Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 22:10:51 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #751 Message-ID: <9109172210.ab07402@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> TELECOM Digest Tue, 17 Sep 91 22:10:35 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 751 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Don't Remove the 1+ = TOLL (was Running Out of Codes) [Ken Weaverling] Re: Opportunity For Getting Back at AOS's [Linc Madison] Re: Voice Mail and Extra Lines [Andy Brager] Re: Voice Mail and Extra Lines [Sean Williams] Re: LD Company Wants Church to Switch [Andy Sherman] Re: Area Code / Exchange Software Program [Carl Moore] Re: Monkey Business (or Pair-Hunting in Toronto) [Mike Morris] Re: Monkey Business (or Pair-Hunting in Toronto) [Bud Couch] Re: Selective Ringing on Party Lines [Harold Hallikainen] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ken Weaverling Subject: Re: Don't Remove the 1+ = TOLL (was Running Out of Area Codes) Date: 17 Sep 91 05:05:46 GMT Organization: University of Delaware In article John Higdon writes: > Tony Harminc writes: >> Customers were certainly not thinking "I dial 1 because my local CO is >> SxS and can't handle things without it". That initial 1 meant long >> distance, and long distance meant money. > But this is just an ignorant association on the part of telephone > users. Are you saying that if you so perceive something then it is so? We do not perceive, we are told, and told over decades. > Just because customers "made up" the idea that '1' = "toll charge" > does not give it historical validity. No. I think the sentence above should replace historical with national. I've been in Delaware for 30 years, and 1+ meaning "non-local" has always been this way. An example. Just now, I called downstate (toll) sans 1+ and got ... "When dialing beyond your local area, first dial the number 1. 1 is not required on local calls" If I dial a "local" call and use 1+7D, I get the same intercept message. If I dial a 302 number using 1+302+7D I get "This call can not be completed as dialed." Indeed, our "flat rate" area in Delaware has recently grown to county wide, and those additional exchanges now do not now allow a 1+ dialed. Local calls to neighboring states, (like 215-444) are also dialed with a simple 7D number, sans 1+. Making 1+ mean "toll" also allows me to program outgoing modems to only dial seven digits and not worry about toll charges. (I get the impression that Diamond State Telephone is one of the few that has flat rate unlimited local calling for business lines ...) I would much rather dial 1+302 to dial non-local calls within my area code, than to eliminate 1+7D for non-local calls within our area code. However, in 302 land, this may not be a problem, since there is talk of making the entire damn area code a local calling area, therefore there will be no need for 1+7D ! Ken Weaverling weave@brahms.udel.edu ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 01:05:31 PDT From: Linc Madison Subject: Re: Opportunity For Getting Back at AOS's Organization: University of California, Berkeley In article Pat replies to my post: > [Moderator's Note: Even though the telcos advertise their one-number > cards widely, they *do not* encourage their subscribers to same to > advertise the assigned number widely. ... Again, PAT, I disagree. Evidently you didn't see the same television ad I saw showing a yellow pages ad with a "one-number" calling card number listed. That ad ran right around the time Pac*Bell first introduced their "call-me" card. Linc Madison = linc@tongue1.berkeley.edu = ucbvax!tongue1!linc ------------------------------ From: Andy Brager Subject: Re: Voice Mail and Extra Lines Organization: Wonder Server - Public Access for SoCal Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1991 08:09:45 GMT In article jjwcmp@ultb.isc.rit.edu (Jeff Wasilko) writes: > I've been spending more and more time on-line lately, so I thought I'd > explore what options Rochester Tel offered so I wouldn't miss calls > when I'm on the modem. > Well, that's a lot of money for a glorified anwering machine, > especially since I already have a nice PhoneMate machine (Strike 1). I > figured I'd pick up a second measured line, use it for incoming calls > and keep my unmeasured line for outgoing calls. Rochester Tel insists > that all lines for one customer be of the same type ... (strike 2) GTE also told me that both my lines had to have the same type of service. They told me the FCC (? PUC? Hmmmmm.) requires it. Could this be true?? Andy If I bounce, PLEASE send a copy of the *whole* message including the headers, to andyb@stb.info.com. I occasionally bounce my own mail. Please help me to localize the problem. Thank you. ------------------------------ From: "WILLIAMS, Sean E." Subject: Re: Voice Mail and Extra Lines Reply-To: sxw7490@ritvax.isc.rit.edu Organization: Rochester Institute of Technology Date: 17 SEP 91 14:46:17 In article , jjwcmp@ultb.isc.rit.edu (Jeff Wasilko) writes: > There is no order charge to have voicemail or CF activated (Hmm, > sounds like us ratepayers are doin' some subsidisin'). United Telephone never charged for MessageLine service either. It was explained to me that by doing it this way, they get more of the "not sure if I really need it" customers to subscribe by saying "and there's no connection fee!" Sometimes a line like that is just enough to close a deal with an indecisive customer. With call forwarding, you get no such luxury. They make you shell over $6.00. Sean Rochester Institute of Technology (CAST) SXW7490@ritvax.isc.rit.edu ------------------------------ From: Andy Sherman Subject: Re: LD Company Wants Church to Switch Date: 17 Sep 91 14:39:17 GMT Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Murray Hill, NJ, USA In article greg%turbo.atl.ga.us@ mathcs.emory.edu (Greg Montgomery) writes: > According to a pricing sheet they gave us, they offer slightly lower > rates than AT&T, usually differing from AT&T by from a few cents a > minute to a few tenths of a cent a minute. Their proposal is that we > get our members to switch over to Excel, and each member tries to get > more people to switch over to Excel. The church receives 5% of the > long distance usage of all the customers it switches to Excel. Also, > if we get other churches to join this program, we will receive 1% of > all the long distance usage of that church's customers. Which AT&T rates are they talking about. If they are within a few cents per minute of AT&T's standard rates, then they are no bargain. First of all, you are paying close to premium prices and not getting the premium service offered by AT&T (and possibly our major competitors). Second of all, if you do any appreciable volume of long distance, you should qualify for an optional calling plan, like Reach Out(R), which would be cheaper than the Excel rate. Either way, you lose. If you are a light user, you will pay close to top dollar for Brand-X service. If you are a heavy user, you will overpay compared to the discount plans offered by the majors. > Also, all the customers that stay with Excel for five > months get free airfare to a few destinations (Bahamas, Hawaii, > Mexico, etc), of course with several catches (You have to stay at > certain hotels, for a certain period of time, etc.). Well, with the kickbacks to the church and the giveaways, one can see why their prices are as high as a real phone company. Normally value diminished resellers are at least cheap. > After this, there are also other "incentive" programs. Our church has > 800 families, so if a few joined up, and got some other people to > join, we could get some money out of this. My question is does this > sound like a good idea? Our church needs the money, so it sounds > better than if we didn't need the money as bad. But, if this company > is slime, I doubt we'd do it. I've heard all the horror stories about > AOS's, but I believe those are just for COCOTs and similar stuff, and > not long distance, right? Check them out. Demand references from other non-profit organizations that they've worked with. Get a credit report on them. Find out about your right to audit the payouts. And find out how they provide operator service *AND HOW MUCH THEY CHARGE FOR IT*. They either have to employ their own operators or contract with an AOS. > Right now, I'm an AT&T customer, and if this plan was approved, I'd be > kind of hesitant to switch over. I'm used to AT&T's good operators, > good connections, etc., and I'm kind of hesitant about switching, as I > don't know if Excel will be as good. I doubt that their quality and service will even approach AT&T's. As Jim Allard pointed out in the epitaph for his honest AOS, AT&T has set high standards for quality, service, and value. Excel sounds like they will not live up to those standards, except by exacting a premium price. I agree with John Higdon. Go get the best price you can from a real phone company, preferably AT&T. Then make a separate decision on how much to tithe to the church. If you want increase your contribution if you get a good deal. (R) Reach Out is a registered service mark of AT&T Andy Sherman/AT&T Bell Laboratories/Murray Hill, NJ AUDIBLE: (908) 582-5928 READABLE: andys@ulysses.att.com or att!ulysses!andys What? Me speak for AT&T? You must be joking! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 11:18:40 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: Re: Area Code / Exchange Software Program You write of Buffalo exchanges near Houston; this Buffalo is a nonpostal name (yes, I get nonpostal names used as place names for other telephone exchanges). There is, however, a Buffalo post office and telephone exchange elsewhere in Texas (the post office is in Leon County, and the zip code is 75831). Similar thing happens with the name Jefferson, in Pennsylvania. There is a Jefferson telephone exchange in York County, but it turns out to be in the town which is called Codorus by the postal service. It is not to be confused with Jefferson in southwestern Pa. ------------------------------ From: Mike Morris Subject: Re: Monkey Business (or Pair-Hunting in Toronto) Organization: College Park Software, Altadena, CA Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1991 07:52:48 GMT john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) writes: > Jamie Mason writes: >> What do you people know about these AML-II boxes? > Subscriber carrier is the worst disaster that > could befall you and your house. Well, maybe that's pushing it a little. Fire, Tornado, Flood, any of those would give him more problems than Line 2 being subscriber carrier. > My first suggestion (short of demanding the thing be ripped out by the > roots) is to supply that "6-8 volts" you mentioned from a suitable > transformer. Any old "princess" or "trimline" transformer will do. > Why? because if you use the phone a lot and get a lot of calls, the > NiCad will eventually die since it can only charge when you and the > metallic customer are off the phone. You will know the battery is > dying when there is so much noise and distortion that you can no > longer converse over the line. I second the motion. Get a transformer and hook it up. Do it soon, as who knows how old the nicads are right now. >> Since this is a >> multiplexer, it (by definition) reduces the bandwidth of each of the >> lines it is on. I am told a copper pair has *much* higher bandwidth >> than a single phone line, so there should be no problems with my modem >> (2400 baud). Has anyone had experience with this type of installation? > I never tried using a modem over the blasted thing. In theory there > should be no problem. But who knows how good the phase integrity is or > how linear the response is? If no one else responds, you can report > back to us. I did. 300 baud worked. 1200 baud worked most of the time. 2400 baud worked rarely. If you have to keep the carrier system, put the modem on the metalic line. >> Am I going to get line noise? How good is the isolation: am I going to >> experience crosstalk? Are there any juicy tidbits of information >> about these boxes or personal experiences with them which you would be >> willing to share? :-) > It will be more noisy than a straight phone line, but not much. You > will lose CPC (loop signal) from the CO. There is no crosstalk. The > "isolator" that you found simply protects you (the carrier customer) > from anything that the metallic customer might do such as short the > line, etc. To add a detail, the CPC is what makes an answering machine stop recording when the calling party hangs up. So don't be suprised if that bit of behavior changes. Mike Morris WA6ILQ PO Box 1130 Arcadia, CA. 91077 818-447-7052 All opinions must be my own since nobody pays me enough to be their mouthpiece... ------------------------------ From: Bud Couch Subject: Re: Monkey Business Organization: Kentrox Industries, Inc. Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1991 22:33:13 GMT In article John Higdon writes: > Subscriber carrier is the worst disaster that could befall you and > your house. John, this sort of bald statement is not you: it's neither true nor credible. Some subscriber carrier is not perfect, and I'm not familiar with the unit which provoked this diatribe, but "subscriber carrier" is not the work of the devil, as you imply. In many cases, the choice is between sub cxr or no phone at all. I'm sure that you are aware of how long it takes to install new cable. "It should have been planned for" is a goal, but not always achievable. In these cases subscriber carrier is an effective way to provide service. > I was the carrier subscriber once. What I did not know was that at one > point GTE terminated the service of the metallic customer, battery and > all. Slowly, but surely, the quality of my telephone conversations was > going down the tubes. Finally, suspicious that the battery was > croaking, I checked the pair and found no dial tone or battery on the > metallic side. I can see that your experience may have soured you on sub cxr, but the problems that you experienced were not a fault of the unit, but rather of the administration of the wire plant. Do you condemn multi-pair cable because you once had a line with a bridge tap on it that produced noise? > These boxes are known in the biz as "GTE's substitute for adequate > facilities". Again, it is almost impossible to believe that any > company with 'Bell' in the name would stoop so low. Read his post again, John. His "Bell" is in Canada, and has some of the same situations which led GTE to use these devices; that is: long loops with low traffic on them, and few large cities with short loop, high traffic business subscribers to provide large cash flows and capital. Bud Couch - ADC/Kentrox If my employer only knew... standard BS applies ------------------------------ From: Harold Hallikainen Subject: Re: Selective Ringing on Party Lines Organization: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1991 05:14:34 GMT In article mitel!Software!meier@ uunet.uu.net (Rolf Meier) writes: > In article hhallika@nike.calpoly.edu > (Harold Hallikainen) writes: >> Is ringer frequency selective ringing used on party lines anymore? > It is very common in REA territory. Even if the switch has no more > party lines, it is possible that several ringing frequencies have to > be supported. This is because it would be very expensive to change > out all the telephones which are out there. It is cheaper to provide > a ringing generator for the right frequency. > Frequency selective ringing was a requirement for the REA approval > of the Mitel GX5000. With a modern digital switch, could we not add one most significant bit to the A/D that ups the output of the A/D from the normal voice level to the ringer level? Then, we could generate ringing in software! Do any frequency or waveform you want! End of TELECOM Digest V11 #751 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa03981; 18 Sep 91 23:32 EDT Received: from mailinglists.eecs.nwu.edu by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id bg14750; 18 Sep 91 12:08 CDT Received: from mailinglists.eecs.nwu.edu by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id aa17391; 17 Sep 91 23:02 CDT Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 23:02:13 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator [To]: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #752 BCC: Message-ID: <9109172302.aa29990@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> TELECOM Digest Tue, 17 Sep 91 23:02:00 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 752 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Administrivia: Troubles With Mail Continue [TELECOM Moderator] Phone Outage Again? [J. Philip Miller] Re: Questions About Wire Maintainence Plan [John J. DiLeo] Re: Don't Remove the 1+ = TOLL (was Running Out of Codes) [Carl Moore] Re: Don't Remove the 1+ = TOLL (was Running Out of Codes) [Ralph W. Hyre] Re: It's Heeerrre ... [Dave Levenson] Re: Computer Security and ISDN - Need Information [Thomas J. Roberts] Re: Caller-ID Box Sought [Jim Langridge] Re: Israeli Hacker Caught [David Snearline] New Service Idea (was Re: Roomate From Hell) [Frederick G.M. Roeber] Re: Ten Years Ago in TELECOM Digest - September, 1981 [Elizabeth Schwartz] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 22:16:02 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator Subject: Administrivia: Troubles With Mail Continue As of Tuesday evening, the program here which delivers copies of the Digest to the names on the mailing list is still out of order. I am attempting other methods to get the Digest out to the list, but I do not know yet how well it is working. The Digest is going out okay to comp.dcom.telecom, and I hope those of the list readers who see this message will explain to others what the problem is. Once things are moving again, the list readers will get a big backlog of issues from Monday and Tuesday. Patrick Townson ------------------------------ From: "J. Philip Miller" Subject: Phone Outage Again? Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 20:11:45 CDT A local news bulletin just indicated that all flights from Illinois, Missouri and six other midwestern states were not able to take off for destinations to NY, Boston and other airports in the East because of "phone line outages". What's up (down:-) this time? J. Philip Miller, Professor, Division of Biostatistics, Box 8067 Washington University Medical School, St. Louis MO 63110 phil@wubios.WUstl.edu - Internet (314) 362-3617 uunet!wuarchive!wubios!phil - UUCP (314)362-2693(FAX) C90562JM@WUVMD - bitnet [Moderator's Note: This was on the Channel 9 news just now, but they were not clear on the exact nature of the outage ... only that communications between the towers and flight centers was out. Few flights are moving between eastern/midwest cities at this time. More details when I have them. PAT] ------------------------------ From: "John J. DiLeo" Subject: Re: Questions About Wire Maintainence Plan Date: 17 Sep 91 20:33:46 GMT Organization: Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity In article , ivgate!macnet!jim.redelfs@ uunet.uu.net writes: > If the customer ordered the optional service at the time of installing > their service, we will repair or replace defective, STANDARD wire and > jacks -- even if the home they just moved into is a real "basket case", > with torn-out jacks and wire used as clothesline. This is the response which I *EXPECTED* when I ordered the service. I also expected Quad wire (by this I do mean the really cheap stranded 26AWG stuff that Radio Shack sells as "standard" phone wire) to be considered acceptable by C&P. But I was wrong. One item which I didn't mention was that the technician noted that the house's original jack installation was fine (this was Bell System 22AWG?? overall-twist cable) and connected it. Since moving in, I have been making do with that one jack, since I haven't had time to work on the "substandard" wiring. > This is occasionally frustrating for me as a the technician that must > fix all the damage, but hey! ... it helps pays my wage, so I'm not > complaining. Just out of curiosity, how close is your wage to the $1/minute (actually $16 per 15 minutes or fraction, plus $40 call fee) which customers are charged?? I'm not really asking you to tell me how much you're paid, I just expect that it's a good deal less than $64/hour. > Very recently, it was announced that we will no longer use "Quad" > wire, and that four-pair (twisted) will be considered the new STANDARD. > I am reasonably sure that grandfathered installations of quad will > continue to be covered under our Linebacker plan, but that new > installations must be of the four-pair type. Another interesting fact that came from my "service" call is that inside wiring of greater than six pairs will not be covered, regardless of what quality it is or who installed it. This could prove a problem for someone who inherits John Higdon's inside wiring 8-). > At the VERY least, anyone that is a Linebacker subscriber is NOT > charged for the visit. If the trouble is a defective set, or > non-standard wire or installation, we will not repair or replace the > stuff, but there is NO charge for the call. Not so here. If you have the Wire Maintenance Plan and the problem is in your phone instrument, you WILL be charged a minimum of $56. If you have the Guardian Plan ($2.00/mo. instead of $.85/mo.), you will not be charged and you get a loaner phone, but the phone cannot be fixed by C&P (I know that they aren't allowed to service instruments, I'm just noting the division). > I'll disconnect the bogus stuff for the Linebacker customer and then > politely explain WHY I won't fix it. This is what the C&P technician did. He just ruled that nearly ALL of my wire was bogus, and he would have to charge me to LOCATE the trouble, let alone fix it. John DiLeo dileo@brl.mil ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 16:40:11 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: Re: Don't Remove the 1+ = TOLL (was Running Out of Area Codes) Oh, you're not sure if 1-313-555-1212 works inside 313, when 313 now requires 1 + NPA + 7D on all toll calls, even within 313? 1-NPA-555-1212 is what I have for long distance DA within 301 (I'm at a location which is to move to 410). ------------------------------ From: "Ralph W. Hyre" Subject: Re: Don't Remove the 1+ = TOLL (was Running Out of Area Codes) Date: 17 Sep 91 19:57:03 GMT Reply-To: "Ralph W. Hyre" Organization: AT&T OSS Development, Cincinnati In article David Lesher writes: > I suspect that you will find a common thread. If the area is > {predominantly} flat rated, such as OH, the Twin Cities, DC area, and > most of FL, (only naming the ones I have experience in ...) then 1+ > means "TOLL." This explains John's and my different perceptions of telecom 'reality' and history. I've never lived in a measured-only area, so I have never become accustomed to paying 'extra' for local calls. I always took the flat rate options when I lived in Boston and Pittsburgh, even though they probably cost more than measured for my calling patterns. The Cincinnati Bell phone book, as my telephone system user's guide reinforces the perception that 1+ means 'toll'. The fact that the Ohio PUC requires 1+ makes it real history in my state, not 'revisionist' history. [disclaimer: I don't pretend to understand PUC reasoning. There is a push by the governor of Ohio to make PUC members more 'accountable', which the state legislature is resisting, it will be interesting to see who they become more accountable to.] (BTW, in some independent telco areas of Ohio, I have to dial either 1+950 or 0+950 to complete my OCC calls, so the analogy doesn't always hold.) Ralph W. Hyre, Jr. (N3FGW, rhyre@cinoss1.att.com) Alternate e-mail: rhyre@attmail.com Phone: +1 513 629 7288 ------------------------------ From: Dave Levenson Subject: Re: It's Heeerrre ... Date: 18 Sep 91 01:30:25 GMT Organization: Westmark, Inc., Warren, NJ, USA In article , john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) writes: > Although I have not observed it lately, my 1ESS used to do a peculiar > thing with forwarding. Forwarding would sometimes take several minutes > to actually take effect, even though I had received the confirmation > tones. Sometimes when I cleared forwarding, it really was not cleared > -- again after hearing the two tones. Most bizzare were the times I > would clear forwarding and it would actually clear, but then > re-establish itself later to some previously forwarded-to number. I remember hearing stories about that when 1ESS was introduced in Morristown, NJ, back in the early 1970's. A NJ Bell employee explained it thusly: There are two processors, one running the switch, and the other reading all the inputs, and not writing to memory or producing any outputs. The idea was that the second processor was a hot standby, and capable of taking over control of the switch if the active one 'failed'. When you turned on (or off) forwarding, you made an entry in the 'recent change store' memory of the active processor. The active processor would update its RCS and would always scan it before looking in the translation store for call processing instructions. At regular intervals, the RCS was written into translation store, which was shared by both processors. RCS was then cleared, and made ready for new 'recent change' data. Administrative changes (such as subscriber number and class-of-service changes) were also written into RCS first, and into translations later. When a processor switch occurred, the newly-active processor was able to access the shared translations store, but not the other processor's RCS. So some recent changes were lost, until the mate processor was restored to service, or until its RCS could be dumped into translations. This was supposed to have been fixed with the introduction of the 1A-ESS switch, where RCS and translations are both disk resident, and both shared. Dave Levenson Internet: dave@westmark.com Westmark, Inc. UUCP: {uunet | rutgers | att}!westmark!dave Warren, NJ, USA AT&T Mail: !westmark!dave Voice: 908 647 0900 Fax: 908 647 6857 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 12:14:27 CDT From: Thomas J Roberts Subject: Re: Computer Security and ISDN - Need Information Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories In , john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) writes: > Dave Levenson writes: >> Perhaps I mis-understood something, but isn't it the D channel that >> handles the lamps, display, and buttons on the Centrex feature? > Yes, and since ISDN is only available with Centrex, that does not > leave a lot left over for the customer to use in the D channel. > Pac*Bell has strange ideas for ISDN outside of Centrex, if the company > ever makes it available at all. There is LOTS to do with the D channel - X.25 data! I am typing this via an ISDN D-channel X.25 data-circuit which connects me to my UNIX host computer. I can simultaneously use all of the buttons, lamps and display on the phone (AT&T 7507), all of which operate over the D channel. With other terminal equipment, I could have up to 15 simultaneous X.25 logical channels connected via the D channel (but it is only 16 kilobits/sec). This is ISDN Centrex from Illinois Bell, implemented with an AT&T 5ESS(R) Switch, in Naperville Illinois. This is where the 5ESS Switch is designed and developed. Yes, this is Illinois Bell's standard tariffed offering, with nothing special for us developers (though I believe we do have an arrangement with them for First Office Applications on this switch). Earlier in this thread someone mentioned that they thought Pac Bell would be offering ISDN *without* the D channel. This does NOT make sense! Without the D channel, you CANNOT setup or receive phone calls (data OR voice). Probably what was meant is that ISDN will be offered without D-channel DATA (i.e. the X.25 optional service on the D channel). In my opinion, that eliminates most of the real value added that ISDN provides - simple, economical 16 kb/sec data connections, without any additional wiring (I can make a data call to the data port of any ISDN phone on this campus, as long as it has ISDN D-channel installed -- VERY useful for PC-to-PC communications). Tom Roberts AT&T Bell Laboratories att!ihlpl!tjrob TJROB@IHLPL.ATT.COM ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 10:59:27 edt From: jlangri@relay.nswc.navy.mil Subject: Re: Caller-ID Box Sought In article is written: > I'm looking for a simple CallerID box that provides an RS-232 asynch > output. It doesn't need a local display or memory. > Ideally, it would cost between US $40-60, as I need a number of them. Talk about the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing! I evaluated CLASMATE 10 from Bell Atlantic Business Systems about eight to ten months ago. I was impressed. The CLASMATE 10 sells for about $50.00. It includes software that can link ICLID to pc dbases. It also has it's own little database program that keeps record of the last ten or so calls. The device itself is about the size of a pack of filter king smokes. I had to return the CLASMATE after my evaluations. It seems CONTEL considers my office to be in a rural area and has no plans to provide Caller ID there. But it worked great at home. Bell Atlantic Business Systems is at 1 800 523-0552. Jim Langridge | jlangri@relay.nswc.navy.mil Synetics Corp. | (703) 663 2137 24 Danube Dr. | (703) 663 3050 (FAX) King George, VA.| 22485-5000 ------------------------------ From: davids@caen.engin.umich.edu (David Snearline) Subject: Re: Israeli Hacker Caught Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 08:21:09 EDT Organization: University of Michigan Engineering, Ann Arbor In djcl@bnw.debe.fl.us (Dave Leibold) wrote: > Deri Schriebman, an 18-year old computer whiz from Carmiel in > northern Isreal, "hacked" his way into the Pentagon's computer system, > reading and copying classified information on the Patriot missle > defense system and other top secret U.S. military programs. Considering that clasified information is not allowed to be stored on any machines connected to the Internet, one wonders how much "classified" information was actually on the system, and much is merely the media making hot air. David Snearline davids@engin.umich.edu CAEN Network Support University of Michigan Engineering ------------------------------ From: roeber@cithe1.cithep.caltech.edu Subject: New Service Idea (was Re: Roomate From Hell...) Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1991 17:39:37 GMT In the "Roommate from Hell" thread John Higdon presented his ideas on sharing phone service (like, "don't"), and many people replied with comments about how expensive the installation of the additional lines could be. This triggered an idea for another telco service: separate accounts on the same pair, accessed via a PIN code. Then a houseful of students who make the "ten calls a month" could share the same phone, but each would get his own bill for his own usage. Combined with the Distinctive Ringing stuff, each student could have his own phone number. "Virtual circuits" if you will. No installation required, merely a SMOP. By any chance, is this already available? It seems obvious ... Frederick G. M. Roeber | CERN -- European Center for Nuclear Research e-mail: roeber@caltech.edu or roeber@cern.ch | work: +41 22 767 31 80 r-mail: CERN/PPE, 1211 Geneva 23, Switzerland | home: +33 50 42 19 44 [Moderator's Note: Yes, it is available. Universities often use ACUS for this purpose on dormitory room phones. This requires that a PIN be used to place calls. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Elizabeth Schwartz Subject: Re: Ten Years Ago in TELECOM Digest - September, 1981 Organization: University of Massachusetts at Boston Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1991 05:13:55 GMT In article telecom@eecs.nwu.edu (TELECOM Moderator) writes: > Here's some stuff the telecom crowd was discussing ten years ago this > week in the Digest: > Date: 12 Sep 1981 03:25:31-PDT > From: ucbopt!quarles at Berkeley > Subject: Strange telephone problem > Here is an interesting problem for the telephone experts. I > have been getting calls all day long recently that are driving me > crazy, and Pacific Telephone can't seem to figure out what could be > happening or how to stop it. My phone rings, I pick it up, and find So here we are, ten years later ... Was the Mystery ever Solved? Ten years later ... is there an Answer? Was it Elvis? Betsy Schwartz Internet: betsys@cs.umb.edu System Administrator BITNET:ESCHWARTZ%UMBSKY.DNET@NS.UMB.EDU U-Mass Boston Computer Science Dept. Harbor Campus Boston, MA 02125-3393 ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #752 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa06794; 19 Sep 91 1:01 EDT Received: from mailinglists.eecs.nwu.edu by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id bh14750; 18 Sep 91 12:17 CDT Received: from mailinglists.eecs.nwu.edu by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id aa00753; 17 Sep 91 23:41 CDT Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 23:40:47 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator [To]: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #753 BCC: Message-ID: <9109172340.aa27026@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> TELECOM Digest Tue, 17 Sep 91 23:40:23 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 753 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson New Ideas in IP, 900, Conferencing [Daniel Lance Herrick] MCI Offers its Calling Card For Germans! [Juergen Ziegler] CB vs. Cellular in Accident [Dave Leibold] Wanted: DID Trunk Interface, Cards, or Equivalent [David Holleb] Need Cell-U-Soft's Phone Number [Jim Langridge] Re: USA Direct(R) is a Registered Service Mark of AT&T [Andy Sherman] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Daniel Lance Herrick Subject: New Ideas in IP, 900, Conferencing Date: Mon, 16 Sep 91 22:16:42 EDT Back in February, 1990, I took a week's training from Jay Abraham. The package included 13 weekly Alliance calls followed by nine monthly conference calls in groups of about 50 with Jay. The training was in applying Jay's principles to marketing. The conference calls were amazingly effective in cementing the material presented in the original face to face seminar and in various written and audio materials. Jay got the experience of doing almost 600 conference calls for training people in more effective marketing. While that was going on, his partner, Bill Clark, was working with AT&T on two projects, both interesting to Telecom readers. One was extending the Alliance bridge technology from a conference limit of 80 ports to a limit of several hundred ports (there was a lot of talk about 700; I don't know where the technology ended up). The goal was to sell a weekly series of conference calls to business owners to develop their marketing muscles. Instead of going to Los Angeles for a week of information overload (we worked about 100 hours of seminar time into that week), they could get a three or four hour dose and spend a week applying it in their own business before the next dose. They could gather a few key employees around a speakerphone for one fee. They could even share a single fee with another business owner and both do the course. He wanted the capacity to be high enough to handle a reasonable enrollment, so they were developing the "Super Conference Bridge". The second issue was negotiations with AT&T marketing management. Bill's plan was to use 1-900 for billing the seminars at about $2 per minute. The sticking point was that Jay and Bill want only satisfied customers. So they always work with a no questions asked money back guarantee. For example, the training I took involved a check for full payment or a check for one third followed by twelve monthly installments by credit card. Either way, the initial payment was not deposited until the second day of the training. Anyone who was unsatisfied at that point could take his check and go home. (Two of the two hundred in my training session did so. A hundred and ninety eight did not.) You know that that is not the way 900 calls are billed. I have a copy of a letter (somewhere in my piling system) from AT&T to Abraham Publishing announcing a new high class 900 information service that is so high quality there is an after the fact money back guarantee. The letter has a clever name for this new product, a special logo, and an announcement that Abraham Publishing is currently the only vendor that meets AT&T's high standards for offering this service. Getting that letter was more work than getting the Super Conference Bridge working. It authorizes Abraham Publishing to use the streaked globe AT&T logo, another rarity. I participated in three tests of the Super Conference Bridge. One was a call to area code 702 (Nevada) where the bridge is located. I know there were more than a hundred of us on that call, but the connections between the ordinary bridges were not equalized. Some participants were right beside me, others were severely attenuated. Some were noisy -- the voice distorted or over static. The second test was done with an 800 number (Abraham paid all the tolls). Things were smoother but not done yet. The third test was done on a 900 number at 36c per minute. That was when I learned that I can not call 900 numbers except from home. I suspect that that detail is why the series of conference calls is going to run on an 800 number. (No hidden charges -- one fee to Abraham Publishing and it covers all the expenses.) Abraham Publishing intends to make 900 information provision respectable. However, this first offering is going out on 800. The series is going to be nine weekly conferences, on Thursday or Saturday, beginning 26 and 28 September. Payments (checks or credit cards) will not be deposited until the day after the session (for each session). If you don't feel you received concrete profit strategies worth many times the cost of the call, YOU DON'T PAY AT ALL! If you own a business and want to learn how to double your profits, or make your sales half again as much, call +1-213-791-2300 and tell them Dan Herrick told you to ask about the conference call series. There is an 800 number with a recording of Jay in action and some other things about the conference calls, but I won't broadcast that number to the world. You can get it by asking at the (213) number above or by calling me at +1-216-974-9637. dan dlh@NCoast.org +1-216-974-9637 dlh Performance Marketing POBox 1419 Mentor, Ohio 44061 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 17:55 From: "Juergen, ZIEGLER" Subject: MCI Offers its Calling Card For Germans! Hi TELECOM Digest readers, MCI offers its calling card for German citizens. The MCI operator and MCI customer service can be reached toll-free from Germany. The charges will be billed on a major credit card (Mastercard, Eurocard, Visa, ...). You will receive a monthly statement of all calls placed on your calling card. The card can also be used for calls within the USA, calls from the USA, and for calls from other countries to the States as well as UK, etc. Telephone numbers: from Germany (west only, due to technical problems in east Germany, toll-free) MCI operator 0130 - 00 12 MCI customer service 0130 - 81 54 17 from the UK (toll-free) MCI operator 0800 - 890 222 MCI customer service 0800 - 891 852 Charges: for a call from Germany to the USA (operator-assisted only) operator/card charge per call $2.00 1st minute $1.68 each additional minute $1.03 plus taxes .... for a call from the UK to the USA (operator-assisted only) operator/card charge per call $2.00 1st minute $1.43 each additional minute $0.93 for further information, you may ask the MCI customer service. The charge for an direct dial call from Germany to the USA is DM 3.12/minute (approx. $1.8). US-Sprint has an similair service, but you need an US telephone-number and postal-address. ATT does not offer such cards for foreigners (security problems?). Juergen BITNET : UJ32@DKAUNI2.BITNET Internet : UJ32@ibm3090.rz.uni-karlsruhe.dbp.de X.400 : S=UJ32;OU=ibm3090;OU=rz;P=uni-karlsruhe;A=dbp;C=de ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 00:59:00 PDT From: Dave Leibold Subject: CB vs Cellular in Accident The Associated Press reports of an traffic accident involving a woman afflicted with muscular dystrophy. A flatbed truck ran her off the road (State 2, south of Exit 11, Glastonbury, CT area). Her van overturned when it was forced off the road. One quote from the article mentioned that "As soon as she could, she reached for her cellular telephone to dial 911 but got a busy signal". Would this be the result of having a cell phone out of range (if so, where does the busy signal come in?). Or is there a problem with dialing 911 in some parts of Connecticut? Another question that could be asked was whether she tried to contact other cell numbers such as 0 or 411 or whatever. In any event, the woman managed to take her wheelchair battery and in three hours splice wires to power her CB (the van battery had since died out). After various calls on the truckers CB Channel 19 (why not the emergency channel 9?) and having 20 people ignore calls for help, a trucker finally took notice and arrived to help ten hours after the incident. dleibold@attmail.com djcl@sol.cs.fau.edu djcl@bnw.debe.fl.us Dave Leibold - via FidoNet node 1:3609/1 UUCP: !djcl INTERNET: djcl@bnw.debe.fl.us [Moderator's Note: Citizen's Band Radio is still a viable alternative to cellular phones; or perhaps it should be considered a way to complement cellular service in poor/no coverage areas. We still have our little Radio Shack CB in the car, although we rarely use it for anything but laughs these days with others on the air. PAT] ------------------------------ From: David Holleb Subject: Wanted: DID Trunk Interface, Cards, or Equivalent Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 10:34:35 GMT Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) WANTED: (hopefuuly used or cheap) DID cards or equivalent equipment that can act as a DID trunk interface unit to a loop trunk interface. Must have DID power source, ring generator, and ringback tone generator, with wink start. Being new in the telephony field, the above was translated by the supplier of my voice-mail hardware, so if it's not quite right, hopefully you'll know what I'm talking about. I need to get DID pulse digits at the input, from the phone company and get DTMF tones out, to go into the voicemail card. Please let me know ASAP, if you have the above specific equipment, or leads where I can get it, preferably in the S.F. bay area, or if you have any other equipment that might do more than the above, but can be used as a DID trunk interface. Thank you. E-mail reply or call 415-329-9619, 24 hours! David ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 10:46:14 edt From: jlangri@relay.nswc.navy.mil Subject: Need Cell-U-Soft's Phone Number Can anyone provide me with the phone number for Cell-U-Soft(sp?). There was some discussion about them and their PROM for Novatel phones a while back. Thanks in advance. Jim Langridge | jlangri@relay.nswc.navy.mil Synetics Corp. | (703) 663 2137 24 Danube Dr. | (703) 663 3050 (FAX) King George, VA.| 22485-5000 ------------------------------ From: andys@ulysses.att.com Subject: Re: USA Direct(R) is a Registered Service Mark of AT&T Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Murray Hill, NJ, USA Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 11:35:49 EDT In article Julian Macassey wrote: > Do these people have nothing better to do than worry about > cutsey slogans thought up by marketing dweebs? In private mail to me you (Julian M.) referred to USA Direct(R) as a nifty name. Well which is it? Considering the high degree of recognition that the name has in the marketplace, it is clearly worth more than your pejorative tone would indicate. That Pat inadvertantly used it generically would indicate that the so-called "dweebs" did their jobs pretty well, wouldn't it? > Will any of this posturing by ambulance chasers improve my > service or lower my costs? Read carefully. I am not an ambulance chaser, nor any other type of lawyer. I am a Member of the Technical Staff of AT&T Bell Laboratories. I do R&D. But since part of my job is trend-watching in Telecom and other forums, I also act to protect my employer's interests when possible. Trademark enforcement protects both the consumer and the supplier. The benefits to the supplier are obvious. The benefits to the consumer are a bit more subtle, but real. Because of Coca-Cola's aggressive trademark enforcement (like going into bars and restaurants, ordering a Coke and analyzing what was delivered) you know that when you order a Coke you will get a Coke and not a Pepsi or an RC. Since I can discern the difference, I appreciate being told in advance that it is Pepsi so I can order iced tea or water instead. Similarly, when a customer dials a service called USA Direct(R) s/he has a right to expect AT&T quality, AT&T service, and the use of AT&T calling cards. To permit the brand name to become generic would add yet more confusion to consumers in an already confusing marketplace. And where would you stop it. AT&T is also a registered trademark and service mark. Should Albert, Tom, and Tracey be allowed to open a long distance company and use the name AT&T? Should they be allowed to use the audible AT&T over music signal (also a registered service mark)? What possible benefit is there to the consumer to having other companies masquerading as AT&T and ripping them off? What possible justification is there to our stockholders and ratepayers in *NOT* paying something to lawyers for enforcement to prevent an even larger revenue loss? > When I pay my bill I am paying for phone service, not for > cutsey slogans. Is this relevant to anything? Does the fact that you pay your bill mean that we lose legal rights to intellectual property? As a customer you have plenty of rights to good service at a reasonable price and pleasant interactions with AT&T people. In all due respect (and pleasantness :^) ), I don't think that it gives you the right to run the company. Personally, I also think that AS A CUSTOMER you have a right to be absolutely certain that an AT&T branded service will always get you AT&T. > Why don't AT&T lawyers work on the paybacks they give overseas > telcos for connections. That should keep the reptiles busy and > customers (The bill payers) would benefit. Did you miss the news items about the last meeting of the CCITT? That it was a flop was not because AT&T's lawyers weren't trying. It was because the overseas telcos stonewalled and had the force of their governmental owners behind them. Meanwhile, most of the lawyers I have met in this company are reasonable and decicated professionals not deserving of an anonymous epithet of "reptile". Despite the combative tone of your post, you will notice that I've tried to be courteous. I think you would do well to reciprocate. But as an example of what kind of lawyers we have here, I took a product liability seminar given by the legal department. It was *NOT* a how-to-cover-your-ass seminar. The opening statement was along the lines of "consumers have come to depend upon AT&T for products that are safe. You as engineers will *NOT* do anything, either through carelessness or cheapness to betray that faith." The words of a real reptile, I'm sure. > Yes, I am sick and tired of all this (c) (R) (TM) rubbish. It > hasn't saved me any money yet. It hasn't given me superior technology. Are you sick of this for a good reason? Why are you personally offended by companies taking reasonable steps to protect their investments? I seriously doubt that you have any evidence for the assertion that you have seen no economic or technological benefit, just as I can't muster much evidence to the contrary. It's a matter of what if. What if any shmoe could sell you a telephone and put an AT&T or WE brand on it? Would *THAT* save you money or give you superior technology? I suspect that it would lead to increased expenditures buying successive low quality conterfeits. It would also increase the cost of the genuine article, since consumers would come to AT&T for problem resolution with the conterfeit products (since they are AT&T branded) which costs money. In your (Julian M.) private mail to me you told me to grow up. I invite you to review the petulant tone of your own posting. 'Nuff said. Andy Sherman/AT&T Bell Laboratories/Murray Hill, NJ AUDIBLE: (908) 582-5928 READABLE: andys@ulysses.att.com or att!ulysses!andys DISCLAIMER: I do not speak for AT&T and AT&T does not speak for me. [Moderator's Note: I've been super busy for a few days, but hope to soon have the correctly-modified 'call home using whoever' file back on line in the archives. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #753 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa08485; 19 Sep 91 2:03 EDT Received: from mailinglists.eecs.nwu.edu by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id bj14750; 18 Sep 91 12:25 CDT Received: from mailinglists.eecs.nwu.edu by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id aa31333; 18 Sep 91 2:22 CDT Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 2:22:25 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator [To]: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #754 BCC: Message-ID: <9109180222.aa15371@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> TELECOM Digest Wed, 18 Sep 91 02:21:59 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 754 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Need Two-Wire to Four-Wire DCC Box [Larry Svec] Why Can't You IDDD From Alaska to the Netherlands? [Hans Mulder] All Lines Are Busy? [Dick Jackson] Re: Problem Reaching AT&T Mail [Ralph W. Hyre] MCI Mail Deal [mission!randy@uunet.uu.net] Update - Domino's Pizza to Get USA-Wide 950 Ordering Line [Amit Parghi] Re: Monkey Business (or Pair-Hunting in Toronto) [Jamie Mason] 900-Like in Spain; Who Pays? [Juan Leon] Re: New Service Idea (was Re: Roomate From Hell...) [Rob Knauerhase] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Larry Svec Subject: Need Two-Wire to Four-Wire DCC Box Date: 17 Sep 91 16:08:20 GMT Organization: Motorola Inc. - Cellular Infrastructure Div., Arlington Hgts, IL I am looking for suggestions (vendors) who may have the following product: (It does not need any fancy call processing features as would be provided by a PBX, just basic functionality as described below. Perhaps a scaled down PBX might be able to meet these requirements.) -The following is a simple view of what I need: ---------------------- | | -------------| | | Simple Cross |----------- 100 to 200 | | (24 or 30 channels 4-wire audio) 2-wire | Connect Switch |----------- subscriber | | loops | | -------------| | | | ---------------------- || || ||==== RS232 Data Link for Control I need an interface box that takes as input 100 to 200 two-wire subscriber loops (regular dial pulse or DTMF type interfaces) ... It also would have 24 or 30 channels of four-wire type audio which I can request that any of the 100 or 200 two-wire subscriber loops be cross connected to. This box has a data link type interface that allows me to talk to it over a simple data link e.g. RS232 from a simple computer e.g. PC. On the in-bound side... This box would detect ringing on one of the two-wire loops and would tell me about it over the RS232 interface. I could then instruct the box to go off-hook on the two-wire circuit that is ringing and to cross connect the audio to one of the four-wire circuits. On the out-bound side... I could tell the box to "go off-hook" on one of the two-wire loops and dial via dial pulse or DTMF, a string of digits. I would then tell the box to cross connect the audio on that two-wire loop to one of the 24 or 30 four-wire circuits. These subscriber loops would be a simple two-wire analog interface "copper" or perhaps may be able to physically be carried on a T1. The 24 or 30 channel could be "T1 (24 ch)" or "2.048 Mbit/sec (30)". This is almost like a few back to back channel bank/MUXs with a simple switch in between, a computer to control it and go off-hook/on-hook and dial digits into the two-wire loops. If you know of any such vendors, please e-mail or call or you are welcome to give to them my phone number or fax number and have them contact me ... maybe you can snag a commission :-) Thank you, Larry Svec e-mail: uunet!motcid!svec work: 708-632-5259 fax: 708-632-3290 home: 708-526-1256 e-mail: uunet!motcid!svecl VHF: 145.150- work: 708-632-5259 fax: 708-632-2413, -2414 UHF: 443.575+ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 21:34:24 +0200 From: Hans Mulder Subject: Why Can't You IDDD From Alaska to the Netherlands? According to a booklet PTT telecom just sent me, I call any place I like in Alaska, by dialing +1-907-NXX-XXXX, for only 15 cents per 1.55 second. BUT, those poor Alaskans can't call me back at +31-80-XXXXXX, without assistance from an operator. Why not? And why can't they reach the Netherlands Direct at 1-800-432-0031 either? I understand that when the Netherlands Direct obtained that number, they specified they did not want to receive calls from Alaska, but my question is *Why Not?* Inquiring minds just want to know ... Hans Mulder hansm@cs.kun.nl ------------------------------ From: Dick Jackson Subject: All Lines Are Busy? Date: 17 Sep 91 15:36:16 GMT Organization: Citicorp/TTI, Santa Monica A colleague asked me the following question. I was only able to fumble at an answer -- so here it is: He calls the LA City Department of Recreation on Saturday mornings beginning at 6:00 am to reserve a tee time at a golf course. Because thousands (?) of people are doing the same thing, his connection success rate is small. There are three types of failure -- they are, in order of probability: ringing, then an announcement "All lines are busy", intercept tones (?), then a similar announcement, and occasionally just a normal busy signal. The question is how to explain these phenomena? I claim that it cannot be the network which is talking to him since there must be an abundance of trunks at that time. It boggles the mind to suppose that the city has installed a line just for the purpose of telling people that they can't get through. Could it be a Centrex system? After all, it knows about its user's lines and could have the bonus feature of providing an announcement instead of a busy. But why would anyone choose to do that? Also, the golfers have a sort of lore that says that calling from certain phones and prefixes increases one's chance of success. There is supposedly a public pay phone in Long Beach which has golfers standing in line because it works more often! My knowledge of the phone system says that the origin of the call can have no effect on whether the end switch has a free line or not when you call, but I'm open to correction and enlightenment. What are the real answers? Dick Jackson ------------------------------ From: "Ralph W. Hyre" Subject: Re: Problem Reaching AT&T MAIL Date: 17 Sep 91 20:32:37 GMT Reply-To: "Ralph W. Hyre" Organization: AT&T OSS Development, Cincinnati In article djcl.bbs@shark.cs.fau.edu writes: X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 738, Message 1 of 13 > tried to telnet over to attmail.com, but ... connected to att.com... > [Moderator's Note: What happened to you was because 'attmail.com' is > aliased to 'att.com'.] Why is it happening at all? You shouldn't be able to 'telnet' or 'ftp' to sites that don't have A (Address) records with an IP address in the domain name system. Attmail.com should only have an MX (Mail eXchange) record, as it does not really live on the Internet. Ralph W. Hyre, Jr. (N3FGW, rhyre@cinoss1.att.com) Alternate e-mail: rhyre@attmail.com Phone: +1 513 629 7288 [Moderator's Note: I don't know why, just that it works that way. I think for some reason mcimail.com and attmail.com are handled a little differently. What you say is usually correct, but I've never had any objection (from here at eecs.nwu.edu) to 'telnet/ftp mcimail.com'. It's just that I don't actually *get there*. I wind up at NRI in Reston, VA instead. On the other hand, 'finger @mcimai.com' tries, then says connection was refused. PAT] ------------------------------ From: mission!randy@uunet.uu.net Subject: MCI Mail Deal Date: Tue Sep 17 16:47:50 1991 Anyone with an MCI account care to refer two (me and a friend) people? [Moderator's Note: Paul W, are you reading this? There's a couple of customers waiting for service. Heeelllloooo, Paul? PAT] ------------------------------ From: Amit Parghi Subject: Update - Domino's Pizza to get USA-wide 950 ordering line Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 13:51:41 CDT Organization: Frostbite Falls Bird-Watching and Pinochle Society PAT: I'm not sure if this has been mentioned in the Digest already. [Moderator's Note: Yes it has, but the NYT account you sent along is much more detailed and up to date. PAT] ------------- From page C1 (front page of the "Business Today" section) of the {New York Times}, Monday, 9 September 1991. "The Pizza Version of Dialing '911' -- each call is routed to the nearest shop" was written by Anthony Ramirez. AT&T and Domino's Pizza are testing a new service that could revolutionize how consumers obtain a wide variety of goods and services by telephone, from ordering fast food to getting emergency road repairs. The article describes a system AT&T's Transaction Services division is developing for Domino's Pizza. Calls to a 950 number, dialled anywhere in the U.S., are routed to a local AT&T centre (the "Store Locater Service Node") that uses ANI and some form of reverse White Pages lookup to get the caller's address. Using the caller's address, the "Store Finder" locates the Domino's Pizza shop nearest to the caller and routes the call to that shop. Total time for call completion is between seven and eleven seconds. The system is currently undergoing trials in Jacksonville, Florida. (For the curious, the Domino's number is 950-1430.) Some of the advantages mentioned in the article, besides having only one number for people to remember, include faster call routing (as compared to a central 800 number service where operators would have to query the caller about their location) and keeping people from reading the Yellow Pages, where they might stumble across ads from the competition. One of the problems they've encountered is bad system behaviour under high load (when pushed to the limit, Store Finder has been known to route calls randomly), and, while there are some doubts about the system's ability to handle really heavy traffic (e.g. over 40 000 calls in the two-hour Friday peak period in Los Angeles), Domino's claims a 99.92% success rate for the system during the peak periods in Jacksonville. Other problems include store identification for unlisted numbers (where the call could end up being routed to a shop that, while in the same area as the caller, may not be the closest), as well as having to obtain delivery locations manually for calls from cellular phones. For more details, read the article. Amit ------------------------------ From: Jamie Mason Subject: Re: Monkey Business (or Pair-Hunting in Toronto) Organization: University of Toronto Computer Services Advisor Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1991 23:55:29 -0400 In article morris@grian.cps.altadena. ca.us (Mike Morris) writes: > I second the motion. Get a transformer and hook it up. Do it soon, as > who knows how old the nicads are right now. It's outside in a common area. And it's Bell Canada property. So I need to get Bell to do it. Which means I need to have low-battery problem first, then I can call Repair and tell them to change it. And I would need to check with my landlord about what AC they should tap into for the transformer. All in all, I will have to wait until it becomes a problem before I make them fix it. > I did. 300 baud worked. 1200 baud worked most of the time. 2400 > baud worked rarely. If you have to keep the carrier system, put the > modem on the metalic line. My modem is on the carrier line right now. The connection is clean. I get knocked offline very once in a while for no apparent reason. Maybe that happens when I am on for a long time. But then I also get knocked offline by my upstairs neighbors when they put on the coffemaker and trip the circuitbreaker that the computer is on ... > To add a detail, the CPC is what makes an answering machine stop > recording when the calling party hangs up. So don't be suprised if > that bit of behavior changes. I don't have an answering machine. And if I did, it would be on the metallic line. And most machines do voice-activated, so they stop recording when the calling party hangs up, since they stopped talking. Jamie ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 12:09:19 +0200 From: leon@prl.dec.com Subject: 900-Like in Spain; Who Pays? In a Spanish newspaper (El Pais, 9/16/91) I saw two advertisements for phone horoscopes and tarot readings. One advertised the number (07 16) 09 49 059xx and the other one the number (07 611) 41 18xx (with the xx specifying the astrological sign.) The latter gives an Australian address in very small print. 07 is the international prefix in Spain (which is supposed to be followed by an international dial tone.) 1 and 61 are the country codes for North America and Australia respectively. So these advertisements are urging customers to dial international. How do the providers of this sleaze (in the U.S. and Australia) receive payment for their "service?" Juan Leon jl+@cs.cmu.edu [Moderator's Note: The USA number above is 609-490-59xx, where xx is probably 01 through 12. It is not a 900 service, and my call went through from here in Chicago just now for the cost of a direct dial call, (12 cents), which may make the service overpriced at that! Pardon me if I don't get too enthusiastic about the benefits of Tarot. I guess some people find it helpful. The above numbers answered with recorded messages in Spanish giving Tarot readings. I guess this works like the gay party line service in the Netherland Antilles which gets advertised in the alternative lifestyle papers here in the USA ... meaning I don't know *how* they make money at it unless they have cut a deal with the international carrier for some percentage of the profit on the call. Presumably the Tarot service gets a lot of calls from Spain like the gay service gets a lot of calls from the USA ... I guess ... and in exchange for the added business the carrier (or local telco, or whoever) gives some sort of commission to the information provider. There are several of those things around, and you will note they always seem to direct their advertising to the international caller -- never a local audience, unlike local 976 providers who insisted on blocking interstate calls due to lack of revenue from same. I'd be interested in knowing if any one particular carrier is running these, uh, 'services', and if so, which one. Any ideas? PAT] ------------------------------ From: Rob Knauerhase Subject: Re: New Service Idea (was Roomate From Hell...) Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL Date: Wed, 18 Sep 1991 04:58:13 GMT In roeber@cithe1.cithep.caltech.edu writes: > This triggered an idea for another telco service: separate accounts on > the same pair, accessed via a PIN code. Then a houseful of students > who make the "ten calls a month" could share the same phone, but each > would get his own bill for his own usage. My undergrad school had six single rooms sharing two phone lines. For the first year or so, I solved this by dialing an access code and PIN (ah, the "good old days"). Then Dial1 access made this unfashionable (i.e. surcharged) so I ended up with a differnet PIN (of sorts) -- I dialed 10222 before my calls and MCI sent me my own bill. The others worried about dividing a bill for AT&T usage each month. The interesting thing was that MCI was the only company I could convince to bill me for Dial 1 without having it as primary carrier (on a number that Ohio Bell claims belongs to "Room Agent," whom I never met :). I understand that now MCI is billing directly through Ohio Bell, though. Rob Knauerhase University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign knauer@cs.uiuc.edu Dept. of Computer Science, Gigabit Study Group ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #754 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa06565; 22 Sep 91 8:25 EDT Date: Sun, 22 Sep 91 7:14:12 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator [To]: telecom@eecs Subject: Telecom Digest Suspended BCC: Message-ID: <9109220714.ab08064@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> TELECOM Digest temporarily discontinued ======================================= Due to serious software problems here, TELECOM Digest will be offline until further notice; with publication resuming probably September 25, but that is not definite yet. The problem is none of the stuff is going out to the mailing list. The program which takes the completed digest and mails it to the list has ceased operating. We use MMDF here at Northwestern. A couple dozen issues of the Digest had built up in the queue. On Friday, the postmaster here forced a great deal of it out by hand, but then over Friday night, Saturday and Sunday morning, still more had built up. After a MARATHON typing session (three of us, working about eight hours), issues 758 through 763 were all mailed by hand to the names on the list using a jerry-rigged method of doing things. Meanwhile of course the incoming queue continued to overflow with new stuff ... apparently some people cannot read requests to stop sending mail. The end result is if I were to work 24 hours per day from now through the middle of next week, I would not be able to shove the stuff out as fast as it is coming in. And after sending all the above issues out by hand, AT&T Mail dumped the whole load -- delivered nothing -- saying certain parameters were not met. Likewise, Compuserve dumped most of theirs out. So sorry folks, you people on AT&T Mail and Compuserve can get the missed copies wherever you can find them. By sometime Sunday, all issues through 763 should be in the Telecom Archives 'telecom-recent' file. I'm sure some people still did not get these issues, while others of you got them two or three times. You can pick up missing issues there (ftp lcs.mit.edu cd telecom-archives). Perhaps when sendmail is installed here things will start working again. My impression is that nothing will be done to fix MMDF in the two or three days remaining before the conversion. So with some luck, we'll be chatting again sometime after September 25. Watch for an announcement here. PLEASE SEND NO MAIL TO TELECOM UNTIL YOU ARE NOTIFIED THINGS ARE OPERATIONAL AGAIN. Messages not printed as of this time have been lost or disgarded. Patrick Townson TELECOM Moderator   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa12021; 22 Sep 91 10:28 EDT Date: Sun, 22 Sep 91 9:22:39 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator [To]: telecom@eecs Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #755-756-757 BCC: Message-ID: <9109220922.ab09798@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> TELECOM Digest Thu, 19 Sep 91 06:56:31 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 755 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Administrivia: List Should Be Working, But ... [TELECOM Moderator] New Phone Net and Additional Country Code For USSR [Lauren Weinstein] AT&T 4ESS Zaps New York ... Again [Daniel M. Rosenberg] NYC Airports Come to Standstill After Communications Failure [Ed Hopper] Phone Outage in New York Airports [Steve Shimatzki] AT&T Thomas St. Building is Where it Happened [Tom Ace] Phone Phailure Grounds Airplanes [David Leibold] TeleTravel: AT&T New Travel Feature [dquist@ben3b01.attmail.com] Difference Between A and B Carriers?? [John J. DiLeo] Party Line When Phone Left Off-Hook and Dial-A-Joke [Mark Boolootian] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 19 Sep 91 0:08:27 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator Subject: Administrivia: List Should Be Working, But ... The mailing list should be working once again, and if you got a big batch of Digests during the day Wednesday along with this one Thursday morning, then all should be well ... However ... delta.eecs.nwu.edu is switching from MMDF to Sendmail. Mail will be unavailable on Tuesday, September 24 during the conversion. I've got to make changes in my software to use Sendmail instead of MMDF, and this will take me some time to set up and get aquainted with. As a result, I may be off line for a day or two in the early part of next week. Regular mailings will commence again on Wednesday, September 25 if all goes well. As always, the backlog of articles in the queue is huge. Being offline for a couple days won't help any. To avoid accidental loss of articles while I am off line learning about and getting set up with the new mailer, I'm asking you to hold off on new articles for a few days until the conversion is complete. Changes to the mailing list and regular publication of the Digest will resume once Sendmail is up and running here. PLEASE SEND NO FURTHER ITEMS FOR TELECOM UNTIL WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25. Thanks. Patrick Townson ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 22:20:02 PDT From: Lauren Weinstein Subject: New Phone Net and Additional Country Code For USSR Greetings. As you probably know, there are currently very limited phone circuits available to the USSR from the West (approximately 550, apparently). This lack of capacity and other Soviet telephone network problems have led to a joint venture between GTE Spacenet, San Francisco Teleport, and the Soviet Ministry of Communications. The plan is to set up a "private" network of links to the West, which would not be hooked into the primary Soviet telephone system. Initially about 240 new circuits would be created, with direct dialing and various advanced features. The first customers are expected to be hotels in the Moscow area with large numbers of international visitors who are constantly frustrated trying to get calls to and from the country using the existing telephone system. The new system, called "Sovintel", will be assigned its own country code (501). --Lauren-- ------------------------------ From: "Daniel M. Rosenberg" Subject: AT&T 4ESS Zaps New York ... Again Organization: The Very Large Software Company of America Date: Wed, 18 Sep 1991 16:44:41 GMT I won't bother with more than a one sentence summary, as I'm sure others will type in the article from the _Times_ and elswhere, but apparently a fuse blew in an AT&T 4ESS on the south end of Manhattan, and took out air traffic along that part of the East Coast as well as long distance service for quite a few hours. I wonder: did it really take them four hours to find that the problem was a blown fuse? Or if a fuse blows, does that cause four hours worth of downtime? Why should one, single 4ESS toll switch end up being such a bottleneck in the network? I understand how optical fiber can make the network more vulnerable -- there are fewer edges in the graph that makes up the network, and they're easier to cut through with a backhoe perhaps, but are there fewer vertices as well? So this makes like three major bungles for AT&T in some short period of time. Am I the only one thinking that perhaps the public switched network has a major design flaw in it? (NeXT)Mail: dmr@roadkill.Stanford.EDU dmr%roadkill@stanford.BITNET Stanford Metapage Project {apple, ucbvax}!labrea!roadkill!dmr ------------------------------ Subject: NYC Airports Come to Standstill After Communications Failure From: ED HOPPER Date: Wed 18 Sep 91 10:02:27 CST Organization: Ed Hopper's BBS - Houston, TX - 713-997-7575 By Verena Dobnik Associated Press Writer NEW YORK (AP) -- Communications failures brought New York's three big airports to a virtual halt for several hours Tuesday, forcing some flights to be diverted. AT&T blamed an internal power failure at a Manhattan switching center, that interrupted long distance telephone calls in and out of the city and some European calls. Initially, the Federal Aviation Administration reported that a fiber optic cable had been cut. That report proved to be false. The failure at about 5 p.m. cut off a major communications link between air traffic control centers for Kennedy and LaGuardia airports in New York and Newark International Airport in New Jersey, said Diane Spitaliere, an FAA spokeswoman. Some radar reception was affected. Local air traffic centers could not communicate properly among themselves or with other U.S. airports. And since some FAA facilities have limited radio frequencies, controllers relying on landline relays might not have been able to reach all aircraft, Spitaliere said. AT&T said communications were being restored around mid-evening. Flights resumed at all three airports by 9 p.m., said D. Joy Faber, a spokeswoman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the three airports. Stranded travelers battled frustration over delayed and canceled flights, with many complaining the lack of telephone service complicated their dilemmas because they could not notify family and friends at their destination points. Christine Alcock, 24, of New York City was heading from La Guardia to SanFrancisco to visit the object of a budding romance. "I'm afraid he'll think I stood him up," she said after attempts to telephone him from the airport failed to get through. "This could be the end of the shortest romance in history," she said. A few flights were diverted to other airports in the Northeast. A British Airways supersonic Concorde had to land at Bradley airport outside Hartford, Conn., said Kirk Kinsella, an airport operations specialist. Other flights destined for New York were held up at their points of origin, Spitaliere said. When the problem surfaced, 35 airplanes loaded with passengers were left standing on the tarmac at Kennedy, the same number at LaGuardia, and 30 were backed up at Newark, said Port Authority spokesman Mark Marchese. Air traffic control centers communicate with planes through a network of radio towers linked to them by phone, said AT&T spokeswoman Claire Diamond. The regional air traffic control center in New York had radar difficulty, said Tim Jones, a senior operations agent at Newark International Airport. Fred Farrar, an FAA spokesman in Washington, said the trouble was confined to the New York area. Bill Malone, spokesman for Philadelphia International Airport, said air traffic was backed up there, but he was unsure how many flights were affected. In Boston, Logan International Airport experienced some delays, as did travelers at San Francisco International Airport. ------------------------------ Organization: Penn State University Date: Wednesday, 18 Sep 1991 20:38:56 EDT From: Wish-Bringer (Steve Shimatzki) Subject: Phone Outage in New York Airport I'm surprised ... nobody mentioned the fact that telephone services were lost at NewYork, causing JFK and other airports to all but close up for the day. (Does anyone know the cause yet? AT&T -I think- said it wasn't a cut line, but a systems failure ... at least they didn't blame it on hackers. ;) Steve [Moderator's Note: Actually there was a brief mention in an issue of the Digest late Tuesday evening, but no details were available then. And no, they didn't blame it on hackers, or phreaks either. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 12:59:00 PDT From: Tom Ace Subject: AT&T Thomas St. Building is Where it Happened The recent AT&T failure in New York occurred at their switching facility on Thomas St. in lower Manhattan. The building in question is impressive; it's a tall, stone-faced structure with "interesting" aesthetics (by switching office standards, anyway). It looks mysterious and ominous from a distance. I had heard that it was the world's tallest windowless building (it's about as tall as a 35 story office tower). I tried to get a tour of the place a few years ago, but AT&T refused, saying that security there is quite tight, adding that even AT&T employees need a good reason to be there to be granted admission. Do other readers of the Digest have more information on the facility, e.g., what kinds of phone traffic are routed through it, and what it looks like on the inside? Tom Ace tom@aptix.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 12:04:05 -0400 From: David Leibold Subject: Phone Phailure Grounds Airplanes The front page story of {USA Today} deals with the AT&T outage which caused a failure to communicate among three major airports (J.F.K., La Guardia, Newark). The article speaks of communications between ground controllers and pilots being done through telephone lines connected to radio equipment. (Why have a direct radio link when you can throw in a telephone link as an extra middleman to fail out on ?!?!?!?!) The failure was traced to an AT&T long distance switch in Manhattan which reportedly sustained an "internal power failure". Presumably air traffic control communications cannot be simply diverted by prefixing the calls with 10222+ or 10333+ to get MCI or Sprint. Perhaps a failure such as this will prompt backup facilities via other carriers. Flights resumed around 9 pm Tuesday (New York time). In the meantime, a Concorde from Britain was diverted to Bradley airport near Hartford, CT (perhaps a first for that airport). People booked taxis and rental cars to Washington, Ohio, etc. in the scramble to find alternative transportation. The failure started about 4:50 pm according to {USA Today}. At least 300 aircraft were delayed during the outage. Long distance service through New York City was also affected, as was international service. {USA Today} doesn't mention the role of MCI and/or Sprint, as to how they were affected by the situation or how they were able to take on long distance going on their circuits instead. djcl@bnw.debe.fl.us dleibold@attmail.com ------------------------------ From: dquist@ben3b01.attmail.com Date: Wed Sep 18 10:13:55 EST 1991 Subject: TeleTravel: AT&T New Travel Feature This new enhanced (not under tariff) service is in controlled introduction in the Northeast and parts of Florida and Texas and will be extended throughout the country early next year. With TeleTravel, a customer can use any touch-tone phone to gain access to information services and the types of features commonly thought of as capabilities of office telephone systems, such as three-way and speed calling. Although TeleTravel, with an annual subscription fee of $25, can be used by any business customer, it will appeal mainly to smaller companies with representatives who travel frequently, for example, consultants, contractors, architects, and the like. Through one 800 number, callers can reach a spoken menu of features and services including three-way and speed calling, voice mail, and language interpretation. Customers pay an annual fee of $25 for AT&T TeleTravel Service, plus a flat charge per minute for each feature used. Features offered are: -- Voice mail -- AT&T Message Service -- FlightCall for up-to-the-minute airline flight status -- Three-Way Calling -- AT&T Language Line Services -- Sequential Calling -- Speed Calling Initially available throughout the East and in parts of Texas and Florida, the service will be offered throughout the country early next year. ------------------------------ From: "John J. DiLeo" Subject: What Are the Difference Between A and B Carriers?? Date: 18 Sep 91 15:48:07 GMT Organization: Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity I know that this qualifies for entry in the FAQ list for c.d.t., but I need to ask anyway. What technical differences exist between the A and B cellular carriers?? I know that the A carrier is the non-wireline and the B is the wireline, but what technical differences are implied by this fact? My particular interest is in the technical differences between Cellular One (A) and Bell Atlantic Mobile (B) in the Baltimore/Washington corridor. Such information as roaming policies, definition of "home" area, etc. would be helpful. I know that the wireline carrier appears to be affiliated in nearly every service area with the local TELCO (here C&P, which is also a Bell Atlantic company), but is this always true? In fact, is that the DEFINITION of the wireline carrier? Many thanks in advance for any insight which may be given. John DiLeo dileo@brl.mil ------------------------------ From: Mark Boolootian Subject: Party Line When Phone Left Off-Hook and Dial-A-Joke Date: 18 Sep 91 21:44:28 GMT Organization: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Many years ago (probably in the early to mid 70s), my friends and I stumbled on to an unusual feature of our phone system. If you left the phone off the hook for a long time, after you received the series of loud beeps followed by a voice telling you to hang up, the phone went quiet. Or at least seemed to. I don't know how we came across this but we found that if you listened you could here other people talking, unusual noises such as rummaging around in the kitchen, the sound of a television, doors closing and so on. We also found that this "party line" feature would, in most cases, last only 30 seconds or so and then would end in some way that I can't recall. However, once in a while, you seemed to get a connection that remained intact indefinitely. Eventually we began talking with some of the other voices we were hearing and we found other people had basically figured out what we had about leaving the phone off-hook. I was able to speak with people throughout much of Los Angeles (I was living in the San Fernando valley at the time). My conclusion about often hearing odd sounds (tv, dishwasher, etc) was the obvious one: phone off the hook picking up ambient sounds. This "party line" feature stopped working not too long after I found out about it. I've always wondered about it though and thought I'd try posting here and seeing if any of you can shed a little light on what was going on. Perhaps some of you are familiar with this phenomena (and maybe I spoke with you many years ago ...). I also recall that I learned about "Dial-A-Joke" from someone I spoke with on the party-line. Anybody out there know anything about that? Who ran it and why? I guess it was ahead of its time. The Dial-A-Joke I'm referring to was a recording of a fellow who spoke in an oriental accent. When you finally got through (it was almost always busy), the recording would say something like "You have dialed Dial-ha-Joke" and then go on to tell you a joke. As I recall, the jokes were often very funny. I was also told about some number you could call which was like a party-line and at some specified time, a voice would come on with various kinds of information or stories. This voice was called the Shadow. This is pretty hazy in my memory. I only heard of this second-hand. Maybe someone knows something about it? Thanks in advance folks. These questions have been rumbling around in my head for more than 15 years. I finally found a reasonable to place to at least ask about them. Mark Boolootian booloo@lll-crg.llnl.gov +1 415-423-1948 ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #755 ****************************** Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #756 TELECOM Digest Thu, 19 Sep 91 07:52:45 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 756 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Telesphere Faced With Fraud Charges [InfoText via Lawrence Domingo] AT&T Breakdown in NYC [NewsDay via Dave Niebuhr] RJ11/RJ45/RJ48/??? Help! [Jonathan O'Neal] Question - Using an Extension Phone [Deepak Sabnis] Illegal COCOT Pay-for-DA in Massachusetts [Boston Herard via Carol Springs] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 03:24:17 hst From: Lawrence Domingo Subject: Telesphere Faced With Fraud Charges Telesphere Faced With Fraud Charges by Edwin N. Lavergne, Esq. and Dwight D. Meier, Esq. [from InfoText Magazine; August 1991; Vol 4, No 4] Financially strapped Telesphere Communications, the 900 carrier that has been unable to pay its information providers since early this year, is now faced with charges of fraud, conversion, breach of contract, potential FCC sanctions, and the prospect of bankruptcy. For months, rumors have abounded that Telesphere was in grave fiscal trouble. Those rumors were confirmed when the carrier announced in June that it could not pay its customers the 900 number revenues that had been collected on their behalf. In a June 18th letter to its customers, Telesphere disclosed that it had payables due to IPs of over $23 million and a negative net wroth of about $98 million. Telesphere's Vice President Allen Breslau said, "It is unlikely that Telesphere will be able to disburse funds consistent with normal schedules." The Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. company is now faced with litigation, potential sanctions and possible bankruptcy. Debt Settlement Plans Telesphere offered its customers two settlement scenarios and said it will instruct each of the LECs to forward all monies to a "lock box," which will be adminstered by a trustee who, in turn, will distribute IP funds. Under Plan A, Telesphere would remit 16% of IP's balance due February-June, plus any amount held in reserve against future recourse that is in excess of projected recourse amounts. Plan A participants also would receive a two-year contract for 900 services at a discounted rate of 20 cents per minute. Under Plan B, Telesphere would offer IPs compensation for monies owed for the period February-June, in the form of Telesphere stock at double the market value of the stock as of July 1, 1991. Even though Telesphere said it was mandatory to accept one of the plans and sign an agreement, several IPs have already opted to pursue plans of their own. IP Litigation Two companies -- IP Telecommunications, Inc. and Parker Management Company, Inc. -- have gone to court to force Telesphere to pay *all* of the 900 revenues that are due to the companies. The plaintiffs contend that they entered into an agency relationship with Telesphere under which Telesphere agreed to collect revenues earned by the plaintiffs from end users after deducting billing and transport fees. The plaintiffs said it was improper for Telesphere to commingle, pledge or otherwise use the funds collected from end users for Telesphere's benefit without the consent of the plaintiffs. On the basis of these claims, a Texas state court recently found that: "Telesphere is using revenues which are the property of plaintiffs for its own business purposes and in a manner inconsistent with plaintiffs ownership of the same ... Telesphere's actions ... constitute a breach of the agency contract, a breach of fiduciary duty, constructive fraud, and conversion." The court issued a temporary restrining order prohibiting Telesphere from misusing plaintiff's funds and to "segregate plaintiff's revenues into a separate trust account ... for the benefit of plaintiffs." The case has now moved to a federal court in Texas where a U.S. magistrate has recommended that Telesphere be immediately ordered to cease diverting plaintiffs funds to the lock box. He has also recommended that Telesphere instruct the LECs to pay such funds directly to Telesphere which, in turn, is to pay the funds to the plaintiffs. FCC Action Another group of IPs has decided to pursue a different route. An ad hoc association called the Information Providers Group (IPG), represented by attorney Nicholas Selby, Palo Alto, Calif., has gone to the FCC alleging that Telesphere is offering sweetheart deals to selected IPs. They claim Telesphere has offered 20 cents on the dollar under Plan A (as opposed to 16 cents) and even lower rates for future transport services. IPG also claims that Telesphere's recent adjustments to its customers' uncollectible accounts is unjustified and is simply a means of reducting the company's cash-flow hardships. IPG also said Telesphere is making such adjustments in an attempt "to pay selected creditors, officers, and directors, to finance the acquisition of another telecommunications company, and/or to make itself more attractive to possible investors." IPG said Telesphere's actions are unjust and unreasonable under the Communications Act, and has asked the FCC to: 1) order Telesphere to cease such practices; 2) temporarily revoke Telesphere's authority to provide 900 services; 3) order Telesphere to provide a full accounting to IPs; 4) order Telesphere to pay damages to IPG members; and 5) impose other penalties. Potential Bankruptcy Many IPs have considered filing an involuntary bankruptcy proceeding (IBP), coupled with a requisite that the court appoint a trustee to manage Telesphere. Generally, an IBP can be filed by three or more non-affiliated creditors holding at least $5,000 in claims in excess of the value of any lien they hold securing such claims. In practice, IBP is often threatened but rarely filed. Petitioners face expensive litigation; but, if successful, they receive no particular advantages or treatment. While petitioners are entitled to recover their expenses, such expenses are paid only if there is money in the estate, and they are subject to court review and objections from the debtor and other creditors. Creditors also risk liability for the debtor's costs. Why then do creditors ever join together to file an IBP? Often a debtor has made large transfers of property to a "friendly" creditor or to a creditor who holds personal guarantees from principals of the debtor. In such situations an IBP may be the only way to recover such a transfer for the benefit of all unsecured creditors. Even in bankruptcy, preferential transfers may not be recoverable if made more than 90 days before the involuntary petition is filed (as to non-insider beneficiaries) or more than a year prior to bankruptcy (as to insider beneficiaries). In some cases, time can be of the essence, and if your stake in recovering the transfer is large, and the time pressures are immediate, there may be no choice but to act. Conclusion At present, many questions remain unanswered. Will Telesphere's creditors accept Plans A and B in sufficient numbers to make an out-of-court option successful, or will an IBP be filed? If not enough IPs sign the contracts for Plan A or B, will Telesphere itself file for bankruptcy relief? If Telesphere files for bankruptcy and reorganizes, will claims be paid on the full amount owed prior to an IP's acceptance of Plan A or B, or will claims be paid to those who accepted the plans on the compromised amount? Will the IPs that have accepted the plans be deemed to have received preferential payments and be required to disgorge them in a Telesphere bankruptcy? While it is frustrating to grapple with such questions, similar issues arise in all troubled debtor-creditor relationships. Whatever the outcome of the Telesphere situation, it is likely others may face insolvency, either as creditors or debtors. Knowledge of your industry, a sense of the financial prospects of those in it, and careful analysis can increase the odds that you will be able to make the best of a bad situation. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Lavergne and Meier are partners at Ginsburg, Feldman and Bress, Washington, DC. Lavergne specializes in the 900 industry; Meier in bankruptcy law. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Sep 1991 8:02:49 -0400 (EDT) From: Dave Niebuhr Subject: AT&T Breakdown in NYC Going over this morning's paper {Newsday} and reading about the AT&T outage that crippled the three major airports in the NYC area plus another one on Long Island, it appears that a low-tech problem (bad rectifier) was the root cause. It all started Consolidated Edison (the electric company supplying most of NYC) asked AT&T to switch to DC power due to a projected brownout caused by high heat and humidity. That went well and alarms were supposed to sound on several floors of the building which housed the AT&T switch and there are conflicting stories as to whether they did or did not. What started out as a simple request snowballed to the point that controllers at the airports were reduced in the number of frequencies that they could talk to the airplanes either landing or taking off. It seems that there is no redundancy in the system that the FAA uses and they are trying to rectify that problem (read gov't funding). The FAA wants microwave as a backup instead of land lines for all of the communications in and around airports. GSA has been pressuing all government agencies to switch to a system known as Federal Telecommunications System 2000 (FTS-2000 for short) but the FAA says it is unreliable. (Side note: I have used an older version of the FTS and it stunk). Meanwhile, back at the AT&T site, the company laid off a lot of people who would man crews at the Thompson Street substation where the problem originated plus other crews at three other sites nearby. By laying these people off they reduced the staffing to a point such that the ones left had to not only cover the Thompson Street station but the other sites as well. The FCC has entered the picture and says that they will look into the staffing as one of the many problems caused by this near-disaster. This will probably be in the news for quite a few days to come and I expect to see all kinds of rhetoric about what should have and have-not been done. Side Note: If this would have happened on Friday, 9/20, and a few hours earlier in the day, I would have been in a jam since the missus and I are flying from Islip MacArthur Airport on Long Island to Chicago to attend a wedding in nearby Hanover Park. Months of planning would have been shot to H**L due to this. Dave Niebuhr Brookhaven National Laboratory Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov ------------------------------ From: Jonathan O'Neal Subject: RJ11/RJ45/RJ48/??? Help! Organization: SCS/Compute, Inc. Date: Wed, 18 Sep 1991 14:10:47 GMT Greetings. Our company is in the process of getting a bank of approximately 30 incoming WATS lines installed, each of which will be connected to a high-speed modem. We've just stumbled into a tangled mess of jargon, though, and everyone we talk to has a different opinion of what we need. I need some definitions and some advice from the net: What is the difference between RJ11, RJ45, and RJ48? I always thought these were simply form-factor designators and that the electrical connections were the same for each; now I hear otherwise. Do RJ45-S and RJ48-S provide noise reduction? Is it appreciable? Is there any reason we should prefer one over the others? Should there be appreciable cost differences? Thanks in advance. Please E-MAIL replies since I don't usually read this group. Jonathan O'Neal jko@atl.scscom.com SCS/Compute, Inc. ...!uunet!ncrcom!ncratl!scscom!jko Norcross, GA 30093 ...!uunet!emory!scscom!jko ------------------------------ From: Deepak Sabnis Subject: Question - Using an Extension Phone Date: 17 Sep 91 20:31:21 GMT Organization: HP Information Networks, Cupertino, CA I have a question for those who understand about phones and phone lines. Whenever I am talking to a close friend or my parents, my wife likes to join in the conversation. If we use the cheap speaker phone in our house, the other party has trouble understanding what we are saying. If, on the other hand, we use an extension phone in the house, so the two of us could talk and listen simultaneously, the party on the other end complains that they can hardly hear us (i.e. they want us to speak louder). We don't notice any drop in the volume of the other party's voice. The question is, what is going on? How come that only the signal going out from our home is getting attenuated while the inbound signal remains strong? What is the solution (other than get a better speaker phone? In fact, if some one can suggest a good quality speaker phone under $60.00, I may even consider that). The phones I have are a Sony speaker phone (cost about $50.00) and a AT&T desk phone (made by Western Electric). Thanks. Deepak S. Sabnis +1-408-447-2947 deepak@cup.hp.com ------------------------------ From: Carol Springs Subject: Illegal COCOT Pay-for-DA in Massachusetts Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 21:19:34 EDT The September 17 {Boston Herald} has an article beginning on the front page with the headline "State Plans to Crack Down on Private Pay Phone Fees." Reporter Phil Primack focuses mainly on COCOT charges for local directory assistance. Such charges, for any variety of pay phone, constitute a violation of Massachusetts law. It is common in Massachusetts for COCOTs to charge up to 50 cents for calls to 411. Vendors complain that compliance with the free-411 regulation costs them 34 cents a call (after the first ten calls per month), paid to New England Telephone. From the article: ... COCOT abuse of the no-charge rule remains "rampant," said George Dean, chief of the regulated industries division in the office of Attorney General Scott Harshbarger. Dean said an investigator is currently checking to see whether COCOTs found to be violating the law in the past have since complied. Dean said his office may soon weigh in on an even hotter COCOT issue: Can COCOTs located in areas of public access continue to charge 25 cents for a local call that New England Tel is required to place for a dime? "If COCOTs are located in places accessible to the public, we have argued that they should be constrained from charging no more [sic] than a dime," said Dean. "We have so far not prevailed on that argument (with the DPU)." DPU officials were unavailable to discuss COCOTs, a DPU spokesman said last week. The Legislature's Government Regulations Committee also plans to take up the COCOT issue, said Sen. Thomas Norton (D-Fall River), a committee member. The article also mentions that NETel has changed its mind about refusing to connect COCOT users with 411 operators. Under the new policy, if a customer calls a NETel operator from a COCOT (good luck!), that operator will connect the customer to local directory assistance. Many Massachusetts COCOT owners, says the article, are genuinely unaware of the free-411 requirement, having been misled by their vendor. A "basic rights" insert says that for Massachusetts pay phone users: o There should be no charge for reaching local directory assistance, whether 411 or 1-555-1212. o Access should be provided at no charge to 911 emergency, as well as toll-free 800 numbers. o All pay phones should be clearly labeled with the name and phone number of the phone's owner. The number for complaints or refunds should be free. Another insert gives some rules on local directory assistance charges and local call charges in other New England states. In Maine: COCOTs must provide local phone book at phone or free access to D.A. In New Hampshire: COCOTs can charge 25 cents for D.A.; NETel phones can't charge. Also: charges on local calls themselves can't exceed 10 cents. In Vermont: Free access to D.A., no more than 10 cents for local calls. In Rhode Island: COCOTS can charge 25 cents for D.A. Local calls cost 15 cents max (both COCOTs and NETel phones). In Connecticut: No COCOTs allowed! Carol Springs carols@drilex.dri.mgh.com ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #756 ****************************** Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #757 TELECOM Digest Fri, 20 Sep 91 00:40:13 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 757 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson TELECOM: Closed For Software Work [TELECOM Moderator] NBC's Story on NY AT&T Fiasco [Gary Skaggs] Telesphere Bankruptcy and Brandeis Phones [Scott Fybush] Telebit Modems and MCI [Mikel Manitius] Lawyer's 1-900 Number [Bob Falcon] Loop/Line ID Numbers (was: Same Day Service) [Patton M. Turner] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 19 Sep 91 23:52:12 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator Subject: TELECOM: Closed For Software Work As I mentioned yesterday, eecs.nwu.edu is making some major changes in the mail software here in the next few days and I am unloading the queue of waiting articles for the Digest. I will then learn the new software and resume regular issues around Wednesday or so. As previously requested, DO NOT SEND FURTHER ARTICLES AT THIS TIME. Patrick Townson ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Sep 91 09:09:42 CDT From: Gary Skaggs Subject: NBC's Story on NY AT&T Fiasco Organization: National Severe Storms Laboratory NBC's story last night was like falling dominos. Power company say: "Gee, it's hot and would you please refrain from using so much power?" Ma sez, "No problem, we'll just run our generators for awhile." Plot thickens. Switch thrown. Ma running on 'generator power', or so sez the board. Except an indicator lamp was out. They were really on backup batteries. They discovered the incorrect indicator condition when it all went belly-up. Ob Opinion: maintenance is a good thing ... especially when it is done right. I have no beef with AT&T. I really like what I get from them. But they need to pay as much attention to keeping the 'THING' running as they do on marketing. Gary Skaggs - WB5ULK skaggs@nssl.nssl.uoknor.edu DOC/NOAA/ERL/NSSL ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Sep 1991 16:09 EDT From: Scott Fybush Subject: Telesphere Bankruptcy and Brandeis Phones I've written here in the past about Brandeis' telecommunications system and some of its failings. The latest has shown up in the past week or so, since Telesphere, Brandeis' AOS, went bankrupt. Attempts to place calls from a New England Tel pay phone using 10555 +0 + NPA + number would meet with "Please hang up and dial 10-288-0 to place your call." Brandeis dorm phones still have 10XXX blocked (is that still legal?). Calls placed with the usual 9 + 0 + NPA + number + 6-digit long distance access code method last week reached a recording "Your call can be placed by an alternate long-distance carrier. However, the rates charged may not reflect those from your calling location. To continue, press 1 or wait for an operator." It _is_ still possible to get an operator and ask him/her to transfer the call to AT+T (but still splashed, so calls come out billed from New Jersey or somewhere), BUT ... anyone simply following Brandeis' instructions for placing an AT+T call will end up being charged a lot more than they should be. This whole situation sounds beyond fishy to me. Is there a regulation somewhere that prohibits this? Anyone know anything about Telesphere these days? (BTW, I've given up and obtained an MCI card. At least 950-1022 isn't blocked. Still, I _want_ to be able to use my AT+T card without waiting ten minutes and having to go through an operator). Please e-mail me directly and I _will_ summarize ... netnews is still on the blink here. Thanks... Scott Fybush--Brandeis University--Waltham MA USA--st901316@pip.cc.brandeis.edu My views aren't those of Brandeis, and I'm awfully relieved about that. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 13:56:58 EDT From: Mikel Manitius Subject: Telebit Modems and MCI Reply-To: mikel@aaa.com Organization: American Automobile Association, Heathrow, FL Over the past several months we here at AAA have been trying to diagnose some of the problems we have been having with our TELEBIT TrailBlazer modems over the three major long-distance carriers, AT&T, MCI, and Sprint. I would like to share some of what we have learned with the TELECOM Digest, and would be glad to receive any feedback. Last year we signed a national long distance contract with MCI, and ever since then have been trying to determine why we've been having problems using our TrailBlazers over MCI (and Sprint), but not AT&T. We use TrailBlazers for dial-up support and UUCP file transfer between our headquarters and AAA Club offices around the country. We are also beginning to use the RATP Protocol (RFC 916) for processing transactions over dial-up from our low volume offices. All of our TrailBlazers having problems are of firmware level BA5.00, and BA4.00. One is of level BA3.00. All of our calls are direct dialed over the PSTN. Our local service is Centrex based, and our remote modems are on POTS lines. So there are no PBX switches in the middle. The problems we have been experiencing are [modem] packet re-transmissions, transmission delays due to re-trains, and connection loss due to re-train failure. We have been working directly with MCI on this problem for the past several months, and recently with Telebit directly. What we have been able to determine, mostly from what MCI and Telebit tell us, is that all of the above problems are mainly due to the use of echo cancellation equipment by the carriers. That's where the story begins. It appears that each carrier uses different types of echo cancelers to different degrees, configured in different ways on the digital portion of their networks. Some of these cancelers can be disabled for the entire duration of a call, some can be disabled but re-enable themselves during the call (i.e. when there is silence), and others cannot be disabled at all. The TrailBlazer modem (in PEP mode) uses a half-duplex protocol which is switched from one direction to the other with a turn-around packet. The TrailBlazer also has different packet sizes, the smallest of which is the micropacket. [For those of you who are not familiar with the TrailBlazer modem, it uses a Packetized Ensemble Protocol (PEP) to transmit/receive asynchronous data at speeds of up to 18,000 bps over dial-up. Speeds of up to 19,200 bps are possible using the modem's data compression. The modem is half-duplex, but uses an Adaptive Duplex algorithm to emulate a full-duplex connection. During a connection the modem monitors line characteristics (bits per frequency channel, etc.) and adapts to changes as necessary. The modem also has knowledge of certain protocols such as the UUCP "g", Kermit, and X/Y modem. It is able to further increase throughput on connections using these full duplex protocols by emulating the other end, and thereby "spoofing". Our models do not support V.32.] The micropacket is most often used for the turn-around packet, and is also the most susceptible to getting lost due to echo cancellation, eventually resulting in the modem having to re-train. This apparently occurs because the echo cancellation device cannot react quickly enough to the very short packet. Our problems started to occur when we began to use MCI instead of our then default AT&T. The problem is even more prevalent over Sprint. During interactive use we notice response delays which are due to the TrailBlazer re-transmitting or re-training. During UUCP calls we notice UUCP timing out on "alarms", because no data is getting through. The problem is most often the worst during the beginning of the call, and will either settle down, with very poor throughput, or the call will fail altogether. Most of our locations across the country are susceptible to this problem, however some much more than others. Those that are very intermittent have periods during the day when all calls result in the same poor connection. I suspect this is most likely due to network traffic characteristics resulting in the same circuits being used for subsequent calls. MCI said that they have been working with Telebit on this problem for the past year and a half, ever since it surfaced during the FTS2000 contract. They recommended that we set the S121 register to 1, which will attempt to compensate for echo suppression. It didn't help. I should point out that we very rarely have the problem when using AT&T (by prefixing our calls with 10288+). Both MCI and Sprint seem to be very susceptible to the problem, Sprint more so than MCI. Telebit has offered the most valuable information. Apparently they have had many large customers, including UUNET, complain about the echo cancellation problem to both themselves and the carriers. (Telebit told me UUNET was having problems with one of their leased circuits. They ended up asking their carrier to disable any echo cancellation devices on that circuit altogether.) At first the carriers were reluctant to do anything about the problem, until several customers said "hey, we don't have this problem when we use AT&T, and if you can't fix it, we'll be glad to switch back, since they're offering to switch us back for free". As the person at Telebit explained it to me, AT&T seems to have the least problems because they still have many old analog circuits in use which don't require the use of these echo cancelers. Both MCI and Sprint have a relatively new digital network, and are using various types and quality echo cancellation devices. He went on to say that they are very aware of this problem, and to help their customers, they have added new software which can better deal with the echo cancellation devices. The new software is standard in new TrailBlazer modems, and is a firmware upgrade for existing units. The new firmware release levels are BC7.00 for TrailBlazer PLUS models, and GF7.03-TBSA for TrailBlazer T2000 models. Apparently the new software uses longer tones before the packet to disable the echo canceler, and a slightly modified turn-around packet. Telebit refers to the work they've done on echo cancellation as "The Sprint Fix". On older versions of the TELEBIT such as the BA4.00 there are several things that can be done. First, the S121 register can be set to 1 to enable the older echo suppression software. Then there is the undocumented register S120 which can be set to 12 to disable the use of micropackets. There is also the S36 register which is set using the command "J6S36=2", I forget what that enables. All of these come at a cost to throughput, however the new release 7 firmware levels will apparently improve reliability without the cost in performance. We have purchased several of the new GF7.03-TBSA level units and plan to start testing them long distance in tandem with older units within a couple of weeks. TELEBIT has also offered to upgrade our existing BA4.00 units to BC7.00 free of charge if we determine that the new release does in fact fix the problem for us. Recently I have also learned that in version GF7.03-TSBA the modem emits a four second V.25 tone before the PEP tones upon a call answer, even if the S92 register is set to 0. This can be disabled by setting the S120 register to a value of 16, however this also disables the "Sprint Fix" altogether. If you want to disable the "Sprint Fix" and micropackets, you can add them together and set S120 to 28. Finally, there is yet another undocumented command, "J6J0", which will display several statistics, including number of re-trains, re-transmissions, and missed packets. These values are reset along with the modem (see the S52 register). And of course there are the documented registers which display instantaneous transmit rate, transmit bits per channel, line noise profile, etc ... I should add that Telebit does not recommend these settings, and therefore they are undocumented. In all I must say that both MCI and TELEBIT have been very good at working with us to solve the problems. I have found the Telebit people very knowledgable on this subject, and our MCI rep has also been very helpful. MCI was especially careful not to point the finger at anyone. Mikel Manitius mikel@aaa.com ------------------------------ Subject: Lawyer's 1-900 Number Date: 19 Sep 91 03:04:55 EDT (Thu) From: Bob Falcon Hi Weaver, Pat, All, In an article from holos0!wdh@gatech.edu (Weaver Hickerson) said: > Are you sure that it is $39.50 / minute? I find that to be a little > hard to swallow. ($2,370.00 / hour) I doubt that anybody would use > the line much, since it is much cheaper just to talk to a lawyer in > person. Oops, must have had 'sleep' still in the 'ol eyes :-) There was a symbol that sort of looked like a 0 after the price that I thought was a 0, and since they flash the price up for {guess} a second or two at the most [grrrr], I didn't see it right. It _is_ $3.95 a minute [ a bit easier to swallow, but 'me' thinks a lawyer with a 900/976 number is sleeze gone to far! IMHO ]. I haven't seen this commercial more than once since [ maybe thats a good sign:-) ]. BTW, I was having lunch with a friend and his lawyer, and the lawyer also thinks this guy [lawyer with 900 number] has got to be a "REAL SLEEZE BUCKET" [unquote :-) ]. > Hell, he'd probably come to your house and bring a six pack > and a pizza, your choice of toppings, at those rates That's for sure! > Perhaps 3.95 / minute? There are some questions that I might find > it worth four bucks a minute to have answered, depending on how > fast I got my answer. Could be, but I'm not gonna give the dude any of MY hard earned cash . To each their own, I'm just TOTALLY tired of 900/976 commercials [Glad a have a remote for the Cable/TV/VCR ]. I have a rather non-sleezy lawyer that I call when I REALLY have to and he's so cool that I put aside my anti-lawyer stance . But, if he ever gets a 900/976 number he's history ! I'll have to give him a call and ask him if he has seen this commercial. > Perhaps Captain Midnight was transmitting to your breakfast table. , we've already had one cable TV pirate station pop up , but haven't seen him/her again [hope the dummy didn't get caught]. Not sure how he/she did it, but the programming was very interesting. > [Moderator's Note: In fairness to the original author, that price > *may* have been a typographical error. It was unclear in the original > unedited queue message ... might have been $39.50 per *call*. If > someone gets clarification on this, I'll clarify it here. PAT] Sorry 'bout the confusion Pat, Between the two second flash of the price, the extremely SMALL print, and the early hour , the 'ol bio-cpu's pattern recognition routines got confused :-) BTW Pat, Congrats on 10 years of TCD, one of the most informative newsgroups I have found , keep up the GREAT work!! Anyhoo, Have a good one! Catchya later, Bob Falcon [ Co-Sysop : Turbo 386 Remote Access ] [ 1:273/917 @Fidonet.org ] UUCP: bfalcon@rescon.UUCP { cdin-1 || dsinc } !alba2l!rescon!bfalcon ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 22:39:48 CDT From: "Patton M. Turner" Subject: Loop/Line ID Numbers (was Same Day Service) Christopher Lott writes: > Would someone please explain why telco makes it so difficult (in this > day of caller ID) to get the number from which you are calling? > My new service was installed (in MD) under a different number than the > one I was originally told. Lacking a ANI number, we had to wait until > the biz office opened to find out our number. Why??? What is the > potential for fraud and other trouble here? Color me clueless. Actually if your CO has CLID, just call someone with the feature to get the number. Other than that, CLID has little to do with line ID numbers. The potential for abuse is that someone could open a ped or network interface and clip on a test set and find out the telephone # for that loop. This will allow the person to give this number out for callback. Obviously, this increases the chances for fraud. (IMHO, at least) Here at AU we have a SL-100 providing service for the entire university. I was talking to one of the installers this afternoon and he told me that the switch programmer was not aware of what a line ID number is, and said he couldn't program one on the switch. The few times I've needed a line ID on campus I've been able to get one, as a few phones on campus will display CLID for calls originating on campus. Disclamer: I have no connection to AU Telcom/ETV, nor am I employed by Auburn University. Patton Turner KB4GRZ @ K4RY.AL.USA.NOAM pturner@eng.auburn.edu ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #757 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa02170; 22 Sep 91 6:44 EDT Date: Sun, 22 Sep 91 5:41:27 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator To: list: ; Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #758 Message-ID: <9109220541.aa18758@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> TELECOM Digest Fri, 20 Sep 91 22:52:47 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 758 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson AT&T Cost Cuts Spark Outage? [CWall Street Journal via Charlie Mingo] Pac*Bell's Restructuring [John Higdon] Interesting Telecom Book [Will Martin] Northern Telecom Option 21 PBX [Ken O'Brien] Line-Powered Phone Won't Beep [mission!randy@uunet.uu.net] British Telcom Comes to Atlanta [UPI via Bill Berbenich] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Charlie Mingo Date: 20 Sep 91 00:13:45 Subject: AT&T Cost Cuts Spark Outage? DID AT&T COST CUTS SPARK OUTAGE? By John J. Keller, {The Wall Street Journal}, September 19, 1991, at B1 Zealous cost cutting and workers' failure to respond to an internal alarm led to American Telephone & Telegraph Co.'s third major network disaster of the 1990's, a debacle which AT&T's rivals said they plan to exploit to maximum competitive advantage. Phone customers up and down the East Coast and as far away as California were unable to complete calls through Manhatten late Tuesday afternoon and evening. The switch cutoff also shut transmission through more than 200 ultrahigh-capacity communications lines that carry phone calls, computer data, financial transactions and air-traffic control information. AT&T systems were running normally yesterday. Government officials who demanded an explanation for yesterday's outage from AT&T's top executives were told that the company had gone over to its own power generators because of an interruptible service discount plan AT&T has with the local utility Consolidated Edison Corp. Under the plan, AT&T shifted Tuesday to its own generator at Con Ed's request, a procedure AT&T must follow to qualify for the lower electric rate. When AT&T switched to its own generators, rectifiers in the power supplies that feed its switching center blew, sending the center to emergency batteries, AT&T said. (The rectifiers convert AC power to DC.) Then AT&T experienced a second failure: Employees in its switching center failed to respond to alarms that warned that emergency batteries had kicked in. After six hours the batteries lost juice. AT&T, which has slashed hundreds of millions of dollars out of its costs in the last year, said the contractual arrangement with Con Ed wasn't driven by penny pinching. "The cost savings is inconsequential," said a spokesman in an interview last night. "We're motivated by the fact that we're a big corporate user and we have to behave responsibly as a good corporate citizen." Initially, AT&T wouldn't comment on whether it had signed up for Con Ed's interruptible rate discount. The company blamed Tuesday's outage on a "routine power sharing" agreement with Con Ed that went awry. Joseph Nacchio, vice president of the company's Business Communications Services, said AT&T was asked by Con Ed to shift over to its own power generating equipment when New York experienced a power overload during unseasonably hot weather. Mr. Nacchio said AT&T agreed to go to its own power generation because of AT&T's "operating agreements [with Con Ed] that have been in place for years," and AT&T's "social responsibility for the New York power grid." But Charles Donaldson, chief of the New York Attorney General's Energy and Utilities Unit, said AT&T had no choice but to get off Con Ed's system during a power emergency. "I talked to Victor Pelson [group executive of AT&T's long distance business] and he had just gotten off the phone with [New York City] Mayor David Dinkens," said Mr. Donaldson. Mr. Pelson "confirmed that they were on the discount plan, which is also called an 'interruptible rate.' Con Ed also confirmed it to me." A Con Ed spokeswoman said, "We call it 'curtailable electric service.' AT&T and about 70 other companies are on the plan." AT&T went on the plan last year, said a Con Ed spokesman. Under the plan, a big company such as AT&T, which has its own backup power generators, can opt for a discount ot "interruptible rate." In return, AT&T would agree to go off-line to its own generators if Con Ed needed the power for an emergency such as a heat wave. When power to AT&T's huge switching center in lower Manhatten blew, so did AT&T communication service. Calling for an investigation in the communications breakdown, New York State Attorney General Robert Abrams yesterday said he questioned "AT&T's decision to use interruptible power to save money. Not only does AT&T forfeit integral reliability with this false economy, but the company's cost cutting decision has major safety and economic consequences when there is a power failure." In Washington, Rep. Robert E. Wise (D. W.Va.), who chairs a panel of the House Governmental Operations Committee, asked Alfred E. Sykes, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, to assist his committee in an investigation of Tuesday's outage. "So far," wrote Mr. Wyse in a letter to Mr. Sykes, "the impact of [past] outages has been measured in hours wasted and dollars lost; I want to take every step to make sure that future outages are not measured in terms of property destroyed and lives lost." AT&T's second major outage this year and the third since January 1990 may be the best thing that has ever happened to its rivals in the cutthroat long-distance phone business. While MCI Communications Corp., has not tried to publicly capitalize on AT&T's predicament in the past, the latest outage prompted the company to take a very tough stance. Daniel Atkinson, MCI vice president and group excutive, said the phone failure "has public safety implications for the country ... God forbid if you had a child flying around yesterday. It could have been really ugly." A Federal Avation Administration spokesman insisted that safety wasn't compromised Tuesday. "We have procedures to deal with such an emergency situation, both for pilots and controllers, and they were put into effect," said Duncan Pardue, a spokesman for the FAA's Eastern Region. "We're not going to comment on MCI statements," said AT&T's spokesman. "We expect our competitor's to compete." AT&T's spokesman said the company has spent $18 billion modernizing its network in the last seven years and is "already investing $200 million to improve power supplies and other critical backup so that the risk in the future is greatly diminished." Mr. Akerson said big customers such as the FAA, whose air-traffic control lines provided by AT&T went dowm Tuesday, must build redundant networks that include another carrier's lines for emergency backup. Mr. Nacchio said that AT&T had been working on a plan "for several months" to come up with alternative communications routes for the FAA air traffic control system. By next month, he said, multiple backup routes will be in operation, making it less likly that such a disruption will occur. However, the FAA still won't be able to switch over to the lines of another carrier such as MCI because its only carrier is AT&T. And the agency's attempts to line up alternative carriers that would make its network fully redundant were stymied when the General Services Administration suspended the FAA's authority to let the contract. Jack B. Grubman, telecommunications analyst at Paine Weber Inc., said that AT&T had a huge network outage in January, 1990 and another one this year, but "their market share hasn't changed any. This will cause no changes in the competitive landscape." But MCI's Mr. Akerson says Tuesday's event was strike three. "We're not gloating here," said Mr. Akerson. "AT&T advertised a self-healing network and they didn't deliver ... they're not infallible." Mr. Nacchio said that "when we talk about our self-healing network, we're talking about implementing it over time. These systems worked pretty well yesterday. The network did complete a high percentage of calls." However, he declined to comment on how many calls AT&T put through. A spokesman at the nation's No. 3 carrier, US Sprint, a unit of United Communications Inc., said the company didn't plan to run ads pointing out the AT&T outage. "But we will take the opportunity to point out to our customers that AT&T's claims of having the most reliable network don't ring true." ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Sep 91 17:49 PDT From: John Higdon Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Pac*Bell's Restructuring The last I heard about Pac*Bell wishing to restructure rates was several years ago before it cut the sweetheart deal with the PUC. Now that Pac*Bell has received everything it wanted and we ratepayers got touch tone and Zone 2 charges applied to everyone rather than just those who used them, it is indeed probably time for Pac*Bell to start whining to the PUC again. Already, the company is before the PUC complaining about "de facto intraLATA competition". This is the (increasingly common) practice of using IEC dedicated lines, those that come directly from the carrier's switch, to make intraLATA calls at a substantial savings over Pac*Bell's inflated rates. Since these calls do not pass through Pac*Bell's switching equipment, there is no technical way for it to stop this practice. Of course this money-saving tactic is reserved for larger customers since the cost of dedicated lines, typically provided over T1, is not cost effective for smaller users. In essence, this is a form of bypass, something that Pac*Bell itself has predicted would eventually happen. To minimize this, Pac*Bell has always maintained that it was necessary to extract more revenue from the residence customers so that it could keep business services (among those, daytime intraLATA calls) priced competitively. Depending upon how you look at it, this means subsidizing business service on the backs of the residential ratepayers, or subsidizing residential service less from the other offerings. In any event, this was the last plan that Pac*Bell presented for this purpose: 1. Keep measured residence service approximately the same, but maybe cut the monthly allowance slightly. 2. Create a new residential class of service that allows 130 untimed local calls per month. Each call over the limit would cost on the order of $.11 each (untimed). The monthly charge would be comparable to the current unmeasured rate. 3. Double the monthly charge on unmeasured residence service. The strategy is that most people would, after considering their real usage, opt for plan two. After all, you would have to make 200 local calls per month to make plan three cost effective. That is nearly seven calls a day, day in and day out. After a year or two, Pac*Bell would go back to the PUC and indicate that plan three was no longer necessary because of insignificant demand. And that, my friends, would be the end of "free" local calls. As you can see, this plan could not even remotely be considered "revenue-neutral" but you can be assured that Pac*Bell will sell it to the PUC clowns as a device to "more equitably" distribute the costs of providing telephone service to those who use it the most. It will be interesting to see if Pac*Bell really does trot this old nag out and give it a run. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Sep 91 13:55:03 CDT From: Will Martin Subject: Interesting Telecom Book Picked up an interesting telecom book this morning at the St. Louis Public Library book fair for 50 cents: a GTE Communication Systems STATION EQUIPMENT REPAIR HANDBOOK, publication CH-125 issue 5 (Sept. 1985). This is a big-format paperback printed on paper like the white-pages telephone directory; there's no overall page-numbering (each section is numbered separately) but the book is the size of a metropolitan white pages. It's full of exploded drawings, parts lists, schematics, and repair/install procedures for various telephones and on-premises equipment. If one had any of this stuff, I guess this would be a neat book to own ... :-) So, I'm curious ... what do I have here? Is this a rare treasure, the kind of document telcos guard jealously and don't ever want to allow out into the grubby hands of the great unwashed? Or is this just an example of something common as dirt, an easy-to-acquire service manual of no particular worth? This was something the library had in its collection and decided to get rid of, so I would suppose it is nothing much. I would guess it had been replaced on the shelf by a newer edition. (If anyone cares, it had been filed by Dewey Decimal Classification 621.385.) Another telecom-interesting touch at the book fair was that the library had boxes of telephone books marked "free" available for the taking. I was loaded down with two big canvas shopping bags full of reference books, so couldn't take any myself, and thus gave them only a brief glance. A lot of foreign directories -- I noticed Guatemala (looked like one book for the whole country) and Rio de Janiero. If anybody in the St. Louis region sees this in time, the fair is scheduled for 10 am - 7 pm today, 20 Sept., and 9 am - 4 pm tomorrow, Saturday, 21 Sept. On Saturday afternoon, prices drop to a bag-full of books for $1. Regards, Will wmartin@stl-06sima.army.mil OR wmartin@st-louis-emh2.army.mil ------------------------------ From: Ken O'Brien Subject: Northern Telecom Option 21 PBX Organization: Consumer Information Services, Inc. Date: Fri, 20 Sep 1991 19:47:03 GMT We are in the process of selecting a PBX. So far the Northern Telecom Meridian Option 21 is at the top of our list. We need ANI and the Switch Computer Interface (SCI). Our initial needs for SCI are simple. All we need to do is get the calling number and the ACD agent which is going to handle the call. We then send the information relating to the calling number to the agents terminal. The telephone companies and PBX resellers do not know much about the SCI interface. Has anyone had experience with this type of application? Has anyone used it on Northern Telecom equipment? Does anyone have opinions on Northern PBXs in general? Our initial application calls for 16 agents in the ACD group growing to 64 within six months. There will also be 16 normal usage business lines and no data traffic through the switch. Thanks, Ken O'Brien Consumer Information Services, Inc. 431 E. Horatio Ave #250, Maitland Fl. 32751 407-539-1611 uunet!atriedes!ken ------------------------------ From: mission!randy@uunet.uu.net Subject: Line-Powered Phone Won't Beep Date: Fri Sep 20 15:47:32 1991 A friend of mine has two phones: one is a wall-powered combo answering machine/phone, the other is a line-powered phone. Both are DTMF. The answering machine instructions say that to tell it to shut up if it picks up a call you want to get, just pick up a phone and press a key. The problem is that when the answering machine is off-hook, the line-powered phone won't beep. The line-powered phone is at the end of an extension cord, plugged in to a different jack than the ans mach. If the line-powered phone is off-hook, the wall-powered phone works fine. Could the problem be too low line voltage? If so, would PacBell (*sigh*) be inclined to do anything about it? (BTW, the line-powered phone works fine if the other phone is on-hook. Also, a regular desk phone was substituted and it also fails to beep when the other phone is off-hook). Thanks for any help! ------------------------------ From: bill@eedsp.gatech.edu Subject: British Telcom Comes to Atlanta Date: Fri, 20 Sep 91 17:46:35 EDT Now it can be told. The following story appeared today on the UPI wire. ATLANTA (UPI) -- British Telcom has unveiled plans for a subsidiary in Atlanta that will provide telephone service for multinational corporations and bring 200 jobs to the city in the process. The British telecommunications company announced its plans Thursday to become the first to offer private telephone service that will link branches of multinational corporations. The market for such a service is estimated at $2.8 billion. Codenamed Pathfinder, the service has been planned in secret over the last 2 1/2 years. The company, Syncordia, has been quietly operating in Atlanta for several months and now has 120 employees. A company spokesman said it is hiring five to six employees a week, most of whom are engineers and customer service representatives. Bill Berbenich, School of EE, DSP Lab Georgia Tech, Atlanta Georgia, 30332 uucp: ...!{backbones}!gatech!eedsp!bill Internet: bill@eedsp.gatech.edu ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #758 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa20548; 23 Sep 91 16:54 EDT Received: from mailinglists.eecs.nwu.edu by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id ab12030; 23 Sep 91 12:38 CDT Received: from mailinglists.eecs.nwu.edu by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id ax29726; 23 Sep 91 11:50 CDT Date: Fri, 20 Sep 91 23:52:44 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator [To]: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #759 BCC: Message-ID: <9109202352.ab30882@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> TELECOM Digest Fri, 20 Sep 91 23:52:28 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 759 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Telecom and the "Evil Empire" [EMMS via J. Brad Hicks] Belize Calling Changes [Dave Leibold] USA Direct in Spanish [Dave Leibold] Anyone Know ANYthing About Digitel Corp.? [David Dahmer] Message to the Digest From Jsol [Bill Cattey] Automated Features Ordering in the S.F. Bay Area [Bruce Perens] I Was Recently Given ... [Dave Burke] 510 Problems in California [Phydeaux] LD Savings Plans vs. 1+ (Main Carrier) Connection [Cristobal P. Martin] Standard Accessory Interface - Digital Cellular Phones [Jack Powers] AT&T Information Services 950-1288 huh? [Dannie Gregoire] Re: Roomate From Hell Runs up 900-Number Bill! [John Higdon] Re: A Friend From Hell [Julian Macassey] Re: A Friend From Hell [Paul Guthrie] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 20 Sep 91 20:16 GMT From: "J. Brad Hicks" <0004073044@mcimail.com> Subject: Telecom and the "Evil Empire" Eric Arnum (emms@mcimail.com) dedicated a big slice of the September 3rd issue of {Electronic Mail and Micro Systems} (EMMS) to the impact of telecom on the failed coup in the former USSR; most of which should be familiar to anyone who was reading TELECOM Digest during the time. But he then went on to describe several recent and upcoming developments about growing telecom links between the former USSR and the rest of the world, some of the details of which I have not seen here, summarized below: AT&T announced last October that they would be dropping a 5ESS, a satellite link, and other modern phone gear into Armenia. This means that for the first time since Stalin's time, it will be possible for outsiders to dial into the (former) USSR without the circuit going through Moscow. Last year, both US West and Britain's Cable & Wireless group tried to get approval to run fiber optic lines all the way across Russia, with the intention of providing fiber service not only within Russia, but between Europe and Japan. Both deals were nixed, explicitly because fiber lines would be too hard to spy upon ... not by the KGB, but by the US's NSA and the corresponding British agencies. [Comment on above items, by jbhicks@mcimail.com: The USSR has spent the past year plus not only trying to modernize their phone system, but accepting changes that make it harder for Moscow to spy on its citizens' calls to and from overseas. The USA and UK spent that same time blocking newer technologies that would make it harder for them to spy on their citizens' conversations with people overseas ... and then Sen. Biden, unhappy that they might've overlooked a few technologies, tried to pass a law making it illegal to encrypt things so the USA government couldn't read them. NOW who's the "Evil Empire"? Was it the late Robert Heinlein who said that by the year 2000 we'd be living under socialism and they'd be living under democracy ... but that we'd still CALL ours "democracy" and they'd still CALL theirs "socialism"?] And more on AT&T running phone lines through Soviet satellites: AT&T has been trying since 1989 to get permission to open, as Eric Arnum puts it in EMMS, "a measly 24 additional circuits" over Intersputnik, apparently because they couldn't get the bandwidth anywhere else. The USSR agreed; the US State Department asked the FCC to nix the deal because their policy was to sustain Intelsat's monopoly on voice communications via satellite. This summer, AT&T got Intelsat to admit that they didn't mind if AT&T used Intersputnik, so they re-applied, this time for 90 Intersputnik circuits. AT&T currently has 67 circuits into the former USSR, but claims that 91% [!!!] of all call attempts are failing to get through because the lines are busy. [Comment on the above by jbhicks@mcimail.com: And WE'RE lecturing THEM on free market reforms? When are we going to get some?] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Sep 91 23:15:00 PDT From: Dave Leibold Subject: Belize Calling Changes Belize (country code +501) seems to have undergone a change in the way calls are dialed to it from other countries. Older phone books list area codes for Belize so that an area code is not needed for a number within Belize City, but area codes beginning with 0 are needed for areas outside. Thus, Corozal Town used to be 04, but it seems to be just 4 now (dialed from North America as 011 501 4 xx...xx, formerly as 011 501 04 xx...xx). Below is a partial list of area codes that have been found, with information exchanged between Carl Moore and myself. Any additional information on this would be appreciated (mail dleibold@attmail.com or djcl@bnw.debe.fl.us). 501 Belize [Telecom Canada and AT&T claims the initial 0 is dropped for these codes now; a change was likely made recently. Formerly, Belize City required no area code before number, and other points required area codes beginning with 0 as if the call were being placed from Belize City.] 2 Belize City [originally no area code needed] 26 Ambergris Cay, San Pedro 3 Orange Walk 4 Corozal Town 5 Stann Creek 6 Placencia 8 Belmopan 92 San Ignacio djcl@bnw.debe.fl.us dleibold@attmail.com djcl@sol.cse.fau.edu-- Dave Leibold - via FidoNet node 1:3609/1 UUCP: !djcl INTERNET: djcl@bnw.debe.fl.us ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Sep 91 23:19:00 PDT From: Dave Leibold Subject: USA Direct in Spanish AT&T has announced the availability of Spanish-speaking operator assistance from various countries, mainly Latin American countries. This is in effect an expanded USA Direct service. Those wanting the Spanish-speaking operators are to request "USA-Directo". AT&T's international help line at 1 800 874.4000 will have more details. djcl@bnw.debe.fl.us djcl@sol.cse.fau.edu dleibold@attmail.com Dave Leibold - via FidoNet node 1:3609/1 UUCP: !djcl INTERNET: djcl@bnw.debe.fl.us ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Sep 91 16:25:19 GMT From: David Dahmer Subject: Anyone Know ANYthing About Digitel Corp.? Digit"E"l ( Notice the E not A.) Digitel Corporation is supposed to be a good telecom company, but they are not even listed with the better business bureau, or any other agency. Even D&B has no record of them. Could someone help me find out more about DIGITEL? Thanks much! Dave Dahmer dahmer@ucunix.san.uc.edu ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Sep 1991 19:25:37 -0400 (EDT) From: Bill Cattey Subject: Message to the Digest From Jsol I got a call from Jon Solomon today. He is alive and well and living in Connecticut. He does not have net access (at least not yet.) He was happy to hear about being remembered on the tenth anniversary of TELECOM Digest. He wanted to pass on a thank you to the readers of the Digest. He said "It's the readers who make the Digest." wdc [Moderator's Note: I'm glad to hear he is doing okay, and I'm sure you passed along greetings from all the old-timers here who would remember him. PAT] ------------------------------ From: bruce@pixar.com (Bruce Perens) Subject: Automated Features Ordering in the S.F. Bay Area Organization: Pixar -- Point Richmond, California Date: Fri, 20 Sep 1991 17:20:04 GMT The S.F. Bay area has had automatic features ordering since the last phone book came out (or maybe longer). It works this way: COMMSTAR Features Automatic Ordering System: 811-7050 The following features may be ordered using a touch-tone phone: Call Waiting/Cancel Call Waiting Call Forwarding Three-Way Calling Speed Calling 8 COMMSTAR Features Instruction Line: 811-0811 COMMSTAR II Features Instruction Line: 811-0813 I don't know how long it takes to implement the ordered features, or if the implementation is automatic. Perhaps this would now work for John Higdon, so that he could be even more impressed with Pac*Bell efficiency. Bruce Perens [Moderator's Note: If this works anything like Centrex-Mate here in Chicago, the changes are not automatic. They are reviewed later on by a human, batched and turned on in the next day or two. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: 19 Sep 91 09:02:00 EST From: "VAXA::DBURKE" Subject: I Was Recently Given ... Hi folks, I was recently given a DIMENSION 400 switch. Who can I sell its parts to? It is fully functional and handled *lots* of phones. Circa 1981/1986 upgrade. Dave Burke dburke%vaxb.decnet@npt.nusc.navy.mil ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 15:16:14 PDT From: Phydeaux Subject: 510 Problems in California Our technical support department in Alameda, California, has had some problems recently. It seems that some customers tried to call 415-xxx-yyyy and got an intercept indicating that they need to try 510. Upon trying 510 they got different intercepts incicating that their local phone company had not yet allowed 510. This was last week. 415 is still supposed to work for a few months in the East Bay. Why would this happen? reb -- *-=#= Phydeaux =#=-* reb@ingres.com or reb%ingres.com@lll-winken.llnl.GOV ICBM: 41.55N 87.40W h:558 West Wellington #3R Chicago, IL 60657 312-549-8365 w:reb ASK/Ingres 10255 West Higgins Suite 500 Rosemont, IL 60018 708-803-9500 ------------------------------ From: pedregal%unreal@cs.umass.edu Subject: LD Savings Plans vs. 1+ (Main Carrier) Connection Date: Thu, 19 Sep 91 11:16:33 EDT Reply-To: pedregal@vax1.cs.umass.edu I have the disturbing feeling that this has been discussed in the not so distant past, but am unable to recall when. Standard apologies apply ... The question is this: do I have to choose a certain carrier in order to be able to subscribe to its "savings" plan. e.g., can I order MCI's "Prime Time" plan even though AT&T is my primary (i.e. 1+) LD carrier? Or could I have ROA or ROW from AT&T on a line whose default carrier isn't AT&T? Thanks for your answers. Disclaimer for Ma Bell: no, I am not thinking of switching. In fact, I am a very satisfied customer. Serious! Cristobal Pedregal Martin pedregal@cs.umass.edu (internet) Computer Science Dept. - LGRC +1-413-545-1249 (facsimile) UMass / Amherst, MA 01003 +1-413-545-4753 (voice) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Sep 91 14:18:21 PDT From: powers@almaden.ibm.com Subject: Standard Accessory Interface - Digital Cellular Phones I have read that the new digital cellular phones will offer a digital data interface (at 2400 bits/second?), but have seen nothing on standards for interconnection of accessories. Does anyone know of any work in progress on such standards and where to look to follow this subject? Jack Powers IBM Research powers@almaden.ibm.com Phone: 408/927-1495 Phax: 408/927-4001 ------------------------------ From: Dannie Gregoire Subject: AT&T Information Services 950-1288 huh? Organization: Copper Electronics, Inc. Date: Thu, 19 Sep 1991 20:07:53 GMT I remember a few weeks ago someone posting the number 950-1288 as answering with a carrier. So I decided to give it a try The answering system does not seem to respond until "... [RETURN]" is typed. The message AT&T Information Services Please Sign-on: is displayed. What exactly is this service?? After playing around with it a bit I was able to find out enough to get it to dial other "nodes" but never really found out what it is for. Anyone else have a clue?? Dannie J. Gregoire dannie@coplex.com Copper Electronics Inc. !uunet!coplex!dannie ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 22:21 PDT From: John Higdon Subject: Re: Roomate From Hell Runs up 900-Number Bill! Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows In article NETWRK@harvarda.harvard.edu (Steve Thornton) writes: > If anyone had ever asked me if I wanted my phone line to have access > to 1-900 sex numbers, I would have said "hell, no, get outta here with > that." Pac*Bell reps almost invariably ask if you want 900/976 blocking when you place orders for new service. It is STANDARD on business service -- that it is implemented without asking. > I feel the same way about most super-duper phone features. > Unfortunately, No one ever asks. And even when they do, I get them > anyway (thank you New England Telephone for charging me for Call- > Waiting and the inside wiring insurance when I clearly and distinctly > refused them _three times_ when placing my new service order.) Sounds like your beef is with NET. Pac*Bell got major hand-slapping over this very issue some time back. But as you point out, while there are some who want only the basic telephone service, there are many of us who want modern conveniences with the telephone to make the service work better. To rail against these services because YOU have no use for them is a bit selfish and short sighted. In article John Higdon writes: [his usual flaming diatribes] > [Moderator's Note: But John, you have recourse against the AOS also > don't you? Its called having a cellular phone in your machine or on > your person. I haven't had to use a payphone, genuine Bell or > otherwise for more than a year. PAT] Well, of COURSE, I normally use my cellular phone for such purposes. And I have often pondered the possiblity that AOSes were a plot by the cellular telephone industry to sell mobile phone service. But there are still some people out there who actually feel that there is still such a thing as a public telephone. Naw! If those people cannot get with the times, screw 'em! John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ From: Julian Macassey Subject: Re: A Friend From Hell Date: 18 Sep 91 04:45:26 GMT Reply-To: Julian Macassey Organization: The Hole in the Wall Hollywood California U.S.A. In article haynes%cats.UCSC.EDU@ucscc. ucsc.edu (Jim Haynes) writes: X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 745, Message 9 of 9 > The German company has been around quite a long time and is named for, > as I recall, Dr. Ingr. Rudolf Hell. Back in the 60s a couple of their > products were named Hellschreiber and Hellfax. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This was an interesting device that saw service with the German Army during Hitler's war. It transmitted text that was printed out on a reel of paper. It was written up a few years ago in an amateur radio magazine. As I recall, some Dutch radio amateurs are still using old Hellschreibers, some of them had built new "transistorised" versions. Fax of course is a pre-WW II invention and was considered to be a new revolution in the 50's with housewives getting recipes faxed to them. Somehow, it never caught on until the Japanese who preferred faxing handwritten messages to attempting Telex started selling their high speed fax machines to yuppies who suddenly can't live without them. I don't think there is a "Faxameal" (R)(-: service yet. But many lunch places do take fax orders. Julian Macassey, julian@bongo.info.com N6ARE@K6VE.#SOCAL.CA.USA.NA 742 1/2 North Hayworth Avenue Hollywood CA 90046-7142 voice (213) 653-4495 ------------------------------ From: Paul Guthrie Subject: Re: A Friend From Hell Organization: The League of Crafty Hackers Date: Wed, 18 Sep 1991 04:40:02 GMT In article frankston!Bob_Frankston@ world.std.com writes: >> I've got a friend who works for Hell. It's a German graphics company >> that owns Linotype. I too worked for HEL once, but in this country it's the Army's Human Engineering Labs. Paul Guthrie chinet!nsacray!paul or pdg@balr.com or attmail!balr!pdg ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #759 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa15086; 23 Sep 91 15:13 EDT Received: from mailinglists.eecs.nwu.edu by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id ac12030; 23 Sep 91 12:44 CDT Received: from mailinglists.eecs.nwu.edu by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id ay29726; 23 Sep 91 11:51 CDT Date: Sat, 21 Sep 91 0:57:44 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator [To]: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #760 BCC: Message-ID: <9109210057.ab22391@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> TELECOM Digest Sat, 21 Sep 91 00:57:42 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 760 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson TELECOM Digest: Closed for Repairs! [TELECOM Moderator] Omaha Man Indicted in 900 Number Scam [Omaha World-Herald via J. Winslade] Subscriber Carrier / AML / {GAG!} [Jack Winslade] Correct English Expressions [Gordon Grant] Re: Israeli Hacker Caught [Michael A. Covington] Re: Israeli Hacker Caught [Wolf Paul] Re: Israeli Hacker Caught [David Leibold] Re: Israeli Hacker Caught [Steve Urich] Re: Israeli Hacker Caught [James Cummings] Re: Why Can't you IDDD from Alaska to the Netherlands? [John R. Covert] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 21 Sep 91 0:05:22 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator Subject: TELECOM Digest: Closed for Repairs! This is to remind you that the past several issues of the Digest have NOT been getting delivered to the mailing list except on a sporadic and very irregular basis -- if at all. On Tuesday, September 25, this site will convert to using Sendmail instead of MMDF, and hopefully problems will clear up. It appears nothing is being done to repair the MMDF problem since it is so near the cutover time anyway. 1. Please advise list readers you know (and in fact I hope many of them see this) to read netnews until further notice. I have no other options available to them. 2. As requested previously, DO NOT SEND FURTHER ARTICLES TO TELECOM UNTIL WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 OR LATER! I am in the process of clearing out a huge backlog of stuff now, and would prefer to begin using Sendmail with a cleaned out queue and all new topics. 3. Beginning with the new software, new rules for posting here will be enforced, among them being if you can't put a proper subject header on your article I sure am not going to run back to the archives to look it up for you. If you mix two or more subjects in the same article, I will pick the one I like best and truncate the rest -- or maybe dump it all. Remember, meaningful subject headers and single topic per article. I won't bother even looking at the rest. Patrick Townson ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Sep 91 21:29:49 cst From: Jack Winslade Subject: Omaha Man Indicted in 900 Number Scam Reply-To: jsw@drbbs.omahug.org Organization: DRBBS Technical BBS, Omaha, 402-896-3537 From the front page of the {Omaha World-Herald}, evening edition, Friday, Sept. 20. 1991. Case Is a First for Nation Omaha Man Faces 900 Toll Indictment by David Thompson, {World-Herald} Staff Writer (quoted and paraphrased by JSW) Criminal charges brought against an Omaha man and his business are the first prosecution in the country for abuse of a 900-toll telephone number, Postal Inspector Mike Jones of Omaha said Friday. Ellis B. Goodman ... and Bedford Direct Mail Service Inc. were named in a 12-count mail fraud indictment handed up Thursday by a federal grand jury in Omaha. Thursday's indictment is the first criminal action taken any place in the nation against the holder of a 900-toll number, Jones said. Goodman and Bedford 'targeted the people who are most vulnerable' to a fraud scheme. Goodman obtained lists of clusters of people described as 'public assistance, tobacco roads, emergent minorities, Hispanic mix, share croppers, back-country folks, shotguns and pickups, hard scrabble, black enterprise, downtown Dixie style, agri-business, and mines mills heavy industry.' Goodman and Bedford are accused of mailing 'Phone/Mail-A-Grams' to 1.2 million people during 1990 inducing them to call a 900 number offering gifts and mailing another 400,000 postcards to others on the mailing list offering them a credit card. Customers were not told that the card could only be used to buy a limited number of items shown in two catalogs and the list prices were inflated above the actual cost. The credit card was offered for an application fee of between $30 and $80. For the first call, they were charged $6.86 and Bedford received $5.45. They were told that they had to call a second 900 number for which they were charged $25. Bedford received $21.75 for each of the second calls. Bedford was named a defendant in a civil lawsuit filed last December in which postal authorities sought a civil court order to prevent the firm from mailing more of the material. Bedford agreed to temporarily stop the mailing and to ask MCI to hold money sent by people responding. The civil case is still pending. (end of {W-H} summary) In a separate story, television station KETV of Omaha reported that one item offered was a 'tennis bracelet' with a quoted list price of $70. They reported that it was offered to 'credit card holders' for $27.75 but the actual cost of the bracelet to the firm was 2.20. Both stories stated that Goodman plans to 'vigorously' defend the charges. Good day! JSW ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Sep 91 19:56:30 cst From: Jack Winslade Subject: Subscriber Carrier / AML / {GAG!} Reply-To: jack.winslade@drbbs.omahug.org Organization: DRBBS Technical BBS, Omaha Years ago when I was on the committee of a nonprofit agency, I agreed to let my apartment be the parking spot for the agency's inbound telephone, which was to simply be an answering machine. I ordered a second line. I was on the top floor of the building, and all apartments were wired with home-run drops to a rat's nest box in the cellar. It turned out that the building (built in the 40's, I guess) was wired with what LOOKED like quad cable, but in actuality had only three conductors. There was no way (other than running cable up the side of the building -- which they said they sometimes did) to snake another cable through several floors, firewalls, etc. They ended up putting one of those {fill in expletive} AML boxes in, up in the apartment, right next to where the answering machine was to go. For what it was used for, it was fine. It simply sat there, played about a three minute announcement, and optionally took a message. From the far end, there was no audible difference between the answering machine on the carrier circuit, and the same machine on the physical circuit. However (comma) if it were my own voice (or data) line I most likely would have raised hell. There was a definite degradation in received audio quality. Even the dial tone sounded raspy when compared to the dial tone on the physical side. There was an audible hiss in the background which made it sound something like a long-distance call (of those days) even though it was local. I doubt that it would have passed data at any speed. This was in the days when 300 bps was the 'new high speed' and I could not afford to have my own modem at home . The only real problem (as JH pointed out) was on a weekend when I accidentally left my voice line off hook for a day and a half. Yes, the carrier side went dead. When calling in, the caller got a ring with no answer. Simply hanging up the set for about an hour cured it, though. I shudder when I think of the proverbial little old lady screaming 'I've fallen and I can't get up' only to have service on the carrier side with the physical circuit off hook for an extended period. I am glad they are phasing out the use of these things. Good day! JSW Ybbat (DRBBS) 8.9 v. 3.13 r.5 DRBBS, Keep On WOC'n in the Free World (200:5010/666.0) ------------------------------ From: gordon grant Subject: Correct English Expressions Organization: Joint European Torus Date: Wed, 18 Sep 1991 12:39:08 GMT The British Telecom directories are actually entitled "The Phone Book". One section entitled "Standard tones and their meanings" containing the following: Dial tone (continuous purring or high pitched hum) The equipment is ready for your call. Start dialing. Ringing tone (repeated burr burr) The equipment is trying to call the dialed number. Engaged tone (repeated single tone) The called number is in use. Try again a few minutes later. Equipment engaged tone ( similar to 'engaged' tone but comprising alternate long and short bursts of tone.) All equipment at one link in the network is in use. Try again a few minutes later. Number unobtainable tone (steady tone) The called number is not in use, temporarily out of service or out of order. Check code and/or number and call again. If unsuccessful again call the enquiry operator. Pay tone (rapid pips) Instructs the payphone callers to insert money. Hold on until pips stops before speaking. Those compiling a glossary should be able to find one or two items to note from the above quote. Two others British TLA's: DDI - Direct Dial-In IDD - International Direct Dialling. gg@jet.uk Gordon Grant Jet Abingdon OX14 3EA UK Voice +44 235 528822 x4822 Fax +44 235 464404 - Disclaimer: Please note that the above is a personal view and should not be construed as an official comment from the JET project. ------------------------------ From: "Michael A. Covington" Subject: Re: Israeli Hacker Caught Organization: University of Georgia, Athens Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 05:24:16 GMT In article davids@caen.engin.umich.edu (David Snearline) writes: > In djcl@bnw.debe.fl.us (Dave Leibold) > wrote: >> Deri Schriebman, an 18-year old computer whiz from Carmiel in >> northern Isreal, "hacked" his way into the Pentagon's computer system, > Considering that clasified information is not allowed to be stored on > any machines connected to the Internet, one wonders how much > "classified" information was actually on the system, and much is > merely the media making hot air. Since no newspaper or other published source was cited, one wonders, in fact, _who_ is making the hot air! It was just a "news story" datelined, if I remember right, "Jerusalem (Special)" with no attri- bution other than a BBS somewhere. Michael A. Covington, Ph.D. | mcovingt@uga.cc.uga.edu | N4TMI Assistant to the Director, Artificial Intelligence Programs The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, U.S.A. ------------------------------ From: Wolf Paul Subject: Re: Israeli Hacker Caught Reply-To: wnp@rcvie.co.at Organization: Alcatel-Elin Research Center, Vienna, Austria Date: Wed, 18 Sep 1991 11:32:27 GMT In article , djcl@bnw.debe.fl.us (Dave Leibold) writes: > Isreali police say Shriebman is the most talented computer hacker > they have come across and have emphasized he broke through computer > defenses for pleasure not gain. I hope that when I get my courage together and start picking other folks' locks for the sheer pleasure of it (not for gain, mind you!), that someone will also come to my aid and emphasize my innocent motives! > Detectives say there is no evidence suggesting he knew colleagues in > the United States and Canada -- six of whom have been arrested -- were > profiting from the VISA information he transmitted to them. Sure. He thought they were just getting kicks out of looking at the VISA numbers coz' they are so pretty, right? Wolf N. Paul, Computer Center Alcatel Austria - Elin Research Center, Ruthnergasse 1, A-1210 Vienna-Austria E-Mail: cc_paul@rcvie.co.at Phone: +43-1-2246913 (h) +43-1-391621-122 (w) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 11:52:51 -0400 From: David Leibold Subject: Re: Israeli Hacker Caught I just received a bit more information about the source for that Israeli hacker story ... the person originally posting that in IMEx TELECOM conference just reported that this story could be found in {The Toronto Star}. I can't say which issue, since the {Star} isn't particularly common, even down here in Canada's 11th province :-) djcl@bnw.debe.fl.us djcl@sol.cse.fau.edu dleibold@attmail.com ------------------------------ From: Steve Urich Subject: Re: Israeli Hacker Caught Date: 18 Sep 91 17:13:08 GMT Organization: Beyonet Network In article davids@caen.engin.umich.edu (David Snearline) writes: > In djcl@bnw.debe.fl.us (Dave Leibold) > wrote: >> Deri Schriebman, an 18-year old computer whiz from Carmiel in >> northern Isreal, "hacked" his way into the Pentagon's computer system, >> reading and copying classified information on the Patriot missle >> defense system and other top secret U.S. military programs. > Considering that clasified information is not allowed to be stored on > any machines connected to the Internet, one wonders how much > "classified" information was actually on the system, and much is > merely the media making hot air. <*> Does it mention the Internet? Please think before you post. There are many other International networks out there that are bombarded with hackers that do this everyday and haven't got caught yet. Most of these young people start by getting their information on BBS's. Thats how they find ways to get to multi-chat systems where they find out how to get into the networks. They soon find Internet boring and easy to hack. They step-up to the International x25 network (when I read the article I would have guessed this is where Mr. Schriebman was hacking). The x25 network if full of "classified" systems, outdials, pads, etc. Each country has a DNIC 4 numbered prefix. The addresses are called NUA's. Once they find a x25 port from BBS's or chatting it then snowballs to no limit. <*> The above information is just a simple summary of what is known to me by reading about it. I'm sure there are better ways of explaining the process but I don't have the references in front of me. :-) If the above paragraph has given the reader a new horizon to conquer, please don't use me as a reference. B-) Try reading it from the "informations" account on Tymnet. Thats one of the places the gives info on x25 networks. Sorry I don't have phone #'s but if you call the 1-800 number and enter "phones" then you can get your area dial-in. All above info is from having an old compuserve account. Don't know if its still available. Steve Urich B3FTP wells!beyonet!beyo@dsinc.dsi.com ------------------------------ From: james@dlss2.uucp (James Cummings) Subject: Re: Israeli Hacker Caught Organization: RedRock Development Date: Fri, 20 Sep 1991 13:40:29 GMT In article davids@caen.engin.umich.edu (David Snearline) writes: > In djcl@bnw.debe.fl.us (Dave Leibold) > wrote: >> Deri Schriebman, an 18-year old computer whiz from Carmiel in > Considering that clasified information is not allowed to be stored on > any machines connected to the Internet, one wonders how much > "classified" information was actually on the system, and much is > merely the media making hot air. Oh, the press wouldn't do that! ... would they? I think you're right, what's available via Internet (physically) is supposed to be non-classified, even the government has enough sense to keep the good stuff locked up. Seems though I read somewhere that he did find financial stuff, that might have been on such a box. There's also the possibility that he hit a government Internet site that was also a site for one of their other WANs, making it possible for the initial attack to be on a non-classified machine. James dlss2!james ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Sep 91 16:03:16 PDT From: John R. Covert Subject: Re: Why Can't you IDDD from Alaska to the Netherlands? > According to a booklet PTT telecom just sent me, ... those poor > Alaskans can't call me back at +31-80-XXXXXX, without assistance > from an operator. They most certainly can, if they are in an exchange with IDDD service. The Anchorage phone book lists the Netherlands as being dialable in the normal manner, along with most other countries. > And why can't they reach the Netherlands Direct at 1-800-432-0031 > either? Netherlands Direct is provided by AT&T, which does not currently have a presence in Alaska. The primary carrier for all service between Alaska and other points is currently Alascom, with rates identical to AT&T's rates. There has been some talk of a takeover of service outside Alaska by AT&T. john ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #760 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa15318; 23 Sep 91 15:17 EDT Received: from mailinglists.eecs.nwu.edu by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id ad12030; 23 Sep 91 12:53 CDT Received: from mailinglists.eecs.nwu.edu by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id az29726; 23 Sep 91 11:51 CDT Date: Sat, 21 Sep 91 1:41:41 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator [To]: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #761 BCC: Message-ID: <9109210141.ab00440@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> TELECOM Digest Sat, 21 Sep 91 01:41:31 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 761 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Don't Remove the 1+ = TOLL (was Running Out of Codes) [John Higdon] Re: Don't Remove the 1+ = TOLL (was Running Out of Codes) [Carl Moore] Re: Don't Remove the 1+ = TOLL (was Running Out of Codes) [J. P. Miller] Re: Don't Remove the 1+ = TOLL (was Running Out of Codes) [J. Stuart] Re: Problem Reaching AT&T MAIL [Dave Platt] Re: Problem Reaching AT&T MAIL [Tom Coradeschi] Re: Problem Reaching AT&T MAIL [Bill Nickless] Re: AT&T Mail: Internet to X.400? (was Problem Reaching AT&T Mail) [W Paul] Re: Update - Domino's Pizza to Get USA-Wide 950 Order Line [Eric Thompson] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 22:12 PDT From: John Higdon Subject: Re: Don't Remove the 1+ = TOLL (was Running Out of Area Codes) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows In article linc@tongue1.berkeley.edu (Linc Madison) writes: > No, John, *CUSTOMERS* did not "make up" the idea that 1 = toll; THE Point of order here. At no time did the phone company say 'toll' in association with the '1'. It used the term 'long distance' or 'DDD' but said nothing about 'money', 'toll', 'extra charges' or anything of the sort. > The idea that "1 = toll" is REPLETE with "historical validity," all of > your arguments to the contrary notwithstanding in the least. No, you made that association. See above. > Whatever the technical reasons that prompted > the use of "1" for toll calls, the fact remains that in many places it > was a matter of WRITTEN POLICY that you dialed a 1 or a 0 in front of > a POTS number IF AND ONLY IF it was a toll call. Maybe you didn't get > saturated with the commercials with the jingle "Dial 1, plus the area > code (if it's different from your own), and then the number!" but that > doesn't mean that your experience is universal or representative. Show me, or point me to anything in writing by a Bell operating company, a current RBOC, or even an independent that uses the word "toll" in association with the dialing of a '1'. Yes, I have heard the jingles from Mountain Bell, C&P, SWBT, and others. Do not tell me I have a 'west coast' view of telephony -- I have been all over and seen it all. Fax me ANYTHING that denotes '1 = TOLL' printed by an operating telco (408 723-8404) and I will eat humble pie here on the Digest. Remember: this does not apply to '1 = Long Distance' or '1 = DDD', or just the notation that a '1' must be dialed before any call that YOU happen to know costs extra. I want to see documentation that '1 = Extra Charges' as you have emphatically claimed that the telcos have explicitly said. > Just because *YOU* perceive that the only valid reason for a "1" is if > network technical considerations require it, does *THAT* make *IT* so?? No, but your misconceptions don't make it false, either. In article "Ralph W. Hyre" writes: > (BTW, in some independent telco areas of Ohio, I have to dial either > 1+950 or 0+950 to complete my OCC calls, so the analogy doesn't always > hold.) That is because it isn't true. Here is the best analogy I can give: When you have your car washed, you roll up the windows. You do this to keep the water out. But if you have your car washed at a "Speedy Wash", you have to pay for the service. Therefore, some might associate "paying" with "rolling up your windows". But what about the times that you wash the car yourself and you do NOT pay? Dialing a '1' enables long distance (DDD) and other special call handlings (maybe 976, 950, etc.). Generally, there is a charge associated with these services BUT NOT ALWAYS. Just as "rolling up windows" <> "paying money", so does "dialing '1'" <> "toll" OR "extra charges". Telcos have never told you otherwise. In many areas of the country, "1 + 10D" is a LOCAL, UNMEASURED call. What about that? John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 13:35:36 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: Re: Don't Remove the 1+ = TOLL (was Running Out of Area Codes) A jingle "Dial 1, plus the area code (if it's different from your own), and then the number!". Do you mean to say that ALL of this quoted phrase was set to music? Then I haven't heard this before. (Do you know what music it's set to?). Delaware (area 302) still uses this method of making toll calls, but with Pennsylvania removing the leading 1 from toll-within-215, there will be no neighboring areas left which use this method. (Maryland uses 1 + NPA + 7D for toll- within-NPA; New Jersey, even in 609, has used 7D for toll-within-NPA and, when N0X/N1X prefixes were need in 201 many years ago, added the leading 1 to NPA + 7D for toll-to-other-NPA.) ------------------------------ From: "J. Philip Miller" Subject: Re: Don't Remove the 1+ = TOLL (was Running Out of Area Codes) Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 23:18:30 CDT I realize that this thread is getting old, but there is a point which has not been mentioned (at least that I recall). Here in St. Louis, the home of SWBT, all calls to the phone company are 1+ calls SO THAT THEY WILL BE FREE CALLS! Repair service is now 1+571-1400, billing questions go to 1+572-4000, new service goes to 1+572-7000 (both for reidence customers, different numbers for business service) and even a number for repair for public coin service (1+571-1400). I have seen more than one PBX that could not deal with these numbers and frustrated employees that wanted to call the phone company from their office about their home service could not do it without invoking all of the special codes for long distance. According to the phone books, these calls are "Toll free from Missouri SWBT areas only" but I have not tested that. SWBT was always one of those phone companies that suggested to customers that 1+ indicated toll service, but now that includes tolls that are free:-* J. Philip Miller, Professor, Division of Biostatistics, Box 8067 Washington University Medical School, St. Louis MO 63110 phil@wubios.WUstl.edu - Internet (314) 362-3617 uunet!wuarchive!wubios!phil - UUCP (314)362-2693(FAX) C90562JM@WUVMD - bitnet ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Sep 91 11:28:28 EDT From: Stuart Subject: Re: Don't Remove the 1+ = TOLL (was Running Out of Area Codes) The purpose for the use of the 1+ to designate long distance has it's roots back to the time when CO's and TO's were completely relay based, and the relative sizes necessary for handling a large number of calls were relatively high. When a person would contact the CO or TO by way of a phone call, the series of contacts that were present in the first digit of the phone number (refering to rotary dial phones) would indicate whether the call was within a CO's area of service. If it weren't it would be relayed upwards to the next level. The signal for relaying it was the simplest, a single contact, or a '1'. As the industry has evolved so has the relative power and capacity of the CO's and TO's, thus permitting the decentralizing of the majority of switching capabilities that were previously only performed at the higher echilons. It is now to the point that a single CO or TO is able to handle several fold the number of calls that it was capable of handling previously. That is the reasoning for the attempt at removing the '1+' prefix. It would allow for a simpler process at the CO, thus reducing delays and increasing capacity. sj ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Sep 91 10:36:27 PDT From: Dave Platt Subject: Re: Problem Reaching AT&T MAIL Organization: New Technologies Group, Inc. Palo Alto CA In article is written: >> [Moderator's Note: What happened to you was because 'attmail.com' is >> aliased to 'att.com'.] > Why is it happening at all? You shouldn't be able to 'telnet' or > 'ftp' to sites that don't have A (Address) records with an IP address > in the domain name system. Attmail.com should only have an MX (Mail > eXchange) record, as it does not really live on the Internet. I suspect that this was a pragmatic decision by the folks who set up attmail.com. I believe that there are still a significant number of systems out on the Internet which are running old, obsolete versions of sendmail, which do not understand the concept of an MX record. Some of them are running on machine which aren't even using the DNS, and are still dependent on an old-style /etc/hosts file. Mail sent by a user of such a machine, to anyone at "attmail.com", would bounce back with a "No such host" error. The folks who set up the ATTMAIL.COM connection may have decided that "having it work, for pretty much everybody, via a kluge" was preferable to "having it work, correctly, but not for people whose systems administrators can't get, or can't be bothered to install software which is less than three years out-of-date." Dave Platt VOICE: (415) 813-8917 Domain: dplatt@ntg.com UUCP: ...apple!ntg!dplatt USNAIL: New Technologies Group Inc. 2468 Embarcardero Way, Palo Alto CA 94303 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 20 Sep 91 9:02:04 EDT From: Tom Coradeschi Subject: Re: Problem Reaching AT&T MAIL Organization: Electric Armts Div, US Army ARDEC, Picatinny Arsenal, NJ Ralph W. Hyre writes: > In article djcl.bbs@shark.cs.fau.edu > writes: > X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 738, Message 1 of 13 >> tried to telnet over to attmail.com, but ... connected to att.com ... >> [Moderator's Note: What happened to you was because 'attmail.com' is >> aliased to 'att.com'.] > Why is it happening at all? You shouldn't be able to 'telnet' or > 'ftp' to sites that don't have A (Address) records with an IP address > in the domain name system. Attmail.com should only have an MX (Mail > eXchange) record, as it does not really live on the Internet. >[Moderator's Note: I don't know why, just that it works that way. I I think we're getting a bit away from telecom here, but whatttheheck. Using nslookup and telnet: > set q=any > attmail.com Server: fsac1.pica.army.mil Address: 129.139.68.8 Non-authoritative answer: attmail.com server name = ATT.ATT.COM attmail.com server name = RESEARCH.ATT.COM Authoritative answers can be found from: ATT.ATT.COM inet address = 192.20.239.129 RESEARCH.ATT.COM inet address = 192.20.225.2 > server att.att.com Default Server: att.att.com Address: 192.20.239.129 > attmail.com Server: att.att.com Address: 192.20.239.129 attmail.com origin = att.att.com mail addr = postmaster.att.att.com serial=9002120, refresh=7200, retry=600, expire=345600, min=3600 attmail.com server name = att.att.com attmail.com server name = inet.att.com attmail.com inet address = 192.20.239.129 attmail.com preference = 0, mail exchanger = att.att.com att.att.com inet address = 192.20.239.129 inet.att.com inet address = 192.20.225.2 > CSH: <- !telnet attmail.com CSH: Trying... Connected to attmail.com. Escape character is '^]'. att.com (att) login: telnet> quit Connection closed. tom coradeschi <+> tcora@pica.army.mil ------------------------------ From: Bill Nickless Subject: Re: Problem Reaching AT&T MAIL Organization: Argonne National Laboratory, Chicago, Illinois Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 17:46:53 GMT In article "Ralph W. Hyre" writes: > In article djcl.bbs@shark.cs.fau.edu > writes: > X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 738, Message 1 of 13 >> tried to telnet over to attmail.com, but ... connected to att.com... >> [Moderator's Note: What happened to you was because 'attmail.com' is >> aliased to 'att.com'.] > Why is it happening at all? You shouldn't be able to 'telnet' or > 'ftp' to sites that don't have A (Address) records with an IP address > in the domain name system. Attmail.com should only have an MX (Mail > eXchange) record, as it does not really live on the Internet. Sometimes older mailers don't look at mx records. I know it's not right, but it's true. So to make it work for those broken mailers, you have to add the A record to DNS as well. :( In the earlier networking libraries, the gethostbyname(3) library routine looked up host names in files like /etc/hosts on the local machine. When DNS came along gethostbyname(3) was changed to use DNS instead. Older mailers that were written just to use gethostbyname(3) were just relinked, or maybe the shared libraries changed. To truly bring up to date the older mailers, they had to be rewritten to ask for MX records, not just have gethostbyname(3) as for A records. Unfortunately, this hasn't happened yet to all the mailers on the net. > [Moderator's Note: I don't know why, just that it works that way. I > think for some reason mcimail.com and attmail.com are handled a little > differently. What you say is usually correct, but I've never had any > objection (from here at eecs.nwu.edu) to 'telnet/ftp mcimail.com'. > It's just that I don't actually *get there*. I wind up at NRI in > Reston, VA instead. On the other hand, 'finger @mcimai.com' tries, > then says connection was refused. PAT] Attmail.com mail is set up with a MX record that points to att.att.com, but also with an A record that points to the same IP address, 192.20.239.129. So it's "right," and compatible with ancient mailers. Mcimail.com mail is set up with a MX record that points to mcimail.com. (?) The mcimail.com IP address is within the subnet of other machines of nri.reston.va.us. finger(1) will use gethostbyname(3) to get the A record it wants, but the machine it gets is really an NRI machine. Compuserve.com mail used to be set up as a MX record pointing to a machine (I think) at ohio-state.edu. No A record. But now it's set up as a set of MX records, pointing to three compuserve.com machines and two uu.net machines. A records are available for all the MX record-referenced machines, of course. ------------------------------ From: Wolf Paul Subject: Re: AT&T Mail: Internet to X.400? (was Problem Reaching AT&T Mail) Reply-To: wnp@rcvie.co.at Organization: Alcatel-Elin Research Center, Vienna, Austria Date: Wed, 18 Sep 1991 11:07:04 GMT In article , jej@chinet.chi.il.us (joe jesson) writes: > The joys of X.400! ATTMail X.400 to domain (RFC822) conversion (and > the reverse) is built-in to AT&T's network. For example, my X.400 > address on AT&T Mail is: > Country=US ADMD=ATTMAIL PRMD=AMOCO Surname=JESSON Givenname=JOSEPH Initials=E > The identical domain address is: > mhs!amoco!joseph_e_jesson@attmail.com > Try it! Works great! Unfortunately in many situations it will not work great, because many intermediate mail forwarding sites will not handle mixed bang and domain notation correctly. I speak from experience, trying to send mail to US sites from Europe, i.e. swamps!val@uunet.uu.net, which somewhere between Vienna, Austria, and wherever UUNET is, got converted to swamps%val@uunet.uu.net, and bounced, of course. In my opinion, if AT&T wants to offer domain addresses to its X.400 clients, it should convert the X.400 address into subdomains. Thus your address should really look like this: joseph_e_jesson@amoco.mhs.attmail.com and would work much better across the international gateways. Wolf N. Paul, Computer Center Alcatel Austria - Elin Research Center, Ruthnergasse 1, A-1210 Vienna-Austria E-Mail: cc_paul@rcvie.co.at Phone: +43-1-2246913 (h) +43-1-391621-122 (w) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 01:26:33 -0700 From: Eric Thompson Subject: Re: Update - Domino's Pizza to Get USA-Wide 950 Ordering Line Organization: ucb In article : > The system is currently undergoing trials in Jacksonville, Florida. > (For the curious, the Domino's number is 950-1430.) From Berkeley, CA (510/549-xxxx) I get the following intercept upon dialing that number: "We're sorry, due to network difficulties, your call cannot be completed at this time. Please try your call again later." Guess it really is only in Jacksonville :) Eric ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #761 ******************************   From telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Sat Sep 21 02:23:50 1991 Date: Sat, 21 Sep 91 2:23:50 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #762 Message-ID: <9109210223.aa28875@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> Status: RO TELECOM Digest Sat, 21 Sep 91 02:23:34 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 762 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: New Service Idea (was Roomate From Hell) [Tad Cook] Re: New Service Idea (was Roomate From Hell) [David Cornutt] Re: AT&T 4ESS Zaps New York ... Again [Michael F. Eastman] Re: Phone Phailure Grounds Airplanes [Brent Chapman] Re: It's Heeerrre ... [Al L. Varney] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Re: New Service Idea (was Roomate From Hell) From: Tad Cook Date: 19 Sep 91 21:08:06 GMT Steve Thornton writes: > OK, so now I know better. 900 blocking, here I come. But in the > meantime, I got robbed. It is _not_ like leaving the front door open, > either. It's more like coming home one day to find out that gremlins > can crawl in through the electrical outlets. I had a Roomate from Hell last year. This guy ran up lots of calls to different gay dating services ... then he intercepted my mail to delay the phone bills. The mystery of missing mail finally ended with two postal inspectors showing up at our door to "interview" our Mr. Flakey ... but I digress. After I figured out what was going on, I called US West and had 900 and 976 blocking put on our lines. We have two-line residential Centrex at our house. Some months later I wondered if the blocking was working? How do you TEST something like this without actually attempting a call? Someone on TELECOM Digest mentioned the other day that if you have the blocking and you get billed for the call anyway, you wouldn't have to pay for the call. Soon another call showed up, even though Mr. Flakey was long gone. It was to a low cost non-sleazy provider. I confidently called US West, expecting them to remove the charge. The lady told me she couldn't do that ... I would have to deal directly with the carrier. I protested that I had blocking, and then decided to get creative and tell her that this carrier was not my carrier, and I had no business relationship with them that would allow me to request credit. She looked at the record, and claimed that I had only ordered blocking for only ONE of my two Centrex lines! I wondered why I should have to pay for the call, since US West had not put in the blocking service that I had ordered. Fortunately the carrier (AT&T) was very helpful and did credit the charge. roeber@cithe1.cithep.caltech.edu writes: > This triggered an idea for another telco service: separate accounts > on the same pair, accessed via a PIN code. Then a houseful of > students who make the "ten calls a month" could share the same phone, > but each would get his own bill for his own usage. I would love to rig up a cheap device that required access codes preceeding all 1+ calls, and would make a record of the dates/times that these attempts were made. This would be of enormous help when a month or two have gone by, and there are still some unclaimed calls on the kitchen bulletin board. Rob Knauerhase writes: > My undergrad school had six single rooms sharing two phone lines. > For the first year or so, I solved this by dialing an access code and > PIN (ah, the "good old days"). Then Dial1 access made this > unfashionable (i.e. surcharged) so I ended up with a differnet PIN > (of sorts) -- I dialed 10222 before my calls and MCI sent me my own > bill. The others worried about dividing a bill for AT&T usage each > month. This can be really nice for roomate situations. My friend Emily lived with roomates a few years ago, and didn't want to fight over the AT&T bill. I told her how to contact Sprint and ask that billing for any Sprint calls on the shared phone line go to her. At that time Sprint was significantly cheaper and had mostly better transmission than AT&T (AT&T now seems to have about the same clear sounding transmission and only very slightly higher rates for most calls than Sprint). I showed her how to dial 10333 before all toll calls, and her roomates always wondered how she never had and long distance calls show up on their bill! Tad Cook Seattle, WA Packet: KT7H @ N7DUO.WA.USA.NA Phone: 206/527-4089 MCI Mail: 3288544 Telex: 6503288544 MCI UW USENET:...uw-beaver!sumax!amc-gw!ssc!tad or, tad@ssc.UUCP or, kt7h@polari.uucp or, 3288544@mcimail.com ------------------------------ From: David Cornutt Subject: Re: New Service Idea (was Roomate From Hell) Organization: NASA/MSFC Date: Thu, 19 Sep 1991 22:44:23 GMT Another idea: a service class that blocks *all* toll calls except for card calls. Then you just issue each person a card and bill them separately. Admittedly, this doesn't have the advantage of the distinctive ringing. And it wouldn't solve the problem in areas where non-measured local service is unavailable. Still ... David Cornutt, New Technology Inc., Huntsville, AL (205) 461-6457 (cornutt@freedom.msfc.nasa.gov; some insane route applies) "The opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of my employer, not necessarily mine, and probably not necessary." [Moderator's Note: This is already available here. IBT offers many different classes of service including restrictions that prohibit calls which are long distance; which are local; which are direct dialed (one-plussed); which are zero-plussed; from making any outgoing calls at all; from recieving incoming calls; from calling or being called to/from any phone not on the customer's premises (i.e. a centrex extension which cannot place receive calls except to other centrex extensions); from having any default LD carrier (one plus, zero-plus or calls to the double-zero operator return re-order; 10xxx is required on all LD calls); 976 and/or 900 blocking; from being paid for with coins at payphones; from accepting special billing inbound, i.e. no collect or third number to that line; and more. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Sep 91 19:08:10 EDT From: Michael F Eastman Subject: Re: AT&T 4ESS Zaps New York ... Again Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories In article , dmr@roadkill.stanford.edu (Daniel M. Rosenberg) writes: > apparently a fuse blew in an AT&T 4ESS on the south end of Manhattan, > I wonder: did it really take them four hours to find that the problem > was a blown fuse? Or if a fuse blows, does that cause four hours worth > of downtime? > Why should one, single 4ESS toll switch end up being such a bottleneck > in the network? I understand how optical fiber can make the network > more vulnerable -- there are fewer edges in the graph that makes up > the network, and they're easier to cut through with a backhoe perhaps, > but are there fewer vertices as well? Since I work in the 4ESS Switching Development, I'll try to field this one. No switching system (there are three 4ESSs in the building, including one that terminates international circuits) failed. However, all the transmission facilities (e.g. optical fiber) lost power. This explains the widespread outage. Com Ed requested that the building go on generator power. For whatever reason (human failure, mechanical problems), the generators never kicked in to supply power. When AC is cut, the switches, transmission and other things go on battery. The fact that the generators did not get used and that the power plant was in trouble was not communicated to the switches or the transmission area. Separate people are dedicated to monitor the power plant. Power plant alarms are not monitored in the switching area or the transmission area. The fact the the area is on battery, however, I believe, is known to those areas. The people responsible for the power plant and the diesel generators either were not there or failed to communicate they were having serious problems. At any rate, about 3PM, the building went back to commercial power. The switches recovered properly, but the transmission facilities did not. They have separate back-up battery systems. The switches did not drain their batteries as low as the transmission facilities. The transmission facilities did not recover to commercial AC because they did not have enough battery power to sustain the equipment required to do the switching back to commercial AC. The transmission facilities lost all battery power shortly thereafter. When commercial AC was restored to the transmission equipment, it had to be brought back up gradually because of the weakened batteries. Eventually, all transmission was restored. The above is my interpretation of a report to my management. There are probably other things not included here or, if described here, not interpreted acurately. Don't hold me to the accuracy of this description. After reading many newspaper descriptions and watching TV news of the incident, I believe this is pretty close. Mike Eastman att!ihlpy!mfe (708) 979-6569 AT&T Bell Laboratories Rm. 4F-328 Naperville, IL 60566 ------------------------------ From: Brent Chapman Subject: Re: Phone Phailure Grounds Airplanes Organization: Telebit Corporation; Sunnyvale, CA, USA Date: Thu, 19 Sep 1991 23:25:04 GMT djcl@sol.cse.fau.edu (David Leibold) writes: > The front page story of {USA Today} deals with the AT&T outage which > caused a failure to communicate among three major airports (J.F.K., La > Guardia, Newark). The article speaks of communications between ground > controllers and pilots being done through telephone lines connected to > radio equipment. (Why have a direct radio link when you can throw in > a telephone link as an extra middleman to fail out on ?!?!?!?!) Because aircraft radios are 1930's technology (VHF, AM), and have relatively limited range (only, say, 150 miles at altitude). FAA ARTCC (Air Route Traffic Control Center; the folks who control flights during the "cruise" portion of the flight, commonly known simply as "Center") centers cover huge territories; I think there are only something like 30 centers covering the whole continental US. To cover these territories, they rely on what they call "RCO"s (Remote Communication Outlets) scatterred around the territory; essentially, these are unattended radio shacks placed in key locations. Communication between the Center building and the RCO's is via leased line, microwave, or a number of other methods (probably even fiber, in some cases). > The failure was traced to an AT&T long distance switch in Manhattan > which reportedly sustained an "internal power failure". Presumably air > traffic control communications cannot be simply diverted by prefixing > the calls with 10222+ or 10333+ to get MCI or Sprint. Perhaps a > failure such as this will prompt backup facilities via other carriers. To the controllers, the ATC phone system looks like a big private intercom system. It's fairly tightly integrated with the radio system at each work station (a controller typically uses the same headset for both radio ground-to-air communications and intercom controller-to- controller communications). A given controller station will have "hot" buttons to connect them to certain other controller stations around the area that they frequently talk to (for instance, tower or approach/departure controllers in their sector, and enroute controllers in adjoining sectors), plus the ability to reach a number of other stations by dialing a short (usually two or three digit) code. Certain "hot" buttons might connect to dedicated lines, if there's enough communications needed between the two positions to justify eliminating setup times. My comments are based on my experiences as a user of the Air Traffic Control system (I'm a pilot), and on discussions I've had with controllers when I've visited ARTCC and Approach/Departure control centers. In my experience, by the way, ATC facilities are generally quite willing (even eager) to accomodate visitors individually or in small groups for visits, as long as you call ahead and don't ask to visit during a peak traffic period (like the morning or evening pushes). Brent Chapman Telebit Corporation Sun Network Specialist 1315 Chesapeake Terrace brent@telebit.com Sunnyvale, CA 94089 Phone: 408/745-3264 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Sep 91 12:12:53 CDT From: Al L Varney Subject: Re: It's Heeerrre ... Organization: AT&T Network Systems In article dave@westmark.westmark.com (Dave Levenson) writes: > In article , john@zygot.ati.com (John > Higdon) writes: >> Although I have not observed it lately, my 1ESS used to do a peculiar >> thing with forwarding. Forwarding would sometimes take several minutes >> to actually take effect, even though I had received the confirmation >> tones. Sometimes when I cleared forwarding, it really was not cleared >> -- again after hearing the two tones. Most bizzare were the times I >> would clear forwarding and it would actually clear, but then >> re-establish itself later to some previously forwarded-to number. > ... A NJ Bell employee explained it thusly: There are two processors, > one running the switch, and the other reading all the inputs, and > not writing to memory or producing any outputs. The idea was that > the second processor was a hot standby, and capable of taking over > control of the switch if the active one 'failed'. A good start at describing the system; in fact, the standby is processing inputs and COMPARING it's output to the active processor. > When you turned on (or off) forwarding, you made an entry in the > 'recent change store' memory of the active processor. The active > processor would update its RCS and would always scan it before looking > in the translation store for call processing instructions. At regular > intervals, the RCS was written into translation store, which was > shared by both processors. RCS was then cleared, and made ready for > new 'recent change' data. Administrative changes (such as subscriber > number and class-of-service changes) were also written into RCS first, > and into translations later. In No. 1 ESS(tm), the translation store was an early form of EEPROM, implemented with aluminum cards and ferrite spots on the cards. The cards could only be written by manually inserting them into a "card writer". This was done at 1-to-7 day intervals. RCS held all the changes until then. But call forwarding changes so often that it is never written to the translation store. > When a processor switch occurred, the newly-active processor was able > to access the shared translations store, but not the other processor's > RCS. So some recent changes were lost, until the mate processor was > restored to service, or until its RCS could be dumped into > translations. Not even close. Both processors have access to all memory. The RCS and other writable-memory areas are duplicated, and both copies are updated by the active processor (but the standby monitors the written data and addresses). No single fault in processor, bus or memory systems or any changeover results in the loss of any data. The known problem windows involve only the infrequent (yearly?) installation of new system software, where one processor/memory system is loaded with new data. During the update, RCS is mapped from one memory system to the other; again, no loss. But a failure of the RCS update (takes less than 1 minute) could result in recovery with a mix of old and new data, so the recovery software removes RCS and other data when a memory/processor failure occurs during that part of an update. Recovery software knows when an update is in progress. Manual procedures are used to recover the RCS in such a rare case. Administrative systems have records that are tagged from the last time a "card write" occurred; these are re-applied. And the call forwarding information is typically transmitted to an off-line system for re-application just before the update. > This was supposed to have been fixed with the introduction of the > 1A-ESS switch, where RCS and translations are both disk resident, and > both shared. RCS for call forwarding is still non-disk data, but there are very frequent 'snapshots' made automatically to disk. Neither system has any "non-shared" memory, nor any memory even labeled as belonging to a specific processor. "The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." or, for systems, "Either (1) the current system is garbage, and the new will be great, or (2) the current system is garbage, and the old was better." Al Varney, AT&T Network Systems, Lisle, IL ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #762 ****************************** ^A^A^A^A ^A^A^A^A Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa15693; 23 Sep 91 15:24 EDT Received: from mailinglists.eecs.nwu.edu by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id af12030; 23 Sep 91 13:10 CDT Received: from mailinglists.eecs.nwu.edu by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id bb29726; 23 Sep 91 11:51 CDT Date: Sat, 21 Sep 91 21:40:06 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator [To]: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #763 BCC: Message-ID: <9109212140.ab05304@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> TELECOM Digest Sat, 21 Sep 91 21:39:47 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 763 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Monkey Business (or Pair Hunting in Toronto) [John Higdon] Re: Monkey Business (or Pair-Hunting in Toronto) [Julian Macassey] Re: Monkey Business (or Pair-Hunting in Toronto) [Tony Harminc] Re: Computer Security and ISDN - Need Information [Jim Rees] Re: Computer Security and ISDN - Need Information [John Higdon] Re: Real Time Voice on Ethernet [Simon Hackett] Re: Real Time Voice on Ethernet [Vinay Kumar] Re: Voice Mail and Extra Lines [Steve Forrette] Re: Voice Mail and Extra Lines [John Higdon] Re: US and Canadian Telex Numbers; Some Secrets Revealed [Herman Silbiger] Re: Caller-ID Box Sought [Harold Hallikainen] Re: ATM Networks at Risk if ATMs Located in Casinos [Michael Graff] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 22:37 PDT From: John Higdon Subject: Re: Monkey Business (or Pair Hunting in Toronto) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows In article hpubvwa!tad@ssc.wa.com (Tad Cook) writes: > Last year a friend in San Francisco had one on his line, and he > was served by "Pac*Bell"! I'd like some specifics on this, especially since GTE has even stopped using them these days. This should be checked out. > Also, I wonder if there are some of the same disadvantages when the > service is from an RSM (Remote Switching Module) off of the main CO? An RSM should be totally transparent, and in no way appear to be anything other than the main CO to the customer. It is not comparable in any way to an SCU. In article kentrox!bud@uunet.uu.net (Bud Couch) writes: > Read his post again, John. His "Bell" is in Canada, and has some of > the same situations which led GTE to use these devices; that is: long > loops with low traffic on them, and few large cities with short loop, > high traffic business subscribers to provide large cash flows and > capital. Not impressed. I live in a residential area that extends in all directions as far as the eye can see. Except for some Ma and Pa stores, there is no concentration of business anywhere within miles. These are all single-family dwellings meaning that the living is about as non-dense as you can imagine. As I have blathered before, my house has sixteen active metallic pairs. Not two, not three -- sixteen. My neighbors? I would be surprised to find any house in the neighborhood that has less than two lines. And this is Pac*Bell for goddesses' sake. I never got anything approaching the runaround described by the original poster. The service went in on time, for the most part. (One time they turned up a group of circuits on Monday rather than the previous Friday.) Yes, I saw the "Bell Canada". And I always assumed that Bell Canada was a class act. What went wrong? John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ From: Julian Macassey Subject: Re: Monkey Business (or Pair-Hunting in Toronto) Date: 19 Sep 91 18:41:23 GMT Reply-To: Julian Macassey Organization: The Hole in the Wall Hollywood California U.S.A. >> It will be more noisy than a straight phone line, but not much. You >> will lose CPC (loop signal) from the CO. There is no crosstalk. The >> "isolator" that you found simply protects you (the carrier customer) >> from anything that the metallic customer might do such as short the >> line, etc. > To add a detail, the CPC is what makes an answering machine stop > recording when the calling party hangs up. So don't be suprised if > that bit of behavior changes. I have had many reports of various "Telephone peripherals" (Teleadds?) not working as advertised on subscriber carrier. Yes, a single 500 set works OK. But many answering machines do not respond to the lowered ring voltage. Then many hang up because of the lowered line voltage assuming the line is not there. Some machines may work on subscriber carrier. Machines with VOX may handle the lack of CPC. Teleadd is not a trade mark of anyone yet. Julian Macassey, julian@bongo.info.com N6ARE@K6VE.#SOCAL.CA.USA.NA 742 1/2 North Hayworth Avenue Hollywood CA 90046-7142 voice (213) 653-4495 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 15:20:44 EDT From: Tony Harminc Subject: Monkey Business (or Pair-Hunting in Toronto) Bud Couch wrote: [Generally useful comments on subscriber carrier systems, followed however by the following:] > Read his post again, John. His "Bell" is in Canada, and has some of > the same situations which led GTE to use these devices; that is: long > loops with low traffic on them, and few large cities with short loop, > high traffic business subscribers to provide large cash flows and > capital. Unfortunately you have fallen into the trap of assuming that because Canada is a large and relatively under-populated country, the same characteristics apply to the population distribution and therefore telephone service. In fact the large majority of Canadians live in cities. The rural population of Canada is much smaller in relative terms than that of the USA. On top of this, Bell Canada's service area includes the two largest cities in the country, and excludes the more lightly populated areas of the west and north. Bell has hardly any very long loops, and certainly there are none at all in a major city like Toronto. The area where Jamie Mason lives is quite old, and suffers from simple lack of cable facilities, not long loops. If anything traffic is too high, not too low. Finally -- the strange idea that Bell Canada is not well capitalized and has poor cash flow! Much as I might wish otherwise, Bell Canada is one of the largest companies in the country (about number three or four on the FP list if I remember), and is extremely well capitalized. Bell's operations have almost nothing in common with GTE's rural service in the western United States. Tony H. ------------------------------ From: rees@pisa.citi.umich.edu (Jim Rees) Subject: Re: Computer Security and ISDN - Need Information Reply-To: rees@citi.umich.edu (Jim Rees) Organization: University of Michigan IFS Project Date: Sat, 21 Sep 91 16:44:34 GMT In article , tjrob@ihlpl.att.com (Thomas J Roberts) writes: > ... Probably what was meant is that ISDN will be offered > without D-channel DATA (i.e. the X.25 optional service on the D > channel). In my opinion, that eliminates most of the real value added > that ISDN provides - simple, economical 16 kb/sec data connections, > without any additional wiring (I can make a data call to the data port > of any ISDN phone on this campus, as long as it has ISDN D-channel > installed -- VERY useful for PC-to-PC communications). Now I don't get it. What advantage is there in using the D channel for data? The only thing it seems to give you is packet mode, and if your connections are basically point-to-point, why would you want that? It's much harder to use, since you have to speak some protocol (LAPD?) rather than just streaming bits down the wire, as you would on a B channel. Did I miss something? ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 12:33 PDT From: John Higdon Subject: Re: Computer Security and ISDN - Need Information Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows In article tjrob@ihlpl.att.com (Thomas J Roberts) writes: > Earlier in this thread someone mentioned that they thought Pac Bell > would be offering ISDN *without* the D channel. This does NOT make > sense! Without the D channel, you CANNOT setup or receive phone calls > (data OR voice). Probably what was meant is that ISDN will be offered > without D-channel DATA (i.e. the X.25 optional service on the D > channel). In my opinion, that eliminates most of the real value added > that ISDN provides - simple, economical 16 kb/sec data connections, > without any additional wiring (I can make a data call to the data port > of any ISDN phone on this campus, as long as it has ISDN D-channel > installed -- VERY useful for PC-to-PC communications). It was I and it is true. I have received much flak from many people east of the California border who cannot believe that I am properly representing Pac*Bell's offering. Well, just as many have accused me of parochialism, those of you enjoying "Plain Old Digital Service" have to understand that it is not available here, and may not be for some time. The salient points are these: Pac*Bell does not offer standard rate ISDN as you may know it. What it does offer is only available with Centrex service. It only offers it with two or more ($30/mo) lines. It is my understanding that there is a major deficiency in the way the D channel is handled. If you do not like any of the above, please take it up with Pac*Bell -- it is the company's offering, not mine. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ From: Simon Hackett Subject: Re: Real Time Voice on Ethernet Date: 18 Sep 91 13:09:08 GMT Organization: University Computing Services, University of Adelaide > In article vinay@tygart.cerc.wvu. > wvnet.edu (Vinay Kumar) writes: > X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 728, Message 5 of 12 >> Has anyone done any research/development/implementation work involving >> implementing real time voice on UNIX, TCPIP workstation platform over >> an Ethernet? I'll be demonstrating some etherphones operating using UDP frames over IP at Interop 91 in San Jose (October 7th-11th) -- including one veeeery long-distance link ... Come and check out the toys, they'll be in the TGV and Epilogue Technology booths (and hopefully a few others) at the show. If this stuff works as well as I hope it will at the show, and there seems to be some interest, I'll see if I can massage the protocol specification into an RFC and get some others using it as well. Cheers, Simon Hackett, Internode Systems Pty Ltd E-mail: simon@itd.adelaide.edu.au (simon@internode.com.au, RSN) Phone: (Australia) 08 373 1339 Fax: (Australia) 08 373 4911 ------------------------------ From: Vinay Kumar Subject: Re: Real Time Voice on Ethernet Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 12:28:06 EDT >> Also, how about implementing real time voice over ISDN, any >> experiences? > Uh, you mean like when I pick up my ISDN phone, dial another ISDN > number, and talk? Like 64 kb/second circuit switched voice on the B1 > channel? Either I've missed something, or you don't know what ISDN > is. Chris, Thanks for your response. For the second part of my question, I did not word it completely. My question is: how to interface ISDN with the current TCPIP/ Unix workstation platform. Any suggestions/comments are welcome. vinay ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Sep 91 19:19:30 -0700 From: Steve Forrette Subject: Re: Voice Mail and Extra Lines Organization: UC Berkeley Experimental Computing Facility (XCF) In article Andy writes: > GTE also told me that both my lines had to have the same type of > service. They told me the FCC (? PUC? Hmmmmm.) requires it. Could > this be true?? This is definately NOT an FCC requirement, as I have had one unmeasured and three measured residential lines simultaneously from Pacific Bell. The "required by the PUC" argument is used quite a bit by Pacific Bell as well as the cellular carriers. In a way, they are right! Consider that GTE probably submitted the tariffs with the "no mixed service" clause. Once the tariff is approved and put into force, GTE *IS* required to charge all customers per the tariff. The fact that they wrote the tariff in the first place is conveniently left out of the story. Steve Forrette, forrette@cory.berkeley.edu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 10:18 PDT From: John Higdon Subject: Re: Voice Mail and Extra Lines Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows In article uunet!retix.retix.com!ism! wilbur!wndrsvr!andyb@ucsd.edu (Andy Brager) writes: > GTE also told me that both my lines had to have the same type of > service. They told me the FCC (? PUC? Hmmmmm.) requires it. Could > this be true?? Yes GTE and other companies appied for this tariff because they were afraid that dollars might leak down the drain if people had an unmeasured line to make outgoing local calls but had a cheaper measured line for incoming. This is, of course, ridiculous since you are paying the appropriate amount for each line and as we all know, service pricing is based on cost (cough; cough; choke; gag). Fortunately for some of us, Pac*Bell did not see it this way and did not file such a silly tariff. You may have in your residence any mix of measured and unmeasured, with both appearing on the same Commstar (mini-Centrex) group. Why, you could actually make a local call on an unmeasured line (free) and then transfer it to a measured line and talk FOREVER. Frankly, I'm surprised Pac*Bell does not go out of business :-) John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Sep 91 19:30:45 EDT From: Herman R Silbiger Subject: Re: US and Canadian Telex Numbers; Some Secrets Revealed Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories In article , dan@sics.se (Dan Sahlin) writes: > Also, I am curious to get in touch with Teletex subscribers abroad. > I'm told there are 21,000 of them in Germany. I think the high some years ago was 27,000. Last year it was no more than 18,000, and the number will probably go down further, given the compettion from fax and e-mail. Some of the underlying protocol stack may be used to transfer other kinds of material such as files and EDI. Herman Silbiger ------------------------------ From: Harold Hallikainen Subject: Re: Caller-ID Box Sought Organization: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Date: Sat, 21 Sep 1991 06:44:30 GMT Any modem manufacturers planning on adding Caller ID to their modems? Seems like a great way to get computer security (only accept calls from authorized numbers). Caller ID would also be an interesting idea for numeric paging companies. Since most people call the paging terminal and DTMF in the call back number, Caller ID could automatically tell the paging terminal the call back number. If the paging terminal just picked up the Caller ID number but never "answered", would there be a charge for the call? Harold ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 17 Sep 91 15:58:19 PDT From: Michael Graff Subject: Re: ATM Networks at Risk if ATMs Located in Casinos In TELECOM Digest V11 #743 (item 6), Jonathan Welch writes: >> Citing a law which states that "a contract to repay money knowingly >> lent for gambling is void", the Massachusetts Court of Appeals has >> held that a couple who took out a $5500 Master Card cash advance from >> an ATM located in the gambling pit of an Atlantic City casino need not >> repay the loan. > Over the weekend I was listening (on a Boston talk radio station) to > an interview with the lawyer who handled this case. The ATM in > question didn't dispense bills; it gave out a credit chit which could > be redeemed for chips at the window next to it. This, plus the fact > that it was located in the gambling pit, where presumably one doesn't > just wander into without wanting to do some gambling, where the key > points in his case. As I understand it, the fact that it was a credit card cash advance was also a key point. Had it been a withdrawal from their checking or savings account, the cited law presumably wouldn't apply. Michael Graff ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #763 ****************************** ^A^A^A^A ^A^A^A^A From telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Sun Sep 22 06:59:09 1991 Date: Sun, 22 Sep 91 6:59:09 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: Telecom Digest Suspended Message-ID: <9109220659.aa26459@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> Status: RO TELECOM Digest temporarily discontinued ======================================= Due to serious software problems here, TELECOM Digest will be offline until further notice; with publication resuming probably September 25, but that is not definite yet. The problem is none of the stuff is going out to the mailing list. The program which takes the completed digest and mails it to the list has ceased operating. We use MMDF here at Northwestern. A couple dozen issues of the Digest had built up in the queue. On Friday, the postmaster here forced a great deal of it out by hand, but then over Friday night, Saturday and Sunday morning, still more had built up. After a MARATHON typing session (three of us, working about eight hours), issues 758 through 763 were all mailed by hand to the names on the list using a jerry-rigged method of doing things. Meanwhile of course the incoming queue continued to overflow with new stuff ... apparently some people cannot read requests to stop sending mail. The end result is if I were to work 24 hours per day from now through the middle of next week, I would not be able to shove the stuff out as fast as it is coming in. And after sending all the above issues out by hand, AT&T Mail dumped the whole load -- delivered nothing -- saying certain parameters were not met. Likewise, Compuserve dumped most of theirs out. So sorry folks, you people on AT&T Mail and Compuserve can get the missed copies wherever you can find them. By sometime Sunday, all issues through 763 should be in the Telecom Archives 'telecom-recent' file. I'm sure some people still did not get these issues, while others of you got them two or three times. You can pick up missing issues there (ftp lcs.mit.edu cd telecom-archives). Perhaps when sendmail is installed here things will start working again. My impression is that nothing will be done to fix MMDF in the two or three days remaining before the conversion. So with some luck, we'll be chatting again sometime after September 25. Watch for an announcement here. PLEASE SEND NO MAIL TO TELECOM UNTIL YOU ARE NOTIFIED THINGS ARE OPERATIONAL AGAIN. Messages not printed as of this time have been lost or disgarded. Patrick Townson TELECOM Moderator   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa09748; 25 Sep 91 0:14 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA24326 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4); Tue, 24 Sep 1991 20:06:35 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA04600 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for /usr/lib/sendmail -oQ/var/spool/mqueue.big -odq -oi -ftelecom-request telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 24 Sep 1991 20:06:18 -0500 Date: Tue, 24 Sep 1991 20:06:18 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199109250106.AA04600@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #764 TELECOM Digest Tue, 24 Sep 91 02:29:53 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 764 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Administrivia: Testing Sendmail - New Policy Here [TELECOM Moderator] AT&T vs. MCI Direct Dial to Slovakia [Richard Budd] Re: Teleoperation by Pay Phone [Nick Szabo] Area Codes 610 and 710 [Lyle A. McGeoch] Re: How Do They Change Equipment Without Disrupting Service? [R Zabloudil] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 24 Sep 91 2:26:56 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator Subject: Administrivia: Testing Sendmail - New Policy Here This issue of the Digest is being sent out specifically as a test of the new sendmail software installed here at eecs.nwu.edu. Regular issues of the Digest will resume soon ... as in sometime tomorrow most likely. We'll be watching closely for a day or two to see how this works out. NEW EDITORIAL POLICY IN EFFECT: Due to the extremely heavy volume of mail received for the Digest, I've had to implement some changes. Please observe these simple requirements if you wish to have articles published here. 1. Henceforth, ALL articles must have proper subject lines. No more of the 'Re: I thought this was what it said'. Match the thread name! And no more 'Re: Telecom Digest V11 Issue whatever'. I *know* that is the way it turns out if you reply to the 'subject', the subject being the volume and issue number ... but I am tired of having to scan around finding the correct things to put there. *You* find them! 2. If you cross post to a dozen other groups, don't bother me with your article as well ... and if you post to the newsgroup using old software which actually posts your article then sends me umpteen copies of it from sites all over the world, you can forget about it here also. If I see more than one copy of your article in my queue, and the envelope says each copy came from some different site, then I will pitch all the copies. I have too much to do to keep watching for duplicates getting past me because you can't follow the rules and *send mail* to a moderated group -- or use new software at your site. 3. Articles which are (1) short, (2) comment on *one subject only*, (3) contain a minimum of quoted text, and (4) require little or no editing will get printed first. Others will get printed if/when I have space to fill, which is rare. When you put dashes in your messages, do unusual indenting, etc, this takes a *lot* of my time to repair. You may not care how sloppy your article looks, but I do ... 4. As before, signatures will be pared to the minimum. I do not print stars, borders, cutsey drawings and sayings, etc. Removing all that frees up sometimes a thousand bytes or more ... good space for another message. 5. Telecom recieves several hundred letters per week. I can only print a small fraction of them. Basically, I pick (1) what is interesting to me, (2) reflects as wide a range of opinion as possible, (3) meets the standards of point 3 above. I can no longer respond to the status of articles you send (if/when they were/will be printed), or the reasons for not printing them. If they are well edited, short and to the point, they will likely be used ... being I get so many I have to do major repair work on now, which is ceasing at this time. 6. Although we call this the 'TELECOM Digest', and we are about telephony, I've never been strict about occassional diversions, especially if there was some marginal relationship to telecom. We've never been limited strictly to voice telephony, but articles which *do* stay on topic will get first priority. plies which stay on topic and provide specific corrections or rebuttals to previous items will be used ... but the endless replies and rebuttals to messages in the area of telecom politics and social issues will have to be cut back. No more Caller ID is good/bad. We never have solved that! 7. For the time being at least, no more auto-ACKS will be sent out. The version I was using with MMDF does not work with sendmail. I will see about starting it again soon. Feel free to start sending messages again ... on NEW topics. I can't deal with replies to old threads from pre-breakdown. And please read all messages on a topic before you reply! If someone else said the same thing as you, then let them say it ... you wait for something else to talk about. Thanks very much. Patrick Townson ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 22 Sep 91 18:31:00 EDT From: Richard Budd Subject: AT&T vs. MCI Direct Dial to Slovakia This didn't start as an experiment, but after having done it, it seemed like something to share with the Digest. Tomorrow I leave for two weeks in Czechoslovakia and Hungary to develop a computer science program for a gymnasium and to speak about American computing to Slovak businessmen, among others. All of my arrangements could be made through fax or Email, the latter being my preferred form of communication. However my stay in the small city of Kral'ovsky Chlmec, about ten miles from where Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and the Soviet Union (or is it the Ukraine now? These are tough times if you work at Rand McNally ;-}) had to be done over the phone because of last minute changes. On August 31, I dialed my friend direct using my voice line telephone which is MCI. After about forty-five seconds, the connection was made. The family is Hungarian and only the son and father know English while my Hungarian vocabulary is about a dozen words so there was the five minutes of trying to understand each other's language. The fact that the voices were fuzzy didn't help much. My friend, the son, a sixteen year old avid cyclist, who dreams of visiting the United States reported difficulty in hearing my voice over the static. Of course he was having enough problems trying to comprehend the language. He is in his third year of learning English, but gets little opportunity to speak it. On my end, I was having the same trouble hearing him. About ten minutes into the conversation, the line suddenly went dead. Whether this was MCI or the poor state of the telephone system in Czechoslovakia is pure conjecture. Yesterday I called him again because of another sudden change in plan. This time I plugged the telephone into the phone extension which serves my modem. That line uses AT&T. It took about thirty seconds to establish a connection. This time I had no difficulty hearing his voice and he had no problems listening to me beyond those experienced when communication with someone to whom English is a second language. There were also no unexpected disconnections. The point of the story: Though this survey was certainly not scientific, it appears AT&T offers the clearer line when calling to out of the way cities in Czechoslovakia. Richard Budd | E-Mail: Internet-rcbudd@rhqvm19.vnet.ibm.com VM Systems Programmer | Bitnet -klub@maristb.bitnet IBM - Sterling Forest, NY | Phone: (914) 578-3746 [Moderator's Note: So the first time, maybe your local telco messed up and MCI gets the blame ... the next time your local telco processes the call faster and on a better circuit, and AT&T gets the credit. While some general assumptions can be made about the quality of service from the various LD carriers after *many* tests under virtually identical circumstances, I don't think you can fairly say that one carrier is good and another is bad based on the results of two calls. Try using one or the other for numerous calls at various times of day and night, then the other. *Then* report the results. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Nick Szabo Subject: Re: Teleoperation by Pay Phone Organization: TECHbooks of Beaverton Oregon - Public Access Unix Date: Mon, 23 Sep 1991 00:46:57 GMT In article HIGGINS@FNAL. BITNET (Bill Higgins) writes: [discussion of .45- to .85-second time delays in teleoperations routed through geosynchronous relays] >> Why not a necklace of small relay satellites in low earth orbit, >> supporting linkage to a teleoperated space industrial complex with a >> maximum round-trip delay time of .15 seconds? > Perhaps you could piggyback your teleoperations on the Iridium > satellites? Though if your bandwidth needs are large, your phone > bills will be too. Iridium projects $3 per minute to start off with; much lower with high volume. The cost of launching a second Iridium constellation is $1.5 billion. The cost of using this entire fleet's capacity is $48 per minute if used full time for one year. Since most of the capacity is not overhead it can be transfered to normal cellular phone; the cost for teleoperation should be on the order of $10 per minute. The typical EVA costs $100,000 per minute, so that the communications cost of teleoperation is on the order of 10,000 times cheaper than EVA. If we use a second constellation, it can be designed with teloperation as its primary use and cellular phone as secondary, so that the circuitry can be optimized for data bandwidth and response time. A radio guru will have to tell us what kind of performance is possible, both with the currently planned constellation and an optimized constellation. Naturally, we will design a quite terse protocol. szabo@techbook.COM ...!{tektronix!nosun,uunet}techbook!szabo Public Access UNIX at (503) 644-8135 (1200/2400) Voice: +1 503 646-8257 Public Access User --- Not affiliated with TECHbooks ------------------------------ From: Lyle A. McGeoch Subject: Area Codes 610 and 710 Date: 23 Sep 91 14:02:21 GMT Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. I heard an item on one of the network radio news this morning, mentioning that there were only three unassigned area codes: 210, 810, and 910. I know about the others, but how are 610 and 710 going to be used? Lyle McGeoch lam@cs.amherst.edu [Moderator's Note: 610 is used for Canadian TWX (Telex II) machines. Although all US TWX machines were moved off of 410-510-710, the ones in Canada have to stay as they are for now. The reason is outrageously boring and I won't go into it here. 710 is in use by the US federal government as 'Government Special Services'. I wish someone would write and explain that one in more detail ... I have never been able to get any information on it. Harry Newton first pointed out how 710 was being used in his magazine a couple years ago. 910 is 'sort of' in use: EasyLink, which was part of Western Union and is now part of AT&T uses ten digit numbers which begin 910-xxx-xxxx, and EasyLink email boxes can be directly accessed by Telex and TWX (Telex II) machines. 910 was a Western Union code for everything in the USA from Chicago westward for many years as well as EasyLink for the past decade. I guess they will be moved off, or some arrangements will be made. And what about 909? For many years, Telenet (now Sprintnet) has used that as an 'area code' for their administrative offices on their public data network. Has Bellcore assigned it out yet? PAT] ------------------------------ From: Robert E. Zabloudil Subject: Re: How Do They Change Equipment Without Disrupting Service? Date: 23 Sep 91 18:31:05 GMT Organization: Defense Logistics Agency Systems Automation Center, Columbus In article peters@beltrix.guild.org (Peter Sleggs) writes: > My question to all the telecom experts out there: I'm not one, but I can take a stab at parts of it. > With all the talk of new equipment being installed, how do they drop a > new system in place without disrupting service for a 'long' time? > Do they connect them in parallel and then pull the plug on the old > equipment? I suspect they do, at least for "big" changes. > What happens if you are on the phone at the switchover time? One of their favorite switchover times is 2 AM (like daylight time). PAT and others could probably answer this better. Although I'm curious about things telephonic, I'm generally not curious enough to stay up and check out such things 8^). Uh-oh, does that make me middle-aged ;^o ? [Moderator's Note: It makes you middle-aged, and it makes me about a half-century in an orbit of my own as of today. Every time September 24 rolls around I get a birthday surprise. I guess sendmail is my present this year. :) 2 AM is the cutover time, and the only one I remember vividly was in the middle sixties when Whiting, Indiana (a suburb of Chicago and part of the local calling area on the far south side of Chicago) went from manual to dial. Prior to the cut, we dialed 911 and waited five seconds to two minutes or so for an operator to come on, respond "Whiting!" and take our oral requests. On the night of the cutover, I tested about every three minutes from 1:50 AM on, asking for "Whiting 1234" which was a recorded annoucement of coming attractions at the Hoosier Theatre. If I asked for the number, I got it okay. If I dialed 659-1234 (area codes were at the time not required between Chicago and northern Indiana) a funny thing happened: I got the recorded message, but as soon as the phone picked up on that end, I also got the Whiting operator responding (to that end) thinking they wanted to make a call ... as of 1:59 AM I called 911 and waited almost a minute without the Whiting operator answering. I hung up, called 659-1234 and the call went through without the operator on that end trying to respond to 1234 thinking they were making a call out. For about five minutes, until maybe 2:05, dialing 911 got me nothing but silence. Then suddenly 911 started returning an intercept message that my call could not be completed as dialed ... 'you may dial Whiting direct; just dial 659 and the desired four digit number, prepending zeros to old numbers less than four digits in length.' i.e. the Whiting Walgreen's Drug Store had been (I think) Whiting 698. It became 659-0698. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #764 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa18452; 26 Sep 91 2:23 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA03854 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4); Wed, 25 Sep 1991 21:23:44 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA20726 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for /usr/lib/sendmail -oQ/var/spool/mqueue.big -odq -oi -ftelecom-request telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 25 Sep 1991 21:23:34 -0500 Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1991 21:23:34 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199109260223.AA20726@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #765 TELECOM Digest Wed, 25 Sep 91 21:23:25 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 765 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Area Codes 610 and 710 Lyle A. McGeoch] Re: Area Codes 610 and 710 [Alan Toscano] Re: Area Codes 610 and 710 [Carl Moore] Re: How Do They Change Equipment Without Disrupting Service? [John Higdon] Re: Why Can't You IDDD from Alaska to the Netherlands? [Floyd Davidson] Re: Computer Security and ISDN - Need Information [Marco S. Hyman)] Re: Teleoperation by Pay Phone [Dick Rawson] Re: Voice Mail and Extra Lines [Rob Boudrie] Satellite Phones and the UN Inspectors [William Kucharski] Guidelines For Formatting Messages in the Digest [TELECOM Moderator] --------------------------------------------------------------------- From: lyle@dimacs.rutgers.edu (Lyle A. McGeoch) Subject: Re: Area Codes 610 and 710 Date: 25 Sep 91 13:48:41 GMT Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. According to articles which appeared in this Digest a few months back, 909 will be split from 714 in southern California, beginning in November, 1992. This seems a bit unusual, because there are a number of more heavily used area codes that are not yet scheduled to split. Lyle McGeoch lam@cs.amherst.edu ------------------------------ From: atoscano@attmail.com Date: Wed Sep 25 09:21:05 CDT 1991 Subject: Re: Area Codes 610 and 710 In Issue 764, Lyle A. McGeoch , asks about Area Codes 610 and 710. Our Moderator responds (in part): [Moderator's Note: 610 is used for Canadian TWX (Telex II) machines. Although all US TWX machines were moved off of 410-510-710, the ones in Canada have to stay as they are for now... 910 is 'sort of' in use (by) EasyLink...] Original "three-row" (Baudot-based) TWX machines had ordinary geographically based Area Codes. For example, a three-row machine in Chicago would have had Area Code 312. Later "four-row" (ASCII-based) machines were given their own "area codes", with 510 serving the USA and 610 serving Canada. 510 may have had the first "NPA split" in North American Dialing Plan (NADP) history, when 710, 810, and 910 were "mapped" on top of it. 710 served the NE, 810 the SE, 910, the West, but 510 continued to serve the entire US. (So, it's not a split in the classic sense, but more like what's currently proposed for New York City.) After the "shotgun" sale of AT&T TWX to Western Union in the 70's (?), three-row TWX was absorbed into WU Telex which was renamed WU Telex I. Four-row TWX became WU Telex II. Today, TLX II (TWX) is once again owned by AT&T, along with TLX I, and EasyLink. EasyLink subscribers may optionally have TLX I or TLX II numbers assigned to their EasyLink mailboxes as pseudo-"CI"-Telex machines. (CI stands for conversation inhibited.) Such numbers were assigned in both the 510 and 910 area codes, are *still* in use, but are no longer available to new subscribers. Meantime, "real" TLX II (TWX) machines may have 510, 710, 810 or 910 area codes. While TLX II service may still be handled by switches which also serve the PSTN (this was true at one time, but I don't know it it's still true,) there is no longer any reason to reserve the 510/710/810/910 area codes for TLX II (TWX). This is because the USA three-row TWX machines no longer exist within the PSTN, and therefore, are not placing "calls" to the four-row machines. The remaining USA four-row TWX (now TLX II) machines can be isolated in their own number space much like an SDN, freeing their previously reserved area codes for assignment as geographic PSTN NPAs. Because the Canadian TWX network did not evolve along the same path as its cousin to the south, it is still part of the North American PSTN, and must keep its 610 area code for use within Canada, and reserved within the entire NADP. I have no information about 710, but like Pat, have seen it listed as Special Government Services, whatever that is. To my knowledge, 410 was never a part of TLX/TWX. ["Telex I," "Telex II," "TLX I," TLX II," "TWX" and "SDN" are undoubtedly marks of AT&T. "Telex" and "TLX" without Roman numeral appendages are probably in the Public Domain, but who knows?] A Alan Toscano Voice: +1 713 236 6616 AT&T Mail: atoscano CIS: 73300,217 ELN: 62306750 [Moderator's Note: 410 was used by Western Union, up around New England, I think. They (WU) still map telex directory assistance to 410-555-1212, and what they used to call Infomaster was on 410- something. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Sep 91 16:38:38 EDT From: Carl Moore Subject: Re: Area Codes 610 and 710 Moderator writes: > Moderator's Note: 610 is used for Canadian TWX (Telex II) machines. > Although all US TWX machines were moved off of 410-510-710, the ones... In this particular case, is this supposed to be 610 instead of 710? [Moderator's Note: No it is not. See earlier message. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Sep 91 23:01 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: How Do They Change Equipment Without Disrupting Service? Robert E. Zabloudil writes: > One of their favorite switchover times is 2 AM (like daylight time). > PAT and others could probably answer this better. Although I'm > curious about things telephonic, I'm generally not curious enough to > stay up and check out such things 8^). Uh-oh, does that make me > middle-aged ;^o ? On the recent cut from #5 crossbar to #5ESS in the ANdrews (San Jose) office, anyone on the telephone at 11:33 pm was unceremoniously dropped. The line was dead for about two minutes, then dial tone from the new switch appeared. IntraLATA calls out were completed promptly and properly, but incoming calls from outside of the physical central office did not complete, and calls from the old co-located 1ESS were completed properly from the moment of cutover. Calling in from other offices generally resulted in silence. Outgoing calls requiring an IEC could not be made. As the clock approached midnight (the scheduled cut time), incoming intra-LATA calls became possible from more and more offices and by 12:30 service was pretty much normal. By 1:30, the office was fully functional. Pac*Bell cuts are usually made early in the evening (around midnight). This gives the technicians a little more time to iron out the glitches before the next day's traffic. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ From: floyd@hayes.ims.alaska.edu (Floyd Davidson) Subject: Re: Why Can't You IDDD from Alaska to the Netherlands? Organization: University of Alaska Institute of Marine Science Date: Tue, 24 Sep 1991 23:32:56 GMT In article covert@covert.enet.dec.com (John R. Covert) writes: >> According to a booklet PTT telecom just sent me, ... those poor >> Alaskans can't call me back at +31-80-XXXXXX, without assistance >> from an operator. > They most certainly can, if they are in an exchange with IDDD service. > The Anchorage phone book lists the Netherlands as being dialable in > the normal manner, along with most other countries. I think everyone has IDDD ... I called Hans, the original poster, to verify that it could be done ... works fine. >> And why can't they reach the Netherlands Direct at 1-800-432-0031 >> either? > Netherlands Direct is provided by AT&T, which does not currently have > a presence in Alaska. The primary carrier for all service between AT&T gives the 800 customer the option of making Alaska available or not. I'm a little amazed that anyone involved in the tourist business didn't realize they definitely want access from Alaska, but ... I suspect they are as unaware of how it works here as I am about how it works there. > Alaska and other points is currently Alascom, with rates identical to > AT&T's rates. True fact. Inter-state rates to/from Alaska are directly based on AT&T's rate schedule. > There has been some talk of a takeover of service outside Alaska by > AT&T. I'm not sure who all has to approve (FCC etc.), but AT&T and Alascom have agreed to AT&T purchasing the inter-state Alaska business. The practical effect is none. Right now Alascom owns the trunks, and in some cases leases portions of the physical equipment, and does all the billing. After the sale, the exact same trunks will be owned by AT&T, who will be leasing the vast majority of the physical equipment (which will still be owned by Alascom), and will be doing all the billing. The significant change really is in who does the network management and long range planning. AT&T has been required to subsidize Alascom's inter-state business, but had no control over management of the network. That isn't a happy situation for any company, and will be corrected by the sale. Part of the FCC regulation of AT&T and Alascom (yes, there are TWO regulated companies!) required that Alascom's subsidy was determined by a Joint Board (I don't recall exactly who is on the board, but AT&T and Alascom and the FCC are for sure.) which looked over Alascom's books and determined what the cost was. That isn't a happy situation for Alascom, either, and will be halted. (That little situation causes things like "double time" is a red flag meaning bad management, so it is to be avoided at all costs: one hour of double time for a traveling tech costs $60 plus bennys, avoiding it might cost $750 of aircraft charter!) Floyd L. Davidson | Alascom, Inc. pays me, |UA Fairbanks Institute of Marine floyd@ims.alaska.edu| but not for opinions. |Science suffers me as a guest. ------------------------------ From: marc@ascend.com (Marco S Hyman) Subject: Re: Computer Security and ISDN - Need Information Date: 24 Sep 91 17:16:42 GMT Organization: Ascend Communications -- San Francisco In article rees@citi.umich.edu (Jim Rees) writes: > Now I don't get it. What advantage is there in using the D channel > for data? The only thing it seems to give you is packet mode, and if > your connections are basically point-to-point, why would you want > that? It's much harder to use, since you have to speak some protocol > (LAPD?) rather than just streaming bits down the wire, as you would on > a B channel. Did I miss something? Most data users of ISDN can't handle a 64 Kbit/sec connection. The PC users out there have Async cards and host devices typically support a maximum of 19.2 Kbit/sec. Therefore, even when making a circuit switched call over a B channel you are running some kind of rata adaption protocol. The common ones (built into ISDN terminal adapters) include DMI mode 2 (AT&T proprietary), V.110 (hardware, which bits carry the data) and V.120 (similar to LAPD). Since the typical user is only using 9.6 Kbit/sec of the 64 Kbit/sec available why not use the mostly idle D channel and run X.25? If you're calling a central host it can connect to the ISDN network using multiple virtual circuits on a nailed up X.25 B channel. With an 8 to 1 `fan out' (8 D-channel X.25 call originators per 1 B-channel X.25 connection with 8 logical channels) everybody gets to use all of their available bandwidth. I've seen users happy with a 32 to 1 fan out (depends upon the use -- these users accessed email a few times a day -- most of the time the link was idle.) Also, packet switching allows the use of closed user groups where the switch ensures some physical security. Disclaimer: Ascend makes ISDN access equipment for both circuit and packet switched data. marc work: marc@ascend.com uunet!aria!marc home: marc@dumbcat.sf.ca.us pacbell!dumbcat!marc ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Sep 91 10:23:12 PDT From: drawson@Tymnet.COM (Dick Rawson) Subject: Re: Teleoperation by Pay Phone Nick Szabo wrote, > Iridium projects $3 per minute to start off with; much lower with high > volume. The cost of launching a second Iridium constellation is $1.5 > billion. The cost of using this entire fleet's capacity is $48 per > minute if used full time for one year. Since most of the capacity is > not overhead .... Gee, I thought it was all overhead. [Moderator's Note: Your humor is appreciated! :) PAT] ------------------------------ From: Rob Boudrie Date: Wed, 25 Sep 91 16:39:03 EDT Subject: Re: Voice Mail and Extra Lines > GTE also told me that both my lines had to have the same type of > service. They told me the FCC (? PUC? Hmmmmm.) requires it. Could > this be true?? Yes, but... There generally is nothing which would prevent you from obtaining a second line under a different name at the same address. (Tell them there are two housemates sharing the place and you each have separate phones listed in your name...If that doesn't work, add a "Unit 2" to the address for the second line). The only disadvantages to doing it this way is that you will recieve two separate bills, and one line will not be listed under your name. ------------------------------ From: kucharsk@Solbourne.COM (William Kucharski) Subject: Satellite Phones and the UN Inspectors Organization: Solbourne Computer, Inc., Longmont, CO Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1991 18:33:47 GMT I know this was hashed out a bit during Desert Storm, but can anyone give a brief description of the "portable satellite phone" the head of the UN Iraq nuclear inspection group is using to call the various news services? It's too bad fax machines don't operate a bit quicker, or they could use some type of portable fax machine and simply fax out their documentation and then give the orignals back to Iraq. Unfortunately this won't work with the (seven?) carloads of docs the inspectors have ... William Kucharski, Solbourne Computer, Inc. | Opinions expressed above Internet: kucharsk@solbourne.com Ham: N0OKQ | are MINE alone, not those uucp: ...!{boulder,sun,uunet}!stan!kucharsk | of Solbourne... Snail Mail: 1900 Pike Road, Longmont, CO 80501 ------------------------------ From: TELECOM Moderator Subject: Guidelines For Formatting Messages in the Digest Date: Wed, 25 Sep 91 18:18:34 CDT I received a letter today from Mitchell Tasman asking for more information on formatting messages for the Digest. He asked if 'hyphens were a problem ...' Hyphens are no problem, but long strings of dashes are a problem, ie '---------------'. People familiar with the software used to create Digests on the net know that a string of dashes is used at the bottom of a message to indicate one message has ended and another is beginning for bursting purposes (the process of breaking the Digest down into single messages for posting in news groups, etc.) So when dashes appear (and some people put a whole row of them around their signature, or at the bottom of the text), they have to be removed, as do single dots (.) at the start of a line, and in some instances the word 'from' when it is the first word on a line. When messages arrive without subject lines, or inappropriate lines such as 're: TELECOM Digest V11 #755' then I have to hunt down the original message and create a header. When the number of lines which begin with '>' exceed the number of lines which do not, I have to go through and zap them out, including editing down excessive amounts of quoted text. The Usenet ratio -- software enforced -- is 50/50 new text to quoted text. In every issue, at least a few of these things have to be repaired. Deletion of large signatures, quotes and such free up sometimes 1000-2000 bytes per issue, which allows another message to be included. (I try to hold the size of each issue to about 16,500 - 17,000 bytes -- there are delivery problems with large lists combined with large messages, despite the various improvements made to mail software over the years.) I'm holding my breath now to see how well the highly-touted 'new improvements to sendmail' are going to work out with telecom. I know Jon Solomon used to pull his hair out with grief over duplicate copies going out in the mail because of the mailer aborting, closing its window, waking up and forgetting where it left off earlier, etc. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #765 ****************************** ^A^A^A^A ^A^A^A^A From telecom Wed Sep 25 22:03:07 1991 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA08985 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for /usr/local/bin/filter -o /users/guest/telecom/.elm/filter-errs); Wed, 25 Sep 1991 22:03:07 -0500 Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1991 22:03:07 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199109260303.AA08985@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #766 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Wed, 25 Sep 91 22:03:08 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 766 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Northern Telecom's Institute for Information Studies [Jane Fraser] "'Ma Bell' Top Corporate Citizen, Poll Says" [Dave Boutcher] ABis-Card, A-Card (CCITT-7),PCM-Link, iSBX/IEEE959 [Clas Tegenfeldt] FCC Action on AOS and COCOT's [olsen@xn.ll.mit.edu] Useful and Cheap [Bob Frankston] Macintosh and Ultrix BBS Software Needed [William H. Hsu] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 25 Sep 91 15:04 EDT From: FRASER@ccl2.eng.ohio-state.edu Subject: Northern Telecom's Institute for Information Studies On September 9-12, I was the guest of the Institute for Information Studies at a Forum for Information Executives. This forum is run regularly for corporate executives, but this was a special session for people involved in the public sector. The Institute for Information Studies is a joint program of Northern Telecom in association with the Aspen Institute. The 14 participants included several people from the Nashville area: the director of the telecommunications division of the Tennessee PSC, the director of economic development for South Central Bell, two people from a technical consulting company in Nashville, a professor from Vanderbilt, and others. There was also a group from Texas, including the Assistant Commissioner for Technology of the Texas Education Agency and the president of a futurist consulting company. There were two people from the nonprofit Princeton Institute for Health Policy, a policy consulting group. I was the only person from Columbus (although others had been invited) and there was one person with the County of Ventura in California. We were presented with information from various speakers, but mainly we were urged to interact and to share information, albeit in a structured way. Over the 4 days, sessions included: Issues (in which we brainstormed to list the issues involved ``in responding to the Information Age"); Community Transformation (``A discussion of changes required and now possible in organizations to excel in the rapidly evolving environments"); Workshop (a discussion of a case study on ``The Minnesota Knowledge Systems Center"); Wider Dimension (``A discussion of ways to communicate and guide toward the vision and manage the change that accompanies it as it impacts the people in the organization and society"); and An Exercise in Creativity (we were led through a series of techniques for creative problem solving as we each worked on a self-chosen problem). The discussions were led by various IIS and Northern Telecom personnel (the Executive Director of IIS, a Senior Fellow with IIS, and an Assistant Vice-President for Customer Service for Northern Telecom) as well as an Aspen Institute person (Vice President, Cooperative Programs), and three outside consultants. I think the Forum usually serves to focus executives on how their company is using information and telecommunication to achieve advantage. Since our group was the first from the public sector, the usual Forum material had been adapted somewhat, but we did cause some surprises for the discussion leaders. For example, the Wider Dimension discussion was meant to urge us to address issues concerning society as a whole, but these were, of course, issues we had been eager to address from the start. In an exercise to list the hidden assumptions behind a problem statement we amazed the discussion leader by generating twice as many assumptions as he had every seen listed before. The Institute for Information Studies is a joint program of Northern Telecom in association with the Aspen Institute. I, and at least some of my fellow attendees, spent some of our private time speculating about hidden agendas, given the funding source. There seemed some reason for our suspicions. For example, while the session was held in Maryland, all the IIS personnel are based in Nashville, with Northern Telecom. However, my final conclusion is that if there was a hidden agenda, first, I was quite capable of sorting out the effects of any agenda setting, and second, the primary agenda was clearly to promote discussion among the participants, who had very diverse viewpoints. In fact, IIS very humorously defused the agenda-setting issue by showing us a ``Northern Telecom commercial," actually a humorous send-up of fast talking sales pitches; if you haven't seen this tape, try to track it down -- a salesman named Jim Dandy, fiber remnants by the foot, LAN Rover (a bloodhound who will find your hidden cables), the PC Stacker (to put those PCs back where they belong in the computer center), and so forth. One lurking problem is that control of the agenda can be accomplished by control of the invitation list. However, if that was the plan, it did not succeed. We had a very lively and diverse group, in agreement on many subjects but not on others. We were very much in agreement about significant issues in the information age. The top five items on the list we generated and ranked in importance included: protecting the privacy of the individual, definition of values and ethics in the information age, acceptance of new ways of doing things, resistance to empowering people with information, and unwillingness of individuals to commit to others. However, on our list of 17 items, we assigned the top and bottom items average scores of 4.3 and 3.4 on a 1 to 5 scale of importance, not much of a variation. We disagreed, however, about some applications of society's funds to solve perceived societal problems by using information services. A great deal of perspective was provided by Leroy Schwatrz, one of the participants from the Princeton Institute for Health Policy. Leroy is a pediatrician who has turned from private practice to policy consulting because of his concern that current national policies seek to repair the medical system, when he believes that the problems with US medical care are often merely a reflection of deeper problems in society. A recent {Washington Post} article quotes Leroy: ``Social pathologies such as the breakdown of the family structure, chronic unemployment, poverty, homelessness, substance abuse, violence and despair wind up in the emergency rooms, intensive care units and morgues of our hospitals." Spencer Rich, the {Washington Post} writer continued: ``Schwartz says he believes the existence of these problems -- in a degree unmatched in other industrial nations -- helps explain why health care in the United States in 1989 consumed almost 12 percent of gross domestic product, compared with 8.8 percent for Sweden and 8.7 percent for Canada and France, the next highest." Leroy is careful to say he is not arguing against reform of the medical care system in the US, but rather he is arguing for care in targetting problems that are a result of faults in the health care system, not problems that are better solved more directly. Since many of the usual arguments for the information superhighway cite medical benefits as providing financial justification for the required investments, it was enormously helpful to have such a knowledgeable member of the medical community present. He managed to at least raise questions in our minds about how to use information technology appropriately to tackle appropriate social problems. The participants summarized the experience as quality with calories. The excellence of the program was backed by the excellence of the chef and staff. The Forum was held at the Aspen Institute facilities at Wye Center in Maryland, a beautiful rural setting located (roughly) across the bay from Annapolis. IIS has obviously learned how to run an excellent forum as all the details were handled wonderfully, allowing the participants the luxury of focusing on learning and interacting. But more importantly, the primary agenda was to gather thoughtful people in a atmosphere guaranteed to stimulate discussion. about the future of telecommunications I applaud Northern Telecom for doing this and thank them for including me. [Moderator's Note: Jane Fraser writes the Digest frequently to discuss seminars and conferences relating to telecom. Thanks again, Jane. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: 25 Sep 91 09:51:59 EDT From: Dave Boutcher Subject: "'Ma Bell' Top Corporate Citizen, Poll Says" Organization: IBM Canada Laboratory Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not those of IBM Source: {Toronto Star}, 9/24/91, pg B1 Canadians chose Bell Canada as their overwhelming first choice for "good corporate citizen" - Poll titled "Great Expectations: Canadians' Attitude to Business" from Gallup Canada Inc.,released yesterday Bell Canada....................12% General Motors Canada...........7% IBM Canada Ltd..................6% MacDonalds Restaurants Canada...4% o 750 people surveyed o Good Citizenship criteria chosen by those surveyed: 91% Quality goods and services 89% Abiding by laws and regulations 87% Taking care of employees 85% Being environmentally responsible Only 36% perceived investing in charity as a mark of good corporate citizenship. o Percent who believe following is businesses' prime responsibility: 37% Quality products 22% Create jobs 20% Contribute to community well being 18% Make a profit 2% Don't know o Other results: - 54% of respondents consider daily newspapers their source of general business information - 72% of Canadians would rather read about a new product or service in a newspaper article than in an advertisement. - 53% do not trust information in the media about products and services. Dave Boutcher boutcher@torolab5.vnet.ibm.com 1150 Eglinton Ave E, North York, Ontario M3C 1H7 Voice: (416) 448-3783 Fax: (416) 448-4414 ------------------------------ From: tegen@isy.liu.se (Clas Tegenfeldt) Subject: ABis-Card,A-Card (CCITT-7), PCM-Link, iSBX/IEEE959 Organization: Dept of EE, University of Linkoping Date: 25 Sep 91 08:11:06 GMT I am passing this along for a friend without usenet access ... followup is OK but email to tegen@isy.liu.se is better. His letter follows: Requirements: Hardware and software, compatible with (or possible to convert to) the Commodore Amiga, for use in a GSM-BSC environment. - One ABis-card that can handle one, two, .., or a subset of a PCM-link (2Mbit/s) and that can make use of the LAPD-protocol up to at least layer 2. - One A-card (CCITT-7) that handles one, two, .., or a subset of a PCM-link (2Mbit/s) and that can handle the MTP-protocol up to at least layer 3. ----------- I think ASDG has an IO board built on IEEE959 (iSBX-interface), but I do not know what modules from iSBX to PCM there exists. Any suggestions of how to solve this puzzle are warmly welcome! Amiga is prefered but no absolute demand. ds. Clas Tegenfeldt | tegen@isy.liu.se | Linkoping University,Sweden ------------------------------ Subject: FCC Action on AOS and COCOT's Date: Wed, 25 Sep 91 15:24:43 +0100 From: olsen@xn.ll.mit.edu Because I made an FCC complaint about COCOT call blocking last year, the FCC has just sent me a news release about their recent actions of AOS and COCOT call blocking. Full details of the FCC action are available in the Federal Register of August 16, 1991 (vol. 56, no. 159), pages 40793-9 and 40844-7. Here are the main points on call blocking: - By March 16, 1992, all operator service providers (OSP's), including AT&T, will have to provide "800" or "950" access numbers. - Also by March 16, 1992, all COCOT's will have to unblock 10XXX access code calls. - Also by March 16, 1992, or upon installation, whichever comes first, all non-payphone call aggregators (such as hospitals, hotels, and colleges) must unblock 10XXX calls if their equipment can safely do so. - All aggregator equipment made or imported into the US after April 16, 1992 must unblock 10XXX calls as soon as it is installed. - By March 16, 1993, all non-payphone call aggregators must unblock 10XXX calls if they can safely do so at a cost of no more than $15.00 per [inside] line. - By April 17, 1997, all call aggregators must unblock 10XXX calls. The FCC also considered compensation of COCOT owners for access-code calls. The commission didn't make any final decisions, opting instead to issue a further NPRM with comments due by October 22. It did, however, make some 'tentative' conclusions, including: - COCOT owners should be compensated for access-code calls. - Compensation should be a flat fee per completed call. - One possible formula yields a charge of about $0.12/call. ------------------------------ From: Subject: Useful and Cheap Date: 24 Sep 1991 08:09 -0400 To quote from Julian Macassey: "Somehow, it never caught on until the Japanese who preferred faxing handwritten messages to attempting Telex started selling their high speed fax machines to yuppies who suddenly can't live without them." I'm puzzled about a general prejudice against useful technology. Is email another yuppie toy? What held FAXes back was one thing -- price. Price comes down, people buy. Alarmingly simple. Price, is of course, closely related to utility, but FAXes are useful (not as useful as "multimedia" email, but ...), and once they became affordable they proliferated. As new telecom services become available, they are priced high. There is little, if any, incremental cost to most of the features, but they are viewed as luxuries and thus are priced high. The luxury attitude is even more apparent in cellular phone services that are only supported from nine to five (or thereabouts). Fax machines, cellular phones, pagers, distinctive ringing, three way calling etc are should be considered mundane parts of the telecom infrastructure and not premium services for the idle rich. The idle rich wouldn't know what to do with them anyway. (Apologies to the nonidle rich, many of whom do understand). ------------------------------ From: hsu_wh@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (William H Hsu) Subject: Macintosh and Ultrix BBS Software Needed Date: 24 Sep 91 12:47:02 GMT Organization: The Johns Hopkins University - HCF I am looking for Macintosh BBS software which preferably makes use of the Finder. So far, I am aware of Mac WWIV v3.11b by Terry Teague (which I currently have, but am loath to use due to its decidedly non-Mac structure) and Hermes, which I have not been able to find. My question about Mac BBS'es is threefold. First, what other programs are available? Second, which of these can be accessed by LocalTalk or some other type of direct local access? Third (and most important), which can be linked with IBM network BBS'es (FIDO/WWIVnet)? I would appreciate it if someone would post or mail some FTP sites and phone numbers/email addresses/mail addresses of BBS authors. Next question (I'm a little wary of asking this on alt.bbs for fear of drowning in replies, but I know nothing about what's available, so I have nothing to check archie with): what *NIX-based BBS software can be accessed directly by users on a local network (say, Ultrix on DECstations)? After dialing in to the network, a hypothetical user would be in his or her account -- to log in, the user would type "ABCBBS" (1). Alternatively, ABC could be accessed by calling the dedicated ABC line, separate from the network (2) -- the main problem is that I'd like to have a dedicated PC (say, an IBM 386) answering and directing the connection to the DEC program. I would be great if I could find some IBM executables and *NIX excutables or better yet, C source, to do this. Could somebody please send me some software titles so's I can search archie, etc? 555-1212 --> PC answers ==> * /users/x/y/z/ABCBBS * (2) ^ *___________________^____* | * > Ultrix vX.x | * User --> *NIX system --> * > ABCBBS----------| * (1) ************************** Last question: is there ANY BBS software at all for A/UX? Particularly portable source -- am I just dreaming, or is there usable C code? ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #766 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa24081; 26 Sep 91 4:33 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA20063 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4); Wed, 25 Sep 1991 23:38:56 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA24745 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for /usr/lib/sendmail -oQ/var/spool/mqueue.big -odq -oi -ftelecom-request telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 25 Sep 1991 23:38:47 -0500 Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1991 23:38:47 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199109260438.AA24745@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #767 TELECOM Digest Wed, 25 Sep 91 23:38:42 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 767 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Another 900 Service Provider Getting Out [Charlie Mingo] Zone Consolidation [Linc Madison] Monthly Phone Bills [Mickey Ferguson] AT&T Mail's Telex Service: Check Your Box! [Fred E.J. Linton] Pac*Bell Tips Its Hand [John Higdon] Re: How Do They Change Equipment Without Disrupting Service? [Al Varney] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Charlie.Mingo@p0.f716.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Charlie Mingo) Date: 25 Sep 91 16:11:29 Subject: Another 900 Service Provider Getting Out UNITED TELECOM PLANS TO CURTAIL '900' PHONE LINES By Michael Waldholz, {The Wall Street Journal}, September 25, 1991 at A12. United Telecommunications Inc. said it will sharply curtail its "900" phone services because of widespread consumer complaints about the practices of the service vendors. United Telecom also said its Sprint TeleMedia unit, which provides the 900 phone service, has been notified it is the target of a grand jury investigation by the US Attorney's Office in Des Moines, Iowa. The phone company said the US Attorney is preparing to seek an indictment on several fraud-related charges against a vendor who ran a credit-card providing business on a Sprint TeleMedia 900 telephone number. United Telecom said it doesn't believe that it is liable for any wrongdoing committed by its 900-line customers. Nevertheless, United Telecom said it will stop providing 900-line billing services for game, horiscope and celebrity lines because of consumer compliants and the difficulty in policing the services povided by phone line vendors. Previously, Sprint had stopped providing servoces for romance, credit card and job lines. [Is "romance" a euphamism for "phone sex"?] Indeed, the 900-line service business has become a major problem for long-distance phone operators because of complaints that vendors don't provide promised services or because of widespread misunderstandings about the costs of using a 900 line. [Discussion of Telesphere's bankruptcy deleted.] United Telecom said it is "taking the rather extreme action of backing away from better than 90%" of 900 phone service because of "the bad apples." United Telecom said it will continue to provide 900-line billing service only for providers of "quality" programs such as news, stock quotes, sports information and weather. "While we continue to believe the 900-service market has real potential for valuble service offerings and is likely to mature into a broad-based ... arena, it is our judgment that this maturation process has not yet occurred." United Telecom said because there are no legal standards regarding the pricing and billing of 900 calls, providers are free to develop and price services any way they choose. The company said, therefore, it can't legally deny the service to anyone. Instead, it is curtailing the business it offers by refusing to provide billing services to certain types of vendors. [...] Earlier this year, American Telephone & Telegraph Co., New York, and MCI Communications Corp. of Washington, the other major providers of 900-line services, said they were restricting billing for adult romance services, which have come under attack as potentially pornographic. Officials at AT&T couldn't be reached to comment yesterday. A spokeswoman at MCI said the company couldn't legally deny adult services a 900-line, but is refusing to provide them billing services and is denoting the adult lines with the prefix 1-900-745. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Sep 91 21:02:00 PDT From: linc@tongue1.Berkeley.EDU (Linc Madison) Subject: Zone Consolidation I just got my brand new (Sept. '91) San Francisco directory, and was thumbing through the front section. I noticed one startling change from my July '91 Oakland directory. Large cities here tend to be divided into zones to refine distance-based usage charges. The city of "East Bay" is divided into five zones. Roughly speaking, East Bay 1 = Berkeley/Albany, 2 = Oakland downtown and north, 3 = Alameda, 4 = Oakland south, and 5 = San Leandro. That is, up till now. East Bay 2/3/4 have now been combined into a single unit, East Bay 2, with 5 renumbered to 3. I've heard absolutely no mention about this anywhere else, but it's on pages A23 and A26 of the San Francisco directory. It appears *not* to have been contemporaneous with the expansion of "local" call area on June 1, 1991. Linc Madison = linc@tongue1.berkeley.edu = ucbvax!tongue1!linc ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Sep 91 09:00:23 PDT From: "Mickey Ferguson" Subject: Monthly Phone Bills I realize the subject of monthly phone bills is getting a bit old, but I felt that mine was unusual enough that it warranted posting. The reason it is unique is that it is so *low*! I have unlimited local calling (408 area code - Sunnyvale), and no special services such as call forwarding or second line. Basic POTS. This past month I had $8.31 worth of out-of-zone calls (to Napa Valley, Santa Cruz, etc.). Basic Service 8.35 Charges for Network Access for Interstate Calling, Imposed by FCC 3.50 Universal Lifeline Telephone Service Surcharge .25 Rate Surcharge .68cr State Regulatory Fee .02 Communication Devices Funds for Deaf and Disabled .05 Tax: Fed: .59 911: .14 Local: .40 1.13 ----------------------------------------------------------- Regulated Monthly Charges and Credits Subtotal 12.62 Total 20.93 If one keeps in mind that about 30-40 percent of the tax listed above is on the calls made out of my local calling area, my normal monthly phone bill is only a tad over $12.00 per month. And that is for all the local calls I care to make, which covers a pretty wide area. Unfortunately, PacBell is trying to raise the cost of the unlimited local calls by about 60%, making it no longer cost effective. Mickey Ferguson Rolm Systems fergusom@scrvm2.vnet.ibm.com ------------------------------ Date: 25-SEP-1991 16:42:08.41 From: "Fred E.J. Linton" Subject: AT&T Mail's Telex Service: Check Your Box! Sometime on Monday, September 23, my attmail virtual telex box got enabled again, after having been disabled within the database maintained by TRT, AT&T Mail's telex operator. It turns out my telex box had been off at least three weeks (maybe longer). Why? How? When? No one I ran across at the AT&T Mail CAC could say for sure. But, funny thing, no one sounded particularly surprised, either. Moral: if you think you have the telex service turned on, but haven't been receiving things you were half-way expecting, call the CAC to double-check. (Thanks to Dan@SICS.se for helping me become aware of the problem.) Fred or Fred E.J. Linton Wesleyan U. Math. Dept. 649 Sci. Tower Middletown, CT 06457 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Sep 91 23:24 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Pac*Bell Tips Its Hand To remain "lean and mean" in the business marketplace and to attempt to stem the tide of intraLATA bypass, Pac*Bell has announced that it wants to lower by thirty percent the intraLATA rates in California. To maintain its revenue, it will rape the captive residential customer base by RAISING the residential flat-rate by fifty percent. There are some ramifications here that may not meet the eye. None of Pac*Bell's competitors have this captive cash cow to rob whenever it suits their fancy to be "lean and mean". For example, if MCI wanted to suddenly reduce its charges, it would have several choices. It could cut back its expenses, hope for more volume, or suffer reduced profits or major losses. Pac*Bell has no such difficulties. The company knows that residential customers have no where else to go for telephone service. Whatever it can slip past the PUC, the customer will have to pay or do without. As we have all seen, the PUC is putty in Pac*Bell's tender hands. Another noteworthy item here is that the only significant rate increase is the residential FLAT-RATE. Pac*Bell has always hoped to be able to phase out unmeasured service. All telcos would like every relay click and every CPU cycle to result in more revenue. This is why FX, leased line and other inherently unmeasured telco services have been priced in the stratosphere as of late. Providers of telecommunications would prefer all traffic to travel over the switched (and measured) network. By cranking up the cost of unmeasured residential service, Pac*Bell is making it more and more attractive for customers to opt for measured service. Once Pac*Bell can convince the PUC that unmeasured service is no longer in demand, PB will be allowed to discontinue it. Then, when it wants a rate increase, it just inflates the cost PER CALL and at the same time tells us (and the PUC) that everyone is in control of his own phone costs by simply watching use and cutting back on calls. Pac*Bell has had this scenario waiting in the wings for years. Insiders talk quite frankly about it. But the logic of sticking it to residential users to remain competitive in the business world escapes me. What PB spokespeople seem to be saying is, "We have to raise residential rates in order to keep them low." Say what? John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Sep 91 22:52:02 CDT From: varney@ihlpf.att.com (Al L Varney) Subject: Re: How Do They Change Equipment Without Disrupting Service? Organization: AT&T Network Systems In article John Higdon writes: > On the recent cut from #5 crossbar to #5ESS in the ANdrews (San Jose) > office, anyone on the telephone at 11:33 pm was unceremoniously > dropped. The line was dead for about two minutes, then dial tone from > the new switch appeared. IntraLATA calls out were completed promptly > and properly, but incoming calls from outside of the physical central > office did not complete, and calls from the old co-located 1ESS were > completed properly from the moment of cutover. Calling in from other > offices generally resulted in silence. Outgoing calls requiring an IEC > could not be made. > As the clock approached midnight (the scheduled cut time), incoming > intra-LATA calls became possible from more and more offices ... A quick tutorial on Switch cut-overs ... note that all differ from the norm is various ways! The goal of Switch cut-overs is to first change the LINES over to the new Switch, then the TRUNKS, then modify any routing at other COs to use any new TRUNKS. For ESS(tm) COs, it is possible to also preserve LINE-to-LINE calls, and outside calls. For pre-ESS old COs, a new ESS CO will have connections bridged ("Y"-connected) to all LINES at the Main Distributing Frame (MDF) weeks in advance of cut-over. These LINES are marked as "inactive-precut", and will NOT normally be supplied battery/ground or dial-tone. A test program in the new CO will run through designated ranges of telephone numbers, selecting IDLE (on-hook) "inactive-precut" lines for testing. For each selected line, a Test connection is made to the line via the old CO Test Desk (using a special test trunk from the new CO to the old CO Test Desk). Using the Test Desk connection, battery reversal and other changes are made to the line; any such changes should be seen at the new CO line appearance. In effect, the test is to assure that the two "arms" of the "Y" connection are physically connected to the same pair of wires at the MDF. Note that any "off-hook" from the customer side of the MDF will, after a second or so, result in test termination and dial tone from the old CO. The software will usually remember lines that couldn't be tested (or failed) and will periodically retest them. A similar mechanism is used for TRUNKS, except it only affects incoming traffic (outgoing calls in a pre-cut office MUST BE test calls, right?). TRUNKS marked "precut" will be forced into a "bypass" state, appearing as an open circuit to the old CO and the far-end CO. Testing is manually initiated, and requires the circuit to be busied and forced to bypass or disconnected at the old CO. Testing from the new CO and the far-end CO can occur. Regardless of test results, the "precut" trunk will automatically be forced back to "bypass" after a period of non-testing. If the old CO is non-digital, it is common for trunks to not be cross-connected at the analog level, but to either use a patch panel to bridge T1 facilities directly into the new CO at cut or to add new facilities just for the new CO. For the San Jose cut (speculation; I wasn't involved), it seems likely some new T1 facilities were run. At the time of cut-over from a non-ESS CO, the LINE cut-over involves typing a message at the new CO (e.g., SET:STATE=POSTCUT) just after cutting the MDF-to-old-CO wires. There is no means other than bolt-cutters, etc. to stop dial tone from the old CO! Now the TRUNKS at the old CO are also cut or patched to the new CO. If new facilities were used, the far-end offices must all be changed to use the new trunks for calls incoming to the new CO. Outgoing calls can occur immediately, even before the far-end COs have been updated. In-progress calls at cut are obviously lost. There is obviously no going back to the old CO after the bolt-cutters do their job. For old ESS CO replacements, similar methods are used. The major differences are that LINES in the old CO can be marked "inactive- postcut". When the CUT message is input to the new CO, it will toggle a private lead to the old CO, automatically forcing it to also become "postcut". However, postcut in the old CO means it should stop offering dial tone to new off-hook LINES. It does NOT drop existing connections; they can be allowed to die off over the next few hours. If problems develop, both offices can be changed back to "precut" with a single input message at the new CO. The other major capability offered by old ESS COs for cut-over support is the ability to build a "temporary" tandem trunking arrangement from the old CO to the new CO. Incoming calls to either CO destined for "inactive" lines will automatically be tandemed to the other CO. This means that, before cut-over time, some incoming calls actually arrive at the new CO and tandem to the old CO for completion. After cut-over, incoming calls to the old CO tandem over to the new CO. The decision to tandem is made only by examining the "inactive" status of a line and the current office state (precut/postcut) just before connecting to the line. NO active call is affected by the pre-to- post-cut office state change, only new originations and terminations. So it is possible (and likely) that a CO replacement can occur without ANY customer being able to detect the moment of "cut"!! There are certainly few other computer replacements that can be this transparent to active users!!!! Note that the issue of testing and cutover of ISDN lines is not as easily solved, since no equivalent to a "Y" connection is obvious for the D-channel. They must currently be tested in a manner similar to Digital TRUNKS, and drop calls at the moment of cut-over of the ISDN facilities. Of course, there aren't a lot of ISDN COs being replaced, yet .... Hope this article passes the NEW Telecom test. Al Varney, AT&T Network Systems, Lisle, IL [Moderator's Note: Yes indeed it does Al, and thanks for writing. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #767 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa23928; 26 Sep 91 16:18 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA29722 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4); Thu, 26 Sep 1991 11:51:48 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA18069 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for /usr/lib/sendmail -oQ/var/spool/mqueue.big -odq -oi -ftelecom-request telecomlist-outbound); Thu, 26 Sep 1991 11:51:39 -0500 Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1991 11:51:39 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199109261651.AA18069@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #768 TELECOM Digest Thu, 26 Sep 91 11:51:30 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 768 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: How Do They Change Equipment Without Disrupting Service? [J. Sicherman] Re: How Do They Change Equipment Without Disrupting Service? [F. Davidson] Re: How Do They Change Equipment Without Disrupting Service? [Richard Pitt] NYNEX/Boston Does NOT Offer "Free" FMR [Douglas Scott Reuben] Re: Area Codes 610 and 710 [Carl Moore] Motorola Cellular Updated? [Larry Rachman] ISDN on BBC [Kent Borg] High-Rate 06-Numbers in Netherlands - 900 Scams Here Also? [Phons Bloemen] Cellular Data Transmissions [Tom Lowe] Re: Satellite Phones and the UN Inspectors [Julian Macassey] Terminal Servers Wanted [crazy@hacks.arizona.edu] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 25 Sep 91 23:22:29 -0700 From: Jeff Sicherman Subject: Re: How Do They Change Equipment Without Disrupting Service? Organization: Cal State Long Beach In article John Higdon writes: > Pac*Bell cuts are usually made early in the evening (around midnight). > This gives the technicians a little more time to iron out the glitches > before the next day's traffic. I would guess that it has more to do with the fact that if they cut over at 2 AM, the next day's traffic to and from the east coast would only be a couple of hours away; i.e. 2 AM PST = 5 AM EST and the business day could start at 7 AM or 8 AM EST. This would really not give them time to finish some jobs and check out or correct them. ------------------------------ From: floyd@hayes.ims.alaska.edu (Floyd Davidson) Subject: Re: How Do They Change Equipment Without Disrupting Service? Organization: University of Alaska Institute of Marine Science Date: Wed, 25 Sep 1991 13:10:20 GMT In article John Higdon writes: > As the clock approached midnight (the scheduled cut time), incoming > intra-LATA calls became possible from more and more offices and by > 12:30 service was pretty much normal. By 1:30, the office was fully > functional. > Pac*Bell cuts are usually made early in the evening (around midnight). > This gives the technicians a little more time to iron out the glitches > before the next day's traffic. I would suspect they make decisions about when to cut on a case by case basis depending on just how much can be "laid in the wood" and how much actually can't be done until the new equipment is on line. The way it goes now days, what with DS1 and DS3 data rates, the technicians don't really do all that much rushing around when a cut is made ... its the poor network services people who first have to test and then figure out what went wrong with the tranlations. Us techs throw a patch or two up and then have a hard time staying awake while they test it well enough to go to the next thing. That wouldn't necessarily apply when going from old analog stuff to digital though. Floyd L. Davidson | Alascom, Inc. pays me, |UA Fairbanks Institute of Marine floyd@ims.alaska.edu| but not for opinions. |Science suffers me as a guest. ------------------------------ From: centavx!richard@wimsey.bc.CA Date: Wed Sep 25 21:58:16 1991 Subject: Re: How Do They Change Equipment Without Disrupting Service? Organization: CEN-TA (David Ingram & Associates) I remember some of the method used here in B.C. by B.C. Tel. I was involved in the cutover of both a model 80 PBX (See my second reminiscence article) and some new switch gear in 768 Seymour street for long distance (the main office in downtown Vancouver). The time was late spring 1970, and the day for cutover was coming up. The line finders (electro-mechanical) have/had a "C" relay which was pulled up by the loop current of the phone off hook. This relay had several sets of contacts, and we put a small piece of paper between one set. This piece of paper had a string attached to it, and with all of the line finders having a piece of paper and string, there grew quite a bundle. When cutover time came, the crew that had stayed until 2:00am (yes its true about the time being standard) pulled all of the papers out with the strings strings out while someone at the old site cut the power. In this way, there was very little time to actually effect the cutover. In the PBX installation, there were only about 30 line finders (three racks of ten each) so it was no trouble to get them all out in seconds. In the cutover at the main switch, there were more than a thousand, spread along three ranks of racks. The object was to pull the string bundles as quickly as possible, so three of us ran down the rows pulling the bundles. Meanwhile, another crew was opening the main bus bar to the old switch gear - 4"x1" solid copper - easy to work with as long as you had dry hands - just 48 volts. And that's how it was done then ... The CEN-TA Group - David Ingram & Associates - Real Estate - Tax - Computers Richard C. Pitt System Administrator Voice 604-980-0321 Fax 604-987-9388 or 604-987-9364 ------------------------------ Date: 26-SEP-1991 04:24:36.44 From: Douglas Scott Reuben Subject: NYNEX/Boston Does NOT Offer "Free" FMR Recently, it was mentioned that NYNEX/Boston (NYNEX/New England) customers could now roam into other "B"/wireline markets, and not incur a charge for activating Follow Me Roaming (*18). I called them on Monday, and was told what I had suspected: This is not true. What they will do is not bill you for this charge in CERTAIN other NYNEX systems, such as NYNEX/Poughkeepsie or NYNEX/Orange County (I think they are two separate systems with separate SIDs). But should you stray south of New York into Bell Atlantic/Philly, or even SNET/CT, you will have to pay to activate your FMR. (Not sure what SNET does, but they DO assess a daily roam charge now). Bell Atlantic has been outraged (as am I) at NYNEXs insistence on charging $.75 for hitting *18 (or deactivate/*19), as well as a daily roam charge (total charge, plus tax, is about $4.00!), so they CHANGED their billing system to assess NYNEX roamers the very same charge when they come into a Bell Atlantic service area. NYNEX doesn't seem to care how many people complain, and they still keep on charging that *18 activation fee. (I think SOME Centel systems do this as well, but that is assuming you can get a clear signal on a Centel Cell system, which is not all too likely! ;) ) Thus, if you are a NYNEX/Boston customer, and you use FMR in other markets, it is very likely that you will pay for FMR activations, especially in Bell Atlantic service areas. Anyhow, Cell One/Boston has superior coverage (it is REALLY noticeable how much clearer Cell One/Boston is over NYNEX - in other markers there seems to be less of a difference), and free off-peak airtime on some plans (a novelty in the Northeast), so you may just as well use them rather than reward NYNEX/Boston for their greedy practices. In my opinion, the Cellular industry in general is quite greedy, but NYNEX/Boston is greedier than most. Maybe PCN won't be as messed up, huh? Doug dreuben@eagle.wesleyan.edu // dreuben@wesleyan.bitnet ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Sep 91 9:26:04 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: Re: Area Codes 610 and 710 "Moderator's Note" mentions 410. Given that my office will become part of that geographic area code, where was/is the 410 in the Moderator's Note used from? [Moderator's Note: That was *so long* ago, Carl! It seems to me at one time 410 was up in the New England area for Western Union. Infomaster is a thing of the past now, and I really cannot tell you the physical location of 410-555-1212, or if it is even still operating under that number, so infrequent has been my use of Telex/TWX for many years. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: 25 Sep 91 07:00:03 EDT From: Larry Rachman <74066.2004@compuserve.com> Subject: Motorola Cellular Updated? I went shopping for one of those cute Motorola pocket cellular phones (PT-500) the other day, and was told that what I really wanted was the newer version, the PT-500S, because it was 'digital' (about $125 more). Since the salesman couldn't tell me what that meant, I called a few other stores, and eventually our cellular service provider (Metro One). I got basically the same hype, everyone was glad to toss around words like 'digital', 'more advanced', 'clearer reception', etc., but nobody could provide any specifics. By piecing together various fragments, I *seem* to have determined that some sort of software change was made to provide better support for hand-offs between _carriers_, but that conclusion is quite speculative (as well as rather vague!). Does anyone out there _really_ know what was changed (besides the cosmetics)? <> Larry Rachman, WA2BUX - 74066.2004@compuserve.com - FAX:516-427-8705 ------------------------------ From: kent@sunfs3.bos.camex.com (Kent Borg) Subject: ISDN on BBC Date: 26 Sep 91 15:13:09 GMT Organization: Camex Inc., Boston MA The 0130 UTC 26 September 1991 edition of the BBC World Service program "Wave Guide" is talking about ISDN. Interesting gaff for a normally accurate service: They said that "in the US ISDN is known as 'Switched 56'". I didn't know that. They did have an interesting demo of how an ISDN-based audio circuit compares with a long distance anologue connection. I could hear that the ISDN audio was better, even though I was hearing it by shortwave. For the example they used real audio from National Public Radio. (It wasn't live, it was "Morning Edition" at a time when "All Things Considered" should just have ended the 5 PM West Coast feed.) (This is the second time I have heard the phrase "From National Public Radio in Washington, this is..." on the BBC. The other was the night Bush gave his first big speach during the last Iraq war.) Kent Borg internet: kent@camex.com AOL: kent borg H:(617) 776-6899 W:(617) 426-3577 ------------------------------ From: eleipb@rwb.urc.tue.nl (Phons Bloemen) Subject: High-Rate 06-Numbers in Netherlands - 900 Scams Also Here? Date: 26 Sep 91 15:19:58 GMT Reply-To: eleipb@urc.tue.nl Organization: Eindhoven University of Technology - NL Yesterday I read in the paper that Dutch PTT Telecom is going to provide a new series of 06 numbers. Under the Dutch toll-free/extra charge number plan (for you who do not understand Dutch 06 numbers, and this unfortunately INCLUDES many Dutch), 06-0 and 06-4 are free (like 800); and 06-8 are the 'cheap' tariff numbers (rates going from local (15 ct/5min to 40 ct/min. You cannot distinguish the exact rate from the number following 06-8). 06-9 and 06-3 are 'buying' numbers (like 900 / 976). Here the situation is the tariff is 30, 40 or 50 ct/min (again, you cannot distinguish the rate from the number after 06-3). Most numbers in this range are partylines, amusement lines, and business information lines. The PTT at least put the amusement part in 06-320xx. Now they will introduce 75ct/min and 100ct/min tariffs, and want to introduce even higher ones. AND STILL YOU CANNOT DEDUCT THE TARIFF USED FROM THE NUMBER! So this opens great opportunities for the telephone Santa-Claus (Sinterklaas in Holland) to strike again: the Dutch PTT doesn't bother at all with what 'service' you provide on your 300ct/min 06-3 line. Phons Bloemen Information & Communication Theory | W +31 40 473672 Vinkelaan 200 Dept. of Electrical Engineering | H +31 4920 25950 5702 LX Helmond NL Eindhoven University of Technology | eleipb@urc.tue.nl. ------------------------------ From: tlowe@attmail.com Date: Thu Sep 26 22:18:14 EDT 1991 Subject: Cellular Data Transmissions I seem to recall seeing in Hello Direct or some other catalog an adapter for cellular phones that allows you to plug in a modem or fax machine, etc via an RJ11 jack. There was a table listing compatibility and order number information for a bunch of different phones. I didn't see this device in my latest Hello Direct catalog. Does anyone know where one can get such a device? Does anyone have any experience with such a device? Tom Lowe tel@homxa.att.com ------------------------------ From: julian%bongo.UUCP@nosc.mil (Julian Macassey) Subject: Re: Satellite Phones and the UN Inspectors Date: 26 Sep 91 15:15:54 GMT Reply-To: julian@bongo.info.com (Julian Macassey) Organization: The Hole in the Wall Hollywood California U.S.A. In article kucharsk@Solbourne.COM (William Kucharski) writes: X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 765, Message 9 of 10 > I know this was hashed out a bit during Desert Storm, but can anyone > give a brief description of the "portable satellite phone" the head of > the UN Iraq nuclear inspection group is using to call the various news > services? Depending on the model, the equipment is in one or two suitcases. The suitcase(s) contain the antenna, Transceiver and connections -- power and phone. Each device has it's own phone number in the Inmarsat group. Each device supports one voice channel and one Telex channel simultaneously. Early models weighed a couple of hundred pounds. The Unit that Peter Arnett of CNN used in Bhagdad weiged 65 pounds (30 Kilos). Power consumption is about 200 Watts. Power is supplied as eith regular AC (90 - 240V) or DC (150 - 318V) These units are popular in the oil business and also used by explorer types. A recent Everest expedition used one to call home. And now reality: Cost of the unit, about $30,000 to $55,000 depending on model. A 56 kps unit is $68,300. Cost of calls is $8.74 peak, $6.84 off peak. The telex rate is $3.85. For speed freaks, 56kps service is $3.00 per minute more. Then IDB (the U.S. home side) will charge an extra $0.85 if the call is then routed out of the U.S. To order service, find out more, or get glossy brochures call IDB at (213) 870-9000, (800) 432-2376, (301) 590-7074. Tell them you are interested in the "Inmarsat Flyaway Phones" > It's too bad fax machines don't operate a bit quicker, or they could > use some type of portable fax machine and simply fax out their > documentation and then give the orignals back to Iraq. Unfortunately > this won't work with the (seven?) carloads of docs the inspectors > have ... Well, they could have ordered the 56kps model (-; Julian Macassey, julian@bongo.info.com N6ARE@K6VE.#SOCAL.CA.USA.NA 742 1/2 North Hayworth Avenue Hollywood CA 90046-7142 voice (213) 653-4495 ------------------------------ From: crazy@hacks.arizona.edu Subject: Terminal Servers Wanted Date: 26 SEP 91 08:56:04 Reply-To: crazy@hacks.arizona.edu Organization: UofA Hardware And Computing Knowledge Society I represent the University of Arizona Hardware and Computing Knowledge Society. We are a non-profit student campus club that seeks to help those undergraduates, with the urge to increase their knowledge of both large and small scale computing systems. We are currently running a pair of Vax 11/780, and have run into a problem. We have begun to overwhelm our schools telcom department, by using too many of the terminal server ports. We see our membership begining to increase, and if we do not find a solution to our terminal port problem we could get cutoff from all connections on campus. Therefore we are seeking donations of terminal server equipment of any kind to our non-profit club. If anyone seeks further information about the club, or you wish to contact us about this problem feel free to send e-mail to: Crazy@hacks.arizona.edu Fico@hacks.arizona.edu ----------- [Moderator's Note: I have NOT verified the authenticity of this group or the validity of this request. Before shipping off a few thousand dollars in merchandise and equipment, I strongly recommend checking with authorities in Arizona about the legitimacy of the organization; their role at the University, etc. I did do this much homework for you, which reveals little or nothing: delta-telecom> finger Crazy@hacks.arizona.edu [hacks.arizona.edu] CRAZY Pierre Padovani CRAZY not logged in Last login Thu 26-Sep-91 8:44AM-MDT [No plan] delta-telecom> finger Fico@hacks.arizona.edu [hacks.arizona.edu] FICO Joe Fico 1959 MAIL .nty1 TCP: Alpha.Sunquest. [No plan] You take it from there. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #768 ******************************   Received: from [129.105.5.103] by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa22199; 26 Sep 91 15:38 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA00268 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecom-recent@lcs.mit.edu); Thu, 26 Sep 1991 13:42:26 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA20182 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for /usr/lib/sendmail -oQ/var/spool/mqueue.big -odi -oi -ftelecom-request telecomlist-outbound); Thu, 26 Sep 1991 13:42:16 -0500 Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1991 13:42:16 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199109261842.AA20182@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #769 TELECOM Digest Thu, 26 Sep 91 13:42:03 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 769 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Exploring 950-1288 [Toby Nixon] IBT Voice Mail Starts Here [TELECOM Moderator] Clearing Out 00-Services in NL [Colum Mylod] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Toby Nixon Subject: Exploring 950-1288 Date: 26 Sep 91 12:51:02 GMT Organization: Hayes Microcomputer Products, Norcross, GA I decided to do a little exploring of the 950-1288 service. Here is a transcript, for those who are interested. Note that the modem that answers is V.32/MNP4. Also note that there are several calls involved here; after each failed attempt to connect to a remote host, the modem would disconnect. I've deleted from this trace the intermediate call progress information (it was always the same). This seems to work JUST FINE for access AT&T Mail -- at 9600bps, V.32 (which you can't do through their 800 number, I don't think). I'm not a cracker, so I didn't try to discover what "APPLICATION" the "phila" host might have been looking for. -- Toby atdt9501288 CARRIER 9600 PROTOCOL: ALT COMPRESSION: NONE CONNECT 19200 WELCOME TO AT&T INFORMATION ACCESS SERVICE Please Sign-on: h Enter "h" or "help" followed by a topic. Possible topics are: xtypes x28cmds x3parms mnemonics profiles help Please Sign-on: h xtypes Available x3 and x28types are: Telematics c84 Please Sign-on: h x28cmds Available commands are: aread : local read call : retry previous clr : clear call c : make call connect: link to PVC continue: data mode copyclr : clear copy call copy : copy data call help : help h : help iclr : send inv clear include : read from file intd : int & discard int : send interrupt message : service signal npar : network parity par : display x3 prof : change profile read : remote read reset : reset circuit rpar : show remote x3 rprof : set remote prof rset : set remote x3 send : send data set : set x3 stat : show status tactt : terminal test tact : port test type : type string term : hangup wait : pause x28type: change X28 type x3type : change x3type Call request example: [c] a,r,p128,w(3),d(9600,4800)-12345*userdata Examples of available facilities are: g12 = cug o12 = oacug r = rev f = fastsel fr = fastres t = rpoa w3 = wsze p128 = psze d9600 = thruput n"id" = nui a = accounting Please Sign-on: h x3parms 1 pad recall 2 echo 3 forwarding char 4 idle timer 5 flow control dev 6 service signal 7 break action 8 discard output 9 cr padding 10 line folding 11 speed 12 flow control pad 13 lf insertion 14 lf padding 15 edit 16 char delete 17 line delete 18 line display 19 editing signals 20 echo mask 21 parity treatment 22 page wait 23 data forwarding 1 24 data forwarding 2 25 output pending 26 interval timer 27 padding after tab 28 xoff char to device 29 xon char to device 30 xon char to pad 31 xoff char to pad 80 signon options 81 session control 82 alternate break char. 83 forward char. count 84 read options 85 local discard output 86 diagnostic echo Please Sign-on: h mnemonics ATTMAIL = "c 2156905500" DPAK = "include sys$config:signon.cand" GERM = "include sys$config:signon.germ" HK = "include sys$config:signon.hk" IASGW = "include sys$config:signon.iasgw" IASSLIP1 = "include sys$config:signon.iasslip1" INTELBNC = "include sys$config:signon.intbnc" KOFP = "c 3134405781" NCHO = "include sys$config:signon.nch" NVT = "include sys$config:signon.nvt" PHILA = "c 3134405780" PORT = "31" PORTNUA = "4043354031" ROSELAND = "include sys$config:signon.ros" SYSDATE = "26-SEP-91" SYSTIME = "12:33:05" T17001 = "c 9162451015" UK = "include sys$config:signon.uk" USERDATA = "" Please Sign-on: h profiles Available profile names are: initial pas pasnm You may view any of these profiles by typing "help profile 'prof'" Please Sign-on: h profile 'initial' PAR 1:1, 2:1, 3:126, 4:0, 5:1, 6:13, 7:2, 8:0, 9:0, 10:0, 11:14, 12:1, 13:0, 14: 0, 15:0, 16:127, 17:24, 18:18, 19:1, 20:0, 21:0, 22:0, 23:0, 24:0, 25:0, 26:0, 2 7:0, 28:0, 29:0, 30:0, 31:0, 80:12, 81:92, 82:0, 83:0, 84:0, 85:0, 86:0 Please Sign-on: h profile 'pas' PAR 1:1, 2:1, 3:126, 4:0, 5:1, 6:13, 7:2, 8:0, 9:0, 10:0, 11:14, 12:1, 13:0, 14: 0, 15:0, 16:127, 17:24, 18:18, 19:1, 20:0, 21:0, 22:0, 23:0, 24:0, 25:0, 26:0, 2 7:0, 28:0, 29:0, 30:0, 31:0, 80:12, 81:92, 82:0, 83:0, 84:0, 85:0, 86:0 Please Sign-on: h profile 'pasnm' PAR 1:0, 2:0, 3:0, 4:1, 5:1, 6:0, 7:4, 8:0, 9:0, 10:0, 11:14, 12:1, 13:0, 14:0, 15:0, 16:0, 17:0, 18:0, 19:2, 20:0, 21:0, 22:0, 23:0, 24:0, 25:0, 26:0, 27:0, 28 :0, 29:0, 30:0, 31:0, 80:24, 81:8, 82:0, 83:0, 84:0, 85:0, 86:0 Please Sign-on: phila 3134405780/4043354031 FAC: p(128,128),w(2,2),d(9600,9600),r COM MHP201A U01CZPCD * VERSION 5.5.5 *. APPLICATION: Please Sign-on: kofp CLR DER 9/122 No more information available Please Sign-on: t17001 CLR DTE 0/140 No more information available Please Sign-on: uk CUSTOMIZED BANNER FOR UK WILL DO A DEMO LEVEL LATER Profile name invalid or not defined CLR RNA 25/65 No more information available Please Sign-on: dpak CUSTOMIZED BANNER FOR CANADA, WILL DO A DEMO LEVEL LATER Profile name invalid or not defined CLR DTE 0/68 User requested clear Please Sign-on: attmail 2156905500/4043354031 FAC: p(128,128),w(2,2),d(9600,9600),r COM Welcome Enter User Name: tnixon Password: ** Welcome to the AT&T Mail Service. Last logged in: Thu Sep 26 12:29:23 EDT 1991 !ATTHELP:NEWS contains important information regarding new AT&T Mail NEWS features. For Customer Assistance, send a free message to !ATTHELP or call 1-800-MAIL672. Command: .ex CLR CONF NO CARRIER Toby Nixon, Principal Engineer | Voice +1-404-840-9200 Telex 151243420 Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. | Fax +1-404-447-0178 CIS 70271,404 P.O. Box 105203 | BBS +1-404-446-6336 AT&T !tnixon Atlanta, Georgia 30348 | UUCP uunet!hayes!tnixon Fido 1:114/15 USA | Internet tnixon%hayes@uunet.uu.net [Moderator's Note: Thanks very much for a detailed help file when calling 950-1288. I am posting this in the Telecom Archives for further reference by interested parties. Look for the 'exploring.950.1288' file. The archives are available by anonymous ftp from lcs.mit.edu. Unfortunatly, 950-1288 from Chicago winds up in an intercept message all the time, 'all circuits are busy now, try your call again later please' ... I assume this is incorrect, but don't know who can / will correct it. Maybe our reader from IBT in Springfield, IL will see this and get it fixed. He was able to get 312-504 working correctly from Rogers Park Coin ... maybe he knows who to see about 950-1288. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1991 12:55:41 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Subject: IBT Voice Mail Starts Here Illinois Bell is now making voicemail available to everyone in Chicago. For about two years, it was available only on a trial basis in a couple areas of the city. Beginning this past month, anyone can have it. IBT isn't actually selling it though ... you have to order it from your choice of three suppliers, Ameritech Voice Messaging being one; Chicago Communications, Inc. being another ... and there is a third whose name I have forgotten. You order it from your choice of supplier, but it gets billed monthly on your Illinois Bell bill as part of your monthly service. I got mine from Ameritech. Actually, I got it from a company called "Tygon" in Texas, which is a subsidiary of Ameritech, as is Illinois Bell. They took my order earlier this month, but said there was about a two week turnaround on installation and programming. It finally got turned on as of September 25 in the early morning hours, after two followup calls when the due date was missed. Tygon/Ameritech blamed Illinois Bell for the missed due dates, of course. It was to be in place on Monday, September 23 '... sometime during the day ...'. When I called at 4 pm to complain, they told me Illinois Bell had until 6 pm to complete the order. When I called at 6:05 pm, they said IBT had until 8 pm. At 10 pm, (the voicemail help line operates 24 hours per day) they told me they would send a fax right off to IBT and get it done the next morning with no delay. Sure ... at 6 pm Tuesday I called and laid it on the line to them, namely that I did not intend to call day after day begging them to sell me something. About 3 am Wednesday morning it was installed. The basics of our service: Stutter dial tone advises of messages waiting. Incoming calls transfer on 'true busy' (ie, call waiting overrides voicemail) or no answer (your choice of three or five rings, but programmed in the CO once and once only for free). The caller hears between four and six rings, depending on ring cycle and how long it takes voicemail to pick up the call. Prepending *70 when dialing (or adding it in mid call if you have three way calling) overrides call waiting, and forces calls arriving after that to go to voicemail. Without *70, a third or subsequent call goes to voicemail. We are not limited to one call at a time getting transferred. However many calls arrive at your line when it is 'truely busy' or there is no answer after the specified rings goes to voicemail. I experimented with a few helpers, and we got four calls into voicemail at the same time. I guess the only limitation would be the number of ports available at voicemail. We have no provision to dial direct into our box. There is no DID number associated to which the call is forwarded. It obviously gets forwarded, but apparently just on a 'circuit' with no associated seven digit number. There are two ways to retrieve messages or do administration on the box: (1) Dial a local seven digit number in our CO. (As I understand it, there is but one machine on the 'Ameritech Residential Service'; for all I know it is located in Texas at the Tygon office; who knows.) Throughout 312/708 there are about a dozen such banks of numbers, with one or more such banks in the local calling area of anyone in the area. For instance, I dial 312-508-xxxx (a rotary hunt group of ten numbers), but I could just as easily dial 312-854-xxxx if I were in the Austin area on the west side of the city. 312-508 is in my local calling area; 312-854 is not. Calling into any one of the local area banks of numbers results in the system answering "enter your ID number please". You then punch in the code number you were given when you subscribed, and go from there on a menu which allows for listening to new/saved messages; changing your greeting, etc. On our system, we have an option to record a 'greeting' or record an 'announcement'. If the latter, then callers get no option to leave a message; your announcement is played and they are cut off. Outgoing messages (announcements or greetings) can be up to five minutes in length; incoming messages can be the same length, and a total of 58 messages (new or saved) can be accumulated. After that, callers are told the box is full. There may be some overall amount of time allowed (messages plus greeting), but I am not aware of it. (2) Call ANYONE with voice mail, including your own number. When the outgoing message starts playing, hit the # key. You will be immediatly cut over to the above 'enter your ID number please' message. By this I mean not only can you call your own number, wait through the rings until it cuts over and your outgoing message has started; you can do this ANYTIME you call someone and get 'their' voicemail, provided it is from Ameritech. (Naturally if via someone else's line, you still have to use your own ID number, but there is apparently no checking to match the ID number presented with the identification of the phone line which has been forwarded to voicemail.) A third method works only if you have call waiting on your line: If you are at home, you can dial *70 and your own number; get forwarded immediatly to voicemail via your own box, and hit the # key. If you do not have call waiting, this method will not work since just dialing your own number does result in a busy signal, but not a 'true busy' as they define it. When finished with voicemail, hit '*' to disconnect. The lady will immediatly say 'goodbye' and disconnect. If you pause during the entry of commands (once past the ID stage; they are kind of merciless there) the system immediatly goes into verbose mode and begins discussing the various commands. Punch the desired keys to instantly move out of the menu and help file and to the requested function. There are no charges associated with the forwarding of your calls. Everything is picked up in the monthly fee of $9.80, including unlimited messages and retrievals (to the maximum number of minutes of storage noted above.) The voicemail system always answers with the four little 'toot-toot' tones you may have heard from other voicemail systems. Overall, it seems like a nice deal, and if you have call forwarding on your line then you can override the voicemail system if you prefer to have calls go elsewhere. Where it helps us out here is that we leave, and often as not forget to call forward the phone. This new system makes it an automatic thing that there will be an answer. For the time being, there is no installation charge. To have the ringing allowance re-programmed, Ameritech does it once for free, and I think $5 each time thereafter, but five/six rings works out fine here. Someone else with service here told me voicemail had been down a lot recently, but the bugs were getting ironed out. Unfortunatly when it is down, calls still get forwarded and the caller hears a message saying 'voicemail is unavailable at this time". The ID codes are five digit numbers with a sixth check digit. They seem to be reasonably secure, but time will tell. I'm told phreakers in the area have already started looking at it ... along with setting up new accounts, etc. If I have any problems with it, I will drop it and go back to the Centel service I was using. Patrick Townson ------------------------------ From: cmylod@oracle.nl (Colum Mylod) Subject: Clearing Out 00-Services in NL Date: 26 Sep 91 12:06:09 GMT Organization: Oracle Europe, De Meern, The Netherlands Information dated 19 September 1991 (while TELECOM was off sick): The Dutch PTT Telecom has announced that from 1 November 1991 their remaining services will move from 00x to 06 numbers. This principally concerns national enquiries 008 which moves to 06-8008, as well as repair (was 007, will be 06-0407). First to move last year was international enquiries from 0018 to 06-0418. Reason given was the general European agreemment amongst telcos that 00 will be used from all countries for international access. Some 00x numbers here were charged at one unit per call and most were free. The new numbers depend on the cost: all local-rate numbers -- time 002, weather 003, national enquiries. 008 -- become 06-8002, 06-8003 and 06-8008 respectively, while the "free" numbers move to 06-04xx range. (The digit after the 06- defines the cost, user friendly eh?). No date was given for when 00 is cutover to IDD usage. I tried 06-8008 today but was rewarded with congestion. Source: NOS-teletekst. Colum Mylod cmylod@nl.oracle.com +31 3406 94 827 Duizend-trek! ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #769 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa01939; 26 Sep 91 19:35 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA09445 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecom-recent@lcs.mit.edu); Thu, 26 Sep 1991 16:53:27 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA00520 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for /usr/lib/sendmail -oQ/var/spool/mqueue.big -odi -oi -ftelecom-request telecomlist-outbound); Thu, 26 Sep 1991 16:53:17 -0500 Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1991 16:53:17 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199109262153.AA00520@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #770 TELECOM Digest Thu, 26 Sep 91 16:53:12 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 770 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Administrivia - Archives 'telecom-recent' File [TELECOM Moderator] Motorola Press Release - New Museum [Motorola via John Gilbert] Re: Pac*Bell Tips Its Hand [Robert L. McMillin] Re: ISDN on BBC [Harold Hallikainen] Re: Can Anyone Identify This Equipment? [David Ptasnik] Re: Voicemail [David Ptasnik] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1991 16:08:00 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Subject: Administrivia - Archives 'telecom-recent' File If you have recently gone to the archives and pulled the 'telecom-recent' file you found it was in quite a mess due to the irregular way the files were leaving here. I spent much of today correcting it and getting it in a little better order. If you need a copy, it should be available now and a little more readable/searchable than it was earlier this week. PAT ------------------------------ From: johng@ecs.comm.mot.com Date: Thu, 26 Sep 91 10:45:26 CDT Subject: Motorola Press Release - New Museum [Moderator's Note: Even though we printed a small blurb about this a few weeks ago when the museum first opened, I received the following 'official' announcement from Motorola via John Gilbert. PAT] PRESS INFORMATION Motorola Inc. Corporate Public Relations Corporate offices Motorola Center 1303 E. Algonquin Rd. Schaumburg, Illinois 60196 For further information contact: Margot Brown (708) 576-5304 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 3, 1991 MOTOROLA MUSEUM OF ELECTRONICS OPENS SEPTEMBER 3 SCHAUMBURG, Ill. -- Motorola, Inc. announced today that it has dedicated and officially opened a major new museum devoted exclusively to electronics. Five years in planning and development, the museum will combine the latest in video and computer/interactive technology with historical displays to highlight achievements in electronics and communications during this century. The 75,000-square-foot facility is called the "Motorola Museum of Electronics," and is located at the company's suburban Chicago headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois. Robert W. Galvin, chairman of the company's Executive Committee, said, "Our industry has progressed in 63 years from the relatively simple radio business to high-technology electronics. We feel the electronics revolution is a subject worthy of a major industrial museum. "It will grow as an educational institution for generations, alongside the company and industry it serves," he added. "An important purpose is served by creating an institutional memory via this new museum." The Motorola Museum of Electronics is the product of a collaboration of experts from the scientific, historical, educational, and museum fields. It will be open to the public by appointment, and will have special programs designed for Chicago-area school groups. The museum's 20,000-square-foot exhibition is arranged thematically in two major sections. One section is devoted to electronics history as experienced by Motorola since its founding in 1928; the other explores current electronics technology. The history section includes more than 500 artifacts in exhibits devoted to early car and home radios from the 1930s, military and industrial communications from the 1940s, the "golden age" of television in the 1950s, the "transistor revolution" of the 1960s, and the rise of the integrated circuit and "information age" in the 1970s and 1980s. Key exhibits in the current technology section include displays on radio communications, microelectronics, automotive electronics and cellular telecommunications; an exhibit demonstrating electronics manufacturing techniques; and multi-media interactive workstations where visitors will explore engineering principles and scientific concepts via interactive video stations. The Motorola Museum of Electronics is the most recent expression of the company's commitment to employee and public education. In December 1989, the company announced the formation of Motorola University, dedicated both to meeting educational needs of Motorola employees and to creating stronger relations with community schools. The museum is physically connected to Motorola's corporate education facility, opened in 1986, forming a unique educational complex that combines exhibition space, company archives, classrooms and laboratories. "We want visitors to leave the Motorola Museum of Electronics with fresh insight into the world around us, which relies so heavily on electronics, and with a heightened awareness of the necessity this new environment creates for lifetime education," said Sharon Darling, director of the museum. "We plan to make this both a corporate resource, for Motorola employees, and a community resource serving school groups and other special audiences. The museum building was designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Booth/Hansen & Associates. Exhibit design and fabrication were carried out by General Exhibits and Displays of Chicago. Motorola is one of the world's leading providers of electronic equipment, systems, components and services for worldwide markets. Products include two-way radios, pagers, cellular telephones and systems, semiconductors, defense and aerospace electronics, automotive and industrial electronics, computers, data communications, and information processing and handling equipment. Motorola is a winner of the first annual Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, in recognition of its superior company-wide management of quality processes. # # # If you are in the area, the museum is well worth seeing. Plan to spend two hours for an average tour. Lots of early televisions, radios, semiconductor, and defense electronics are on display. There are working demos of some equipment, lots of video tapes, and interactive exhibits. There is a nice demo of the Integrated Vehicle Highway System (IVHS) and of a cellular system. Early cellular prototypes are shown. There is a demonstration of the STU-III secure telephone in use by the U.S. Government. Explanations are on multiple levels to hold the interest of everyone from grade school student to telecom engineer. The exhibits are very well done. Please direct any questions to Margot Brown at (708) 576-5304. ----------- John Gilbert KA4JMC johng@ecs.comm.mot.com Secure and Advanced Conventional Systems Divsion Astro Systems Development Motorola Inc, Land Mobile Products Sector Schaumburg, Illinois ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Sep 91 09:51:50 PDT From: rlm@ms_aspen.hac.com (Robert L. McMillin) Subject: Re: Pac*Bell Tips Its Hand John Higdon writes about Pac*Bell and cash cows: > There are some ramifications here that may not meet the eye. None of > Pac*Bell's competitors have this captive cash cow to rob whenever it > suits their fancy to be "lean and mean". For example, if MCI wanted to > suddenly reduce its charges, it would have several choices. It could > cut back its expenses, hope for more volume, or suffer reduced profits > or major losses. Pac*Bell has no such difficulties. The company knows > that residential customers have no where else to go for telephone > service. Whatever it can slip past the PUC, the customer will have to > pay or do without. As we have all seen, the PUC is putty in Pac*Bell's > tender hands. In a sense, the PUC is really the villain here, as it has allowed business customers to connect directly to long distance carriers through private networks, thereby cutting off Pac*Bell and others from this source of revenue. It's becoming a case of diminishing returns. If large companies can take their business elsewhere, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to the local telcos to subsidize residential rates with funds that are disappearing. How close Pac*Bell and GTE California really are to this happening is not for me to say. However, I have read a number of articles in Forbes outlining the increasing competitive pressure on the local telcos for the business dollar. This reminds me of the situation of railroads charging farmers more to haul their goods to market than to city folk hauling their wares to rural areas in the nineteenth century. A good deal of this rate increase may be simple economic pressure: bulk callers get better deals than lone householders. It's cheaper to install many short loops in a large building than it is to string few long loops in a residential neighborhood. The current rate structures realize this, and stick the cost of running the network largely to business customers, who had no choice previously. But PUC decisions allowing direct LD hookups bypassing Pac*Bell short-circuit this subsidy. Pac*Bell may well want every CPU cycle to generate revenue, and that's their right to propose such actions. However, they are a utility, and as such are *supposedly* regulated pro bono publico, NOT pro bono Pac*Bell. This latter may be the case if the rate structure changes, at least, in the instance of residential customers. ------------------------------ From: hhallika@nike.calpoly.edu (Harold Hallikainen) Subject: Re: ISDN on BBC Organization: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1991 19:08:34 GMT The "better sounding audio" of the ISDN circuit may have been due to the use of digital audio compression techniques. A pure PCM 64 kbps circuit would supposedly be limited to 4 KHz maximum audio and a dynamic range of 48 dB. Use of various digital compression techniques, however, allows 7.5 to 15 KHz audio to be sent over these circuits (although, with these compression algorithms, our typical frequency response, dynamic range and distortion measurements tend to become meaningless). Many US radio stations are now using ISDN or switched 56 circuits for remote broadcasts. One station I've worked with has done international remote broadcasts in this manner. The use of a dial up digital circuit results in much lower cost than dedicated equalized analog circuits. With compression, the subjective audio quality is much better than that obtained over analog dial up lines. Note that another technique for remote broadcasts involves an analog frequency shift, improving the low end with some loss of the highs. Other analog lines shift the incoming audio into two or three dial up circuits, giving about 9 KHz audio, though there is no improvement in the dynamic range of the dial up circuits. Another complexity in the multiline systems is due to the variable delays between the dial up circuits, since not all calls will be routed exactly the same way. Finally, the digital data compression being used on the audio is "nontransparent". The audio coming out is not the same as the audio going in, but it "sounds" the same (or at least close). The designers of the compression schemes use phsycoacoustics to determine "what they can get away with", due to the way our hearing works. These compression schemes are also proposed for digital audio broadcasting, which will attempt to give "CD quality" without using CD data rates. Harold Hallikainen ap621@Cleveland.Freenet.edu Hallikainen & Friends, Inc. hhallika@pan.calpoly.edu 141 Suburban Road, Bldg E4 phone 805 541 0200 fax 544 6715 San Luis Obispo, CA 93401-7590 telex 4932775 HFI UI ------------------------------ From: David Ptasnik Subject: Re: Can Anyone Identify This Equipment? Date: Thu, 26 Sep 91 13:40:40 PDT >> From: gt0422c@prism.gatech.edu (Rich Padula) >> Subject: Can Anyone Identify This Equipment? > The unit in question is the ACCESS 2000-02 made by BFI Communications > Systems Inc. It has slots for four cards and he has three. Each card > has a 6802 processor, Teltone 957, several 567's, a TCM5089 and an > RJ31X jack on the front. The chips are all circa 1983 or 84. > Has anyone had any experiences with this beast? Does BFI still exist? > And where can we find a manual? That is a store and forward dialer provided to customers of alternate long distance carriers (like MCI or Sprint), before equal access. While these devices have other uses, this is where I ran into them. The BFI is a pretty sophisticated product, but a little hard to program comapred to it's competitors the Telelogic and SMar-T (by Mitel). The way this beastie would normally work would be attached to each of company's telephone lines by an RJ-31X jack. Digits dialed by the company's telephones would pass through the dialer before they could get to the Central Office. These digits would be "stored" and analyzed. If the number dialed was one served by the alternate carrier, it would dial a local number to the carrier's switch. This was often an FX line to another city, still the call would not affect the bill of the company using the dialer. After the carrier's switch answered the call, the dialer would dial the company's long distance password, and "forward" the original number dialed (frequently stripped of the "1"). I don't know if BFI is still in business, I imagine many LD companies still have old programing manuals around (heck, I might even have one in my basement somewhwere). Even today the dialer can be very useful for a variety of applications, blocking some but not all 900 and 976 calls, adding 10288 in front of international calls to route them over AT&T if your carrier does not provide international service (or service to certain countries). It can be used to force entry of positively verified account codes before outside callers can have access to DISA or computer networks. At one time they were very expensive, costing $700 - 800 PER LINE. A good investment in those days when options to AT&T were few, and AT&T was very inflexible in its pricing. davep@u.washington.edu ------------------------------ From: David Ptasnik Subject: Re: Voicemail Date: Thu, 26 Sep 91 13:52:18 PDT In TELECOM Digest 11:705, Sean Williams writes: > On this note, do any colleges have on-campus voicemail? Or are just a > few of us lucky enough to be left out ... The University of Washington has an Octel voice mail system (we just jumped up a size from Aspen to their next larger model). The overall design of the campus phone network is key systems behind centrex (Northcom 1A3's and Merlin's). We charge users $4.95 per month for a standard voice mail box, and it is predominantly used by individuals with personal numbers and smaller departments with limited reception staffing abilities. There are 32 lines running into the Octel, and there are about 3,000 mailboxes on the system. It is a really big system, and handles a very high call volume quite nicely, but it is a little inflexible for my personal taste. It's outdialing capabilities are quite limited, and it's mail box structure is fixed. There aren't many options for individual customization of prompt sequences, etc. davep@u.washington.edu ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #770 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa18201; 27 Sep 91 2:50 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA29986 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecom-recent@lcs.mit.edu); Fri, 27 Sep 1991 00:21:55 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA14518 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for /usr/lib/sendmail -oQ/var/spool/mqueue.big -odi -oi -ftelecom-request telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 27 Sep 1991 00:21:43 -0500 Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1991 00:21:43 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199109270521.AA14518@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #771 TELECOM Digest Fri, 27 Sep 91 00:21:25 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 771 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Enhanced Directory Assistance [Jeffrey J. Carpenter] 713 NPA in Permissive Dialing Period For Mandetory 1+ [William Degnan] The New Bellcore Catalogs Are Here [William Degnan] Cellular Phone Information Please [Marshal Perlman] Help Requested in Defeating Ring Buffer Software Patent [Dave Goldblatt] Call Waiting - Modem Does NOT Hang Up (I Want it to!) [Seng-Poh Lee] Re: ISDN on BBC [John Higdon] Re: IBT Voice Mail Starts Here [Robert J. Woodhead] Re: Computer Based Caller ID [Russ Nelson] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1991 21:11:27 -0400 (EDT) From: "Jeffrey J. Carpenter" Subject: Enhanced Directory Assistance Excerpts from netnews.comp.dcom.telecom: 16-Sep-91 Enhanced Directory Assistance amb@gnu.ai.mit.edu (289) > Several of the Ma Bell fragments were looking at a system a while back > whereby, after getting a positive ID on your desired number from DA, > you'd have the opportunity to pay n cents and be connected to it then and > there. My question: has this actually been implemented anywhere? Bell of Pennsylvania has implemented it. The quote from the phone book says: " You have the option of having the number you request from the Directory Assistance operator dialed for you when calling from a TOUCH-TONE or rotary telephone. " When using a TOUCH-TONE telephone, your calls can be automatically completed through the Directory Assistance operator system and will be billed the Directory Assistance Call Completion Charge of $.30 plus the dial-direct rate and the Directory Assistance charge when appropriate. " If you call Directory Assistance from a ROTARY or PULSE DIAL telephone, you have the option of having your call completed by the Directory Assistance operator. The operator assistance rate ($1.30) will be billed plus the Directory Assistance Call Completion change (30 cents), the dial-direct rate and the Directory Assistance charge when appropriate. " When you dial 555-1212 for Directory Assistance, listen for instructions. When calling from a TOUCH-TONE telephone, press "1" to have the call dialed automatically, or from a ROTARY telephone wait for the operator to come on the line." This does not work, of course, if you are calling in from long distance, cell phone, etc ... What happens is after the operator finds the number, the computer says "The number," and then says the number followed by (not exact quote) "can be dialed direct by pressing '1'." The number is then repeated. When they first introduced the service, the computer said "The number can be reached by dialing '1'" before saying the number. Alot of people complained about all the talking before they gave the number that the changed the order around so the number is given first, before promoting the service. Jeff Carpenter University of Pittsburgh, Computing and Information Services 600 Epsilon Drive, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15238 jjc+@pitt.edu, jjc@pittvms.bitnet +1 412 624 6424, FAX +1 412 624 6436 ------------------------------ From: William.Degnan@p0.f39.n382.z1.fidonet.org (William Degnan) Date: 26 Sep 91 19:30:44 Subject: 713 NPA in Permissive Dialing Period For Mandetory 1+ According to an announcement received here today from the nice folks at Southwestern Bell: "Beginning December 8, 1991, all telephone customers in the `713' area code will have the option of dialing `1-plus 713' or `0-plus 713' on all long distance calls within the `713' area. "Currently, customers do not have to dial the area code for long distance calls within the same area code. However, on March 8, 1992, that will change. It will be necessary to dial the `1-plus 713' or `0-plus 713' to complete long distance calls within the 713 area code. This change will enable us to expand the number of local dialing prefixes available to our customers. "Situations have occurred when equipment that requires software or hardware updates is not programmed to allow calls to be completed by dialing `1 or 0-plus 713-XXX-XXXX (sic)'. To minimize potential problems, please determine if changes are necessary for your customer's equipment." William Degnan, Communications Network Solutions -Independent Consultants in Telecommunications- P.O. Drawer 9530 | ARPA: wdegnan@f39.n382.z1.FidoNet.Org Austin, TX 78766-9530 | !wdegnan@attmail.com | Voice +1 512 323 9383 ------------------------------ From: William.Degnan@p0.f39.n382.z1.fidonet.org (William Degnan) Date: 26 Sep 91 19:17:11 Subject: The New Bellcore Catalogs Are Here SPECIAL REPORT SR-NWT-000264, ISSUE 7 JULY 1991 - JULY 1992 The 1991-92 Catalog of Technical Information, published by Bell Communications Research came today via RPS. If you don't get automatic distribution, you can request a copy by dialing 1-800-521-CORE (2673) from anywhere within the USA or from outside at 908-699-5800. It contains "listings and descriptions of technical publications issued by Bellcore - the research, engineering, and technical services organization jointly owned by the divested Bell Operating Companies -- as well as documents available from the Regional Companies." Tale of the Tape 1990-91 1991-92 Size 8.5"x11"x1" 8.5"x11"x0.5" Weight >2.0 lbs 1.6 lbs Pages 306 310 Disclaimer: I've got nothing to do with these folks except I read a lot of this junk. William Degnan, Communications Network Solutions -Independent Consultants in Telecommunications- P.O. Drawer 9530 | ARPA: wdegnan@f39.n382.z1.FidoNet.Org Austin, TX 78766-9530 | !wdegnan@attmail.com | Voice +1 512 323 9383 ------------------------------ From: mperlman@isis.cs.du.edu (Marshal Perlman) Subject: Cellular Phone Information Please Organization: University of Denver, Dept. of Math & Comp. Sci. Date: Fri, 27 Sep 91 02:11:25 GMT Dear Fellow Readers, I am in need of a new cellular phone. I would like to get either a transportable or a hand-held [I have a feeling that I'd lose a hand-held but then again ... it is much more convenient]. Could someone please recommend which models are the best [please specify hand-held or transportable] and how much it >>SHOULD<< cost me. I do not need anything with tons of gizmos on it etc ... I have no need for ten timers, 1000 name memory etc ... just the basic high quality/use and abuse phone. Thank-you Ladies and Gentleman, Marshal (mperlman@nyx.cs.du.edu) P.S. (If thou doesn't mind ... please respond with E-MAIL ... I am sure the moderator does not wish to have all my mail sent to him ). Marshal Perlman mperlman@isis.cs.du.edu Huntington Beach, California ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Sep 91 22:20:14 EDT From: daveg@prowler.clearpoint.com (Dave Goldblatt) Subject: Help Requested in Defeating Ring Buffer Software Patent Reply-To: daveg@prowler.clearpoint.com I am looking for information which could be used to invalidate a patent which covers one of the most basic techniques in software: the ring buffer. Specifically, the patent is on the idea of using two circular buffers in commonly addressable memory to queue pointers to messages (also in shared memory) between two processors. One buffer contains messages going in one direction, and the other buffer contains messages going in the other. The allegedly inventive feature is having one of the processors tell the other processor the size of the ring buffers. I'm looking for code or references to this technique written before October 5, 1981. An example of dual processor communication would be ideal, however, inter-process communication via this method could also prove useful. I know of at least one network adapter which violates this patent, and also of an Ethernet controller which does as well, but neither are before the required date. Any information will be GREATLY appreciated! For better results, email will be appreciated even more so. Thanks! dg ------------------------------ From: splee@gnu.ai.mit.edu Subject: Call Waiting - Modem Does NOT Hang Up (I Want it to!) Date: Thu, 26 Sep 91 23:28:52 EDT I spend a lot of time on my modem and just subscribed to call waiting so that I can still receive calls. Most of the time, I won't mind it hanging up when a call comes in. During downloads and such, I can always disable it. The call waiting tone at SNET is just a short tone, not accompanied by any line or loop current break. I use V.32 modems and all this tone does is cause a short retrain. I also use MNP, so I won't even get any garbage on my screen. My modem can disconnect on a break in loop current, but apparently SNET doesn't break the line momentarily. They just superimpose the tone on the line. Is this the more common scheme? Or is a line break followed by a tone more common? Seng-Poh Lee ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Sep 91 18:49 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: ISDN on BBC hhallika@nike.calpoly.edu (Harold Hallikainen) writes: > Finally, the digital data compression being used on the audio > is "nontransparent". The audio coming out is not the same as the > audio going in, but it "sounds" the same (or at least close). The > designers of the compression schemes use phsycoacoustics to determine > "what they can get away with", due to the way our hearing works. > These compression schemes are also proposed for digital audio > broadcasting, which will attempt to give "CD quality" without using CD > data rates. Having heard most of these schemes, I can say without reservation that they do not work. As we all know, the CD is hardly perfect but is probably the best compromise between listenable audio and storage constraints. However, attempts to cram it into smaller space are ill-advised. I, for one, have absolutely no interest in "digital radio" if compression schemes are used. For example, the highly-touted "Philips-compatible" digital cassette uses compression schemes to fit data onto a cassette that is physically compatible with the standard analog audio cassette. The promoters are predicting that this item will push the present DAT format out of the market. Well, I don't think so. Listening tests reveal that as the musical waveform becomes more and more complex (such as with a symphony orchestra reaching crescendo), the reproduction sounds more and more as if it were being fed through an Audimax and Volumax. For those of you who do not know about these things, they are early signal processing devices used in the '60s by the broadcast industry. They were created by CBS Laboratories and can mangle audio as you have never heard it mangled before in modern times. They reduce audio to mush in a manner not unlike the Philips digital cassette. Digital audio compression is fine for use in telecommunications, but let us keep it out of the world of quality audio reproduction. Please. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ From: trebor@foretune.co.jp (Robert J Woodhead) Subject: Re: IBT Voice Mail Starts Here Organization: Foretune Co., Ltd. Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1991 02:48:54 GMT telecom (TELECOM Moderator) writes: [about the new voicemail availability in Chicago] > The ID codes are five digit numbers with a sixth check digit. They > seem to be reasonably secure, but time will tell. I'm told phreakers > in the area have already started looking at it ... Laughing at it is more like it. Five digits gives 100,000 possible combinations. The check digit, if it is a check digit (and thus mathematically computed and not assigned at random) only helps so long as the algorithm used in it's computation remains secret; eg: not very long at all, given that the computational resources at the server end are not conducive to a complex algorithm. If there are only 100,000 possible combinations, and 10,000 people sign up, then the chance of a hacker cracking open _someones_ mailbox is 1 in 10. If the check digit algorithm resists analysis (or it is not really a check digit but randomly assigned and stored, so it's really a six digit ID) then the odds are 1 in 100. Yes, the system gives a phreak who wants to hack YOU only a 1 in 100,000 chance of success per attempt. But in most cases, a phreak won't be interested in whose mailbox he cracks open. In addition, a dedicated attack by a group of phreaks could easily and quickly map out all the assigned codes, just as modem hackers would program their modems to search out other modems. Using appropriate methods to disguise their calling/inquiry patterns, it would be easily possible to find and access the mailbox of any subscriber. A public voicemail system with only five digits of security code is SHOCKINGLY INSECURE. Any public figure who uses this system is at serious risk. Off the top of my head, I would say at least ten digits are required for any sort of decent security - six digits of account number (so, in the scenario described above, the chances of lucking into a mailbox are only 1 in 100) and four digits of password (so that once a mailbox is identified, a further attack at a 0.01% success rate per attack is required - and such attacks will generate repeated failures which can be detected by the software and cause the mailbox to be locked until the subscriber can be contacted and his mailbox number changed). At the very least, the service providers should allow the subscriber to CHOOSE to have four or five digits of password as a requirement for box access. In this case, the subscriber could choose between convenience and security. I would point out that the system as described is much less secure than my home answering machine, which has a three digit password (and thus a 0.1% chance of success per hack attempt) and, because it records failed access attempts as messages, alerts me to the fact that a hacking attempt is in progress! Robert J. Woodhead, Biar Games / AnimEigo, Incs. trebor@foretune.co.jp [Moderator's Note: Centel (Central) Telephone of Illinois) Voicemail only uses *four digit* ID codes, or passwords, but you do have to come in on the right DID line to make it work, unlike IBT where you can call anyone with Ameritech Voicemail, hit the # key and start hacking; not necessarily even getting into that subscriber's box if you reach any at all. Centel has another clever ploy: either you get it right the first time, or you have to enter it twice more, with the machine automatically telling you after the second try "I did not get the right passsword" whether it did or didn't. So if your first guess was wrong, then you must enter your next (second) guess twice more, despite her insisting the second time it was wrong. If it was right, you'll get in on the third entry. Of course if it was wrong, you've wasted the third attempt also, and you only get three before the lady tells you "hang up and call back when you can remember your password." . I think the fact that IBT logs failed ID attempts and has Caller ID data they can match with the failed attempts does reduce the probability of any serious harm however. PAT] ------------------------------ From: nelson@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Russ Nelson) Subject: Re: Computer Based Caller ID Reply-To: nelson@clutx.clarkson.edu (aka NELSON@CLUTX.BITNET) Organization: Crynwr Software, guest account at Clarkson Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1991 04:43:28 GMT In article 2358michellp@vmsf.csd.mu.edu writes: ... computer interfaces for the Caller ID information. ... > The only package I know of now is the Caller-ID+ manufactured by > Rochelle Communications of Austin, TX, which retails for $295.00 You should talk to them again -- they have a little RS-232 box that transmits the caller ID. It retails for $85. It's powered off the RS-232 data and control signals. They have a software package that goes with it, but you don't have to use it. Their phone number is 800-542-8808, or 512-794-0088. russ I'm proud to be a humble Quaker. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #771 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa14818; 28 Sep 91 2:01 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA16992 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sat, 28 Sep 1991 00:17:51 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA05867 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sat, 28 Sep 1991 00:17:41 -0500 Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1991 00:17:41 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199109280517.AA05867@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #772 TELECOM Digest Sat, 28 Sep 91 00:18:04 CDT Volume 11 : Issue 772 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Call Forwarding Accessory [Julian Macassey] Ameritech MasterCard Available [David Leibold] Request For Call Progress Cadence Information [Pace Willisson] University Telephone Systems [Carl M. Kadie] General Information Wanted on Satellite Telephones [Gert Florijn] FCC Restricts 900 Services [David Leibold] Pay-Phone Commissions Under Review in Florida [David Leibold] CEF Conference on Radical Redefinition of Transportation [Russ Hobby] Dialing 1-900 Without Price Shock [Dave Niebuhr] Online EIA568 Standards Listing [Gary White] Newcomer to Telecom Services [Jon Fields] British Telecom Bars Credit Card Calls to Africa and India [Adam Ashby] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: julian%bongo.UUCP@nosc.mil (Julian Macassey) Subject: Call Forwarding Accessory Date: 27 Sep 91 11:43:52 GMT Reply-To: julian@bongo.info.com (Julian Macassey) Organization: The Hole in the Wall Hollywood California U.S.A. In the "old" days call forwarding required two lines and "Cheese Box" to grab the one line and dial the other. There are still versions of the old cheese box around. In these modern times, the local CO (For a fee) can provide call forwarding. But telco call forwarding although it does not require a second line has some disadvantages. It is because of these disadvantages that many people still use a second line and cheese box. Here is a list of the disadvantages -- or features the telco could provide and don't. Can't turn it off or on remotely Can't change call forwarding numbers remotely Can't have it turn itself on automatically to a pre-programmed number if the phone is unaswered. If you want to do any of the above with telco provided call forwarding, you have to physically go back to the location and pick up a phone on site and dial in the codes and numbers. Yes, there have been devices in the past that use a second line to access the forwarded line remotely, but this device works on the line that is forwarded. The device I am talking about is the "Tas-master" from a garage outfit called Technel. It is a small box with a modular jack on it. Here is how you would use it. The device can detect the single short ring that a forwarded line receives when a call has been received and has been forwarded. So if you have forwarded your calls to a colleague, then want to forward them to your home for the rest of the night, no problem. You make two calls to the forwarded number in rapid succession. This tells the box to unforward the phone. Next time you ring, the box will go off hook so you can program the new forwarded number. But wait, there's more. If you leave and forget to forward the phone, no problem. Call the number and let it ring a few times (programmed by the customer -- to say ten rings). The box will then forward the line to a preset number after the ringing stops. If you want another number rather than the preset, then do the steps above to change the forwraded number. And yes, if you can turn on call forwarding remotely, you can also turn it off. For those situations where a customer may call and turn on the forwarding without knowing it, the customer can be conned into calling back when the forwarding is completed. This is accomplished by attaching a cheap and nasty answer only machine to the box with an announcement (possibly with SIT tones) that says something like "All circuits are busy now, please call again after one minute." The customer will call again a minute later and be forwarded automagically. There may be other features, but I have forgotten them. If you think this box is the answer to your busy social life, or hectic business life, here is who to contact: Martin Vogel Technel 41531 Vista Linda Palmdale California 93551 Phone: (805) 722-4679. They are not currently carried by distributors. No, I don't know where the term Cheese box originated. Julian Macassey, julian@bongo.info.com N6ARE@K6VE.#SOCAL.CA.USA.NA 742 1/2 North Hayworth Avenue Hollywood CA 90046-7142 voice (213) 653-4495 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Sep 91 09:17:07 -0400 From: David Leibold Subject: Ameritech MasterCard Available Ameritech becomes the first RBOC to offer a credit card/calling card, similar to offerings already available through long distance carriers (eg. AT&T Universal Card). The Ameritech Complete MasterCard is not expected to have an annual fee and is the first such offering from an RBOC. This is a joint venture of Ameritech (serving MI, IL, etc) and finance company Household International. sol.cse.fau.edu!djcl attmail.com!dleibold bnw.debe.fl.us!djcl [Moderator's Note: An article in the {Chicago Tribune} Friday said they would also give a ten percent discount on all phone calls made using the card. It will essentially be the same thing AT&T has been offering. It officially becomes available October 1. The initial solicitation will go to about ten million Ameritech customers in the midwestern states they serve. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Sep 91 09:53 EDT From: pace@blitz.com (Pace Willisson) Subject: Request For Call Progress Cadence Information I am writing software to do answer detection based on the cadence of signals received by a 300 to 640 Hz bandpass filter. The goal is to detect the end of ringback, even on international calls or when the call progress tones are coming from old equipment. (The hardware also has precise tone filters and reverse-polarity detection, but that part is well defined.) I hope some TELECOM readers might be able to describe, or refer me to descriptions of call progress cadences used before the advent of precise standards, especially those used outside the US. I am also interested in finding some telephone numbers that ring with unusual patterns that I could call for testing. I would appreciate any other related advice as well. In return for any help that might come from the net, my client has agreed to place the resulting program and documentation in the public domain. I will post note here when it is available -- probably in about six weeks. Thanks, Pace Willisson (pace@blitz.com) ------------------------------ From: kadie@herodotus.cs.uiuc.edu (Carl M. Kadie) Subject: University Telephone Systems Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1991 14:46:02 GMT I was told that the FCC recently ruled that, for some purposes, a university telephone system is considered public. For example, the university can not block access to 1-800 numbers. Is this true? Can anyone supply a reference? This question is academic; here at the U. of Illinois we've always been able to access 1-800 numbers and use calling cards. Carl Kadie -- kadie@cs.uiuc.edu -- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ------------------------------ From: florijn@serc.nl (Gert Florijn) Subject: General Information Wanted on Satellite Telephones Date: 27 Sep 91 13:38:29 GMT Organization: Software Engineering Research Centre - Netherlands A friend of a friend currently lives in a part of the world where telephones (and telephone connections) are hard to find. When discussing this situation here, we immediately thought of the satellite phones that were used by Peter Arnett in Bagdad and, more recently, by the members of the UN inspection team in Iraq. Unfortunately, we don't know anything about how these phones work, nor about what you need to use them (some sort of subscription to a satellite channel?, a contract with a local telephone company or any -international- telephone company?) nor about the kind of services that you can get (general international phone services?). So, any general information about these systems and also on things like where to get them and how expensive they are, is appreciated. Please use email to respond; if there is sufficient interest in this, I will post a summary of the replies I get. Thanks in advance, Gert Florijn ( florijn@serc.nl ) Software Engineering Research Centre P.o. box 424 ; 3500 AK Utrecht ; the Netherlands ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Sep 91 11:49:38 -0400 From: David Leibold Subject: FCC Restricts 900 Services The Associated Press reports that the FCC has introduced tougher regulation on 900 number services in response to consumer complaints. This includes the requirement to give the cost of the call and to allow callers to hang up before incurring charges. Also required will be the availability of free blocking to 900 numbers as provided by local telcos for those customers who wish such blocking. The billion-dollar industry of 900 numbers started with the first number going into service in 1980, according to the report. sol.cse.fau.dedu!djcl bnw.debe.fl.us!djcl attmail.com!djcl ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Sep 91 11:55:20 -0400 From: David Leibold Subject: Pay-Phone Commissions Under Review in Florida The Florida Pay Telephone Association (ie. lobby group for COCOT operators) is asking Florida's Public Services Commission to stop Southern Bell from giving property owners commissions on long distance calls made from payphones. The FPTA claims Southern Bell has exclusive rights to long-distance revenues; Southern Bell says the COCOTs use their network to complete those calls. The PSC is now looking into whether payphone commissions should be permitted at all. Southern Bell pays the Martin County Jail approximately $7000 from payphone commissions which is used towards rehabilitation and education programs for inmates. [ref: {Sun-Sentinel} Ft Lauderdale, 27 Sept 91] sol.cse.fau.edu!djcl [Moderator's Note: What flimsy argument will those COCOT owners think of next to enhance and legitimatize their rotten business? Presumably if this latest motion carries, the theory is with no commissions, the property owners will make Bell remove their instruments and then put in one of the COCOTS instead. Perhaps Bell *should* stop paying any commissions, effective immediatly, and instead, start paying *rent* to the property owners where phones are installed. When doing so, they should make the rent they pay the property owners lucrative enough that the folks with COCOTS rip them off the wall and toss them in the garbage immediatly in exchange for a Bell phone and guarenteed monthly rent, free maintainence, etc. If Bell went from commissions to paying rent, I wonder how the COCOT thieves would respond to that? PAT] ------------------------------ From: rdhobby@ucdavis.edu (Russ Hobby) Subject: CEF Conference on Radical Redefinition of Transportation Date: 27 Sep 91 16:16:59 GMT Reply-To: rdhobby@ucdavis.edu (Russ Hobby) Organization: University of California, Davis I thought this might be of interest to some. How about thinking about electronic communications as transportation? Russ California Engineering Foundation (CEF) Conference on Radical Redefinition of Transportation Sacramento, Ca - November 13-14, 1991 Envision less crowded highways, less pollution, fewer resources wasted, better education with related lower costs along with shorter work weeks with less stress. Imagine further information moving to people rather than people moving to information. These issues, which have enormous implications for society and business, will be analyzed at an innovative conference, "Transportation Redefined: Moving Goods, People and Information" organized by the CEF will be held at the Sacramento Hyatt Regency. The registration fee is $595. The conference is co-sponsored by: AT&T Network Systems; California Air Resources Board; California Department of Transportation; California Energy Commission; Northern Telecom; Pacific Bell; Metropolitan Transportation Commission; University of California, Davis - Institute of Transportation Studies; Federal Highway Administration; Southern California Association of Governments; Pacific Gas and Electric; and United Parcel Service. For information write CEF: "Transportation Redefined" Conference 913 K Street, Suite A Sacramento, CA 95814 Or call: (916)448-5411 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1991 7:34:16 -0400 (EDT) From: NIEBUHR@BNLCL6.BNL.GOV (Dave Niebuhr, BNL CCD, 516-282-3093) Subject: Dialing 1-900 Without Price Shock Today's {Newsday} had an article concerning the pricing of 900-xxx-xxxx calls which basically said that the callers must be told up front the cost of the call and any other information to help decide whether to stay on the line. Quoted (and cut down) material follows: "It also stated that the FCC will forbid phone companies from disconnecting customers who refuse to pay for calls made to 900 lines. "The phone lines represent 'one of the major complaint items before the commission.'" said Richard Firestone, chief of the FCC's common carrier bureau. This regulation affects only the phone companies that carry the information not the providers that own the 900 services. However, Congress is considering legislation designed to protect callers to 900 lines." This should be interesting as the various vested interests start gathering steam. If it'll weed more of them out, the better for all of us. Dave Niebuhr Brookhaven National Laboratory Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov ------------------------------ From: gwhite@inetg1.Arco.COM (Gary White) Subject: Online EIA568 Standards Listing Reply-To: phil@Arco.COM Organization: ARCO Oil & Gas Company Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1991 22:44:39 GMT Does anybody know if there is an Internet-accessible site with documents like the EIA-568 Spec? This is for Commercial Building Telecom Wiring. Thanks!! Gary White (214) 754-6554 Atlantic Richfield Company PRC-E1136B ------------------------------ From: mxmsd!mxmsd!jon@uunet.uu.net (Jon Fields) Subject: Newcomer to Telecom Services Date: 27 Sep 91 13:43:20 GMT Reply-To: mxmsd!mxmsd!jon@uunet.uu.net (Jon Fields) Organization: Measurex-Management Systems Division Hello, I have recently been charged with the duties of finding providers of data services (56 Kbps, T1, etc) for some of our customers (our company provides turnkey systems). In particular, we are going to be routing TCP/IP and DECnet over these lines. What I am looking for is, in effect, an overview of what services are currently available (in North America) and who the vendors are. A reference to a magazine article, a FAQ list for this group, or just some friendly advice. Thanks in advance. UUCP: ...uunet!mxmsd!jon Jon Fields Voice: (513)-825-3931 x-314 Measurex--Management Systems Division Fax: (513)-825-5393 1280 Kemper Meadow Drive Cincinnati, Ohio 45240 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Sep 91 10:11:23 BST From: ashbya@zeus.swindon.rtsg.mot.com (Adam Ashby) Subject: British Telecom Bars Credit Card Calls to Africa and India I caught the end of a news item on the radio today saying that British Telecom is to bar credit card phone calls to India and Africa. I am unsure as to whether this will be from all phones or just from pay phones. I am also unsure as to whether this is to all African countries or just to selected ones or whether it covers the whole Indian sub-continent (including Pakistan). This is, of course, an attempt to reduce the amount of calling card telphone fraud. Adam Ashby ashbya@zeus.swindon.rtsg.mot.com +44 793 545372 ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #772 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa17378; 28 Sep 91 3:06 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA18420 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sat, 28 Sep 1991 01:31:32 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA15241 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sat, 28 Sep 1991 01:31:20 -0500 Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1991 01:31:20 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199109280631.AA15241@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #773 TELECOM Digest Sat, 28 Sep 91 06:31:00 GMT Volume 11 : Issue 773 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson How Do You Explain the Numbering Plan To a Telecom-Illiterate [B.Perens] 1-800 and Eight Digits? [nyte@milton.u.washington.edu] County Messes up New Phone System [Dave Niebuhr] Satellite Service to Hawaii via AT&T? [Douglas Scott Reuben] Old TWX Service (Was: Area Codes 610 and 710) [Alan Toscano] Sprint FONCARD vs. AT&T Calling Card [Philip J. Tait] Re: Pac*Bell Tips Its Hand [John Higdon] Re: Pac*Bell Tips Its Hand [rosty@ucscb.ucsc.edu] Re: Satellite Phones and the UN Inspectors [Al Donaldson] Re: Motorola Press Release - New Museum [Toby Nixon] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: bruce@pixar.com (Bruce Perens) Subject: How Do You Explain the Numbering Plan To a Telecom-Illiterate? Organization: Pixar -- Point Richmond, California Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1991 05:46:42 GMT The local paper today has an attempt to put pressure on Pacific Bell because of problems associated with the 415/510 split. Most of the remaining problems are with PBX systems, and not Pacific Bell, but how do you explain this to someone who has never _heard_ of a numbering plan? How do you explain to all of the people who dial 215-something and get my office instead of the East Coast why they have to dial 1 before an area code all of a sudden? How do you explain to administrative people in your own company that it isn't a good idea for your own phone system to rely on "permissive dialing" until the day it disappears? Our own fancy Rolm PBX won't _let_ us dial 415 before a number, and the only answer I get about when this will change is "sometime between now and January 27". Many of our customers PBX systems still can't dial 510, so our customers have to use "permissive dialing" to get to us, and that will break soon. How can I explain this to the average joe if the PBX outfits can't even get it right? Bruce Perens [Moderator's Note: You can't explain it, so don't bother trying. Let them deal with it the best they can. I do some work frequently for a company downtown with a Rolm PBX. I told them more than once over a period of several months that 708-518 was a valid prefix, and the Rolm was rejecting calls to it. I was humored, placated, lied to, etc. How did it finally get corrected? I changed *my* phone number in their records from my actual phone to my voicemail number 708-518-6335. Since they were accustomed to calling me at least once a week to whine and bellyache about something or another, after a couple weeks of not hearing from them (except for one day when one of the people called me from a payphone in the company lunchroom!) the PBX suddenly got fixed. But the higher-ups in that company (and probably most companies) have to decide for themselves what to do. If they blow a few thousand dollars in needless charges due to a mismanaged telecom system in the meantime, I guess that's their problem. There's a lot of misinformed people managing telecom systems these days. Live with it, I guess. PAT] ------------------------------ From: nyte@milton.u.washington.edu (nyte) Subject: 1-800 and Eight Digits? Organization: University of Washington, Seattle Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1991 23:07:07 GMT I have heard rumors of an eighth digit added to some 1800 numbers, ie you have to dial 1800-xxx-xxxxX instead of 1800-xxx-xxxx to get through. Can someone confirm or deny this rumor? Thanks, nyte@milton.u.washington.edu [Moderator's Note: I am aware of no telephone company in the USA which pays any attention whatsoever to any digits entered after the eleventh on a domestic long distance call, 800 or otherwise. MCI does have this bogus system for residential 800 where you dial eleven digits, wait until MCI answers and enter four more digits, if that is what you meant, but I don't think it was. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1991 16:27:32 -0400 (EDT) From: NIEBUHR@BNLCL6.BNL.GOV (Dave Niebuhr, BNL CCD, 516-282-3093) Subject: County Messes up New Phone System Recently, my county decided to switch all (or most of them anyway) exchanges from more than twenty into three blocks of exchanges giving them up to almost 30,000 lines. A big press release was that this was going to be more efficient and better for the taxpayers. Right! The exchanges were broken down so that one would serve basically the eastern half of the county and the other two the western half. So far, so good. One day recently I decided that the local calls were getting out of hand in the house so I received a detailed list of all toll-calls made the last month. Lo and behold, three of the county numbers called in the last month were chargeable whereas they wouldn't have been if the exchanges stayed the same. Adding insult to injury, these calls were to a higher area than they should have been if charges were imposed previously. Two of the numbers were in my community and one was next door. The next step was to call the phone company (twice) and neither NYTel employee could provide a satisfactory answer as to the newly chargeable exchanges. Wanting to be a good citizen, I then contacted my local government representative and his office didn't know what I was talking about until I showed them the detailed bill. That office called me back this afternoon and said that NYNEX is going to offer refunds for the regional discrepancies in rates sometime late this year but no one knows what to do about the problem with formerly 'free' calls being charged now, even at the lower rates. The Telecommunications office is now officially 'on-the-case'. This mess could have gone unnoticed for quite some time since calls are summarized by local region in the LATA and operator-assisted calls are listed. I wonder how much the phone company would have made if not called on it. Now, it can be argued that I should have called any 800 number that the county has but with the exception of the Commissioner of Jurors, they're not mentioned anywhere in any of their literature. Just one more reason for me to pack up and leave New York forever and not regret it. Dave Niebuhr Brookhaven National Laboratory Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov [Moderator's Note: When you first went to speak with your government representative did you get the rap from them about 'where are your credentials, what is your interest in this matter, etc'? Did they first try to humor you or get you out of their office (off their phone line) like you were some sort of pitiable person who couldn't possibly know more than the 'experts' who set the system up? PAT] ------------------------------ Date: 27-SEP-1991 16:27:19.63 From: Douglas Scott Reuben Subject: Satellite Service to Hawaii via AT&T? Hello all, Some of you may recall that about a year ago I posted a question as to why AT&T appears to be using satellite links to Hawaii, when there was a trans-Pacific fiber cable in place, and I was able to get fiber calls to Japan and Guam. (Souned like fiber -- no noise, no delay). I finally called AT&T last week, and they called me back a few days ago. Their answer was that for regular calls to Hawaii (ie, not special trunks or T-1 or anything), they are still using satellites. They said this may change in a few months, but as of now they are still on satellite. This includes not only direct-dial calls, but 800 calls that you get from Hawaii, or just about any call handled ovet AT&Ts "normal" domestic network. Sprint and MCI also use a satellite, as I tried calling a non-working number on Oahu, and got a REALLY bad echo during the "This number is not in service recording". (Call 808-922-9963). I was initially fooled into thinking that AT&T WAS using fiber, as when you call that number, there is no echo. But this is only because the call does not supervise, and AT&T does not open the voice channel from you TO Hawaii, thus no echo when you speak or hit a Touch Tone, and no chance for you to notice a delay. If you want to "try out" the echo and/or delay with AT&T, you can call Honolulu weather at (808) 836-0121, which will supervise. If you then press a Touch Tone key, or say something loudly, you will hear an echo, which means you are going over satellite. I am really surprised that AT&T hasn't got sufficient bandwidth YET to Hawaii ... it is strange that I can call Guam and Japan (?) without an awful satellite link (I don't like using them), yet not Hawaii. Any other LD companies offer fiber service to Hawaii? Aloha :), Doug dreuben@eagle.wesleyan.edu // dreuben@wesleyan.bitnet [Moderator's Note: Has anyone noticed in the latest issue of the Bellcore area code directory that Wake Island is now in the 808 area code, as are the islands in the Trust Territories? PAT] ------------------------------ From: atoscano@attmail.com Date: Fri Sep 27 15:10:46 CDT 1991 Subject: Old TWX Service (Was: Area Codes 610 and 710) In TELECOM Digest V11 #768: > [Moderator's Note: That was *so long* ago, Carl! It seems to me at one > time 410 was up in the New England area for Western Union. Infomaster > is a thing of the past now, and I really cannot tell you the physical > location of 410-555-1212, or if it is even still operating under that > number, so infrequent has been my use of Telex/TWX for many years. PAT] Well, yes, the *old* InfoMaster is a thing of the past. It was replaced by EasyLink, and its old TWX dial number was 910 420-1212. However, one part of *today's* EasyLink is a database service called InfoMaster, operated for AT&T EasyLink by Telebase Systems, Inc. on a contract basis. So, the InfoMaster name still lives on. TWX Directory Assistance was automated several years ago, following the acquisition of TWX by Western Union. It's now called Directory Information Service (DIS), and is accessed via EasyLink. At one time, DIS could also be accessed directly from TWX via 910 221-5151. I don't know if that method's still available. To access EasyLink from either Telex I, or Telex II (TWX) today, you simply dial 4112. Back in the AT&T TWX days, TWX Operator Assistance was (no area code) 954-1212, and TWX Directory Assistance was 910 555-1212 (for USA listings) or 610 555-1212 (for Canadian listings). Until the mid-70's, 954 was a reserved prefix in all ordinary USA NPAs, used for reaching a TWX Operator from a three-row (Baudot-based) TWX machine. If I had to guess on a site for the old AT&T TWX DA (USA listings), I'd guess East Saint Louis, IL, as that was the site back then for 800 DA, and it falls within 910's geographic region. But that's pure speculation. Today, the host site for (the former Western Union) EasyLink and most of its related services is Bridgeton, MO. AT&T Mail is in the process of moving there from South Plainfield, NJ, as part of the merger of Western Union Telex/EasyLink and AT&T Global Messaging into AT&T EasyLink Services. [Moderator's Note: But *before* they were consolidated under 910-555-1212 many years ago, didn't they use 410-555-1212, and prior to even that, use 555-1212 with the various TWX area codes just as voice calls are handled today? I am thinking now back to the early sixties ... PAT] ------------------------------ From: <@gedlab.allied.com> Subject: Sprint FONCARD vs. AT&T Calling Card From: b12635@ged.gedlab.allied.com (Phil Tait, (602) 231-7104) Date: 27 Sep 91 09:02:02 MST Caution - novice question ahead! When we changed from US Sprint to AT&T (due to the amount of hours spent on the phone to Sprint Customer Service every month), one unforeseen drawback was the inferior service provided by the AT&T calling card. 1. We never encountered a situation where we could not use the Sprint FONCARD 800 number, whereas we've frequently been blocked from access to AT&T. 2. We could call anywhere at Sprint LD rates, whereas Calling Card calls that are "Intra-LATA" (is that right?) get charged on the US West page of our phone bill, complete with AZ state tax -- even on calls made while on vacation in Massachusetts, for example. '2.' is not a big deal, just takes some getting used to, but '1.' is a real pain. Are there any other ways of accessing AT&T other than "10 + ATT + 0", that might escape blocking? I've seen discussion of 950-xxxx and 1-700-xxx-xxxx numbers, but no explanation of their purpose. Philip J. Tait Allied-Signal Aerospace, Garrett Engine Division, Phoenix, Az (602) 231-7104 Aeronet: GED::B12635 Internet: tait@gedlab.allied.com UUCP: tait@gedphx.uucp or ...!{hrc|mcdphx|asuvax}!gedphx!tait ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Sep 91 18:34 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: Pac*Bell Tips Its Hand rlm@ms_aspen.hac.com (Robert L. McMillin) writes: > However, they are a utility, and as such are *supposedly* > regulated pro bono publico, NOT pro bono Pac*Bell. Yes, indeed. And I have often wondered why, if it feels so limited and constrained by the rules and regulations of the FCC and the PUC, why Pacific Telesis does not sell Pacific Bell to some entity that would be willing to run a utility for the MUTUAL benefit of customers and stock holders alike. The truth of the matter is that Pacific Telesis would like the best of all possible worlds: the security and cash flow of a regulated utility as well as the potential "big bucks" that can come from emerging services and technologies. If it divested itself of the utility, where would all those psuedo venture capital dollars come from? From venture capitalists who would eventually want to be repaid from a successful enterprize, that's where. As a ratepayer, I wonder when I will get repaid for subsidizing "The Message Center", a service that is not even available in my area. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ From: Rosty Subject: Re: Pac*Bell Tips Its Hand Date: 27 Sep 91 16:29:29 GMT Organization: Rosty's Unix Gee, it sounds to me that it will soon be cheaper to have Pac-Bell disconnect my phones and go all-cellular. A local non-cellular 800MHz trunked telephone company offers unlimited airtime for $50/month. It's sounding better and better by the minute. Rosty rosty@ucscb.ucsc.edu ------------------------------ From: al@escom.com (Al Donaldson) Subject: Re: Satellite Phones and the UN Inspectors Reply-To: al@escom.com (Al Donaldson) Organization: ESCOM Corp., Oakton VA (USA) Date: Thu, 26 Sep 1991 15:28:23 GMT kucharsk@Solbourne.COM (William Kucharski) writes: X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 765, Message 9 of 10 > It's too bad fax machines don't operate a bit quicker, or they could > use some type of portable fax machine and simply fax out their > documentation and then give the orignals back to Iraq. I wondered why they didn't just spread the papers out on top of the vans and read them from space. :-) :-) Al ------------------------------ From: Toby Nixon Subject: Re: Motorola Press Release - New Museum Date: 27 Sep 91 11:00:29 GMT Organization: Hayes Microcomputer Products, Norcross, GA Quite a few of us will be in Chicago for PC Expo in November, and would like to take a trip out to the Motorola museum. Can someone in the area (Pat? John?) save us all a long distance phone call, and find out the museum hours, admission cost, and directions from McCormick Place? Do we need a car, or can you get there by mass transit? Thanks. Toby Nixon, Principal Engineer | Voice +1-404-840-9200 Telex 151243420 Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. | Fax +1-404-447-0178 CIS 70271,404 P.O. Box 105203 | BBS +1-404-446-6336 AT&T !tnixon Atlanta, Georgia 30348 | UUCP uunet!hayes!tnixon Fido 1:114/15 USA | Internet tnixon%hayes@uunet.uu.net [Moderator's Note: Admission is free, and hours are by appointment only. Call the phone number given in the story, advise them of the number in your party, your organizational affiliations and when you would like to visit. A car is definitly needed since neither the Chicago Transit Atrocity or the Regional Transit Atrocity offer service in the area on any regular, convenient schedule. McCormick Place is in downtown Chicago; Schaumburg is about a 30-40 minute drive by car out one of the expressways. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #773 ****************************** ^A^A^A^A ^A^A^A^A Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa24441; 29 Sep 91 23:42 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA29453 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecom-recent@lcs.mit.edu); Sun, 29 Sep 1991 21:42:02 -0500 Date: Sun, 29 Sep 1991 21:42:02 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199109300242.AA29453@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom-recent@lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #774 Cc: ptownson@gaak.lcs.mit.edu TELECOM Digest Sat, 28 Sep 91 15:05:27 GMT Volume 11 : Issue 774 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Ameritech's New Combined Calling/Credit Card [Stan Brown] FCC Actions on 900 Numbers and CLID [Stan Brown] Origin of Term "Cheese Box" [Ed Greenberg] Re: 713 NPA in Permissive Dialing Period For Mandatory 1+ [Carl Moore] Re: IBT Voice Mail Starts Here [Robert J. Woodhead] Re: Exploring 950-1288 [James Wyatt] Re: NYNEX/Boston Does NOT Offer "Free" FMR [David E. Sheafer] Re: Call Waiting - Modem Does NOT Hang Up (I Want it to!) [John Higdon] Re: ATT PBX System 25 Survey [David Ptasnik] Re: Call Forwarding Accessory [John Higdon] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: brown@NCoast.ORG (Stan Brown) Subject: Ameritech's New Combined Calling/Credit Card Date: Fri, 27 Sep 91 10:42:16 EDT Quotes are from {The Wall Street Journal} for Friday 27 Sept 1991. Name: Complete MasterCard Finance charge: tiered, as low as 16.8% Refund (not discount) of 10% on phone calls charged to the card. The card is offered jointly with Household International Inc., "a Prospect Heights, Ill., consumer finance company." Household "will manage the receivables of the credit card charges, while Ameritech will handle billing for the phone charges. Ameritech will also receive a percentage of the revenue from finance charges on credit card balances." Visa will not be offered. "Ameritech's move also puts added pressure on Visa U.S.A. to lift its ban against non-banking companies" issuing Visa cards. Industry analysts expect the other six RBOCs to follow quickly, beginning with Bell Atlantic and Southwestern Bell. AT&T's similar Universal Card (which issues both Visa and MC) has "more than 11 million cardholders, ranking it among the nation's top five credit card issuers." Applications will be mailed Tuesday 1 Oct to "Ameritech's 10 million customers in" the five-state base of IL, IN, MI, OH, WI. I saw a TV ad for the card Thurs 26 Sept. ------------------------------ From: brown@NCoast.ORG (Stan Brown) Subject: FCC Actions on 900 Numbers and CLID Date: Fri, 27 Sep 91 10:51:03 EDT The {Wall Street Journal} of Friday, 27 Sept reports that the FCC voted 5-0 to require 900 services that bill through telcos to "provide a brief message stating the cost of the call, the nature of the service, and the identity of the company offering the service. If callers decide to hang up on hearing the message, they won't be charged ... [This] will apply only to calls that cost more than a total of $2.00." The effective date for the new rule was not given in the article. The 900 industry "is expected to reach $1 billion in revenue this year [and] accounts for about one third of all telephone complaints to the FCC." In separate action, also by 5-0, the FCC voted to "put out for public comment a series of rules that seek to balance the privacy interests of callers against the perceived benefits of the proposed [interstate call-identification] services. The agency said it was leaning toward requiring long-distance carriers to offer callers the ability to block the identification of their phone numbers on a call-by-call basis. [The spokesman] said the agency might require requests for blocking to go through operators in the hopes of inhibiting obscene callers from requesting that their phone numbers be blocked." ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Sep 91 07:04 PDT From: Ed_Greenberg@3mail.3com.com Subject: Origin of Term "Cheese Box" An early use of customer provided call-forwarding technology was the Bookmaker. The Bookie would have two phones installed in an empty location, and use the homebrew equipment to link them together. I believe that the bookie would call on one line and wait for the other to ring and auto-answer. In those days, lots of electronic (electric?) equipment was made by fastening components to a wooden board, and wiring them together. Wire-wrap, project-boards, PC boards, etc., were all a thing of the future, and RFI shielding wasn't a problem either. Back in those days, and even as far as when I was a kid, restaurant size blocks of cheese were delivered in snug-fitting long, narrow, wooden boxes. The bookie's device was built into a Cheese-Box, hence the term. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Sep 91 12:10:55 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: Re: 713 NPA in Permissive Dialing Period For Mandatory 1+ Don't you already have mandatory 1+ (per published instructions) for long distance originating in 713? If so, the subject header probably should have been something like "713 prepares for N0X/N1X". Notice that 713 was split back in 1983 to form 409, and back then it had no N0X/N1X prefixes. Only Houston and nearby was left in 713, and perhaps it's got the more modern equipment which can more easily change to accommodate N0X/N1X? I also notice "713-XXX-XXXX (sic)". Strictly speaking in telephone terms, it should say "NXX-" instead of "XXX-"; otherwise, could you explain why you put the "sic" there? ------------------------------ From: trebor@foretune.co.jp (Robert J Woodhead) Subject: Re: IBT Voice Mail Starts Here Organization: Foretune Co., Ltd. Date: Fri, 27 Sep 1991 17:42:03 GMT I, trebor@foretune.co.jp (Robert J Woodhead) wrote: > A public voicemail system with only five digits of security code is > SHOCKINGLY INSECURE. Any public figure who uses this system is at > serious risk. Off the top of my head, I would say at least ten digits And Pat replied: > I think the fact that IBT logs failed ID attempts and has > Caller ID data they can match with the failed attempts does reduce the > probability of any serious harm however. PAT] Pat, I do not believe this to be the case. Let me give you an off- the-top-of-my-head example. I get an account, and do some experiments to determine what information can be determined in a single call. I then enlist 100 phellow phreaks in my effort to "map" the entire 100,000 codenumber address space. Each of us will have to map out only 1,000 code numbers. Being a sneaky computer hacker, I program a computer to generate lists of nonsequential "plausible" queries; in other words, queries that appear to be simple mistakes, like transposition errors. Example: the three attempts might be 12345, 12354, 12534. Looks just like someone who can't quite remember his code, right? Happens all the time, doesn't it. My Phine Phreaky Phrends now wander around town occasionally using a convenient phone, or payphone, to make an inquiry. Each Phreak making ten calls a day mapping two numbers a call results in a total mapping of the address space in under two months. While an analysis of failed code entry attempts by the phone company will show an increase in failed attempts, and may tip them off that an attack is in progress, the random nature of the individual attempts will make it almost impossible for them to catch any reasonably prudent attacker. Lets assume they do it all from payphones; at 25 cents a call (what they cost in NY where I used to live) and two attempts per call, thats 50,000 calls or $12,500 to map the namespace. I can see plenty of situations where some people may consider that a cheap price to pay for the ability to intercept certain communications. Robert J. Woodhead, Biar Games / AnimEigo, Incs. trebor@foretune.co.jp [Moderator's Note: What you describe is very interesting, but I do not think it is realistic. Imagine all those quarters; all those pay phones; and a phreak wandering around endlessly from one phone to the next, notepad in hand writing down the results. In the case of Centel, the passwords are four digits, but you have to land on the right DID number first, *then* try your ten thousand different possible codes. If the phreak did select a certain DID number to hack on, you don't think telco would notice one 'customer' having that many problems getting his password correct? With Ameritech, although you can dial into any customer with voicemail (or use the general indials) the passwords are six digits -- and maybe I was wrong about the sixth digit being a check digit; who knows. Since the phreak works all day in order to have a few thousand dollars in quarters to spare, does he walk around the neighborhood at night trying payphones? Anything could happen, but this scenario seems unlikely. Phreaks will always be around, regardless of how good the security is. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Sep 91 01:18 CDT From: texsun!mic!rwsys!rwsys!jim@sunbird.UUCP (James Wyatt KA5VJL) Subject: Re: Exploring 950-1288 Organization: R/W Systems, Richland Hills, Texas, 76118-5849 (817) 595-0571 After seeing Toby's nice tour of the help menus on 950-1288, I thought I'd see if it was in Fort Worth yet. It sure is, at v.32 and clean. Now, how can I find out more about cost and exact details? James Wyatt KA5VJL jim@rwsys.lonestar.org Semper Gumbi - always flexible! [Moderator's Note: Unfortunatly Chicago is still deprived. We always get an 'all circuits are busy now' intercept message; an obviously misprogrammed response. I hope someone sees this and fixes it soon. PAT] ------------------------------ From: David E. Sheafer Reply-To: nin15b0b@merrimack.edu Subject: Re: NYNEX/Boston Does NOT Offer "Free" FMR Date: 27 Sep 91 10:27:45 GMT Organization: Merrimack College, No. Andover, MA In article , DREUBEN@EAGLE.WESLEYAN.EDU (Douglas Scott Reuben) writes: > Recently, it was mentioned that NYNEX/Boston (NYNEX/New England) > customers could now roam into other "B"/wireline markets, and not > incur a charge for activating Follow Me Roaming (*18). > I called them on Monday, and was told what I had suspected: This is > not true. Doug and all, My guess is that the customer service rep you spoke with wasn't that familiar with Nynex Mobile polices (I've noticed this numerous times). But I just traveled from Boston to DC and from Boston to Pensylvania activating follow me roaming in each area (except where not available), and did not receive any charges. But I also received information from Nynex about six months ago saying that you may be charged for activation FMR in other areas. Then this May I picked up another phone for myself from NYNEX and in the introductury brochure it basically stated the same thing. Then about four weeks ago I picked up another phone for my father, and received a brand new introductory brochure, and in this brochure it clearly states that NYNEX Boston customers will not be charged for activating FMR in other service areas. When I called to verify this I was told that the new brochure is correct and there is no charge to NYNEX customers when activating FMR. David E. Sheafer internet: nin15b0b@merrimack.edu or uucp: samsung!hubdub!nin15b0b GEnie: D.SHEAFER Cleveland Freenet: ap345 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Sep 91 02:50 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: Call Waiting - Modem Does NOT Hang Up (I Want it to!) splee@gnu.ai.mit.edu writes: > My modem can disconnect on a break in loop current, but apparently > SNET doesn't break the line momentarily. They just superimpose the > tone on the line. Is this the more common scheme? Or is a line break > followed by a tone more common? Loop current breaks during call waiting tones is not a function of local telco practice, but rather the CO switch used. Unfortunately for you, the only switches in common service that do this are the 1/1AESS analog gear. As these are becoming dated, you will see less and less of them. All of the modern digital switches do as you describe: that is give tone to the callee without any current interruption. FYI, the reason that the 1/1AESS equipment has the loop current break is that during call waiting, the called party is switched to a conference port so that the requisite action with the two parties can be accomplished. You will notice (on the 1/1AESS) that if you do not take the call, you will get another loop current break when the caller gives up. This, of course, is the switching back out of the conference port. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ From: David Ptasnik Subject: Re: ATT PBX System 25 Survey Date: Fri, 27 Sep 91 8:36:27 PDT ipscomm@igc.org recently wrote: > I'm interested in some feedback from organizations who've used AT&T > PBX equipment, esp. "System 25". This package can handle voice mail > and call accounting and it sounds like a nice, although expensive, > deal for organizations in the 25-150 staff range. Ecch! AT&T gear always seems to be about five years behind other manufacturers of gear, I have worked extensively with Merlin systems and System 75's and have NOT been impressed. (Insert disclaimer here, I do not speak for the University.) They are always very rigid and controlled from the top, giving users relatively few options for personal customization. All of their features are button intensive. Many of them require that you program a separate on and off button. This tends to use up a telephone very quickly. I also think that the 25 is being phased out. Someone on the net mentioned the Merlin Legend that will allow the Merlin to grow as large as the 25 (80 x 144 but not all at once). The Merlin has all kinds of screwy bugs in it, like no call forward busy or don't answer from station to station. Instead they use this thing called call coverage. If you receive a call on a call coverage button, your key pad and flash buttons go dead. Real convenient in a Centrex environment :(. The 75 has weird little limitations on it as well. You can't have an appearance of a phone line on more than five or six phones; users cannot determine the destinations of their call forward busy's and don't answer's; they must be predetermined by the system administrator; oh so flexible. AT&T gear is low tech, old fashioned, overpriced, and we are experiencing what I consider unacceptable out of box failure rates. Plus the system you are looking at may be an endangered species. Good Luck! davep@u.washington.edu ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Sep 91 02:47 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: Call Forwarding Accessory julian%bongo.UUCP@nosc.mil (Julian Macassey) writes: > The device I am talking about is the "Tas-master" from a > garage outfit called Technel. It is a small box with a modular jack on > it. Here is how you would use it. The device can detect the single > short ring that a forwarded line receives when a call has been > received and has been forwarded. Several years ago I was interested in such a device and almost bought one until I found out that much of the magic that is performed actually relies on that "short ring" that supposedly occurs when a call is forwarded by the call forwarding. Unfortunately, this is Pac*Hell. Three of my lines have forwarding and not one of them produces any indication whatsoever that a call is being forwarded. I have sat waiting for important calls for an entire evening without a peep from the phone and later found out that the line was dutifully forwarding to some remote location. This no ring "feature" coupled with the tendancy of my CO to randomly institute forwarding to some previously forwarded-to number makes the Call Forwarding offering from Pacific Bell quite useless indeed. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #774 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa13156; 29 Sep 91 4:31 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA28006 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 29 Sep 1991 02:48:27 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA27219 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 29 Sep 1991 02:48:07 -0500 Date: Sun, 29 Sep 1991 02:48:07 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199109290748.AA27219@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #775 TELECOM Digest Sun, 29 Sep 91 07:48:07 GMT Volume 11 : Issue 775 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Administrivia: ACKS Turned On Again [TELECOM Moderator] Where to Get *Good* Tools? [Marc Unangst] GTE Screwups in NW Ohio [Steven S. Brack] PBX Manufacturers [Bob S. Turner] What if The Phone Company Hears of a Crime? [Carl M. Kadie] Sweden: Rates for Cellular Service [Robert Lindh] Sweden: Cellular Used at 'Wire-Service' Rates [Robert Lindh] Sweden: New Rate Alternative For Cellular [Robert Lindh] Sweden: Attitude Change at Operating Company (Televerket) [Robert Lindh] Sweden: List of Cellular Networks [Robert Lindh] AML-II [Patton M. Turner] Re: Radio Shack Pitches Cellular 911 [Jacob R. Deglopper] Re: 1-800 and Eight Digits? [Joel M. Hoffman] Origin of Term "Cheese Box" [David Lesher] Re: Call Forwarding Accessory [Marc T. Kaufman] Re: Telebit Modems and MCI [Herman R. Silbiger] Re: Request For Call Progress Cadence Information [Dave Leibold] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 29 Sep 1991 01:03:31 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Subject: Administrivia: ACKS Turned On Again Maybe they are ... and maybe they are not. I spent several hours thinking about it Saturday night. You *should* be getting them now. If not, please let me know. This would apply to mail received here after 12:45 AM on Sunday morning. PAT ------------------------------ From: mju@mudos.ann-arbor.mi.us (Marc Unangst) Subject: Where to Get *Good* Tools? Date: Sat, 28 Sep 91 16:49:23 EDT I've decided that it's finally time to get some good tools, but I'm unsure on what brands to get/places to get them. From talking to some experienced technicians, I've gathered the Xcelite screwdrivers are the "top of the line", but what about other things (diagonal cutters, needle-nose pliers, etc.). Note that I'll mostly be doing work on PC clones and peripherals, if it matters. Also, I've picked up catalogs from Time Motion Tools and the SPECIALIZED Products Co. Specialized seems to be substantially cheaper on most of the stuff I'm looking at; however, any other suggestions on where to look? Thanks a lot! Marc Unangst mju@mudos.ann-arbor.mi.us ...!sharkey!mudos!mju ------------------------------ Subject: GTE Screwups in NW Ohio From: sbrack@bluemoon.rn.com (Steven S. Brack) Date: Sat, 28 Sep 91 19:32:50 EDT Organization: Blue Moon BBS ((614) 868-998[024]) One of the people I consult for just got a strange call from GTE. It seems that they just switched 419-88x over to a new electronic switch. In the process they discovered that they had given him touchtone service accidentally. Now they want him to pay for what he was receiving free of charge. Comments? PS: This may be the first fully electronic switch used in GTE territory in NW Ohio. Please cc: me in e-mail if you post on this topic. Steven S. Brack | sbrack%bluemoon@nstar.rn.com Jacob E. Taylor Honors Tower | sbrack@bluemoon.uucp The Ohio State University | sbrack@nyx.cs.du.edu 50 Curl Drive | sbrack@isis.cs.du.edu Columbus, Ohio 43210-1112 USA | brack@ewf.eng.ohio-state.edu +1 614 293 7383 or 419 474 1010 | Steven.S.Brack@osu.edu [Moderator's Note: Now that telco has the ability to turn touch tone on or off for individual customers, your friend's options are to pay for it and keep it or not pay for it and have it discontinued. Just because telco had no practical way to force him to pay for it in the past does not mean they owe it to him forever. The tariff usually prohibits back billing before a certain date however. PAT] ------------------------------ From: turner@udecc.engr.udayton.edu (Staff- Bob S Turner) Subject: PBX Manufacturers Reply-To: turner@udecc.engr.udayton.edu (Bob S Turner) Organization: Univ. of Dayton, School of Engineering Date: Sun, 29 Sep 91 02:42:18 GMT I was wondering if anyone had a list of PBX manufacturers and vendors. I'm primarily intrested in the smaller ones (Both companies and PBX's). Since it is highly unlikely that there is a list around, I volunteer to put one together. Once it has been compiled, with PAT permission, it can be put in the telecom archives. DO NOT send anything yet. There maybe a list out there. Stay tuned. Bob Turner Network Manager, School of Engineering 513-229-3171 turner@udecc.engr.udayton.edu Univ. of Dayton, Engineering Computing Center-KL211, Dayton OH 45469 [Moderator's Note: Certainly, feel free to compile such a list. PAT] ------------------------------ From: kadie@herodotus.cs.uiuc.edu (Carl M. Kadie) Subject: What if The Phone Company Hears of a Crime? Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1991 15:35:24 GMT I think the phone company is allowed check line quality, etc. by listening to phone conversations. What are the rules for what they may do with information that is overheard? For example, what if they hear a crime being planned? Carl Kadie -- kadie@cs.uiuc.edu -- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign ------------------------------ From: Robert.Lindh@eos.ericsson.se (Robert Lindh) Subject: Sweden: Rates for Cellular Service Reply-To: Robert.Lindh@eos.ericsson.se Organization: Ericsson Telecom AB Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1991 16:14:29 GMT From one of the operators (Televerket) the following rates apply (January, 91): Fixed charge: 20 USD/month (450 MHz), 10 USD/month (900 MHz). Air time: 0.60 USD/minute during office hours, 0.40 USD/minute otherwise. or Fixed charge: 0 (450 MHz). Air time: 2.40 USD/minute during office hours, 0.40 USD/minute otherwise. ------------------------------ From: Robert.Lindh@eos.ericsson.se (Robert Lindh) Subject: Sweden: Cellular Used at 'Wire-Service' Rates Reply-To: Robert.Lindh@eos.ericsson.se Organization: Ericsson Telecom AB Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1991 16:31:54 GMT The operating company (Televerket) have started using cellular radio equipment to provide telephone service to a subsriber in the countryside if the cost of providing the subscriber with service by use of wires would be high. The equipment they use is a normal cellular radio (450 MHz) but it is installed at the telephone subscriber's home in a small locked box. (He is not supposed to move it around, it is supposed to stay in the house.) The rate used for the subscriber (and for those who call him) is the same as if wires were used to connect him to the local office. Note: Televerket charge a new subscriber the same installation cost for the first telephone number in his HOME, regardless of the distance to the local office. This distance may possibly be as much as 100 kilometers (60 miles) in some parts of Sweden. I would suspect running wires for 100 kilometers is quite expensive for Televerket when the wiring is for one subscriber only. Standard disclaimer: "Only my personal opinion, of course." ------------------------------ From: Robert.Lindh@eos.ericsson.se (Robert Lindh) Subject: Sweden: New Rate Alternative For Cellular Reply-To: Robert.Lindh@eos.ericsson.se Organization: Ericsson Telecom AB Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1991 15:44:01 GMT One of the cellular operators in Sweden (Televerket, the operating company for telephone service on wires), offer a cellular radio service that do not cost anything if you do not make any calls. If you make calls during office hours, the minute-rate is approximately four times the normal cellular rate. Outside office hours it is the normal cellular minute-rate. This service has been quite successful, many people with second homes in the wilderness have used it to get telephone service available (at an emergency etc), but they naturally (due to the pricing) make normal telephone calls during evenings and weekends. Televerket also offer a Voice-mail service (without any extra charge, I think) so that you can have your cellular switched off during office hours and that call your Voice mail box in the evening to hear if anyone have tried to call you during the day. The service is called 'NMT 450 Red'. The cellular radio is of the same type as used in 'NMT 450' where you pay appr USD 65 a month regardless if you use any airtime or not and then pay appr USD 0.40-0.50/minute for airtime. Standard disclaimer: "Only my personal opinion, of course." ------------------------------ From: Robert.Lindh@eos.ericsson.se (Robert Lindh) Subject: Sweden: Attitude Change at Operating Company (Televerket) Reply-To: Robert.Lindh@eos.ericsson.se Organization: Ericsson Telecom AB Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1991 15:56:16 GMT The Operating Company for normal telephone service (Televerket) seems to have changed attitude towards their customers. A few years ago they did not have a good reputation in this area. One of the ways this can be seen is in a big advertisments around Stockholm saying: "9 out of 10 companies tell us we are fast. NOT ENOUGH!!!" or "7 out of 10 companies tell us we keep our promises. NOT ENOUGH!!!" Standard disclaimer: "Only my personal opinion, of course." ------------------------------ From: Robert.Lindh@eos.ericsson.se (Robert Lindh) Subject: Sweden: List of Cellular Networks Reply-To: Robert.Lindh@eos.ericsson.se Organization: Ericsson Telecom AB Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1991 16:03:26 GMT Name: Frequency: Name of operator: NMT 450 450 MHz Televerket NMT 900 900 MHz Televerket Comvik 450 MHz? Comvik Both Televerket and Comvik has announced that they will offer a GSM network (one each) to customers. Televerket cover a larger part of Sweden than Comvik do, but Comvik compete by use of lower rates. Standard disclaimer: "Only my personal opinion, of course." ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Sep 91 17:42:08 CDT From: Patton M. Turner Subject: AML-II Reliance, the company that makes the AML-II, also makes a similar product, called the DAML that uses digital loop carier technology. I have no experence with the DAML, but an acquaintance of mine used to have a similar device installed in a lake cabin he owned. He was able to use his 9600 baud modem with out any trouble, although he hated the few feet of analog loop that seperated serial port and a 56k (64?) baud link to the CO. I would have posted this earlier, but I thought I might have some docs for both the DAML and AML, but I was unable to find them. I do remember reading that the DAML is line powered (no battery or AC supply). I think I can supply the company's address if any one wants it. Pat Turner pturner@eng.auburn.edu KB4GRZ@K4RY.AL.USA ------------------------------ From: jrd5@po.CWRU.Edu (Jacob R. Deglopper) Subject: Re: Radio Shack Pitches Cellular 911 Reply-To: jrd5@po.CWRU.Edu (Jacob R. Deglopper) Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA) Date: Sat, 28 Sep 91 17:17:12 GMT In a previous article, miller@dg-rtp.dg.com (Mark T. Miller) says: > I just got the latest flyer and Radio Shack, and in light of recent > discussions here concerning cellular phones and 911, I had a chuckle > when I read "The Chaiman's Thoughts" column: > In fact, most 911 calls today originate from cellular > phones. > Moderator's Note: The Chicago Police Department would find that > comment about 'most 911 calls originate from cellular' to be most > interesting. I think the man is trying to sell cellular phones. PAT] As would I. It's just not true, at least in Maryland. Calls come mostly from homes, sometimes from businesses, and rarely from cellular. The police side may get more of the cellular traffic, but most of our accident reports come in via landline all the way. _/acob DeGlopper, EMT-A jrd5@po.cwru.edu ------------------------------ From: joel@wam.umd.edu (Joel M. Hoffman) Subject: Re: 1-800 and Eight Digits? Organization: University of Maryland at College Park Date: Sat, 28 Sep 1991 15:38:47 GMT In article nyte@milton.u.washington.edu (nyte) writes: > I have heard rumors of an eighth digit added to some 1800 numbers, ie > you have to dial 1800-xxx-xxxxX instead of 1800-xxx-xxxx to get > through. Can someone confirm or deny this rumor? Some touch-tone phone menus start off with ``please dial 1 to complete your call'' instead of ``if you are calling from a touch-tone phone please press one.'' They give the impression that the last digit 1 is part of the phone number. Perhaps that's the cause of the confusion? Joel (joel@wam.umd.edu) ------------------------------ From: David Lesher Subject: Origin of Term "Cheese Box" Date: Sat, 28 Sep 91 12:07:47 EDT Reply-To: wb8foz@mthvax.cs.miami.edu (David Lesher) Organization: NRK Clinic for habitual NetNews abusers See the book titled something along the lines of: Cheesebox - My Life in the Mob for the {auto}biography of the builder of the first cheesebox. It's a pretty good story. wb8foz@mthvax.cs.miami.edu ------------------------------ From: kaufman@Neon.Stanford.EDU (Marc T. Kaufman) Subject: Re: Call Forwarding Accessory Organization: CS Department, Stanford University, California, USA Date: 28 Sep 91 15:50:07 GMT julian%bongo.UUCP@nosc.mil (Julian Macassey) writes: > In the "old" days call forwarding required two lines and > "Cheese Box" to grab the one line and dial the other. There are still > versions of the old cheese box around. In these modern times, the > local CO (For a fee) can provide call forwarding. But telco call > forwarding although it does not require a second line has some > disadvantages. It is because of these disadvantages that many people > still use a second line and cheese box. > Here is a list of the disadvantages -- or features the telco > could provide and don't. > Can't turn it off or on remotely > Can't change call forwarding numbers remotely > Can't have it turn itself on automatically to a pre-programmed > number if the phone is unaswered. There is a Cheese Box on display at the FBI museum in Washington, D.C. In looks like the electronics were stuffed into a Cheese Box. (Velveeta?) They were used to prevent tracing of calls to betting offices. If the police found the address of the Cheese Box, the betting operation had time to pack up before the call-out number could be traced or looked up. Add to the list of disadvantages of the Telco call forwarding: The police can go directly to the forwarded phone. Note: The agent giving the museum tour showed the Cheese Box and said that gambling operations didn't need it anymore because of call forwarding. When I mentioned the above disadvantage, she gave me a very strange look -- almost as if they were trying to entice would-be crooks to use easily traced phones. Marc Kaufman (kaufman@Neon.stanford.edu) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Sep 91 13:19:59 EDT From: hsilbiger@attmail.att.com (Herman R Silbiger) Subject: Re: Telebit Modems and MCI Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories > As the person at Telebit explained it to me, AT&T seems to have the > least problems because they still have many old analog circuits in use > which don't require the use of these echo cancelers. Both MCI and > Sprint have a relatively new digital network, and are using various > types and quality echo cancellation devices. That can't be the reason, the AT&T network is almost totally digital today, only a few remote circuits still use analog transmission. Herman Silbiger ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Sep 91 01:55:00 PDT From: djcl@bnw.debe.fl.us (Dave Leibold) Subject: Re: Request for Call Progress Cadence Information Pace Willisson (pace@blitz.com) requested some information about various international characteristics of call progress cadences. A rather comprehensive list was contained in one of the CCITT books, such as the Blue Book series. I cannot place the exact volume where this was, but a series of diagrams was presented, representing the various international sytstems in use, how quickly the rings and busy signals were done and what frequencies were involved. As to where a set of CCITT books could be had, the only sources I know of would be from CCITT or ITU, likely Geneva, or the Department of Communications library in Ottawa, Canada. Engineering-related libraries may have this on hand, as possibly a few major city libraries or perhaps arrangement via a telephone company. djcl@bnw.debe.fl.us Dave Leibold - via FidoNet node 1:3609/1 UUCP: !bnw!djcl INTERNET: djcl@bnw.debe.fl.us ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #775 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa25194; 30 Sep 91 0:01 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA20973 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 29 Sep 1991 22:21:28 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA28237 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 29 Sep 1991 22:21:06 -0500 Date: Sun, 29 Sep 1991 22:21:06 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199109300321.AA28237@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #776 TELECOM Digest Mon, 30 Sep 91 03:20:47 GMT Volume 11 : Issue 776 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Easylink via Equal Access (Was Re: Exploring 950-1288) [Lawrence Domingo] Re: Area Codes 610 and 710 [Tom Knight] Re: 1-800 and Eight Digits? [Vance Shipley] Re: 1-800 and Eight Digits? [Andy Sherman] Re: 1-800 and Eight Digits? [Shih-ping S. Sun] Re: IBT Voice Mail Starts Here [Robert J. Woodhead] Re: Call Waiting - Modem Does NOT Hang Up (I Want it to!) [Dave Levenson] Re: ISDN on BBC [Michael G. Katzmann] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 29 Sep 91 16:12:30 hst From: Lawrence Domingo Subject: Easylink via Equal Access (Was Re: Exploring 950-1288) The discussion on 950-1288 being a "universal" access number for AT&T's PSDN reminds me of a discovery I made a few years back when I was still a high school student. At the time I was living in Kentucky. Equal access had just been put in in the area so I took it upon myself to seek out and find all the various long distance companies that I could now use via equal access. It was a somewhat rural area on the out- skirts of a medium size town, so beyond the big three (AT&T, MCI, Sprint) I found only about four alternative LD carriers. On night when I couldn't get to sleep I would spend hours on the phone punching in 1-0xxx-0# until I got an operator. When I got an operator, I knew I had found an LD carrier. So I would immediately hang up and dial 1-0xxx-1-700-555-4141 to see what LD carrier I had discovered. Alot of them were different access numbers for the same big three networks, perhaps private networks by AT&T, MCI, and Sprint for their big corporate or government contracts. But on some lucky nights I would discover totally obscure LD carriers such as Metro and Amerinet. Then one night I found Western Union to be offering LD service via 1-0375-1-xxx-yyy-zzzz. Nothing strange about it at the time. Calls were completed normally, I got a real Western Union LD oper- ator when I dialed 1-0375-0#, unlike other cheapie LD carrier that would simply forward that call to an AT&T operator or give you a recording saying "for operator assistance, please dial an AT&T operator at 1-0288-0". Long distance calls yielded an additional page on my regular phone bill. Western Union's oh-so-familiar logo was on the top left corner of that page with all their calls itemized normally. When I tried 1-0375-1-xxx-yyy-zzzz a year later, I got a computer carrier. I tried dialing 1-0375-0# and got the same computer carrier. Even 1-0375-1-700-555-4141 gave a computer carrier. No matter what number I dialed with equal access code 0375 got me a computer carrier. (Here in Hawaii where I live now, 1-0375-0# give me a recording, although all other 1-0375- calls get me the same computer carrier). Turns out that 1-0375-* is an access number for Western Union's Easylink information service. Connecting with the carrier delivers you to Easylink's logon prompt. I don't have an account on Easy- link so I don't know anything about connect costs or the like. I don't even know what Easylink is. Does 1-0375-* get you Easylink in other parts of the USA and/or Canada (does Canada have equal access???)? Is this a "sanctioned" method of accessing Easylink? ------------------------------ From: tk@wheat-chex.ai.mit.edu (Tom Knight) Subject: Re: Area Codes 610 and 710 Date: 30 Sep 91 02:22:35 GMT Organization: MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Here's a useless bit of trivia for you TWX fans. Back in the 60's, we had a TWX machine (710-xxx-xxxx), and wondered how the automatic four row to three row conversion was performed when calling from a `normal' number (three row telex) to a four row (TWX area code) machine. Normal calls from a POTS line to the TWX area code (and vice-versa) rang, but no voice could be heard because of the inserted translator. (actually, class of service problems had to be solved). We discovered that by calling the pseudo area codes 015, 016, 017, 018 and 019, we could reach the four row machines with intelligible voice. Presumably, calls from N10 codes were delivered to other N10 numbers as normal calls. Calls to N10 numbers from POTS numbers were instead sent to translation; the translator established a normal voice channel to 01N. Calls from N10 numbers to POTS numbers inserted translation. Class of service was used to prevent calls to N10 codes from normal POTS lines, but TWX machines could call any POTS number (or TWX number). For all I know, something like this might still be happening today, though I doubt it. Anyone know? ------------------------------ From: vances@xenitec.on.ca (Vance Shipley) Subject: Re: 1-800 and Eight Digits? Organization: SwitchView Inc. Date: Sun, 29 Sep 1991 17:32:08 GMT In article nyte@milton.u.washington.edu (nyte) writes: > I have heard rumors of an eighth digit added to some 1800 numbers, ie > you have to dial 1800-xxx-xxxxX instead of 1800-xxx-xxxx to get > through. Can someone confirm or deny this rumor? Numbers such as 1-800-NORTHERN (for Northern Telecom) are used sometimes even though the last digit is unneccesary. This is entirely to make it memorable and the last digit neither contributes to the routing of the call nor has any detrimental effect. Vance Shipley vances@xenitec vances@ltg ..uunet!watmath!xenitec!vances ------------------------------ From: andys@ulysses.att.com (Andy Sherman) Subject: Re: 1-800 and Eight Digits? Date: 29 Sep 91 21:51:12 GMT Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Murray Hill, NJ, USA In article joel@wam.umd.edu (Joel M. Hoffman) writes: > Some touch-tone phone menus start off with ``please dial 1 to complete > your call'' instead of ``if you are calling from a touch-tone phone > please press one.'' They give the impression that the last digit 1 is > part of the phone number. Perhaps that's the cause of the confusion? Now comes the really interesting part. On my office desk is an ISDN phone with a digital display. Besides the ANI stuff, or the outgoing phone number, it displays a running timer that begins when the called number does answer supervision. I have noticed that some DTMF menu systems don't supervise until *after* you make a selection. Andy Sherman/AT&T Bell Laboratories/Murray Hill, NJ AUDIBLE: (908) 582-5928 READABLE: andys@ulysses.att.com or att!ulysses!andys What? Me speak for AT&T? You must be joking! ------------------------------ From: Shih-ping S. Sun Date: Sun, 29 Sep 91 20:03:01 EDT Subject: Re: 1-800 and Eight Digits? Organization: Princeton Class of '94 In article , nyte@milton.u.washington.edu (nyte) writes: > I have heard rumors of an eighth digit added to some 1800 numbers, ie > you have to dial 1800-xxx-xxxxX instead of 1800-xxx-xxxx to get > through. Can someone confirm or deny this rumor > [Moderator's Note: I am aware of no telephone company in the USA which > pays any attention whatsoever to any digits entered after the eleventh > on a domestic long distance call, 800 or otherwise. MCI does have > this bogus system for residential 800 where you dial eleven digits, > wait until MCI answers and enter four more digits, if that is what you > meant, but I don't think it was. PAT] I think he may have been referring to companies which cleverly choose 800 numbers with digits whose letters spell out their names. Some companies come up with eight-digit representations that would look stupid if truncated to seventh digits so they keep the eighth digit just to make the word look nice (I can't think of an example but I know I saw an advertisement in a magazine a few days ago). I would assume that you actually only have to dial the first seven digits (After the 1-800 of course) to complete the call, but you're free to dial the superfluous digit if it turns you on :-) S. Spencer Sun - Princeton Univ. '94 - shihsun@phoenix.princeton.edu WWIVnet #1 @6913: The Corner Pocket 609/258-8647 (HST/v.32bis, 38.4k) ------------------------------ From: trebor@foretune.co.jp (Robert J Woodhead) Subject: Re: IBT Voice Mail Starts Here Organization: Foretune Co., Ltd. Date: Sun, 29 Sep 1991 02:23:26 GMT In a recent article, I describe a method wherein a band of roaming phreaks could map out the entire address space of Ameritech's voicemail system. Pat made some interesting comments. > [Moderator's Note: What you describe is very interesting, but I do not > think it is realistic. Imagine all those quarters; all those pay > phones; and a phreak wandering around endlessly from one phone to the > next, notepad in hand writing down the results. My example was exaggerated for dramatic purpose, but consider. If the actual code numbers are five digits, and they have 10% of the code numbers assigned, and you can hack two numbers a call, it will take you five calls ($1.25) to hack _somebody's_ mailbox, on average. Even if the code numbers are six digits, the cost is a mere $12.50, a very low barrier to entry. And thats assuming our phreak needs to pay for the calls (grin). A low price to pay for an evenings entertainment, and who knows, you might get lucky and hack the mayor! Given that it will cost Ameritech a lot more than that to deal with the customer complaint that may eventually be generated, it seems to be in their interest to make it more secure. > In the case of Centel, > the passwords are four digits, but you have to land on the right DID > number first, *then* try your ten thousand different possible codes. > If the phreak did select a certain DID number to hack on, you don't > think telco would notice one 'customer' having that many problems > getting his password correct? I am laboring under the burden of limited information here, but what you are saying is that each customer has a different number to call (but maybe in the same exchange), correct? First of all, is this assumption true? If we assume that it is, then the security of the system is equivalent to about eight digits of password (four for the phone number in the exchange, four for the actual password). Note that this is 100-1000 times as secure as Ameritech, and because the password is a seperate entity, it does, as you say, have improved attack detection qualities. Although there are ways to mount attacks to obtain _a_ voicemail code (as opposed to _the_ one associated with a particualr phonenumber) that would stand a good chance of not raising flags, the extra security of this system renders them un- economic at around $1,250.00 (lots of change) and 5000 phone calls per "hit." > Anything could happen, but this scenario seems unlikely. Phreaks > will always be around, regardless of how good the security is. PAT] My point was, in the Ameritech system, the _cost_ of a dedicated attack to obtain a map of the address space was low, and it's attack detection qualities were also low. It is far less secure than the other system; at best, 100 times less secure. If the 6th digit is a check digit, anyone who really wants a particular persons voicemail box can get it for around $15,000. Lets say you want to get dirt on the mayor. Small price to pay to help "your" candidate. And along the way, you might find the home voicemail box of the president of Ameritech - wouldn't that be useful? Not to mention the kind of inside info you could pick up around the commodities markets. Robert J. Woodhead, Biar Games / AnimEigo, Incs. trebor@foretune.co.jp [Moderator's Note: Centel (Central Telephone of Illinois) gives each user a distinct seven digit DID number for their box. The subscriber can forward to this number or dial it direct. He cannot get from his box to any other box on the system without disconnecting and making a new call. The command to eXit your box and eXit to the top menu to select another box was discontinued on purpose. There is no general number to call and select the desired box or insert a password, etc. Ameritech on the other hand refuses to reveal the seven digit number to access the box direct (they forward the call over a circuit without a dialable number.) But, you can call any number you like which you know terminates in the machine. PAT] ------------------------------ From: dave@westmark.WESTMARK.COM (Dave Levenson) Subject: Re: Call Waiting - Modem Does NOT Hang Up (I Want it to!) Date: 29 Sep 91 03:34:11 GMT Organization: Westmark, Inc., Warren, NJ, USA In article , splee@gnu.ai.mit.edu writes: [ describing the interaction between call-waiting and a modem ] > My modem can disconnect on a break in loop current, but apparently > SNET doesn't break the line momentarily. They just superimpose the > tone on the line. Is this the more common scheme? Or is a line break > followed by a tone more common? The interruption of the loop current is common on the 1-ESS and 1A-ESS analog central offices. The newer central office switches, such as the 5ESS, use time-division switching and do not interrupt the loop current when they apply call-waiting tone. This will probably become very common. Additionally, some subscriber loop carrier systems lose the DC component of the loop somewhere between the CO and the subscriber. They supply local DC, but don't interrupt it even if the CO does. Dave Levenson Internet: dave@westmark.com Westmark, Inc. UUCP: {uunet | rutgers | att}!westmark!dave Warren, NJ, USA AT&T Mail: !westmark!dave Voice: 908 647 0900 Fax: 908 647 6857 ------------------------------ From: vk2bea!michael@uunet.uu.net (Michael G. Katzmann) Subject: Re: ISDN on BBC Date: 28 Sep 91 22:04:42 GMT Reply-To: vk2bea!michael@uunet.uu.net (Michael G. Katzmann) Organization: Broadcast Sports Technology, Crofton. Maryland. In article John Higdon writes: > hhallika@nike.calpoly.edu (Harold Hallikainen) writes: >> These compression schemes are also proposed for digital audio >> broadcasting, which will attempt to give "CD quality" without using CD >> data rates. > Having heard most of these schemes, I can say without reservation that > they do not work. I have heard the BBCs NICAM system and it DOES work! The difference between the companding for telephony and the NICAM system for broadcasting is that NICAM (Near Instantaneous CompANding) has a fixed scaling for each block of samples. It works (more or less) as follows: A waveform is sampled at 16 bits, A block, say 50 ms, is stored and analysed to find the highest amplitude samples. A header is sent containing the scaling factor, which is the position of the most significant bit in the largest sample. Then the 10 bits of each sample are sent. So say the largest sample was 0000100110011001, Then the header might have the "shift right" factor of 4 and for this sample the 10 bits would be 1001100110. Since in a linear system like a CD, you are always sampling for the worst case (i.e. loudest signal), for most of the time you don't get the benefits of 16 bit sampling. As the signal amplitude decreases the signal to quantising noise increases, where as with NICAM it is constant. With loud sounds you dont hear the quantising noise because it is masked out by the signal. The TV system in the UK has the benefit of 6MHz channel spacing which allows them to have an extra subcarrier with digital sound. When I was last there, the system was still experimental but by now it may be in operation. > (such as with a symphony orchestra reaching crescendo), the > reproduction sounds more and more as if it were being fed through an > Audimax and Volumax. These were augmented in the 1980's by the "Optimod", whose purpose was (at the TV station I worked at) to give the commercials punch. (TV stations are run my Sales and Marketing types!) > Digital audio compression is fine for use in telecommunications, but > let us keep it out of the world of quality audio reproduction. Please. If you have the bandwidth to WASTE then you don't have to do anything intelligent, but if you want to save bandwidth (which means money) companding can to the job just fine. Just imagine if we rejected Frequency Division Multiplexing because we had to bandlimit the signal. I can remember when the capacity of International circuits were such that you had to book a call days in advance! Michael Katzmann Broadcast Sports Technology Inc. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Crofton, Maryland. U.S.A Amteur Radio Stations: NV3Z / VK2BEA / G4NYV opel!vk2bea!michael@uunet.uu.net ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #776 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa17037; 30 Sep 91 8:51 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA11652 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Mon, 30 Sep 1991 07:17:44 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA06139 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Mon, 30 Sep 1991 07:17:26 -0500 Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1991 07:17:26 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199109301217.AA06139@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #777 TELECOM Digest Mon, 30 Sep 91 12:17:23 GMT Volume 11 : Issue 777 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Deadbeat Runs up City Hall Phone Bill [TELECOM Moderator] Toll Free / Tolled List [TELECOM Moderator] Feasting on Crow [John Higdon] Re: Where to Get *Good* Tools? [Patton M. Turner] Re: University Telephone Systems [Shih-ping S. Sun] Re: McCaw Cellular Announces Integration of Cell Systems [Charles Buckley] Re: Sprint FONCARD vs. AT&T Calling Card [John R. Levine] Re: ISDN on BBC [Bob Izenberg] Re: ISDN on BBC [John Higdon] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 29 Sep 1991 22:50:33 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Subject: Deadbeat Runs up City Hall Phone Bill Chicago resident Sally Goss Johnson worked for the late Mayor Harold Washington, and she left the city's employment in one of the periodic uproars among the crowd in Chicago's City Hall while the former mayor was in office. But she 'forgot' to turn in her telephone calling cards when she was relieved of her duties, and since that time she has let her fingers do the walking on the city's tab ... all the way to Zimbabwe and a few other exotic places. According to a lawsuit filed against her a couple months ago by the City of Chicago Municipal Corporation, Johnson charged some $12,019 in fraud calls to the city-issued calling card for more than a year after she left her employment as a public servant. About one-third of the charges were for calls to foreign countries. More than 100 calls were placed to Zimbabwe in a year, including a single call of 299 minutes which cost $245, according to phone records. "I think the call was never disconnected. No one could talk that long," Johnson said, adding that she could not remember who she called, or why. Johnson headed the Mayor's Office of Inquiry and Information during Mayor Washington's first term, but left after his 1987 re-election. She said the decision to leave her $56,000-a-year post was "mutual and amicable". While working for Mayor Washington, she said she tried to establish a sister city relationship in Africa and later sought to establish an African maternity center in honor of the mayor. She traveled to Africa several times during her employment. "I thought they at least could pay the phone bill," Johnson said. "I couldn't afford to do it myself." In the suit filed, the city claims three calling cards had been issued to Johnson and two other staffers in her office. The city accused Johnson of secretly keeping and using all three cards for herself and "for the benefit of third persons whose identity is not yet known." Andrea Swearingen, legal department spokesperson for the city said that Johnson is responsible for " ... all the fraud calls on those cards, although we may not be able to pinpoint who actually made the calls ...". Telephone records subpoened list hundreds of calls which were made from or placed to at least 27 states and the District of Columbia. But Johnson claimed she is sure the calls "are not all mine." The city has settled its suit against Johnson for $9000 to save the cost of expensive, protracted litigation according to Swearingen. However Johnson has now filed for protection from her creditors in Bankruptcy Court under Chapter 13, her attorney said. The $9000 she owes the city in the settlement is listed as an unsecured debt. Johnson said she intends to pay it. PAT ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Sep 1991 22:56:15 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Subject: Toll Free / Tolled List David Leibold has updated this file, and the new version is now in the Telecom Archives. It discusses how 'toll free' calls are numbered in various countries around the world. Pick up your copy the next time you are using the archives. Thanks, David! Patrick Townson ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Sep 91 21:38 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Feasting on Crow A number of TELECOM Digest readers have faxed pages from various telephone directories that have a reference to '1' and 'toll' in the same sentence. In several cases I saw a denotation that users were directed to dial '1' to make "toll calls". I stand corrected. However, I must add that I was surprised to see telcos (who should know better) pushing and perpetuating this misleading association. Yes, misleading since there is absolutely no standard for this on a nationwide basis. In some places there is no '1' at all. In others, a '1' only means that an area code is to follow, possibly even for a local call. The purpose and meaning of the prefix '1' is varied and diverse. While I was indeed mistaken that there was no official instruction relating to its use for "toll calls", this documentation does not increase the validity for this interpretation or belief. It may describe a local standard or philosophy for the prefix, but can under no circumstances be considered evidence of a universally defined practice. Ummm. Tastes a little like roast duck. My thanks to those who took the trouble to fax material to me. There were others who simply wrote e-mail, restating their position over and over again offering nothing other than their opinions. We ALL have opinions. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Sep 91 17:04:41 CDT From: Patton M. Turner Subject: Re: Where to Get *Good* Tools? Marc Unangst writes: > I've decided that it's finally time to get some good tools, but I'm > unsure on what brands to get/places to get them. From talking to some > experienced technicians, I've gathered the Xcelite screwdrivers are > the "top of the line", but what about other things (diagonal cutters, > needle-nose pliers, etc.). Note that I'll mostly be doing work on PC > clones and peripherals, if it matters. > Also, I've picked up catalogs from Time Motion Tools and the > SPECIALIZED Products Co. Specialized seems to be substantially > cheaper on most of the stuff I'm looking at; however, any other > suggestions on where to look? I haven't done business with Time Motion, although I do get their catalogs. SPC is a good company to deal with. Two other companies to check out are Jensen and Techni-tool. Jensen is a lot like SPC, but has more hand tools. Techni-tool sells to production electronics/ microelectronics companies as well as the datacomm and computer industry, and has some stuff I haven't seen elsewhere. Jensen's sister company Direct Safety, is also easy to deal with if you ever need any safety gear. As far as brands go I don't think Xcelite is any better than Klein, Vaco, Snap-On, Craftsman, etc. Like most Outside Plant people, I like Klein. Their D213-9NE or D2000-9NE lineman's pliers are the best made. Snap-on probably isn't worth the cost for your application, but they do offer a good selection of tamper-proof tools. I had to get a 3/4" hex bit from them one time and drill it out to open a MCI handhole with a tamperproof bolt. All the companies offer a series of miniature/electronics tools. Xcelite does make a stubby screwdriver with interchangeable 1/4"/#1 Phillips blades on one end and a 1/4" nut driver on the other, all less than 5" long. It's great for working on computers. If you need a modular crimp tool, try to find one of the Taiwan imports with the pivot point at the top of the frame. They work as well as the $100 tools, IMHO. MCM sells one for RJ-45's, but not for RJ-11/12/14's. All the imported tools with the pivot point in the center that I have seen are junk, IMHO. The imported crimp tools for solderless connectors also work well. Other than this, I would avoid tools from China, Taiwan and Korea. Don't expect to find too much of a variation in prices among the major suppliers. I just bought a Fluke 87 DMM. I checked with several companies before ordering and they all had the same price on the meter and test leads. Hope this helps. Jensen Tools Techni-tool 7815 S 46th St 5 Apollo Rd, Box 368 Pheonix, AZ 85044-5399 Plymouth, PA 19462 602 968 6231 215 941 2400 Make sure Jensen sends you the master catalog, not a supplement. I have no connection with any suppliers of anything telecom-related, nor with Auburn University ETV/telecommunications. Pat Turner pturner@eng.auburn.edu KB4GRZ @ K4RY.AL.USA.NOAM ------------------------------ From: Shih-ping S. Sun Date: Sun, 29 Sep 91 19:57:55 EDT Subject: Re: University Telephone Systems Organization: Princeton Class of '94 In article , kadie@herodotus.cs.uiuc.edu (Carl M. Kadie) writes: > I was told that the FCC recently ruled that, for some purposes, a > university telephone system is considered public. For example, the > university can not block access to 1-800 numbers. > Is this true? Can anyone supply a reference? > This question is academic; here at the U. of Illinois we've always > been able to access 1-800 numbers and use calling cards. Here at Princeton we can dial 800 numbers freely, but I'm not sure if this is by their choice or if they are forced to. I do know that we have these pain-in-the-ass Personal Authorization Codes (PACs), one for each person, so that roommates can make LD calls on the same line yet receive personal, separate, itemized bills. This is extremely annoying because it means you have to dial seven extra digits after every call that involves a charge, including information. Further, you MUST enter your PAC to make a credit card or collect call, because the operators don't see YOUR phone line, they see the University's trunk lines, so there's no way for the University to figure out who to bill the call to (they didn't figure this out for about a month after they installed this new PAC business last year). So to make a credit card call you have to dial 9-0-###-###-#### followed by the seven digits of your PAC, then wait for the tone, then dial the 14 digits of your credit card number for a whopping 26 digits, and this is just in the United States. Imagine international calls. S. Spencer Sun - Princeton Univ. '94 - shihsun@phoenix.princeton.edu WWIVnet #1 @6913: The Corner Pocket 609/258-8647 (HST/v.32bis, 38.4k) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Sep 91 20:28:25 PDT From: ceb@Csli.Stanford.EDU (Charles Buckley) Subject: Re: McCaw Cellular Announces Integration of Cell systems In article , DREUBEN@EAGLE.WESLEYAN.EDU (Douglas Scott Reuben) writes: > Recently, it was mentioned that NYNEX/Boston (NYNEX/New England) > customers could now roam into other "B"/wireline markets, and not > incur a charge for activating Follow Me Roaming (*18). One better. I read in the {Salt Lake Tribune} (I think) on Thursday that McCaw Cellular will be integrating all of its service areas in six of the states surrounding Utah so that no only is roaming among them now free, but you don't have to manually activate roaming - it finds you automatically. It's about time. The provider satrapy system in use here is needlessly complex. McCaw expressed an intention to build a unified national system, and I wish them luck. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Sprint FONCARD vs. AT&T Calling Card Organization: I.E.C.C. Date: 29 Sep 91 23:55:36 EDT (Sun) From: johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us (John R. Levine) In article you write: > 1. We never encountered a situation where we could not use the Sprint > FONCARD 800 number, whereas we've frequently been blocked from access > to AT&T. A small note in the paper last week reported that, along with a bunch of other reforms directed at COCOTs and hotel switchboards, the FCC has ordered all long distance companies to provide 950 or 800 access numbers. This only affects AT&T, since all the rest already have them. Nobody has ever been able to present a rational reason for AT&T's reluctance, other than perhaps a desire to be distinguished from everyone else. Maybe they'll use 800-872-2881, the number they use for USA Direct in the Caribbean. > 2. We could call anywhere at Sprint LD rates, whereas Calling Card > calls that are "Intra-LATA" (is that right?) get charged on the US > West page of our phone bill, complete with AZ state tax -- even on > calls made while on vacation in Massachusetts, for example. In many states, intra-LATA calls are a monopoly of the local phone company and long distance companies are not supposed to complete such calls. (This doesn't seem to be a very high-priority enforcement item, though.) In areas where intra-LATA competition is permitted, you can probably get AT&T by 10288-0-number, but you will almost always find that they charge the same rate as the local telco. The AZ tax may be a billing glitch by the local telco, you might call them and complain. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us, {spdcc|ima|world}!iecc!johnl ------------------------------ From: bei@dogface.austin.tx.us (Bob Izenberg) Subject: Re: ISDN on BBC Date: Sun, 29 Sep 91 23:45:11 CDT In Issue 776, Michael G. Katzmann wrote > These were augmented in the 1980's by the "Optimod", whose purpose was > (at the TV station I worked at) to give the commercials punch. (TV > stations are run my Sales and Marketing types!) I've seen a few Chief Engineers and Program Directors push for Optimods, too, at least in FM radio. The Optimod-FM and Optimod-TVs that I remember had some complex noise reduction gates that were supposed to yield a quieter signal. Speaking of heavy signal processing, I remember going to a New York SBE meeting and getting a tour of Andy Alford's multiplexor antenna. It was supposed to be element-failure tolerant, so that Station A's segment could fail and the other stations on the antenna would stay on the air. It was quite cool at the top of the skyscraper that the antenna is in. Yet some station's segments of the multiplexor had common household fans aimed at their exposed innards. Each of the stations with a fan punched up the bass and used companding. It was amusing to watch a VU meter measure their audio level: Never more than a 4db change in amplitude. (PPM metering told a much different story, however.) Bob ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Sep 91 22:50 PDT From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Subject: Re: ISDN on BBC vk2bea!michael@uunet.uu.net (Michael G. Katzmann) writes: > I have heard the BBCs NICAM system and it DOES work! I have not heard this system and will take your word for it. It would seem to correct one of the most glaring faults of the CD system, which records a logarithmic phenomenon in a linear fashion. This, as you point out, wastes an awful lot of bandwidth. But after reconsidering my comments concerning compression techniques, I recalled that the schemes I have heard lately in telephony are hardly anything to write home about as well. The ones I am talking about attempt to inject a voice channel into a 9600 bps (or slower!) stream. These sound atrocious. If this is the future of cellular telephony, count me out as a customer. And a final note about DAB: due to the desire to be "the loudest station on the dial", most stations clip and compress the audio on the current AM and FM bands to the point of unlistenability. The FM band, for instance, could sound much better than it does, and demonstrations of DAB vs FM broadcasting are completely invalid as a result. Furthermore, once DAB is begun, what will stop these "square wave merchants" from processing the hell (digitally, of course) out of the signal to, once again, be the loudest station on the dial? Yes, this would be compression to achieve loudness, not to save bandwidth. Then we could have digital garbage provided by the same people who have, for many years, faithfully brought us analog garbage. John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #777 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa23443; 1 Oct 91 0:27 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA00401 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Mon, 30 Sep 1991 22:34:21 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA25176 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Mon, 30 Sep 1991 22:34:04 -0500 Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1991 22:34:04 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199110010334.AA25176@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #778 TELECOM Digest Tue, 1 Oct 91 03:33:58 GMT Volume 11 : Issue 778 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Online EIA568 Standards Listing [Alan Boritz] Re: IBT Voice Mail Starts Here [Robert L. McMillin] Re: IBT Voice Mail Starts Here [Steve Spearman] Information Wanted on SMDR Ports [Jeffrey P. Bakke] Phone Handset Spec's Wanted [Jon McCombie] Telco Which Charges in Six Second Increments [cadizht@csgrad.cs.vt.edu] ISDN Availability in IBT Land [Jon Sadler] Phone Hack Question [Edward Hamilton] Cost of Modern Phone Service [David Gast] Unethical Sprint Advertising [David Gast] Re: How Do You Explain the Numbering Plan To a Telecom-Illiterate [C Moore] Re: How Do You Explain the Numbering Plan To a Telecom-Illiterate [Mickey] Re: Sprint FONCARD vs. AT&T Calling Card [Joel M. Hoffman] Re: GTE Screwups in NW Ohio [Mickey Ferguson] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 29 Sep 91 18:46:50 mst From: Alan.Boritz@f306.n269.z1.fidonet.org (Alan Boritz) Subject: Online EIA568 Standards Listing In an article Gary White wrote: > Does anybody know if there is an Internet-accessible site with documents > like the EIA-568 Spec? This is for Commercial Building Telecom Wiring. You can find a much more detailed spec for inside and outside building telecom cabling in the BICSI Telecommunications Distribution Methods Manual. I found it invaluable for fire-stopping and manhole entrance specs. You can get more information from: Publications Group GTE TestMark Laboratories 3050 Harrodsburg Road Lexington, KY 40503 1-606-224-1144 Hopefully, I will some day work for an employer who will send me to the BICSI seminars so I can pick up my updated copy in person... :-) Alan Boritz alan.boritz@hourglas.fidonet.org Uucp: ...{gatech,ames,rutgers}!ncar!asuvax!stjhmc!269!306!Alan.Boritz Internet: Alan.Boritz@f306.n269.z1.fidonet.org ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Sep 91 09:20:13 PDT From: rlm@ms_aspen.hac.com (Robert L. McMillin) Subject: Re: IBT Voice Mail Starts Here Robert J Woodhead writes about hacking attacks on voicemail: > My point was, in the Ameritech system, the _cost_ of a dedicated > attack to obtain a map of the address space was low, and it's attack > detection qualities were also low. It is far less secure than the > other system; at best, 100 times less secure. If the 6th digit is a > check digit, anyone who really wants a particular persons voicemail > box can get it for around $15,000. Lets say you want to get dirt on > the mayor. Small price to pay to help "your" candidate. Wouldn't it be easier to simply pay off somebody at the telephone company to get that information? $15,000 is a large amount of money to somebody making $30,000 per year. [Moderator's Note: Yes, but that would take all the fun out of it for the kiddies. PAT] ------------------------------ From: spear@druco.ATT.COM (SpearmanS) Subject: Re: IBT Voice Mail Starts Here Date: 30 Sep 91 13:46:43 GMT In article , trebor@foretune.co.jp (Robert J Woodhead) says: (discusses using pay phones to try all password combinations on a voice mail system) > My point was, in the Ameritech system, the _cost_ of a dedicated > attack to obtain a map of the address space was low, and it's attack > detection qualities were also low. It is far less secure than the > other system; at best, 100 times less secure. If the 6th digit is a > check digit, anyone who really wants a particular persons voicemail > box can get it for around $15,000. One point here -- many voice mail systems have intrusion detection systems of their own which will not allow indefinite attempts to break into a particular mailbox. Typically, the system will disable access and notify an administrator if it detects too many invalid attempts to access a particular mailbox. Steve Spearman spear@druco.att.com ------------------------------ From: plains!bakke@uunet.uu.net (Jeffrey P. Bakke) Subject: Information Wanted on SMDR Ports Date: 30 Sep 91 14:10:16 GMT Organization: North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND I'm currently looking for some good pointers as to locating some information on the data that a SMDR port on a local in-house telephone exchange transmits. The SMDR port, seems to be a standard rs-232 port the contains telephone call information regarding outgoing and incoming trunk calls. Where would I start looking around for information on how to interpret this information? Is there a standard data format for this port described somewhere? Any and all pointers, tips and directions would be appreciated. Jeffrey P. Bakke bakke@plains.NoDak.edu (...other idiot methods...) UUCP : ...!uunet!plains!bakke BITNET : bakke@plains.bitnet ------------------------------ From: jmccombi@bbn.com (Jon McCombie) Subject: Phone Handset Spec's Wanted Date: 30 Sep 91 15:26:56 GMT Reply-To: jmccombi@bbn.com (Jon McCombie) Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc., Cambridge MA I have acquired a Radio Shack headset which replaces the handset of a telephone. One unplugs the cord from the phone handset, plugs the cord into the device, puts the headset/boom mic on one's head, and one has hands-free operation. The device itself is battery-operated and amplifies the signal from the phone by a user-variable amount. The output from the microphone appears to not be amplified. I would like to adapt this device to Amateur Radio operation. To do this, I need two pieces of information: What are the "pinouts" of the device? (i.e., when I plug in an RJ-11 plug into the device and get red/green/black/yellow wires out, which are mic/voice out and which are earpiece/voice in from the phone?). If there is no standard way, how can I determine which wires are which? What are the impedances of the earpiece and microphone? Please respond directly to me via e-mail, as I do not read this group. (I am posting here at the suggestion of a rec.radio.amateur.misc reader, who thought this group might be able to give me an accurate answer.) Thanks in advance, Jon McCombie N1ILZ jmccombie@bbn.com OR {harvard, others}!bbn!jmccombie ------------------------------ From: cadizht@csgrad.cs.vt.edu Subject: Telco Wanted Which Charges in Six Second Increments Date: 30 Sep 91 15:57:12 GMT Organization: VPI&SU Computer Science Department, Blacksburg, VA Any help would be greatly appreciated. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Sep 91 12:46:32 CDT From: sadler@i88.isc.com (Jon Sadler) Subject: ISDN Availability in IBT-Land With John Higdon mentioning how, in Pac*Bell territory, ISDN is being used to pitch potential Centrex customers, I figured I'd check into the availability of and rates for ISDN in my community. ISDN service requires that the local switch already have ISDN software loaded. I was told that there were three rate categories, based on the location where ISDN service is to be installed. Rate A is for the Chicago-Loop area, Rate B is for the rest of the City of Chicago, and the first collar communities, Rate C is for the remainder communities in Cook County, and the rest of the state. Rate A is cheaper than Rate B. Rate C is the most costly. I only have figures for using 1B for voice, and 1B for switched data for a residential installation in a Rate C location. DISCLAIMER: These figures were provided as a result of my inquiry. Since I have not had ISDN installed (see why below), these figures may vary. Charges: Installation for 1B voice, 1B switched data, 1D $ 94.50+t/m Monthly Line charge $ 21.50 1B set (voice) charge $ 3.00 1B switched data charge $ 8.00 Packet on D $ 6.50 --------- Total $ 39.00/mo Usage Voice -- same rates as residential analog voice, complete with banding Data Switched B Rates within Lata, no peak/off-peak differential, no banding (!) 1st minute : $0.12 additional 10sec: $0.01 Packet on D within Lata Day rate : $0.12/Ksegment (about 16KBytes?) Night rate: $0.08/Ksegment My specific case: Fortunately, BELL Labs is right out my back door (in Naperville,IL) causing early loading of ISDN into the Wheaton,IL CO. IBT provided free qualification of my current local loop. Unfortunately, my loop didn't pass (!), even though I live <3.5 miles from the CO. IBT told me that my loop had 52.07db loss, with 32db loss being the maximum that they can provide a BRI over. It also should be noted that switched B data access allows you to call other switched B data endpoints, as well as switched 56 endpoints. The rep said that Long Distance ISDN calls are possible. If you have any questions regarding IBT's ISDN-Direct, call IBT's Data Marketing Group at 800-624-7888. The gal that I spoke with didn't have much technical training, deferring answers to most of my questions for when she called back. Now, my request: Does anyone know how to get a different/better local loop so that I fall within the 32db loss requirement? Any help would be appreciated. Jonathan Sadler Interactive Systems Corp (formerly Lachman Associates) sadler@i88.isc.com 1901 North Naper Blvd., Naperville, IL 60540 sadler@cs.wisc.edu (800) 524-8649 x379 In IL: (708) 505-9100 x379 ------------------------------ From: eshamilton@lbl.gov Subject: Phone Hack Question Reply-To: ned@neds.lbl.gov (edward hamilton) Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Date: Mon, 30 Sep 91 19:35:50 GMT The ham radio conference said maybe someone here could answer a question: I have a boom mike and headset that I use for ham radio. I'd like to be able to switch to answer the phone using the mike and headset. The mike is electret element with impedance of 600 ohms and the earpiece is 8 ohms. Will the following work: Across the tip/ring I put a 1.2K resistor in series with a 1000 ohm, 1:1 transformer. Feed the mike output to the secondary of the transformer. Across the primary of the 1:1, I put a second 1000 ohm to 8 ohm transformer. Feed the earpiece on my headset with the 8 ohm secondary. Additionally, I could put an IC amp between mike and 1:1 transformer if the electret mike's output isn't strong enough. And/or another IC amp on the secondary of the 1000:8 if the earpiece needs more volume. Thanks for any help. Ned Hamilton AB6FI eshamilton@lbl.gov ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Sep 91 17:50:49 -0700 From: gast@CS.UCLA.EDU (David Gast) Subject: Cost of Modern Phone Service The WSJ article about the NY AT&T phone outage a couple weeks ago said: > AT&T's spokesman said the company has spent $18 billion > modernizing its network in the last seven years $18 billion sounds like a lot, but let's see how much it is. $18 billion divided by 7 years is about $2.6 billion per year. $2.6 billion divided by the population (approximately 250 million) is approximately $10 per person per year. Not a great amount given what we pay for phone service. BTW, I did not include any business customers in 250 million even though much of upgrade was done for their benefit, not the residential customer. If I had included them, then it would be at most $5 per customer per year. David ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Sep 91 18:03:28 -0700 From: gast@CS.UCLA.EDU (David Gast) Subject: Unethical Sprint Advertising Well, it's that time of year again when the Freshmen come to campus and the vultures descend. The IXCs are always here. While I could write a long article about all the unethical advertising going on, I won't. For example, a large, well known telco advertises students rates when those rates are no lower than their standard rates. Anyway, Sprint has had two ads recently. The first encourages people to make free calls. I am sure that there are readers of this Digest who know how to make free calls on Sprint. Now you have an invitation. :-) The fine print suggests you call collect. Not exactly a free call. The other ad actually encourages illegal behavior. Probably not a federal offense, but plagarism can get one kicked out of school. The ad essentially provides an algorithm for writing a book review without reading the book. (I think they don't know much about college). Anyway, they suggest buying Cliff notes, then cutting and pasting, and making a copy of the result to turn in. They even state that no typing is necessary. Perhaps there are imagined smileys all over the place, but I don't see the humor in urging unethical and illegal behavior and then trying to prosecute people when they do the same thing to you. Perhaps their next ad should combine these two ads. "Plagerize so you will have more time to phreak and make free phone calls." Why couldn't Sprint urge some ethics instead? David [Moderator's Note: Why couldn't they? Well, they could, but you have to remember the early years of the OCC's; the way they lied to their early customers about the costs per call; the way they neglected to mention the lack of connect supervision and how they compensated for it; indeed, the fraudulent application MCI filed with the Illinois Commerce Commission back in the sixties to get authority for their first service from Chicago to St. Louis. What you are suggesting was never part of the game plan in the past, and it isn't now. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Sep 91 9:32:14 EDT From: Carl Moore (VLD/VMB) Subject: Re: How Do You Explain the Numbering Plan To a Telecom-Illiterate? Dialing 215-something and getting your office in Point Richmond, CA instead of somewhere in area 215 in Pa.? "1 before area code" has been in 415 since around 1989, not "all of a sudden" now; some of these people still don't know about "1 before area code"? ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Sep 91 11:01:16 PDT From: "Mickey Ferguson" Subject: Re: How Do You Explain the Numbering Plan To a Telecom-Illiterate? One point I felt was necessary to make is that it isn't the fault of the PBX (in this case, Rolm, but it could be any of them) that numbers like 708-518 aren't accepted. The problem lies with the customer's telecom management, who haven't taken the necessary actions to add in the new configuration information to allow that numbering plan. The PBX will only permit what it is configured to allow. I know that no one was placing the blame on any particular PBX vendor, but I still wanted to clarify the situation. I feel so much better now that I have that off my chest... :) Mickey Ferguson Rolm Systems fergusom@scrvm2.vnet.ibm.com [Moderator's Note: As I have noted in the past, some people managing telephone systems have as much business doing so as I have performing brain surgery. :( PAT] ------------------------------ From: joel@wam.umd.edu (Joel M. Hoffman) Subject: Re: Sprint FONCARD vs. AT&T Calling Card Organization: University of Maryland, College Park Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1991 14:22:34 GMT In article johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us (John R. Levine) writes: > In article you write: > A small note in the paper last week reported that, along with a bunch > of other reforms directed at COCOTs and hotel switchboards, the FCC > has ordered all long distance companies to provide 950 or 800 access > numbers. This only affects AT&T, since all the rest already have > them. Nobody has ever been able to present a rational reason for > AT&T's reluctance, other than perhaps a desire to be distinguished > from everyone else. [...] I suspect AT&T is trying to promote the idea that they are THE long-distance phone company, the one that you automatically get when you pick up a phone (as they indeed used to be). To dial an 800 number to get AT&T obviously isn't consistant with this image. Joel ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Sep 91 11:15:31 PDT From: fergusom@scrvm2.vnet.ibm.com (Mickey Ferguson) Subject: Re: GTE Screwups in NW Ohio Organization: Rolm Systems You may want to refer back to my posting in TELECOM Digest V11 #666 on this subject. My parents had tone dialing for a few years before GTE went to a new electronic switch, and had to give it up or pay for it. There was no attempt for any retroactive billing, however. Mickey Ferguson Rolm Systems fergusom@scrvm2.vnet.ibm.com ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #778 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa25512; 1 Oct 91 1:33 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA26877 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Mon, 30 Sep 1991 23:26:21 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA07296 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Mon, 30 Sep 1991 23:26:07 -0500 Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1991 23:26:07 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199110010426.AA07296@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #779 TELECOM Digest Tue, 1 Oct 91 04:25:50 GMT Volume 11 : Issue 779 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: University Telephone Systems [Gabe M. Wiener] Re: University Telephone Systems [John Holman] Re: University Telephone Systems [Kath Mullholand] Re: ISDN on BBC [Harold Hallikainen] Re: High-Rate 06-Numbers in Netherlands - 900 Scams Also Here [Marcel Kat] Re: 1-800 and Eight Digits? [Jack Dominey] Re: Useful and Cheap [Bud Couch] Re: Sprint FONCARD vs. AT&T Calling Card [Daniel Herrick] Re: Computer Based Caller ID [Julian Macassey] Information Wanted on Portable Satellite Phones [Alan TC Penn] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Gabe M Wiener) Subject: Re: University Telephone Systems Reply-To: gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu (Gabe M Wiener) Organization: Columbia University Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1991 16:30:11 GMT In article shihsun@phoenix. Princeton.EDU (Shih-ping S. Sun) writes: >> I was told that the FCC recently ruled that, for some purposes, a >> university telephone system is considered public. For example, the >> university can not block access to 1-800 numbers. >> Is this true? Can anyone supply a reference? At Columbia, all students are issued PSC's (Personal Security Codes) through AT&T ACUS. In order to get an outside line, you must dial 91 + your seven-digit PSC. If you're dialing an 800 number, you need only dial 96 + 1 + 800 + number. If you're dialing a credit-card or collect call, you dial 989 + 0 + NPA + number. The PSC thing is moderately annoying, since it requires a ridiculous number of digits to make even the simplest of calls. The Rolm (ugh!) system that we have has ten station speed dial numbers available, so I make 91 + PSC into one of those, so I need only dial #31 to get an outside line. Very convenient. Administrative phones are either unrestricted (93 + number), semi-restricted (93 + number for local, 97 + PSC + NPA + number for LD), or restricted (97 + number for all calls). Gabe Wiener - Columbia Univ. gmw1@cunixa.cc.columbia.edu N2GPZ in ham radio circles 72355,1226 on CI$ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Sept 1991 From: John Holman [holmanj@uwwvax.uww.edu] U of Wisconsin/Whitewater Subject: Re: University Telephone Systems > I was told that the FCC recently ruled that, for some purposes, a > university telephone system is considered public. For example, the > university can not block access to 1-800 numbers...... The FCC has grouped universities along with airports hotels and hospitals as examples of call aggregators under regulations 47 CFR Parts 64 and 68. The regulation requires aggregators to post information on or near telephones "in plain view of consumers". This would mean for services in RESIDENCE HALLS. The information that is to be provided includes: 1) The name, address, and toll-free number of the operator service provider. 2) A statementthat, upon request, rates are available for all operator-assisted calls and that consumers have the right to use their preferred inter-state (and interlata) carrier which they can contact for information on accessing its services. 3) The name and address of the FCC's Common Carrier Bureau's Enforcement Division to which complaints may be directed. You should be able to get tent cards or stickers for your resident hall phones for free from your service provider. More information about the new regulations can be obtained from Sally Novak of the FCC Enforcement Div. at 202-632-4887. Mention CC Docket 90-313. ACUTA and NACUBO are dealing with the issue. You may want to contact them for further information and purhaps membership ... ACUTA is on the net. BITNET: ACUTA@UKCC ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1991 16:08:09 -0400 (EDT) From: K_MULLHOLAND@UNHH.UNH.EDU Subject: Re: University Telephone Systems Carl M. Kadie asked about the recent FCC rulings as regard University Telephone Systems. The FCC has interpreted recent congressional legislation to mean the Universities, if they provide access to operator services, are to be consdidered aggregators for the purposes of the "Operator Services Protection Act". I think that complete text of the act is in the archives (yes, Pat?). The relevant portion for this discussion is that each aggregator will "ensure that each of its telephones presubscribed to a provider of operator services allows the consumer to use "800" and "950" access code numbers to obtain access to the provider of operator services desired by the consumer and ... ensure that no charge by the aggregator to the consumer for using an "800" or "950" access code number or for any other access code number, is greater than the amount the aggregator charges for calls placed using the presubscribed provider of operator services." In plain English, 800-access must be allowed. The part that isn't clear, and hasn't been tested, is that only those who can be labelled consumers have to be allowed such access, meaning that Unviersities must provide access to students who buy their services, but not to faculty or staff who are employed by the University. This sets up some interesting conflicts in the type of telephone service that will be provided to each group. Note that 10xxx access isn't included. However, a recent (July 11) ruling by the FCC mandates that AT&T will acquire a 950- or 800- access code number, and additionally mandates that all aggregator locations will allow access to 10xxx numbers. Pay phone providers must provide access immediately. Those with PBX's or other telephone equipment that will allow screeened access must do so immediately. Those for whom the cost of providing 10xxx access is less than $15 per consumer line must open access within 18 months of the ruling. All others have until April 17, 1997. There are other loops and if then's in the ruling, and for those interested you can refer to docket 91-35. The information was released 8-9-91 and should apear in the Congressional Register for that day. Appeals are in place for most of this, so it could (and hopefully some of it will) change. For instance, do those at Unviersities agree that it's reasonable to upgrade a telephone system in 18 months if it costs less than $15 a line for a University with 10,000 subscribers? That's 150k for what I consider a "cosmetic upgrade" if the University is already providing 950- and 800- access. Kath Mullholand University of New Hampshire Durham, NH 03824 ------------------------------ From: hhallika@nike.calpoly.edu (Harold Hallikainen) Subject: Re: ISDN on BBC Organization: California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1991 17:29:30 GMT In article bei@dogface.austin.tx.us (Bob Izenberg) writes: > Speaking of heavy signal > processing, I remember going to a New York SBE meeting and getting a > tour of Andy Alford's multiplexor antenna. ..... > station's segments of the multiplexor had common household fans aimed > at their exposed innards. Each of the stations with a fan punched up > the bass and used companding. It was amusing to watch a VU meter > measure their audio level: Never more than a 4db change in amplitude. > (PPM metering told a much different story, however.) I don't think "punched up bass and companding" would make the use of a fan necessary on the multiplexor. The power on an FM should be independent of the modulation, unless real high frequencies modulate real heavily, going outside the bandbass of the multiplexor, which I don't think was the case. Heavy processing on AM's can overheat modulators and RF circuitry. Harold ------------------------------ Subject: High-Rate 06-Numbers in Netherlands - 900 Scams Also Here? From: marcel@comsat.gna.tfd.com (Marcel Kat) Date: Mon, 30 Sep 91 15:55:16 MET Organization: Satellite Telecom, Geldrop Holland eleipb@rwb.urc.tue.nl (Phons Bloemen) writes: > and 06-8 are the 'cheap' tariff numbers (rates going from > local (15 ct/5min to 40 ct/min. You cannot distinguish the exact rate > from the number following 06-8). I know of one part in the 06-8 exchange (06-82099xxx) which is even free ... > 06-9 and 06-3 are 'buying' numbers (like 900 / 976). Here the > situation is the tariff is 30, 40 or 50 ct/min In this 06-9 exchange there is a number for TELEPLUS card holders (06-90091111) which is free as well. What my point is, these numbers are not suppose to be in "toll" exchanges. Either the Dutch PTT should specify the exchanges like this: 06-022 - 06-900 - 06-04 Toll free 06-910 - 06-899 - 06-320 Toll numbers Or the PTT should move them to the correct (rate) exchange. Instead they still talk about 06-0, 06-8, 06-9, 06-3 etc. Fortunately the numbers I mentioned are free. But no doubt that the rate-exchange confusion will be complete with the coming up high-rate numbers. Marcel Kat | Internet : root@comsat.gna.tfd.com Satellite Telecom | UUCP : comsat!root Nieuwendijk 17a | Phone : +31 40853798 5664 HA Geldrop | Fax : +31 40853798 The Netherlands ------------------------------ From: jdominey@bsga05.attmail.com Date: Mon Sep 30 14:02:36 EDT 1991 Subject: Re: 1-800 and Eight Digits? In Digest V11 #776, andys@ulysses.att.com (Andy Sherman) notes: > I have noticed that some DTMF menu systems don't supervise > until *after* you make a selection. It's probably because the menu isn't produced by equipment at the customer location, but out in their 800 provider's network. Here at AT&T, it's called the Call Prompter feature of our Advanced 800 service. This allows a company to maintain different functions in separate locations (sales in Atlanta, service in Denver, for example) while keeping the same 800 number. Jack Dominey, AT&T Commercial Marketing, Tucker GA (404) 496-6925 AT&T Mail: !dominey or !bsga05!jdominey ------------------------------ From: kentrox!bud@uunet.uu.net (Bud Couch) Subject: Re: Useful and Cheap Organization: Kentrox Industries, Inc. Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1991 18:23:05 GMT In article frankston!Bob_Frankston@ world.std.com writes: > To quote from Julian Macassey: "Somehow, it never caught on until the > Japanese who preferred faxing handwritten messages to attempting Telex > started selling their high speed fax machines to yuppies who suddenly > can't live without them." Slight correction here -- the Japanese didn't "prefer" handwritten messages; it's practically impossible to use any sort of Telex, etc. technology with Kanji, and it's even extraordinarily difficult in Katakana. > I'm puzzled about a general prejudice against useful technology. Is > email another yuppie toy? What held FAXes back was one thing -- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ No, but FAX's are. ;-) > price. Price comes down, people buy. Alarmingly simple. Price, is of > course, closely related to utility, but FAXes are useful (not as > useful as "multimedia" email, but ...), and once they became > affordable they proliferated. Anybody in the manufacturing business is intimately familiar with the cost/volume curve. Prices may not follow cost, of course, but they sure can't beat it. (Not for long, anyway). The Japanese had a real incentive to develop this technology, and once developed, a very large internal market. This produced the volume which brought down the prices. At these prices, it became advantagious for US companies to buy, and we are off to the races. As an aside, the proliferation of fax in the US market was (obviously) not considered by the Powers-that-be at the Post Office. When the price of a stamp is more expensive that the cost of a fax, we have the phenomenon of elasticity being forced into the consciousness of the Postal Service. > As new telecom services become available, they are priced high. There > is little, if any, incremental cost to most of the features, but they > are viewed as luxuries and thus are priced high. The luxury attitude > is even more apparent in cellular phone services that are only > supported from nine to five (or thereabouts). Can't speak to the cellular issue (haven't been able to con the company into paying for one ;-)) but I will dispute your blanket statement about "little, if any, incremental cost". For those services which involve a software change, the (not inconseqential) cost of writing, testing and installing that software must be borne by the subscribers. But how much? Does the first subcriber get billed for all the cost (say, $100K) and everyone else get it free? Or do the first 100k subscribers pay $1, and after that it's free? What if only 25k subscribers sign up for this service? Does the telco eat the $75k? Add in the complexity of hardware, with real per subscriiber costs, etc, and the maintenence cost associated with it (even if the new service *never* fails, it is one more thing that must be checked when something does go wrong), and you can see that pricing a new whatever is not a trivial task. For you budding marketeers out there, I would recommend studying HP's calculator line pricing history as an example of how to do it. Bud Couch - ADC/Kentrox If my employer only knew... standard BS applies ------------------------------ From: "90958, HERRICK, DANIEL" Subject: Re: Sprint FONCARD vs. AT&T Calling Card Date: 30 Sep 91 18:39:52 EST In article , b12635@ged.gedlab.allied. com (Phil Tait, (602) 231-7104) writes: > When we changed from US Sprint to AT&T (due to the amount of hours > spent on the phone to Sprint Customer Service every month), one > unforeseen drawback was the inferior service provided by the AT&T > calling card. > 1. We never encountered a situation where we could not use the Sprint > FONCARD 800 number, whereas we've frequently been blocked from access > to AT&T. The simplest solution to this problem is to continue to use your FONCARD. dan herrick dlh@NCoast.org [Moderator's Note: But I understood from his original message that he wants to give his business to AT&T ... obviously he can continue to use his FONCARD, or he can put coins in the box for that matter. PAT] ------------------------------ From: julian%bongo.UUCP@nosc.mil (Julian Macassey) Subject: Re: Computer Based Caller ID Date: 30 Sep 91 04:14:45 GMT Reply-To: julian@bongo.info.com (Julian Macassey) Organization: The Hole in the Wall Hollywood California U.S.A. > In article 2358michellp@vmsf.csd.mu.edu > writes: > ... computer interfaces for the Caller ID information. ... >> The only package I know of now is the Caller-ID+ manufactured by >> Rochelle Communications of Austin, TX, which retails for $295.00 There is also: The "Class Act" Model CID-110 - Caller ID Computer Interface Unit. Suggested Retail $24.95 Made by: Telecom Logic 15403 Proctor Avenue City of Industry, CA 91745 Phone: (818) 330-8866 Julian Macassey, julian@bongo.info.com N6ARE@K6VE.#SOCAL.CA.USA.NA 742 1/2 North Hayworth Avenue Hollywood CA 90046-7142 voice (213) 653-4495 ------------------------------ From: T. C. Peng Subject: Information Wanted on Portable Satellite Phones Date: Mon, 30 Sep 91 11:49:44 PDT I am interested in getting some information about the portable satellite phone, such as books/manual/maker about these devices. Also does anybody out there know whether U.S military command system uses this type of phone or not? If yes, who are the suppliers? How do they handle the security problems? President Bush must have one on his Air Force One airplane and one in his car I presume. Thanks for the help. Alan TC Penn, Hewlett-Packard Co. | Opinion expressed above email address : tc@liszt.cdc.hp.com | are MINE alone, not those | of Hewlett-Packard Co. ... ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #779 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa28478; 1 Oct 91 3:04 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA09193 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 1 Oct 1991 01:27:07 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA17742 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 1 Oct 1991 01:26:56 -0500 Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1991 01:26:56 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199110010626.AA17742@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #780 TELECOM Digest Tue, 1 Oct 91 06:26:52 GMT Volume 11 : Issue 780 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: AT&T vs. MCI Direct Dial to Slovakia [Steve Forrette] Re: Request For Call Progress Cadence Information [Al L. Varney] Re: Request For Call Progress Cadence Information [Mike Morris] Re: How Do They Change Equipment Without Disrupting Service? [Rolf Meier] Re: What if The Phone Company Hears of a Crime? [Ken Abrams] Re: Pac*Bell Tips Its Hand [Bud Couch] Re: Macintosh and Ultix BBS Software Needed [Bud Couch] RS-232 Caller*ID Boxes [John Temples] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 30 Sep 91 19:28:29 pdt From: Steve Forrette Subject: Re: AT&T vs. MCI Direct Dial to Slovakia Richard Budd writes: > The point of the story: Though this survey was certainly not > scientific, it appears AT&T offers the clearer line when calling to > out of the way cities in Czechoslovakia. > [Moderator's Note: So the first time, maybe your local telco messed up > and MCI gets the blame ... the next time your local telco processes > the call faster and on a better circuit, and AT&T gets the credit. > While some general assumptions can be made about the quality of > service from the various LD carriers after *many* tests under > virtually identical circumstances, I don't think you can fairly say > that one carrier is good and another is bad based on the results of > two calls. Try using one or the other for numerous calls at various > times of day and night, then the other. *Then* report the results. PAT] Okay, Pat, here's the scoop on a situation I had about six months ago. At the time, I was living in Berkeley and doing consulting work for a company in Seattle. I was working on an email-to-fax server whose hardware was in Seattle. I was in Berkeley, dialed into a host in Seattle, and sending test faxes through the gateway to a fax machine in The Netherlands. The fax server kept reporting that it connected with the remote machine, but that the call either dropped or was unusable before even the cover page could be transmitted. When I tried to fax directly from Berkeley, everything worked fine. I called the fax machine using my voice line (from Berkeley), and everything sounded fine. Also, I had the fax server call my fax, and that worked fine, so that ruled out the server or its local line. Then, it struck me that maybe there was a difference in long distance carriers. I didn't know what the PIC for the fax server's line was, but I knew the customer had a T1 from MCI for voice traffic, so I suspected that it may be the same. As I was a long way away, there was no way for me to find out by using the 700-555-4141 number. So, I dialed from Berkeley, using 10222, and the sound quality was *terrible*. Multiple calls yielded the same result. When using my equal-access default of US Sprint, everything was fine. So, I sent another fax out the server, but prepending 10333 to the number. It worked right the first time. Tests from both Berkeley and Seattle using AT&T yielded similar excellent results as obtained with Sprint. However, every time MCI was used from either location, nothing would work. Also, calling from Seattle using 10222 got the same bad results, confirming that MCI was indeed the PIC for that line. Note that the originating telcos were different and that several tries were made, so the originating end wasn't the problem. Also, the terminating end in The Netherlands was exactly the same for all carriers, so it would not follow that random problems would repeatedly happen to only one international carrier. This problem persisted continuously for several days and at various times of day, so it was not a one-time deal. This ordeal reinforced what I already knew about the "big three." Also, Pat, although this is admittedly only one instance, this somewhat discounts your theory that the only reason AT&T is better is that their techs have an "old boys" network with the LEC techs. If this is the only reason, then why is Sprint consistently better than MCI? I think that it has been well documented in the Digest that MCI has more than its share of technical problems. (And in case you think that I'm just MCI-bashing, I think that their email division is second to none.) Steve Forrette, stevef@wrq.com, "I do not speak for wrq.com" [Moderator's Note: Although I don't have an answer to your questions, I do want to compliment you for your detailed testing. You definitly can stand by your results. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Sep 91 23:10:35 CDT From: varney@ihlpf.att.com (Al L Varney) Subject: Re: Request For Call Progress Cadence Information Organization: AT&T Network Systems In article pace@blitz.com (Pace Willisson) writes: > I am writing software to do answer detection based on the cadence of > signals received by a 300 to 640 Hz bandpass filter. The goal is to > detect the end of ringback, even on international calls or when the > call progress tones are coming from old equipment. I don't believe you really mean "end of ringback", since ringback is +130 volt power ringing applied to a line to alert the customer to deposit overtime charges (coin phones) or to give Time & Charges to a requesting customer. I'll assume you mean "end of Audible Ring Tone". Since there were few requirements on older equipment, you have a never-ending chore in maintaining your software/hardware. Someone somewhere is going to generate a "funny" tone and you won't know whether the call was answered or if it even rang. In fact, there is no requirement for such a tone on calls! Think about it; haven't you been involved in a call where the caller said "Wow ... I didn't even hear it ring!" So you will, at most, be building a device that has a built-in set of failure conditions. Getting accuracy down below 1% will be hard, and below 5% on International will be really hard. If possible, get a real trunk interface to the network and ask for answer supervision on it. Or get an ISDN interface, where answer supervision can be reliably signaled. Given that you will probably build the detector anyway (how many of vendors already make them??), here goes: Non-precise Tone information for US networks is difficult to find. For the old Bell System, Bellcore's TR-NPL-000275 (April 1986 version) lists eight older ringing systems. Audible Ring is listed as: 420 Hz modulated by 40 Hz (+1.7% / -8.3%) 500 Hz modulated by 40 Hz (+1.3% / -8.3%) "components in the 400- to 600-Hz range 420 Hz modulated by 40 Hz (+10.0% / -8.3%) "Unknown" "Unknown" "Unknown" "Unknown" for those systems. There are some additional notes -- see the TR. For the precise tone plan, the pattern is two seconds on, four off ... For the others, there is no assurance of a fixed pattern. For old non-Bell System switches, there were as many "audibles" as there were vendors and switch varieties. If that wasn't bad enough, "audible" is returned from PBXs and other non-switch network nodes (e.g., Directory Assistance on an ACD). Any requirements here are pretty liberal (at least for the older stuff). For International, check out the CCITT Blue books, probably in the area around Q.35, for tone requirements. Of course, those are not likely to be enforced on any older equipment ... say, in Poland or Ethiopia. Good luck!! :) Al Varney, AT&T Network Systems varney@ihlpf.att.com ------------------------------ From: morris@grian.cps.altadena.ca.us (Mike Morris) Subject: Re: Request For Call Progress Cadence Information Organization: College Park Software, Altadena, CA Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1991 09:53:04 GMT pace@blitz.com (Pace Willisson) writes: > I am writing software to do answer detection based on the cadence of > signals received by a 300 to 640 Hz bandpass filter. The goal is to > detect the end of ringback, even on international calls or when the > call progress tones are coming from old equipment. (The hardware also > has precise tone filters and reverse-polarity detection, but that part > is well defined.) > In return for any help that might come from the net, my client has > agreed to place the resulting program and documentation in the public > domain. I will post note here when it is available -- probably in > about six weeks. Have your client get his hands on a Teltone "Red Book". It is a combination catalog/data book called "Telecom Degign Solutions", issue 1, fall 1990 (regardless of the date, it's the current issue). Page 4-1 describes the M-980 which is the bandpass filter on a 8-pin chip (but the M981, M982, and M984 are more useful, as they tell you _which_ tone it is). The M981 is 350/440/480/400, where the M982 is 350/440/480/620 - much more useable in the USA. The M984 detects the SIT tones (950, 1400, and 1800 hz - the 3-tone sequence in front of most recordings, plus the 400 or 425hz second dial tone from MCI/Sprint/etc.). But what you're interested in us the app note on page 9-25: "An algorithm for call progress following using the M980". Another book with call progress info is the Mitel "Silver Book", also known as the "Microelectronics Analog Communications Handbook" -- another chip catalog. The part you want to look at is on page 15-118, which is another algorithm flow chart, and page 15-123 which gives sample source code for a pay phone (13 pages of code for a 6800 family chip. Bah. I have to convert it to a Z80. Oh well.) I'm working on a project using the M982 and 984, plus a Mitel 8880 touchtone transciever. Lucky for me all of these will drop on a microprocessor buss directly. I got my Mitel book from the San Diego office at 619-276-3421. The Teltone book came from the company directly in Kirkland WA, 206-827-9626. If you want some more neat books get the Dallas Semiconductor "1991 Teleservicing Design Handbook" - mine came from teh local rep: "SC-Cubed", Southern Cal System Component Sales Co" at 805-496-7307. Also get the Silicon Systems ICs for Communcation Products 1991 data book". I'm curious what you are designing. Mike Morris WA6ILQ 818-447-7052 evenings PO Box 1130 Arcadia, CA. 91077 All opinions must be my own since nobody pays me enough to be their mouthpiece... ------------------------------ From: mitel!Software!meier@uunet.uu.net (Rolf Meier) Subject: Re: How Do They Change Equipment Without Disrupting Service? Date: 30 Sep 91 19:43:59 GMT Organization: Mitel. Kanata (Ontario). Canada. > In article peters@beltrix.guild.org > (Peter Sleggs) writes: >> With all the talk of new equipment being installed, how do they drop a >> new system in place without disrupting service for a 'long' time? >> Do they connect them in parallel and then pull the plug on the old >> equipment? Northern's DMS does this. There is a relay used once in the lifetime of the system, the "cutover" relay, one relay per line circuit. Rolf Meier Mitel Corporation ------------------------------ From: kabra437@athenanet.com (Ken Abrams) Subject: Re: What if The Phone Company Hears of a Crime? Organization: Athenanet, Inc., Springfield, Illinois Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1991 16:43:43 GMT In article kadie@herodotus.cs.uiuc.edu (Carl M. Kadie) writes: > I think the phone company is allowed check line quality, etc. by > listening to phone conversations. This is commonly called "service observing" and for a whole multitude of reasons, it is not done anymore on any scheduled basis (at least not in the companies that I am familiar with). > What are the rules for what they may > do with information that is overheard? For example, what if they hear > a crime being planned? Communications workers are prohibited by law from divulging the content of any conversation that they may overhear. No exceptions (without an appropriate court order, of course). Ken Abrams nstar!pallas!kabra437 Springfield, IL kabra437@athenanet.com (voice) 217-753-7965 ------------------------------ From: kentrox!bud@uunet.uu.net (Bud Couch) Subject: Re: Pac*Bell Tips Its Hand Organization: Kentrox Industries, Inc. Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1991 04:41:08 GMT In article John Higdon writes: > Another noteworthy item here is that the only significant rate > increase is the residential FLAT-RATE. Pac*Bell has always hoped to be > able to phase out unmeasured service. All telcos would like every Does anybody else here remember the old Vicom company, which metamophosed into "Vidar" then "TRW Vidar", then disappeared? They were the first non-WECO company into the marketplace with a D bank, and for a while, were going great. Then they got into trying to provide a measured service system to the telcos, undoubtedly lured by promises of huge markets. Unfortunately for them, the PUCs would not allow the telcos to place the cost of these systems in their rate base, since they couldn't show any use for them, besides shifting money from one pocket to the other. As far as I know, they shipped only a handful of these systems, on which almost the entire company's resources had been spent. They lost their lead in channel banks. You're right, John, the telcos have always wanted to push measured service. It's only recently that this could be done in software, and not have to justify a capital expense to the PUCs. Bud Couch - ADC/Kentrox If my employer only knew... standard BS applies ------------------------------ From: kentrox!bud@uunet.uu.net (Bud Couch) Subject: Re: Macintosh and Ultix BBS Software Needed Organization: Kentrox Industries, Inc. Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1991 04:48:19 GMT In article hsu_wh@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (William H Hsu) writes: > I am looking for Macintosh BBS software which preferably makes > use of the Finder. So far, I am aware of Mac WWIV v3.11b by Terry > Teague (which I currently have, but am loath to use due to its > decidedly non-Mac structure) and Hermes, which I have not been able to > find. > Last question: is there ANY BBS software at all for A/UX? > Particularly portable source -- am I just dreaming, or is there usable > C code? Find a Fido BBS in your neighborhood, and read the FIDONEWS. (It's also available on the net as "fidonet.org") At the end of a sometimes interesting, sometimes boring collection of articles, is a section on BBS and comm software. This lists all sorts of stuff, along with the latest version numbers. Should be a good place to start. Bud Couch - ADC/Kentrox If my employer only knew... standard BS applies ------------------------------ From: jwt!john@uunet.uu.net (John Temples) Subject: RS-232 Caller*ID Boxes Organization: Private system -- Orlando, FL Date: Mon, 30 Sep 1991 04:53:32 GMT Caller*ID has arrived in Orlando, and I wanted to get one of the RS-232 decoders to connect to my computer. I contacted the two suppliers of these devices I had seen mentioned in the Digest: Rochelle Communications and Bell Atlantic Business Systems. Rochelle's unit is priced at $85 for the hardware alone. However, they refused to sell me one. They will only sell the unit to an "end user" with their software package, which pushes the price up to $295. I couldn't convince the sales rep that a $210 DOS software package was utterly useless to me on my UNIX machine, and that I wasn't about to buy it. So, he offered me the $495 "development system" which included more useless goodies like an unlimited redistribution license for their DOS device driver. Their rationale for this absurd pricing policy? To "protect their software and their developers." They're afraid people will just buy the unit and then copy the software from someone else. So I contacted Bell Atlantic, who sold me the ClassMate 10 for $49.95. I wasn't paying extra for software (it came with a DOS disk labeled as a "demo program") and the unit's documentation described all of the possible data packet formats completely. I plugged it in, and it worked right out of the box. Now, has anyone developed any interesting UNIX software for this particular unit? John W. Temples -- john@jwt.UUCP (uunet!jwt!john) ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V11 #780 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa18149; 1 Oct 91 22:00 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA11611 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 1 Oct 1991 20:20:22 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA10549 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 1 Oct 1991 20:20:11 -0500 Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1991 20:20:11 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199110020120.AA10549@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V11 #781 TELECOM Digest Wed, 2 Oct 91 01:12:40 GMT Volume 11 : Issue 781 Index To This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: ISDN Availability in IBT-Land [Al L. Varney] Re: IBT Voice Mail Starts Here [Robert J. Woodhead] Re: Useful and Cheap [Robert J. Woodhead] Re: How Do You Explain the Numbering Plan To Telecom-Illiterate [Frankston] Re: Cost of Modern Phone Service [Steve Thornton] Re: Cost of Modern Phone Service [David G. Lewis] Re: Unethical Sprint Advertising [Michael Ho] Re: Online EIA568 Standards Listing [Toby Nixon] Re: 1-800 and Eight Digits? [David E. Martin] Re: Origin of Term "Cheese Box" [Fred R. Goldstein] Re: Deadbeat Runs up City Hall Phone Bill [Nickolas Landsberg] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 30 Sep 91 23:41:09 CDT From: varney@ihlpf.att.com (Al L Varney) Subject: Re: ISDN Availability in IBT-Land Organization: AT&T Network Systems In article sadler@i88.isc.com (Jon Sadler) writes: > Fortunately, BELL Labs is right out my back door (in Naperville,IL) > causing early loading of ISDN into the Wheaton,IL CO. IBT provided > free qualification of my current local loop. Unfortunately, my loop > didn't pass (!), even though I live < 3.5 miles from the CO. Well, if you are 3.5 miles from the Wheaton CO, you are a long way from the Naperville North 5ESS(rg) Switch, providing AT&T Bell Labs and Network Systems with ISDN services. The Wheaton CO is currently a 1A ESS(tm) Switch, unless they snuck something in on me. > Now, my request: Does anyone know how to get a different/better local > loop so that I fall within the 32db loss requirement? Any help would > be appreciated. Move to Naperville? Or ask for a second line -- sometimes it's in a different cable. Actually, I don't think IBT would test your loop if you weren't on an ISDN Switch. Maybe you should ask them why your loop is in such sad shape! Stop by sometime if you would like to see our ISDN set-up. 2600 Warrenville Road, Lisle -- just east of the Holiday Inn. Al Varney, AT&T Network Systems varney@ihlpf.att.com ------------------------------ From: trebor@foretune.co.jp (Robert J Woodhead) Subject: Re: IBT Voice Mail Starts Here Organization: Foretune Co., Ltd. Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1991 08:33:33 GMT spear@druco.ATT.COM (SpearmanS) writes: > One point here -- many voice mail systems have intrusion detection > systems of their own which will not allow indefinite attempts to break > into a particular mailbox. Typically, the system will disable access > and notify an administrator if it detects too many invalid attempts to > access a particular mailbox. Yes, but it is easily possible to generate an attack sequence (any computer can do it; the program is < 50 lines long) that is not in any sequential order. And therein lies the problem with the system as described; because there IS NO PASSWORD! There is only a five or six digit access code that combines both account and password, and thus the system cannot distinguish a random attack pattern from natural mistakes. A system that asks for an account number + password, while it may not be any more secure, has far better attack detection properties; even so, if your object is to crack _any_ account vs. cracking a particular account, random attack strategies can be devised that are extremely difficult to detect, because they get lost in the noise of actual mistaken accesses. And finally, it is important to recognize that knowing that an attack is in progress avails you nothing if there is nothing you can do about it. A random attack pattern aimed at mapping the address space is almost impossible to counter without disabling the entire system and thus locking out legitimate users; voicemail systems in particular are extremely vulnerable to such attempts because they can be accessed from millions of locations -- once can wander from payphone to payphone if need be, and the chances of being physically intercepted are very slim. Thus, the major defensive measure is to make the cost of the breakin economically infeasable. And my entire point is this : The system as described is so cheap to break into that it virtually invites attacks. I was so appalled, by the way, that I cautioned Pat in my original posting that he may want to delete the description of the attack method -- he chose to print it. I won't belabor the point any more (Pat, insert witty comment here, something about sighs of relief! (grin)) but IMHO the Phone Company is "cruising for a bruising." rlm@ms_aspen.hac.com (Robert L. McMillin) writes: > Wouldn't it be easier to simply pay off somebody at the telephone > company to get that information? $15,000 is a large amount of money to > somebody making $30,000 per year. > [Moderator's Note: Yes, but that would take all the fun out of it for > the kiddies. PAT] Plus it's less secure. There would be physical evidence. When things came out, he or she'd get fingered eventually, and would thence commence to sing a tune ... Besides which, any voicemail system that provided this information to low level employees again demonstrates a shocking lack of security. Robert J. Woodhead, Biar Games / AnimEigo, Incs. trebor@foretune.co.jp ------------------------------ From: trebor@foretune.co.jp (Robert J Woodhead) Subject: Re: Useful and Cheap Organization: Foretune Co., Ltd. Date: Tue, 1 Oct 1991 08:45:04 GMT kentrox!bud@uunet.uu.net (Bud Couch) writes (about faxes): > The Japanese had a real incentive to develop this technology, and > once developed, a very large internal market. Another reason for their popularity in Japan is for faxing of maps. It is very difficult to find a place if all you have is the address, given the Japanese habit of numbering buildings by the order in which they were BUILT (!). So advertisments, etc, all have maps on them. So do some people's business cards. Directions are not enough; Tokyo was originally built in such a way as to make it as difficult as possible to navigate if you didn't know your way around -- this was for military defense -- and so very often, "You can't get there from here." The twists and turns had the extra feature of limiting sightlines and improving natural crossfires. When Tokyo was rebuilt after the war, well, hey, the Japanese are really big on Tradition ... (grin) Before you go on an appointment somewhere for the first time, it is de rigeur to have them fax you a map giving directions from the nearest train station. I just got one today with instructions on how to get to the restaurant I am having dinner at. The two major occupations of the police in Tokyo are giving directions and drinking green tea. Not necessarily in that order. Robert J. Woodhead, Biar Games / AnimEigo, Incs. trebor@foretune.co.j ------------------------------ From: Subject: Re: How Do You Explain the Numbering Plan To a Telecom-Illiterate? Date: 1 Oct 1991 05:59 -0400 I'm still amazed that switches like ROLM require so much housekeeping. Isn't there a maintenance plan that will do things like automatic updating of the area code tables and other simple stuff. To misquote the Moderator, most telecom switches should need managers like most people should need full time brain surgeons. (OK, some might, but ...) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 01 Oct 91 09:59:35 EST From: Steve Thornton Subject: Re: Cost of Modern Phone Service In TELECOM Digest #778 David Gast said: >> AT&T's spokesman said the company has spent $18 billion >> modernizing its network in the last seven years > $18 billion sounds like a lot, but let's see how much it is. $18 > billion divided by 7 years is about $2.6 billion per year. $2.6 > billion divided by the population (approximately 250 million) is > approximately $10 per person per year. Not a great amount given what Not to defend AT&T, but I rather doubt they have 250 million subscribers. I seem to recall hearing something about the phone company breaking up a few years back ;-). I would be surprised if they had 50 million. That would make it $50 per customer, which is not bad at all for that kind of capital reinvestment. A better way of looking at it, though, might be to compare it with revenues or profits. Anybody know? Steve ------------------------------ From: deej@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (david.g.lewis) Subject: Re: Cost of Modern Phone Service Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Date: Tue, 1 Oct