistance can be an exercise in frustration. And many numbers, like those serving fax machines and cellular phones, aren't available from directory assistance at all. As competitors enter the local phone business, even prices for directory assistance calls may cause confusion. Ameritech Corp. now charges 30 cents to businesses and residences using the service and 35 cents to pay-phone users. Some new providers may choose to offer the service at no charge to attract customers, and others may charge but offer premium services. Once competitors join the local fray, Ameritech will be free to apply to have directory assistance deregulated and then could charge any amount it wishes, as it now does for pay-phone service. To be sure, the slam-bam approach to directory assistance won't go away for customers who want to find phone numbers at the lowest possible cost. Indeed, automation soon may make these transactions as quick and convenient as voice mail. But people who want something more and don't mind paying for it will find a lot of choices, industry experts say. Cellular-phone customers are among the first to receive improved services, said Philip Bonello, general manager of Lombard-based Metromail On-line Services, a recent spinoff of R.R. Donnelley and Sons Co. of Chicago. "Cellular service doesn't have the regulations that govern traditional phone service, and its customers aren't as price-sensitive as others," he said. "When someone needs information to do business, he wants it quickly and doesn't mind paying. The companies don't mind giving him the information, either, because the longer he's on the air, the more they make. In cellular, everything takes at least a minute." Because many cell-phone users are driving, they tend to prefer having an operator put their call through rather than worrying about remembering the number and dialing it themselves, said Bonello, whose company has assembled a national database of phone numbers for resale to phone companies, businesses and consumers. "People who get used to being pampered when they use their cell phone don't like it when a traditional directory assistance operator tries to get through their call in less than 20 seconds," he said. Even customers who don't use cellular phones can become frustrated with Spartan directory assistance services, because the proliferation of area codes can make it difficult to dial the proper number to access the right operator. Consider the plight of a caller from Portland trying to locate a friend in Chicago by dialing his friend's area code, plus 555-1212. Metropolitan Chicago, which had only two area codes a year ago -- 312 for the city and 708 for the suburbs -- will have five by this fall. A caller seeking the number of someone known only to live in the Chicago area may be stymied by traditional directory assistance operators who want to know the target's town or, at least, area code. "Confusion over area codes is building a lot of pressure for national directory assistance services," said Steven Johnson, an executive at MCI Communications Corp. Last year MCI launched a service whereby a customer could call 1-800-CALL-INFO and, for a fee, obtain numbers for anyone in the country without knowing the area code. It was popular with customers, Johnson said, but MCI withdrew the service because of complaints that an 800 number shouldn't have any charges associated with it. "We had cleared the product with regulators before launching it," he said, "but when the complaints arose, the Federal Communications Commission suggested we withdraw it, and we did." MCI now offers a similar service using a 900 prefix, which is always associated with extra fees, and AT&T Corp. has a 900 national directory assistance number as well. But many companies and hotels, as well as several private residences, have blocks on their phones so that 900 calls cannot be made from them, Johnson said. "Somehow the regulatory issues have to be worked out so that people can call an easily accessible number to get extended directory assistance," Johnson said. "There's a lot of market demand for it, so it's bound to happen." At least one company plans to launch such a service this year, said Kelly Daniels, president of Telco Planning Inc., a consultancy based in Portland, Ore. That company will offer phone numbers throughout North America to people who call 1-800-555-1234, he said. The callers must listen to an advertisement to obtain their number and will be offered the option of having their call put through for a fee, Daniels said. The service provider, which hasn't yet identified itself, hopes the advertiser-supported part of the service will satisfy regulators and that most customers will opt for call completion to generate revenue, at 25 cents to complete a call and 10 cents a minute to carry it. "What we've found is that when call completion is offered as an option, most people take it," said Daniels, who acknowledged that some businesses have balked when charges for existing call completion services caused their phone bills to balloon. "You can argue that it saves a company money when its employees don't have to get a number, hang up and then dial it," he said, "but a company may not agree when its monthly directory assistance charges go from $300 to $3,000." Call completion really is just the first step in what industry people call concierge phone service, which may even go beyond the old small town phone company version of information service from the operator. "Some cellular companies are already offering a service where I call and say I need a florist," said Robert Rosenberg, president of Insight Research Corp., a telecommunications consultancy in Livingston, N.J. "The operator gets your location, does a map overlay on her computer and gives you three choices of florists nearby. If you like, they'll place the order for you." These operators most likely are sitting in a call center in Phoenix or Salt Lake City and have no more knowledge of local flower shops than the caller, Rosenberg said, but they work from computers that search national databases to provide the information. As these services develop, details of how they will be paid for are still being considered, but promoters say much of the costs could be borne by businesses receiving referrals, as well as additional fees paid by customers. Metromail has been working on a project to construct a database for such a service for five years, Bonello said, and it has been exceedingly difficult to blend information from different phone companies with other sources, such as driver's license databases and postal change-of-address information. "We take information that we get from local phone companies, clean it up and actually sell it back to local phone companies in some cases," he said. Metromail sells the information widely in various forms and has products that enable consumers to look up phone numbers on the Internet. It hopes to expand the information base to include things like e-mail addresses, fax numbers and other information not now generally assembled. Recent orders by the FCC intended to promote competition should make it easier for firms to assemble national phone number databases and keep them up-to-date, said MCI's Johnson. "Within two years, national directory assistance databases will be common," he said. At the same time the industry is gearing up for expanded information services, it also is seeking to trim further the costs of plain vanilla directory assistance. Some companies are now using voice recognition technology that asks a caller to give the city and party whose number is sought, said Cathleen Shamieh, director of operator services for Bellcore, a telecommunications-technology consulting center based in Morristown, N.J., that is owned by the regional Bell operating companies. Today, the automated system presents the name and hometown to a human operator who then takes over to look up the number, Shamieh said. Eventually, the automated system will ask the caller what's wanted, look it up, give the answer and ask the caller if everything's OK or if a human is needed, she said. "Voice recognition to do that isn't quite there yet, but it's close," she said. ------------------------------ From: Tad Cook Subject: Ohio Probing Ameritech's Overbilling Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 11:57:50 PDT Ohio to Probe Ameritech's Overbilling and Failure to Tell Customers By David Adams, Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News Aug. 23--More than 3,000 Ameritech customers were overcharged $9,525 after making 3,166 telephone calls between June 29 and the first week of August, the telephone company said yesterday. But the number of Ameritech customers affected by the computer-caused overbilling could be considerably higher: The company is unable to identify local calls that were inadvertently switched over to a long-distance provider, spokeswoman Anne Bloomberg said. Ameritech said yesterday, unlike the day before, that it will actively try to find overbilled customers and ensure they get a refund. The company previously had said that it wanted customers to determine whether they had been overbilled and to inform the company. The problem -- caused by software glitches connected to the June 29 addition of the new 330 area code -- affected calls made into 216 area code prefixes 342, 650, 653, 655, which are in Hudson; 657 in Peninsula; 659 in Richfield; and 330 area code prefixes 225 in Brunswick and 483 in Valley City. The software glitch caused calls normally considered free local calls either to be charged as toll calls, or to be switched over to long-distance carriers and billed as long-distance calls. Ameritech experienced a similar computer-related problem earlier this year in Chicago that led the company to refund almost $900,000 to 450,000 customers. Bloomberg emphasized that the problem in Northeast Ohio is much smaller. "Believe me, we think that this (problem) is not acceptable, and I'm not trying to say that (the number of customers affected) is a small amount, because it isn't," she said. "We really regret this and are sorry for it." Overbilled customers whom Ameritech can identify will be notified and probably will be given credit on their bills, Bloomberg said. Before a Beacon Journal story yesterday, Ameritech had said it did not intend to notify any of its 1.85 million customers in Northeast Ohio about the possibility that they had been overbilled. In response to the Beacon Journal story, both the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio and the Ohio Consumers' Counsel will launch, probably today, inquiries into how the overbilling occurred, and the agencies may review Ameritech's decision not to tell its customers. Very few state regulations deal with overbilling or notification on billing matters, spokesmen for both taxpayer-funded state agencies said yesterday. As a result, little or no formal regulatory action is expected. But the episode does little to enhance Ameritech's image for customer service. Ameritech was fined $270,000 last year by state regulators because of failure to maintain minimum service standards, and the company paid a $45,000 fine the year before for similar problems. Last month, the PUCO fined Ameritech $1,000, following a $5,000 fine the previous month, for failing to meet service standards, according to Dick Kimmins, PUCO spokesman. Service problems, including the current overbilling incident, are expected to be the central issue for Ohio's local telephone companies as the state opens up markets for competition. By this time next year, other competing local telephone companies are expected to enter Ameritech's territory. Until now, the state's 42 local telephone companies have enjoyed roped-off service areas in which customers were unable to get service from any other company. Regulatory action will be replaced to some extent by competitive forces, said Kimmins and Consumers' Counsel Robert Tongren. "The marketplace can indeed be a very harsh and swift judge of service standards and billing problems," Kimmins said. He added that the PUCO will continue to monitor minimum standards for customers service. The PUCO staff is rewriting those minimum standards for a newly competitive telephone environment, and a rough draft is expected in November. "You can have all the rules you want; the question is: What's the company's attitude for your customers?" asked Tongren. "Are they number one? If not, that company is going to lose them to a competitor." Tongren said competition will let customers' fingers do the walking. "We want to let customers, with just one phone call, get another local telephone company," he said. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 20:21:16 EDT Subject: Telephone Technicians in Nova Scotia End Strike Organization: Internex Online (shell.io.org), Toronto, Ontario, Canada From: ndallen@io.org (Nigel Allen) Here is a press release from Maritime Telegraph and Telephone Company Limited. I found the press release on the Canada NewsWire web site at http://www.newswire.ca/ I don't work for Canada NewsWire or Maritime Tel & Tel. MT&T TECHNICAL WORKERS' STRIKE ENDS AUGUST 23 HALIFAX, Aug. 24 - Maritime Telegraph and Telephone Company Limited announced today that its 950 technical workers, represented by the Atlantic Communications and Technical Workers' Union, have voted to accept the Company's latest contract offer, ending a strike that began July 3rd, 1996. Seventy percent of the union membership voted in favour of the agreement. The technical workers will return to work beginning Sunday, August 25. MT&T is now in the process of adjusting its operations to more normal working conditions. Over the next number of weeks the Company will be working to reduce the existing backlog of orders for service as well as respond to new service orders. MT&T thanks customers for their patience and understanding during the past two months and also in the weeks ahead. For further information: Pearleen Mofford, (902) 487-5284 forwarded to TELECOM Digest by Nigel Allen, Toronto, Ontario ndallen@io.org http://www.io.org/~ndallen/ ------------------------------ From: dcstar@acslink.aone.net.au (David Clayton) Subject: What Does a Call Cost? Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 22:53:20 GMT Hello Pat and everyone, I have observed a increasing quantity of correspondence in the Digest regarding the issue of no longer being able to determine what sort of call type is being made by analysing the dialed digits. This will also be a significant problem here in Australia, as we are changing from state based Area Codes to much broader regional Area Codes, (as an example, one Area Code will cover an area which is approx. 2/3 the area of the mainland USA). Since this problem looks likely to be become common around the globe dialing plan changes and number portability etc., perhaps the relevant standards organisation should be creating a technical solution to the problem, such as the following: * You dial the number as normal, * Before the first ring, modem tones are transmitted down you phone line with information regarding the call cost etc. which is displayed on a device which may be similar to the CID boxes that are used in North America. * You may then have to confirm that you want the call to proceed, or if it going to cost you more than you are prepared to pay, you may want to end it. Since the infrastructure required may be similar to the existing CID incoming equipment, it may be reasonably easy to implement at the phone end, the only difficult part may be getting the local exchange to pass this information in the required format, (especially for older equipment). The whole point of this would be to have the information of what a call is going to cost available to the consumer before the call is made, not after the event when the bill arrives. Another benefit would be the opportunity to record this data for your own bill reconcilation. This sort of information is partially available on ISDN circuits in Australia as data provided the end of a call in the "Advice of Charge" field, but there is no real reason why it cannot be made before a call is connected, (apart from the cost of making it happen). So, now I pass this idea to all of the TELECOM Digest readers out there, what do you reckon people?. P.S. If this turns out to be one of those original, practical, and very profitable ideas, would whoever eventually develops it, (and makes an enormous profit from it), remember where it came from and send me some royalties? :-) - with a portion going to the TELECOM Digest of course! Regards, David Clayton, e-mail: dcstar@acslink.aone.net.au ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 00:33:42 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Computer Companies Join ISDN Pricing Fray Reply-To: monty@roscom.COM Excerpt from Edupage, 13 August 1996 COMPUTER COMPANIES JOIN ISDN PRICING FRAY Computer companies are joining consumer activists in urging the telephone companies to speed up deployment of ISDN (integrated services digital network) services by lowering prices. In California, Pacific Bell is under attack by a group that includes Intel Corp., the California ISDN Users Group, the California Cable Television Association, Jetstream Communications, Inc., FlowPoint, and Siemens Rolm Communications, Inc. The controversy reflects what is happening in other states, with the phone company saying its ISDN rates must reflect the cost of introducing the service, which it claims are high, and expressing concern that low flat-rate charges will encourage customers to tie up lines 24 hours a day. Intel has complained to the Public Utilities Commission that "an entire industry is poised to deliver mass-market ISDN products. Unreasonable ISDN pricing, as proposed by Pacific Bell ... may preclude the development of a mass-market ISDN industry, and will certainly retard its growth." Uneven pricing by telcos is also an issue -- Bell Atlantic's proposed flat rate charge for the District of Columbia is $249 a month, while in Tennessee, BellSouth charges $25 to $29 a month. A Bell Atlantic spokesman says , "It's very simplistic for computer companies to point fingers at us if their sales are not increasing. These are wonderful companies, but we don't tell them how to run their businesses. It's not appropriate for them to tell us how to run ours." (BNA Daily Report for Executives 8 Aug 96 C1) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 22:38:03 +0000 From: Dan Kaufman Reply-To: dan@dkgraphics.com Organization: Dan Kaufman Graphics Subject: Integretel, Inc. Strikes Again ... I just got a bill from Bell Atlantic, my local telephone service. There was a $45 charge from Intgretel, Inc. for a "COMCARD" debit card. Then I remember some guy calling late at night telling me I qualified for a debit card and I would get $45 worth of calling on it. I fell for it. It's Sunday night, and I've just retrieved my snail-mail from the mailbox after a nice weekend away. My first phone call on Monday morning will be to 1-800 736-7500, Integretel's toll-free number. This boy ain't payin' nobody for no debit card. ------------------------------ From: lconnors@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Lillian Connors) Subject: Get Two Rings Then Ring at Extension Date: 25 Aug 1996 15:49:02 -0400 Organization: The Ohio State University My caller-id won't store data if an extension phone is answered before the second ring. Can I get a commercial gadget for POTS line that listens for ringing, then outputs (or passes thru) ringing to the extension after second ring? Comments about such gadgets? Can some fax machines be reprogrammed to do this (as well as to detect incoming fax, and switch non-fax calls to extension)? Comments or reviews about such fax machines? [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Can't you reach a mutual understanding with whomever is likely to answer your extension phones to allow at least one complete ring and a couple seconds of silence to pass before taking the phone off hook and responding? PAT] ------------------------------ From: Drew Larsen Subject: AT&T V-H Coordinates Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 01:36:21 +0000 Organization: ObjectWave Corporation Reply-To: dlarsen@objectwave.com Ok folks, scratch your heads and see if you can remeber how to translate a point on the earth measured in latitude/longitude to the commonly used V&H system used in the telecom industry. Any ideas? Thanks, Drew Larsen ObjectWave Corporation dlarsen@objectwave.com ------------------------------ From: nwres203@wolfenet.com Subject: WTB: A Wireless Phone Network (10,000 + Numbers) Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 08:32:01 GMT Organization: Wolfe Internet Access, L.L.C. Hi all, I am representing a Russian company that wants to buy a wireless phone system to serve a small town. They want it to have about 10,000 number capacity, with an option of adding more later. The network will require no connection to outside. So I was looking for manufacturers of such systems, and haven't found any. Does anyone know of such companies? If you do, please tell me, I will really appreciate it. Thanks a lot. ------------------------------ From: pete@inquo.net (System Administrator) Subject: Channel Bank With ACD? Date: 25 Aug 1996 19:57:48 GMT Organization: inQuo Internet (801) 530-7160 I'm looking for a cheap/simple/easy way to bring in a voice T1 to a modem bank, and do some basic hunting or LRU (least-recently-used) ACD features. Right now, US West charges $4/line/mo for busy hunting, or $6/line/mo for busy/no-answer hunting, and they don't offer an LRU type of hunt. I already have to buy a channel bank to break out the T1 into analog lines to go to the modem bank, and I though there might be some more intelligent channel banks that could do busy/busy-no-answer/LRU hunting. I know that these types of features are available on modem racks like the USR Total Control, but as an ISP, I can't afford equipment like that and still remain competitive and solvent. An intelligent channel bank like this, if the price is right, could let me still use low-cost modems but avoid some problems common to a non-intelligent modem pool. Your insight and avoid is appreciated. Pete Kruckenberg pete@inquo.net ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@mirror.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #437 ****************************** From ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Mon Aug 26 11:46:02 1996 Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id LAA13965; Mon, 26 Aug 1996 11:46:02 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 11:46:02 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199608261546.LAA13965@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #438 TELECOM Digest Mon, 26 Aug 96 11:46:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 438 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? (Peter Morgan) Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? (Brian Mulvaney) Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? (Henry Baker) Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? (Matt Ackeret) Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? (Dave Read) Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? (Steve Schear) Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? (Charlie Seelig) Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? (Andrew C. Green) Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? (Garrett Wollman) Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? (Tim Shoppa) Is the Internet Slow? (David Richards) Internet Overload (TELECOM Digest Editor) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Peter Morgan Subject: Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 10:25:57 +0100 In message Bradley Dunn writes: > The reason a lot of end users think the Internet is slow is because of > their own equipment, though. They may have a computer that only has 4 > or 8 MB of RAM, which is really insufficient for running the latest > and greatest browsers. Most end users are also using a 14.4 or 28.8 > Kbps modem for their access. This "pipe" from the end user to the ISP > is usually the smallest pipe bandwidth-wise. I'm over in the UK. While I mostly agree that individuals will have a number of different things causing them to suffer "slowness", it can often be the case that some software is just more efficient. When I was typing this "offline" (the Zetnet service I use can be used like a BBS and passes "packed" [compressed] mail/news in both directions) I was in the middle of an FTP from "ftp.best.com" which I believe is in California. I'm attempting (fourth time) a transfer of approx 3.5 Mb and found that there was a significant difference between using Netscape's "save file" and WS_FTP. The system I'm running is 2x 540 Mb HD, 16 Mb RAM, 486DX2/66 with a (yes, don't laugh) 14,400 modem (well this has old UARTs anyway). WS_FTP is four to five times faster, and I started this transfer as soon as my dial-up connection failed (after approx 160 minutes :-( ) which, while a local call, is charged for :-< oh yes, I reached 3.4 of 3.5 Mb :-< There's a chance of some problem in the UK, which hampered earlier connections, but I have uploaded 3 Mb in 40 minutes to a UK host and the current estimate for the remaining 70% of this download is some 80 minutes connect time ... ah well ... a loaded FTP site in the middle of a Sunday afternoon is likely to suffer a little, and 5000 miles is worth remembering too (instead of 200 miles to London) :-> Peter ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 17:20:45 -0700 From: Brian Mulvaney Reply-To: brianm@rain.com Subject: Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? > I am performing some research and am interested in hearing from anyone > with an interesting theory of why Internet access is so slow? I would be just as interested in hearing an explanation of how the Internet can be so fast. Haven't you ever marvelled at how you can run a database lookup over the Internet, to a server located who knows where, and get an almost immediate return? Such good response that it's actually faster than querying a database on your local ethernet? Here's an interesting comparison (albeit not apples to apples): I just queried Alta-Vista for "Telecom Digest". I got a full return in under three seconds. The search shows about 300 matches. Now I'll run a query against a customer information database my company uses that should return about 300 records using an indexed field as the search criteria ... The query took about five seconds to run including processing by the server and the client. The query was generated by a Windows application running on a Pentium PC and processed by a high end AIX server running Sybase. The database server is located about 100 feet from me. There should be only one router between my PC and the server. Now look at the network path for the query to Alta-Vista: From my PC to a local router; to another router; onto a T1 across the corporate WAN for a trip from the west coast where I am back to Maryland where corporate HQ is; maybe another router hop at HQ; through the corporate firewall to PSInet over a 56kbs link; a few hops to get to the Alta-Vista site (in Palo Alto?); some processing at the Alta-Vista server, some data returned over the Internet; some processing by Netscape Navigatior to format the page and voila! -- three seconds. If you ask me, the Internet feels pretty darn fast. Brian brianm@rain.com ------------------------------ From: hbaker@netcom.com (Henry Baker) Subject: Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 02:02:26 GMT In article , Steve Rice wrote: > In TELECOM Digest V16 #429 Pat said: >> the net is just getting a lot more traffic than it used to get. > Bob Metcalf [sp] wrote a few articles in {Info World} last December > that predicted the collapse of the Internet. His major premise was > that as a collection of independent networks, there is not much > incentive to take responsibility for "quality of service" issues. It > is easy for an ISP to blame their problems on other ISPs, telcos, etc. Bob Metcalfe was on CSPAN2 this morning talking about the 'collapse of the internet'. A key point in his argument is that the internet is designed from the ground up to _share_ traffic. Yet the whole point of _intrAnets_ is to _filter out_ traffic with their firewalls, so that such traffic now has to go _around_ a network, rather than _through_ it. Consider, for example, what would happen if AOL were to suddenly declare that all of the freeways in the Washington, DC, area were _off-limits_ to any but AOL subscribers. All of a sudden, anyone wanting to drive south from Baltimore would have to drive _all the way around_ Washington, DC, and _not_ on the beltway, either! Ditto for the Fortune 1000 companies. So now we have large number of private intrAnets that parallel one another and don't share facilities, and much of the economies of the intErnet then go away. Note that the main impetus for setting up these parallel facilities stems from _fear_ -- the fear of being hacked, and the fear of being swamped. Perhaps if communications service providers provide _bandwidth_ with QOS _guarantees_ and high quality _encryption_, then at least the service provider can take advantage of the statistics of the traffic to reduce prices and still make money instead of selling raw T1's. www/ftp directory: ftp://ftp.netcom.com/pub/hb/hbaker/home.html ------------------------------ From: mattack@eskimo.com (Matt Ackeret) Subject: Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? Organization: Eskimo North (206) For-Ever Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 23:35:35 GMT In article , John Agosta wrote: > And although I am not trying to be particularly protective of the 'jerks > who send out thousands of pieces of mail trying to sell something' there > *are* a lot of people using the net who are as equally sincere in their > efforts as you and I. I honestly do not think many of the people who do > junkmail and spam realize they are considered offensive. PAT] Hopefully responding to all of these back to the author and the accounts "abuse", "postmaster", and "root" at the site from which the spam came from (when that can be determined) is helping to teach them that. While this obviously is after the fact, responses to e-mail and Usenet spam complaints is often that the user has had their account cancelled. (No, I don't think *all* of them are from people who get an account, spam with the expectation it will be cancelled, and go on to another account to start the process over again.) Also, most people don't seem to be aware you can cancel Usenet articles you have posted accidentally (or containing an error you want to fix). unknown@old.apple.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Aug 96 13:24:00 PDT From: dave@kentrox.com (Dave Read) Subject: Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? Organization: ADC Kentrox Industries, Inc. On 20 Aug 1996 18:00:17 PDT, Mark Friedman <71534.332@CompuServe.COM> said: >> I am performing some research and am interested in hearing from anyone >> with an interesting theory of why Internet access is so slow? >> For instance, >> Is it the data com backbone, the protocol, the routers, the >> Servers, or the browsers? > Pac*Bell has reported serious problems with their ATM switch at their > California NAP. For full details of what's going on and how they hope > to fix it, read > http://www.pacbell.com/products/business/fastrak/networking/nap/nap2-6.html > My understanding is that Pac*Bell is the only NAP operator using ATM > at this time. Pat: The data on the Kentrox ADSU bugs is almost a year out of date. The problems listed were fixed quite awhile ago. TM David Read (dave@kentrox.com) ADC|Kentrox Portland, Oregon, USA ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 26 Aug 1996 11:08:03 GMT From: azur@netcom.com (Steve Schear) Subject: Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? Mark Friedman <71534.332@CompuServe.COM>, wrote: > I am performing some research and am interested in hearing from anyone > with an interesting theory of why Internet access is so slow? > For instance, > Is it the data com backbone, the protocol, the routers, the > Servers, or the browsers? Most people who complain of slow Internet access do so when using Web browsers, since its now the most widespread real-time Web use. A great article on this topic was in the May Boardwatch Magazine, "Bandwidth Arithmetic," pg. 8 (http://www.boardwatch.com). The conclusion of the article is that though some backbone bottlenecks are an overrated source of delays and that much or most are due to inadequate Web server resources (bandwidth and/or server performance). If Internet voice does indeed take off as predicted it will have a major impact on the ISPs and backbone traffic and, if not delt with expedituously, could create other bottlenecks. Steve Schear | Internet: azur@netcom.com Lamarr Labs | Voice: 1-702-658-2654 7075 West Gowan Road | Fax: 1-702-658-2673 Suite 2148 | Las Vegas, NV 89129 | ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 15:03:11 -0400 From: cseelig@tiac.net (Charlie Seelig) Subject: Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? Mark Friedman wrote on 21 Aug 1996: > I am performing some research and am interested in hearing from anyone > with an interesting theory of why Internet access is so slow? > For instance, > Is it the data com backbone, the protocol, the routers, the > Servers, or the browsers? There is a good article on the subject entitled "Web Brownout" by Simson Garfinkel in the September 1996 of Wired. Charlie Seelig ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 25 Aug 1996 14:08:18 -0500 From: Andrew C. Green Subject: Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: [...] > We see the same thing on the streets in every large city. Thirty to > forty years ago traffic on the road and highways was not nearly as > heavy as it is now. Other than 'rush hour' roads were relatively quiet > all day with cars going past occassionally. Now the slow times of day > look like 'rush hour' used to look thirty years ago on busy roads, etc. > Prior to the construction of the interstate highway system in the 1950- > 60's era people still traveled; they just did not travel as much or go > as far, and it took longer to get where they did go. The net is the > same thing all over again. Actually, Pat, I think the (extremely overworked) Information Superhighway analogy fits rather well in answering this question: it's not the backbone that's slow and it's not the interstate highways that are slow; it's all the congestion involved in getting in/on and off again that wastes time. My ISP may have a grand T1 connection to the Internet but I may be using my ISP account with a 33mhz 486 and a 14.4 modem. One step up the line from me, my ISP may actually have a bank of modems faster than my own, but be laboring under the load of a huge number of customers all trying to make use of the great deal they got on their new accounts when the ISP decided on the latest cut-rate new-subscriber offer to advertise. Somewhere up the line from there, the backbone of the Internet is happily pushing stuff around at the speed of light, while data arriving at its destinations backs up on the exit ramps. > And although I am not trying to be particularly protective of the 'jerks > who send out thousands of pieces of mail trying to sell something' there > *are* a lot of people using the net who are as equally sincere in their > efforts as you and I. I honestly do not think many of the people who do > junkmail and spam realize they are considered offensive. PAT] Well, I think they do, but they rationalize it by thinking that if only 3% of the recipients are complaining, then they can't be doing anything wrong. And those who get their accounts yanked shortly thereafter are probably embarrassed enough; they're not likely to go publicizing their fate in some effort to ward off the next round of suckers ready to buy Floodgate, Lightning Bolt, Spewmaster, Barfomatic or whatever the next overpriced perl package will be labeled. (Side note: How interesting that the product being advertised via junk email is almost invariably the junk emailing package itself.) And on a local level, yes, the jerks can have a slowing effect on both their system and the target systems. The recipients must store, download and wade through the junk, and the jerk's host must cope with the angry responses sent in reply. Through all this, the Internet backbone goes on its merry way, cheerfully pushing TELECOM Digest, Floodgate and Make Money Fast all over the world. Andrew C. Green (312) 266-4431 Datalogics, Inc. 441 W. Huron Internet: acg@dlogics.com Chicago, IL 60610-3498 FAX: (312) 266-4473 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Query: Ummm ... do I hear my name being taken in vain? PAT] ------------------------------ From: wollman@halloran-eldar.lcs.mit.edu (Garrett Wollman) Subject: Re: Why is the Internet So Slow? Date: 26 Aug 1996 11:41:33 GMT Organization: MIT Laboratory for Computer Science In article , Mark Friedman <71534.332@CompuServe.COM> wrote: > I am performing some research and am interested in hearing from anyone > with an interesting theory of why Internet access is so slow? [I deduce from the rest of the question that you really mean "World Wide Web browsing is so slow". "Internet access" in general is pretty speedy.] > Is it the data com backbone, the protocol, the routers, the > Servers, or the browsers? All of the above, plus one you didn't mention which is more important than all the rest: the poorly-designed content. Let's take each of these in turn: 1) The backbone. The principal problem is that there isn't one; rather, there are a fairly large number of competing providers of long-haul IP service, which have engineered their networks with varying degrees of success. Which network or networks you use depends on a large number of factors, including who your local provider is, who the other end's local provider is, where you (and they) are located, and what bilateral agreements exist between various providers and long-haul carriers. One of the principal problems in this area is that many of the attachment points -- where multiple providers exchange traffic -- are underengineered. 2) The protocol. The primary protocol of the World Wide Web, HTTP, runs over the primary protocol of the Internet generally, TCP. In order for standard TCP to work, every connection involves no fewer than three round trips from the origin to the destination. A single round trip can take as much as a second or two depending on how and where each end of the connection is attached to the network. A modified version of TCP, called Transaction TCP or T/TCP, reduces this to two round trips, but it is not widely deployed. None of this would have come into play if HTTP had been designed better to begin with; work is progressing to fix HTTP so that it no longer requires a new connection for each request, but it will be some time before this is widely deployed. 3) The routers. Most routers in the Intenet today use a queueing model which unfairly penalizes bursty connec