Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa24794; 24 Aug 93 20:32 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA00124 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Tue, 24 Aug 1993 17:59:45 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA08910 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Tue, 24 Aug 1993 17:59:00 -0500 Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1993 17:59:00 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199308242259.AA08910@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #601 TELECOM Digest Tue, 24 Aug 93 17:59:00 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 601 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Free 'Carte France Telecom' in Germany :-) (Juergen Ziegler via Condat) Network General Founder to Head Smart Valley Regional Incentive (H. Saal) ATM Information Wanted (Voravit Euavatanakorn) Re: Questions About Regular Old 'Snail Mail' (Dave Niebuhr) Re: Questions About Regular Old 'Snail Mail' (Lars J|rgen Poulsen) Re: CWA Blasts Mass Shutdown of Operator Centers (Andrew Finkenstadt) Re: Should I Get a Separate Line For Modem (Rajappa Iyer) Re: Should I Get a Separate Line For Modem (Gary Breuckman) Re: New Service: The Net ADvertiser (Doug Sewell) Re: Cellular Conversation Results in Arrest (TELECOM Moderator) Re: FCC Equal Access Order (Christian Weisgerber) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: cccf@email.teaser.com (Jean-Bernard Condat) Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1993 08:05:31 GMT Subject: Free 'Carte France Telecom' in Germany :-) In reaction of my article , Juergen Ziegler wrote me: You wont believe it, but German customers can also get a 'Carte France Telecom' from the German DBP Telekom. How comes? The DBP Telekom (formely Post) and France Telecom started a project several years ago to offer the French 'Carte Pastel' to German 'TeleKarte' customers. BTW, the German 'TeleKarte' is the counterpart to the French 'Carte Pastel'. Since I am a 'TeleKarte' customer since September last year, I immediately applied for the French 'Carte Pastel' when I heard about this project, since I live ten miles from the German-French border in Alsace. The card arrived shortly and I have used it several times to call home from Alsace. On night in January, I called around by 2:00 (early mor- ning) several relatives in the USA from an Alsacian pay phone near the border. Why? Because the rates for such calls are wonderfully low, and if you want to call for around 45 minutes, it is definitively worth it. That are the first light signs of competition. Great! I almost forget to mention, that I got the French 'Carte Pastel' at *no extre* charge!!!! The call charges appear on my German phone bill. Unfortunatley I do not know, if French customers can also get a German 'TeleKarte'. You should ask France Telecom's card operations. ------------- [JB Condat: I have ask the general direction of France Telecom in Paris and I don't receive an answer at this time. And to obtain a German 'TeleKarte' linked with my new-received 'Carte France Telecom', I receive only a name and a fax number: Herrn Granzin, DBP Telekom Nueremberg, Fax: +49 911 15239-69!] Jean-Bernard Condat General Secretary Chaos Computer Club France, B.P. 155, 93404 St-Ouen Cedex, France Private Address: P.O. 8005, 69351 Lyon Cedex 08, France Phone: +33 1 40101764, Fax: +33 1 47877070 InterNet: cccf@altern.com or cccf@email.teaser.com For a free subscription to _Chaos Digest_, send a message to: linux-activists-request@niksula.hut.fi with a mail header or first line containing the following information: X-Mn-Admin: join CHAOS_DIGEST and you will put freely on the ChaosD mailing list. Don't hesitate! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 16:39:29 PDT From: harrys@vegas.NGC.COM (Harry Saal) Subject: Network General Founder to Head Smart Valley Regional Incentive NETWORK GENERAL FOUNDER TO HEAD SMART VALLEY REGIONAL INITIATIVE Harry J. Saal Named President and Chief Executive Officer of Smart Valley, Inc. MENLO PARK, CALIF. August 19, 1993 - Smart Valley, Inc. announced today the appointment of Network General founder Harry J. Saal, 49, as President and Chief Executive Officer. A founder of Network General Corporation, Dr. Saal will begin his responsibilities as Chief Executive of Smart Valley, Inc. effective September 1. Smart Valley, Inc. was created as a result of the Joint Venture: Silicon Valley effort and is a broad coalition of business, government and community leaders. Dr. Saal will continue to serve as Chairman of the Network General Board of Directors. "We're working from the grass roots level to create on electronic community in the San Francisco Bay Area that will change the way we work, live and learn," said John Young, Chairman of the Smart Valley Board of Directors. "And the best way to do it is with one of America's most successful high technology entrepreneurs. Harry's experience and reputation in the data networking industry, combined with his personal involvement with community activities, is truly unique." Dr. Saal has led Network General since 1986. Over the past seven years the company has grown to $85 million in revenue with 400 employees. In 1989, the company completed a successful IPO. As the company approaches the $100 million revenue mark, Dr. Saal named a successor CEO, Les Denend, to manage Network General's next phase of growth. "I am excited about the challenge of being in 'start-up mode' again," said Dr. Saal. "This opportunity to serve our community is the perfect balance between my philanthropic involvement and industry experience. I have no doubt that we can make our region the role model for unique and effective applications of network technology. Through the cooperation and good will of diverse sectors of our community, we will revitalize and enhance our overall competitiveness, the local economy, and quality of life." "We are truly fortunate to have an experienced individual of Dr. Saal's talent to lead JVSV's Smart Valley project," said Becky Morgan, incoming President/CEO of Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network. "His leadership will go far toward linking the other Joint Venture initiatives into a powerful electronic network, and will propel the region into a 'smart 21st century'." The Company Smart Valley, Inc., will facilitate the implementation of a data superhighway in conjunction with easy-to-use information services that will benefit all sectors of the community. Smart Valley, a non-profit 501(c)(6) organization, will assist technology and service providers, application developers, and end users to implement this vision. For more information call 415/473-2728 or contact Dr. Saal on the Internet at HarryS@ngc.com. [Press Contact: Robert Berger 415. 473. 2914] ------------------------------ From: voravit@nwg.nectec.or.th (Voravit Euavatanakorn) Subject: ATM Information Wanted Date: 24 Aug 1993 15:23:06 +0700 Organization: Academic and research support host at NECTEC, Bangkok, THAILAND I'm looking for a good book on ATM, SONET and related topics. Thanks in advance for any help given. Voravit Euavatanakorn voravit@nwg.nectec.or.th fax (662) 216-4875 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 09:43:36 EDT From: dwn@dwn.ccd.bnl.gov (Dave Niebuhr) Subject: Re: Questions About Regular Old 'Snail Mail' In TELECOM Digest V13 #595 roy@sendai.cybrspc.mn.org (Roy M. Silvernail) writes: > The thread about SnailMail reminds me of an incident when I still > lived in Nome, Alaska. > My girlfriend's mother sent her a note, but forgot to put the Zip code > on the envelope. After several weeks, it had not arrived. (Her mother > even called to see what the problem might be.) > Some two months after it had been mailed, the letter finally arrived. > We got quite a kick out of the envelope, which was backstamped in > Arabic. The letter had been misrouted to Saudi Arabia. It took three > World Atlases to finally locate the city that backstamped and returned > it. My tale of woe with the USPS concerns a tax payment that had to be made before January 10, 19xx (forgot the year). I live on Long Island and the bank holding my mortgage was in Rochester, NY and the taxing authority is located about 20 miles from my home. Having received my bill in late December, I promptly forwarded it to the bank via Certified Mail. In the bill's travels it went from Lon Island to Baranquila, Columbia, to Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Syracuse, NY and then to Rochester. All of this was dutifully recorded on the receipt at each stop. Luckily, the bank got the bill and made the payment in time. I complained to the USPS and filled out a complaint form which promptly went into File 13, the bit bucket, circular file, etc. Dave Niebuhr Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, LI, NY 11973 (516)-282-3093 Senior Technical Specialist: Scientific Computer Facility ------------------------------ From: lars@login.dkuug.dk (Lars J|rgen Poulsen) Subject: Re: Questions About Regular Old 'Snail Mail' Organization: DKnet Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 22:43:38 GMT Peter Rukavina (caprukav@atlas.cs.upei.ca) wrote: >> (3) When I send mail to a U.S. address that is incorrect ... >> [it comes back with a sticker saying] ... >> 'ADDRESS INCORRECT: Forwarding Order Expired' and then lists a >> different address below. Jonathan Haruni writes: > Well, they probably just charge people by the month for the forwarding > service. It probably is inefficient to return the mail to you with > the forward address on it, but if they just forwarded it, their mail > forwarding business would go down the tubes; people would pay for one > month and then get it for free. I find it odd that they provide you > with the address rather than just return it to you. The recipient may > have moved a second time without telling the first post office. Since I have just moved, I have this fresh in mind. In the U.S.A., there is no charge for forwarding, but (at least in Santa Barbara, CA) the forwarding order lasts only for six months. After that time, the mail gets returned but with information about the forwarding address. Thus, the postal patron gets the opportunity to tell his/her corrrespondents about the new address, but if s/he fails to do that, they will eventually be told. However, forwarding is only possible within the US. So when you move out of the country (as I did) you have to find someone within the country to forward the mail to you. On the other hand, forwarding of telephones is less straightforward. When I moved, I wanted to reserve my number (since I expect to come back in a year). This was not offered by GTE. The best they could offer was to set up a remote call forwarding line. This was prices such that it would have been cheaper to leave the line connected with an answering machine in the crawlspace. I negotiated with my employer to leave my voicemailbox active, and I then put a referral to that on my disconnect notice. (Yes, at no charge they will intercept and refer to a new number, but for love or money they will not extend that beyond 90 days.) After I moved to Europe I discovered that while they had indeed left the voicemailbox active, they had disconnected the DID number that led to it, so the only way to the voicemail was via the company switchboard operator. I was not surprised that there were never any messages on the voice mail. I am now settling in to a work-at-home routine in Copenhagen Denmark, where local calls are about five US cents per minute (no flat rate plans available), and even then, leased lines are not cost-effective unless you have over two hours of connect time per day. Even GTE looks good in comparison. Lars Poulsen CMC Network Products on temporary duty in Copenhagen Denmark ------------------------------ From: andy@vistachrome.com (Andrew Finkenstadt) Subject: Re: CWA Blasts Mass Shutdown of Operator Centers Reply-To: andy@vistachrome.com Organization: Vista-Chrome, Inc. Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1993 04:49:35 GMT phil@rochgte.fidonet.org (Phillip Dampier) writes: > CWA BLASTS MASS SHUTDOWN OF AT&T OPERATOR CENTERS; > PLANS GRASSROOTS PUBLIC AWARENESS AND ACTION CAMPAIGN > (Communications Workers of America) > "There is simply no justification for such devastating shutdowns and > layoffs of thousands of workers, who have dedicated their careers to > AT&T, from a business unit that made almost one billion dollars profit > last year," said CWA Vice President James Irvine, whose office serves > some 100,000 represented AT&T workers. > "At what point is enough profit enough profit? At what point do > people begin to count as much as dollar bills?" Irvine commented. Perhaps the CWA should take that issue up with the stockholders of AT&T who obviously {like} the profit that shows up as increased stock price, dividends, equity, and the like? It certainly would be a more appropriate forum than a grassroots movement amongst the american (and international) public who can be misled easily by statements taken out of context, and out of truth, too. General Electric made more PROFIT than many of the FORTUNE 1000 had in REVENUE. Does that mean that GE Lightbulbs should be free, or that GE Jet Engines should be free to help the ailing airline community, or that the GE GEnie service should be free because it's "just" a few billion dollars? > The latest wave of shutdowns would affect as many as 4,000 jobs at > locations in 26 states. Yes, it is a shame that AT&T is taking a business pose, but I think it was nice that they were going to pay a $6,000 BONUS to people who chose, along with a lucrative relocation package to move to Phoenix Arizona including housing, spousal, and other benefits. Or was that not something they should have done? > Instead of using operators for telemarketing, AT&T maintains a pool of > more than 3,000 contract telemarketers who are poorly paid and receive > no benefits, according to union officials. Another good business decision, especially appropriate for those persons who don't want to work full-time, or need benefits. My employer does this, and finds far more flexibility than hardness in scheduling, and we have just 18 people, not the hundreds of thousands AT&T does. Speaking not for my employer but just myself Andrew Finkenstadt | andy@{homes.com,vistachrome.com,genie.geis.com} Systems Analyst | Vista-Chrome, Homes & Land Publishing Corporation | 1600 Capital Circle SW, Tallahassee Florida 32310 +1 904-575-0189 | GEnie Postmaster, Unix & Internet RoundTables Sysop ------------------------------ From: Rajappa Iyer Subject: Re: Should I Get a Separate Line For Modem Date: 23 Aug 93 15:28:28 GMT Organization: NCR Corp., Network Products - San Diego I wrote earlier: > What are the pros and cons of using the same telephone number for both > the modem and voice? I really don't want to miss calls while I am on > the modem. Would call waiting help? Any input on this will be apprec- > iated. Ok! I'm convinced that I need a separate telephone number for modem. Unfortunately, the wiring in my building is pretty screwed up and I barely managed to get my current telephone number wired in. So my next question: is it possible to use the same physical wire for two numbers and use some sort of demultiplexor in my unit? Thanks, Rajappa Iyer (iyer@npg-sd.ScrippsRanchCA.NCR.COM - on assignment at NCR) #include ------------------------------ From: puma@netcom.com (Gary Breuckman) Subject: Re: Should I Get a Separate Line For Modem Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 16:31:12 GMT In article dave.carpentier@OLN.COM writes: > Rajappa Iyer writes: >> What are the pros and cons of using the same telephone number for both >> the modem and voice? I really don't want to miss calls while I am on >> the modem. Would call waiting help? Any input on this will be apprec- >> iated. > One solution is to get Voice-Mail and Call Forwarding. I had this > setup for a while on my modem line. Before you go online, just forward > the calls to the voice-mailbox. The problem with this setup is the > memory work involved with constantly setting/cancelling the call > forwarding. Voice-mailboxes can sometimes be setup to call you back > (at any ph#) to inform you of a message waiting ... a nice feature IMHO. > Stay away from the Call-waiting. As Pat said, it'll knock you offline. > Some Call-waiting systems can be disabled with a special code (such as > *70 ?), but this wouldn't solve your problem, as calls would again go > unanswered. A nice touch, if you purchase voicemail from your telephone company, is that they use the 'busy/no answer' forward that is set permanently on your line, so you don't have to set and reset it. They also provide a stutter dialtone when there are messages waiting, so you do not need to call in to find out whether there are any or not. They can also answer more than one call at a time. The only thing your answering machine can do better is screen calls, something I do a lot. We get SO many wrong numbers, folks selling things, etc ... you can listen to the start of the message and pick up if you want to talk. puma@netcom.com ------------------------------ From: doug@cc.ysu.edu (Doug Sewell) Subject: Re: New Service: The Net ADvertiser Date: 23 Aug 1993 19:03:35 GMT Organization: Youngstown State University This note has been posted to at least four bit.* newsgroups (actually the message-ID was like that of amailer, so it may have been sent to the related mailing lists and/or to a mail-news gateway). Just what we need ... another Seth/Warren/etc. NetAdvertiser (netad@uds01.unix.st.it) wrote: > Are you trying to sell your car, your home, your drums, your whole > Jimi Hendrix's bootlegs collection? Are you going to rent your flat > at Aspen for the summer time? Or maybe you are looking for a car, or > for a new job, or for friends to spend all the nights watching Peter > Greenaways's movies or playing Diplomacy. Even if you are offering > jobs and managing a commercial company you can enter the world of: Doug Sewell, Tech Support, Computer Center, Youngstown State University doug@cc.ysu.edu doug@ysub.bitnet !cc.ysu.edu!doug [Moderator's Note: Well, I was really glad to help inform people about this since for all intents and purposes it will be free to most of the users, and be an excellent place for all those Seth/Warren type messages. This should prove to be a most valuable mailing list IMHO. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Aug 93 11:16:11 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator Subject: Re: Cellular Conversation Results in Arrest A contact at Motorola Cellular recently gave me the scoop on this, as it is being related at Motorola to employees. It was a Motorola EMX2500 in Charlotte run by ALLTEL Mobile that led athorities to the arrest of the two alleged murderers of James Jordan. The information was derived from the CDR (Call Detail Records) on James Jordan's phone. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1993 15:54:30 +0200 From: naddy@mips.ruessel.sub.org (Christian Weisgerber) Reply-To: naddy@mips.ruessel.sub.org Subject: Re: FCC Equal Access Order In <08.15.93.1@eecs.nwu.edu>, TELECOM Moderator wrote: > Here is the copy of the Equal Access Order which was promised. First > read it and make sure *you* understand it, then show it to telecom > administrators at your school if you feel they are not in compliance. Is there an English translation available? :-> Christian 'naddy' Weisgerber, Germany naddy@ruessel.sub.org [Moderator's Note: Do you mean a German translation, or are you making mock of American bureaucrats and the way they write things in the hopes no one quite understands for sure what the law is, thus making them more likely to break it? Remember, the government depends on having a steady stream of law-breakers to be puninshed. Thousands of employees in the criminal justice system here have a vested interest in making sure crime in the USA stays quite high. Every little bit of gobbledy-good regulations (on any topic) insures there will always be something for the bureaucrats to deal with. :) PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #601 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa12233; 25 Aug 93 16:38 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA32393 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 25 Aug 1993 13:20:44 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA00516 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Wed, 25 Aug 1993 13:19:59 -0500 Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 13:19:59 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199308251819.AA00516@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #602 TELECOM Digest Wed, 25 Aug 93 13:20:00 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 602 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Symposium Notice - Human Factors in Telecommuncations (John Craick) CRIS (BBS Direct) (Jim Wenzel) New Sprint Product for Students (John D. Gretzinger) Caller ID vs. SMDI Data Link (Michael D. Corbett) DTMF/MF ==> EIA Decoder (Jimmy Lin) CATV Company Announces Connection to the Internet (Les Reeves) Calling Canadian 800 Numbers From the US (E. Drew Einhorn) ISDN Costs in OBT-Land (Ken Hester) Large Scale IVR Systems (Matt Holdrege) Octothorpe: Is That the Right Name? (Fred Smith) Information Needed on Watson (Otto L. Miller) The One True Dialing Plan (Bob Goudreau) Comparison of Salaries in Telecom Industry (David M. Perri) Last Laugh! MCI Friends: The Bobbit Family (Bert Roseberry) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Craick, John Subject: Symposium Notice - Human Factors in Telecommuncations Date: Wed, 25 Aug 93 16:59:00 EST HFT '95 15th International Symposium on Human Factors In Telecommunications Melbourne (Australia) - March 6 - 10, 1995 PRELIMINARY NOTICE This is a preliminary notice concerning the 15th International Symposium on Human Factors in Telecommunications which will be held in Melbourne, Australia, March 6 - 10th, 1995. These symposia are held every two or three years to provide a forum for human factors experts to exchange information, views and experiences in research and application of human factors principles in telecom products, equipment and services. These experts are generally employed by telecommunications administrations, manufacturers and related research or development organizations, or they may be members of the academic community. Publication of papers and posters are the basis for open discussion of human factors issues at the symposium. The symposium will be widely publicized in appropriate publications and by electronic means, but please bring it to the attention of other interested persons who may otherwise not hear about it. PARTICIPANTS Attendance is limited to a maximum of 200 people. This is the first of these symposia to be held outside North America and Europe and attendees are expected from those areas, Australasia and the Pacific rim. PAPERS Papers will be accepted for inclusion in the symposium on the basis of 300-500 word abstracts. Proceedings will be distributed before the symposium, giving participants a chance to read them in preparation for discussion. Presentation times will be kept short to enable more discussion. A formal poster session will be included in the time table, and posters will be displayed throughout the symposium. There will be no parallel sessions. Requirements for papers, including layout guidelines and submission dates will be provided later (see Timetable, below). PROGRAM TOPICS Papers are invited which address all aspects of the definition, design and evaluation of telecommunications systems, for example: Definition of new services Assessment methods and multi-disciplinary interactions necessary to new service evaluation and definition System optimization Person-machine interactions and interfaces Design of user procedures and strategies for service implementation System quality factors, e.g. transmission performance System flexibility and user programming factors Human factors in software design Methods for system optimization Optimization of user terminal design Person-machine interactions and interfaces Terminals (voice and data) Data systems maintenance Instructions Training and performance aids Methods LANGUAGE The symposium language will be English. Interpreting services will not be provided. TIMETABLE Second Preliminary Notice December, 1993 Formal Call for Papers (first and final) June, 1994 Closing Date for Abstracts September,1994 Acceptances to Authors October, 1994 Closing Date for Papers December, 1994 Distribution of Proceedings February, 1995 Symposium in Progress March, 1995 TRAVEL AND ACCOMODATION ARRANGEMENTS We are negotiating with QANTAS, the Australian national airline, to offer you the best travel deals. A range of accomodation will be available. CONTACTS IN AUSTRALIA If additional contacts in Australia could help strengthen your case to attend the symposium, we might be able to help. Please, inform us as soon as you can if you need to locate people with specific interests, institutions or companies here, and we will do our best to assist you. ELECTRONIC AND OTHER COMMUNICATIONS WITH HFT'95 A local organizing committee has been established in Melbourne and welcomes communications concerning HFT'95. Postal communications should be to the address given below. HFT'95 now has an internet e-mail address and we intend later to establish an ftp facility. Subject to certain limitations, we hope to accept abstracts, final papers and conference registrations through these electronic means. For more information, please e-mail us at the internet address shown below. Electronic communication with the organizing committee is particularly encouraged. ACTIVITIES AND TOURIST INFORMATION We are planning an activities program for people who are accompanying symposium participants. The activities will be designed to highlight the internationally acclaimed natural features of Melbourne and its surrounding areas that both adults and children would enjoy. To assist us in this planning, it would be appreciated if you could contact the local HFT'95 committee with a preliminary indication of how many people you think may accompany you to Australia, should you attend. Also, please inform us if you think you would consider extending your stay in Australia, either before or after the symposium, so tourist information can be prepared. We welcome postal, fax and e-mail correspondence on these matters. CONTACTING HFT'95 Convenor of local organizing committee : Dr. Gitte Lindgaard Postal Address : IHFT, c/o Telecom Research Laboratories, 770 Blackburn Rd., Clayton, VIC 3168, AUSTRALIA Phone : + 613 253 6723 Fax : + 613 253 6352 E-mail : ihft@trl.oz.au Permanent Steering Committee John Clegg, Norman Gleiss, Michel Nael, Leon van Noorden, Charles Rubinstein,Terry Cooper, Guglio Modena ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 02:09:00 -0500 From: jim.wenzel@grapevine.lrk.ar.us (Jim Wenzel) Subject: CRIS (BBS Direct) Reply-To: jim.wenzel@grapevine.lrk.ar.us (Jim Wenzel) Organization: The GrapeVine BBS *** N. Little Rock, AR *** (501) 753-8121 Since several people emailed me for more information concerning BBS Direct (CRIS) I will post a summary of what information I have on it. CRIS is part of Sprintnet, Sprint Corporations X.25 Network. Concentric Research Corporation (CRC) is a telecommunications and computer services company that designed, developed and operates the CRIS Information and Entertainment Network. CRIS's flexible system architecture permits users access through virtually any independent network. The system supports not only today's prevalent packet switched network but also the recently introduced frame relay and ATM telecommunications technologies. CRIS also supports ISDN and other digital WAN technologies for extremely high speed delivery of data products. In keeping with the non-commercial nature of UseNet if you have any questions regarding BBS Direct please write to Simon@cris.com or call 1-800-745-CRIS and ask to speak to James Rector. I am not connected to CRIS / Sprint / or CRC in anyway and am quoting/paraphrasing from a fax I received upon my own inquiry. Other information I gleamed from a voice conversation is that UseNet mail is coming soon with independent domains (ie.. a BBS would have their own domain name) as well development is under way to provide BBS's (dos based) the ability to provide TelNet and FTP access to their users. I was told that their shoot date is the end of the year but, they hope to have it online by October. They also plan on having Chat-Based Interlink Services (allows a local BBS to connect its "chat" users to a national link-up of other systems). All in all it looks very interesting and we will probably go ahead and become a part of this network here at this BBS. The GrapeVine / Ferret Face BBS (501) 753-8121 PGP Distribution Site, UseNet, RIME, ThrobNet, MediaNet, U'niNet, ForthNet RecoveryNet, MetroLink. Putting Communications back in Telecommunication ------------------------------ From: JOHN.D.GRETZINGER@sprint.sprint.com Date: 24 Aug 93 19:18:31-0400 Subject: New Sprint Product for Students The following press release is forwarded as general information. SPRINT OFFERS COLLEGIATE FONCARD(sm) TO STUDENTS KANSAS CITY, Mo., Aug. 23, 1993 -- Sprint today introduced the Collegiate FONCARD(sm), a calling card designed for college students that gives them Moonlight Madness(sm) domestic calling rates of just 9 cents per minute between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., every day of the week. For example, on a 10-minute call from Chicago to Los Angeles between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., students save 35 percent with the Moonlight Madness rate when compared with AT&T's basic calling card rate. In addition to the Moonlight Madness rate, normal phone card surcharges apply to all calls made with the Collegiate FONCARD. Students with a Collegiate FONCARD automatically earn Sprint Priority Collegiate Rewards(sm) for every $100 in long distance calls. Sprint will give students rewards, absolutely free, just for using the Collegiate FONCARD. The Collegiate FONCARD also offers Sprint Priority Party Call(sm), a conference call capability that allows college students to call two friends, in two different places, and talk to them both at once. When the Sprint Priority Party Call is made during Moonlight Madness hours, students get the 9 cents per minute rate on both calls. "This is the first time college students have been offered a special calling card that includes late night discounts to fit their lifestyle," said Dave Schmieg, president of Sprint's Consumer Services Group. "Most college students are very careful about how they spend their money, but our low Moonlight Madness rate makes balancing their budget easier. Sprint has made it convenient and affordable for students to keep in touch without breaking the bank." College students may call Sprint at 1-800-795-5971 to sign up for the Collegiate FONCARD. The first Sprint Priority Collegiate Reward is on Sprint as soon as students make the first call. New Sprint customers who sign up also receive a complimentary Sprint Priority Party Call, good for up to 10 minutes of three-way party calling. Sprint is a diversified international telecommunications company with more than $10 billion in annual revenues and the United States' only nationwide all-digital, fiber-optic network. Its divisions provide global long distance voice, data and video products and services, local telephone services to nearly 6 million subscriber lines in 19 states, and cellular operations that serve 42 metropolitan markets and more than 50 rural service areas. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Pat - I know you have the Orange Cards also, but thought this was worth passing along. John D. Gretzinger | I may work for Sprint but I don't Network Engineer | speak for anyone but myself. Sprint | +1.310.797.2126 (FAX) j.gretzinger@sprint.sprint.com | +1.310.797.1187 (voice) [Moderator's Note: Yes, I still market the Orange Calling Card as an affinity service or product for readers of TELECOM Digest and the income from Orange is used to help defray production costs of this journal. But the Digest is intended as an open forum for the discussion of all telecom services and industry events; not as an electronic storefront for my services. But the competition is tough, I can tell you that. There are all sorts of products available today which were not on the market a couple years ago for telecom consumers. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1993 14:54:24 -0700 From: Michael D. Corbett Subject: Caller ID vs. SMDI Data Link Hello, I work for a PC based voice processing company and am responsible for integrating our systems with various PBX's. Most are some form of proprietary data packet using a RS232 link which provides (to varying degree) calling and called party id, trunk id, forward RNA, forward busy etc. The only CO based implementation (that we use or I personally know of) is called Simplified Message Desk. We deal with the (I)nterface, and in the voice processing industry anyway, it has become known as SMDI. The CO provides a Bell 202 modem (discussed previously in this Digest) to send information pertaining to a call for a port on the voice processing system. Once the integration has collected both ringing voltage from the loop start card we use, and RS232 data, the port is told to go off-hook, and what appropriate greeting to speek. It all worked great until about a week ago. :( Now for the kicker. Caller ID has just been activated in a few CO's that we have SMDI integrations installed, and it seems we now get both the SMDI packet, and a packet with the Caller ID information. It appears that the Caller ID information has been (re)formatted to be a "valid" SMDI data packet as per Belcore TR-TSY-000283 Issue 1, July 1985. Needless to say, our system has no clue what to do with the second message and I believe the first spoken greeting a caller hears is now "invalid mailbox" Cool, huh. Is this issue addressed in the Belcore spec for Caller ID? At this point I'm still collectng data, so pointers in completely irrelevant directions would probably be appreciated. :) You may e-mail me directly at the address below. Thanks in advance, Mike Corbett Internet: mcorbett@halcyon.com Applied Voice Technology Voice: 206 820 6000 x3368 P.O. Box 97025 Fax: 206 820 4040 Kirkland WA 98083 I speak only for myself, not AVT! ------------------------------ From: jlin@fang.att.com (Jimmy Lin) Subject: DTMF/MF ==> EIA Decoder Organization: AT&T Tax Systems Development, Maitland FL Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 02:54:05 GMT DTMF (Dual Tone Multiple Frequency) <==> EIA (RS232) Decoder, and MF (Multiple Frequency) ==> EIA (RS232) Decoder. If anyone on the net knows where I can find these products, please e-mail me the product name, manufactors, and their telephone number. Thank you, e-mail: jlin@fang.att.com Jimmy Lin, Database Consultant at ATT ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1993 19:42:56 -0400 (EDT) From: LESREEVES@delphi.com Subject: CATV Company Announces Connection to the Internet Cable company plans to connect to the Internet. Continental Cablevision Inc. announces plans to provide a direct linkup to the Internet, bypassing local phone and other special hookups. {Wall Street Journal}, "Technology," 8/24/93, p. B1 ------------------------------ From: einhorn_d@apsicc.aps.edu (E. Drew Einhorn) Subject: Calling Canadian 800 Numbers From the US Date: 24 Aug 1993 17:57 MST Organization: Albuquerque Public Schools - Career Enrichment Center A long time ago I saw a number that Canadians could call and then dial out from a US phone line to access American 800 numbers. I'm looking for the same thing in reverse a long distance number I could call and then be able to dial out from a Canadian phone line to access a Canadian 800 number. I'd try to get the regular phone number but I really don't know what city or even which province they are in. Thanks, Drew [Moderator's Note: The message you saw circulating on some newsgroups gave a number used for fraudulent access into and out of the phone system of an institution in the Pacific Northwest. It was *not* intended for use as a 'method for Canadians (or people from the UK or Brazil or anywhere else for that matter) to access 800 numbers in the USA ...'. It was used that way, among other abuses made of it. It was (is) the private DISA number into a PBX system which some phreak(s) found and started circulating en-masse. The reason you cannot find such a 'number in reverse' is because you are not supposed to make such calls. 800 numbers have specific limitations placed upon who (from what geographic location) may call them. The way you find out which is which is you dial the 800 number directly from your phone. If you get connected, your call via that number is welcome. If your call is rejected by the network, then your call via 800 is not welcome, meaning the owner of the 800 number does not wish to pay for your call. If the merchant or whoever is too dumb to advertise his POTS number as part of his message, then that's his problem. If the merchant wants international 800 service, it *is* available without a lot of dialing rigamarole going through some third sucker's unprotected DISA port fraudulently. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: 25 Aug 93 15:12 GMT From: CSC.PARTNERS@AppleLink.Apple.COM (CSC, CSC Partners,APD) Subject: ISDN Costs in OBT-Land In CSC.PARTNERS@applelink.apple.com (Ken Hester), I wrote about my experiences with Ohio Bell's ISDN Direct service. Many of you have requested I post the charges for OBT and AT&T. The information below is based on my bills, documentation, and phone calls to the corresponding providers. ***OHIO BELL Monthly Charges: ISDN CKT SW VOICE B CHANNEL 3.00 ISDN CKT SW DATA ON B CHANNEL 8.00 2B1Q 1 WIRE U INTERFACE 7.10 ISDN DIRECT LINE 11.75 ACCESS CHARGE PER FCC ORDER 3.50 9-1-1 SERVICE CHARGE .12 --------- TOTAL 33.47 Measured Service per call: 8AM to 9PM, Mon - Fri, Full Rate as stated below in table 9PM to 8AM, All day Sat & Sun, and Holidays, 50% discount Miles First minuteEa. add. min. 0-10 0.04 0.01 11-22 0.045 0.015 23+ 0.05 0.02 ***AT&T I am not posting AT&T voice call rates as they are the same as a non-ISDN line. Data calls on AT&T are carried by their ACCUNET service, which are distance-sensitive measured rates. They are roughly $0.25 the first minute and $0.15 each additional minute, YMMV! :-) Miles First 30 seconds Ea. add. 6 sec. 56-124 0.1465 0.0133 125-292 0.1565 0.0153 293-430 0.1660 0.0172 431-925 0.1775 0.0195 926-1910 0.1815 0.0203 I recommend that anyone needing further detail of costs contact the appropriate provider. ISDN BRI service costs vary widely among the LECs. Some LECs still target ISDN BRI for business users only and they price their service at significantly higher rates. The best deal on ISDN BRI today can be had in the State of Tennessee. Their PUC has shown remarkable wisdom in promoting the widespread use of ISDN. Ken Hester CSC Partners, A Company of Computer Sciences Corporation Internet: CSC.PARTNERS@applelink.apple.com IMHO, all opinions expressed are mine and CSC can borrow them if they ask. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1993 17:20:25 -0800 (PST) From: Urban Surfer Subject: Large Scale IVR Systems We are outgrowing our IVR system. We have a DECvoice cluster which does great speech synthesis, but is limited by Q-bus technology. I've heard talk about TAPI, but that sounds like it is a good ways off. I'd like to solicit information from others who run large scale IVR systems. I'm looking for systems that handle several thousands of calls per day, and can handle call supervision. The system needs to have the smarts to talk to a back-end database over a network. I know other folks are doing this kind of stuff. How do you do it? Thanks! Matt Holdrege holdrege@phs.com MH235 ------------------------------ From: Fred Smith Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 14:37:46 EDT Subject: Octothorpe: Is That the Right Name? I seem to recall that there was some discussion about a year ago about the octothorpe here on the Digest. I've gone and opened my big mouth and unless I can come up with some factual information I'm doomed to buying dinner for my uncle. Being a big trivia buff, I asked him if he knew what the '#' symbol was called other than the pound symbol. When I told him it was called an octothorpe at one time, he wasn't buying it ... even when I tried to explain that octo = 8, 8 being the number of points etc. So now he's called my bluff and wants to see some hard evidence or else it's my treat. Does anyone know where I might be able to find a blurb about this in some old manuals or something. Anything even remotely valid will get me off the hook and I'll be enjoying dinner! Thanks in advance for any information you can. Frederick W. Smith University of MD at Baltimore Manager, Communications and Networking 100 N. Greene St. Rm. 519 fsmith@comm1.ab.umd.edu Balto, MD 21201 410-706-8337 [Moderator's Note: There was a brief discussion of the octothorpe a while back here; the main discussion was about four years ago or more when a special issue of the Digest was published 'The Octothorpe Gets Its Name'. I remember that issue well, it was full of trivia comments on 'the pound sign'. I suggest you look in the Telecom Archives. You might also check the index of subjects for volumes 9-10-11. You can grep this file, find the volume and issue numbers, then pull the file of back issues in which the word 'octothorpe' appears in the title. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Aug 93 06:28:02 EDT From: Otto L.Miller Subject: Information Needed on Watson Good day all, I have a need to contact the vendor of the Watson product line. Several years ago there was some discussion here about its capablilities. I am interested in the base product and the development environment. I want to to video switching based on DTMF input. Any help is appreciated. Thank you in advance. Otto L. Miller olm@ssds.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 23:15:49 -0400 From: goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau) Subject: The One True Dialing Plan In article johnl@iecc.com writes: > calls within the area code are dialed with seven digits, whether > they're local, intra-LATA toll, or inter-LATA toll, and inter-NPA > calls are dialed 1-NXX-NXX-NXXX. As has previously been noted, this > is the One True Dialing Plan. I beg to differ. It seems to me that more places are using the *real* One True Dialing Plan (OTDP), in which all long-distance calls (intra-NPA included) are dialed with 11 digits, and only local, intra-NPA calls can use seven-digit dialing. As I recall, the Bellcore recommendations were neutral as to which of these OTDPs had to be in effect by 1995 (when the first NNX area code, 334 in Alabama, appears). However, I've heard of more areas using the latter OTDP than the former (including here in NC, where we ditched 8-digit dialing of intra-NPA LD calls two or three years ago). Its advantage is that people who've had "1 means toll" hammered into their heads over the years won't be able to get themselves into a tizzy by dialing 7D toll calls that they thought were local calls. Bob Goudreau Data General Corporation goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com 62 Alexander Drive +1 919 248 6231 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA [Moderator's Note: Uh oh ... just what we need! A schism here in the Digest over The One True Dialing Plan. I shall have to censor and excomumunicate all non-believers and heretics. PAT] ------------------------------ From: perri@wpi.WPI.EDU (David M Perri) Subject: Comparison of Salaries in Telecom Industry Date: 25 Aug 1993 17:03:41 GMT Organization: Worcester Polytechnic Institute Please excuse my ignorance, but I am a second year student of electrical engineering and I am having trouble deciding whether I should go into hardware or software. I have a great interest in both so I guess my deciding factor will be whichever one pays better. I dont want to make a decision based on this, but I think it will be of some importance in the final decision. Could someone please tell me what the average salaries are of hardware and software engineers in the data communications field? Please email to perri@wpi.wpi.edu Thank you in advance, Dave ------------------------------ From: Bert Roseberry Subject: Last Laugh! MCI Friends: The Bobbit Family Organization: Digital Equipment Computer Users Society Date: 25 Aug 93 10:53:06 -0400 Organization: DECUServe Last night on the local NBC affiliate there was a commercial for the MCI "Friends and Family" program. One family featured was the "Bobbit"s of Leesburg, VA. Wasn't "John Bobbit" of Manassas, VA the man who recently had his -- ahem -- "member" cut off by his wife and later surgically reattached ? Interesting coincidence? Bert roseberry@eisner.decus.org [Moderator's Note: Well you see Bert, it all started one day when John Bobbit suggested to his wife that they change their default one-plus carrier to AT&T. Mrs. Bobbit was furious about this and told her hus- band in no uncertain terms she would teach him to f--- around with the family phone service. MCI corporate was so inspired by the loyalty shown by Mrs. Bobbit that they decided to make it a commercial on TV in the hopes other Americans would be similarly inspired into changing their carrier to MCI. Knowing the itwits roadcasting ompany as well as I do, I'm surprised they didn't make the whole thing into a 13 week series beginning with Mrs. B's first reaction to Mr. B's perverted proposition to her. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #602 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa20374; 26 Aug 93 2:06 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA10272 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 25 Aug 1993 22:47:51 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA05487 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Wed, 25 Aug 1993 22:47:06 -0500 Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 22:47:06 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199308260347.AA05487@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #603 TELECOM Digest Wed, 25 Aug 93 22:47:00 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 603 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (TELECOM Moderator) AT&T Announces New Internet Connectivity (Gail M. Silver) Volume Level of Tropez 900DL? (Ed J. Gurney) Help: Telephone Rates Database (Michael G. Whitlock) Pioneer Radio Listing (Barry Mishkind) Bell Canada, POTS and Modem Charges (Fred Ennis, FIDO via Dixon Kenner) Any Good COCOTs? (In Rural Areas) (Roddy Erickson) Air Amplifiers, aka Fans (was Re: Radar and Acronyms) (John Schmidt) Computer <-> Phone Interface in Germany (Michael Clark) ---------------------- TELECOM Digest is an e-journal devoted mostly -- but not exclusively -- to discussions on voice telephony. The Digest is a not-for-profit public service published frequently by Patrick Townson Associates. PTA markets a no-surcharge telephone calling card and a no monthly fee 800 service. In addition, we are resellers of AT&T's Software Defined Network. For a detailed discussion of our services, write and ask for the file 'products'. The Digest is delivered at no charge by email to qualified subscribers on any electronic mail service connected to the Internet. To join the mail- ing list, write and tell us how you qualify: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu. All article submissions MUST be sent to our email address: telecom@eecs. nwu.edu -- NOT as replies to comp.dcom.telecom. Back issues and numerous other telephone-related files of interest are available from the Telecom Archives, using anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu. Login anonymous, then 'cd telecom-archives'. At the present time, the Digest is also ported to Usenet at the request of many readers there, where it is known as 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Use of the Digest does not require the use of our products and services. The two are separate. All articles are the responsibility of the individual authors. Organi- zations listed, if any, are for identification purposes only. The Digest is compilation-copyrighted, 1993. **DO NOT** cross-post articles between the Digest and other Usenet or alt newsgroups. Do not compile mailing lists from the net-addresses appearing herein. Send tithes and love offerings to PO Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690. :) Phone: 312-465-2700. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 22:08:04 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Subject: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers Maybe some readers who work for AT&T in their long distance services and their 800 number service can explain to me why Mother is taking the stance she is with reference to customers who try to get an 800 number installed on a POTS line. Most of you know by now that among other things I do, I resell 800 numbers from a couple sources. These are actual 800 numbers, not the deal MCI offers where you have to put in a PIN, etc. I resell the AT&T Software Defined Network through a major aggregator/reseller. AT&T is refusing to hook up a customer of mine. Here are the circum- stances; maybe someone can tell me what is going on: AT&T and I have a mutual customer. The customer has had for some time an 800 'Ready Line' style number from AT&T which terminates on a certain phone in his office. He is happy with the service, but decided to shop around. He came to me for advice. I was able to reserve for him and obtain a *very desirable* 800 number; it spells out the name of his business. It took me a long time to merely get the number; it was not in service but AT&T had it 'reserved' for a customer whose name they were unable or unwilling to provide. The day the sixty day hold came off the number, someone literally jumped on it and got it for me and my customer. Now *I* have the number in reserve and am holding it for my customer, who still remains with AT&T on a different 800 number. My order went in to AT&T saying to park the new 800 number on the same phone line where his other 800 number (that he gets from AT&T) is routed. He needs it this way because the phone accepting his 800 calls is itself routed into an auto-attendant and voicemail. There is no reason in the world you cannot dump as many things as you want on same POTS line. I've seen cases of three or four different 800 numbers terminating on the same POTS. There is no technical problem whatsoever. The customer does not want to have to install (or take over) a second POTS line for this. He would have simply dropped the AT&T number and taken mine instead because of the better rates I got him and the fact that the number spells out his business name ... but he was worried if I would be able to produce or not, or give good service, etc ... so I was able to convince him to try my service by keeping both numbers for awhile and phasing out his AT&T 800 number ONLY WHEN HE WAS SURE my service was good. He cannot afford to be without 800 service; I cannot expect telecom managers to just hand over stuff to me sight unseen; and since my service involves no contracts, no minimums, etc, I suggested he take it, try it for a month or two, and if he did not like my service, cancel me! *And* snatch the 'good' number and revert it to AT&T if he chose to do so. That seemed fair and he agreed to try my service, while keeping his AT&T 800 number 'just in case' I couldn't produce and to allow for a smooth transistion if/when he decided to go with me entirely. So what does AT&T say? Since this new 800 number is actually their service being resold by me, they are *refusing* to terminate it on the same POTS line. They just flatly say it is against their policy to terminate two 800 numbers on the same POTS. I asked them if they had ever heard of the term 'multi-POTS' (which is what the termination of multiple 800's on the same line is called.) Yes, they said, we heard of it but we are not gonna do it. We *will* do it provided *we* get his account on both numbers (old existing 800 and new number also). But they won't do it with their own number and someone's else's 800. I asked specifically for their tariff authority to refuse to connect the customer in the manner in which he wishes to be connected. They admitted they have no authority to refuse the connection, but still have no intention of doing it. It's not like there was anything going on at the POTS level which would mess up or misidentify the billing on calls; now-days the carrier just picks up the 800 call and outdials it to wherever. Plus, they said they would do it *if the mutual cus- tomer was totally their customer*. Now I stand to lose the largest customer who has patronized me to date because AT&T is refusing to route his new 800 (from me, which I resell from them) to the POTS of his choice. The choices at this point seem to be: I turn the customer over to AT&T and lose my commission and ongoing residuals -- which would I suspect pay my rent in full each month; The customer takes a giant leap of faith and says 'okay Townson, I am giving you authority to tell AT&T to yank *their* 800 number out concurrent with installing the new one through your service; The customer installs another POTS line and re-programs his auto- attendant and voicemail stuff to accomodate a second 800 line working on a second POTS line at considerable trouble to himself; and anyway, trouble or not, why should he have to???? I keep pursuing this on up the corporate ladder with my next stop being an appeal to the Chairman's Office to be followed if needed with a Commission complaint. Of course I have no money or resources to carry this fight on very long unless some attorney who practices communications law and knows the ins-and-outs will do it for me. Why does AT&T conduct business in this way? We know that ever since portability started in May, the company has been in a snit about all the business they are losing, despite press releases to the contrary. Are they detirmined to kill all the small telecom businesses one way or another? If anyone from AT&T can tell me what possible legitimate reasons there could be for refusing to hook a reseller's 800 number to the same POTS where Mother has one of her own 800 numbers working, I would appreciate knowing the reason. It cannot be a technical reason since AT&T will do it for as many 800 numbers as *their exclusive customer* wants. Answers please. Patrick Townson ------------------------------ From: gsilver@attmail.com (Gail M. Silver) Date: 25 Aug 93 13:13:26 GMT Subject: AT&T announcment Carolyn Tommie AT&T Business Communications Services 908-221-8541 (office) 201-366-0655 (home) Carolyn.Tommie@ATT.COM (Internet) Gail Silver AT&T EasyLink Services 201-331-4132 (office) 908-218-0422 (home) Gail.Silver@ATT.COM (Internet) AT&T Announces New Internet Connectivity Options BASKING RIDGE, N.J -- AT&T today announced new options that will provide a single-vendor solution for accessing both the global Internet and enhanced messaging services. These new options will be available in the first quarter of 1994 to customers of AT&T InterSpan (R) Services, AT&T EasyLink Services and the millions of people worldwide who use the Internet. There will be new connections to the Internet from AT&T InterSpan Frame Relay Services and Information Access Services. There also will be new connections from AT&T EasyLink Services to the Internet through AT&T InterSpan Services. Customers of InterSpan Services will gain a variety of convenient, cost-effective options to access the global Internet. At the same time, InterSpan customers and all global Internet users will be able to subscribe to the full range of messaging services from AT&T EasyLink Services including electronic mail, text-to-fax delivery and telex, and will be able to communicate with subscribers of non-Internet commercial network services worldwide. AT&T InterSpan Frame Relay Service customers will have access to the Internet by simply adding a single permanent virtual circuit to their existing connections. Similarly, InterSpan Information Access Service customers will be able to access the Internet at speeds ranging from 300 - 14400 bps with a nationwide toll-free, seven-digit number (950-1ATT). "Increasingly, organizations need to reach beyond their own boundaries to access the information and computing resources they need," said Jayne Fitzgerald, product line director, InterSpan Data Communications Services. "With these new options, our customers will have the opportunity to simplify their premises equipment needs and vendor interface requirements, as well as streamline their network management issues." For customers of AT&T EasyLink Services, who already have access to the global Internet, the new connections will mean improved reliability and performance for their Internet communications. "More and more people, including AT&T customers, want to have the option to communicate on the global Internet," said Sal Noto, product management vice president, AT&T EasyLink Services. "In providing that option, we're increasing the ease with which millions of people can access each other as well as the information they want and need." The new AT&T options will include a naming service based on the Domain Name System (DNS), a widely used method for naming and translating addresses on the Internet. With this service, AT&T customers will be able to register an Internet name of their choice -- one that reflects their corporate identity, for example -- and use that name for their communication on the Internet. AT&T also will offer to assist customers with selection, registration and maintenance of their names on the Internet. All of the new AT&T Internet connectivity options will support TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol), the primary method for transferring information across various networks on the Internet. Customers of the new Internet connectivity options will be able to tap into the InterNic directory and database services. Provided by AT&T since April under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation, these services make it easier for all Internet users to find available Internet resources. AT&T InterSpan Frame Relay Service and InterSpan Information Access Service are members of a comprehensive new family of high-quality, innovative data connectivity solutions designed to make it easier to link people, locations and information. The InterSpan Services facilitate faster, more efficient distributed computing for business through customized data services flexible enough to change and grow as a company evolves. AT&T EasyLink Services serves more than 160 countries and has sales and support offices in three dozen countries. AT&T EasyLink Services offers one of the broadest arrays of electronic messaging services in the market, including electronic data interchange, gateways from LAN-based e-mail systems and telex, in addition to electronic mail, enhanced fax and information services. # # # Editors' notes: The global Internet is a system of approximately 14,000 interconnected data networks, reaching more than 100 countries and serving commercial organizations, research organizations, governments and universities. By the end of 1993, more than two million computers, terminals and other devices will be accessible on the Internet. 950 access is currently available in 90% of the U.S. market. Where 950 access is not available and as back-up, an 800 number is provided. -------------- TELECOM Moderator's Note: Sprint made their announcement of a product like this recently also. Looks like things are gonna get crowded around here; more than ever before, big changes are in store for the net as we know it. PAT] ------------------------------ From: egurney@hpvclq.vcd.hp.com (Ed J. Gurney) Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 14:14:16 -0700 Subject: Volume level of Tropez 900DL? Greetings! I just picked up a Tropez 900DL (for $196 from Incredible Universe, a super-store in Wilsonville, Oregon, for everyone's information.) I'm wondering if anyone has any information on increasing the volume of the person on the other end of the call via the Tropez 900DL. I *DO* realize that there is a digital volume control on the handset [which appears to have four discrete "levels"], but all it seems to do is increase the volume of the _sidetone_. :-( Unfortunately, I don't want to hear MY voice louder! I called VTech's tech-support line and the drone told me take it back and exchange it. Since Incredible Universe is about an hour drive each way, I'd prefer to just tweek a pot in either the base or the handset to increase the volume. :-) If there is no such pot, then I'm afraid that replacing the unit with another will sound the same, and I'll have to go AGAIN to take it back for a refund! So ... I'm wondering if anyone has any information on increasing the volume. If not, should I just return the phone and look into another brand? I've heard that AT&T's new 900MHz phone is a re-packaged Tropez. Are there other digital phones (mostly for security reasons) available at the $200 price-point? Other than the volume problem, I'm impressed with the Tropez, especially the range. Plus, when I attempted to "listen" to my calls on my scanner, all I heard was what sounded like white noise. :-) [I like that aspect of preventing casual eavesdropping on my conversations.] Any information on the above, or recommendations on other 900MHz digital phones would be most appreciated. Thanks and regards! Eddy J. Gurney N8FPW Hewlett-Packard Company, Vancouver (USA!) Division egurney@vcd.hp.com #include ------------------------------ From: mgw@moscow.cc.bellcore.com (whitlock,michael g) Subject: Help: Telephone Rates Database Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ Date: Wed, 25 Aug 93 19:45:19 GMT I am trying to locate vendors who can provide information on telephone rates in an electronic format (i.e., a database). So far I have found only one company that maintains much of the information I need in machine readable form: Tele-Tech Services P.O. Box 757 McAfee, NJ 07428 I am looking for tariffed rates filed with the Federal Communications Commission and/or State Public Utility Commissions. These rates must be updated regularly to ensure that outdated information is not used. The rates must be available in machine readable form (magnetic tape, floppy disks, via modem, etc.). I need toll rates filed by the Interexchange Carriers (AT&T, MCI, and SPRINT, etc.) and the Local Exchange Carriers (Pacific Bell, GTE, etc.). I am also interested in rates for switched and special access (private lines, DS1, DS3, T1, etc.). If you know of other vendors who can currently supply some or all of the above data in machine readable form, please forward the names of those companies (and a way to reach them) to me. I will gladly summarize the results and share them with this group. Thanks for your help. Michael G. Whitlock Bellcore (LCC-1E130) I only speak for Tel: (201) 740-4178 290 W. Mt. Pleasant Ave. myself, NOT mgw@cc.bellcore.com Livingston, NJ 07039-0486 my employer. ------------------------------ From: barry%coyote@noao.edu Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 00:28:00 -0700 Subject: Pioneer Radio Listing Well, Version 1 of OLDRADIO is ready to be loosed on the world. This is a listing of the Pioneer stations on the air as of November 11, 1928, with their successor frequencies and calls listed, as far as known (there are still some that died in the early 30's that we don't have deletion dates for as yet). Put together with a lot of (continuing) help from readers of BROADCAST on FidoNet, this is an interesting look at some of the early owners, and tidbits we are accumulating on the stations. 1928 was chosen for the first effort because it was the date of the great FRC channel change, after the great rush to get on the air in the early 20's (some stations lasted as little as three months), and before the depression set it. Some of the information already gathered is quite interesting. Did you know one station was sold by a Republican Club in NYC to a Ku Klux Klan publication in VA? It's now a 50 kW station in DC. Another station started as a way for a bootlegger to communicate with his ships off the west coast. Still another was under a "mobile" license and operated in at least five states before "landing". Some stations moved frequency three to five times before settling down. Many stations that shared a frequency either combined, or bought someone else out and moved. Version 1 of OLDRADIO is available as shareware ... just to cover the cost of diskette and shipping and handling. Registered users will receive the next version -- as we are even now continuing to gather more information on the stations listed - as well as information on broadcast history, call letter origins, frequently asked questions and more. I'm sure we'll be adding further information, including biographies of many of the nation's most familiar stations. OLDRADIO is set up as an infobase with instant search capability. It is available for the IBM PC type machines. It may be made available for other machines if there is enough interest and time allows (!). Send $7.50 to: Barry Mishkind 2033 S. Augusta Place Tucson, AZ 85710 You may also FREQ this file on FidoNet at 1:300/11 outside of ZMH. Comments are welcome ... Barry Mishkind barry@coyote.datalog.com Tucson, Arizona ------------------------------ Subject: Bell Canada, Pots and Modem Charges From: dixon@fourfold.ocunix.on.ca (dixon kenner) Reply-To: dixon@fourfold.ocunix.on.ca (dixon kenner) Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 22:52:57 -0400 Organization: FourFold Symmetry - Nepean, Ontario, Canada A recent message implied that Bell Canada was considering requesting permission from the CRTC to charge for phone lines for modems running at higher than 4800 baud. Below is a cross post of a message that appeared in the Region 12 FidoNet sysop newsgroup on this subject. By: Fred Ennis To: all Re: CRTC and Bell I have spoken to both Bell Canada and the CRTC. The "Bell wants to force the use of data lines" post is bullshit, pure and simple. There is no such tariff filing, or any other business pending that is remotely connected with this. I would also urge anyone who sees such a post to check it out or send a message back to the author asking for more information before passing it along to a wider audience. Fidonet and the internet are famous for being able to spread false information very quickly, and I am appalled that people will do so without stopping to think. I have spoken to Bill Allen, the head of Public Information at the CRTC, and with Bell Canada's Public Affairs people. I've written about it in my newspaper column as well. The thing apparently originated with Martin Ouelette at 167/290.21. I've asked him for more info and haven't heard a thing back from him. dixon kenner, dixon@fourfold.ocunix.on.ca FourFold Symmetry, Nepean, Ontario, Canada ------------------------------ From: Roddy Erickson Subject: Any Good COCOTs? (In Rural Areas) Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 22:35:04 -0700 We've all read the ongoing COCOT horror stories, but there must be the occasional business owner who wants decent pay-phone service. (After all, the money made from a COCOT is small compared to the lost business to a store from angry customers.) Are there actually any COCOT vendors out there who offer well-programmed machines that don't rip people off? We'd like to find one for a retreat center in Southern Oregon. A year or two ago, the Digest had a single posting about one such vendor, but they turned out not to be able to handle our rural location (Alltel is local provider). Roddy Erickson erickson@well.sf.ca.us ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 11:54:47 EDT From: JOHN SCHMIDT Subject: Air Amplifiers, aka Fans (was Re: Radar and Acronyms) Some time not too long after I started working for ABC TV (my daytime, paying employer), I was looking at a blueprint for some racks of equipment in ABC's Master Control, and several one rack unit spaces were labeled "Air Amplifier". This made me rather curious. I knew of Line Amplifiers, Program Amplifiers, Mic Preamplifiers, RF Amplifiers, Distribution Amplifiers (of many flavors), etc., But what the H%$# was an AIR AMPLIFIER???? So I went and looked. It turns out they were each a one rack unit panel, kind of like a rack shelf when pushed in the rack, with six Muffin fans bolted to them! Trade Name _Air Amplifier_ !!! This appeared to be the solution when you crammed too much equipment into a rack and the forced air cooling was no longer adequate. BTW -- Hi Bryan (bdboyle) (Bryan used to work for ABC, and I never get around to replying to his e-mail :-(.. ) John H. Schmidt, P.E. Internet: schmidt@auvax1.adelphi.edu Technical Director, WBAU Phone--Days (212)456-4218 Adelphi University Evenings (516)877-6400 Garden City, New York 11530 Fax-------------(212)456-2424 ------------------------------ From: mdc%aisg@concert.net (Michael Clark - Gateway Conversion Technologies ) Subject: Computer <-> Phone Interface in Germany Date: 25 Aug 1993 12:00:41 GMT Organization: Gateway Conversion Tech. Reply-To: mdc@aisg.com I will be traveling to Germany (Berlin) in September. Does anyone know the connector standard and pinout for interfacing my computer to the local telco? TIA, Michael Clark Gateway Conversion Technologies Research Triangle Park, NC mdc@aisg.com ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #603 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa20834; 26 Aug 93 2:44 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA06001 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Wed, 25 Aug 1993 23:50:02 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA09950 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Wed, 25 Aug 1993 23:49:16 -0500 Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 23:49:16 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199308260449.AA09950@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #604 TELECOM Digest Wed, 25 Aug 93 23:49:00 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 604 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Email < - > Telex (B. Pevzner) Re: Email < - > Telex (David Josephson) Re: Email < - > Telex (John D. Gretzinger) Re: Cellular Phone Catches More Crooks (Arthur Rubin) Re: What is RASCOM and S.I.T.? (Chris Ambler) Re: Free French Phone Information From Publiphone (Ray Normandeau) Re: Busy Signals, Tone Plants, etc. (Terry Kennedy) Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal (H. Shrikumar) Re: GTE Adopts New Numbering Plan (Carl Moore) Re: Looking For Cordless Headset Phone (Gary Merinstein) Re: Old Panel CO9s and Their Tones (Eric N. Florack) Re: Remotely Accessible Answer Machines May Grant Too Much Access (C Jones) Re: Access to Telco White Pages (Andy Sherman) Re: AT&T Buys McCaw (Cellular One) (Erik Ramberg) Re: UUNet 900 Seems to be a Bad Idea (Bill Bogstad) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: pevzner@clockwise.att.com Date: Wed, 24 Aug 93 19:16:58 EDT Subject: Telex <-> Internet Email? Reply-To: clockwise!pevzner@clockwise.att.com TELECOM Moderator noted: > [Moderator's Note: Both MCI Mail and ATT Mail have telex gateways and > both have Internet gateways. Trouble is, you can't send from Internet > to Telex via either one: they want someone to pay, and collection is > hard to deal with on our net. You could take a couple of accounts on > one of those services, setting one account to forward incoming mail to > !telex!number and setting the other to forward mail to !internet!name. > You would write to one address from internet, the mail would forward > to telex at your expense, and the recipient would telex to the other > account and it would in turn forward to your net account. PAT] A note of caution: Everything that arrives into your ATTMAIL->Telex account (including ATTMAIl administrativia messages, etc.) will be automatically forwarded to that "Less Developed Country," and you'll be billed for that. B. Pevzner pevzner@clockwise.att.com ------------------------------ From: davidj@rahul.net (David Josephson) Subject: Re: Email < - > Telex Organization: a2i network Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 00:00:27 GMT In Paul Robinson writes: >> I'm trying to learn if anyone offers a (two-way) gateway between >> Telex and Internet Email. > The only reasonably priced service for this is MCI Mail. AT&T Mail > (Easylink) raised its rates for a telex number from an expensive $29 > per month plus usage, to a whopping $99 per month plus usage. For many years I had a hookup with Graphnet, which charged about $15 a month for 800-number access. I had to provide a teletype or emulator with autoanswer and answerback (I used a 35 ASR teletype and it never failed). I was provided a telex number which routed directly to my ten-digit number and derived its answerback physically from my machine, no store-and-forward. This was essential at the time since I was doing a lot of work in areas that had no international phone service, let alone IDDD (1984-87 China mostly). Outgoing messages were charged at the tariffed international telex rate which was 20c to $1.50 a minute. In either case you get a realtime keyboard-to-keyboard typing link for that price, and we troubleshot many strange electronic systems problems over a telex that way. The other IRCs (International Record Carriers), ITT, WU, TRT, etc. also provided dialup service. BTW, telex by definition is almost exclusively 50 baud, not 75, 110 or any other speed. But you get a little faster transmission than you would at 50 baud ASCII because the words are five bits rather than ten or eleven. Graphnet now lists an 800 number, 800-316-8839, but a fax machine answers so who knows what they are doing today. This still doesn't answer the problem of robust telex-to-Internet linkage but it would seem to me that someone could write a process that would live on an Internet-connected machine without too much trouble that would do this. David Josephson ------------------------------ From: JOHN.D.GRETZINGER@sprint.sprint.com Date: 25 Aug 93 22:16:05-0400 Subject: Re: Email <-> Telex Paul Robinson writes in part: >> I'm trying to learn if anyone offers a (two-way) gateway between >> Telex and Internet Email. > The only reasonably priced service for this is MCI Mail. AT&T Mail > (Easylink) raised its rates for a telex number from an expensive $29 > per month plus usage, to a whopping $99 per month plus usage. Sprint offers the ability to send and receive TELEX messages as a part of it's SprintMail offering. Naturally, there is a charge for this, but it is there. If a person/company needed enhanced electronic mail capabilities, this might be worth a look. Signing up for SprintMail just to be able to occasionally send/receive TELEX is probably not cost justifiable. ** Blatant Commercial Plug follows: ** You might want to talk to your local Sprint rep and see if the service can do what you need it to do at a cost that is good for you. ** End Commercial Plug ** It's obvious that SprintMail can also get to Internet, since that's what I use to get here. John D. Gretzinger Network Engineer Sprint +1.310.797.1187 J.Gretzinger@sprint.sprint.com * I don't speak for Sprint, and they don't speak for me. * ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Cellular Phone Catches More Crooks From: a_rubin%dsg4.dse.beckman.com (Arthur Rubin) Date: 25 Aug 93 19:24:39 GMT Reply-To: a_rubin@dsg4.dse.beckman.com (Arthur Rubin) In don@io.org (Don Cleghorn) writes: > I just heard of another instance of a cellular phone resulting in a > criminal arrest. The mother of a good friend of mine lost her purse > and cellphone when her car was broken into in front of her house. The > police asked her _not_ to cancel her cellphone service right away, and > only a few days later they found the thieves renting a place nearby, > based on their phone calls. I don't know if they just used call > records, or if they got the cellphone company to locate the device (or > at least narrw it down?), but the technique seems to work well. Did she have to pay for the calls? :-) Arthur L. Rubin: a_rubin@dsg4.dse.beckman.com (work) Beckman Instruments/Brea 216-5888@mcimail.com 70707.453@compuserve.com arthur@pnet01.cts.com (personal) My opinions are my own, and do not represent those of my employer. [Moderator's Note: I doubt it. PAT] ------------------------------ From: cambler@cymbal.calpoly.edu (Chris Ambler -- Fubar) Subject: Re: What is RASCOM and S.I.T.? Organization: The Phishtank Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 23:51:06 GMT itbkl@puknet.puk.ac.za (Keith Laaks) says: > Does anybody know what the abbreviations RASCOM and S.I.T. mean? I'm not sure if it's what you're looking for, as acronym reuse is a plague upon humanity :-) but SIT is also known as "booo boo boop" that you hear when you reach a telco recording. They are used to identify the type of recording you've hit to the telco equipment. Brings up an anecdote (grin). I was told this by a friend who works in a CO. Seems that they had to verify a block of numbers by hand when moving them (he was vague as to why). They called one, and got "booo boo boop ... the number you have reached has been disconnected ..." and were dismayed. The SIT tones were right on, but the number showed as current and in use. A week later, they found out that the subscriber was out of town and his answering machine had that as the outgoing message. In most cases, the recording would be a bit off, tipping the telco off as to the situation, but in this case the subscriber was an audio pro and had sampled the recording into his digital answering machine. Precise tones :-) cambler@zeus.calpoly.edu | Christopher J. Ambler chris@toys.fubarsys.com | Author, FSUUCP 1.4 ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Free French Phone Information From Publiphone From: ray.normandeau@factory.com (Ray Normandeau) Date: 25 Aug 93 20:52:00 GMT Organization: Invention Factory's BBS - New York City, NY - 212-274-8298v.32bis Reply-To: ray.normandeau@factory.com (Ray Normandeau) > Yes, I am also aware of Minitel, out here in Santa Maria, California, > USA. While on a Paris BBS a while back, I downloaded an IBM emuation > of Minitel, and enables you to log onto the service via your IBM. > The Minitel Emulator is very well designed and iconified. I'm > looking, right now, for a Minitel access number in France. Can you > help me out? Minitel emulators have been on USA BBS's for several years as some USA users were using it to access a service in NYC that woudl connect them to Minitel. [Moderator's Note: The Telecom Archives has several files discussing Minitel. The archives is accessible using anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu. When logged in, do 'cd telecom-archives'. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Terry Kennedy Subject: Re: Busy Signals, Tone Plants, etc. Organization: St. Peter's College, US Date: 25 Aug 93 05:06:31 EDT In article , Jack.Winslade@axolotl. omahug.org (Jack Winslade) writes: > By far the funkiest tones from Ma Bell came from a #101 ESS (the #101 > 'steamship anchor' as a Ma Bell person called it) that we were > 'served' from at work until the mid 1980's. 201-962 was a Community Dial Office (CDO) until the late 70's or so. It had the oddest tone generators I've ever heard. Ring was a "braaap" sound which I've also heard on some 800-series PBX's. Busy was utterly different from anything before or since -- it sort of went "bneeeowwit". I really have to wonder about the equipment involved (and the people who designed it!). Terry Kennedy Operations Manager, Academic Computing terry@spcvxa.bitnet St. Peter's College, Jersey City, NJ USA terry@spcvxa.spc.edu +1 201 915 9381 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Aug 93 14:43:54 -0400 From: shri@freal.cs.umass.edu Subject: Re: Psychological Effect of "Busy" Signal Organization: UMass, Amherst MA + Temporal Sys & Computer Networks Bombay India In article varney@ihlpe.att.com wrote: > While it is tempting to suppose such a coupling between ringing > current and audible ring tone, one should be aware of the problems of > such arrangements. ... A second problem is that, while coupled, > the voice frequency paths need to be separated to prevent someone from > talking over an "unanswered" line during the silent intervals. Also, > all the calling parties had to be isolated from each other to prevent > an unintended "chat line" service. There is a small "blue-box" style device that I have seen back in India which works if you have a certain type of mechanical exchange serving you. Its called a "popat" or "parrot" in the local lingo. And works using a loophole like the one mentioned above. The device connects in series with your phone, and is made from a couple of diodes and caps. If any toll call arrives and you switch it on, the box behaves such that the ringing tone is cut out, as is the ring back, but yet does not allow enough loop current to let the exchange to think that the call has been answered. So the caller does not get any toll charges on his bill, tho' you could talk. Its been found already :-) shrikumar (shri@legato.cs.umass.edu, shri@shakti.ncst.ernet.in) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Aug 93 20:49:04 EDT From: Carl Moore Subject: Re: GTE Adopts New Numbering Plan I would NOT say GTE is jumping the gun in announcing dialing changes. The archive file history.of.area.splits deals with this topic, and it includes a reference to already-announced area code 334. You fail to say what will take the place of 1 + seven digits (it could be 1 + area code + seven digits or just the seven digit number) or where you are located (i.e. what areas are affected by this notice); please fill these in so I can consider updates to said archive file. ------------------------------ From: gmerin@panix.com (Gary Merinstein) Subject: Re: Looking For Cordless Headset Phone Date: 25 Aug 1993 20:56:26 -0400 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC In tijc02!djm408@uunet.UU.NET (David Marks) writes: > I am looking for a cordless headset phone. I have seen plenty of > _CORDED_ headsets that cost $25-$40 as add-ons to regular phones. > Since middle of the road cordless phones run $100-$150, a cordless > phone with a cordless headset shouldn't cost much more. I have had no > luck except for one from Radio Shack. It was a cordless phone that > costs $225 and nearly $300 with the addition of a cordless headset. > This seems a bit much. It should use similar technology of a cordless > microphone and they now can be found for reasonable prices. "Hello Direct" lists a cordless headphone in their cataloge. I don't have the number, but 800-555-1212 has it. the last time I looked, the headset was selling for approximatly $300.00. gmerin@panix.com mci: 489-6979 ci$ 74035,1232 [Moderator's Note: Hello Direct's phone number is 800-HI-HELLO. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 06:50:51 PDT From: Eric_N._Florack.cru-mc@xerox.com Subject: Re: Old Panel CO9s and Their Tones Speaking of such things as busy and ring tomes from old CO's, we used to have some interesting items around here, in Rochester Tel land. Out to our northwest we used to have Ogden Telephone, which was comprised of 716-392, 716-352, and 716-594. These were all old Xbar style switches, which had the very mechanical type tones, both in ringdown, and in busy. Time was, on thee when you could tell how many extensions one had attached to the line by the 'roughness' of the ring. The ring would get more 'raspy' as the ring load on the trunk increased. Also, if you called into any of these, you'd know, since you could hear the train moving your call. As touch-tone became available, Ogden must have felt the pressure to upgrade ... one could imagine a new box, on the front end of the switch, doling out pulses to the switch, after touch-tone dialing your number. Some of the loudest clickings and busings you've ever heard on a phone line, came from that switch. Funny thing; you never heard the pulses going to the Xbar; they must have had some kind of silencer on it. But as soon as the pulses were fed, you'd hear the train moving ... and this was regardless of your being outside calling in, or inside calling out of the switch. Even after TT was up and running on those switchs, we didn't get a standard busy signal out of it for a long time ... still the older style BAW, BAW, BAW at standard cadence. Made running a BBS a real treat. When they got the new generator up and running, with the now standard two tone busy, you'd still get some realy weird results ... about half the time, you'd get a ringdown, followed by a few clicks, folowed by the busy... as if the thing was having problems trying to figure out if it wanted to route you to the busy generator or not. Once connected, though, the lines were as clean or cleaner (by actual measurements. We had a few remote broadcasts out in that service area through the dial-up network) then the ESS they shoe-horned in their a few years ago. Perhaps the old one was more forgiving of load mis-matches, I dunno. A similar situation must have been occurring in the Southern teir, and still is, by all accounts. Touch-tone is available on the old Xbar running in 716-243 and 245, which is a part of the old Iraquois phone system., but on this one, (unlike Ogden) you can hear the pulse generator working after dialing your number. Then the train moving to whatever you need ... no, make that 'to whatever it's able'. Makes dialing long distance a real thrill ... and you need to know the unique 'features' of the old bugger since just about all populated areas are LD to it; like the call to the Fire Dept, for example, was long distance for many years. (Makes one feel really safe, ya know?) As you can imagine, in both these sitautions, trying to use direct dial access to a lot of areas, particularly using an LDC you were not directly assigned to, was a real trip on both these systems ... though to their credit, the problems have been largely fixed by this writing. Rochester Tel has bought up both of these old companies. [Moderator's Note: Generally in the past when the sheriff or the rural Fire Protection District (or whatever it was called) was a toll call to many subscribers served by it, there would be a free 'Enterprise' num- ber, or in more recent years, an 800 number. The last CO in Chicago to be converted from SXS directly to ESS was 312-561; LOngbeach-1. At a time when half our city was ESS, and the rest reasonably good crossbar stuff, LOngbeach-1 sat there doing its thing. With so much ESS, we had grown accustomed to very fast, very quiet connections, but a call to someone on 312-561 would cause a loud crashing noise in your ear -- we had all but forgotten about that old equipment -- as soon as your call left the serving ESS and got to LOngbeach. The ESS which sent the call would feed pulses to the old switch. How old was that CO? So old that earlier, when everyone in town was converted to 911 service for the police from the old POLice-5-1313 number, the inside cover of the phone book announced the change in big letters and numerals, only to add in somewhat smaller print below it, 'except subscribers whose numbers begin 561 must dial 765-1313 or call the operator and tell her where help is needed.' They could not even put 911 on it! PAT] ------------------------------ From: clj@ksr.com (Chris Jones) Subject: Re: Remotely Accessible Answer Machines May Grant Too Much Access Date: 25 Aug 93 09:38:05 EDT Reply-To: clj@ksr.com (Chris Jones) Organization: Kendall Square Research Corp This article reminded me of a feature of my answering machine which makes it particularly easy to crack. This machine allows one to choose the three digit code which enables all of the remotely-controlled goodies. When I recently was on vacation, I was dismayed to find that the machine wouldn't respond to the code I had programmed. After thinking for a bit, I recalled we had had a power failure in the neighborhood about a week before, and I hadn't checked the access code afterward. Thinking that it was likely to have reset to something obvious, I guessed the code on my first try. I don't recall the exact state of the machine after the power came back on (e.g., whether I had to manually turn it back on), but it certainly seems plausible to me that a dedicated phandal would be able to troll the answering machines of a neighborhood after a power failure and gain unauthorized access (though I'm unfamiliar enough with the ease of cracking the access code that this could easily be uninteresting if it turns out it's simple enough to bust in without the inconvenience of waiting for a power outage). Chris Jones clj@ksr.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Aug 93 11:06:07 EDT From: andys@internet.sbi.com (Andy Sherman) Subject: Re: Access to Telco White Pages In article 8@eecs.nwu.edu, jog@world.std.com (James Gleick) writes: > Do local telephone companies have any obligation to provide, or sell, > access to their database of customer white-pages listings? > That is, can their competitors (or other information service > providers) demand this? In a word, no. The courts have stripped the telcos of their copyright interest is listings of names and telephone numbers, so you can publish a directory without their permission and without paying royalties. However, the lack of a copyright does not obligate them to do your work for you. Andy Sherman Salomon Inc - Unix Systems Support - Rutherford, NJ (201) 896-7018 - andys@sbi.com or asherman@sbi.com ------------------------------ From: esl!SMTP!erik_ramberg@ames.arc.nasa.gov (Erik Ramberg) Subject: Re: AT&T Buys McCaw (Cellular One) Date: 25 Aug 93 17:36:11 GMT Organization: ESL Inc. In article , oberman@ptavv.llnl.gov wrote: > In Article garym@alsys.com (Gary > Morris @ignite) writes: >> In bdboyle@erenj.com (Bryan D. Boyle) >> writes: >>> So, AT&T, rather than fighting, bought McCaw Communications today for >>> $12 billion. Now, this is interesting news. >> Also in the news yesterday was an interesting item about McCaw and >> PacTel getting approval to combine their cellular systems in a joint >> venture. PacTel Mobile Services will merge with the McCaw operation >> in the Bay Area, PacTel will buy McCaw's systems in the Wichita and >> Topeka, and also merge in their 34% ownership of a Dallas cellular >> system. > I know this gets confusing, but Cellular One and PacTel Cellular ARE > the same carrier. PacTel Cellular simply sells Cellular One services > where Cellular One is a joint operation of McCaw and Pacific Telesis. > The other carrier in the SF Bay area is GTE MobilNet. Since GTE and > Pac$Bell both operate as LECs in parts of the Bay area, I'm not too > sure who is A and who is B, but GTE was there first. As I understand it PacTel was sued several years back because they were local wireline providers who owned approximatly 42% of the stock in the local non-wireline cellular provider. The judgment was that they had to reduce their holdings to zero by a certain future time (which ends about now), but I think a side deal was made so that their holding really just shifted to some other service area where they do not provide wireline service. Incidently, about 8% percent is owned by a single investor who paid some hundred or so thousands of dollars in the late eighties lottery, let the money sit for a couple of years, and recently has refused many hundreds of millions of dollars for his interest as he waits for a LARGER offer. This is an outrageous return on an investment in which one sat on the wayside. Oh well, I had to say that. > Now, is everyone confused? I am. Me too. Erik Nothing that I say can be construed as the opinion of my employer. ------------------------------ From: bogstad@blaze.cs.jhu.edu (Bill Bogstad) Subject: Re: UUNet 900 Seems to be a Bad Idea Organization: The Johns Hopkins University CS Department Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 17:35:53 GMT In article , wrote: > A 900 call is credit. If you are afraid of credit cards, copy the > number down and melt the card. You can then use the credit without the > card. ... Why single out 900 numbers? Just about any phone all you make that isn't made from a payphone using coins is "credit" in some form. As for melting his card, this won't stop someone from possibly obtaining his number through some other means and illegally making use of his credit line. It's a little harder to do that with the credit extended by "The Phone Company". If you avoid calling cards, about all they can do is to tap into your line to make their calls. > Callbacks are also problematic and the point of 900 numbers is to > avoid having registrations. Exactly. The whole idea is that some other large organization ("The Phone Company") manages your billing, deals with the credit risk, etc. Sounds wonderful for an entrepreneur who wants to set themselves up in the information business. Unfortunately, this potentially wonderful billing service (1-900) has received a very bad reputation as a result of the actions and business of its most well known clients. It's a shame that services like UUNet's anonymous sources archives which can really use this kind of billing may not be able to do so because of the restrictions that result from this bad reputation. Bill Bogstad bogstad@cs.jhu.edu ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #604 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa22246; 26 Aug 93 4:49 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA30409 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Thu, 26 Aug 1993 01:32:51 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA32355 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Thu, 26 Aug 1993 01:32:03 -0500 Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 01:32:03 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199308260632.AA32355@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #605 TELECOM Digest Thu, 26 Aug 93 01:32:00 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 605 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: The One True Dialing Plan (Ethan Miller) Re: The One True Dialing Plan (Carl Moore) Re: The One True Dialing Plan (John Macdonald) Re: What's With 201-299? (Terry Kennedy) Re: What's With 201-299? (Jack Winslade) Re: Should I Get a Separate Line For Modem (Gary Breuckman) Re: Should I Get a Separate Line For Modem (Russell Sharpe) Re: Should I Get a Separate Line For Modem (John Gilbert) Re: AT&T Truvoice Demo (Al Varney) Re: TrueVoice (tm) - The True Story (Al Varney) Hong Kong Charges For Fax Lines (Wm Randolph Franklin) What to do With the Archives (TELECOM Moderator) Administrivia: Many Messages Lost in Accident (TELECOM Moderator) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: elm@cs.berkeley.edu (ethan miller) Subject: Re: The One True Dialing Plan Date: 25 Aug 93 12:53:02 Reply-To: elm@cs.berkeley.edu In article goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau) writes: > I beg to differ. It seems to me that more places are using the > *real* One True Dialing Plan (OTDP), in which all long-distance > calls (intra-NPA included) are dialed with 11 digits, and only > local, intra-NPA calls can use seven-digit dialing. This works fine, as long as all calls are either "local" or "non-local." In the SF Bay Area, all phone numbers are either non-local, or in one of three approximately concentric zones (1, 2, and 3). Calls to Zones 1 and 2 are free for unlimited service subscribers, and cost $.04/first + $.01/min for measured service subscribers. Calls to Zone 3 (the farthest away) cost $.10/first + $.04/min for *everyone*. Measured service customers get a $3/month credit towards local calls. Since Pac Bell considers Zone 3 calls local, they can be covered by this credit. Unlimited subscribers, however, *always* pay for them separately. Are calls to Zone 3 really local if unlimited service subscribers must pay for them? Would they require eleven digits or seven under the above dialing suggestion? ethan miller--cs grad student elm@cs.berkeley.edu #include ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Aug 93 17:37:23 EDT From: Carl Moore Subject: Re: The One True Dialing Plan The history.of.area.splits file also has notes on dialing instructions in areas which have had to program for N0X/N1X prefixes. Now it is starting to get similar information for areas which have not needed N0X/N1X prefixes, but which need to change to accommodate the NNX area codes. For direct-dial long distance in your own area code, I am seeing 7D in use or coming into use in California and in the north- eastern United States. Elsewhere, I am seeing 1 + NPA + 7D instead. (I don't know about Illinois, and if 1 + 7D is still in use, the area has not made the necessary changes yet.) ------------------------------ From: jmm@Elegant.COM (John Macdonald) Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 19:33:03 -0400 Organization: Elegant Communications Inc. Subject: Re: The One True Dialing Plan In article TELECOM Moderator noted: > [Moderator's Note: Uh oh ... just what we need! A schism here in the > Digest over The One True Dialing Plan. I shall have to censor and > excomumunicate all non-believers and heretics. PAT] Yes, but which OTDP group is the heretics and which is the non- believers? :-) John Macdonald jmm@Elegant.COM [Virtual Moderator's Note: Well it depends on who you ask, of course. Are you asking me? Poet Edwin Markham once addressed the topic of heretics and rebels with this little verse: "They drew a circle which shut me out / A heretic, rebel, a thing to flout / But Love and I had the wit to win / We drew a circle which took them in." You meditate on that for a few minutes as we go on to the next item in the telecom mailbox today. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Terry Kennedy Subject: Re: What's With 201-299? Organization: St. Peter's College, US Date: 26 Aug 93 00:59:56 EDT In article , dave@westmark.com (Dave Levenson) writes: > Why do intra-LATA calls from 201-299 still show up as OUT-OF-AREA ? > Does anybody out there know why this switch (serving Boonton and > surrounding parts of Morris County) is still not participating in this > service? If this is the switch I'm thinking of, it's a crossbar switch without stored program control. That _would_ explain it. Terry Kennedy Operations Manager, Academic Computing terry@spcvxa.bitnet St. Peter's College, Jersey City, NJ USA terry@spcvxa.spc.edu +1 201 915 9381 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Aug 93 09:25:22 CST From: Jack.Winslade@axolotl.omahug.org (Jack Winslade) Subject: Re: What's With 201-299? Reply-To: jack.winslade%drbbs@axolotl.omahug.org Organization: DRBBS Technical BBS, Omaha In a message dated 23-AUG-93, Dave Levenson writes: > Why do intra-LATA calls from 201-299 still show up as OUT-OF-AREA ? > Does anybody out there know why this switch (serving Boonton and > Surrounding parts of Morris County) is still not participating in this > service? It's probably something like we have here in Omaha. Every office in the area except one, the Manawa office serving the south end of Council Bluffs, is SS7 connected. The remaining office is supposedly an older DMS-10 which is connected to the other offices by analog MF trunks. Manawa was the last remaining SxS office in the area and was cut to the DMS in 1985 if I am correct. The SxS was one of the few 'directorized' offices and was touch-tone equipped. (For those who care, it had one of the 'fog horn' tone generators for ring and busy, but normal dial tone. I assume it had a funky dial tone as well before the conversion was made.) Since it's a smaller office and a fairly recent conversion, they don't want to convert it again until there's a major need to do so. CLID will have to wait, I guess. We get OUT OF AREA on the CLID boxes from 712-366 until this is upgraded. Note that the Omaha LATA as well as the metro Omaha dialing area crosses state lines as well as area code boundaries. 7 digit dialing is seamless in the areas whose toll-free areas include portions of the other state. As has been mentioned many times before, there is one physical office in downtown Omaha that has one NNX in Iowa (AC 712) with the others in Nebraska (AC 402). Good day. JSW DRBBS (1:285/666.0) ------------------------------ From: puma@netcom.com (Gary Breuckman) Subject: Re: Should I Get a Separate Line For Modem Organization: organized?? me? Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 04:12:32 GMT In article Rajappa Iyer writes: > I wrote earlier: >> What are the pros and cons of using the same telephone number for both >> the modem and voice? I really don't want to miss calls while I am on >> the modem. Would call waiting help? Any input on this will be apprec- >> iated. > Ok! I'm convinced that I need a separate telephone number for modem. > Unfortunately, the wiring in my building is pretty screwed up and I > barely managed to get my current telephone number wired in. So my next > question: is it possible to use the same physical wire for two numbers > and use some sort of demultiplexor in my unit? Telcos with a shortage of 'real' pairs use something called 'subscriber carrier' which piggybacks a second line on a copper pair. They use rackmount equipment in the office, and a stand-alone unit at your location that separates the two lines. The 'virtual' line often suffers from problems, including low battery voltage and bandwidth problems for modems. I don't recommend this, and most places don't offer it, especially for a copper shortage problem that's YOUR problem. puma@netcom.com ------------------------------ From: sharpe_r@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz (russell sharpe) Subject: Re: Should I Get a Separate Line For Modem Date: 25 Aug 1993 04:50:30 GMT Organization: Wellington City Council, Public Access Reply-To: sharpe_r@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz > Rajappa Iyer writes: > What are the pros and cons of using the same telephone number for both > the modem and voice? I really don't want to miss calls while I am on > the modem. Would call waiting help? Any input on this will be apprec- > iated. We have a facility in New Zealand called 1 + 1 (one voice + one voice). It is usually used when Telecom has run out of cable pairs. Basically it consists of a physical POTS line with a high pass filter (>10kHz) and a carrier, a POTS line modulated up 10kHz. Two pieces of equipment, effectively CODECS (Coder/Decoder), are needed, one at the switch site, and one at the customers premises. Up to 9600 can be reliably run over the physical, but quality reduces on the carrier, the higher the speed, but speech is still very intelligible (sounds a little like low 'white noise'). For obvious reasons data over the carrier is not very reliable. Russell Sharpe: email: sharpe_r@kosmos.wcc.govt.nz Voice: +64 4 5637779 snailmail: 171 Holborn Drive Stokes Valley 6008 New Zealand ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 25 Aug 93 10:39:02 EDT From: news@pts.mot.com From: johng@ecs.comm.mot.com (John Gilbert) Subject: Re: Should I Get a Separate Line For Modem? Organization: Motorola Inc, LMPS Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 14:38:57 GMT I forward my voice line to my cellular phone during data calls. This way I don't miss any calls and don't have the added expense of the second telephone line. I would have the cellular portable even if wasn't using it as a second line at home. [Moderator's Note: True, but would you have the additional air time charges incurred when it gets calls forwarded to it? PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 00:16:28 CDT From: varney@ihlpe.att.com Subject: Re: AT&T Truvoice Demo Organization: AT&T In article rudholm@aimla.com (Mark Rudholm) writes: > deej@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (david.g.lewis) writes: >> In article rudholm@aimla.com (Mark >> Rudholm) writes: >>> But wait a second, isn't demonstrating Truvoice over an ostensibly >>> non-truvoice line (they haven't installed it yet) like demonstrating >>> HDTV via a regular NTSC broadcast? >> No. There is no such thing as a "TrueVoice line" or a "Non-TrueVoice >> line". The enhancement is applied to the voice signal in the network. >> This enhanced signal then propagates to the listener, wherever he or >> she may be, whatever types of trunks or lines the signal is carried >> over. > As I've already explained to another AT&T employee in e-mail, I know. > My point was really that this demo is evidence that the signal > processing can be done at an endpoint of a call and doesn't neccess- > arily have to be done anywhere in between. I was also making a joke. Actually, the processing has to be done BEFORE the endpoint, assuming an analog POTS line is involved. It is true that (in concept) it could be done anywhere in the digital path of the call. But there are a lot more end-user digital encoders than there are long-distance circuits. From a system cost perspective, it makes more sense to apply this enhancement in the long-distance network. (Historically, these kinds of enhancements have always been first introduced into the long-distance network.) >>> Makes you wonder if anyone in marketing anywhere understands simple >>> logic. OK. I'm not in marketing -- tell me a better way to advertise the capability. Wait till deployment and then suggest calling through other IXCs and AT&T on alternate calls? I don't think so ... > My backround is EE, so I think I have some understanding of real-time > signal processing. By the way, I read the patent and wasn't > impressed. I think at best it is a gimmick and at worst could lessen > intelligibilty. It may be reason enough for me to switch my lines to > another carrier. If there was some big public outcry about the > quality of voices over long distance telephone, I missed it. So do you insist your cassette drives not have Dolby(tm) noise reduction, or any of those funny "bias" metal tape capabilities? Did you object to FM stations putting out "stereo", and reducing the dynamic range and SNR of mono FM? You don't listen to radio/TV that "enhances" or boosts their broadcast sound signal? No bass/ treble adjustments (or graphic "equalizer") on you radios? Do you travel to Europe to enjoy the slightly better quality of A-law vs. mu-law encoding? {Note: Every one of the above "improvements" in sound quality had those that objected that it ruined (or ruins) sound. Want to go back to TUBE amplifiers because the sound is "warmer" than those solid- state ones produce?} > ... If you make it sound like a local, static-free call, I'm happy. > I really don't need my carriers second-guessing how I want things to > sound. And, since the Bellcore (and old Bell System) rules specifically mandate that "long-distance" calls not sound like a local line-to-line call (using Via Net Loss rules), it sounds to me like you are actually ASKING AT&T to apply TrueVoice to your calls -- it's major intent is to make long-distance calls sound AS GOOD AS LOCAL calls, by compensating for the mandated locally-applied loss. > If you really want to improve the sound of calls, why not send out > envelope-compatible condenser microphones to all AT&T Long Distance > customers who are still using old, packed carbon granule microphones. > Now _that_ would be a big improvement and I don't think anybody would > argue. Shareholders, perhaps? In fact, replacing the Fisher-Price(tm) cheap telephones and crummy inside wiring would probably yield (on average) a more substantial improvement. But AT&T doesn't own the telephones or the wiring anymore -- so we're just doing what we can to improve telephony. Just give it a try this fall. I'm told that in testing, eight out of ten believe TrueVoice(tm) sounds better. I hope you're one of them. But that's your decision. > Mark D. Rudholm Philips Media Electronic Publishing Now, can I complain about the electronic publishing business, and its impact on REAL fonts and typesetting? I didn't see anyone complaining about the typography in real books, but then out comes all this stuff with Postscript and copy-cat fonts and people thinking they can set type at 300 DPI. I really don't need publishers second- guessing the fonts and media I want, and pushing those new-fangled CD-ROM, etc. It doesn't have the beauty of real METAL type, ya' know. Besides, the quality of the writing itself is just made worse when people can just type stuff in on the fly and edit it with some spell-check thingy and then the next thing you know it shows up on people's screens without an editor or typesetter to put some artistic effort into the word spacing and page breaks and widow lines. And you think changing the sound of a telephone call, typically a fleeting, temporary thing, is so bad. Publishing is much more permanent Shouldn't it be the constant in our changing world??? Somewhat in jest ... Al Varney ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 00:46:43 CDT From: varney@ihlpe.att.com Subject: Re: TrueVoice (tm) - The True Story Organization: AT&T In article hhallika@tuba.calpoly.edu (Harold Hallikainen) writes: > In article dcg5662@hertz.njit.edu (Dave > Grabowski) writes: >> Patent Number: EP-48953-A2 [US-5195132-A] >> "... as a result of the aforementioned signals attenuation that is >> introduced by a telephone station set, the quality of the voice signals >> that the station transmits will be greatly diminished and, therefore, >> will not represent the speaker's true voice signals." >> ^^^^^^^^^^ Cute, eh? > So, it appears they are using equalization to fix the > shortcomings in the telephone instrument. Perhaps we should fix the > instrument? I wonder why RS-470 suggests attenaution of signals below > 300 Hz. I believe the reason has more to do with wanting a cut-off above the 180 Hz (60 cycle * 3) harmonic -- 300 Hz should give reasonable protection for this, but going much lower let more through. > I also think they are interested in gettint 60 Hz and 120 Hz as far > down as possible to minimize crosstalk from power lines. ... Yup. [deleted FDM rationale.] > Now that we've gone to PCM TDM multiplexing, there appears to be > limited need for low frequency attenuation. There is still the need > to get rid of power line hum, but with well balanced lines, that > should be minimized. .... So, it appears to me, the way to > get "truer" voice would be to remove any high pass filters on CO line > cards, or at least lower the corner frequency. One does have to worry about distortion on phones that are expecting less than 300 Hz is never sent to the speaker. And the minor expense of changing out the CO line cards. Wonder what the PUCs would think is a fair rate increase to cover that cost? > If indeed the telephone instruments are doing a fair amount of > filtering, we could just get flatter response phones. I'd rather fix > a response problem where it exists instead of trying to compensate > somewhere else ... Harold, I AGREE 100%. We could make the typical call today sound better if we redesigned the instruments, the encoding/companding rules (A-law/mu-law) and didn't worry about those few remaining analog trunks. Heck, CCITT even has it all laid out, in the specs for 7KHz audio. That's right -- you can get 7KHz audio over (effectively) a 64Kbps channel. So no need to redesign anything. Just force everyone to buy a new telephone and update every end office line card or A/D trunk unit. Of course, CCITT says the line should be a DSL (ISDN line), so we speed up ISDN deployment somewhat. And it even interworks with the old mu-law system, if you use SS7 signaling. But just in the interim, could we use TrueVoice(tm) to give a small improvement while we wait for suppliers to catch up with the heavy demand for 7KHz ISDN telephones?? (ANSI T1 has a little work to do with some unresolved North American standards issues, as well.) Al Varney - just MY opinion ------------------------------ From: wrf@ecse.rpi.edu (Wm Randolph Franklin) Subject: Hong Kong Charges For Fax Lines Date: 26 Aug 1993 05:47:27 GMT Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY In article on Sun, 22 Aug 1993 22:27:42 GMT, CXEO writes: > I've seen rumors cropping up on local BBSs here in Montreal, > Canada that Bell Canada is planning to pass legislation (of some sort) > requiring that any computer for fax users transmitting data at rates > faster than 4800bps lease "data"-grade lines instead of using normal > voice-quality lines. Hong Kong has apparently charged extra for phone lines used by fax machines for some time. These are completely normal phone lines. It was in the HK paper two weeks ago because some regulatory agency finally told the phone company to stop it. The argument was that since the phone company wasn't providing any extra service, then they shouldn't get any extra money. Novel concept. Wish it would catch on over here. Wm. Randolph Franklin, wrf@ecse.rpi.edu, (518) 276-6077; Fax: -6261 ECSE Dept., 6026 JEC, Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst, Troy NY, 12180 USA ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 00:40:36 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Subject: What to do With the Archives A couple weeks ago, I put out a note asking for user's opinions on the best way to make the Archives available to the growing number of users who do not have Internet ftp/gopher/etc type services available to them. There were numerous replies -- far too many to use here -- but the suggestions came in basically three flavors: I had suggested a collection of diskettes. Because doing 'du' on the archives results in a total of about sixty megs at present, and this grows all the time, I suggested about a set of about sixty diskettes. Many of you pointed out that 33.5 inch diskettes hold more than a meg, and that if much of the data was compressed, we could probably do it in 30 disks. Even so, that makes for an expensive product for many folks. If only reproduction costs and postage were involved, it still might be a couple dollars per disk. The suggestion of CD Rom came up in a few notes. Obviously the whole thing could go on a single CD Rom with much less effort and expense. If the CD Rom sold for $20-30, it would still be less expensive and less cumbersome that a whole bunch of diskettes. This is true, but how many of our readers have CD Rom attachments to their computers? I know I don't, as one example. So while diskettes would be more expensive and more cumbersome, at least we can be pretty assured that everyone has a disk drive on their computer, and would have no problem in inserting a diskette and reading its contents. Several readers in fact wrote to say they would not be able to use CD Roms ... :( for lack of equipment. So, who do I please on this? A third option I brought up was to run a BBS-style machine. I have an old machine here with a hundred meg hard drive on it. The archives could be loaded on there with new issues arriving all the time using my UUCP site 'telecom.chi.il.us', and people could call in to that taking what they wanted from time to time and leaving the rest. A Procom-style BBS would sit there and dispense files to callers including each current issue of the Digest as it was published. This machine would be simply a mirror of what is at lcs.mit.edu, but with dialup as the way to get in, and operating on MS-DOS instead of Unix. My *sole* problem with this -- the only thing that is keeping me from implementing it and announcing it is not knowing for sure where things are going where my telephone lines are concerned. Yes, I am still having 'that same problem'; Illinois Bell does not like deadbeats, and they tend to cut me off now and then until I run down to the central cashier with a fistful of one, five and ten dollar bills received in that day's mail. I do not want to commit to the net to run this mirror of the archives until I am reasonably certain the phones (and thus retrieval of stuff from the archives) are not in jeopardy every two or three weeks. If I do get it up and running, it might be possible to share the space with other small archives of interest if those Moderators wanted to do so. It seems to me this would be the ideal solution; make the archives available on dialup and let people help themselves. Why not have a dialup at MIT, I hear some of you say ... well there is of course; there are the terminal servers for the University on dialup lines and anyone can call in *who has a user account on any of the machines at MIT, or Boston University or other places in town they allow anonymous telnet to via the dialups. I have asked if a single phone line could be terminated directly on lcs.mit.edu with a *very limited, restricted shell* responding to callers on that line. It would dump them in the archives, give them five minutes or so before timing out, allow them to get files, and that's it. "No way, not possible, end of subject, period" was the answer I got the last time I asked about this. They do not like 'rsh' (restricted shells) at lcs.mit.edu. They feel they are too full of holes and bugs of all sort which would allow callers to run rampant, su to root and do all kinds of mischief. Friends of the Digest would probably arrange to put the modem there and pay the phone bill, but MIT says no. Nor do they wish the terminal servers busy all the time with non- MIT people calling from all over to use a buggy rsh to 'loot the archives'. So what is the solution? Probably someday I will put a mirror up over here in my little offioce when I am pretty sure IBT won't yank it down a few days later based on my 'willingness but inability' to pay the bill as quickly as they like. Until then, any improvement in archives accessibility is probably on hold. I do not have the time to work on creating diskettes for people until things improve just a little more financially, and as for CD Roms, I'm ambivilent; still thinking about it. I guess more and more people are getting those things for their systems. Thanks to everyone who wrote me to share their thoughts on the status of the Archives and plans for improvement. I am now working on the summer edition of the 'Archives Help File', including a full index of files available, etc. Maybe a special issue this weekend will come out to you with it. Patrick Townson ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 00:44:28 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Subject: Administrivia: Many Messages Lost in Accident I am sorry to report about a hundred messages in the queue for processing over the past two days got deleted by accident Wednesday night. What you got Wednesday overnight/Thursday morning is what was left. If you sent me a message anytime Tuesday or Wednesday and it has not appeared as of this issue, and your autoreply was dated earlier than 8/26 12:05 AM then it is lost due to the accidental deletion. If it was a reply, bear in mind we have probably seen enough on the topic anyway. If you feel it was important, or it was a new article for publication, please send it again with my apologies for the inconven- ience. Patrick Townson ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #605 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa28965; 26 Aug 93 14:48 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA26568 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Thu, 26 Aug 1993 11:36:59 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA13024 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Thu, 26 Aug 1993 11:36:12 -0500 Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 11:36:12 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199308261636.AA13024@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #606 TELECOM Digest Thu, 26 Aug 93 11:36:00 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 606 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Newton Bug: Calling in/to/From Canada (Monty Solomon) OSS Vendor Data Needed (Fast Response) (Robert Rosenberg) Operator From Atlanta (was Re: Interesting 800 Number) (Joe George) Telecom Tariffs - Fast Answer Please (Peter Tkansson) Connect Credit Card Reader to IBM PC (Johnson C. Lee) Modem Transmission Over One Way Radio (Alfredo Cotroneo) Re: Orange Card Woes (Paul Robinson) Re: Octothorpe: Is That the Right Name? (Michael D. Sullivan) TruVoice? Nah ... (Eric N. Florack) Re: Volume Level of Tropez 900DL? (Dean McDermott) Re: Wait! Let me Get a Pen! (Joe George) Anybody Know of Connecticut Citizen? (Tom Olin) Re: International Date Line Change (Liron Lightwood) ---------------------- TELECOM Digest is an e-journal devoted mostly -- but not exclusively -- to discussions on voice telephony. The Digest is a not-for-profit public service published frequently by Patrick Townson Associates. PTA markets a no-surcharge telephone calling card and a no monthly fee 800 service. In addition, we are resellers of AT&T's Software Defined Network. For a detailed discussion of our services, write and ask for the file 'products'. The Digest is delivered at no charge by email to qualified subscribers on any electronic mail service connected to the Internet. To join the mail- ing list, write and tell us how you qualify: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu. All article submissions MUST be sent to our email address: telecom@eecs. nwu.edu -- NOT as replies to comp.dcom.telecom. Back issues and numerous other telephone-related files of interest are available from the Telecom Archives, using anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu. Login anonymous, then 'cd telecom-archives'. At the present time, the Digest is also ported to Usenet at the request of many readers there, where it is known as 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Use of the Digest does not require the use of our products and services. The two are separate. All articles are the responsibility of the individual authors. Organi- zations listed, if any, are for identification purposes only. The Digest is compilation-copyrighted, 1993. **DO NOT** cross-post articles between the Digest and other Usenet or alt newsgroups. Do not compile mailing lists from the net-addresses appearing herein. Send tithes and love offerings to PO Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690. :) Phone: 312-465-2700. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 08:33:28 EDT From: Monty Solomon Subject: Newton Bug: Calling in/to/From Canada Organization: Bell Northern Research, Ottawa Looks like Apple screwed up a bit on internationalization (at least as far as the Frozen North is concerned). I've reported these to Apple but thought others might be interested. 1) Preferences bug: Canadians do not usually write dates as MM/DD/YY - most do it British style (DD/MM/YY). 2) Phone number bug: Newton is smart enough, based on your area code, to dial <1 + areacode + number> if you're calling long distance, or just if you're calling locally. This works OK in the US (I configured my Newton to pretend I was in Minneapolis and pretended to call Washington), but not in Canada (set up myself in Ottawa and pretended to call Winnipeg). Transborder dialing is also screwed up -- Canada is part of the North American numbering plan, therefore one should not have to dial <011 + 1 + area code + number> to dial here from the US. Kevin Chapman BNR Ottawa ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 09:16:26 EDT From: Robert Rosenberg Subject: OSS Vendor Data Needed (Fast Response) I'm doing some research on the convergence of telco and cable TV operations, so I'm looking for any data that would describe the OSS (operations support systems) being developed by any of the companies noted below. A product name and a few paragraphs that describe any operations, administration maintenance, or provisioning systems provided by these vendors to either telcos or cable TV operators would be ideal. And though customer billing is not strictly an OAM&P function, I'd be interested in an overview of billing products as well. EDS (especially EDS PCC) Microsoft KPMG Peat Marwick Arthur Anderson Nolan Norton Ernst & Young NEC Fujitsu Cable Data Motorola Erickson Cincinnati Bell Info Systems Much thanks, Robert Rosenberg Insight Research Corporation bob@insight-corp.com ------------------------------ From: jgeorge@whiffer.mese.com Subject: Operator From Atlanta (was Re: Interesting 800 Number Response) Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 02:39:52 EST Organization: The Waffle Whiffer, Atlanta, GA In comp.dcom.telecom, Rhorer@medics.jsc.nasa.gov writes: >> [Moderator's Note: They all used that nice lady from down in Atlanta >> for many years. Maybe some still do. PAT] > I thought they used some sort of covox technology to "clone" that nice > lady's voice so that she would sound forever young :-) Seriously, > though, don't they do that? A Southern Bell(e) employee? I thought she was from somewhere in the midwest ... Anybody know who she is? Joe George (jgeorge@whiffer.mese.com,emory!indigo!whiffer!jgeorge) Actually, I _do_ speak for The Waffle Whiffer [Moderator's Note: She is/was not an employee of telco. She is/was a resident in the area who did the work on a contract basis. PAT] ------------------------------ From: peter@mail.swip.net (Peter Tkansson) Subject: Telecom Tariffs - Fast Answer Please Organization: VolvoData Date: Wed, 18 Aug 1993 15:23:15 GMT Dear netters, You saved me before; I hope you can do it again. I need a price idea of a proposed connection between the Los Angeles area and Greensboro in North Carolina. I can use voice line in the range of 2400-19.200 baud (I guess that Netblazers or similiar can be used on voice lines?) What is the cost per minute for this distance? And is it feasable as regards to error rate line stability etc? My second alternative is X.25 from some provider. Living outside the area (sweden) i have no easy way of finding either provider or what tariff they use. Information in this area is welcome. If i have missed a third, please let me know. Reply by mail (peter@volvo.se) if possible. Thanks in advance, Peter Hkanson VolvoData Dep 2230 phone +46 31 66 74 27 "Speaking for myself 'cause noone else does'" ------------------------------ From: jclee@us.oracle.com (Johnson C. Lee) Subject: Connect Credit Card Reader to IBM PC Organization: Oracle Corporation Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 06:00:58 GMT Hi, Does anybody know if it is possible to connect a credit card reader to an IBM PC? Is there any application programming interface for it? It is very important to my current project and I will appreciate any info. Please send response to: jclee@us.oracle.com I will post a summary of the response. Thank you very much, Johnson Lee Oracle Corporation ------------------------------ From: A.Cotroneo@it12.bull.it (Alfredo Cotroneo) Subject: Modem Ttransmissions Over One Way Radio Date: 26 Aug 1993 03:31:47 -0500 Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway I am going to experiment with TX only data transmissions using standard modems (e.g. ZyXel/USR Robotics) over a one way radio link. I just wonder if that would be possible at all with which parameter(s) setting since there will be no modem on the other side of the line to *negotiate* the protocol with. Very basically imagine a system where a broadcast station would transmitt data for short periods of the day using e.g. V22bis or higher speed over the air, and from the other side there would be radio receivers connected to your PC modems which would decode the data. Would that be technically and cheaply possible at all, on both RX and TX side? The advantage would obviously be that no special equipment is required at least at the receiver's end. Any comment gladly appreciated, before I start my own experiments (g). If there is interest I will summarize. Please e-mail directly since I do not receive all feeds over this group. Thanks. Alfredo E. Cotroneo, Bull HN Italia, I-20010 Pregnana MI, Italy work: A.Cotroneo@it12.bull.it personal: 100020.1013@compuserve.com phone: +39-2-6779 8314 / 8427 fax: +39-2-6779 8289 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 02:04:14 -0400 (EDT) Reply-To: 0005066432@MCIMAIL.COM Subject: Re: Orange Card Woes From: Paul Robinson Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA David Ash , writes: > In article dlr@daver.bungi.com (Dave > Rand) writes: >> Calls to Canada are "not supported", according to the (very >> hard to reach) customer service people. This is not true. >> Calls to Canada are supported, at slightly less than double >> the AT&T daytime calling card rate. There is no indication >> that the call made is not at the $0.25 rate of the Orange Card >> calls to US destinations. > I would like to point out that this is not completely > accurate. I have placed Orange calls to Canada and they have > been billed at four quite different rates: > 1. free of charge Well, you can't get a lower rate than that, can you? :) > 2. at the U.S. domestic rate of 25c per minute. > 3. at about 53c per minute. > 4. at about 62c per minute. > All these calls were from the SF Bay Area to southern Ontario, so > it is a mystery what actually determines the rate. I don't think > even 62c is anywhere near double the AT&T rate for calls to Canada, > though. Picking out a number at random from a list of calls made, from Washington, DC to 519-351 was 54c for the first minute, 53c each additional minute for calls placed during daylight hours, according to the 00 operator for AT&T. Paul Robinson - TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM ------------------------------ From: avogadro@well.sf.ca.us (Michael D. Sullivan) Subject: Re: Octothorpe: Is That the Right Name? Date: 26 Aug 93 05:03:04 GMT Organization: The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA In Fred Smith writes: > I seem to recall that there was some discussion about a year ago about > the octothorpe here on the Digest. I've gone and opened my big mouth > and unless I can come up with some factual information I'm doomed to > buying dinner for my uncle. Being a big trivia buff, I asked him if > he knew what the '#' symbol was called other than the pound symbol. > When I told him it was called an octothorpe at one time, he wasn't > buying it ... even when I tried to explain that octo = 8, 8 being the > number of points etc. So now he's called my bluff and wants to see > some hard evidence or else it's my treat. > Does anyone know where I might be able to find a blurb about this in > some old manuals or something. Anything even remotely valid will get > me off the hook and I'll be enjoying dinner! Two suggestions: Look up old issues of the Bell System Technical Journal for articles on DTMF (Touch Tone) dialing and Princess (R) phones, in the early '60s; and look up copies of "Distance Dialing Notes" or its successor, "Notes on the Network", from Bell Labs, from the '60s, '70s, or early '80s. Michael D. Sullivan <74160.1134@compuserve.com> ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 06:58:16 PDT From: Eric_N._Florack.cru-mc@xerox.com Subject: TruVoice? Nah ... > My backround is EE, so I think I have some understanding of real-time > signal processing. By the way, I read the patent and wasn't > impressed. I think at best it is a gimmick and at worst could lessen > intelligibilty. It may be reason enough for me to switch my lines to > another carrier. If there was some big public outcry about the > quality of voices over long distance telephone, I missed it. So do you insist your cassette drives not have Dolby(tm) noise reduction, or any of those funny "bias" metal tape capabilities? Did you object to FM stations putting out "stereo", and reducing the dynamic range and SNR of mono FM? You don't listen to radio/TV that "enhances" or boosts their broadcast sound signal? No bass/ treble adjustments (or graphic "equalizer") on you radios? Do you travel to Europe to enjoy the slightly better quality of A-law vs. mu-law encoding? I've spent 15 years as a broadcaster, before woking at my current position, most of that in production, so I have some idea of what real-time processing is about, as well. The fact of the matter is that the kind of modification TruVoice proposes to the audio path, would drasticly increase distortion levels, assuming that refrence audio levels remain constant. It would do this in the following ways: 1: Phase distortion. There's certainly quite a bit of it on LD lines to begin with, but a 12db/octave boost would make even more wild phase shifts ... given that phase is a function of frequency. Why intention- ally make an already bad situation all the worse? 2: By adding a low bass range that most phones were simply not designed to handle, distortion at the ear will increase, regardless of there being, or not being, distortion on the line. Think I'm kidding? Try your favorite boom box on for size. Flatten the bass response out, and then crank it up to just shy of clipping. Now, kick the bass up full. Listen to the THD go through the roof. Some improvement, eh? This is what AT&T is proposing with TruVoice. The thing here is that the majority of what we get from speech, comes in the 300-3000Hz area... the 'Intelligence' area, if you will. This area will suffer when the low end is added. 3: This ignores all of the processing equpment in between the two callers, which also may or may not be able to handle the new amounts of LF energy without compromising the 'intelligence' area of 300-3000Hz. You may well ask why, in both these situations, why LF energy is such a problem. The reason is simple: As the frequncy goes down, the longer the wavelength. The longer the wavelength, the more current is needed to deliver a set sound pressure level at the ear. Now, AT&T is talking about a 12db/octave boost. At those frqs, a rule of thumb is that the current needed to produce an added 3db of signal is 2x. Obviously, their 12db of boost requires far more of every bit of equipment, to say nothing of the power supplies driving said equipment. So, not only is the phone distorting the audio, (as in Number 2) Not only are there phase shifts going on(as in number one) but now the telco itself is going to have problems with the audio levels on it's lines. They'll have to lower the amount of audio level on the lines to compensate for the added current required for their bass boost. Assuming they do,(A large assumption) This means: 4: Higher signal to noise ratios. When you lower the overall level of signal, you by nature, move the 100% level closer to the noise floor. WIth 12db worth of boost, (assumming typical voice quality) we're dealing with around an added 6db of overall audio level, on average. (Keep in mind; every three db doubles the amount of power needed!) So, in short, we're talking about 6db of added noise floor. This, up against a floor that was already only around 40down, in some of the /better/ cases. Consider, too, that most LD noise is 'white noise', right smack dab in the middle of the intelligence area. So, any noise increase caused by raising the floor, will be multiplied by this effect. Gee, noisier lines, more distortion, less intelligable. /Real/ improvement, there, guys! Your suggestions that Mr. Rudholm is sticking in the past are amusing, if slightly insulting. Perhaps he is, and perhaps so am I. But consider: All of the other things you mention in your post, offer improvement. TruVoice offers little more than a trade-off ... bigger bass, for more distortion, and higher noise factors. Thank you very much, but I'll stick with anything BUT AT&T. (You think my employer would PAY me for this drivel?) /E ------------------------------ From: dbm@cats.njit.edu (Dean McDermott - WB2CMN) Subject: Re: Volume level of Tropez 900DL? Organization: New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 06:00:32 GMT In article egurney@hpvclq.vcd.hp.com (Ed J. Gurney) writes: > I'm wondering if anyone has any information on increasing the volume > of the person on the other end of the call via the Tropez 900DL. I > *DO* realize that there is a digital volume control on the handset > [which appears to have four discrete "levels"], but all it seems to do > is increase the volume of the _sidetone_. :-( Unfortunately, I don't > want to hear MY voice louder! > I called VTech's tech-support line and the drone told me take > it back and exchange it. Since Incredible Universe is about an hour > drive each way, I'd prefer to just tweek a pot in either the base or > the handset to increase the volume. :-) If there is no such pot, then > I'm afraid that replacing the unit with another will sound the same, > and I'll have to go AGAIN to take it back for a refund! Don't take the time to swap out for a replacement phone. I have the same problem with my Tropez. At least when I called the company they said that if I send it back to them they will increase volume. I offered to "turn the pot" but they said it required a value change and they would NOT tell me any more. So far I am just living with the problem. Dean dbm@cats.njit.edu ------------------------------ From: jgeorge@whiffer.mese.com Subject: Re: Wait! Let me Get a Pen! Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 10:31:49 EST Organization: The Waffle Whiffer, Atlanta, GA In comp.dcom.telecom, russ@bbx.basis.com writes: > Someone once posted a story about someone who moved and got a new > number. They then called the old number, got the forwarding message > and added it to their answering machine replacing the old number with > the new number in the recorded message. This gave a message on their > answering machine exactly like the message that you got. > As I recall they got a call from the local phone folks saying > something like "cut it out". Seems the phone company was getting a > lot of trouble calls from folks getting the message from the answering > machine. I think that there was some resistance to the changing of > the answering machine, but the user eventually relented when the phone > company made mention of potential line problems in the new location. My girlfriend has a voice that can match that of Miss Southern Belle closely enough where it is impossible for the casual observer to tell the difference. After adding the correct intercept tones on the OGM she stated: The number you have reached, 123-4567, is still in service. No further information is available about 123-4567. It only took a few takes to get the pauses down pat, and I had an OGM. Nobody complained, but I did get a few people that called me at work to tell me that they had received a message saying my phone number was 'still in service' but they couldn't figure out what that meant. :-) Joe George (jgeorge@whiffer.mese.com,emory!indigo!whiffer!jgeorge) Actually, I _do_ speak for The Waffle Whiffer [Moderator's Note: Actually, 'still in service' *is* a valid intercept message under certain conditions. Here is why: If what you actually dial causes you to go to intercept and the equipment is able to tell what you dialed, the recording will read the number you dialed and tell you it is not in service. But there are times when the number you actually dialed is either forgotten or for some reason is not given to the intercept equipment. In those cases, an operator will come on the line and ask what number you dialed. You tell her of course the number you *think* you dialed (even though you mis-dialed and went to intercept), and the operator bubbles in whatever you tell her. The number you told her; ie the number you wanted and the number you *thought* you dialed, is a good number. You would have gotten it had you not misdialed. Had the equipment recognized what you actually dialed, it would have read that number back and you would have noted the error in your dialing. The operator however has to take your word for 'what you (thought you) dialed', so when she puts it in and releases it for a mechanical answer from intercept, the answer which comes back is "the number you dialed, xxx-xxxx is a working number. Please try your call again." As more and more COs exchange data between themselves as part of the call set up process, there are fewer and fewer instances where a live operator must come on the line to ask what number (you think) you dialed, thus instances of 'it is in service' are relatively rare the past few years. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 09:49:18 EDT From: adiron!tro@uunet.UU.NET (Tom Olin) Subject: Anybody Know of Connecticut Citizen? I have read news reports that GTE is selling or has already sold many of its New York State local telephone services, including mine, to a company called Connecticut Citizen. I have not received any information from GTE about the transaction, and I know little about the buyer, other than that the company apparently is all-digital. (Not after they buy THESE CO's, they're not! :) If any readers know anything about Connecticut Citizen or more details about this transaction, please post or email. Tom Olin (tro@partech.com) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 22:05:53 +1000 From: Liron Lightwood Subject: Re: International Date Line Change In comp.dcom.telecom is written: > This past weekend, according to what I heard on radio, part of the > republic of the Marshall Islands switched from one side of the > International Date Line to the other. In the affected area, Friday > was followed immediately by Sunday. (You jump forward one day in going > west across that line.) I wonder what would happen if you are Jewish. The Sabbath normally starts on Friday night and ends Saturday night. Would that Sabbath be very short (a few hours) or very long (about a week)? Also, what if you are a Seventh Day Adventist and you celebrate the Sabbath on Saturday? Liron Lightwood liron@zikzak.apana.org.au Zikzak public access UNIX, Melbourne, Australia. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #606 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa03507; 27 Aug 93 4:15 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA25166 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 27 Aug 1993 00:57:48 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA07818 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Fri, 27 Aug 1993 00:57:02 -0500 Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 00:57:02 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199308270557.AA07818@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #607 TELECOM Digest Fri, 27 Aug 93 00:57:00 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 607 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Jon Edelson) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Doug Rorem) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Paul Wallich) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Dave Ptasnik) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Bob Schwartz) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Hans Lachman) Re: The One True Dialing Plan (Bob Goudreau) Re: The One True Dialing Plan (Hans Lachman) Re: Modem Tax in Canada? (Eric N. Florack) Re: Email: Internet to IBM Info Network? (Sander J. Rabinowitz) Re: AT&T Announces New Internet Connectivity (Theodore M.P. Lee) Re: Large Scale IVR Systems (Al Varney) Re: Radar and Acronyms (about LATA) (Mark A. Cnota) Re: Comparison of Salaries in Telecom Industry (John J. Butz) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: winnie@phoenix.princeton.edu (Jon Edelson) Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers Organization: Princeton University Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 13:20:06 GMT In article telecom@eecs.nwu.edu (TELECOM Moderator) writes: > The customer installs another POTS line and re-programs his auto- > attendant and voicemail stuff to accomodate a second 800 line > working on a second POTS line at considerable trouble to himself; > and anyway, trouble or not, why should he have to???? I am sidestepping your original question, because I really have no idea how the Death Star (tm) operates ... However, I wonder just how difficult this option would be. It would be the cost of installing the second POTS line, plus some device that would swap connections so as to make the two incoming lines appear as one to the call answering devices. If the customer's usage is going to be so large that the residuals will pay the rent, then the cost of this equipment should be 'noise level'. I am pretty much thinking of a simple system involving a couple of relays, I am sure that someone in the field could design something solid state. Jon [Moderator's Note: This is a poor solution. If one line on the 'device' was occupied with a call it was pushing through to the voicemail or whatever, an incoming call on the other line would just ring unanswered until the first call finished and the second one could seize the routing or control box. Won't work. PAT] ------------------------------ From: rorem@eecs.uic.edu (Doug Rorem) Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 17:42:41 GMT TELECOM Moderator writes: > I asked specifically for their tariff authority to refuse to connect > the customer in the manner in which he wishes to be connected. They > admitted they have no authority to refuse the connection, but still > have no intention of doing it. It's not like there was anything going > on at the POTS level which would mess up or misidentify the billing > on calls; now-days the carrier just picks up the 800 call and outdials > it to wherever. Plus, they said they would do it *if the mutual cus- > tomer was totally their customer*. Pat, I once was up against the wall against ITT when I first tried to get 1+ and 950 long distance service from them. They refused to provide an account without my revealing my social security number to them (to do a credit check I presume). I persisted without success until I got the FCC in Washington, D.C. involoved via a common carrier complaint. This got them (ITT) to admit that they would provide service if I provided a $100 (I think) deposit on the account which would be refunded (with interest) after six months of satisfactory payments. I would suggest you try the same avenue, but unfortunately it took several months to complete. It's stories like yours and mine (when I tried to obtain a schematic drawing for an AT&T answering machine [which they refused to provide -- they said their only obligation was to provide a means to repair it at $90] that reinforce my impression that AT&T are trying to reclaim their previous arrogance. Doug Rorem [Moderator's Note: That's right, it takes months or years before any- thing will happen. Is the customer to stand around and wait? PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 14:21:39 -0400 From: Paul Wallich Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers In comp.dcom.telecom you write: > Maybe some readers who work for AT&T in their long distance services > and their 800 number service can explain to me why Mother is taking > the stance she is with reference to customers who try to get an 800 > number installed on a POTS line. Not an AT&T person, but I believe the term you are looking for is "anticompetitive practices." Personally I'd suggest taking this one up to the top and asking if anyone remembers the phrase "triple damages." Good luck, paul [Moderator's Note: That doesn't phase them at all. They know all they have to do is sit it out longer than you can. They know you will event- ually go away. PAT] ------------------------------ From: davep@carson.u.washington.edu (Dave Ptasnik) Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers Date: 26 Aug 1993 23:09:04 GMT Organization: University of Washington TELECOM Moderator writes: > Maybe some readers who work for AT&T in their long distance services > and their 800 number service can explain to me why Mother is taking > the stance she is with reference to customers who try to get an 800 > number installed on a POTS line. To make more money. Geez. > So what does AT&T say? Since this new 800 number is actually their > service being resold by me, they are *refusing* to terminate it on > the same POTS line. They just flatly say it is against their policy > to terminate two 800 numbers on the same POTS. Try this, have the customer establish a custom ringing number on the existing POTS line. Tell AT&T that a new line has been established. Do not tell them that it is a custom ringing number. Assign the new 800 number to the new custom ringing number. Your calls will zoom in slick as a whistle. My C&W 800 number is assigned to a custom ringing number at my house. Custom ringing numbers can can be the lead number in a regular hunt group (but not a terminal hunt group). Should work OK. Hell, if the business means that much to you. Have a real phone line installed somewhere and have that line forwarded to the existing POTS number. Put your cool 800 # on the new forwarded line (make sure to get IBT to adjust the number of forwarded calls correctly). All of the above is nothing more than the personal opinion of - Dave Ptasnik davep@u.washington.edu [Moderator's Note: Well, this is worth a try. A custom ringing number only costs $4-5 per month most places. Since the Customer is in fact out there reading this message, let me suggest he do it. Call telco please on Friday, get a custom ring number for the lead number in your hunt group. Ask them to tell you the number being assigned and get it to me ASAP, okay? (This is being done under protest however, as a short term solution.) PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers From: bob@bci.nbn.com (Bob Schwartz) Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 16:26:07 PDT Organization: Bill Correctors, Inc., Marin County, California Pat, I see such abuse frequently. Your aproach here may work because of your clout by way of the DIGEST so it is a clever aproach which I in=magine will work, this is a pretty public plase here isn't it and you do have many at&t subscribers (Lower case used because it is not how the company is *supposed* to be therefore not really AT&T). In any event an informal complaint with the FCC costs little more than time and postage. Actually nothing more than time and postage. Come to think of it you can log an informal complaint by phone. Problem is timing, it would take months or even longer and your client/customer would lose interest. Still it is a cheap and effective approach that you might use while terminating the 800 number on another POTS line (which you "own") and forwarding calls to the client line. Yes, the usage charge would eat profits but you did say the $ amount you stand to earn was substantial. This could allow you to eliminate the current service while awaiting either the results of a complaint or the ability to install your 800 number when the other one is removed. Now, here's my revolutionary idea. I, and perhaps many other DIGEST readers would gladly send messages to a high ranking official at AT&T informing them of this *unusual* situation and giving our opinion on the matter. This would be even easier if you helped us by posting a message suitable for forwarding; one copy to AT&T and another copy to some newspaper reporter so that the number of sympathizers would gain notice. Has such an aproach been used in the past? Best regards, Bob Schwartz bob@bci.nbn.com Bill Correctors, Inc. +1 415 488 9000 Marin County, California [Moderator's Note: That's okay, I will do the letter writing. The trouble with having a separate line and forwarding the calls is this will virtually DOUBLE the cost! I am in Chicago; the customer is on the east coast. You want me to take in 800 calls for him, push them back out to the east coast and pay the difference? At that rate, why bother to have a customer? Even if the line was installed on his premises, it would be a measured service business line with a charge for each and every call forwarded of a few cents. A penny or two per minute is all I stand to make on this customer, which will still be an important account for me, dollar wise. I am not going to pay all my commission to some other telco for a forwarding line on his behalf though. Who knows how long that would last before AT&T caved in, if ever? PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 11:31:52 -0700 From: lachman@netcom.com (Hans Lachman) Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers Organization: Netcom In article TELECOM Moderator wrote: > AT&T is refusing to hook up a customer of mine.... > My order went in to AT&T saying to park the new 800 number on the same > phone line where his other 800 number (that he gets from AT&T) is > routed.... > The customer does not want to have to install (or take over) a second > POTS line for this ... > So what does AT&T say? Since this new 800 number is actually their > service being resold by me, they are *refusing* to terminate it on > the same POTS line ... Why not have the customer get a second POTS line, and YOU absorb the cost of that. Then park the new 800 number on the new POTS line. And, get Call Forwarding from the new POTS line to the existing POTS line. If he still objects to the second POTS line, then put the second POTS line on YOUR premises, and have all calls forwarded to his existing POTS line or existing 800 number. Later, have the mappings between 800 numbers and POTS numbers reversed, and after he's convinced he no longer needs the old 800 line as a backup, drop it. (There might be some issue about whether customers are more likely to get a busy signal via a Call Forwarded line, e.g., if two callers call at almost the same time, than when calling a non-forwarded line.) Hans Lachman lachman@netcom.com [Moderator's Note: Read the earlier messages sir! The customer is on the east coast; I am in Chicago. Now I should pay for a constant stream of calls all day to him from a forwarded line here? Even with a line on his premises I can add what? Three or four cents per minute to the cost of his calls? I should eat it? PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 14:03:25 -0400 From: goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau) Subject: Re: The One True Dialing Plan In article elm@cs.berkeley.edu writes: >> I beg to differ. It seems to me that more places are using the >> *real* One True Dialing Plan (OTDP), in which all long-distance >> calls (intra-NPA included) are dialed with 11 digits, and only >> local, intra-NPA calls can use seven-digit dialing. > This works fine, as long as all calls are either "local" or > "non-local." In the SF Bay Area, all phone numbers are either > non-local, or in one of three approximately concentric zones ... But this is hardly a new phenomenon -- plenty of areas that have always had 1 + 7D for intra-NPA long distance also have various gradations of "local" calls, using things like special calling areas, rate bands, message units, etc. For instance, in the Boston area, New England Telephone offers (or used to offer) a choice of plans. Under one plan, the subscriber has unlimited local calling only to nearby towns, and calls to places a little farther away (such as from Lexington to downtown Boston, say) incur message units. These calls were still dialed as local calls, since even with the additional costs they are priced far lower than intra-NPA long distance calls (say, Boston to Provincetown before the 617/508 split). > Are calls to Zone 3 really local if unlimited service subscribers > must pay for them? Would they require eleven digits or seven under > the above dialing suggestion? Seven. My point wasn't that people would get upset about 7D calls that continue to incur the same charges they always have. The point was that in places where 1+7D used to be required for intra-NPA LD, some people will squawk if it's replaced by 7D rather than by 1+10D, because they object to losing the "1 means toll" concept. I don't personally care one way or the other, but my observation has been that more places seem to be adopting the 11-digit plan than the 7-digit plan. My only personal preference on the issue is that whatever kind of 7D zone is used (local vs. NPA-wide), 11-digit dialing of those numbers should *also* be supported. Bob Goudreau Data General Corporation goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com 62 Alexander Drive +1 919 248 6231 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA ------------------------------ From: lachman@netcom.com (Hans Lachman) Subject: Re: The One True Dialing Plan Organization: Netcom Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 19:35:54 GMT In article elm@cs.berkeley.edu writes: > In article goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com (Bob > Goudreau) writes: >> I beg to differ. It seems to me that more places are using the >> *real* One True Dialing Plan (OTDP), in which all long-distance >> calls (intra-NPA included) are dialed with 11 digits, and only >> local, intra-NPA calls can use seven-digit dialing. > This works fine, as long as all calls are either "local" or > "non-local." In the SF Bay Area, all phone numbers are either > non-local, or in one of three approximately concentric zones (1, 2, > and 3) ... So there are three kinds of calls, according to how you get charged: (1) local (2) quasi-local quasi-long-distance (like Pac Bell's Zone 3) (3) long distance and two kinds of calls, according to area code boundaries: (1) intra-NPA (2) inter-NPA and two kinds of calls, according to LATA boundaries: (1) intra-LATA (2) inter-LATA That makes for 3*2*2 (or 12) kinds of domestic calls. Any "One True Dialing Plan" worth its salt must specify the dialing procedure in each of the 12 cases. Any takers? Regarding the So-Called *Real* One True Dialing Plan (SC*R*OTDP) mentioned above, it seems a bit silly to dial the area code for an intra-NPA call. (Likewise, wouldn't you feel silly to dial a country code when calling someone in the same country?) If the argument in favor of this silliness is "dialing the area code is a reminder that you're making a toll call", then the argument breaks down in the case of local inter-NPA calls, like between Mountain View (415) and Sunnyvale (408), California, in which case you must dial the area code, but it is not a toll call. Hans Lachman lachman@netcom.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 05:13:03 PDT From: Eric_N._Florack.cru-mc@xerox.com Subject: Re: Modem Tax in Canada? dixon@fourfold.ocunix.on.ca (dixon kenner)says, in #603: > I have spoken to both Bell Canada and the CRTC. The "Bell wants to > force the use of data lines" post is bullshit, pure and simple. There > is no such tariff filing, or any other business pending that is > remotely connected with this. I would also urge anyone who sees such > a post to check it out or send a message back to the author asking for > more information before passing it along to a wider audience. Fidonet > and the internet are famous for being able to spread false information > very quickly, and I am appalled that people will do so without > stopping to think. With all respect, to Fred, (is this the same person, who I listen to from the CBC frequently?), I'm not so sure. Check, for example, the posts of a similar nature, which were traced abck to two NPRM's put forward by the FCC, here in the states. (The second came up after the first was so soundly trounced ... and the second seems to be not a rule in effect, but at least a basis for future commission policy. I speak of 87-215; the second is 91 something.) Both these had provisions which, it seems to me, would have required the local telco's to not only sample for modem traffic, but they would be taxed, based on the amount of modem traffic they carried ... and of course that tax would be passed onto the customer. The ensuing argument quickly broke down into: Was it a modem tax or not, since the customer wouldn't see it. This situation in Canada seems fairly similar, with the twist this time that it involved not data, but FAX lines. (How anyone would tell the difference, I've not yet figured out, since anything I can think of would involve line monitoring -- a grey area at best -- and even greyer, when you consider that both fax and data 'lead' with the same tones at handshake time.) >> Martin Ouelette at 167/290.21. << Assuming you're talking about area 1, that number would indicate a 'point' which is little more than an offline mail reader, not really a BBS, so it may be a while before he even sees your note. /E ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 12:10 GMT From: Sander J. Rabinowitz <0003829147@mcimail.com> Subject: Re: Email: Internet to IBM Info Network? In followup to my earlier inquiry on connectivity between the Internet and the IBM Information Network, I learned from someone who was successfully able to send mail to my mailbox at work that the addressing method is as follows: nnnnn@ibmmail.com Where nnnnn represents the five-digit code assigned to a particular user. My thanks to Mike T. Regan and Mike O'Connor for their assistance. Sander J. Rabinowitz, sjr1@mcimail.com, Franklin, Tennessee. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 09:01:34 -0600 From: tmplee@TIS.COM (Theodore M.P. Lee) Subject: Re: AT&T Announces New Internet Connectivity Does anyone have any representative pricing information? Details on exactly what kind of connection you get when you dial 950-1ATT? (straight terminal? Slip/PPP? X25? or what?) Is the internet "connectivity" competitive with other providers of dial-up access? Ted Lee 612-934-5424 tmplee@tis.com Trusted Information Systems, Inc. PO Box 1718 Minnetonka, MN 55345 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 09:06:15 CDT From: varney@ihlpe.att.com Subject: Re: Large Scale IVR Systems Organization: AT&T In article Urban Surfer writes: > We are outgrowing our IVR system. We have a DECvoice cluster which > does great speech synthesis, but is limited by Q-bus technology. I've > heard talk about TAPI, but that sounds like it is a good ways off. > I'd like to solicit information from others who run large scale IVR > systems. I'm looking for systems that handle several thousands of > calls per day, and can handle call supervision. The system needs to > have the smarts to talk to a back-end database over a network. > I know other folks are doing this kind of stuff. How do you do it? Well, some of them run AT&T Conversant(tm) Voice Information Systems units. These support some of the largest IVR applications in the world. American Transtech uses these to handle lots of internal call traffic. Other applications are even more sophisticated, involving data retrieval and update of large databases, as well as the ability to transfer "stuck" callers to live operators, etc. I don't know how many of these applications can be described in public; give them a call and ask. If you don't really want to buy new hardware and your application tends to be seasonal or one-shot, AT&T InfoWorx(tm) Interactive Voice Services can customize and operate the Conversant system for you, using hardware located on AT&T property. They are experts in developing such applications. AT&T Conversant Systems uses our Regional account executives for sales -- but I don't know where you (or your application) are. They list 614-860-5950 as a contact for referral to the appropriate party. (8-5 EST, Mon-Fri) My only contact for AT&T InfoWorx is Ron DeBlock in New Jersey. Ron is at 908-805-2248, and should be able to give you an appropriate contact. Al Varney - just MY opinion ------------------------------ From: mac@rci.chi.il.us (Mark A. Cnota) Subject: Re: Radar and Acronyms (about LATA) Organization: Ripco Communications Incorporated Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 01:53:38 GMT Leo Nederlof (lned@alcbel.be) wrote: > M. Otto otto@vaxb.acs.unt.edu asked about the meaning of LATA: >> LATA - Lousy A**h*les Treating you Arrogantly :-) >> [Moderator's Note: Local Area Transport something ... > While of course everyone knows that it is local access and transit > area, This thread is kind of old, but for the record it's Local Access Transport Area. ------------------------------ From: John.J.Butz@att.com Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 09:44:22 EDT Subject: Re: Comparison of Salaries in Telecom Industry > Please excuse my ignorance, but I am a second year student of > electrical engineering and I am having trouble deciding whether I > should go into hardware or software. I have a great interest in > both so I guess my deciding factor will be whichever one pays better. > I dont want to make a decision based on this, but I think it will be > of some importance in the final decision. Could someone please tell me > what the average salaries are of hardware and software engineers in the > data communications field? Quick! If it's "high pay" instead of just "pays well" you're worried about, transfer into pre-med or pre-law as soon as possible. It's only August and the semester is just beginning. Don't worry about becoming a specialist in either field. Use your college education to become as broad and as versatile as possible. This is what employers look for. The more skills you bring to the job, the more desirable you are as a prospective employee. By all means take business classes like accounting and finance. If you don't like that idea, at the very least, take an Engineering Economy class sponsored by the Engineering school. J Butz ER700 Sys Eng jbutz@hogpa.att.com AT&T - CCS ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #607 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa03716; 27 Aug 93 5:49 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA09483 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 27 Aug 1993 02:17:18 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA07379 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Fri, 27 Aug 1993 02:16:33 -0500 Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 02:16:33 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199308270716.AA07379@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #608 TELECOM Digest Fri, 27 Aug 93 02:16:00 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 608 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson First Call For Papers -- IEEE Comp Security Foundations Workshop (Li Gong) NPA 710 in Use Now? (Mike King) Caller*ID With Names (Ed D. Federmeyer) AT$T Operator Shutdown (Robert G. Oenning) Bell Atlantic Case? (Bruce Klopfenstein) Suspension of Service (was: Questions About 'Snail Mail') (David Cornutt) Cellular Phone Prom Contents (Paul J. Bell) Re: Calling Canadian 800 Numbers From the US (David Rabson) Re: Calling Canadian 800 Numbers From the US (Martin Savard) Re: Status of Cellular Data (Jim Rees) Re: Newton Bug: Calling in/to/From Canada (Carl Moore) Tel Aviv Stock Market Callers Routed to Sex Line (Josh Backon) Re: Funny Newspaper Headlines (Dan Danz) Re: Funny Newspaper Headlines (Tad Cook) ---------------------- TELECOM Digest is an e-journal devoted mostly -- but not exclusively -- to discussions on voice telephony. The Digest is a not-for-profit public service published frequently by Patrick Townson Associates. PTA markets a no-surcharge telephone calling card and a no monthly fee 800 service. In addition, we are resellers of AT&T's Software Defined Network. For a detailed discussion of our services, write and ask for the file 'products'. The Digest is delivered at no charge by email to qualified subscribers on any electronic mail service connected to the Internet. To join the mail- ing list, write and tell us how you qualify: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu. All article submissions MUST be sent to our email address: telecom@eecs. nwu.edu -- NOT as replies to comp.dcom.telecom. Back issues and numerous other telephone-related files of interest are available from the Telecom Archives, using anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu. Login anonymous, then 'cd telecom-archives'. At the present time, the Digest is also ported to Usenet at the request of many readers there, where it is known as 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Use of the Digest does not require the use of our products and services. The two are separate. All articles are the responsibility of the individual authors. Organi- zations listed, if any, are for identification purposes only. The Digest is compilation-copyrighted, 1993. **DO NOT** cross-post articles between the Digest and other Usenet or alt newsgroups. Do not compile mailing lists from the net-addresses appearing herein. Send tithes and love offerings to PO Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690. :) Phone: 312-465-2700. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Li Gong Subject: 1st Call For Papers--IEEE Computer Security Foundations Workshop VII Organization: Cornell Univ. CS Dept, Ithaca NY 14853 Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 22:30:40 GMT CALL FOR PAPERS IEEE COMPUTER SECURITY FOUNDATIONS WORKSHOP VII June 14-16, 1994 Franconia, New Hampshire Sponsored by the IEEE Computer Society The purpose of this workshop is to bring together researchers in computer science to examine foundational issues in computer security. We are interested both in papers that describe new results in the theories of computer security and in papers, panels, and working group exercises that explore open questions and raise fundamental concerns about current theories of security. Possible topics include, but are not limited to: access control distributed systems security authentication formal methods for security covert channels information flow data and system integrity secure protocols database security security models We are also interested in examining the interactions and trade-offs between computer security requirements and other system requirements such as availability, dependability, and real-time, and in exploring foundational security issues in emerging areas such as ubiquitous computing, multimedia, and computer supported cooperative work. The proceedings are published by the IEEE Computer Society and will be available at the workshop. Selected papers will be invited for publication in the Journal of Computer Security. Instructions for Participants: Workshop attendance will be by invitation only and limited to thirty-five participants. Prospective participants should send five copies of a paper (limit 7500 words), proposal for panel discussion or working group exercise to Li Gong, Program Chair, at the address below. Please provide email addresses and telephone numbers (voice and fax) for all authors and clearly identify the contact author. IMPORTANT DATES: Author's submission: February 10, 1994 Notification of acceptance: March 11, 1994 Camera-ready final papers: April 11, 1994 Program Committee Simon Foley, Univ. Col., Cork, Ireland Virgil Gligor, U of Maryland, USA Simon Lam, U of Texas, Austin, USA Stewart Lee, U of Toronto, Canada John McLean, Naval Research Lab, USA Catherine Meadows, Naval Research Lab, USA Michael Merritt, AT&T Bell Labs, USA Jose Meseguer, SRI International, USA Jonathan Millen, MITRE, USA Chris Mitchell, U of London, RHNBC, UK Robert Morris, DoD, USA Ravi Sandhu, George Mason U, USA For further information contact: General Chair Program Chair Publications Chair Ravi S. Sandhu Li Gong Joshua Guttman ISSE Department SRI International The MITRE Corporation George Mason University Computer Science Lab Burlington Road Fairfax, VA 22030-4444 333 Ravenswood Avenue Bedford, MA 01730 +1 703-993-1659 Menlo Park, CA 94025 +1 617-271-2654 sandhu@sitevax.gmu.edu +1 415-859-3232 guttman@linus.mitre.org gong@csl.sri.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 21:28:29 EDT From: mking@fsd.com (Mike King) Subject: NPA 710 in Use Now? While reading the classifieds in the Sept. '93 issue of {Online Access} magazine, I discovered an advert for _Advanced_System_Research_ under the "BBS INSTALLATION" heading. They're located in Reno, NV. The numbers they provided are very interesting: Voice: 702-334-3304 Modem: 710-334-3308 Of course, I immediately assumed the modem number was a misprint, especially considering the nxx-xxxx was so similar to the voice number. But the modem number was repeated in the text of the advert, so I became curious. I dialed 800-3210-ATT (office PBX blocks 10xxx :-( ) and entered 0+ the modem number. I immediately got the bong. Since I've been told that AT&T validates the NPA-NXX before returning the bong, I then tried 0+ 810+7D (which will be my brother's number after the MI split) and then 0+ 910-555-1212. Both of those numbers caused AT&T to request I enter the number again. An AT&T operator said she had no information about NPA 710, so I couldn't inquire about rates. From home, attempting to dial 0 + 710 + resulted in a local switch intercept after the NXX, as did 10288 + 0 + 710. The first intercept asked me to check the number and try again, and the second intercept told me, "We're sorry; it's not necessary to dial a carrier access code for this number." Anyone have any clues? Mike King * Software Sourcerer * Fairchild Space * +1 301.428.5384 mking@fsd.com or 73710.1430@compuserve.com * (usual disclaimers) [Moderator's Note: It must have been a misprint since using 702 to dial the modem number did get me a carrier tone. There is an 'area code' or NPA 710, but it cannot be accessed from the public phone network. It is used for something called 'Government Special Services' or 'Special Government Services' ... some rather top secret military thing I am told; we've discussed it here a few times and never gotten any definitive answers from anyone who knows much about it. There are a few readers here who know about it in detail, but their security clearance does not permit them to discuss it. If 710 was correct, I can't imagine them advertising it in a consumer mag- azine. PAT] ------------------------------ From: federmyr@rtsg.mot.com (Ed D. Federmeyer) Subject: Caller*ID With Names Organization: Motorola Inc., Cellular Infrastructure Group Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 03:34:24 GMT I've been using the "Classmate Model 10" (from MHE Systems) Caller*ID to RS-232 converter to display numbers on my IBM-PC screen for awhile. Recently, my area converted to "Caller*ID with Names" that also displays the name of the person calling, as well as thier number, so I ordered this new service. Well, it looks like the "Model 10" isn't compatible with the "Names" feature ... I get lot's of "E"'s (Errors) and some characters are obviously moved over a few spaces to the wrong fields. Does anyone know if the model 10 can be user-upgraded (or sent in for an upgrade) to a version that works with Names? (preferably BOTH services, incase I move to an area with plain Caller*ID.) Someone recently posted a number for Bell Atlantic Business Supplies (they sell the Classmate) that was (apparently) incorrect. I tried 1-800-555-1212 directory assistance, but the number they gave me is answered by a FAX machine or something. Does anyone have the voice number for Bell Atlantic Business Supplies? (Or anyone else who sells these kinds of boxes?) Thanks, Ed Federmeyer (edf@amtfocus.amt.gss.mot.com) ------------------------------ Date: 27 Aug 93 02:05:10 EDT From: Robert G. Oenning <71302.1664@CompuServe.COM> Subject: AT$T Operator Shutdown Makes an interesting comparison when you look at the reaction to the demise of the logging industry in the Pacific Northwest and the attention it has received versus the layoffs by AT$T. I see their reduction in service levels at operator services in a different light: the impact their likely inability to help customers will have on the 911 centers operated by public agencies for the single purpose of getting citizens emergency assistance. Experience has shown that when operator services from the telcos become less available people dial 911 to get the help they traditionally got by dialing 'O`. This is difficult to document, but seems to be a trend I`ve noted talking to the supervisors of 911 communication centers. ------------------------------ From: klopfens@andy.bgsu.edu (Bruce Klopfenstein) Subject: Bell Atlantic Case Organization: Bowling Green State University B.G., Oh. Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 19:58:25 GMT Does anyone have access to the judge's decision on the Bell Atlantic case this week that ruled telcos can own video programming? Bruce C. Klopfenstein klopfens@andy.bgsu.edu Department of Telecommunications klopfenstein@bgsuopie.bitnet Bowling Green State University (419) 372-2138; 372-2224 Bowling Green, OH 43403-0235 fax (419) 372-8600 ------------------------------ From: cornutt@lambda.msfc.nasa.gov (David Cornutt) Subject: Suspension of Service (was: Questions About Regular 'Snail Mail') Organization: NASA/MSFC Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 16:33:14 GMT lars@login.dkuug.dk (Lars J|rgen Poulsen) writes: > On the other hand, forwarding of telephones is less straightforward. > When I moved, I wanted to reserve my number (since I expect to come > back in a year). This was not offered by GTE. The best they could > offer was to set up a remote call forwarding line. This was prices > such that it would have been cheaper to leave the line connected with > an answering machine in the crawlspace. Do any LECs still offer suspended service? I did this for a while back when I was in college. (I had a three-week lease gap between my old and new apartments, and had to move in with my father for that interval.) This way, I was able to keep my old number and billing (important to me, since I had not had service long enough at that point to have gotten all of my deposit back). It cost a few bucks a month for the service. During the period of suspension, they routed my number to an intercept that said "The number you have reached, [my #], has been *temporarily* disconnected. The new number is, [my father's number]." I got the impression that one could maintain this indefinitely, as long as one kept paying the bill. David Cornutt, New Technology Inc., Huntsville, AL (205) 461-4517 (cornutt@lambda.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." ------------------------------ From: pjb@23kgroup.com (Paul J. Bell) Subject: Cellular Phone Prom Contents Reply-To: pjb@23kgroup.com Organization: The 23K Group, Inc. Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 22:38:58 GMT Will someone please tell me the contents of the ID prom in a typical cellular phone. I am not interested in cloning them, so I don't need the exact format of the entries, just what info is included. Thanks, Paul ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 10:14:02 MDT From: dar@viking.Lanl.GOV (David Rabson) Subject: Re: Calling Canadian 800 Numbers From the US In a recent comment, the Moderated noted a telephone line that had been fraudulently used by Canadian callers to reach U.S. 800 numbers. While that undoubtedly has happened, there are also legitimate ways to dial U.S.-only 800 numbers from Canada (at some cost). While I was living in Vancouver several years ago, Cam-Net offered, in addition to regular-service rates to the U.S. about half those of B.C. Telephone, a way of reaching U.S.-only 800 numbers. David Rabson [Moderator's Note: There are various legitimate services for this. If you use one of the 'Call Home' services offered by telcos, their oper- ator will generally ring an 800 number for you. The service I resell called Telepassport also does this. You can connect from anywhere in the world with the TP switch and dial any 800 number desired in the USA. You pay for the cost of a call to the USA of course. PAT] ------------------------------ From: ag656@freenet.carleton.ca (Martin Savard) Subject: Re: Calling Canadian 800 Numbers From the US Reply-To: ag656@freenet.carleton.ca (Martin Savard) Organization: The National Capital Freenet Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 22:48:43 GMT In a previous article, einhorn_d@apsicc.aps.edu (E. Drew Einhorn) says: > I'm looking for the same thing in reverse a long distance number I > could call and then be able to dial out from a Canadian phone line to > access a Canadian 800 number. I'd try to get the regular phone number > but I really don't know what city or even which province they are in. > [Moderator's Note: The message you saw circulating on some newsgroups > gave a number used for fraudulent access into and out of the phone > system of an institution in the Pacific Northwest. It was *not* > intended for use as a 'method for Canadians (or people from the UK or > Brazil or anywhere else for that matter) to access 800 numbers in the > USA ...'. It was used that way, among other abuses made of it. It was > (is) the private DISA number into a PBX system which some phreak(s) > found and started circulating en-masse. The reason you cannot find > such a 'number in reverse' is because you are not supposed to make > such calls. 800 numbers have specific limitations placed upon who > (from what geographic location) may call them. The way you find out > which is which is you dial the 800 number directly from your phone. > If you get connected, your call via that number is welcome. If your > call is rejected by the network, then your call via 800 is not > welcome, meaning the owner of the 800 number does not wish to pay for > your call. If the merchant or whoever is too dumb to advertise his > POTS number as part of his message, then that's his problem. If the > merchant wants international 800 service, it *is* available without a > lot of dialing rigamarole going through some third sucker's unprotected > DISA port fraudulently. PAT] [Comment on the moderator's note]. It is true that some third party could be making money out of that kind of service, but it is also true that international (US+CANADA) 800 service is very expensive. If US companies don't offer 800 service to their customer in Canada (or Canadian companies don't offer it to US cutomers), it doesn't mean that these calls are 'not welcome'. There are limits to a telecommuni- cations budget. Most companies won't mind a third party offering link to their 800 number. They'll even like that. Martin Savard Ottawa, Canada ------------------------------ From: Jim.Rees@umich.edu Subject: Re: Status of Cellular Data Date: 26 Aug 1993 16:30:45 GMT Organization: University of Michigan CITI In article , ellis@rtsg.mot.com (John T Ellis) writes: > I didn't realize that you could do v.32 or v.32bis over standard AMPS > systems. From what I hear customers and other vendors say, you can do > 300/1200 and 2400 although 2400 has a tendency to drop carrier often. > Can you tell me what cellular manufacturers have rated their cell > sites for anything higher than 1200/2400? Also, what providers are > claiming they can do "high speed" data transfer over the cellular > network? I'm not aware of any cellular equipment manufacturers who claim to support v.32bis modem traffic. I don't deal in claims, I deal in realities. I try things, and if they work, I use them. In my experience, a v.32bis modem can be made to work over cellular. The problem is that it won't work at the highest speed (14.4). So you need a modem that can do the negotiation at a lower speed and work its way up, rather than start high and work down. It also has to tolerate carrier interruptions during handoffs. Most modems can be configured for this. If the phone is standing still, I've been able to get the 7200 or 9600 fallback speeds. Once the phone starts moving, things start to fall apart. v.32bis modems seem to do better than v.32. I think that's because they take less time to re-train. Microcom's mnp10 is intended to make v.32bis work better over cellular, but we've had mixed results. In marginal conditions, with the phone moving, I've been able to get sustained average throughput of up to about 6 kbps with a standard v.32 modem over AMPS cellular, although I've also seen it drop to 400 bps. I haven't tried NAMPS. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 13:12:34 EDT From: Carl Moore Subject: Re: Newton Bug: Calling in/to/From Canada So how did it attempt to call Winnipeg from Ottawa? It's still supposed to be 1 + area code + number, right? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 11:43:01 -0500 From: BACKON@vms.huji.ac.il Subject: Tel Aviv Stock Exchange Calls Routed in Error to Sex Line I have a very funny telecom story to relate. The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange has a special line for investors to call up for stock prices, etc. Yesterday, for some reason, some switch got screwed up and the callers were getting connected to a phone sex service from Germany! The PTT here has NO idea how this happened! Regards, Josh ------------------------------ From: ddanz@lectroid.sw.stratus.com (Dan Danz) Subject: Re: Funny Newspaper Headlines Date: 26 Aug 1993 19:50:06 GMT Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc. Reply-To: dan@phoenix.az.stratus.com In article , glen@slate.cs.wisc.edu (Glen Ecklund) writes: > I missed the beginning of this thread, but my favorite was in the > Marriages column of a paper in Normal, Illinois. I wish I had saved > it. > Normal Girl Weds Oblong Boy > [Moderator's Note: There is a tiny little village in Illinois called > Oblong, and Normal -- a somewhat larger community -- was thus named > because the town was developed around the Illinois Normal School, > which is now a state university. PAT] Yes, and those of us who grew up near there always wondered if somewhere there was an Illinois State Abnormal University as well. This wasn't in the newspaper, but reminds me of a sign that I wish I had video-taped and submitted to the America's Funniest Home Videos sign contest: We were traveling through Kalispel, Flathead County, Montana several years ago when I spotted the following sign in front of a small bank-like building: e d r i c t FLATHEAD EMPLOYEES u n n o i I almost fell off the motorcycle from laughing so hard. Surely, they must realize ... well, maybe not. L. W. "Dan" Danz (WA5SKM) VOS Mail: Dan_Danz@vos.stratus.com Sr Consulting Software SE NeXT Mail: dan@az.stratus.com Customer Assistance Center Voice Mail/Pager: (602) 852-3107 Telecommunications Division Customer Service: (800) 828-8513 Stratus Computer, Inc. 4455 E. Camelback #115-A, Phoenix AZ 85018 ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Funny Newspaper Headlines Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 15:05:58 PDT From: tad@ssc.com (Tad Cook) Bruce Sullivan writes: > Back in the late '70s, two local politicians were running against one > another for (as I recall) a State House seat. One, Norm Dicks, has > gone on to Washington DC as an esteemed CongressPerson. The other > Gentleman, who has passed into obscurity (and whose first name I > subsequently) can't recall) had the last name of Beaver. As you can > imagine, the juxtapostition of those two names in print let to some > entertaining headlines. One that I recall -- I still have a copy > somewhere -- appeared in the {Seattle Post-Intelligencer}: > "Chips Fly as Beaver and Dicks Meet." This is one of those stories that is better in the retelling, at least if you bend the facts a little. The fellows' name was Lloyd BEVER, not BEAVER, and his name was pronounced so that the E sounded like eh, not ee. Beh-vur. Doesn't sound anything like BEE-vur. tad@ssc.com (if it bounces, use 3288544@mcimail.com) Tad Cook | Packet Amateur Radio: | Home Phone: Seattle, WA | KT7H @ N7DUO.WA.USA.NA | 206-527-4089 ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #608 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa07011; 30 Aug 93 17:18 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA26453 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Mon, 30 Aug 1993 14:22:12 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA26742 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Mon, 30 Aug 1993 14:21:21 -0500 Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 14:21:21 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199308301921.AA26742@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@delta.eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #609 TELECOM Digest Fri, 27 Aug 93 13:21:00 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 609 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Accuwan Release (Karen Yates) Portable Terminal Needed (Vance Shipley) Rock-Bottom Rates to Argentina (Jorge Lach) Bonaire Operator? (rcj@nwsrs.att.com) DosFax Pro / Other Software Inquiries (Norman Hamer) Telephone Company Test Set Questions (Eric Hinson) Looking up Names/Numbers via Internet? (Eric Hinson) Thanks For Info: Fiber to the Home/Burb, Hybrid Fiber/Coax (L. Lightwood) Re: What is RASCOM and S.I.T.? (Brett Frankenberger) Re: Operator From Atlanta (was Re: Interesting 800 Number) (Brent Laminack) Re: Computer <-> Phone Interface in Germany (Kai Schlichting) Re: Octothorpe (Amer Neely) Re: Radio Station Acronyms (Dan Danz) Re: International Date Line Change (Pierre Lewis) Re: International Date Line Change (Andrew Marc Greene) [Moderator's Note: This is a remail of issue 609 due to the several complaints I received about it not showing up. If you did get it, then please ignore this duplicate to the mailing list only. PAT] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: karenyates@attmail.com (Karen Yates ) Date: 27 Aug 93 06:33:13 GMT Subject: Accuwan Release For more information, contact: Matthew Clark 908-221-3944/office 210-539-4468/home Shelly London 908-221-4355/office 201-635-0987/home AT&T Announces Turnkey Solution for LAN Interconnections SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- AT&T today announced ACCUWANsm Service, a turnkey, fully-managed solution to interconnect geographically dispersed Local Area Networks (LAN) in a Wide Area Network (WAN). AT&T made the announcement in San Francisco at the InterOp conference. With ACCUWAN, AT&T will design, provision, install, monitor, maintain and manage a customer's LAN internetwork. The service will operate at 56 Kbps to 1.5 Mbps, depending on customer bandwidth needs. ACCUWAN service simplifies both the purchase and operation of a LAN internetwork. There are three service elements: the LAN access connections, the WAN connections, and WAN management for each site. The specific components of the service include network design, customer premises equipment such as AT&T Paradyne multiplexing and DCE equipment, AT&T Network Systems LCS200 routers, AT&T ACCUNET dedicated network facilities, logical and physical network management, installation, remote monitoring, on-site maintenance, repair and software upgrades to LCS200 routers. The new service is designed for customers who wish to connect remotely located LANs without incurring the capital expense and human resource investment required to design, procure and manage a WAN and the LAN access interfaces. ACCUWAN Service complements AT&T's InterSpan Extended Connectivity Option, which provides a turnkey LAN solution for InterSpan Frame Relay customers, and adds another dimension to the portfolio of InterSpan and ACCUNET services. "The introduction of ACCUWAN delivers on our on-going commitment to provide the best array of data communications solutions. It joins the ACCUNET family of services and InterSpan data communications services such as InterSpan Frame Relay Service and InterSpan Frame Relay Extended Connectivity Option," said Bob Aquilina, Marketing Vice President, AT&T Data Communications Services. "ACCUWAN will let customers concentrate on their own businesses, while taking full advantage of the technical and networking expertise of AT&T to provide the LAN interconnectivity needed in a distributed computing environment. ACCUWAN customers will have a single point of contact through the dedicated ACCUWAN Management Center (AMC), operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The AMC will continuously monitor each customer's WAN, including the AT&T-provided routers, LAN interfaces and network facilities, and will coordinate and resolve any required maintenance and repair, including on-site repair. ACCUWAN customers will receive detailed performance reports, customized to their particular parameters. Customers will also receive periodic capacity utilization reports, including consultation and change recommendations if warranted, at no extra charge. The ACCUWAN Service boundaries are the LAN interfaces to the AT&T LCS200 multiprotocol routers on customer premises. ACCUWAN supports all major LAN types and most LAN protocols, including TCP/IP, DECNet Phase IV and V, Novell IPX and AppleTalk. ACCUWAN is currently in beta testing; the beta customer is White & Case, a New York City law firm with additional offices in Miami and Los Angeles. ACCUWAN Service will be in controlled introduction in the fourth quarter, with general availability early in 1994. ACCUWAN will be offered through the AT&T Data Communications Services sales force, and will be supported by AT&T Network Systems and ACCUNET Digital Services. ------------------------------ From: Vance Shipley Subject: Portable Terminal Needed Organization: ITN Corporation, Toronto, Ontario Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 12:13:47 GMT I'm looking for a low priced portable data terminal that will do 2400 baud or better, light weight and cheap. If you know who might manufacture such a beastie please let me know. So far I've looked at the Panasonic KX-D4930 but was not very impressed (1200 baud, heavy and expen$ive). Vance Shipley, vances@xenitec.on.ca ------------------------------ From: jorge@erex.East.Sun.COM (Jorge Lach - Sun BOS Hardware) Subject: Rock-Bottom Rates to Argentina Date: 27 Aug 1993 14:43:58 GMT Organization: Sun Microsystems Inc. - BDC Reply-To: jorge@erex.East.Sun.COM I currently make about $200 per month on long distance calls to Argentina, most of them to a few phone numbers. I've been using MCI, which when I combine the "Reach Out World" 15% discount ($3 a month fee) with the Friends & Family 20% discount on up to two international numbers (I've got two lines, hence four international numbers) give me a respectable 35% off their rates. Most of my calls are in the evening. The lowest rate to Argentina doesn't kick in until midnight, and that's too late for me, so I call between 6PM and midnight which gives me the next lowest rate. Although I don't have the info in front of me, MCI rates are $1.90 for the first minute, 89 cents for each minute after that. Combined with the discounts (and ignoring the $3 monthly fee), they come to a net of $1.24 for the 1st minute and 58 cents for each minute after. When you spend a lot of minutes on the phone, even these rate add up! Does anybody know of any other service which offers lower rates. Maybe buying some time chunks would help. One other important service would be sub-minute billing and/or same rate for first and subsequent minutes. This will cut costs for calls answered by machines and for short faxes. Yet another benefit would be a "call USA" type service from Argentina to the US at a similar low rate. Again, I'm specifically interested in calls to/from Argentina. Also, none of the above should be construed to be an advertisement for MCI. Thanks, Jorge Lach Sun Microsystems Computer Corporation Jorge.Lach@East.Sun.Com East Coast Division, Chelmsford, MA Phone: (508) 442-0214 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 93 11:30:57 EDT From: rcj@nwsrs.att.com Subject: Bonaire Operator Organization: AT&T I am curious about the following situation. Recently my sister and brother in-law sailed to Bonaire in the Netherland Antilles. They had their mobile phone hooked up. When they called us, the quality of the connection was really better then I would expect. Anyway, they left us their phone number (599-7-xxxxxx). Well, after they hung up, we tried the number only to be routed to what sounds like reorder tone. I'm assuming it came from their end because it was more of an international sounding reorder tone then one you would hear from a domestic standpoint. I tried the call a few times with the same results. I then called the IDDD operator and had her try it. Same results. She then tried to get ahold of the local 599-7 operator. It rang and rang without being answered. This was about midnight CST. (One note: the AT&T operator said that she has 599-7 listed as a four-digit call rather than the six that I was using??) Anyway after a few more attempts with the same results, we gave up. A day or two later I attempted the call again and received the same reorder. The AT&T operator tried to contact the local operator on the far end. It just rang and rang without being answered. This was at about 7-8 PM. I guess my question is, is there operator services on that end of the call? I should think so ... [Moderator's Note: Yes there is operator service in other countries including Netherland Antilles, but at times there might as well not be. The inward operators in some countries are dreadfully slow in answering at times. Ringing and waiting for five to ten minutes is not uncommon. Those telecoms don't always have the same attitude at prompt and reliable service which AT&T has. Some telecom admins such as France now put obnoxious recorded messages on the line. Try to reach an operator in France during a busy time, and a recording answers which plays five or six bars of music followed by a man's voice in a very crisp British accent saying, "Teleeekom Services! Please stand by, we are trying to extend your call!" ... then five or six more bars of music and the message repeats; again and again and again. The recording lasts 10-15 seconds so if you wait three minutes for an operator to answer -- not bad time in their busy period -- that is four or five times per minute for three minutes, or maybe 15 recitations of the message and the silly little tune they play while you wait. Interestingly, the same man, same message, same loony tune when trying to reach an operator in India or Egypt. I think I'd rather listen to the ringing. Imagine how tired AT&T operators must get listening to that recording urging them to 'stand by' all day long. PAT] ------------------------------ From: maven@eskimo.com (Norman Hamer) Subject: DosFax Pro / Other Software Enq Organization: Eskimo North (206) For-Ever Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 07:08:26 GMT Couple questions: 1) Under DOSFAX Pro (From the same guys who give you WinFax Pro) is there any way to import an ASCII document into a fax? Any third-party programs which will convert ASCII to the WinFax/DosFax format? 2) If there's not, can anyone reccomend a good DOS-based FAX package? I've tried DosFax (which I love, except for the problem with sending things; print capture as the only means is stupid as hell), FaxTalk Plus (buggy piece of trash), BitFax/SR (ditto). Kinda curious about Quicklink ][ fax; I know their comm program isn't bad, but it's not the greatest. What I need is: Class ][ Fax support; DOS based, gui is OK, but no damned windows; Preferrably a mode to just take faxes on command with (at minimum) no TSR for sending the things I port from ASCII/GIF/Standard other formats; Stable. Any suggestions? maven@eskimo.com (InterNet) maven@mavenry.altcit.eskimo.com (UseNet) The Maven@The Mavenry (AlterNet) DoD# 0885, '78 Honda CB750K, KotTKB ------------------------------ From: ehinson@nyx.cs.du.edu (Eric Hinson) Subject: Telephone Company Test Set Questions Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 03:20:20 -0600 (MDT) A few weeks ago, a Southern Bell repairman came out to my residence to check my line for static. While he was testing the line, I got a call from a person who was unaware that my line was being checked. The repairman handed me the test set (the bright orange ones they use), and I told the person I would call them back. When I handed him the test set back, I noticed quite a few extra buttons besides the ones for DTMF. I couldn't make out what they said on them, and was wondering if someone could send me email telling me what all these buttons do/what tones they generate. Thanks for your help. Eric L. Hinson / Internet: ehinson@nyx.cs.du.edu / Ham Radio: kb4rzf ------------------------------ From: ehinson@nyx.cs.du.edu (Eric Hinson) Subject: Looking up Names/Numbers via Internet? Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 03:26:42 -0600 (MDT) I recently found out about a service on CompuServe that allows you to look up a person by their phone number (as well as other methods). Is there such a service available on the Internet? If not, are there any plans that any of you are aware of to implement such a service in the near future? Thanks. Eric L. Hinson / Internet: ehinson@nyx.cs.du.edu / Ham Radio: kb4rzf [Moderator's Note: No, but there are competitive services around such as the one operated on a 900 number. Also, Illinois Bell operates a service only for the 312/708 area reachable by calling 312-796-9600. It is now fully automated; it reads back the name and spells them for you and everything. It is rather nice. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 17:36:22 +1000 From: Liron Lightwood Subject: Thanks For Info: Fiber to the Home/Curb, Hybrid Fiber/Coax Thanks to all the people who replied to question I posted asking about the difference between: * fiber to the home; * fiber to the curb; * hybrid fiber/coax; The definitions are: Fiber to the home: fiber all the way to the home. Fiber to the curb: fibre to an optical network unit at the curb. The signal is split several ways (up to 50) and sent to individual homes via coaxial cable or copper pairs. Hybrid fiber/coax: the concensus seems to be: as for fiber to the curb, except only using coax, not copper pairs. Thanks for all replies. Liron Lightwood Internet: r.lightwood@trl.oz.au Research Laboratories Phone: +61 3 253 6535 Telstra / Telecom Australia Fax: +61 3 253 6362 P.O. Box 249 Clayton 3168 Australia Disclaimer: My views, not my company's. ------------------------------ From: brettf@netcom.com (Brett Frankenberger) Subject: Re: What is RASCOM and S.I.T.? Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 22:47:16 GMT cambler@cymbal.calpoly.edu (Chris Ambler -- Fubar) writes: > boo boop ... the number you have reached has been disconnected ..." and > were dismayed. The SIT tones were right on, but the number showed as > current and in use. A week later, they found out that the subscriber > was out of town and his answering machine had that as the outgoing > message. In most cases, the recording would be a bit off, tipping the > telco off as to the situation, but in this case the subscriber was an > audio pro and had sampled the recording into his digital answering > machine. Precise tones :-) Of course, an answering machine seizing the line will cause the call to supervise, whereas true CO generates messages to not supervise. Brett (brettf@netcom.com) ------------------------------ From: brent@cc.gatech.edu (Brent Laminack) Subject: Re: Operator From Atlanta (was Re: Interesting 800 Number Response) Organization: Georgia Tech College of Computing Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 01:13:53 GMT jgeorge@whiffer.mese.com writes: >>> [Moderator's Note: They all used that nice lady from down in Atlanta >>> for many years. Maybe some still do. PAT] > [Moderator's Note: She is/was not an employee of telco. She is/was > a resident in the area who did the work on a contract basis. PAT] Indeed, she's a suburban housewife. Her voice can also be heard anytime you pass through Hartsfield International Airport here in Atlanta. "You are now entering the transportation mall which leads to your departure concorse and terminal ticketing. There are three ways to ..." Brent Laminack (brent@cc.gatech.edu) ------------------------------ From: acorn@info2.rus.uni-stuttgart.de (Kai Schlichting) Subject: Re: Computer <-> Phone Interface in Germany Date: 27 Aug 1993 03:22:25 GMT Organization: Newsserver, Comp.Center (RUS), U of Stuttgart, FRG Michael Clark - Gateway Conversion Technologies (mdc%aisg@concert.net) wrote: > I will be traveling to Germany (Berlin) in September. Does anyone > know the connector standard and pinout for interfacing my computer to > the local telco? Adaptors from the German 'TAE' plug to RJ-11 are probably the most common item found in a dept. store that sells phones (most do). Hotels (and private,not-so-official (:-) installations) might have RJ-11, but generally hotel phones are hardwired (:-(. TAE pins 1 and 2 connect to the two central contracts on the RJ-11, if memory serves me right ... but screwing around is absolutely unnecessary, with prices for the adaptors in the 5$ range. bye, Kai ------------------------------ From: aneely@toth.uwo.ca (Amer Neely) Subject: Re: Octothorpe Date: Thu, 26 Aug 93 20:22:09 GMT In TELECOM Digest 13(602) Fred Smith wrote: > I seem to recall that there was some discussion about a year ago about > the octothorpe here on the Digest. I've gone and opened my big mouth > and unless I can come up with some factual information I'm doomed to > buying dinner for my uncle. Being a big trivia buff, I asked him if > he knew what the '#' symbol was called other than the pound symbol. > When I told him it was called an octothorpe at one time, he wasn't > buying it ... even when I tried to explain that octo = 8, 8 being the > number of points etc. So now he's called my bluff and wants to see > some hard evidence or else it's my treat. > Does anyone know where I might be able to find a blurb about this in > some old manuals or something. Anything even remotely valid will get > me off the hook and I'll be enjoying dinner! I too have wondered about the name. I eventually found it in a dictionary at the local university library "Twelve thousand words", a Merriam-Webster Inc. publication LC call number PE1630.A17. From the 1986 edition, page 138 I quote: "oc-to-thorp: n -s [octo + thorp, of unknown origin; fr. the eight points on its circumference] : the symbol #" That should get you off the hook. Amer Neely, P.O. Box 1538 Stn. B, London ON, CANADA, N6A 5M3 42,15'N x 81,14'W +251m Internet: aneely@toth.uwo.ca Encryption PGP 2.2 "Amer Neely " Practice safe hex ... wear a write-protect tab! ------------------------------ From: ddanz@lectroid.sw.stratus.com (Dan Danz) Subject: Re: Radio Station Acronyms Date: 27 Aug 1993 13:33:48 GMT Organization: Stratus Computer, Inc. Reply-To: dan@phoenix.az.stratus.com In article , cornutt@lambda.msfc.nasa. gov (David Cornutt) writes: > What is the only radio station in the U.S. whose call letters are the > name of the city where the station is located? > WACO in Waco, Texas. > [Moderator's Note: Will anyone challenge Mr. Cornutt on this? Let's > get our radio station call-sign books out everyone, and begin the > search. PAT] It shouldn't be that hard, Pat. You can bet that any such combinations were pursued by potential licensees. I meant to comment on an earlier comment by Pat as well ... that WLS was the Prairie Farmer station. I thought that WLS was Worlds Largest Store (Sears) and it shared the 50,000-watt clear channel with WENR, which was the Prairie Farmer station, but I don't remember what the ENR stood for. BTW - I thought WACO stood for We Ain't Comin' Out. L. W. "Dan" Danz (WA5SKM) VOS Mail: Dan_Danz@vos.stratus.com Sr Consulting Software SE NeXT Mail: dan@az.stratus.com Customer Assistance Center Voice Mail/Pager: (602) 852-3107 Telecommunications Division Customer Service: (800) 828-8513 Stratus Computer, Inc. 4455 E. Camelback #115-A, Phoenix AZ 85018 [Moderator's Note: WENR was the former call sign for the television station on Channel 7 here about 40 years ago in the early 1950's. WLS was named for the World's Largest Store when Sears, Roebuck owned it back in the 1920-1930 era. It was also known from its beginning until 1961 as the Prairie Farmer Station because its programming and appeal was to people living on farms and in small towns across the rural mid- western United States. The station operated 24 hours per day except Monday mornings from one to five a.m. Their programming consisted of country and western music, news and market reports of specific interest to farmers (how much they are paying for hogs today at the Union Stock Yards in Chicago; how much they are paying for corn, etc). The Old Barn Dance program was among their staples plus that show which originated out of Nashville every Saturday night. They bought a lot of stuff from the ABC network such as several radio soap operas during the day and they also got stuff from the Mutual Network. Starting at six a.m. on Sunday morning and continuing for the next 18 hours or so, they brokered the time in 30-60 minute slots for religious broacasts. One preacher after another, all pre-recorded stuff for the most part except a couple of live religious services in Chicago. All the old time evangelists in the 1930-60 era were on WLS with their brokered half-hour show every Sunday. Then when they came back on the air Monday morning at five a.m. the first show was the old farmer dude talking about the crops for this year and where to get the best deal on cattle feed and tractors. In 1961, WLS dumped the whole thing for hard rock music and news every hour around the clock. They dumped all the Sunday preachers in one week by buying off the remainder of their contracts with one exception being a preacher here who would not let them buy him off. He persisted in staying on WLS for the remainder of his contract which ran another two years or so. So rock around the clock they did, with the exception of every Sunday at 10:58 AM when the announcer would stop the music and say something about "now its time for the services at People's Church, Lawrence Avenue and Sheridan Road; if you tune us out, you'll be sorry! I'm going out for breakfast myself, but meet me here again in an hour, dig?" ... and they would cut the preacher off *precisely* at noon usually with a song by the Beatles. A few years ago they started experimenting with talk radio. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1993 22:35:00 +0000 From: Pierre Lewis Subject: Re: International Date Line Change Liron Lightwood writes: > I wonder what would happen if you are Jewish. The Sabbath normally > starts on Friday night and ends Saturday night. Would that Sabbath > be very short (a few hours) or very long (about a week)? And what happens if you are Jewish and live above the polar circle? The Sabbath could last months ... Pierre LEWIS +1 514 765-8207 Internet: lew@bnr.ca Freylekh zol zayn! ------------------------------ From: Andrew_Marc_Greene@frankston.com Subject: Re: International Date Line Change Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 11:54 -0400 > In comp.dcom.telecom is written: >> This past weekend, according to what I heard on radio, part of the >> republic of the Marshall Islands switched from one side of the >> International Date Line to the other. In the affected area, Friday >> was followed immediately by Sunday. (You jump forward one day in going >> west across that line.) > I wonder what would happen if you are Jewish. The Sabbath normally starts > on Friday night and ends Saturday night. Would that Sabbath be very > short (a few hours) or very long (about a week)? It's actually more complicated than that. The "Jewish Date Line" is 90 degrees east of Jerusalem, and doesn't make any convenient swerves (as the International Date Line does). But there is a minority opinion which says the "Jewish Date Line" is really 180 degrees from Jerusalem, so in that quarter of the world you find some people observing the Sabbath on local Saturday, some on local Sunday, and some on *both* (just to be sure, you see). Now ask me what I did when I spent three weeks in Barrow, Alaska. ("What time is sunset?" "Oh, about August 2d." :-) Disclaimer: I'm not a halakhic authority, check with your local Rabbi for an authoritative answer. (Since "Liron Lightwood" is mailing from "Zikzak public access UNIX, Melbourne, Australia", I feel uneasy sounding too definitive! :-) Andrew Greene ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #609 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa09129; 28 Aug 93 0:09 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA08945 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Fri, 27 Aug 1993 20:40:05 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA09022 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Fri, 27 Aug 1993 20:39:20 -0500 Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 20:39:20 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199308280139.AA09022@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #610 TELECOM Digest Fri, 27 Aug 93 20:39:00 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 610 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Bruce D. Nelson) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Dave Ptasnik) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Randal Hayes) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Jon Kimbrough) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (David G. Lewis) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Gregory Youngblood) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Tony Harminc) Re: Bell Atlantic Case (Tara Mahon) Introduction to RASCOM (Robert Shaw) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Reply-To: nelson@titan.ppd.Kodak.COM Date: Fri, 27 Aug 93 10:50:51 EDT From: nelson@ppd.Kodak.COM (Bruce D. Nelson) Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers Organization: Eastman Kodak Company How about terminating your 800 number on a different POTS with call forwarding to the other POTS? Bruce Nelson | Phone: (716) 726-7890 Rochester Distributed Computer Services | Internet: nelson@kodak.com Eastman Kodak Company | Rochester, NY 14652-4503 [Moderator's Note: Won't work! That will increase the cost of the call by several cents per minute. PAT] ------------------------------ From: davep@carson.u.washington.edu (Dave Ptasnik) Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers Date: 27 Aug 1993 15:34:24 GMT Organization: University of Washington davep@carson.u.washington.edu (Dave Ptasnik) writes: > TELECOM Moderator writes: >> Maybe some readers who work for AT&T in their long distance services >> and their 800 number service can explain to me why Mother is taking >> the stance she is with reference to customers who try to get an 800 >> number installed on a POTS line. >> So what does AT&T say? Since this new 800 number is actually their >> service being resold by me, they are *refusing* to terminate it on >> the same POTS line. They just flatly say it is against their policy >> to terminate two 800 numbers on the same POTS. > Try this, have the customer establish a custom ringing number on the > existing POTS line. Tell AT&T that a new line has been established. > Do not tell them that it is a custom ringing number. Assign the new > 800 number to the new custom ringing number. > [Moderator's Note: Well, this is worth a try. A custom ringing number > only costs $4-5 per month most places. Since the Customer is in fact > out there reading this message, let me suggest he do it. Call telco > please on Friday, get a custom ring number for the lead number in > your hunt group. Ask them to tell you the number being assigned and > get it to me ASAP, okay? (This is being done under protest however, > as a short term solution.) PAT] Helpful Hint #2 If the customer does in fact have a multi line hunt group, just assign the new 800 number to the second line in the hunt group. The initial volume of calls to the new number will probably be lower than to the old number, so having access to one less line will probably not be important. I would think that this would be OK for as few as three lines in the group, but the more lines in the group, the less this will be felt. As volume increases on the new number (and presumably decreases on the old number) the arrangement can be reversed. Perhaps by that time AT&T will be blugeoned into rationality, so that you can have the calls to either 800 number ring any POTS you choose. All of the above is nothing more than the personal opinion of - Dave Ptasnik davep@u.washington.edu ------------------------------ From: HayesR@uihc-telecomm-po.htc.uiowa.edu Date: 27 Aug 93 10:59 CST Subject: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers > I asked specifically for their tariff authority to refuse to connect the > customer in the manner in which he wishes to be connected. They admitted > they have no authority to refuse the connection, but still have no intention > of doing it. Why pitter-patter around? This is the telecommunications industry. Pick up the telephone, call the FCC, get an investigative type, and then conference in the AT&T person who's giving you a hard time. Find out if the AT&T rep still has the nerve to refuse you this service while someone from the FCC is participating in the conference call. I submit you will hear a definite change of tune. You may save yourself alot of time and energy over what sounds like an arrogant bluff. (The above is my personal opinion, but I've seen it work, folks). randal-hayes@uiowa.edu ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 93 11:55:47 EDT From: jkimbro@hercii.lasc.lockheed.com (Jon Kimbrough) Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers Our Esteemed Moderator writes: > [Moderator's Note: Read the earlier messages sir! The customer is on > the east coast; I am in Chicago. Now I should pay for a constant stream > of calls all day to him from a forwarded line here? Even with a line > on his premises I can add what? Three or four cents per minute to the > cost of his calls? I should eat it? PAT] Should you *have* to eat it? No. *Should* you eat it? Maybe! If it will allow you to prove to your potential customer that you can do the job, it might be worth eating a couple months of profit to get the business. It's called an investment: you put in a little money now, and get a back a lot of money later! Jon Kimbrough jkimbro@lasc.lockheed.com Disclaimer: The opinions expressed herein, either stated or implied, are solely my own and do not reflect Lockheed's views in any manner. ------------------------------ From: deej@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (david.g.lewis) Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers Organization: AT&T Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 13:52:50 GMT In article TELECOM Moderator writes: > Maybe some readers who work for AT&T in their long distance services > and their 800 number service can explain to me why Mother is taking > the stance she is with reference to customers who try to get an 800 > number installed on a POTS line. Obligatory Disclaimer: while I work in the Communications Services Group, I'm not directly involved with either 800 services or service provisioning, so don't lend an excessive weight of authority to my comments. I have a hypothesis, but it's based on speculation and some very limited experience. I've forwarded the question to someone I know who works more directly with 800 service to see if I can get a more definitive answer. > Most of you know by now that among other things I do, I resell 800 > numbers from a couple sources... I resell the AT&T > Software Defined Network through a major aggregator/reseller. > AT&T and I have a mutual customer. The customer has had for some time > an 800 'Ready Line' style number from AT&T which terminates on a > certain phone in his office... > My order went in to AT&T saying to park the new 800 number on the same > phone line where his other 800 number (that he gets from AT&T) is > routed ... > So what does AT&T say? Since this new 800 number is actually their > service being resold by me, they are *refusing* to terminate it on > the same POTS line... > I asked them if they had ever heard of the term 'multi-POTS' (which > is what the termination of multiple 800's on the same line is > called.) Yes, they said, we heard of it but we are not gonna do it. > We *will* do it provided *we* get his account on both numbers (old > existing 800 and new number also). But they won't do it with their > own number and someone's else's 800. My hypothesis is that, since the new 800 number is actually being sold from AT&T's viewpoint to an aggregator and not to Pat's customer, it appears to the AT&T systems as if it is being sold to a different customer. Because the various flavors of AT&T 800 services which terminate to POTS lines use the POTS number as the billing number in the billing databases, and all the customer records are keyed off the billing number, I would suspect that it is impossible to have two different customers with the same billing number. This would explain why AT&T is able to terminate two 800 numbers to the same POTS number if they are both AT&T-provided -- the same customer record is used for both 800 numbers. I would suspect that if you were reselling Sprint, MCI, C&W, or another carrier's 800 service, and the customer had existing 800 service through that carrier, you would encounter the same problem; conversely, I suspect that if you were reselling the 800 service of a carrier which was different from the customer's existing carrier, you would not encounter a problem. One thing that you have to keep in mind that is not intuitively obvious is that an aggregator is not "just another carrier" from the perspective of a service provider. A reseller/aggregator is, from the service provider's perspective, a customer. That's why they qualify for volume discounts and such. It also means, though, that there can be limitations to the services that can be provided. Again, I don't know for certain that this is the problem, but it has a certain logic to it. > If anyone from AT&T can tell me what possible legitimate reasons there > could be for refusing to hook a reseller's 800 number to the same POTS > where Mother has one of her own 800 numbers working, I would appreciate > knowing the reason. It cannot be a technical reason since AT&T will do > it for as many 800 numbers as *their exclusive customer* wants. As I explained above, it can be a technical reason. I don't know for certain that it *is*, but considering I could come up with one technical reason after about ten minutes of thought when I don't have anything to do with 800 services or provisioning, I suspect there are half a dozen other technical reasons that *could* explain it. Finally, Pat, I recognize that being put in a situation where you feel that you are unable to provide the desired service to your customer because of what seems to be an arbitrary and capricious decision on the part of your supplier is extremely frustrating; however, I would submit that you would be much more likely to get a satisfying answer if you don't state your concerns in language that implies that AT&T is a collection of monopolistic, predatory, customer-be-damned villians. Reserve that role for BOCs, cable companies, and GTE ;-). David G Lewis AT&T Bell Laboratories david.g.lewis@att.com or !att!goofy!deej Switching & ISDN Implementation ------------------------------ Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers From: zeta@tcscs.com (Gregory Youngblood) Date: Fri, 27 Aug 93 00:56:09 PDT Organization: TCS Computer Systems lachman@netcom.com (Hans Lachman) writes: > [Moderator's Note: Read the earlier messages sir! The customer is on > the east coast; I am in Chicago. Now I should pay for a constant stream > of calls all day to him from a forwarded line here? Even with a line > on his premises I can add what? Three or four cents per minute to the > cost of his calls? I should eat it? PAT] Why not get the service on the East coast? If you are in Chicago set up a business line on the east coast in your name with it forwarded to the customers. Most local telcos will provide to businesses a remote call forward number that never really terminates at a location but just gets rerouted at their switch. Then have AT&T route to that new number in your name. Thus no piggy backing Chicago to east coast and back and forth. The alternative idea would be to find someone willing to let you terminate a line on their premises as a residential line and add call forwarding. Then having AT&T go to that number. Then you get into personal 800 numbers and you may not get the business advantages that the main number will give him. Greg TCS Computer Systems | AT&T Easy Reach Number | 25799B Madrone Drive (707)489-7500 | 0-700-TCS-0000 | Willits, CA 95490 Personal: zeta@tcscs.com | Information: info@tcscs.com ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 93 17:56:39 EDT From: Tony Harminc Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers > Now I stand to lose the largest customer who has patronized me to > date because AT&T is refusing to route his new 800 (from me, which I > resell from them) to the POTS of his choice. The choices at this > point seem to be: > I turn the customer over to AT&T and lose my commission and ongoing > residuals -- which would I suspect pay my rent in full each month; > The customer takes a giant leap of faith and says 'okay Townson, > I am giving you authority to tell AT&T to yank *their* 800 number > out concurrent with installing the new one through your service; > The customer installs another POTS line and re-programs his auto- > attendant and voicemail stuff to accomodate a second 800 line > working on a second POTS line at considerable trouble to himself; > and anyway, trouble or not, why should he have to???? > I keep pursuing this on up the corporate ladder with my next stop > being an appeal to the Chairman's Office to be followed if needed > with a Commission complaint. Of course I have no money or resources > to carry this fight on very long unless some attorney who practices > communications law and knows the ins-and-outs will do it for me. If the customer is important enough to you, *you* could install a POTS (or RCF) line and call forward it to your customer. This would 1) impress your customer with your level of service, 2) keep that all important special 800 number, 3) be a cost you can try to recover from AT&T when you eventually sue them :-) What's the cost of a business line with forwarding for the month or two it'll take to convince your customer that your service is good? Tony Harminc ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 93 11:47:14 EDT From: Tara Mahon Subject: Re: Bell Atlantic Case > klopfens@andy.bgsu.edu (Bruce Klopfenstein) writes: > Does anyone have access to the judge's decision on the Bell Atlantic > case this week that ruled telcos can own video programming? The ruling by Judge T.S. Ellis of the Federal District Court Alexandria, VA in the case of Bell Atlantic and Jones Intercable made last Tuesday is available now from the Alexandria Court (a long drive from Bowling Green ...). The ruling is 57 pages long and is not yet available on the Lexis/Nexis or Westlaw* databases yet. As I am told by my father, the patent lawyer, Advance Sheets of this ruling may be available from local law libraries. Contact a local library for the exact date this information will become available (perhaps a few weeks). The law database services may have the case analysis electronically shortly. The companies involved definitely have a copy of the ruling. The essence of the ruling was that the Federal Cable Act of 1984 unconstitutionally barred phone companies from also operating Cable TV systems in the same service area. According to Judge Ellis, the cable act violated the telcos first amendment rights to free expression. Insight Research recently posted this announcement regarding the case and it may be of interest to the TELECOM Digest (comp.dcom.telecom) readers. ----------------- LIVINGSTON, NJ. August 26,1993: Tuesday's court ruling giving Bell Atlantic and the other RBOCs the green light to move full steam ahead into video programming and transport is important not because it is going to impact consumer cable TV prices tomorrow. Our research suggests its importance lies in fact that the ruling brings the new information highway just a little closer to reality. The real action in telecommunications for the years to come is on the local level. According to recent studies by Insight Research Corp., today's telecommunications landscape is about to be rocked by a series of changes on the local-loop level-changes that will transcend traditional industry boundaries and cross technologies as never before. One study, _Competition in the Local Loop: Telcos, Cable TV, & Wireless in the Emerging Telecommunications Network 1993-1998_, puts forth several possible scenarios for future competition among the RBOCs, competitive access providers, cable TV operators, and wireless services for market share in the local loop. It takes the bottom-up view that the technological and market changes on the local level are the ones that will spur developments in telecommunications throughout the decade. The other study, _Network Topologies for Future Telecommunications Services, TVs, Telephones & Change in Telecommunications Networks 1993-2000_, posits that consumer demand for new entertainment TV services is remaking the infrastructure of the TV and telephone networks. The huge revenue potential of interactive TV and games is accelerating adoption of new technology in the TV and telephone industries. Both networks will handle two-way, switched, wideband traffic well before the year 2000, according to Insight, creating an extensive level of overlapping, interconnecting, and competing capabilities. But competition will only be apparent in the local-distribution segments of both networks, Insight argues. The CAPs are already giving the RBOCs a run for their market. The resulting face-off will drive everything from technology to pricing. And this time the effects will spill beyond the traditional boundaries of the telecommunications industry into such adjacent areas as cable TV and wireless communications-especially personal communications services, a sector that is beginning to show considerable activity. Insight's research suggests that a fast-packet national information highway is vital to keeping America competitive in terms of communications and information technology. But such a network will be only as effective as local voice and data transport. Shifts in the local-loop market are no small matter-especially when they promise to change the segment's whole competitive makeup. Southwestern Bell's purchase of two cable TV systems from Hauser Communications, followed by AT&T intent to purchase McCaw, coupled by full fledged competition between cable TV and the telcos is just the start. For more information and pricing data on the two reports, please contact: Tara D. Mahon tara@insight-corp.com The Insight Research Corporation (201) 605-1400 v 354 Eisenhower Parkway (201) 605-1440 f Livingston, NJ 07039 *I have no affiliation with either Lexis/Nexis Mead Data Central or Westlaw. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 10:04:43 +0200 From: SHAW Subject: Introduction to RASCOM > Does anybody know what the abbreviations RASCOM and S.I.T. mean? Don't know about S.I.T. but RASCOM stands for Regional Africa Satellite Communications. The principal objective of the RASCOM feasibility study was to undertake a comprehensive study on the provision of optimum telecommunication and broadcasting information using all appropriate technologies including satellite-based systems, for promoting the socio-economic development of the Africa continent. The project is an integrated study of terrestrial and spaceborne systems meeting the requirements not only at the interurban and intra-african level but, more important, with emphasis on the provision of basic services to the rural areas where the majority of the African population resides. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROJECT The implementation phase consists of a transitional stage leading to the setting up of a permanent organization responsible for the operation of the system and of an operational stage. A RASCOM organization, responsible for the implementation of the RASCOM system and its operation on a commercial basis, will be located in Africa. An interim RASCOM Office is currently preparing the establishment of the Organization. The RASCOM Interim Office which is responsible for implementing the transitional stage activities is located at the ITU Headquarters in Geneva. A 15 member Committee of Country Experts (CCE) is responsible for the supervision of the transitional stage and thus supervise the work of the RASCOM Interim Office. The Committee was created from the five subregions in proportion to the number of countries in each subregion. It has as membership the following countries: Benin, Cameroun, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Morocco, Nigeria, Senegal, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania, Zaire and Zimbabwe. In order to implement an integrated network for the RASCOM Project, a number of complementary measures are required which include implementation of transmission links, local subscriber networks and switching networks. With regard to satellite aspects of the project, a regional satellite system will be implemented for Africa having a dedicated satellite as an ultimate objective but commencing by pooling transponders of those countries who currently operate domestic satellite networks on existing satellite systems such as INTELSAT and ARABSAT. The space segment requirements of countries planning to establish domestic satellite networks are also taken into account. FINANCING OF RASCOM With regards to financing, member countries contribute towards the cost of the transitional stage (about US $2 million) to the tune of not less than US $ 10,000 per country; contributions have also been made by funding institutions including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and donor countries. The Resource Mobilization Committee (RMC) of the UNTACDA II, which is chaired by the African Development Bank (ADB), has been designated to take all the necessary steps to mobilize resources for the transitional and operational stages of the project. The Feasibility Study was co-financed by the ADB following a request by the governments of Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, UNDP, the OAU, the ITU, UNESCO as well as by substantial contributions from the governments of Italy and Germany. For more info, you should contact via email: adeboye.taylor@itu.ch Bob Shaw Information Services Department International Telecommunication Union Place des Nations 1211 Geneva 20 Switzerland shaw@itu.ch ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #610 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa12787; 28 Aug 93 16:32 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA17935 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sat, 28 Aug 1993 13:30:56 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA17940 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sat, 28 Aug 1993 13:30:11 -0500 Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 13:30:11 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199308281830.AA17940@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #611 TELECOM Digest Sat, 28 Aug 93 13:30:00 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 611 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Telephone Company Test Set Questions (Carl Oppedahl) Re: Telephone Company Test Set Questions (Jeff Whitcomb) Re: Telephone Company Test Set Questions (Steven H. Lichter) Re: The One True Dialing Plan (David A. Cantor) Re: The One True Dialing Plan (Carl Moore) Re: The One True Dialing Plan (Bob Goudreau) Re: The One True Dialing Plan (Fred R. Goldstein) Re: Operator From Atlanta (was Re: Interesting 800 Number) (Steve Cogorno) Re: Operator from Atlanta (was Re: Interesting 800 Number) (Les Reeves) Re: Operator From Atlanta (was Re: Interesting 800 Number) (Monte Freeman) Re: Operator From Atlanta (Identified!) (Bill Campbell) Re: Modem Tax in Canada (Tad Cook) Re: Modem Tax in Canada (John R Levine) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: oppedahl@panix.com (Carl Oppedahl) Subject: Re: Telephone Company Test Set Questions Date: 27 Aug 1993 17:46:46 -0400 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC In ehinson@nyx.cs.du.edu (Eric Hinson) writes: > A few weeks ago, a Southern Bell repairman came out to my residence to > check my line for static. While he was testing the line, I got a call > from a person who was unaware that my line was being checked. The > repairman handed me the test set (the bright orange ones they use), > and I told the person I would call them back. When I handed him the > test set back, I noticed quite a few extra buttons besides the ones > for DTMF. I couldn't make out what they said on them, and was > wondering if someone could send me email telling me what all these > buttons do/what tones they generate. Thanks for your help. The test sets vary. Some probably have buttons for generating tones A, B, C, and D (about which much has been said already in this group). My test set has a switch to take the electronics into or out of the loop (you take them out if you are at the end of a very long loop and volume is poor), a switch to select tone or pulse, a push button to turn on the polarity test LEDs, and a push button to mute the microphone (so you can hear better if there is lots of background noise). And on the side is the usual on/off switch with the capacitor for listening in. Some have an ASCII terminal built in, in which case the keys include a cursor joystick and buttons for yes and no. To get a good idea of the variety of test sets available, get a catalog from Jensen Tools: 602-968-6231. Carl Oppedahl AA2KW (patent lawyer) 1992 Commerce Street #309 Yorktown Heights, NY 10598-4412 voice 212-777-1330 ------------------------------ From: ah535@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Jeff Whitcomb) Subject: Re: Telephone Company Test Set Questions Date: 28 Aug 1993 01:55:23 GMT Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA) Well, the only differences I know of between a "butt set" and a standard set from the ones I have used (I also sent this email) are the options for ground start button (for starting a ground start trunk line), mute button (for tapping line unoticed), possibly t/r polarity lights (to show correct polarity of line), and handsfree/and redial. Not to glorious, but the new ones are a lot nicer than the old ones. Jeff ah535@cleveland.freenet.edu ------------------------------ From: co057@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Steven H. Lichter) Subject: Re: Telephone Company Test Set Questions Date: 27 Aug 1993 22:19:01 GMT Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA) Depending on who made the set those extra buttons would be for the speaker, revering tip/ring, tone on line and a few more I can't remember right now since my set is at work and I don't use most of them. Steven H. Lichter GTECALIF COEI ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 04:36:04 -0400 (EDT) From: David A. Cantor Subject: Re: The One True Dialing Plan In article , Bob Goudreau wrote: > In article johnl@iecc.com writes: >> calls within the area code are dialed with seven digits, whether >> they're local, intra-LATA toll, or inter-LATA toll, and inter-NPA >> calls are dialed 1-NXX-NXX-NXXX. As has previously been noted, this >> is the One True Dialing Plan. > I beg to differ. It seems to me that more places are using the *real* > One True Dialing Plan (OTDP), in which all long-distance calls > (intra-NPA included) are dialed with 11 digits, and only local, > intra-NPA calls can use seven-digit dialing. As I recall, the > Bellcore recommendations were neutral as to which of these OTDPs had > to be in effect by 1995 (when the first NNX area code, 334 in Alabama, > appears). However, I've heard of more areas using the latter OTDP > than the former (including here in NC, where we ditched 8-digit > dialing of intra-NPA LD calls two or three years ago). Its advantage > is that people who've had "1 means toll" hammered into their heads > over the years won't be able to get themselves into a tizzy by dialing > 7D toll calls that they thought were local calls. And then, the Moderator noted: > [Moderator's Note: Uh oh ... just what we need! A schism here in the > Digest over The One True Dialing Plan. I shall have to censor and > excomumunicate all non-believers and heretics. PAT] I can see why there'd be valid arguments for both One True Dialing Plans, and having two Dialing Plans which both claim to be True, and hence Only (in the sense of 'one-like') is bad. Okay, Mr. Moderator, get ready to excommunicate me, if necessary. :-) I propose we eliminate the ambiguity and invent the One and Only Obviously Unambiguous Uniform Digit Dialing Plan (the OOOUUDDP): First, eliminate all 7D dialing (and also 8D dialing, of course). Now, all country code 1 calls should be dialled with an access code + ten digits. The access code would be 1+ or 0+, and we would continue to use 10xxx+ as a prefix for choosing a carrier. We could also continue using 01+ and 011+ for out-of-country calls, but, best of all, if we agree never to use the digit 1 as the first digit in an area code, we can eliminate the need for 1+ entirely, and dial all station-to-station calls as simply NXX-NXX-XXXX, whether their local or long distance. A leading 1+ would be optional, and it could be optional even if a carrier selection code is used. (Gee, we don't need the "office code" to be restricted to 2-9 anymore, either, we could make it NXX-XXX-XXXX. That might save some area code splits.) Okay, how do I go about proposing this to the proper authorities? David A. Cantor +1 603-888-8133 131 D.W. Highway, #505 One-time VMS techie, ex-DECcie Nashua, NH 03060 Foxwoods blackjack dealer ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Aug 93 10:12:28 EDT From: Carl Moore Subject: Re: The One True Dialing Plan The 215 area in Pennsylvania instituted a toll-free number (800-734-5910?) to help customers find out if a call within it is local or not. However, I can't reach this number, which did appear in the Digest, from either 302 or 410 (Del. and Md. respectively). 215, which has a split coming (to form 610), used to have 1 + 7D for long distance within it, but got rid of that leading 1 in order to accommodate N0X/N1X prefixes (local calls from 215 to another area code had already changed from 7D to 1+NPA+7D). This does not account for the Denver and Adamstown quirk. I read someplace that Arizona switched to 1 + NPA + 7D for long distance within it because of you-know-what objections regarding 7D. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 19:13:38 -0400 From: goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau) Subject: Re: The One True Dialing Plan In article lachman@netcom.com (Hans Lachman) writes: > Regarding the So-Called *Real* One True Dialing Plan (SC*R*OTDP) > mentioned above, it seems a bit silly to dial the area code for an > intra-NPA call. Why silly? Is is silly that many cellular phone require area codes for *all* calls? Was it silly that most of the US used to require a leading "1" (as in 1-NNX-XXXX) for intra-NPA long distance when seven digits would have sufficed? > If the argument in favor of this silliness is "dialing the area code > is a reminder that you're making a toll call", then the argument > breaks down in the case of local inter-NPA calls, like between > Mountain View (415) and Sunnyvale (408), California, in which case you > must dial the area code, but it is not a toll call. You have set up a straw man and (unsurprisingly) had no trouble knocking it down. Please re-read the previous articles. The argument was never that "dialing the area code is a reminder that you're making a toll call" -- it was that dialing a leading 1 was a reminder that you're making a toll call (except for 800 numbers, of course!). As stated before, I'm not one to complain about losing the "1+ means toll" concept, but lots of people *do* seem to object about losing a distinction that they've found useful in the past. In answer to your question about inter-NPA local calls, the most common method I've heard of dealing with that situation seems to be the one used in the Washington, DC and Dallas/Fort Worth areas: inter-NPA local calls are ten digits (NPA-NXX-XXXX) while inter-NPA long distance calls are eleven digits (1-NPA-NXX-XXXX). Not surprisingly, this preserves the "1+ means toll" concept. Of course, it also requires that no local exchanges use the same three digits as one of the local NPAs. I foresee eventual problems with that method once NNX area codes start popping up. For example, what will happen if a new overlay area code is needed for Washington, DC? They'll have to pick a code that isn't already used as an exchange in any part of the local calling area (which includes all of 202 in DC, parts of 310 in MD and parts of 703 in VA). No such code may be available, so the telcos might then be forced to renumber one or more local exchange in order to free a code up. Bob Goudreau Data General Corporation goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com 62 Alexander Drive +1 919 248 6231 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA ------------------------------ From: goldstein@carafe.tay2.dec.com (Fred R. Goldstein) Subject: Re: The One True Dialing Plan Organization: Digital Equipment Corp., Littleton MA USA Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 04:35:03 GMT In article goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau) writes: > But this is hardly a new phenomenon -- plenty of areas that have > always had 1 + 7D for intra-NPA long distance also have various > gradations of "local" calls, using things like special calling areas, > rate bands, message units, etc. For instance, in the Boston area, New > England Telephone offers (or used to offer) a choice of plans. Under > one plan, the subscriber has unlimited local calling only to nearby > towns, and calls to places a little farther away (such as from > Lexington to downtown Boston, say) incur message units. These calls > were still dialed as local calls, since even with the additional costs > they are priced far lower than intra-NPA long distance calls (say, > Boston to Provincetown before the 617/508 split). NET's tariffs in Boston are a case against "1=toll"! Nowadays, the price of a Zone 2 local call (say, Lexington to Boston) is higher, at night, than the price of a direct-dialed business toll call, for a business using more than 50 hours/month (not per line, but per account). Toll is 5.5c/minute with evening discounts; local is about the same but with no discounts. The reason for 1=toll is in the history of technology: On stepper exchanges, it was easy to have dialed 1 connect straight through to a toll office, which would process the remaining digits. Common control exchanges (crossbar and electronic) are smarter, so they can route calls independent of dialed digits. Most residence subscribers think of very expensive toll and free local, but current tariffs actually overlap in odd ways. Fred R. Goldstein k1io goldstein@carafe.tay2.dec.com Opinions are mine alone; sharing requires permission ------------------------------ From: cogorno@netcom.com (Steve Cogorno) Subject: Re: Operator From Atlanta (was Re: Interesting 800 Number Response) Date: Fri, 27 Aug 93 17:36:13 PDT > A Southern Bell(e) employee? I thought she was from somewhere in the > midwest ... Anybody know who she is? > [Moderator's Note: She is/was not an employee of telco. She is/was > a resident in the area who did the work on a contract basis. PAT] I recall seeing a 20/20 special a few years back on the "voice" of Ma Bell. She was a psychologist from Atlanta (I believe it was Atlanta.) She demonstrated the various inflections in her voice, and explained how the telco wanted particular sounds to convey different messages. It was quite interesting. Steve cogorno@netcom.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 12:21:28 -0400 (EDT) From: LESREEVES@delphi.com Subject: Re: Operator from Atlanta (was Re:Interesting 800 Number Response) The nice lady is indeed from Atlanta. Her name is Jane Barbee. She is not a telco employee. Bell used an outside vendor, Audichron, also in Atlanta for all professional voice announcements. It was a package deal; Bell told Audichron what the machines were to say and Audichron delivered the machine *and* the voice. The relationship between Audichron and Bell started in the early 70's and continued through divestiture. Miss Barbee's voice was used on all AIS (Automatic Intercept System) machines from the mid-70's through the early 80's. ------------------------------ From: ccoprfm@prism.gatech.edu (Monte Freeman) Subject: Re: Operator From Atlanta (was Re: Interesting 800 Number Response) Date: 27 Aug 93 21:03:10 GMT Organization: Georgia Institute of Technology The lady that I think people here are talking about is indeed still a resident of the Atlanta area. In fact, she is a member of the same amateur radio club that I am. She was nice enough to do some repeater IDs for us. We have them in digital format, stored in our repeater controller. She still sounds a lot like she did when she made the original recordings for Audichron. Sorry, I can't remember her last name and I don't have a club roster in front of me. Her first name is Barbara though ... s e's a very nice lady. One of the long time club members got her to come to a club meeting one night, but didn't tell anyone that she was coming. He introduced her by handing her the podium mic and having her read off a couple of the IDs she had recorded for us. People recognized her voice immediately! It was really quite interesting to hear her talk about the 'old days' of telephony ... Monte Freeman -- Operations Department / Information Technology Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332 Internet: ccoprfm@prism.gatech.edu Bitnet: ccoprfm@gitvm1.bitnet [Moderator's Note: See the earlier note. Her name is Jane Barbie. PAT] ------------------------------ From: billc@halcyon.halcyon.com (Bill Campbell) Subject: Re: Operator From Atlanta (Identified!) Date: 27 Aug 1993 14:33:43 -0700 Organization: "A World of Information at your Fingertips" While I do not know her personally, according to the person who conducted corporate training on our corporate (my day job) Octel(tm) Aspen(tm) voice mail system, the ubiquitous voice is that of one Jane Barbie. I don't know any personal details about Jane (the person), but we refer to the system as 'Jane'. Bill Campbell Eagle's Reach Software Engineering Management Consulting ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Modem Tax in Canada Date: Sat, 28 Aug 93 10:25:25 PDT From: tad@ssc.com (Tad Cook) Mark Aiken (cxeo@musica.mcgill.ca) writes: > I've seen rumors cropping up on local BBSs here in Montreal, > Canada that Bell Canada is planning to pass legislation (of some sort) > requiring that any computer for fax users transmitting data at rates > faster than 4800bps lease "data"-grade lines instead of using normal > voice-quality lines. This would mean, for example, that a user of an > ordinary, run-of-the-mill 9600bps unit would be forced to rent an > approx. $60/month line in addition to the regular approx. $15/month > voice line, just to be able to use his/her modem at its highest speed. Eric_N._Florack.cru-mc@xerox.com writes: > Check, for example, the posts of a similar nature, which were traced > abck to two NPRM's put forward by the FCC, here in the states. (The > second came up after the first was so soundly trounced ... and the > second seems to be not a rule in effect, but at least a basis for > future commission policy. I speak of 87-215; the second is 91 something.) > Both these had provisions which, it seems to me, would have required > the local telco's to not only sample for modem traffic, but they would > be taxed, based on the amount of modem traffic they carried ... and of > course that tax would be passed onto the customer. This sprang from the Modem Tax legend, or at least it was an attempt to put some characterization of legitimacy on it. What this was really about was the end of the temporary suspension of network access charges for data carriers. Long distance carriers pay it to the local telcos for terminating their traffic, but the FCC some years ago temporarily suspended the same charges for data carriers. When they tried to reinstate it so that big data carriers paid similar charges to what voice carriers paid, CI$ got the BBS community all riled up by calling it a "modem tax." It never involved anything like monitoring individual lines. It never proposed charging modem users a tax for their non-voice use of the line. All it was about was ending the data carriers free ride in the form of no termination charges. It could be argued that since voice carriers pay access charges for terminating traffic to the regulated LECs, that when CI$ and others get away without paying it, essentially local ratepayers foot the bill because the telephone service cost "pie" of the local regulated telco is divided differently. dixon@fourfold.ocunix.on.ca (dixon kenner) responds: > A recent message implied that Bell Canada was considering requesting > permission from the CRTC to charge for phone lines for modems running > at higher than 4800 baud. Below is a cross post of a message that > appeared in the Region 12 FidoNet sysop newsgroup on this subject. > By: Fred Ennis > To: all > Re: CRTC and Bell > I have spoken to both Bell Canada and the CRTC. The "Bell wants to > force the use of data lines" post is bullshit, pure and simple. There > is no such tariff filing, or any other business pending that is > remotely connected with this. I would also urge anyone who sees such > a post to check it out or send a message back to the author asking for > more information before passing it along to a wider audience. Fidonet > and the internet are famous for being able to spread false information > very quickly, and I am appalled that people will do so without > stopping to think. > I have spoken to Bill Allen, the head of Public Information at the > CRTC, and with Bell Canada's Public Affairs people. I've written about > it in my newspaper column as well. > The thing apparently originated with Martin Ouelette at 167/290.21. > I've asked him for more info and haven't heard a thing back from him. Sounds like the same rumor mongering we have had here in the USA off and on over the past few years. But here's a very interesting twist: A few weeks ago I got a call from an engineer at New Brunswick Telephone Co. in Canada. He was looking for a device that could install in the CO to monitor traffic on individual POTS lines, and automatically determine if the the line was being used for voice instead of fax/data. He looked high and low, but hadn't been able to find such a product. But here is the interesting part: I asked him why he needed this. He said that in New Brunswick (and maybe this is true in other parts of Canada) they have a tarrif which allows them to provide a POTS line AT A LOWER RATE FOR MODEM OR FAX SERVICE ONLY. He wanted some monitoring capability, because they were aware that people were ordering the lower priced fax/modem lines, and using them for voice. So in some areas of Canada, fax/data lines are SUBSIDIZED by other subscribers, rather than subject to a "modem tax"! Of course, now that I have posted this interesting bit of trivia, one of the crowd that loves to revive the modem tax rumor and then argue about telco rate of return and the split of charges and cross subsidies will take this information and cite it was evidence of some major conspiracy to charge modem users more in the future. tad@ssc.com (if it bounces, use 3288544@mcimail.com) Tad Cook Packet Amateur Radio: Home Phone: Seattle, WA KT7H @ N7DUO.WA.USA.NA 206-527-4089 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 93 23:39 EDT From: johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) Subject: Re: Modem Tax in Canada? Organization: I.E.C.C. Can anyone seriously believe that a telco would be so stupid as to try to surcharge every line with a fax? It's hard to imagine any faster way to get every single one of their business customers mad at them and lobbying the CRTC and their legislators to increase regulation to prohibit nonsense like that. FYI, the 1991 "modem tax" was not a repeat of 1987 despite attempts by Compuserve and others to paint it that way. The question was whether telcos should be forced to offer new features to data carriers at POTS rates, or whether their exemption from paying feature group charges only applied to the existing kind of service they had. There was no attempt to make data carriers pay IXC rates as there was in 1987. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, {spdcc|ima|world}!iecc!johnl ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #611 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa12967; 28 Aug 93 18:29 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA19569 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sat, 28 Aug 1993 15:58:04 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA19577 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sat, 28 Aug 1993 15:57:16 -0500 Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 15:57:16 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199308282057.AA19577@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #612 TELECOM Digest Sat, 28 Aug 93 13:57:00 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 612 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Steve Dum) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Randal Hayes) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Joe Bergstein) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Brett Frankenberger) Re: Suspension of Service (was: Questions About Snail Mail) (Steve Lichter) Re: Suspension of Service (was: Questions About Snail Mail) (John R Levine) Re: AT&T Easylink Annoucement (Les Reeves) Re: Volume Level of Tropez 900DL? (Mike Detlef) Re: CATV Company Announces Connection to the Internet (David H. Close) Re: Calling Canadian 800 Numbers From Outside Canada (Nigel Allen) Re: Cellular Phone Price Samples (Slonim Edwin) Re: Status of Cellular Data (Russell E. Sorber) Re: Looking up Names/Numbers via Internet? (Carl Oppedahl) Re: FCC Equal Access Order (Christian Weisgerber) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: sdum@sdum.mentorg.com (Steve Dum) Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 18:29:13 GMT Organization: Mentor Graphics > In article TELECOM Moderator wrote: >> AT&T is refusing to hook up a customer of mine ... > Why not have the customer get a second POTS line, and YOU absorb the > cost of that. Then park the new 800 number on the new POTS line. > And, get Call Forwarding from the new POTS line to the existing POTS > line. > [Moderator's Note: Read the earlier messages sir! The customer is on > the east coast; I am in Chicago. Now I should pay for a constant stream > of calls all day to him from a forwarded line here? Even with a line > on his premises I can add what? Three or four cents per minute to the > cost of his calls? I should eat it? PAT] Pat, It would seem that you have lost objectivity here. Are you trying to solve a telecom issue or just irratate AT&T. If the customer installs the second line, and has it forwarded to his first POTS line, the east coast/Chicago issues are not an issue. Also, if you file a complaint, and eventually win, then surely AT&T should fork up for the extra costs to bypass their idiodic behavior. But even here we are talking about $50/month worst case against your 'substantial' revenue for a large customer. Stephen Dum steve_dum@mentorg.com (503)-685-7743 Mentor Graphics Corp. 8005 S.W. Boeckman Rd. Wilsonville, Or 97070-7777 ------------------------------ From: HayesR@uihc-telecomm-po.htc.uiowa.edu Date: 28 Aug 93 11:22 CST Subject: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers If you are dealing with your local AT&T representative, why don't you try calling their Front End Customer Center at 800-328-7639. I've always had good luck with them. I relayed your dilemma to our local AT&T rep and he said AT&T puts 800 services on the same POTS number all the time (at least from what I could describe of your situation). Another possibility is to choose another carrier -- hey, we have 800 portability now; that vanity number can be used under any carrier, so if you can't resolve it with AT&T, choose another carrier. Just some suggestions, for what they're worth. randal-hayes@uiowa.edu ------------------------------ From: Joe.Bergstein@p501.f544.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Joe Bergstein) Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 04:00:14 -0500 Subject: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers > Now I stand to lose the largest customer who has patronized me > to date because AT&T is refusing to route his new 800 (from me, > which I resell from them) to the POTS of his choice. > I keep pursuing this on up the corporate ladder with my next > stop being an appeal to the Chairman's Office to be followed if > needed with a Commission complaint. Of course I have no money or > resources to carry this fight on very long unless some attorney who > practices communications law and knows the ins-and-outs will do it for > me. Pat, What about filing an immediate complaint with the FCC, and submitting a copy to the AT&T Chairman's office? Since your problem seems to be related in some ways to 800 portability, I would think the F.C.C. would be very interested in hearing about AT&T's obstinate stance in refusing to respond to your reasonable request. Joe Bergstein ------------------------------ From: brettf@netcom.com (Brett Frankenberger) Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 15:01:00 GMT deej@cbnewsf.cb.att.com (david.g.lewis) writes: >> I asked them if they had ever heard of the term 'multi-POTS' (which >> is what the termination of multiple 800's on the same line is >> called.) Yes, they said, we heard of it but we are not gonna do it. >> We *will* do it provided *we* get his account on both numbers (old >> existing 800 and new number also). But they won't do it with their >> own number and someone's else's 800. > My hypothesis is that, since the new 800 number is actually being sold > from AT&T's viewpoint to an aggregator and not to Pat's customer, it > appears to the AT&T systems as if it is being sold to a different > customer. Because the various flavors of AT&T 800 services which > terminate to POTS lines use the POTS number as the billing number in > the billing databases, and all the customer records are keyed off the > billing number, I would suspect that it is impossible to have two > different customers with the same billing number. Oh, please. This is AT&T we are talking about. I can accept that GTE in California cannot offer *69 (call return) because their billing software cannot substitute XXXX for the last four digits of a returned call as mandated by the CA PUC. But this is AT&T, and if their Fsoftware cannot allow them to offer a service that is (presumably) tariffed, then they must change their software or come up with some convienient hack to get around this. The question to ask ourselves here is "If Pat's customer was a private business owned by the chairman of AT&T would AT&T find a way to offer this service?" The answer is almost certainly yes. Then AT&T should offer this service to Pat's customer. I cannot believe that it is technically impossible to do. Technically inconvienient, maybe. But if it is tariffed, they have to offer it. I would recommend that you file complaints wherever you can. Sure, you don't have the time to go through the entire process and wait for the FCC to order AT&T to offer the service, but typically, once someone files a complaint, their problems immediately become much more important. I suspect that the publicity here in the Digest (most of which has not been positive toward AT&T) may also result in them suddenly figuring out how this can be set up. > One thing that you have to keep in mind that is not intuitively > obvious is that an aggregator is not "just another carrier" from the > perspective of a service provider. A reseller/aggregator is, from the > service provider's perspective, a customer. That's why they qualify > for volume discounts and such. It also means, though, that there can > be limitations to the services that can be provided. But, in the case of AT&T, those limitations are only what are spelled out in the tariffs. > As I explained above, it can be a technical reason. I don't know for > certain that it *is*, but considering I could come up with one > technical reason after about ten minutes of thought when I don't have > anything to do with 800 services or provisioning, I suspect there are > half a dozen other technical reasons that *could* explain it. Your reason is a billing reason. While that might be considered technical, it seems obvious to me that the switches can handle it. > Finally, Pat, I recognize that being put in a situation where you feel > that you are unable to provide the desired service to your customer > because of what seems to be an arbitrary and capricious decision on > the part of your supplier is extremely frustrating; however, I would > submit that you would be much more likely to get a satisfying answer > if you don't state your concerns in language that implies that AT&T is > a collection of monopolistic, predatory, customer-be-damned villians. Ever since Pat posted his original message, there has been at least two or more messages every day either from Pat or from other Digest subscribers expressing a negative view of AT&T with respect to this matter. Given the circulation of this Digest, I would submit that this kind of publicity might get Pat what he wants. (Of course, it might backfire also, but AT&T's power, as a company that is partially still regulated, is limited). PAT - as a practical matter, how does the per-minute cost of a second line compare with your profit on the 800 number. If it is about the same, you could pay for a second POTS line with calls forwarded to the clients number (the POTS line would be in the same area as your client, of course, to avoid LD charges). Even if you made no profit on this arrangement, it would enable you to show the client that your service works, and then, when your client is ready to drop the AT&T service and cutover to your service, you could eliminate the second POTS line and then begin making a profit. Of course, I agree with you 100% that you should not have to do this (it's AT&T that has the problem, not you), but as a practical business matter, this could possibly be the most profitable route for you to take. Brett (brettf@netcom.com) [Moderator's Note: Look, it was a bit of hyperbole on my part when I said this customer would 'pay the rent'. It is a large account for me, and the commissions would be very helpful, but the addition of lines for forwarding calls, etc and the costs for same and the calls forwarded would essentially eat up *everything* I would make on this, to say nothing of the three months or so I have spent in correspondence and efforts to obtain the desired number. Placement of the account with some other carrier would require payment of the other carrier's rates and I would not be able to get prices as good as Tariff 12, which is what the customer will be paying under my offer. If he wanted other carrier's rates, he would go to other carriers. He will be getting his 800 service *so inexpensively* (like 9-12 cents per minute on average) that any additions to the bill will not make it worth his while to go with me, nor I with him. PAT] ------------------------------ From: co057@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Steven H. Lichter) Subject: Re: Suspension of Service (was: Questions About 'Snail Mail') Date: 27 Aug 1993 22:16:54 GMT Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA) PacBell offers it as I used it during the two week move I made. Also I believe GTECalif offers it, I asked a service rep and she said there was a suspension of service with a setup cost and monthly billing. I would guess that each company would have to file with the regulator for that tariff and would only do so if there was a need and it being cost effective so money can be made on offering it. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 93 23:50 EDT From: johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) Subject: Re: Suspension of Service (was: Questions About 'Snail Mail') Organization: I.E.C.C. > Do any LECs still offer suspended service? Most do, although not always at sensible rates. Here in N.J. you can have service suspended for up to seven months for a few bucks a month. After that, the rate goes up to what the phone would have cost had you left it on. They have a distinctive intercept: At the customer's request, 3 6 1 0 5 0 5 has been temporarily disconnected and zcalls are being taken by areacode 6 1 7, 8 6 4, 9 6 5 0. Please make a note of it. In Massachusetts, suspended service costs the same as leaving the phone on, so why bother? Just leave an answering machine with your other number. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, {spdcc|ima|world}!iecc!johnl ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 19:48:30 -0400 (EDT) From: LESREEVES@delphi.com Subject: Re: AT&T Easylink Annoucement Patrick, this has been discussed in the Digest previously but it seems to be getting worse. I receive TELECOM Digest at my AT&T Mail address rather than this one since AT&T Mail does not charge for storage or daytime access. Three dollars per month seems reasonable for a primarily receive only address, but I am beginning to wonder. After two days receiving no mail, today I received issues 601-608 of the Digest. One of these issues was dated Tuesday, making it three days old. Other readers have mentioned this problem with AT&T Mail in the past, but it seems especially ironic since one of the delayed issues featured an annoucement of their great new connections to the Internet. [Moderator's Note: Listen, you are lucky to get this thing at all I suspect. MCI Mail on the other hand still has their strange way of handling mail to a bad address: they dump the whole load for everyone and send it all back undeliverable, forcing me to do a special mailing just for MCI Mail names, of which there are several dozen. Seriously, one person quits using mcimail.com for whatever reason without telling me to delete the name from the list; MCI kills the mailbox; the next issue of the Digest goes out and MCI sees the bad address; Boom! They dump the whole mailing out undelivered, and send me back the list of names saying 'one of these is a bad address'. I then have to edit that part of the mailing list, and remail the issues to the rest of the names. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 27 Aug 93 19:15:22 EST From: detlef@se01.elk.miles.com (Mike Detlef) Subject: Re: Volume Level of Tropez 900DL? Organization: Miles, Inc. Actually, the Tropez 900DL leaves quite a lot to be desired in the ergonomics department. In about three months of use, I have compiled the following list: 1. Although the downlink audio is pretty good (volume level problem notwithstanding) the u one KHz brickwall filter. I sent mine back and they replaced the mic element. It sounds a little better but ... 2. The keys on the handset require a long downward travel to make contact. If you do not press them EXACTLY perpendicular to the unit, they tend to wobble and produce double digits. 3. The handset gets hot in the region that normally touches your upper cheek area if you attempt to talk for more that several minutes. 4. My unit intermittently refuses to respond to the CHAN (manual channel change) key. I suspect that it's a software bug since this key has a different function on the 900DL than on the older 900DX. Looking inside the unit I see a Motorola 8 bit micro with a handwritten label indicating 900DL. (nothing like robust version control!) 5. The range in my area (flat terrain, single story wood houses) with the base unit mounted to the wall about 5' from the floor is only 300'. That's a far cry from the 1/2 mile claimed on the box and only marginally better than my Sony 10 channel 49 Meg phone. When I sent the unit back originally, I asked about my less than expected range and the drone told me that "we test each unit for 1/2 mile range at the factory". When I asked if that meant that their factory was 1/2 mile long or if the measurement was based on TX output and RX sensitivity she suddenly starteone to explain how NiCads have a memory-effect and that my one week-old battery pack needed to be cycled. I asked why then if my batteries were marginal wasn't the Low Battery LED on. This just seemed to confuse her, but not enough to discourage her from continuing to recommend deep cycling the battery pack. The bottom line is that this is the cheapest ($165) 900 Mhz digital cordless phone out there. Unfortunately, you really do get what you pay for. BTW has anybody out there had any experience with CMI's $400 ESCORT 900 Mhz spread spectrum phone. Mike Detlef | detlef@se01.elk.miles.com | (219) 294-8890 N9JDB | Miles Inc. Diagnostics Division | Elkhart, Indiana 46515 ------------------------------ From: dhclose@cco.caltech.edu (David H. Close) Subject: Re: CATV Company Announces Connection to the Internet Date: 28 Aug 1993 08:01:23 GMT Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena LESREEVES@delphi.com writes: > Cable company plans to connect to the Internet. Continental > Cablevision Inc. announces plans to provide a direct linkup to the > Internet, bypassing local phone and other special hookups. {Wall > Street Journal}, "Technology," 8/24/93, p. B1 Speaking with various people today at Interop, I learned that this service is a 10 Mbps (Ethernet speed) connection for up to 300 subscribers per loop. Traffic to you is DES encrypted. The LA Times reports the cost is between $70 and $150 per month. Hints were that other such announcements should be expected soon. Dave Close dhclose@alumni.caltech.edu dave@compata.attmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Aug 93 06:09:40 EDT From: ae446@freenet.carleton.ca (Nigel Allen) Subject: Calling Canadian 800 numbers from outside Canada Organization: Echo Beach Reply-To: ae446@freenet.carleton.ca If you need to get in touch with a Canadian company and the only means of contact you have for the company is an 800 number, send me e-mail and I'll try to phone the company and pass your message along. Of course, many Canadian 800 numbers are valid from the U.S., but many are not. (By the way, I think that Computing Canada, a tabloid newspaper for the Canadian computer industry, has an 800 number for their suburban Toronto offices that is good only from the U.S. and not from Canada, presumably for the convenience of U.S. advertisers.) If you have a fax number for the company, it is probably better to send your request for information or assistance by fax rather than asking me to relay a message. Nigel Allen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada ae446@freenet.carleton.ca ------------------------------ From: slonim@intel.com (Slonim Edwin) Subject: Re: Cellular Phone Price Samples Date: 28 Aug 1993 11:48:05 GMT Organization: Intel Israel (74) Ltd. Paul Robinson (TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM) wrote: > The following is the current status of some of the pricing for > cellular telephones. All prices quoted are based on a tie-in to take > airtime from one of the local companies. Who cares? I rarely flame but this posting contains no useful information, since the phones are cross-subsidized by the calling plans, and ... Edwin Slonim, Intel Architecture Labs, Haifa, Israel, eslonim@inside.intel.com phone (011)+972-465-5910, fax (011)+972-465-5674 voicemail (916)356-2005 ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Aug 93 06:32:54 CDT From: sorbrrse@sand.rtsg.mot.com (Russell E. Sorber) Subject: Re: Status of Cellular Data Organization: Motorola Inc., Cellular Infrastructure Group In article Jim.Rees@umich.edu writes: > In marginal conditions, with the phone moving, I've been able to get > sustained average throughput of up to about 6 kbps with a standard > v.32 modem over AMPS cellular, although I've also seen it drop to 400 > bps. I haven't tried NAMPS. Motorola has NAMPS customers who, with modem tweaking, are transmitting at 2400bps. This is also the top rated speed for AMPS data transmission (and is the basis for my earlier statement that AMPS and NAMPS work equivalently in this regard). According to the manufacturer, anything faster than 2400 bps is pressing your luck in either the AMPS or NAMPS case. What will really drive cellular data transmission is the marketplace. Currently, according to a market survey published in the July `93 {Cellular Business Magazine}, about 5% of U.S. cellular customers sometimes do data transmission over cellular. Of those who do data tranmission, the data is said to account for about 11% of their billable minutes. The demand is said to be increasing in the future but the current numbers probably look too small for many cellular operating companies to target the data transmitting customer. The major motivation for companies in going to NAMPS or TDMA and eventually CDMA is to relieve congestion and/or increase the number of voice customers that can be billed. Russ Sorber Cellular Software Contractor - Opinions are mine, Not Motorola's! Motorola, Cellular Division Arlington Hts., IL (708) 632-4047 ------------------------------ From: oppedahl@panix.com (Carl Oppedahl) Subject: Re: Looking up Names/Numbers via Internet? Date: 28 Aug 1993 12:48:58 -0400 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC In ehinson@nyx.cs.du.edu (Eric Hinson) writes: > I recently found out about a service on CompuServe that allows you to > look up a person by their phone number (as well as other methods). Is > there such a service available on the Internet? If not, are there any > plans that any of you are aware of to implement such a service in the > near future? Thanks. Well, of course you could telnet to Compu$erve and get the information that way ... that's "available on the Internet", right? If you mean, is there a way to get it free, well, no. The companies that build up those databases are not about to give it away for free. Carl Oppedahl AA2KW (patent lawyer) 1992 Commerce Street #309 Yorktown Heights, NY 10598-4412 voice 212-777-1330 [Moderator's Note: Carl, isn't it amazing how many people there are reading Usenet News who expect all these massive commercial databases to just be handed over to them ftp-style with no charge at all? You should see some of the inquiries I get here, asking if I know where to obtain database X or database Z via ftp. Some of these dudes don't feel they should have to pay anyone anything, so accumstomed they are to having the newsgroups just handed over freely along with quite a few databases which *are* free. Just because a company or organization has a connection to the Internet does not mean everything they own is in the public domain. :) PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 02:42:10 +0200 From: naddy@mips.ruessel.sub.org (Christian Weisgerber) Reply-To: naddy@mips.ruessel.sub.org Subject: Re: FCC Equal Access Order In is written: >> Here is the copy of the Equal Access Order which was promised. First > Is there an English translation available? :-> > [Moderator's Note: Do you mean a German translation, or are you making > mock of American bureaucrats and the way they write things in the > hopes no one quite understands for sure what the law is, thus making The latter. How is anybody supposed to read through such a text and understand it? I mean, really grasp its meaning? Not that bureaucrats over here are any different. The E.C. occupies huge flocks of translaters to transfer just this kind of documents. Christian 'naddy' Weisgerber, Germany naddy@ruessel.sub.org [Moderator's Note: You have to understand that here in the USA it is critical that laws be written in such a way that no one but lawyers can hope to understand them. It is important that ordinary citizens be kept in the dark and generally in violation of some law or another. That's the way citizens here in the USA are kept under control, by assuring that they are law-breakers and mostly ignorant of how to comply with the law. I mean, you do understand why a bunch of citizens able to operate freely and without government intervention and the subsequent need for attorney assistance is a bad idea where the government is concerned, don't you? Consider the *eight thousand* people employed by the Circuit Court of Cook County, IL alone, or the nearly *two thousand* employees of Cook County Jail and the Sheriff's Office here. Do you *really* think they want to see a decrease in crime or an end to to the 'war on drugs'? Where would they work; who's trough would they feed at if suddenly everyone became law-abiding? Ditto the lawyers. You think there might be some vested interest in maintaining the status quo, and keeping otherwise simple concepts and rules very complicated? PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #612 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa13435; 28 Aug 93 22:45 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA22501 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sat, 28 Aug 1993 19:25:44 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA22258 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sat, 28 Aug 1993 19:24:57 -0500 Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 19:24:57 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199308290024.AA22258@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #613 TELECOM Digest Sat, 28 Aug 93 19:24:45 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 613 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson The Telecommunications Survey (Vish Daita) Save the SSC (Super Conducting Super Collider Laboratory Staff) Risks of Cellular Phone on Heart (Seng-Poh Lee) Portable Cellular Station (Dave Leibold) TrueVoice Cumulative Distortion? (Fred R. Goldstein) PAT is Famous :-) (J. Philip Miller) What Is NetView/6000? (guide!editor@uunet.uu.net) Prodigy Testing Internet Feed (Kevin G. Fowler) Caller ID Docs - Bell Canada (Robert Schwartz) PEI Phones (Dave Leibold) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: vish@orcs.bus.okstate.edu (Vish Daita) Subject: The Telecommunications Survey Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 21:27:19 -0500 Dear Telecommunications Officer: As a telecommunications officer, you are faced with many far more job complexities than many information systems and educational profess- ionals realize. Although industrial and academic efforts are inc- reasing to provide support in helping you deal with those complex- ities, confusion still remains regarding how to meet your needs. I am conducting a survey of telecommunications officers that explores the value of task or knowledge areas thought to be essential for success in telecommunications management. The survey instructions ask you, the person in the best position to render judgement, to rate the importance of these job-related items in your role as a manager of telecommunications. Would you help in this effort by answering the survey questions? The results of the study will be reported in group form only, and individual responses will in no way be identified with specific companies or officers. Please take a few minutes to contribute to this study by completing the survey and returning it, preferably, by E-mail. Please respond by September 10, 1993. Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Vish Daita MBA Program - Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK 74078-0555 email: vish@orcs.bus.okstate.edu Telecommunications Engineers'/Managers' Survey The demographic data requested below is important in profiling the respondents of the survey. Please answer the following questions by placing an "x" in the appropriate space. Company Information: 1. What is the primary business purpose of your firm? Finance (Banking, Insurance, Securities, Credit, Real Estate) : Government (Military, Federal, State, Municipal) : Service (Telecommunications, Business, Education, Medical, Legal): Manufacturing : Other: (please specify) 2. In what geographic area are you currently working? Eastern (CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT) : Southern (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV) : Mountain Plains (CO, KS, ND, NE, NM, OK, SD, TX, WY) : Western (AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA) : Other Country: (please specify) Personal Information 1. What is your specific job title? 2. Where was the majority of your telecommunications training received? (Check one) On-the-job (including seminars, workshops, etc.): Telephone company : Military : Vocational Training : College/University : 3. Have you had any additional telecommunications training? No: Yes: If yes, please check all that apply: On-the-job (including seminars, workshops, etc.): Telephone company : Military : Vocational Training : College/University : 4. What is the highest level of education that you have completed? Doctoral degree : Master's degree : Some graduate-level education : Four-year baccalaureate degree : Associate's degree : Some college : Vocational certificate program : No college or certificate program: 5. If you earned a baccalaureate degree, what was the specialty of that degree? Business : Liberal Arts : Information Systems/Data Processing : Computer Science : Engineering : Telecommunications : Other (please specify) : 6. Please list your LAST FIVE job positions from the earliest to the most recent. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 7. Within what approximate range is your current annual salary? $19,999 or less : $20,000 - $39,999 : $40,000 - $59,999 : $60,000 - $79,000 : $80,000 - $99,999 : $100,000 or more : Request for Survey Results: Would you like a copy of the results of this questionnaire? No: Yes: Send to: Address: -------------------------------- Job-Related Tasks and Knowledge Opinionnaire Instructions: Please rate the following job-related items based on your perceptions of their importance to your present role in your organization. Rank the items based on the following scale: ___________________________________________________________________________ Not Important: 1; Of Little Importance: 2; Somewhat Important: 3; Important: 4; Very Important: 5 ___________________________________________________________________________ Rank ___________________________________________________________________________ In my current position, it is important that I be able to.... 1. Evaluate hardware/software maintenance agreements 2. Use management tools in decision making (such as modeling) 3. Establish network security measures 4. Optimize voice communications 5. Select new telecommunications products that will be the most beneficial to my organization 6. Forge good vendor relationships 7. Promote a working relationship with MIS/Data Processing 8. Recruit qualified people 9. Prepare documentation for senior management 10. Minimize the cost of data communications 11. Cost-justify communications projects 12. Manage a multivendor communications system 13. Manage personnel In my position, it is important that I understand.... 14. Tariffs 15. Traffic engineering and network design 16. Worker concerns for job security 17. PBX technology and applications 18. Protocols and interfaces 19. Financial analysis 20. Daily operations of networks 21. Network management problems and procedures 22. Telecommunications regulations, policies, and the law 23. New technology and applications 24. Strategic challenges of the job 25. Local network cabling and implementation It is also important for me to understand.... 26. Implementation of office automation technology 27. The regulation framework for ISDN 28. Open Systems Interconnection 29. Communications equipment operation 30. The status and development of fiber optics in local exchange networks 31. Concepts of measured usage 32. Company objectives and policies 33. Existing common carrier services 34. Current issues at state and federal regulatory bodies 35. Fiber optic installation 36. End-user requirements In my organization, it is important that I be able to.... 37. Make equipment procurement decisions 38. Manage voice communications 39. Motivate employees 40. Optimize data communications 41. Evaluate the physical, data-link, and network layers of communications systems protocol hierarchy 42. Budget communications projects 43. Design networks 44. Negotiate with vendors 45. Develop RFPs (Requests for Proposals) 46. Obtain support of top management 47. Evaluate equipment and network services 48. Select vendors 49. Manage data communications 50. Design and develop communications projects THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE WITH THIS SURVEY (Developed by: Roberta Irene Ackerson) -------------------- Vish Daita E-mail: vish@orcs.bus.okstate.edu ------------------------------ From: ssc1@cse.uta.edu (Super Conductor Super Collider 1) Subject: Save the SSC Organization: Computer Science Engineering - Univ of Texas at Arlington Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 18:06:58 GMT The Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory was established to investigate the fundamental nature of matter and energy. It is one of the greatest scientific instruments ever to be constructed on the face of the earth. The knowledge we gain from the SSC is essential to maintaining the continued leadership position of the US in Science and Technology. In June, the House voted to cut funding for the SSC due to problems with the management of the construction. The Senate is due to consider voting in September. At a time when such projects like the Helium Fund (begun after the World War I to ensure sufficient Helium supplies in case the US was in a Blimp Air war!!) continue to be funded, cutting funds for a venture like the SSC that holds such promise for the coming century is detrimental to the future of the country. The congressional vote to cut funds for the SSC comes at a time when there is a strong challenge to the leadership role of the US in science and technology. It is not farfetched to say that Physics gave rise to Electrical Engineering and to Computer Science. Which country would have pioneered Computers Science had it not been for the Physics Nobel laureate Dr. John Bardeen? Were not major contributions to Nuclear Science made by Particle Physicists? We feel that the Senate should seize this opportunity to reset priorities for the nation that will ensure continued funding for the SSC. Let us send a strong message to the world that we are determined to remain pioneers in the quest for knowledge. What You Can Do Here is a chance for you to stand up and speak. Make your voice heard. If you are willing to support this campaign, reply to this message and we will forward to you the phone numbers of your senators, the e-mail address of the President and Vice President and you can stand up and be counted as one of those who helped make this adventure in science a success. ------------------------------ From: lee@gdc.com (Seng-Poh Lee) Subject: Risks of Cellular Phone on Heart Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1993 23:31:51 EDT Organization: General DataComm Ind. Inc., Middlebury, CT There's a lot of talk about handheld cellular phone causing/not causing brain tumours, etc, but no one seems to be concerned about the effect of the phone on heart tissue. A lot of newer phones are actually small enough to keep in your shirt pocket, right by your heart. Granted, the phone does not transmit all the time in the idle mode, but doesn't it check in once in a while? And what about when you receive an incomming call? At that time, the antenna is only a few inches from your heart while it is transmitting. Perhaps this should be cross-posted to sci.med as well, but what are the potential effects of RF on heart tissue? Seng-Poh Lee Internet: Work: splee@gdc.com General DataComm Ind. Inc. Alt : splee@pd.org Middlebury, CT splee@gnu.ai.mit.edu ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 11:30:30 -0400 From: Dave.Leibold@f730.n250.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Dave Leibold) Subject: Portable Cellular Station [from Bell News, Bell Quebec 23 Aug 93] Emergency Situations Bell Mobility Cellular introduces first mobile cellular station. On August 16, Bell Mobility Cellular introduced the first mobile cellular station in Canada. Built at a cost of $1.7 million, the telecommunications station, which links cellular and satellite technologies, will be used by governments, municipalities and major corporations involved in responding to emergency situations, natural disasters or major catastrophes. The mobile cellular station, which is the size of a trailer, can be transported by road, air, rail and ship and was designed to operate under extreme weather conditions. The station will be used in regions where no cellular coverage is available and in fringe areas of the cellular network. Four technicians will set up the station and its cellular and satellite transmission equipment at the disaster site. The programming will be carried out from Montreal. Once in place, the station will operate automatically. The mobile cellular station is the work of Bell Mobility Cellular's Direction des mesures d'urgence (DMU), a specialized group created in 1990 to develop, manage and deploy the emergency resources and applications of mobile communications. Dave Leibold - via FidoNet node 1:250/98 INTERNET: Dave.Leibold@f730.n250.z1.FIDONET.ORG ------------------------------ From: goldstein@carafe.tay2.dec.com (Fred R. Goldstein) Subject: TrueVoice Cumulative Distortion? Organization: Digital Equipment Corp., Littleton MA USA Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 05:13:50 GMT I think my reply to a previous string on this topic was lost among other articles a couple of days ago ... but anyway, I have a concern about AT&T's TrueVoice. (Or is it "TruVoice, we make your voice sound like Truman Capote"? ;-] ) Since it operates by boosting the bass in the echo canceller, which occurs on every LD call, what happens to a conference call? Take, for instance, the conference bridge that Pat and I used for our appearance on last week's Spectrum radio program. If TrueVoice were in use, then our voices would have been bass-boosted going in to the bridge, then bass-boosted again going OUT of the bridge. Likewise for a three-way call in a PBX or CO. All of that distorted bass energy might make every conference call have the swell sound quality that I heard on the bridge after the show was over. The radio station or somebody started playing "Fish Heads" by Barnes and Barnes, many dB over the top, resulting in 90% or so distortion. Eat them up, yum! Al Varney complains that our anti-distortion position is a form of luddism, as if we preferred tube amps to more modern transistors or something. In fact, tube amps sell at a premium nowadays because they have lower distortion than cheap transistor amps, but that's irrelevant. The goal of a transmission system -- hey AT&T Communications, remember what business you're in! -- should be low distortion. Not second-guessing what kind of microphone I _might_ be using. Fred R. Goldstein k1io goldstein@carafe.tay2.dec.com Opinions are mine alone; sharing requires permission ------------------------------ From: phil@wubios.wustl.edu (J. Philip Miller) Subject: PAT is Famous :-) Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 15:52:07 CDT I presume you saw this, but thought it neat that you are recognized as an authority on such ... phil From: newsbytes@clarinet.com Newsgroups: clari.nb.telecom Subject: US Remains Option For International Calls 08/27/93 Date: 27 Aug 93 19:52:37 GMT CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A., 1993 AUG 27 (NB) -- Routing calls between nations through the US in order to get lower rates remains a viable option despite moves to reduce tariffs, according to Patrick Townson of Chicago. Townson wrote Steve Gold of Newsbytes to report on Telepassport, which aims to do just this. He notes that calls between the US and UK cost about 50 cents per minute, but can then proceed to other countries. Like its competitors, Telepassport uses a technique called "re-origination," in which calls are first fed to the US, then re-started in order to get US rates on both legs of the call. According to Townson, this can cut costs up to 50 percent. "For example, a five minute call from Italy to the US handled and billed by the PTT [postal telephone and telegraph] would cost $11.40," he writes. "Using Telepassport, the cost for the same call would be $6.84. "A five-minute call from Brazil to the United Kingdom costs $18.95 through the Brazilian PTT, but only $10.84 using Telepassport." He said nations are required by international treaties to respect Telepassport's right to operate and compete, although the company must compensate local PTTs' for use of their lines as part of the normal international settlement process. Townson also addressed objections by AT&T to the practice. "AT&T has raised objections when certain companies it suspected were marketing a callback system filed for FCC authorization to carry international traffic. In their objections they complained that callback systems were illegally using carriers' facilities to signal for the callback and thereby avoiding payment of the tariffed rates for usage. In fact, the tariffs are specifically set not to charge for uncompleted calls so there is no avoidance of payment. AT&T's own answering machine product, 'The Toll Saver' is designed not to answer a call if there are no messages on the machine, thus signalling such to the caller without him incurring a charge. There are several other examples of security systems, energy devices, etcetera, which use the telephone for signalling without payment." Telepassport requires its own accounts on all users, but users can call from any phone. Subscribers call Telepassport's number in New York, let the phone ring twice, then hang up and wait for a call-back, at which point the authorization numbers and security codes are input, followed by the number the user wants to reach, including its country code. The system works using computers inside a phone switch, and a variety of languages can be chosen for prompts. The system also offers voice mail, messaging forwarding, and phone home services similar to AT&T's Easy Reach 700 offering. The service can also be used by international businesses to offer toll-free lines to US customers. Rates have three components. There's an access charge, per call, an initial charge for call set-up, and a per-minute charge. The initial charge applies only when the US is used as an intermediary, with calls being routed through it to third countries. The access charge is usually remitted to a foreign PTT. For users, the biggest risk lies in the method of payment, US dollars. If the value of a local currency falls against the dollar between the time a call is made and billed, it will cost more than otherwise. Billing is by credit card, either Master Card, Visa or American Express. (Dana Blankenhorn/19930823/Press Contact: Patrick Townson; e-mail, ptownson@eecs.nwu.edu) ------------------- J. Philip Miller, Professor, Division of Biostatistics, Box 8067 Washington University Medical School, St. Louis MO 63110 phil@wubios.WUstl.edu - (314) 362-3617 [362-2693(FAX)] ------------------------------ From: guide!editor@uunet.UU.NET (editor) Subject: What Is NetView/6000? Date: 27 Aug 93 09:14:02 GMT Reply-To: guide!editor@uunet.UU.NET Organization: Guidepost, Inc. Hi, What is NetView/6000? I've heard it was basically some HP snmp package that IBM licensed and added some value to. I am very interested in general as well as detailed info, so anything you know ... Thanks a lot! ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 16:47:28 EDT From: TMVF52A@prodigy.com (MR KEVIN G FOWLER) Subject: Prodigy Testing Internet Feed Well, Prodigy is starting to test its Internet connection, and if you received this, it's working. Here's the letter I received asking me to join the test: FREE SOFTWARE FOR COMMUNICATORS! PRODIGY members will soon have at their fingertips a variety of ways to communicate. They'll be able to send messages and files to PRODIGY members, E-mail to members of other online services, faxes and US Postal Service letters via PRODIGY. They'll be using Mail Manager, a utility that lets them write, read and organize messages without being connected to PRODIGY. I'm inviting members like you, who enjoy communicating via the PRODIGY service, to try Mail Manager during a Limited Release test over the next few weeks. To become a tester, read the screens which follow LOOK and sign up for both Mail Manager and the Internet. Once you've signed up for Mail Manager you will be able to download the Mail Manager software and install it on your PC. Download should take about 27 minutes at 2400 bps, 8 minutes at 9600. During the Limited Release there is no fee for sign up and download of the Mail Manager software. Fees will apply for any messages you send using the offline software: PRODIGY E-mail, Internet E-mail, faxes, US Postal Service letters and files. Print information about fees on the screens that follow to keep as a reference. We recognize that adopting new ways of communicating via PRODIGY may be easy for some members and more difficult for others. If you sign up for the software and the test, we'll follow up with a questionnaire in about three weeks to see how you're doing. All we ask in return for the free software is your feedback. It's important to us. As always, our Membership Services team is ready to answer your questions and provide advice during the Limited Release. For assistance, call 1-800-PRODIGY. If you prefer to send a message to membership services, Jump: membership services and select "Using the PRODIGY service". --------------- kevinf@wendan.rain.com TMVF52A@prodigy.com ? ------------------------------ From: r.schwartz18@genie.geis.com Date: Sat, 28 Aug 93 04:57:00 BST Subject: Caller ID Docs - Bell Canada I have been trying to track down Caller ID specs for the Bell Canada territory for the past year and a half. I did order the spec sheets from Bell Core, but they are not the same as in use by Bell Canada. In a recent FAQ from the Telecom Digest, I note that they quote a source for getting the "Canadian" version of the CID specs from Stentor, and it was free. This is not the case. In fact, not only is it not free, but it costs plenty!! First, here are the details for getting documents from Stentor (changed since the last FAQ that I read): In Canada call: 1-800-265-6608 (voice mail, they call you back next day). Worldwide: (613)781-6816 or FAX: (613)781-6454 or write to: Stentor Resource Centre Inc. Director - Interface Standards Research Suite 480, 160 Elgin Street Ottawa, Ontario K1G 3J4 Caller ID documents are: ID-0001 CALL MANAGEMENT SERVICE (CMS) ID-0012 ENHANCED CALL MANAGEMENT SERVICE (ECMS) The cost is $50.00(CAN). Each. Here is where I get upset. I can call Bellcore (toll free from Canada), and order Caller ID documents, which they cheerfully send to me for FREE (last time I called). But if I want to develope Caller ID software for use in the Bell Canada territory, I have to send Stentor $50.00 so that they can lick a 43 cent stamp! This is totally ridiculous and an embarrassment to the Canadian Telecommunications Industry. If anyone can help me with the specifications for Bell Canada's Caller ID, I would like to hear from you. Please e-mail me at: r.schwartz18@genie.geis.com (I've been having problems receiving the TELECOM Digest, so e-mail is the best way to reach me) Thanks, Robert Schwartz ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 15:45:40 -0400 From: Dave.Leibold@f730.n250.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Dave Leibold) Subject: PEI Phones Telephones in the smallest Canadian province, Prince Edward Island are operated by Island Tel. With approximately 130,000 people in the province, there aren't that many lines to be serviced, and many of these would be for a rural population. PEI shares NPA 902 with Nova Scotia, considering the few NXX (central office codes) needed. While being a tourist in PEI, I spotted some Island Tel reps in the Confederation Centre Mall in Charlottetown (the provincial capital and the only city) plugging recently installed CMS/CLASS features such as Call Return, Call ID, etc. With such technology, calling features are comparable to the rest of North America. An old (1930) exchange/work building can be spotted on Queen Street in downtown Charlottetown. I don't know if they have the city's central office in there, though that would be unusual considering the building has many windows. ANAC/number readback is done by dialing 711 (at least in Charlottetown). Don't dial 211; this reaches the infamous "line killer" which gives a very irregular busy signal, then once hung up on, cuts all power to the line for a minute or two. Dave Leibold - via FidoNet node 1:250/98 INTERNET: Dave.Leibold@f730.n250.z1.FIDONET.ORG ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #613 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa09834; 29 Aug 93 14:37 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA30985 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 29 Aug 1993 11:58:25 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA31015 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 29 Aug 1993 11:57:38 -0500 Date: Sun, 29 Aug 1993 11:57:38 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199308291657.AA31015@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #614 TELECOM Digest Sun, 29 Aug 93 11:57:30 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 614 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: What's Difference: Fiber to Home; Curb and Hybrid Fiber/Coax (M Cnota) Re: The One True Dialing Plan (Al Varney) Re: Modem Transmissions Over One Way Radio (David Breneman) Re: Portable Terminal Needed (David Breneman) Re: Should I Get a Separate Line For Modem (Paul Robinson) Re: AT&T Announces New Internet Connectivity (Gregory Youngblood) Re: Email <-> Telex (Paul Robinson) Re: Free French Phone Information From Publiphone (Frank Keeney) Re: Looking For a Book on ATM (Mark A. Cnota) Re: Operator from Atlanta (was Re:Interesting 800 Number (Marvin Hoffman) Re: CATV Company Announces Connection to the Internet (John Kennedy) Re: Radio Station Acronyms (David Breneman) Re: Radio Station Acronyms (Ethan Miller) Re: Radio Station Acronyms (Scott Fybush) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: mac@rci.chi.il.us (Mark A. Cnota) Subject: Re: What's Difference: Fiber to Home; Curb and Hybrid Fiber/Coax Organization: Ripco Communications Incorporated Date: Sun, 29 Aug 1993 01:15:13 GMT Liron Lightwood (r.lightwood@trl.oz.au) wrote: > I've been reading about the future networks the cable TV companies and > telcos want to set up for video on demand, interactive TV, etc. I'm > getting a little confused about the various terms used for the various > kinds of networks. > Could someone please tell me the difference between: > Fiber to the home, > Fiber to the curb. > Hybrid fiber/coax network. I can expound on the telco applications of fiber. I would imagine for cable tv it isn't too much different. Fiber to the home is pretty much what it sounds like. It only gets confusing when you compare and contrast it to "fiber to the curb." Leaving the central office, the fiber will terminate first at a "remote terminal" in either an underground vault or large above-ground cabinet. These eletronics will multiplex the optical signal down to several of a more useable level. This is a more efficient use of bandwith as well as making the far-end muxes cheaper because they have a "slower" signal to deal with. In the past these types of cabinets and vaults used SLC-96 technology to give us derived copper facilities, but instead now we have fiber coming OUT also. The fiber coming out of these multiplexers can be used either of two ways. One is to terminals in pedstals or on poles, which would feed two to six houses each. This is what is called "fiber to the curb." Depending on what type of service you are providing, you either coax or copper drop wire will go from the terminal to the subscribers house. The other option is for the fiber to be passively split and go directly into each subscribers house. The latter, of course, offers much more capability for broadband services such as video on demand, interactive information services, etc. even though this can be done over short pieces of coax to a limited extent also. This also brings up another real interesting point with a lot of varying opinions. As just about everyone knows, copper telephone service has always been line powered. That is, you have never had to supply your own power in order for a regular telephone to work. Even when the power goes out, you ALWAYS have telephone service, because the central office has deisel backup and batteries to back up the deisel. Another interesting point is they also have deisel generators on semi-truck trailers in case the deisel generator at the central office fails, because the batteries aren't meant to last for a real long time. The "remote terminals" used for derived copper service have always had battery backups, and they aren't THAT widely used so there haven't been a lot of problems with lost power. Here comes fiber to the curb/home. All fiber electronics need an external power source. In fiber to the curb, Ameritech's solution is to bury telco-type 22 ga. cable in the same trench and make the optical terminals powered from the commercial power source at the remote terminal. If you want to go one step further and bring fiber to the home, the only feasible way is for the subscriber to supply the power for the multiplexing unit. Now if you lose commercial power, you have no telephone service. You can make a battery backup but that gets expensive really fast, not to mention having to test and maintain it. What is happening is a lot of people are knocking "fiber to the curb/home" because it gives up a certain reliability factor that has always been associated with telephone service. Are people willing to give up the reliability of POTS for new technology? What other solutions have been discussed by other AOC's or vendors? Mark A. Cnota / Outside Plant Engineering, Ameritech ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Aug 93 16:10:15 CDT From: varney@ihlpe.att.com Subject: Re: The One True Dialing Plan Organization: AT&T In article David A. Cantor writes: > I propose we eliminate the ambiguity and invent the One and Only > Obviously Unambiguous Uniform Digit Dialing Plan (the OOOUUDDP): > First, eliminate all 7D dialing (and also 8D dialing, of course). > Now, all country code 1 calls should be dialled with an access code + > ten digits. The access code would be 1+ or 0+, and we would continue > to use 10xxx+ as a prefix for choosing a carrier. We could also > continue using 01+ and 011+ for out-of-country calls, but, best of > all, if we agree never to use the digit 1 as the first digit in an > area code, we can eliminate the need for 1+ entirely, and dial all > station-to-station calls as simply NXX-NXX-XXXX, whether their local > or long distance. A leading 1+ would be optional, and it could be > optional even if a carrier selection code is used. (Gee, we don't > need the "office code" to be restricted to 2-9 anymore, either, we > could make it NXX-XXX-XXXX. That might save some area code splits.) > Okay, how do I go about proposing this to the proper authorities? You don't have to, David. The "authorities" (the current North American Numbering Plan Administrator) have already suggested the desirability of a uniform ten-digit numbering plan sometime in the future. If new NPAs are allocated as planned by the Administrator, there will be no NPA "splits" -- instead, new NPAs will overlay existing ones. Over time, your next door neighbor could have a "foreign" NPA (compared to your own lines). If many of your calls are to such NPAs, you can "save digits" by dropping the 1+ on foreign NPAs, and adding your NPA to intra-NPA calls. This also opens up the 1+ leading digit for other indications, in addition to the existing 10XXX (soon to be 101XXXX). Of course, 1+ for "toll" would block such new applications of 1+. Also, since the NANPA has asked to be replaced, the replacement may have other plans for NPAs. Al Varney ------------------------------ From: daveb%jaws@epsilon.eecs.nwu.edu (David Breneman) Subject: Re: Modem Transmissions Over One Way Radio Date: 28 Aug 93 20:42:16 GMT Organization: Digital Systems International, Redmond WA Alfredo Cotroneo (A.Cotroneo@it12.bull.it) wrote: > I am going to experiment with TX only data transmissions using standard > modems (e.g. ZyXel/USR Robotics) over a one way radio link. I just > wonder if that would be possible at all with which parameter(s) > setting since there will be no modem on the other side of the line to > *negotiate* the protocol with. Try one (if there's more than one) of the ham radio groups. RTTY (radio teletype) transmissions used to be a hot pursuit (right up there with slow-scan television) up until about ten years ago. The only difference would be the speed -- but if you're intent on using one of these Dern Newfangled modem protocols that *require* negotiation, you may be it trouble. David Breneman Email: daveb@jaws.engineering.dgtl.com System Administrator, Software Engineering Services Digital Systems International, Inc. Voice: 206 881-7544 Fax: 206 556-8033 ------------------------------ From: daveb%jaws@dsinet.dgtl.com (David Breneman) Subject: Re: Portable Terminal Needed Date: 28 Aug 93 21:08:51 GMT Organization: Digital Systems International, Redmond WA Vance Shipley (vances@xenitec.on.ca) wrote: > I'm looking for a low priced portable data terminal that will do 2400 > baud or better, light weight and cheap. If you know who might > manufacture such a beastie please let me know. > So far I've looked at the Panasonic KX-D4930 but was not very > impressed (1200 baud, heavy and expen$ive). The TI Travel Mate ??220 is pretty good. Not sure about the model. It's something like LT220 or LV220. Anyway, it's a VT-220 emulating LCD terminal with a built-in 2400 buad Hayes compatible modem. These came out about three or four years ago. I used one for three years (at a former employer -- that's why I can't just look at it to get the number). When they first hit the market they were about two grand -- but during the two months we had it for a trial it had two price drops and eventually cost about $1400, so I'm sure they're less now. It also has a DB-9 serial port to connect it directly to a computer, and the battery lasts about four hours between chargings. It's about the size of a small laptop computer. Very durable and trouble-free. (TI has been making portable terminals for a long time. Their first model (before LCD screens) had a thermal printer - sort of a laptop teletype!) David Breneman Email: daveb@jaws.engineering.dgtl.com System Administrator, Software Engineering Services Digital Systems International, Inc. Voice: 206 881-7544 Fax: 206 556-8033 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Aug 1993 09:26:40 EDT Reply-To: 0005066432@MCIMAIL.COM Subject: Re: Should I Get a Separate Line For Modem From: Paul Robinson Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA Russell Sharpe , writes: >> Rajappa Iyer writes: >> What are the pros and cons of using the same telephone number for >> the modem and voice? I really don't want to miss calls while I am >> the modem. Would call waiting help? Any input on this will be appr >> iated. > We have a facility in New Zealand called 1 + 1 (one voice + one > voice). > It is usually used when Telecom has run out of cable pairs. > Basically it consists of a physical POTS line with a high pass > filter (>10kHz) and a carrier, a POTS line modulated up 10kHz. > Two pieces of equipment, effectively CODECS (Coder/Decoder), are > needed, one at the switch site, and one at the customers premises. In the United States, that feature (1+1) is called "Subscriber Carrier" and is considered, as Samuel Johnson mislabelled Patriotism, "The last refuge of a scoundrel." Subscriber Carrier implies either that the phone company can't or won't put more pairs in an area. If they can't because the locals don't want overhead wiring, or the customer wants a second phone line and he's on a rural service with two miles of wire out to his site, that's one thing. If it's an excuse not to add more pairs in a large city, *that* is inexcusable. Paul Robinson - TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM ------------------------------ Subject: Re: AT&T Announces New Internet Connectivity From: zeta@tcscs.com (Gregory Youngblood) Date: Sat, 28 Aug 93 18:02:53 PDT Organization: TCS Computer Systems tmplee@TIS.COM (Theodore M.P. Lee) writes: > Does anyone have any representative pricing information? Details on > exactly what kind of connection you get when you dial 950-1ATT? > (straight terminal? Slip/PPP? X25? or what?) Is the internet > "connectivity" competitive with other providers of dial-up access? Where would a person call in AT&T to find out this information? Greg TCS Computer Systems AT&T Easy Reach Number 25799B Madrone Drive (707)489-7500 0-700-TCS-0000 Willits, CA 95490 Personal: zeta@tcscs.com Information: info@tcscs.com ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 22:26:50 EDT Reply-To: 0005066432@MCIMAIL.COM Subject: Re: Email <-> Telex From: Paul Robinson Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA JOHN.D.GRETZINGER@sprint.sprint.com belched out the following: > Paul Robinson writes in part: >>> I'm trying to learn if anyone offers a (two-way) gateway between >>> Telex and Internet Email. >> The only reasonably priced service for this is MCI Mail. >> AT&T Mail (Easylink) raised its rates for a telex number >> from an expensive $29 per month plus usage, to a whopping >> $99 per month plus usage. > Sprint offers the ability to send and receive TELEX messages > as a part of it's SprintMail offering. Naturally, there is a > charge for this, but it is there. I like MCI Mail. I signed up for AT&T Mail under the username of TDARCOS (naturally), since it was only $3 a month. I found the service less than impressive and dropped it later. But to get an incoming telex number from AT&T Mail required I buy an Easylink account which is $29 a month. I wanted to try Sprintmail. They don't bill individuals, they only accept credit cards, and with a minimum monthly usage (I think it was at least $25 a month) PLUS they charge you 5c/K to READ mail AS WELL AS SEND IT. And an incoming Telex number was the same thing as AT&T - an extra 30 bucks a MONTH. Compare this with the rates from both AT&T and MCI Mail: no charge to receive mail. Monthly rate is essentially $3 a month (with MCI Mail billing the whole year in advance, e.g. $35). Sending mail is about the same price on all three systems, with neither AT&T nor MCI charging to receive mail. MCI gives a free incoming telex number and AT&T charges (now $99 a month) for an incoming telex number. > If a person/company needed enhanced electronic mail capabilities, > this might be worth a look. Signing up for SprintMail just to be > able to occasionally send/receive TELEX is probably not cost > justifiable. Using Sprintmail *at all* is NOT COST JUSTIFIABLE unless a place has a long-establisbed account that cannot be moved or has a long term contract. Both AT&T and MCI Mail provide much better rates than Sprint. If someone needs to send an occational telex, if they have service on any commercial service they can use that; Compuserve has outgoing telex service, and if you can get the correspondent to put your account number in the first line of the telex, an account on Compuserve can receive via Compuserve's telex number. For anyone receiving any number of telexes a year, MCI Mail is the least expensive service there is. At $35 a year, nobody else with $25 a month charges can come close. Paul Robinson - TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM ------------------------------ From: frank@calcom.socal.com (Frank Keeney) Reply-To: frank@calcom.socal.com Date: Sun, 29 Aug 1993 10:01:28 -0800 Subject: Re: Free French Phone Information From Publiphone On Aug 14 17:36, Alan Phipps wrote: > I'm looking, right now, for a Minitel access number in France. Can > you help me out? On my last trip to France I purchased some Minitel related magazines hoping to call some of the services from the U.S. Unfortunatly you cannot call these numbers from out side of France. They are like a U.S. 900 number you can only dial them from within the country. There is a Gateway to the Minitel system in New York city called Minitel U.S.A. which allows Minitel services on one of the packet switched networks. Frank Keeney E-mail frank@calcom.socal.com 115 W. California Blvd., #411 Fidonet 1:102/645 Pasadena, CA 91105-1509 USA UUCP hatch!calcom!frank FAX +1 818 791-0578 Voice Mail +1 818-791-0578 x402 ------------------------------ From: mac@rci.chi.il.us (Mark A. Cnota) Subject: Re: Looking For a Book on ATM Organization: Ripco Communications Incorporated Date: Sun, 29 Aug 1993 01:19:41 GMT Ramon Alanis (ramona@teleride.on.ca) wrote: > I am looking for a good book on ATM, SONET and related topics. > Any sugestions? The book by Toni Childs that can be ordered out of the postcard insert in every copy of {Telephony} is a pretty good overview on Sonet. It's written intelligently, but doesn't require a lot of specialized knowledge. The information is well organized. The book, however, is a little expensive for its size. From memory I think it's about 80 pages, approximately 8" x 6", and runs about $35 excluding shipping. She goes straight to the point so the 80 pages are well used, and I would still consider it worth the money if you want to start learning Sonet. ------------------------------ From: HOFFMANMK@conrad.appstate.edu (Marvin Hoffman) Subject: Re: Operator from Atlanta (was Re:Interesting 800 Number Res Date: 28 Aug 1993 18:52:40 GMT Organization: APPALACHIAN STATE UNIVERSITY In LESREEVES@delphi.com writes: > Miss Barbee's voice was used on all AIS (Automatic Intercept System) > machines from the mid-70's through the early 80's. Unless it has been changed in the past year, her voice also identifies the amateur repeater on Stone Mountain outside Atlanta. So much more pleasant than the clipped male synthesize voice on most repeaters. Marv Hoffman, KD4EGV Appalachian State University Boone, NC ------------------------------ From: warlock@CSUChico.EDU (John Kennedy) Subject: Re: CATV Company Announces Connection to the Internet Date: 29 Aug 1993 02:55:55 GMT Organization: California State University, Chico In article , David H. Close wrote: > Speaking with various people today at Interop, I learned that this > service is a 10 Mbps (Ethernet speed) connection for up to 300 > subscribers per loop. Traffic to you is DES encrypted. ... I talked to people at Hybrid Networks, Inc at INTEROP about a similar (if not the same) service. They estimated that up to 200 people/cable TV channel would be a good range to figure on, with the possibility of multiple channels being in use, if the cable-company willing. Apparently it was originally designed for some government applications and they are going to make it available to the public, as well. They had a sbus card for a sun computer, and a generic ethernet interface (and maybe a token ring, I forget) for everyone else. They said they planned to make more specialized cards for other computers in the future, but for the short run they were trying to make a product that everyone could use. Right now, you have to buy equipment with DES encryption (because of it's government origins). They'll have a less expensive solution in the future that lets you leave out the encryption hardware. The trick about this solution is, of course, that cable is one-way. In Hybrid's version, they used a modem to transmit the "return" data. They're assuming, of course, that most of the traffic will be going _to_ the user's home computer, with only small amounts of data being transmitted out to the cable/internet side. IE, telnet keystrokes, ACK/NAKs for file transfers, etc. In the example at INTEROP, they were using what looked like a combinet bridge with two ISDN channels being used and they were getting up to 5Mbits/sec on FTP file transfers. I didn't have the opportunity to field strip their showroom demo to see how they had that hooked up. (: If you were on a loop with up to 300 people each trying to use a lot of bandwidth, your throughput will obviously be _much_ less. ------------------------------ From: daveb%jaws@dsinet.dgtl.com (David Breneman) Subject: Re: Radio Station Acronyms Date: 28 Aug 93 20:14:37 GMT Organization: Digital Systems International, Redmond WA > [Moderator's Note: WENR was the former call sign for the television > station on Channel 7 here about 40 years ago in the early 1950's. WLS Deletions ... > They bought a lot of stuff from the ABC network such as several radio > soap operas during the day and they also got stuff from the Mutual > Network. Starting at six a.m. on Sunday morning and continuing for the Deletions ... Are you referring to the *original* ABC Network, or the *former* NBC Red Network (the current ABC Network)? David Breneman Email: daveb@jaws.engineering.dgtl.com System Administrator, Software Engineering Services Digital Systems International, Inc. Voice: 206 881-7544 Fax: 206 556-8033 [Moderator's Note: So far as I know, and this is a guess, they got stuff from what we refer to as the current ABC Network. I vaguely recall as a child they carried stuff they referred to as that network and that would have been in the middle 1950's, long after 'Red' was gone. Which network carried the 'National Barn Dance' program? I guess that was either ABC (as we know it now) or Mutual. I can't remember. PAT] ------------------------------ From: elm@cs.berkeley.edu (ethan miller) Subject: Re: Radio Station Acronyms Date: 29 Aug 93 10:27:06 Organization: Berkeley--Shaken, not Stirred Reply-To: elm@cs.berkeley.edu In article TELECOM Moderator noted: (whether WACO is the only station whose callsign matches the city it is located in) ... > [Moderator's Note: Will anyone challenge Mr. Cornutt on this? Let's > get our radio station call-sign books out everyone, and begin the > search. PAT] WARE in Ware, MA (though Ware is hardly a large city). ethan miller--cs grad student elm@cs.berkeley.edu #include [Moderator's Note: Good thinking! Any others? PAT] ------------------------------ From: fybush@world.std.com (Scott D Fybush) Subject: Re: Radio Station Acronyms Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 23:39:39 GMT As the unofficial historian of rec.radio.broadcasting, and the official historian of *SPECTRUM* (nice show, PAT!), I feel compelled to note station WARE-1250 AM in Ware, Massachusetts, as another station whose calls spell the city of license. Also, PAT, WIND (AM) Chicago _did_ begin its broadcast career with its city of license in Gary. Check any callbook from before the mid-30s or so. WIND was for many years owned by my employer, Westinghouse Broadcasting, which has also at times owned KYW (AM) Chicago (1921-1934) and WMAQ (AM) Chicago (1988-present). Scott Fybush - fybush@world.std.com [Moderator's Note: Westinghouse had WIND back in the 1960-70 era. Do you know who owned the station before that? Regards its Gary origin, did they ever have actual studios and offices there, or just the transmitter and antennnas? Gary, IN has an interesting origin and history in itself. Originally all the land that comprises the city of Gary was owned by United States Steel back at the start of this century and the President/Chairman of US Steel in those days was Mr. William Gary. The town was entirely owned and operated as a company town for US Steel employees, much like the town in the same era called Pullman, Illinois (which is now the neighborhood of Pullman in the city of Chicago) which was entirely owned by George Pullman, magnate of the railroad sleeping car industry. In the case of Gary, US Steel served as employer and landlord to tens of thousands of men and women who were employed in the Gary Works of US Steel; lived in company-owned housing; attended company-owned schools and churches; and shopped at the company-owned store, to whom they were generally always in debt. Sometime in the 1920's, US Steel was required by the courts to get rid of the Gary Municipal Corporation; employees were permitted to buy the land and housing for some sum of money which was a multiple of their monthly rent, and a municipal government was established. During the 1930-60 era, the town flourished, as did the employer of 90 percent of the people in town. WWCA-1270 AM (Working With the Calumet Area) was the local radio station. As US Steel fell on hard times in the past twenty years, closing the South Chicago Works entirely and cutting back Gary Works to a shell of its former self, the town of Gary went with it. Mostly a very poor black community, Gary today consists of lots of boarded up storefronts (there has not been a 'downtown' in years) and abandoned houses, etc. Like Hammond, its neighbor to the east, they had put all their eggs in one basket called 'big steel'. The mills closed, and that was it. All of northwestern Indiana is in terrible economic ruins. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #614 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa09959; 29 Aug 93 15:47 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA32370 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Sun, 29 Aug 1993 13:20:49 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA32313 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Sun, 29 Aug 1993 13:20:02 -0500 Date: Sun, 29 Aug 1993 13:20:02 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199308291820.AA32313@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #615 TELECOM Digest Sun, 29 Aug 93 13:20:00 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 615 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Comparison of Salaries in Telecom Industry (Robert L. McMillin) Re: Leftover Drops (Patton Turner) Re: PEI Phones (John R. Levine) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Lee Sweet) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Christopher Zguris) Re: What Is NetView/6000? (Peter M. Weiss) Re: Looking for Cordless Headset Phones (Les Reeves) Re: Telephone Company Test Sets (Dave Carpentier) Re: Wait! Let me Get a Pen (Les Reeves) Modem Detectors (was Re: Modem Tax in Canada) (Nigel Allen) Voice/Data Monitoring (Peter Tindall) Touring a Working CO? (Eric Hinson) ISDN in the USA (J.C. Steele) Telephone Recording Devices (Jonathan Weinberg) Looking For Small and Intelligent PABX (Hans Zuidam) OSPS Questions (H. Shrikumar) Telix File Transfer Question (David Jonathan Dodick) Glad to Find! (Jeff Whitcomb) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: rlm@helen.surfcty.com (Robert L. McMillin) Subject: Re: Comparison of Salaries in Telecom Industry Organization: Surf City Software/TBFW Project Date: Sun, 29 Aug 1993 14:48:13 GMT On 25 Aug 1993 17:03:41 GMT, perri@wpi.WPI.EDU (David M Perri) said: > Please excuse my ignorance, but I am a second year student of > electrical engineering and I am having trouble deciding whether I > should go into hardware or software. I have a great interest in both > so I guess my deciding factor will be whichever one pays better. I > dont want to make a decision based on this, but I think it will be of > some importance in the final decision. Could someone please tell me > what the average salaries are of hardware and software engineers in > the data communications field? My question is, "Does it really matter?" As the essayist in this month's issue of {Harper's} pointed out, the one thing the new global economy is *not* producing is jobs. It is always cheaper to move high-paying positions overseas, and increasingly, that's where they're going. Software? That's moving to India, Singapore, Japan, Ireland, Russia, and anywhere else people can find cheap minds (which, by the way, are getting cheaper all the time). Hardware? Try Taiwan. Now that Mr. Gates has installed his T1 link to India, where do *you* think he'll hire programmers? New sign on the door at Microsoft: "Americans need not apply." Robert L. McMillin | Surf City Software | rlm@helen.surfcty.com [Moderator's Note: Advocates of more or less unlimited immigration into the USA frequently say there is no real problem with this as far as American unemployment goes, because the 'foreigners' usually are willing to take jobs Americans don't want such as working in the fields harvesting vegtables and working in canning plants; working on the killing floor at Iowa Beef Processors, Inc. (one of McDonald's biggest vendor/suppliers), and cleaning out public restrooms in the train and bus stations, etc. But as the number of T-1's in service increase and the world grows smaller, we find ourselves in an in- creasingly competitive world-wide labor force, with the the sort of ramifications you mention. Americans are going to find their high- priced services are no longer needed in many industries. In fact, lots of companies have moved from the USA to other places. PAT] ------------------------------ From: turner@Dixie.Com Date: Sun, 29 Aug 93 09:58 EDT From: rsiatl!turner@rsiatl.UUCP Subject: Re: Leftover Drops > install POTS. Can one easily determine the difference between an > unused pair and a pair used for Centrex Data or a leased line with > only a buttset? Nope. Harris Dracon makes a headphone buttset with indicators for various frequencies (293-4680, 4.68-18.8k, 18.8-100k, 100-200k and >200k). There are also T1 detectors using a inductive sensor. None of this is going to be issued to POTS installers. Cable and I&R maybe, but not the guys causing you problems. Try using some of the red plastic clips over the 66 bridging clips. A similar cap is also available for binding posts. Maybe you could also get them to use red surge modules. I like to tag all non POTS ckts this way. Patton Turner FAA Telecommunications KB4GRZ turner@dixie.com ------------------------------ From: johnl@ursa-major.spdcc.com (John R. Levine) Subject: Re: PEI Phones Date: Sun, 29 Aug 93 12:15:24 EDT Island Tel is controlled by MT&T, the Nova Scotia phone company, which as I recall is partly owned by Bell Canada. So it's not surprising that their offerings are similar to those elsewhere in Canada. A cynic might suggest that considering what one pays for phone service in Canada it had damned well better be good. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.com ------------------------------ From: decrsc!leesweet@uunet.UU.NET (Lee Sweet) Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 23:35:23 EDT I'm PAT's customer in the long (to us and maybe to Digest/c.d.t readers!) saga of trying to get AT&T to do the 'right' thing regarding these two 800 numbers and where they should terminate. I appreciate all the solutions and comments set forth, but I've decided to dedicate a DID number to the new 800 number, and (1) wait until we tell customers that the 'old' number is defunct or (2) move the old number to PAT's AT&T reseller, when we can have both lines again point to the same DID. Why? I want to have the flexibility to control where the calls go. I hate to have to call C&P (local RBOC) and wait for them to do it, when I'm used to just logging in to the PBX here and changing things! (Nothing like instant gratification...) Also, I feel this should not be PAT's problem (although I see the point of those that recommended he eat the cost!) ... it shouldn't be mine, either, but the cost saving over AT&T is drastic enough to not want to delay any further. [I doubt he makes much on even this traffic [12K min/month] at these rates; although AT&T sure does at their rates!] By the way, the old 800's DID isn't strictly a hunt group: it's a forward to voice mail, which mailbox has single digit menus customers pick from to go to the relevant ACD group. ROLM PBXs, unfortunately, will not forward twice, so I can't just forward a new DID to the old extension. That's the only reason I didn't cut all of this shorter and do that about ten days ago: I have to repeat some tricky programming I did about a year ago on the new mailbox for the new DID, and have our resident Voice Mail voice record a new greeting, etc. So, thanks for all the comments, and one thought: could the practice of having the billing keyed by the *target* instead of the *800 number* be just a holdover (bad programming choice) from the days when 800s did *not* have DID targets, but *were* the target, dedicated number themselves? (So when they were able to offer 800-> DID, someone decided to bill on target rather than 800 ...) BTW, I doubt that the target number is a customer record or the like, since most companies have 1 800 from the same vendor. (We have ten from Cable and Wireless, who, with 800 programming by the user, couldn't care less where the 800 ends up. [What does AT&T do when you ask them to move the target? Change all the billing records?!] And one more technical question re call forwarding: If I *had* purchased another outside C&P line and had it call-forwarded to the old number, would more than one call get through? I don't remember if call forwarding routing keeps the original path tied up, or if it would act like a call to the 'old' DID, which, being, in effect, a hunt group, can take as many calls as we have DID inbound trunks. Lee Sweet Internet *lists* - leesweet@datatel.com Chief Systems Consultant Internet *e-mail* - lee@datatel.com Datatel, Inc. Phone - 703-968-4661 4375 Fair Lakes Court Fairfax, VA 22033 FAX - 703-968-4625 (Opinions are my own, and only my own!) ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Aug 93 23:03 GMT From: Christopher Zguris <0004854540@mcimail.com> Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers Sorry if I missed something here, but why couldn't you move the existing or new 800 number to another carrier (800 portability) and have it terminate on the same line than have the other one through AT&T also go in on the same line, would AT&T know? Why won't 800 portability work in this case? If it were me -- and it could be done -- I'd move everything from AT&T (of course, I don't really like AT&T and "games" like this make me like them even less!) to a carrier more interested in getting the business than giving you the runaround! If 800 portability doesn't apply, somebody please explain why -- I don't know what POTS is. Christopher Zguris CZGURIS@MCIMail.com [Moderator's Note: Portability does apply, however pricing and costs for service is a consideration also. POTS = Plain Old Telephone Service, the name given to regular incoming/outgoing phone lines. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Aug 1993 11:03:25 EDT From: Peter M. Weiss Subject: Re: What Is NetView/6000? Organization: Penn State University In article , guide!editor@uunet.UU.NET (editor) says: > What is NetView/6000? Some other sources of Net/View discussions: Excerpt from the LISTSERV lists known to LISTSERV@PSUVM on 29 Aug 1993 11:03 Search string: NETVIEW Network-wide ID Full address List title NETV-L NETV-L@MARIST IBM's NETView discussion list NVAS-L NVAS-L@CUVMC NetView Access Services session manager disc+ NV6000-L NV6000-L@DHDURZ1 NetView/6000-Betreiber Erfahrungsaustausch Pete (pmw1@psuvm.psu.edu) -- Penn State U ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 17:28:10 EDT From: LESREEVES@delphi.com Subject: Re: Looking for Cordless Headset Phones In the brand-new 1994 Radio-Shack catalog ($2.95/per copy) a cordless headset telephone is described on pg. 65. The ET-474, available Oct. 30,1993, for $140,looks similar to their corded model 151. The only real "feature" this fone has to offer is companding. Several years ago Plantronics came out with a similar cordless headset fone called the "Liteset". It carried a list price of $299, and was a big flop. The fones were really good, but the price wasn't. DAK picked them up when Plantronics discovered there was not a market for $299 cordless headset fones. I bought several from DAK for $90 and have really enjoyed them. [Moderator's Note: Radio Shack is now getting $2.95 for catalogs? :( PAT] ------------------------------ From: dave.carpentier@OLN.COM Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 22:30:21 -0400 Subject: Re: Telephone Company Test Sets oppedahl@panix.com (Carl Oppedahl) wrote: > Some have an ASCII terminal built in, in which case the keys include a > cursor joystick and buttons for yes and no. You really can't leave us hanging on this one, Carl. What would they use the terminal for? Accessing assignment records and such? I would absolutely _love_ that ability. As a smaller TelCo we don't get fancy things like laptops, but this kind of butt-set could be a start. In any case, the new generation butt-sets are certainly much better than the old on/off/dial units. For me, the most appreciated feature is the automatic high db cutout circuit. I totally lost hearing in one ear for about four hours after using one of the old sets on a poor connection. Later, Dave ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Aug 1993 12:11:05 EDT From: LESREEVES@delphi.com Subject: Re: Wait! Let me Get a Pen The AIS (Automatic Intercept System), used by the Bell Companies, knows the current status of *all* numbers in it's service area. These are the main types of responses possible: "The number you have reached,NXX-XXXX, has been disconnected. No further information is available about NXX-XXXX." "The number you have reached,NXX-XXXX, has been changed, the new number is NPA-NXX-XXXX." A split reference is possible for a changed number, in which case the AIS operator asks the name of the party. This is used when two or more individual referrals are associated with one number (such as roomates). As soon as a number is assigned or reassigned, AIS gives this response: "The number, NXX-XXXX, may not yet be connected." After the new number has been in AIS for a fixed number of days, the response changes to: "The number you have reached,NXX-XXXX, is being checked for trouble." Disconnection for non-payment results in the following from AIS: "The number you have reached,NXX-XXXX, has been temporarily disconnected." ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Aug 93 19:51:25 EDT From: ae446@freenet.carleton.ca (Nigel Allen) Subject: Modem Detectors (was Re: Modem Tax in Canada) Organization: The National Capital Freenet Reply-To: ae446@freenet.carleton.ca Tad Cook (tad@ssc.com) wrote about the New Brunswick Telephone Company and some other Canadian telecommunications carriers needing to be able to detect modem/fax calls so that they could offer a *lower* rate to fax users. The lower rate is for long distance calls, and has an interesting history. Before Unitel Communications (formerly CNCP Telecommunications) was allowed to compete in the long distance voice market, it offered a discount long distance service for fax communications only. To make sure that the service would not be used for voice calls (apart, perhaps, from a few seconds to say "please turn your fax machine on" if the recipient's fax machine doesn't answer the phone automatically), there were fax carrier detectors that would disconnect the call after a minute or so if a fax machine hadn't answered. The service would also let you use most types of modems, although some modems (Trailblazers, possibly) weren't recognized properly by the fax carrier detectors and so got hung up on. So the service NBTel and other Canadian telephone companies need a modem detector for is a competitive response to the Unitel service. Nigel Allen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada ae446@freenet.carleton.ca ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Aug 93 23:46:12 EDT From: af288@freenet.carleton.ca (Peter Tindall) Subject: Voice/Data Monitoring Reply-To: af288@freenet.carleton.ca Tad Cook (tad@ssc.com) writes: > A few weeks ago I got a call from an engineer at New Brunswick > Telephone Co. in Canada. He was looking for a device that could > install in the CO to monitor traffic on individual POTS lines, and > automatically determine if the the line was being used for voice > instead of fax/data. > He said that in New Brunswick (and maybe this is true in other parts > of Canada) they have a tarrif which allows them to provide a POTS line > AT A LOWER RATE FOR MODEM OR FAX SERVICE ONLY. > He wanted some monitoring capability, because they were aware that > people were ordering the lower priced fax/modem lines, and using them > for voice. > So in some areas of Canada, fax/data lines are SUBSIDIZED by other > subscribers, rather than subject to a "modem tax"! Bell Canada (Ontario/Quebec) already offers a service called 'Faxcom'. This gives extra discounts for long distance fax/data and also shorter billing increments (twelve seconds I think). It is setup on a line basis. They give you 60 seconds or 90 seconds after connection to end voice and initiate data transmission. Their promotional material states that if voice is detected after this point the call will drop. They must be using some equipment to facili- tate this. Regards, Peter Tindall af288@freenet.carleton.ca or ptindall@accesspt.north.net ------------------------------ From: ehinson@nyx.cs.du.edu (Eric Hinson) Subject: Touring a Working CO? Date: Sun, 29 Aug 1993 03:24:51 MDT I've been following the discussion on the central office tours thread on the Digest, and was wondering if someone could tell me how I could go about getting a tour of a working central office that is practically right around the corner from where I live. I was able to get a tour of a 1AESS down in South Florida a few years back, thanks to my mom's affiliation with the phone company down there, but I don't know anybody that works for the phone company here. One of the reasons why I want a tour of the 5ESS here, is because the step equipment that used to be online for the 904-824 and 904-829 office is still in the same building as the 5ESS, and even though it is not running anymore, I'd still be very interested in seeing it. Any information you can provide through email would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. Eric L. Hinson / Internet: ehinson@nyx.cs.du.edu / Ham Radio: kb4rzf ------------------------------ From: J C Steele Date: Sat, 28 Aug 93 23:44:28 GMT Subject: ISDN in the USA Organization: CONNECT Mail Feed via ibmpcug.co.uk in the UK I have a client who is interested in using ISDN for file transfer. he wishes to send data between London and New York. To reduce the file transfer time he is contemplating using ISDN but has been told at a seminar that the bit rate in the USA for the ISDN service is 56 kilo bits compared with London which is 64 kilobits for the raw basic rate channel. This contradicts all that I have understood about ISDN. Please reassure me that the standards of 64 kbps is world wide. John Steele Soroban Systems 44 Copthall Lane Systems Integration Chalfont St Peter Bucks, SL9 0DJ, UK Email: jcs@ibmpcug.co.uk Tel/Fax +44 753 883886 ------------------------------ Reply-To: jonathan@paineweber.win.net (Jonathan Weinberg) Date: Sun, 29 Aug 1993 10:47:52 Subject: Telephone Recording Devices From: jonathan@paineweber.win.net (Jonathan Weinberg) I am looking for information on a high quality telephone recording device. I would like a device in which the recorder and off-hook sensor unit are integrated into one device. It should have good sound quality and a decent recording time (one to two hours or better). I would also like it to sense any phone picked up on the line -- not just one that it is directly connected to. I have had *NO* luck finding any companies that produce or distribute a device like this, except for Radio Shack, and their device is sub standard at best. Any help would be appreciated. Jonathan Weinberg jonathan@paineweber.win.net ------------------------------ From: udodo!hans@relay.nluug.nl (Hans Zuidam) Subject: Looking for Small and Intelligent PABX Date: Sat, 28 Aug 1993 16:11:36 MET I'm looking for a small and intelligent PABX. Small means about four external lines and eight to twelve internal lines. There are enough of PABXs that have these features but the intelligence is usually not there. What I want to do is to hook one of the internal lines to a voice mail system. Then a call to an internal line could be routed to the voice mail system through a "follow me" function. The switch should then be able to tell the system which extension was dialed to select the appropriate mailbox. Which internal extension was dialed could either be through a serial line or by generating SIT signals. Another possibility would be to use some kind of inter switch signalling. A lot of switches offfer the posibility to hookup a printer. The switch will send connect reports to the printer but not in real-time; usually some ten to twenty seconds after the call has been routed. What we need is some kind of (almost) real-time control. My current experience is that most switches of this type (4/8) have these capabilities. Vendors will only sell you there special feature handsets but do not want to release specs so you could do it yourself. Constructing a robot arm punching the keys on such a handset may look nice, but is not my idea of a "smart" interface ;-) All pointers are greatfully accepted and I'll summarise what I've been able to dig up. Reply to: Hans Zuidam Hans Zuidam Tel. +31 40 481546 Kruidenhof 18 E-Mail: hans@udodo.uucp, or 5632 MD Eindhoven ...!mcsun!sun4nl!udodo!hans ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Aug 93 15:17:03 -0400 From: shri@freal.cs.umass.edu Subject: OSPS Questions Hi, I have heard mention of the OSPS system, believe from ATT, on this list. I have some amount of info on it culled from here. I'd like some pointers to any detailed docs on the system? Any ATT or BSTJ articles on it ? Any folklore or trade rag articles? Summaries of funcitonality? Size? Cost? I wonder if it will be possible to take a look see sometime someplace? Thanks in advance for all pointers. shrikumar (shri@legato.cs.umass.edu, shri@shakti.ncst.ernet.in) ------------------------------ From: djdk@troi.cc.rochester.edu (David Jonathan Dodick) Subject: Telix File Transfer Question Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York Date: Sun, 29 Aug 93 00:34:08 GMT I am getting the message "sz: file skipped by receiver" when I try to receive files (from an ftp transfer) to my pc using Telix. I have a pc, 1200 baud modem, parity=none, high bit stripping is off. Can someone tell me what the message means and if something needs to be configured a certain way on my Telix program that I may not have checked?? ------------------------------ From: ah535@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Jeff Whitcomb) Subject: Glad to Find! Date: 29 Aug 1993 01:59:16 GMT Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA) Hi, I am Jeff Whitcomb and I work for Cellular One. Glad I found this SIG. I am a data and telecommunications analyst and have been looking for this place for a while now. Well, that's about it for now. Jeff [Moderator's Note: Welcome to you also, Jeff and the other readers of the Telecommunications SIG at your site. The Digest distribution is growing by leaps and bounds as numerous sites -- commercial as well as free -- begin distributing (and serving as article collection points) for the Digest with mailing lists of their own and local telecom discussion groups. Feel free to write anytime. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #615 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa07010; 30 Aug 93 17:18 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA25688 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Mon, 30 Aug 1993 14:40:31 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA27048 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Mon, 30 Aug 1993 14:39:28 -0500 Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 14:39:28 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199308301939.AA27048@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@delta.eecs.nwu.edu Subject: Telecom Surveys if You Wish to Participate This fellow has sent me questionairres he wants participation in from the readers of the Digest and comp.dcom.telecom. One of the two was run recently in the Digest, but after the fact the author wrote me to say there were errors (his own) in the preparation, and he had to start over again. I am not going to fill up the Digest itself with these, especially the second time around on one of them, so am making a special mailing to the group and a posting on comp.dcom.telecom for anyone interested in participating. There are questionairres below. Respond to either or both. DO NOT respond to the newsgroup or the Digest. Patrick Townson From: vish@orcs.bus.okstate.edu (Vish Daita) Subject: Telecommunications Faculty Survey Followup-To: vish@orcs.bus.okstate.edu Organization: Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK-74078. Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 14:37:59 GMT Survey of MS Telecommunications Programs Dear Faculty member: As a telecommunications faculty member you are in the forefront of extending the knowledge of the students into the future decades. Although telecommunications engineering and management is a fairly well established discipline, confusion still remains regarding how to meet the rising needs. We are conducting a survey of telecommunications faculty members that explores administration, admissions, the required course curricula, placement features, facilities and resources, research/industry relations, and your opinions. We request you, the person in the best position to render advice, to fill out the survey in order for us to better understand the requirements of a graduate program in telecommunications management. Would you help in this effort by answering the survey? Please take a few minutes to contribute to this study by completing the survey and mailing it back to us at vish@orcs.bus.okstate.edu. Please respond by September 10, 1993. Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Vish Daita MBA Program - Oklahoma State University ############################################################################## Please fill out the following survey. Please use as much space as is required. A. GENERAL 1. University: 2. Name of the faculty member (optional): 3. Address: 4. Phone: Fax: 5. E-mail address: B. ADMINISTRATION 1. Title of the Program: 2. When started: 3. Size: 4. How did the program start? 5. Delivery of the program: OnCampus/TV/Executive/Combination 6. Orientation/emphasis of the program: Technical/Business/Communications/Combination/Others 7. How is the program organized? (core subjects/electives etc.) 8. In which school is the program housed? 9. Is it a separate degree or an option to specialize in? 10. Which departments participate? C. ADMISSION 1. What are the admission requirements? 2. What is the recruitment process? 3. What are the prerequisites? Please list them: D. CURRICULUM 1. How many credit hours? 2. Typical graduation time? 3. What are the required courses? 4. What are the electives available? 5. Is a thesis necessary to graduate? 6. Is there a mandatory internship requirement? 7. Are the internships made available by the school? 8. Are there any special features in the curriculum? E. PLACEMENT 1. How is the placement process organized? 2. Who are employers of the graduates of the program? Manufacturers/vendors of the telecommunications equipment Users of the telecommunications technology Others 3. What are the career paths of the graduates of your program? 4. Which is a typical entry-level position that the graduates start their careers with? 5. What percentage of the jobs are found immediately after graduation? (How soon are the graduates of the program employed?) F. RESOURCES 1. Approximately how many Full-Time-Equivalents are allocated to the program? 2. Number of full-time faculty: 3. Number of part-time faculty: 4. What is the average teaching load? G. RESEARCH/INDUSTRY RELATIONS 1. Do the faculty have related research projects? What is the type of research - any examples? 2. Do the faculty have related university/industry projects? How responsive is the industry? How are the projects obtained? H. VIEWPOINT 1. What do you think will be the determining factors for a successful graduate program in Telecommunications Management? 2. What in your opinion are the attributes of an ideal graduate in Telecommunication Management? Vish Daita MBA Program-College of Business, OSU Stillwater, OK 74078 E-mail: vish@orcs.bus.okstate.edu --- second questionairre follows --- Dear Telecommunications Officer: As a telecommunications officer, you are faced with many far more job complexities than many information systems and educational professionals realize. Although industrial and academic efforts are increasing to provide support in helping you deal with those complex- ities, confusion still remains regarding how to meet your needs. I am conducting a survey of telecommunications officers that explores the value of task or knowledge areas thought to be essential for success in telecommunications management. The survey instructions ask you, the person in the best position to render judgment, to rate the importance of these job-related items in your role as a manager of telecommunications. Would you help in this effort by answering the survey questions? The results of the study will be reported in group form only, and individual responses will in no way be identified with specific companies or officers. Please take a few minutes to contribute to this study by completing the survey and returning it, preferably, by E-mail. Please respond by September 10, 1993. Your cooperation will be greatly appreciated. Sincerely, Vish Daita MBA Program - Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK 74078-0555 email: vish@orcs.bus.okstate.edu Telecommunications Engineers'/Managers' Survey The demographic data requested below is important in profiling the respondents of the survey. Please answer the following questions by placing an "x" in the appropriate space. Company Information: 1. What is the primary business purpose of your firm? Finance (Banking, Insurance, Securities, Credit, Real Estate) : Government (Military, Federal, State, Municipal) : Service (Telecommunications, Business, Education, Medical, Legal): Manufacturing : Other: (please specify) 2. In what geographic area are you currently working? Eastern (CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VT) : Southern (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV) : North Central (IA, IL, IN, MI, MN, MO, OH, WI) : Mountain Plains (CO, KS, ND, NE, NM, OK, SD, TX, WY) : Western (AK, AZ, CA, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA) : Other Country: (please specify) Personal Information 1. What is your specific job title? 2. Where was the majority of your telecommunications training received? (Check one) On-the-job (including seminars, workshops, etc.): Telephone company : Military : Vocational Training : College/University : 3. Have you had any additional telecommunications training? No: Yes: If yes, please check all that apply: On-the-job (including seminars, workshops, etc.): Telephone company : Military : Vocational Training : College/University : 4. What is the highest level of education that you have completed? Doctoral degree : Master's degree : Some graduate-level education : Four-year baccalaureate degree : Associate's degree : Some college : Vocational certificate program : No college or certificate program: 5. If you earned a baccalaureate degree, what was the specialty of that degree? Business : Liberal Arts : Information Systems/Data Processing : Computer Science : Engineering : Telecommunications : Other (please specify) : 6. Please list your LAST FIVE job positions from the earliest to the most recent. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 7. Within what approximate range is your current annual salary? $19,999 or less : $20,000 - $39,999 : $40,000 - $59,999 : $60,000 - $79,000 : $80,000 - $99,999 : $100,000 or more : Request for Survey Results: Would you like a copy of the results of this questionnaire? No: Yes: Send to: Address: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Job-Related Tasks and Knowledge Opinionnaire Instructions: Please rate the following job-related items based on your perceptions of their importance to your present role in your organization. Rank the items based on the following scale: ___________________________________________________________________________ Not Important: 1; Of Little Importance: 2; Somewhat Important: 3; Important: 4; Very Important: 5 ___________________________________________________________________________ Rank ___________________________________________________________________________ In my current position, it is important that I be able to.... 1. Evaluate hardware/software maintenance agreements 2. Use management tools in decision making (such as modeling) 3. Establish network security measures 4. Optimize voice communications 5. Select new telecommunications products that will be the most beneficial to my organization 6. Forge good vendor relationships 7. Promote a working relationship with MIS/Data Processing 8. Recruit qualified people 9. Prepare documentation for senior management 10. Minimize the cost of data communications 11. Cost-justify communications projects 12. Manage a multivendor communications system 13. Manage personnel In my position, it is important that I understand.... 14. Tariffs 15. Traffic engineering and network design 16. Worker concerns for job security 17. PBX technology and applications 18. Protocols and interfaces 19. Financial analysis 20. Daily operations of networks 21. Network management problems and procedures 22. Telecommunications regulations, policies, and the law 23. New technology and applications 24. Strategic challenges of the job 25. Local network cabling and implementation It is also important for me to understand.... 26. Implementation of office automation technology 27. The regulation framework for ISDN 28. Open Systems Interconnection 29. Communications equipment operation 30. The status and development of fiber optics in local exchange networks 31. Concepts of measured usage 32. Company objectives and policies 33. Existing common carrier services 34. Current issues at state and federal regulatory bodies 35. Fiber optic installation 36. End-user requirements In my organization, it is important that I be able to.... 37. Make equipment procurement decisions 38. Manage voice communications 39. Motivate employees 40. Optimize data communications 41. Evaluate the physical, data-link, and network layers of communications systems protocol hierarchy 42. Budget communications projects 43. Design networks 44. Negotiate with vendors 45. Develop RFPs (Requests for Proposals) 46. Obtain support of top management 47. Evaluate equipment and network services 48. Select vendors 49. Manage data communications 50. Design and develop communications projects THANK YOU FOR YOUR ASSISTANCE WITH THIS SURVEY (Developed by: Roberta Irene Ackerson) Vish Daita MBA Program-College of Business, OSU Stillwater, OK 74078 E-mail: vish@orcs.bus.okstate.edu   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa07306; 30 Aug 93 18:17 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA29031 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Mon, 30 Aug 1993 15:22:58 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA27456 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Mon, 30 Aug 1993 15:22:07 -0500 Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 15:22:07 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199308302022.AA27456@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #616 TELECOM Digest Mon, 30 Aug 93 15:22:00 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 616 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Ameritech PCS Trial Update #6 (Andrew C. Green) Patent Granted, Includes Major Telecom Elements (G. Aharonian via B. Sohl) Review of "Using UUCP and Usenet" by Todino/Dougherty (Rob Slade) Full Disclosure Live (Mark Earle) Cellular Data Communications (Jeff Whitcomb) Panasonic KXT-2622 Fix Needed (Laurence Chiu) Advice Wanted on Climbing Gear (Dave Carpentier) Telco-Owned COCOTs? (Glenn R. Stone) No More Pesky Busy Signals, Only $0.50 Per Call (Les Reeves) AT&T 900 MHz Phone Availability (Stephen Friedl) DLC/NGDLC (Yee-Lee Shyong) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 11:10:47 CDT From: Andrew C. Green Reply-To: acg@hermes.dlogics.com Subject: Ameritech PCS Trial Update #6 Here's another Ameritech PCS Update, the latest in an erratic series of reports on the progress of a trial of digital spread-spectrum portable phones being conducted by Ameritech in the Chicago area. Yours truly is a member-of-the-general-public tester, enlisted to use the telephone as much as possible and to fill out semi-monthly surveys reporting my views. Some background info: These test phones were issued to several hundred people in the Chicago area for testing from September of last year to December of this year. The phones operate with digital transceivers installed in downtown Chicago, the Lincoln Park residential area to the north, and the northwest suburb of Arlington Heights. New Developments New units with inbound-calling capability are finally being distributed; mine is promised for this week. The original PCS (as configured for my account, anyway) was a Motorola CT2 SilverLink unit with a pager stuffed into its flip cover, giving the little phone a pregnant appearance. People calling my number would be routed to an Ameritech Voicemail box, where their voice message (or DTMF number, if they dialed one) would trigger my pager and display a return phone number, which the PCS could automatically dial. The improved, inbound-capable PCS will not have the pager, I'm told, although the Voicemail box will be retained as a backup in case my phone isn't in service when a call arrives. This will make for an even tinier (thinner) phone to casually pull out of a pocket should it become necessary to impress nearby yuppies. Already the CT2 with pager is so small that it makes the other portable phones look like absolute bricks by comparison, and if it wasn't for a glaring-aqua color band around the handset, it would be almost invisible in your hand when in use. Given the intense competition for tiny phones here in Chicago, I suspect that they don't want their product to vanish from view when in use. I notice some other phones compensate for their small size by drawing attention to themselves with obnoxiously-loud button beeps. On that same inverse scale, my PCS would sound like a foghorn :-) but, mercifully, the weak battery power prevents anything louder than discreet blips while dialing the phone. I'll report further on the new inbound-calling capability after I have a chance to try it out for a while. Latest Surveys Last month I received another large envelope from Ameritech, containing several pages of survey and two crisp dollar bills for my time. I was pleased to see that their questions concerned reception problems, since my only constant complaint with the PCS has been the weak power, leading to painfully-frequent dropouts and occasional dropped calls. Although we don't get too much feedback on the results of surveys, it's reassuring to see the right questions being asked. Service Improvements The Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights was recently added to the service area with the installation of PCS transceivers. As I live literally next door, this gave me the opportunity to use airtime at home, as opposed to the usual method of plugging a "base unit" into the home phone's land line and switching the PCS over to "Private" mode usage as a cordless extension phone. Some experimentation showed that our kitchen, facing the hospital, had a PCS signal available, but the little phone couldn't find the signal at all in our living room or points further east. During a recent rather noisy birthday party in our kitchen, I sat at one end of the kitchen table and used my PCS in Public mode to dial my home phone number. The PCS transmitted the call to the PCS transceiver at the hospital, which passed the call to a land line and the standard phone system central office, which routed the call as usual to our home telephone, ringing the wall phone in the kitchen at the other end of the table where my wife was sitting. When she answered, I asked her to pass the salt. Bells and Whistles While I have enjoyed the benefits of a voicemail box, pager, base unit for land line use and so on, it seems that all the above are regarded as "options". An acquaintance from Arlington Heights finally received his own PCS, and was a bit surprised to find that he'd received a stripped-down model with none of the above: he was given a basic, non-pregnant CT2 SilverLink (no pager) limited to only outbound public calls, no base unit/extension-phone capability, and that was that. Well. He could not have been more impressed if they had given him two coffee cans and a piece of string. He fired off a frosty letter to Ameritech indicating that this was not exactly the wave-of-the-future hi-tech gizmo trial he'd been expecting, and got a prompt reply saying that they'd see what they could do about upgrading his equipment. Defining what the "minimum package" should consist of is going to be an important concern. Everyday Use Following a one-month trip to Cincinnati, Ohio (Civic Motto: "Three N's, One T") and a forced hiatus from the PCS, I made a lot of calls to ensure that the Ameritech computers didn't decide to yank my service as inactive. This was just too much for the batteries, apparently; despite my faithful overnight recharging, they just don't seem to deliver enough oomph for the phone after a few months of service. The CT2 SilverLink phones we are using have their own unique type of battery which vaguely resembles two AA batteries in a cardboard case; if battery turnover is going to become an issue, it would seem better to re-engineer the phones to take some more commonly-available size, in my opinion. Battery exhaustion is easily the most irritating problem I've had; I have been in the midst of some important late-afternoon conversations, and the batteries would decide to expire. In a matter of seconds, the audio cuts off and you hear the gloomy "dip ... dip ... dip" Out of Range signal. What you're _supposed_ to do when you hear this signal is back up, since you're veering out of the service area. If you're like me, however, before making the call, you began by using the dial tone as a Geiger counter to determine the best spot to stand in for good reception. (Forget about wandering around during a conversation; the dropouts are too distracting.) Therefore, when the batteries fail and give you this completely fictitious "Out of Range" nonsense, you briefly stomp around in a circle on a fruitless search for a signal, which of course is there but the @$#%& phone can't hear it anymore, then you march off in search of a payphone, with comic-style smoke coming out of your ears. Not that I am bitter ... :-) but it's a trifle embarrassing to have to call your party back to explain that your hi-tech phone pooped out in the middle of the shopping mall. Dropouts versus Static One of digital communication's claimed advantages is the absence of static; in fact there is a small advertising battle being fought in Chicago at the moment over whether or not digital cellular offers better communication than analog because you don't have static. One of the local providers has been bellowing over the airwaves about how nice their digital cellular is, especially compared to the yucky old analog stuff used by certain competitors that have absolutely no respect for you, your phone or your business and are probably owned by Communists. Ameritech fired back with a somewhat defensive direct-mail campaign saying that, why, just the other day people were calling them up to remark about how nice and clean their analog service was. I feel stuck in the middle. I apologize to the more-technical people reading this if I'm comparing apples and oranges, but I can operate my analog cellular car phone side-by-side with the digital PCS, and although the PCS has a better quality sound, if it drops out, it's gone. When an analog connection deteriorates, which doesn't seem to happen too often anyway, you at least have the "option" of bellowing through the static and usually being heard at the other end. If the PCS connection gets in trouble, you are crisply cut off the air until it gets itself sorted out. This "On/Off" behavior makes one feel rather powerless. To the PCS' credit, however, I suspect that the current, all-too-frequent dropout problem will be improved before a full commercial release. It pretty much has to be. The PCS Trial is scheduled to end in December, at which time we have all been promised "free gifts". Wonder what those will be? I'll keep you all informed. Andrew C. Green Datalogics, Inc. Internet: acg@hermes.dlogics.com 441 W. Huron UUCP: ..!uunet!dlogics!acg Chicago, IL 60610 FAX: (312) 266-4473 ------------------------------ From: whs70@dancer.cc.bellcore.com (sohl,william h) Subject: Patent Granted, Includes Major Telecom Elements Organization: Bellcore, Livingston, NJ Date: Mon, 30 Aug 93 13:29:13 GMT The following item was posted to sveral newsgroups. I thought it might be of interest here as the patent (according to the post) covers use of many telecom items (e.g. terminals, transmission lines, etc.) Standard Disclaimer- Any opinions, etc. are mine and NOT my employer's. Bill Sohl (K2UNK) BELLCORE (Bell Communications Research, Inc.) Morristown, NJ email via UUCP bcr!cc!whs70 201-829-2879 Weekdays email via Internet whs70@cc.bellcore.com -----------repeated article begins here------------------------ From: srctran@world.std.com (Gregory Aharonian) Subject: Patent Office issues too broad home-shopping-banking patent Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1993 16:28:27 GMT The Patent Office just issued a potentially troubling software patent. >From the August 12, 1993, issue of Washington Technology, page 4. "Online Resources & Communications received a huge boost from the USPTO, which issued a patent earlier this month for its home banking and shopping system. The patent gives the firm exclusive rights to process real-time electronic transactions of consumers using any in-home terminal to purchase goods and services, pay bills and bank through a shared debit network such as the MOST system of automated teller machines. The patent covers telephones, computers and televisions used as terminals in such networks. I don't know how broad the patent claims are, and if they can stand up in court, but this type of technology does not seem very original and worth of patent protection. Though if it holds up, they stand to make a lot of money. I don't know what the patent number is. Greg Aharonian srctran@world.std.com Source Translation & Optimization 617-489-3727 P.O. Box 404, Belmont, MA 02178 ------------------------------ Date: 30 Aug 93 9:49 -0600 From: Rob Slade Subject: Review of "Using UUCP and Usenet" by Todino/Dougherty BKUSUUCP.RVW 930727 O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. 103 Morris Street, Suite A Sebastopol, CA 95472 800-998-9938 707-829-0515 fax: 707-829-0104 info@ora.com "Using UUCP and Usenet", Todino/Dougherty Another of the excellent "nutshell" books, this one targets the users of uucp and the related utilities. The level is quite technical -- but then, users of uucp are pretty much bound to be technical themselves, unless their "use" is limited to preprogrammed scripts. Chapter one is an introduction to uucp and networks (versions of uucp having been covered in the Preface). Using mail as an example, network routing and "bang paths" are explained. Chapter two deals with file transfers, and covers "permissions" and security aspects. Chapter three explains the "remote" execution of commands while five details remote login. Chapter four covers the matter of checking on the status of requests. Chapter six, "Extending the UUCP Network", extends chapter one. Chapters seven, eight and nine deal with Usenet, and the reading and posting of "news". I hesitate to criticize this section: aside from the rapid dating of the material it is both accurate and consistent with the rest of the book. However, with the rapid increase in both the size and usage of Usenet, it is perhaps time, and past time, for a separate explanation of news and news readers. The basics are all contained here, but a work aimed at the "bulletin board" level user would currently find a very large audience. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993 BKUSUUCP.RVW 930727 Vancouver Institute for Research into User Security, Canada V7K 2G6 Robert_Slade@sfu.ca ROBERTS@decus.ca rslade@cue.bc.ca Fidonet 1:153/733 p1@CyberStore.ca 604-526-3676 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 00:31:37 -0500 From: mearle@falcon.tamucc.edu (Mark Earle) Subject: Full Disclosure Live Pat, This evening (Aug 30 0001Z) (Sunday evening, 1900 CDT) I heard an interesting broadcast. WWCR, 7.435 Mhz, 0001-0100Z. "Full Disclosure Live" (Let's Talk Network) Glen ??? was the host, editor of Full Disclosure magazine. Contact information: Superior Broadcasting 400 S. Beverly Dr. Suite 214 Beverly Hills, CA 90212 (708) 838-0316 fax Subscription Information: (708) 786-3927 On air call in number: (708) 838-3378 Internet: fdlive@aol.com The co-host was Will Dwyer, president of the company running 900 Stopper. His contact number was reported as (310) 364-3444. Topics touched on were: Privacy, accidental disclosure of info via floppy (the old dos problem data is there even though files are deleted). Some telecom issues, such as calling an 800 number may reveal your number to the recipient of the call. Overall, it was interesting, but probably nothing surprising to regular Digest readers. Still, interesting that some of these issues are getting some main stream exposure. Received WWCR here on my desk top receiver with just the whip antenna btw. Receiver is a Radio Shack DX-440 aka Sangean 803a. Mark Ealre mearle@falcon.tamucc.edu ------------------------------ From: ah535@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Jeff Whitcomb) Subject: Cellular Data Communications Date: 30 Aug 1993 01:25:40 GMT Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA) Actually, I am suprised that the amount of cellular data communications isn't greater than it is. I currently use a Compaq (ACKKK!!) 286 and a 1200 baud modem in my van for work. Granted I am not doing video, but being able to dial into one of our PBX's to do a reset or service change, or check status of one of our routers has been a definate benefit when on the road. So no matter what the speed, it has it's use. As a tech/analyst for a Cellular company the benefit for no billing is definately an advantage, but I can't believe that there are not more service oriented organizations utilizing cellular data comm, even if it means pulling off to the side of the road! Well, just my opinion. (Oh, by the way that is with a standard CO2 phone with an internal modem, so there would be no extra charge.) Jeff Whitcomb Cellular One Communications Analyst ------------------------------ From: Lchiu@holonet.net Subject: Panasonic KXT-2622 Fix Needed Organization: HoloNet National Internet Access System: 510-704-1058/modem Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 14:52:42 GMT I have one of the above phones. It's a speaker phone with answering machine -- nice unit. Unfortunately somebody plugged in a ac adapter with the wrong polarity which did something bad to it. Now the answering machine and speaker phone won't work (no power) although the phone is fine. I took it to Panasonic who charged me $20 to look at it and then sent it back saying PCB was cracked -- not repairable. This seems a little strange given that only incorrect polarity voltage was applied. Does anybody know of a place that would repair such a unit? It seems a waste to toss it out. Thanks. Laurence Chiu lchiu@holonet.net --- ~ KWQ/2 1.2a ~ ------------------------------ From: dave.carpentier@OLN.COM Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 12:30:22 -0400 Subject: Advice Wanted on Climbing Gear Quite a few issues ago I posted a question concerning the use of lead in outside plant construction. If I can extrapolate from some of the email I received, it seems that lead is fortunately on it's way out. I still have to work with the darn stuff, but I'm sure someone will let me know if it begins to affect my keyboarding skills. Now for the next OSP question: Current regulations in Ontario (Canada? US? other?) state that a worker must not be allowed to fall unarrested more than ten feet. I fall (no pun) into this group, and a few years ago had to re-train with new pole climbing gear. We were given two choices of equipment; the Posi-belt(tm) and the PoleShark(tm). The Posi-belt is quite similar to the conventional equipment most people have seen in the past, but includes a sharp disc (the "pizza cutter". It grabs into the back of the pole in a fall) and a small belt on the climber's side that's used to reduce the effective diameter of the belt's "loop" around the pole. Most of my fellow workers took this route, as it involved little re-training. I think it was rated as being a bit over 60% effective in a fall. It's drawback seems to be the 'pizza cutter' -- it likes to chew up buried service wires stapled to the back of the pole, and is often rendered useless when there are metal guards (ie hydro buried service) on the back of the pole. The PoleShark is quite unconventional. I can be pictured as a big "C" with flexible (sprung) tips. The tips contain 3-D style wheels with spikes, as well as handles to climb with. A belt connects the climber's D-rings to the handles. In a fall, the sprung tips will close and bite into the pole, stopping you in short order. I was the only (foolish?) soul to put my name in for this device. It involved quite a bit of re-training. It's supposed to be more than 80% effective in a fall. It's drawback is the extra "luggage" of the "C" device. Any comments from users of either of these (or other) systems? Later, Dave (dave.carpentier@oln.com) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Aug 93 21:58:32 GMT From: taliesin@netcom.com (Glenn R. Stone) Subject: Telco-Owned COCOTs? I've been noticing something really screwey of late ... in several places around Atlanta, I find a phone, it says "Southern Bell", its number is NPA-9xxx just like a Real Pay Phone, it has the coin return slot on the left side just like a Real Pay Phone, but I stick a quarter in the slot, dial the number, and it says "Thank you" in a badly digitized voice and goes dead until the call has supervised for a second or two! What happened today was even stranger ... quarter in the slot, hit the buttons, blow the number somehow, and I get a really weird-sounding busy back, the cadence being the same as a fast busy, but the tone sounding something like a UK ring signal. What's going on here? Is BellSouth using a COCOT? One more tidbit ,]... if I hit 950-xxxx, it sounds like the call to the IXC switch goes thru just like it would on a Real Pay Phone ... no cut-the-mike, no redial-the-number, just the usual set of clicks followed by the "dial tone" put out by the IXC computer on the other end of the line. Somebody want to clue me in here? It walks like a duck, it looks like a duck, but it certainly doesn't quack like a duck, and I hope I'm not going to be a silly goose if I decide to make an LD call on one of these critters. If somebody local wants to mess with one for giggles, there's a pair of'em at the K-mart on Clairmont, and another gaggle at the Waffle House on Ponce de Leon at 285. obDisclaimer: I didn't say do it for profit, or to try to take Southern Bell's profits, I said do it for giggles. That means nobody gets hurt, including you or me. Glenn R. Stone (taliesin@netcom.com) [Moderator's Note: I doubt that Southern Bell is using COCOTS. It is more likely that a COCOT operator has put his phone inside the little plastic shelter saying Southern Bell; and/or put the works from his phoone inside Southern Bell containers. Maybe he should stop doing that before Southern Bell gets mad at him :). Now and then I find COCOTS mounted in the little metal wall-mounted containers which say Illinois Bell all over them. I tell IBT when I see them. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 12:57:54 -0400 (EDT) From: LESREEVES@delphi.com Subject: No More Pesky Busy Signals, Only $0.50 Per Call The Cox-so",",Southern Bell deal goes on line next week. Funny, I never had a problem getting through. The only problem with the 222 prefix was that many categories listed in the newspaper had been abandoned by the sponsor! This is the official announcement of the new "service": Readers of {The Atlanta Journal-Constitution} will be able to get substantially more business, economic and investment news by telephone starting Sept. 5 when the newspaper introduces "511", its new three-digit phone service. It replaces the seven-digit "222" service. Callers dialing 511 will be charged 50 cents per call for up to five minutes of news, stock quotes, bond prices, commodity news, currency rates or other information. Charges will appear on the caller's phone bill. Callers also will be able to obtain a portfolio of information they can hear daily by dialing 511 and entering a personal identification code. The portfolio can include information that is updat regegularly, including ten stock price quotes. Unlike the current 222 service, callers are less likely to get a busy signal. Also, the new 511 service will not have commercial advertising. ------------------------------ From: friedl@mtndew.Tustin.CA.US (Stephen Friedl) Subject: AT&T 900 MHz Phone Availability Date: Mon, 30 Aug 93 10:01:08 PDT Hi folks, It seems that the long-awaited AT&T 900MHz cordless units won't be out until Feb 1994, according to the local AT&T phone center store. They were originally scheduled to be out this spring, then pushed off until September, now off till next year. The lady wasn't sure why they were waiting, but she did say that they wanted to come out with a full line all at once. Anybody else know the full story? If this is a marketing decision, they are going to lose customers like me who Will Not Wait any longer. Stephen J Friedl | Software Consultant | Tustin, CA | +1 714 544-6561 3B2-kind-of-guy | I speak for me ONLY | KA8CMY | uunet!mtndew!friedl ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Aug 93 14:37:04 From: apollo@n2sun1.ccl.itri.org.tw (Yee-Lee Shyong) Subject: DLC/NGDLC What's the difference between DLC (Digital Loop Carrier) and NGDLC (Next Generation Digital Loop Carrier)? Can anyone tell me what kind of product cound be classified in the NGDLC category? ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #616 ******************************   Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by mintaka.lcs.mit.edu id aa08490; 30 Aug 93 23:47 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA03661 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist-outbound); Mon, 30 Aug 1993 20:42:47 -0500 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA05096 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecomlist); Mon, 30 Aug 1993 20:41:56 -0500 Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 20:41:56 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199308310141.AA05096@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #617 TELECOM Digest Mon, 30 Aug 93 20:41:45 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 617 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Re: Cellular Phone Price Samples (Seng-Poh Lee) Re: Telephone Company Test Set Questions (Pat Turner) Re: Telephone Company Test Set Questions (Carl Oppedahl) Re: Terminal Needed for 2400 (Mark Earle) Re: Portable Terminal Needed (H. Shrikumar) Re: ISDN in the USA (Carl Oppedahl) Re: Save the SSC (Robert L. McMillin) Re: Save the SSC (John Pettitt) Kill the SSC (was Re: Save the SSC (Brad Hicks) Re: Comparison of Salaries in Telecom Industry (Rajappa Iyer) Re: Comparison of Salaries in Telecom Industry (Tarl Neustaedter) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 13:08:05 -0400 From: Seng-Poh Lee Subject: Re: Cellular Phone Price Samples Organization: Public Domain Inc. In article was written: > Paul Robinson (TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM) wrote: >> The following is the current status of some of the pricing for >> cellular telephones. All prices quoted are based on a tie-in to take >> airtime from one of the local companies. > Who cares? I rarely flame but this posting contains no useful > information, since the phones are cross-subsidized by the calling > plans, and ... Ok, so here are the prices of some HANDHELD phones that you can buy outright, without service. For comparison, I've also included the price with one year service from Bell Atlantic Mobile of CT; Motorola 550 Flip $ 369 ($166 with service) Nokia 101 $ 359 ($179 with service) Nokie 121 $ 379 ($199 with service) Audiovox MVX 750 $ 679 ($439 with service) Mitsubishi 4000 $ 599 ($372 with service) OKI 900 $ 499 ($284 with service) OKI 1150 $ 679 ($435 with service) All these phones, with the exception of the OKI 900 weigh in at less than ten ounces, and fits in a shirt pocket. The Audiovox weighs 6.2 ozs and gets 65 minutes talk time. Can you tell I'm in the market for a lighter/smaller handheld? :-) These prices are available via mail order from a superstore in Texas. If you buy without service, they will ship you the phone with programming instructions. You are responsible for changing your service ESN with your service provider. Seng-Poh Lee ------------------------------ From: turner@Dixie.Com Date: Mon, 30 Aug 93 13:50 EDT Subject: Re: Telephone Company Test Set Questions Reply-To: turner@dixie.com In ehinson@nyx.cs.du.edu (Eric Hinson) writes: > A few weeks ago, a Southern Bell repairman came out to my residence to > check my line for static. While he was testing the line, I got a call > from a person who was unaware that my line was being checked. The > repairman handed me the test set (the bright orange ones they use), > and I told the person I would call them back. When I handed him the > test set back, I noticed quite a few extra buttons besides the ones > for DTMF. I couldn't make out what they said on them, and was > wondering if someone could send me email telling me what all these > buttons do/what tones they generate. Thanks for your help. If the test set was a matt bright orange (or blue/gray) with very square lines, it is a Harris Dracon TS22. This is standard issue for most Bell South employees and many others in the communications field. Some craftspeople carry several buttsets, the second one may be a TS21 or one of the rotary dial models. I have seen at least one MCI Tech and one ATT tech only carry rotary sets. Anyway, on the TS22, the buttons are STO (store), RCL (recall), PSE (Pause, for PBX), LNR (Last Number Redial), plus a 12 digit DTMF pad. On the same faceplate is a switch for pulse/tone dialing which also turns the ringer off. Other switches elsewhere are for mute, on hook/ off hook, and for the amplified speaker. See, nothing secret, just a "feature" butt set. The TS22A even has a speakerphone for $200 more. Speaking of installers, one told me a while back that a young woman had come on to him and wanted his ANAC numbers in exchange for a "date". She would sell these to her friends for $5 for entertainment or finding out some other girls phone number while at her dorm or apartment. He said he declined. Believe it or not ... Patton Turner KB4GRZ FAA Telecommunications turner@dixie.com [Moderator's Note: I am not surprised that he declined. Most people who work at telcos don't take 'bribes', whatever form they come in. PAT] ------------------------------ From: oppedahl@panix.com (Carl Oppedahl) Subject: Re: Telephone Company Test Set Questions Date: 30 Aug 1993 14:33:19 -0400 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC In dave.carpentier@OLN.COM writes: > oppedahl@panix.com (Carl Oppedahl) wrote: >> Some have an ASCII terminal built in, in which case the keys include a >> cursor joystick and buttons for yes and no. > You really can't leave us hanging on this one, Carl. What would they > use the terminal for? Accessing assignment records and such? I would > absolutely _love_ that ability. As a smaller TelCo we don't get fancy > things like laptops, but this kind of butt-set could be a start. What I saw was a technician calling in to find out cable and pairs for particular phone numbers, to initiate central office line tests (through some automated device) and to display the results, and to log in the conclusion of a customer visit with the result codes. Oh, and to get a text report of the next service call. I expect maybe it had a 300-baud modem in it. Of course, nowadays a one-chip 2400 baud modem is cheap, too. Carl Oppedahl AA2KW (patent lawyer) 1992 Commerce Street #309 Yorktown Heights, NY 10598-4412 voice 212-777-1330 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 14:35:24 -0500 From: mearle@falcon.tamucc.edu (Mark Earle) Subject: Re: Terminal Needed for 2400 I've had the same problem of needing a small, reliable, and relatively inexpensive terminal. My general specs are: run on AA disposable batteries (so one can keep going indefinately, w/out needing AC power nor waiting for the nicad pack to recharge), 80 x 25 screen, and limited save to disk/ram of ascii and binary files. My first machine was a Tandy Model 100. With only 40 x 8 lines, it was tricky in some situations, but _did_ work fine. My next was an HP-95LX. VT52, 100, ANSI, 40 x 16 screen which you pan a 'window' around to see the 80 x 25 screen. OK. Kermit and Xmodem. Will run Procomm Plus and Procomm 2.4, although again, the 'windowing' required can be a bit of a hassle. Zeos Pocket PC. This is my current terminal. 2 AA batteries, 80 x 25 CGA greyscale. Built in ms works has vt52 and ansi, xmodem, capture to file. Runs PCPlus, Procomm no problems. The HP95 only has a three wire interface and you must build/ obtain an adaptor to get to some serial devices. Some devices require jumpering hardware flow control, since the HP95 doesn't support that. Suggested source, EduCalc, HP95 512k $400 , 1 meg, $600, can take one pcm1 slot ram card. Zeos: Zeos direct markets. Two pcm1 type slots. $600. Short cable terminates in 'AT' standard DB-9 male. Full hardware handshaking supported. Also has a standard paralell port (Backpack tape and disk drives work with it, so it must be _really_ standard!). Built in MS works only goes to 9600 baud in the terminal product, but Procomm will drive a 14.4 modem using a 38k computer <--> modem just fine. Wife's computer, at a higher cost: $1000 Gateway 2000 Handbook. $250 for optional floppy drive. Standard 9 pin serial port, 286/12meghz class, built in 40 meg HD, dos5 included. Obviously, you can load any of your favorite term programs from another machine (they supply Interlink for this purpose, as does Zeos). 80 x 25 CGA. Does run on 6 AA w/all power saving 'off' and hard drive spinning constantly for about 4 hours. Much longer if you let it save power for you. The 6 aa holder is included. They've also come out with a 486/25 version 4 meg ram 80 meg HD for $1500 and more ram/HD for $2000 (VGA screen). Oh, the 286/12 CGA has one meg ram. To save HD spin up time, etc. you can set up the 380 or so K above 640 as a vdisk and put your terminal program there. Feel free to contact me with specific questions. One more comes to mind - the HP100, which has nine pin serial, hardware handshake, and 80 x 25. The keyboard is still too small for touch typing, but fine for making menu choices. (The Zeos & Gateways are large enough to allow touch typing at normal spees). Note: None of the above support a vendor supplied modem, but: The new Gateway 486 has a pcm2 slot (the 286/12 does not have a slot) The HP95/100 and Zeos have pcm1 slots. There are modems available (at premium cost) for both pcm1 and pcm2. Again, Educalc is a good starting point for such "unusual" products) Hope this helps. mearle@falcon.tamucc.edu Mark Earle ------------------------------ Date: Mon 30 Aug 93 15:35:56 -0400 From: shri@freal.cs.umass.edu Subject: Re: Portable Terminal Needed Organization: UMass, Amherst MA + Temporal Sys & Computer Networks Bombay India In article daveb%jaws@dsinet.dgtl.com .. > The TI Travel Mate ??220 is pretty good. Not sure about the model. > It's something like LT220 or LV220. Anyway, it's a VT-220 emulating > LCD terminal with a built-in 2400 buad Hayes compatible modem. These .. > and eventually cost about $1400, so I'm sure they're less now. It > also has a DB-9 serial port to connect it directly to a computer, and > the battery lasts about four hours between chargings. It's about the A small subnotebook, perhaps one of the ones that just got obsolete, like the Sharp PC3000, and a PCMCIA modem should cost perhaps half of that or a little more. As would a HP100lx and a pcmcia card modem or a world port 2400 pocket modem. Dont know if this kind of stuff fits your requirements, (hp100lx's small size, and the obsoleteness of the PC3000 etc) tho', so here I said for what it is worth. Comp.sys.palmtops on USENET will get you more details on these. shrikumar (shri@legato.cs.umass.edu, shri@shakti.ncst.ernet.in) ------------------------------ From: oppedahl@panix.com (Carl Oppedahl) Subject: Re: ISDN in the USA Date: 30 Aug 1993 14:36:52 -0400 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC In J C Steele writes: > I have a client who is interested in using ISDN for file transfer. he > wishes to send data between London and New York. To reduce the file > transfer time he is contemplating using ISDN but has been told at a > seminar that the bit rate in the USA for the ISDN service is 56 kilo > bits compared with London which is 64 kilobits for the raw basic rate > channel. > This contradicts all that I have understood about ISDN. Please reassure > me that the standards of 64 kbps is world wide. I have been told that many of the telco links from one CO to the next are only 56KBPS, and that as a result many US ISDN installations carry only 56KBPS on the B channel rather than the expected 64KBPS. It's not that the telcos are denying the standard is 64KBPS, I have heard, but that they are sort of embarassed they cannot easily provide it in some service areas. I think perhaps your client has the bad luck to be in one of these 56KBPS areas. You might also want to talk to Sprintnet and BT Tymnet to see if they can do what you need via X.25 and the like. Or get on the Internet at both ends, and use telnet or FTP or whatever. Carl Oppedahl AA2KW (patent lawyer) 1992 Commerce Street #309 Yorktown Heights, NY 10598-4412 voice 212-777-1330 ------------------------------ From: rlm@helen.surfcty.com (Robert L. McMillin) Subject: Re: Save the SSC Organization: Surf City Software/TBFW Project Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 14:51:13 GMT On Sat, 28 Aug 1993 18:06:58 GMT, ssc1@cse.uta.edu (Super Conductor Super Collider 1) said: > The Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory was established to > investigate the fundamental nature of matter and energy. It is one of > the greatest scientific instruments ever to be constructed on the face > of the earth. The knowledge we gain from the SSC is essential to > maintaining the continued leadership position of the US in Science and > Technology. In June, the House voted to cut funding for the SSC due to > problems with the management of the construction. The Senate is due to > consider voting in September. And on. The Net is awash in such pleas asking the public to flood their Congresscritters with tearstained letters expressing outrage at the closing of the Nevada Desert Cetacean Research Center, Fort Mugwump, and multi-terabyte.archive.mil. According to the folks who pen these mournful missives, Life As We Know It will end if the Feds pull the plug. Government subsidy apparently is a constitutional right, or close to it. Echoing this call for saving every federal boondoggle is the ridiculous notion that the Net would somehow cease to exist if fine companies like O'Reilly and Associates put together a little net.magazine with paid advertising. Some people even thought that c.d.t was doomed when Pat started mentioning (horreurs!) the talk tickets he sells. It's time we started making intelligent, rational decisions about what businesses the government *should* be in, and which they should *not*. It's time that each of us learns that the money the feds takes in comes not from God or trees but from our fellow man. It's estimated that by 1997, most citizens will be recipients of federal dollars. What does that mean for us as a country? And what does that mean for the national debt? The old saw reads, "Government is an attempt by some people to live at the expense of everybody else." That so many people believe it can be done proves that the gospel of perpetual motion and the Flat Earth Society is alive and well. Robert L. McMillin | Surf City Software | rlm@helen.surfcty.com ------------------------------ From: jpettitt@well.sf.ca.us (John Pettitt) Subject: Re: Save the SSC Organization: The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1993 21:32:10 GMT In ssc1@cse.uta.edu (Super Conductor Super Collider 1) writes: > At a time when such projects like the Helium Fund ... Ok let me see if I get this. Because stupid things are being funded so should the SCC? Why? What is the purpose of the SCC? a) Jobs b) Well we have already dug the hole now just poor in the money? c) Pork for Texas political types? Big science has a lot of justifying to do. Between the SCC, Mars observer and others a very large amount of small science or basic education could have been funded. Or better still the money could have been left in the private sector to help the economy. Please somebody point out one direct positive result of non-war driven big science projects. Didn't think you could do it. ------------------------------ From: mc/G=Brad/S=Hicks/OU=0205925@mhs.attmail.com Date: 30 Aug 93 15:52:39 GMT Subject: Kill the SSC (was Re: Save the SSC) In TELECOM Digest volume 13, #614, ssc1@cse.uta.edu (Super Conductor Super Collider 1) wrote: > The Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory was established to > investigate the fundamental nature of matter and energy. At a time when the United States' federal government (never mind local governments) is having to borrow millions of dollars per second just to keep the bills paid, do we really need to spend one trillion dollars in order to understand how particles behave under conditions that have not existed since the first nanosecond after the Big Bang? Even if such a project is worth one trillion dollars, it is not worth one trillion borrowed dollars. > At a time when such projects like the Helium Fund continue to be > funded ... In other words, the federal government is wasting a few million dollars in other peoples' backyards, so why can't it waste a trillion dollars in my back yard? (It did not escape my notice that the author was writing from a University of Texas at Arlington; apparently, this is someone asking us to help secure government money FOR HIMSELF.) I am writing to the President asking him to help kill the Superconducting Super-Collider until the federal budget is balanced. J. Brad Hicks Internet: mc!Brad_Hicks@mhs.attmail.com X.400: c=US admd=ATTMail prmd=MasterCard sn=Hicks gn=Brad ------------------------------ From: Rajappa Iyer Subject: Re: Comparison of Salaries in Telecom Industry Date: 30 Aug 93 20:19:55 GMT Organization: NCR Corp., Network Products - San Diego > [Moderator's Note: Advocates of more or less unlimited immigration > into the USA frequently say there is no real problem with this as far > as American unemployment goes, because the 'foreigners' usually are > willing to take jobs Americans don't want such as working in the > fields harvesting vegtables and working in canning plants; working on > the killing floor at Iowa Beef Processors, Inc. (one of McDonald's > biggest vendor/suppliers), and cleaning out public restrooms in the > train and bus stations, etc. But as the number of T-1's in service > increase and the world grows smaller, we find ourselves in an in- > creasingly competitive world-wide labor force, with the the sort of > ramifications you mention. Americans are going to find their high- > priced services are no longer needed in many industries. In fact, > lots of companies have moved from the USA to other places. PAT] Ummm ... not very true! Most of the work that comes the way of foreign contractors is grunge work that nobody out here wants to do. There wouldn't be more than a handful of American companies where front-line work is going on overseas as opposed to locally. I hear Ed Yourdon often being quoted that the Indian software industry is going to take over the world. Even the most optimistic estimates put the size of the Indian software industry at about $1B by the end of the century. That is about one percent of the world market. On the other hand, foreign competition *will* put pressure on American industry to either supply the same product at a better price or provide a superior product and charge a premium for it. It just means that American industry has to learn to be more competitive and does not really ring the death knell for the industry. Seems to me that the alarmist notions about immigrants taking all the jobs from Americans and good jobs going overseas simply forgets the basis on which American industry was built --- compete or die. Rajappa Iyer (iyer@npg-sd.ScrippsRanchCA.NCR.COM - on assignment at NCR) ------------------------------ From: tarl@bostech.com (Tarl Neustaedter) Subject: Re: Comparison of Salaries in Telecom Industry Organization: Boston Technology, Wakefield, MA Date: Mon, 30 Aug 93 03:07:22 GMT In article rlm@helen.surfcty.com (Robert L. McMillin) writes: > Now that Mr. Gates has installed his T1 link to India, where do *you* > think he'll hire programmers? New sign on the door at Microsoft: > "Americans need not apply." Hardly. Skilled jobs *will* move to wherever there are skilled minds. The U.S. currently has one of the largest concentrations of skilled minds in the world, which is why much of high-tech development is done here. In this country, non-high school graduates are a minority - in many of the the mentioned countries, individuals with twelve years of schooling are a minority (in India, <10%). Individuals with sixteen years of schooling (baccalaureate) are rare, let alone twenty years (Ph.D). [Note - Education does not equate to skill, but it is a precursor that leads to skill. Without formal schooling, individuals have to rely on O.J.T., which is very specialized and frequently non-portable.] Yes, companies will farm out parts of engineering to cheaper sites elsewhere, but so far it's fairly rare that this works. For large projects, you need good communication between all the engineers involved, and any barriers (language, time zones, culture, organizational) cause inefficiencies that eat up the savings of cheap overseas labor. I've seen detached engineering tried many times, and only one working case. The other cases I had to put up with were miserable failures. As telecommunications improve, and in particular telecommuting technology, engineering jobs will migrate away from home company headquarters to wherever engineers live. But this technology will have to improve a LOT over what we currently have. In particular, we will have to find a way to replace the ability to wander into someone's office with a question. Email frequently doesn't work because of being a half-duplex channel and not being able to convey the level of urgency (e.g., I can't write this routine until you tell me what the fourth argument is). Phone conversations frequently don't work because of the tendency to play phone tag. Perhaps real-time video where an icon pops up on the engineer's workstation with your image, and you can watch and listen in on what he's doing (equivalent to standing in his doorway) while waiting for him to get to you. But I digress ... Americans will increasingly face competition from places where the cost of living is lower. That just means that Americans will have to continue to be more skilled than the rest of the world -- when you get your B.S. or D.Sc., you won't just compete against other Americans for jobs, you will compete against everyone else in the world. On the other hand, places where cost of living is really low (e.g., third world countries) don't produce many skilled engineers due to lack educational facilities. On the positive side, this will produce competition between countries to lower cost of living. Countries with astronomical taxation rates will find themselves priced out of the global job market and with a declining tax base. Countries with low tax rates will find that their economies boom -- all at much more rapid rates than currently seen. Legislatures will see the impact of tax changes while their members are still in office. This will probably result in more economically rational behaviour. Finally, the question about going into hardware or software; I"ve seen a lot of hardware engineers change careers to go into software. There just isn't as much opportunity for hardware design any more. Parts are becoming standardized, new designs are frequently just doing the same thing at higher speeds and companies are learning how to re-use development done somewhere else rather than doing it again in-house. Software design will probably continue for the forseeable future, but you face competition from a lot more people. The entry-level costs to train software engineers are a lot smaller than to train hardware engineers. What I see as the most reliable career path is in the field of maintenance or continuing engineering -- keeping all those computers running. People find bugs and need them fixed, or the hardware deteriorates and needs to be fixed, or the environment changes (your old and trusty frobozz design assumes availability of 127x3 write-only-memory chips packaged in 37-pin DIP packages, but the manufacturer gave up on that packaging and you need to modify things to accept 129x5 41-lead surface-mount WOMs). This career requires generalists; someone who can be relied upon to fix problems in a wide area -- the wider the better your prospects for employment. My personal choice is the above combined with telephony. I figure that phone networks will be around for a long time. The radio spectrum is limited enough that physical communication links of some kind will be needed, and the demand for communications isn't going to decrease. With all the gigakilometers of wiring and teralines of software involved in the global telephone networks, there is lots of room for things to go wrong. And a need for people to fix the problems. Tarl Neustaedter tarl@bostech.com [work] Ashland, MA, USA tarl@coyoacan.dmc.com [home] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #617 ****************************** ^A^A^A^A ^A^A^A^A From telecom Wed Sep 1 00:02:37 1993 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA23356 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecom@eecs.nwu.edu); Wed, 1 Sep 1993 00:02:37 -0500 Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1993 00:02:37 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199309010502.AA23356@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #618 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Wed, 1 Sep 93 00:02:00 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 618 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Annoying Call Won't Stop -- Please Help! (Tara D. Mahon) CFP on Human Factors and Telecom (Jane Fraser) MCI 1-800-COOL-101 (Michael D. Sullivan) 1-206-286-1600 Only via Sprint, Only Problems Ahead (Liron Lightwood) Anyone Have the ESCORT 900mhz Cordless Phone? (Paul E. Cantrell) Re: Telix File Transfer Question (Paul Robinson) Re: Telix File Transfer Question (Don Davis) Re: Telix File Transfer Question (Amer Neely) Re: Telix File Transfer Question (Les Reeves) Re: Telix File Transfer Question (Leslie Mikesell) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Bob Schwartz) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Oz@SwRI.edu) Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers (Christopher Zguris) Same Prefix on Both Sides of Area Code Boundary? (Carl Moore) Radio Shack Catalogs (Joe Bergstein) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 31 Aug 93 10:19:04 EDT From: Tara D. Mahon Subject: Annoying Call Won't Stop -- Please Help! A funny thing happened to me last night ... (and I'm trying to keep a good humor about this) :-D At 4:30am our phone rang. Now, this always makes me nervous, especially since my brother is in Saudi Arabia, working for the military. A middle-of-the-night phone call can bring hectic news. I pick up and hear only a constant beeping, slow and steady: beep..............beep................beep. It is not the harsh shrill sound I associate with a modem or fax machine. Okay, just a wrong number. Relieved, I fall back asleep. Five minutes later, the phone rings again. I still don't know whether this is a family emergency or the beeping again. It is the beeping. I hang up. Exhausted, I go back to bed only to be awakened for the third time. Each time I answer I say, "Hello?" and then it takes a few seconds for the beeps to kick in. It reminded me of the automated telemarketing machines which wait for a voice before they roll their pitch. Beep..............beep..............beep. Annoyed, I shut off all the ringers, figuring if any important call does come through, my voice messaging system will pick up. Of course, it will also pick up the mysterious beeps. When I woke up at 7am, I turned all the ringers on and checked my messages. There were *nine* beeping calls. I figured it was probably over by now. But no! I received another call after my shower, and this time, I tried talking to the beeps (insanity setting in), and the beeps stopped while I spoke. I then called 611. The repairman told me to either disconnect everything (all phones, my voice messaging) and wait for an hour. This would create "resistance" and the "machine" would pass over my number and move on. The other option was to *57 and contact the Annoying Call Bureau. Well, the beeps came, and they were out of my class calling area, so no *57 trace. 611 said they would try to fix the problem, and then the beeps stopped. No more calls. My questions is: does anyone know the source of these beeps? A modem will not make a sound unless it gets a negotiation tone. A fax machine has a sharp tone and shrill. What kind of system delivers these calls? Update: since I've been writing this, my father informs me that we've gotten three more calls!! He called me at the office, beeping into the phone. :-) They are now erractically spaced, since the last one I received was 7:38am, I did not get another before I left for work (8:50am). Help! What can I do? Is disconnecting the line the only way? Like I said, my brother is overseas and we never know when he might call. Sleepless in New Jersey tara@isight-corp.com [Moderator's Note: Dear Sleepless: The mystery caller is probably a fax machine. When a fax machine *answers* the line it does make the shrill noise you describe, but when it *originates* a call it sits there more or less quietly (those beeps are possible) waiting for the responding fax machine to give out the shrill noises; then it starts the same. Probably some goofus-droid at the First National Bank of Chicago has misprogrammed one of their fax machines again; let's hope it was only a single (manually) misdialed attempt, and that they don't have your number in the autodial directory to be called every night attempting to transfer a couple million dollars from their bank to yours, as happened to that family in Germany they witlessly harassed for two weeks. . Telco is obligated to provide you with peaceful uninteruppted use of your line. See if the problem goes away by the time you read this. If not, regardless of *57 as a 'service' offered by your telco, they can catch the offender. It is not worth your trouble unless the calls persist daily/nightly without ceasing. Telco can put a trap on your line. This means they will note every call to your line, and where it came from. You respond with a list of times the offensive calls were received. They match your list of times with their list of calls. They and other telcos/carriers involved will backtrack to the source. When the source is clearly identified, telco *will not tell you who it is*. They will notify you they have identified the caller. If you agree in writing to prosecute the offender and file a police complaint, telco will release the information to the police. Telco will not get in the loop, or the middle of the whole thing. They will merely provide expert witness to prosecutors. Telco won't tell you who was calling (until after police tell you) because they would be violating the privacy rights of the caller. Good luck; let us know if the calls stop. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1993 12:17:17 EDT From: fraser@ccl2.eng.ohio-state.edu Subject: CFP on Human Factors and Telecom A call for papers on human factors and telecommunications. Call For Manuscripts For Special Issue on Human Factors in Telecommunications This announcement is an invitation for you to submit a full manuscript for a special issue of Human Factors covering the field of Telecommunications. The special topic will be titled: New Telecommunications Technologies - End User Perspective. Many new technologies are rapidly being introduced in the field of Telecommunications that offer exciting opportunities to increase the effectiveness of communications at a distance. These technologies such as video, wireless, automatic speech production and recognition are complex and provide a challenge to designers to implement the technology with a high degree of usability for the end-user. The special issue editors are soliciting original work that ideally is empirically based covering usability of new emerging telecommunications technologies including: wireless/cordless; personal communications; telephone display terminals and services; voice response and voice messaging systems; automatic speech production and recognition; visual communications; virtual reality, electronic messaging, and multi-media communications. We are also interested in work that attempts to quantify the productivity impact of these new telecommunications technologies. Please contact either of the special issue co-editors with any questions or ideas that you would like to discuss. Submissions should be received by November 1, 1993. The manuscripts should be sent to Lois Smith c/o HFES, Special Issue, P.O. Box 1369, Santa Monica, CA 90406-1369. The special issue co-editors are Max S. Schoeffler, 908- 949-6833, mss3@hogpa.att.com and Edmond W. Israelski, 908- 576-6394, ewi@mtsol.att.com. Authors should use the Human Factors style guide available from the HFES central office in preparing their manuscript. ------------------------------ From: avogadro@well.sf.ca.us (Michael D. Sullivan) Subject: MCI 1-800-COOL-101 Organization: The Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link, Sausalito, CA Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1993 09:13:33 GMT Now through Labor Day, MCI is sponsoring a free 800 number that will let you think "cool". Dial 1-800-COOL-101 and each key on the keypad will give you a different "cool" sound, from skis on snow to drinks on ice. No time limit or forced advertisements. Pretty cool, eh? Michael D. Sullivan <74160.1134@compuserve.com> ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1993 21:01:26 +1000 (EST) From: Liron Lightwood Subject: 1-206-286-1600 Only via Sprint; Only Problems Ahead The above number was mentioned in a previous article in this group, as a number that can only be dialed using Sprint. Well, I dialed the number from Australia, and got the "AT&T Does not accept this call ..." recording. Very interesting. Does this mean that the call was routed in the US via AT&T? Or would I have received the same recording no matter which long distance carrier was used (except Sprint of course)? Does AT&T have anything to do with the "AT&T does not accept ..." recording? If not, what would AT&T think of all this? What will happen when people start But that's not all folks! For did you know that I was charged for the call! Yes, charged! Does this mean that even callers in the US will be charged for calls to that number even though they get the "AT&T does not accept ... " recording? Liron Lightwood [Moderator's Note: It would be good to find out *who* gave you the 'AT&T does not accept' recording. Was it locally generated by Telecom Australia? Was it coming from overseas in the USA somewhere? Was it generated by the actual recipient of the call? When 286-1600 decided to deal exclusively with Sprint for delivery of their long distance traffic, Sprint programmed their switches to watch for calls directed to that number; to grab the calls and deliver them directly to the recipient, probably over T-1 circuits or other types of leased lines by-passing the local telco. I just now tried it over AT&T from here and got the message 'AT&T has routed this call incorrectly, please hang up and dial 10333-1-206-286-1600'. If other carriers attempt to reach the number, they do in fact get through to it, but it just is terminated on an answering machine at the customer's premises saying they won't deal with you unless you call back via the required carrier (or words to that effect.) Their answering machine should not claim that they are AT&T making the announcement, or that AT&T had anything to do with you winding up on a dead end answering machine. Ideally also those calls should not supervise (or be billed for), but carriers who are getting cut out of the loop like AT&T, MCI, etc are not likely to agree to that, so yes, you probably get billed when calling by an 'unauthorized carrier' as well as not getting the results you wanted. PAT] ------------------------------ From: paulc@world.std.com (Paul E Cantrell) Subject: Anyone Have the ESCORT 900mhz Cordless Phone? Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1993 16:58:52 GMT I've seen where ESCORT (makers of radar detectors) is selling a 900mhz cordless phone. Does anyone have one of these? This company is known for high quality gear, I'm curious whether their cordless phone is as good as their radar detectors. Paul paulc@world.std.com paul@bos.locus.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1993 13:40:24 -0400 (EDT) Reply-To: 0005066432@MCIMAIL.COM Subject: Re: Telix File Transfer Question From: Paul Robinson Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA David Jonathan Dodick , writes: > I am getting the message "sz: file skipped by receiver" when I try > to receive files (from an ftp transfer) to my pc using Telix. > I have a pc, 1200 baud modem, parity=none, high bit stripping is > off. > Can someone tell me what the message means and if something needs > to be configured a certain way on my Telix program that I may not > have checked?? Yes, there is something you forgot to check; the error message gives it all away. You forgot to make sure you are not downloading a file of the same name as something you already have. Check the directory the download is to be sent to, and see if you have a file of the same name as the file you are downloading. However, there is a chance that you did want the same file, if you were trying to recover from an aborted download (such as when a phone connection is lost in the middle of a transfer.) Zmodem does allow you to re-download a file and instead of starting over at the beginning, it will start from the failure point if the transfer was aborted; if you did intend to do that you must enable Zmodem Recovery, which is usually disabled so you don't accidentally shoot yourself in the foot. If the duplicate file name issue is not the case -- and I'm almost certain it is -- then the only other answer I can think of is you don't have enough free disk space to download the file. Paul Robinson - TDARCOS@MCIMAIL.COM ------------------------------ From: dgdhome!ddavis@meaddata.com (Don Davis) Subject: Re: Telix File Transfer Question Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1993 22:31:19 EDT Organization: The Dayton Home for the Chronically Strange In article , telecom@eecs.nwu.edu writes: > I am getting the message "sz: file skipped by receiver" when I try to > receive files (from an ftp transfer) to my pc using Telix. > Can someone tell me what the message means and if something needs to > be configured a certain way on my Telix program that I may not have > checked?? Sounds as if Telix considers that the file already existed on the receiving machine, so it skipped it. This can be a problem when transferring files to a DOS machine from an environment which uses long filenames. If your list of files to be sent looks like this: myfile.text.001 myfile.text.002 myfile.text.003 then when Telix tries to make DOS filenames out of them, they'll all come out as "MYFILE.TEX" due to the filename limitations of DOS (name is up to eight characters, followed by a period, followed by up to three chars of extension). The first file would be transferred, but the others would be skipped, because Telix sees a file by that name already on the disk. Your mileage may vary, depending at least upon the relative sizes and modification dates/times of the files. If this is the problem try naming the files in a way that'll make them unique on the DOS system. Best of luck! Don Davis Internet: dgdhome!ddavis@meaddata.com Tel: 513-235-0096 ------------------------------ From: aneely@toth.uwo.ca (Amer Neely) Subject: Re: Telix File Transfer Question Date: Tue, 31 Aug 93 2:00:44 GMT I use Telix (great program!) when I contact local bbs's and have had no problems using the built-in zmodem transfer for uploads or downloads. However, when I tried the same thing when accessing a Unix or VAX/VMS system, all that went out the window. I tried for about a year (off and on) to get something to work consistently but no luck. Your predicament is SO familiar I just had to laugh (sorry ). I'm not sure if the problem is with the Telix zmodem or the Unix / VMS rz / sz. Recently I tried again using DSZ for xfers, and had only partial success. So my solution is to use Kermit when accessing my Internet account, which is on a Unix box and use Telix for everything else. Make sure there isn't another file with same name in your d/l directory, that will cause a skipped file. You might have to watch carefully for this, especially if the name (on the Unix box) has mulitple extensions. In your case, I believe the *message* is from the remote software. I've found even with Kermit <==> Unix / VMS, I get optimum results by setting the send and receive packets to 512, which is the record size used (at least in VMS I think), so it pays to fool around with switches etc. So save yourself a lot of skull cramps and get a copy of Kermit -- but if you DO find a solution I would like to hear it. Amer Neely, P.O. Box 1538 Stn. B, London ON, CANADA, N6A 5M3 Internet: aneely@toth.uwo.ca Encryption PGP 2.2 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1993 16:17:07 -0400 (EDT) From: LESREEVES@delphi.com Subject: Re: Telix File Transfer Question Telix is my comm software (ver 3.21, registered), but I have never encountered any problems when snarfing the archives. DeltaComm Development, the distributor of Telix, provides full support for the product. The support currently includes non-registered users. Their tech support staff can be reached at (919) 460-4556. You can also log onto their BBS at (919) 481-9399. ------------------------------ From: les@chinet.chinet.com (Leslie Mikesell) Subject: Re: Telix File Transfer Question Organization: Chinet - Public Access UNIX Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1993 23:00:18 GMT In article , David Jonathan Dodick wrote: > I am getting the message "sz: file skipped by receiver" when I try to > receive files (from an ftp transfer) to my pc using Telix. This means that you already have the file on your PC with the same or new timestamp. If you really want to transfer again, rename the existing copy. Les Mikesell les@chinet.com ------------------------------ Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers From: bob@bci.nbn.com (Bob Schwartz) Date: Tue, 31 Aug 93 10:36:24 PDT Organization: Bill Correctors, Inc., Marin County, California Pat, this still works if you order a POTS with remote call forwarding that terminates in the CO. You control the line even if it is distant from Chicago. Then just wait the appropriate time, disconnect the other 800 number and install yours where you want it. conversely, move the old 800 number to a CO termination with RCF, install your 800 number where you want it, wait the appropriate time period, then disconnect the old 800 number and line together. *Maybe then just disconnect the line and let big telephone figure out how to terminate the 800 then. Of course, some distinctive ringing situation may be preferable. In any event you can still complain in order to clafify (and register) the situation for others. Regards, Bob Schwartz bob@bci.nbn.com Bill Correctors, Inc. +1 415 488 9000 Marin County, California ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 31 Aug 93 06:51:09 CDT From: ROsman%ASS%SwRI05@D26VS046A.CCF.SwRI.EDU Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers I think the short answer is "because they can." As you are well aware, you'll probably get a different answer from a different rep. I'd try that route first if you can. One solution that you did not mention but probably have considered: **YOU** get a second line and the customer's location and hard-forward it to the customer's number. I had a boss that always said "Life isn't always fair." In retrospect he said it a LOT when we were dealing with AT&T ... Oz (Oz@SwRI.edu) (210) 699-1302 (home:phone/fax/msg) (210) 522-5050 (w) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 31 Aug 93 00:40 GMT From: Christopher Zgvuris <0004854540@mcimail.com> Subject: Re: AT&T's Strange Attitude on 800 Numbers In TELECOM Digest V13 #615 Lee Sweet (decrsc!leesweet@uunet.UU.NET) writes: > ... could the practice of having the billing keyed by the *target* > instead of the *800 number* be just a holdover (bad programming > choice) from the days when 800s did *not* have DID targets, but *were* > the target, dedicated number themselves? (So when they were able to > offer 800-> DID, someone decided to bill on target rather than 800 > BTW, I doubt that the target number is a customer record or the like, > since most companies have 1 800 from the same vendor. (We have ten > from Cable and Wireless, who, with 800 programming by the user, > couldn't care less where the 800 ends up. [What does AT&T do when you > ask them to move the target? Change all the billing records?!] When we moved our physical location we kept our two 800 numbers (both MCI now, one used to SPRINT - thank you 800 portability!) and simply changed the POTS number they terminated on. These were totally different locations. I've had the POTS termination line changed several times and I never had any problems, the 800 numbers is/are/was keyed to the 800 number in the provider's computer, the subject of what POTS line the number when to was never an issue? What's the story here? Does AT&T have a system that keys their 800 service to the POTS line it goes to? That would be completely contrary to my experiences with MCI & SPRINT. You people with AT&T 800 please clarify this point -- does AT&T have a system different from MCI and SPRINT? Christopher Zguris CZGURIS@MCIMail.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 31 Aug 93 13:35:48 EDT From: Carl Moore Subject: Same Prefix on Both Sides of an Area Code Boundary? The following have come to my attention along the Ohio-Indiana border. The prefix with West or East as part of its place name has "operator routing" from across the border. 623 -- 419 area, East Monroeville; 219 area, Monroeville 632 -- 419 area, East Woodburn; 219 area, Woodburn 997 -- 513 area, Hollansburg; 317 area, East Hollansburg 966 -- 513 area, East Richmond; 317 area, Richmond But in the case of Richmond, Indiana, there are at least three other prefixes serving it. I was able to reach a 966 number with EITHER area code. I don't know what appears on pay phones in Richmond, Indiana; and I was in that area at the end of 1991 (sigh). Richmond is along I-70, so it is quite easy to reach. ------------------------------ From: Joe.Bergstein@p501.f544.n109.z1.fidonet.org (Joe Bergstein) Date: Tue, 31 Aug 1993 02:15:47 -0500 Subject: Radio Shack Catalogs In reply to message from LESREEVES, Moderator noted: > [Moderator's Note: Radio Shack is now getting $2.95 for catalogs? :( > PAT] Yup! I just stopped in to Radio Shack yesterday looking for the device which goes on a phone line, and stops an (older) answering machine when someone picks up the phone. I looked around and couldn't find them so I asked for a catalog. It wasn't in the catalog either. I started out the door with the catalog in my hand, and was stopped by the manager who told me that the catalogs now cost $2.95 which is refunded on your first purchase. BTW, any idea where I can buy the device described above? [Moderator's Note: I guess from now on we have to go in and buy one of their cheesy house-brand batteries for 50 cents in order to get the catalog. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #618 ****************************** From telecom Thu Sep 2 01:31:05 1993 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA21012 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecom@eecs.nwu.edu); Thu, 2 Sep 1993 01:31:05 -0500 Date: Thu, 2 Sep 1993 01:31:05 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199309020631.AA21012@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #619 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Thu, 2 Sep 93 00:31:00 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 619 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Murdock Buys Delphi (Les Reeves) Strange Billing (David Cornutt) PacBell and GTE (David Gast) GTE and the Cerritos Experiment (David Gast) PTT Approved ISDN Equipment (Paul Lutt) Global Telecommunications Conference (David Sachs) AT&T VISA Card Validation (Anthony E. Siegman) Thank You! No More Beeps ... (Tara D. Mahon) Voice Converters (Johanna Mikkola) Stupid Code Tricks (Jerrold Comm) Creative Intercept Announcement (Nigel Allen) BBS Direct (CRIS) Continued (Jim Wenzel) Denver, Adamstown, PA Moving to 717 (Betty Perry) Help: Deaf Terminal Emulation Through Modem (Allan R. Baker) Public ATM Network in Australia (John Gottschalk) Telephone Fraud (Goh Tiong Hwee) 57.6kb CCIT Standard? (Brian M. Huey) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 02 Sep 1993 00:18:19 -0400 (EDT) From: LESREEVES@delphi.com Subject: Murdock Buys Delphi The following annoncement was posted on Delphi,Sept. 1. NEW YORK (UPI) -- News Corp. Ltd. said Wednesday it has agreed to buy Delphi Internet Services Inc., a provider of consumer services through personal computers, for an undisclosed price. "Delphi's leading technology will enhance The News Corp.'s role in the rapidly evolving worldwide interactive media marketplace," said Rupert Murdoch, chairman and chief executive officer of News Corp. "It will provide a series of additional products and services, including an electronic newspaper unlike any other and an electronic version of TV Guide, which will empower consumers to deal with the ever-increasing number of channels." News Corp. said Delphi, of Cambridge, Mass., is the fastest growing of the industry's major consumer on-line services, which include Prodigy and CompuServe. It plans to make Delphi part of its news technology group. Delphi currently employs 300 on-line experts, or moderators, to help customers browse through the Internet electronic databases. "We have gained a tremendous competitive advantage in joining the News Corp. global media family," noted Daniel J. Bruns, president and CEO of Delphi. "In turn, because of our leading state-of-the-art technology, we provide a key part of the strategic interactive media marketplace for News Corp. as it expands its information network on a worldwide basis." More? News Corp., Murdoch's global media and entertainment empire, did not indicate how it would finance the deal. It achieved achieved an investment grade rating in late January on two long-term debt issues totaling $1 billion through its News America Holdings unit. ------------------------------ From: cornutt@lambda.msfc.nasa.gov (David Cornutt) Subject: Strange Billing Organization: NASA/MSFC Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1993 21:38:31 GMT Something kind of strange turned up in my girlfriend's phone bill this month. Here's the situation: She just moved across town into a new house. Her service at the old number was terminated on July 27; service at the new number was turned on July 29. SC Bell sent her a final bill for the old number in early August; it included all charges up through the date that service was terminated at that number. Well, she just got her first bill for the new number. It included the charges for calls made that month, and the usual charges for moving the service, etc. But it also included something else. On the AT&T portion of the bill, listed under "Operator Assisted Calls", were four calls that she didn't make. Three of these were overseas (two to Saudi Arabia, one to Egypt). And, more mysteriously, all of them were third-number calls originated from other numbers. One came from a local number, one from a number in Washington, DC, and two from a number in Alexandria, VA. Now, here's where it really gets wierd. My girlfried called AT&T about this. She told me that a rep called her back and said that the calls were credit card calls made by the previous subscriber on that number and that they will be removed from the bill. (We'll see about that ...) At the time she told me this, I had my mind on something else, and didn't really think about it. But then I realized ... How could calls made on *someone else's* credit card turn up on *her* bill? Credit card calls are billed to a person, not an address! So I got the bill out. And then, I noticed the *really* bizarre aspect: These calls were made prior to July 29, BEFORE THE SERVICE WAS TURNED ON AT THAT NUMBER! So, does anyone have any ideas? What in the Sam Hill is going on here? Is this an AT&T screwup, or some bizarre form of fraud, or what? How could calls be billed to a number that wasn't in service at the time the calls were made? AT&T seems to be willing to remove the calls from the bill, so things seem to be OK at the moment. But, I'm not satisfied. If there is some sort of fraud going on here, who's to say that it won't appear again next month? (Some additional info that might or might not be relevent: By random chance, she was assigned a number with the last four digits of the form XX00. The number is close to a huge block of DID numbers owned by Boeing. The thought has occurred to me that maybe someone has been somehow scamming Boeing's telecom, and this number assignment has stumbled onto it.) Any ideas? Anything for us to be concerned about? David Cornutt, New Technology Inc., Huntsville, AL (205) 461-4517 (cornutt@lambda.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: It is likely whoever had the number before her had some charges come through that were delayed for whatever reason. Calling Cards are usually connected to a specific phone number. Maybe the Calling Card number was originally entered wrong, or there was some reason the billing got mangled. A small percentage of calls get incorrectly billed for whatever reason and are delayed in getting to the account where they belong. For whatever reason, AT&T had those particular toll tickets out of the regular stream and in adjustments. Since they were operator-assisted calls to overseas points, it is quite likely this could have occurred. At the time the calls were placed the operator might have marked the tickets wrong; the charges might have gone to MCI from the foreign telco in error; MCI had to charge them back to AT&T; Lord only knows where they had been. Even the date on the bill might be bogus; the charges could have been incurred three or four months earlier and been bounced back and forth between three or four telcos a couple times before they fell out in billing and went to adjustments or research. Telcos mess up also and send AT&T charges to MCI, MCI's to AT&T, and Sprint's to some other company. MCI might have sat on those charges in their adjustments/ suspense for two months before back-charging them to the *wrong* (not the originating) telco. Finally AT&T gets the tickets three months after the fact in their suspense account and at that point, a human being from AT&T had to look at the tickets and figure out what happened. The clerk located the !absolute! number of the subscriber responsible, manually pushed them through to the telco serving your girlfriend, and guess what? The subscriber had discontinued that number and went elsewhere. The manually adjusted tickets arrived a day after the billing cycle; now they get to sit in the local telco's vault for another 30 days or so. Meanwhile, the phone number has been out of service a couple months, and telco assigned it to your girl friend, but AT&T doesn't know this. The local telco does not challenge what comes in-house; they just bill it. If it falls out again in the cycle billing, so be it. Charge it back to AT&T again, or MCI or somewhere ... write it off, whatever. In this case the billing stuck because there was a subscriber attached to the phone number by this time: your girlfriend. The AT&T rep should not have said the charges belonged to the previous 'occupant of the residence'; she probably should have said they belong to the previous subscriber using that number. Maybe she did and your girlfriend mis- understood. If the rep promised to remove the charges, I am sure they will be gone. Of course with your luck, the credit issued by the rep will miss the cycle billing by a day meaning the charges will show up on the bill again next month as unpaid. If this happens, sit tight. Don't write your congressman, the FCC or me for that matter. Wait and see if in a couple months from now the charges have gone away to write-off heaven, along with the rest of the unidentifiable charges from six months ago and the illegible microfilm copies of stuff, etc . PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 1 Sep 93 14:38:51 -0700 From: gast@CS.UCLA.EDU (David Gast) Subject: PacBell and GTE Recently my girlfriend moved to an area I thought was served by GTE. Knowing how they behave, I called up first to find out what questions they would ask. It turns out that she must be right over the dividing line because when she called they told her she was in the PacBell service area. What a blessing. Telephone service is at least 20% cheaper. Unlike GTE which was quoting almost a week to turn on service, PacBell turned it on when she wanted it, two days later. The initial connection fee is also much less expensive and is spread over three months instead of being due all at once. GTE will not allow a pseudonym to be used for a directory listing. (I was really surprised, but the PUC directed me to GTE's executive offices, and they read me the tariff.) PacBell has no problems with a pseudonym. Additionally, an unlisted line costs only half as much in PB land anyway. PB bundles cancel call waiting with call waiting. GTE does not. One can make minor modifications to the service for a $5 dollar fee. GTE charges significantly more. I think, $26, but I could be wrong on that point. PB even tried to hire her. All in all, a big improvement. Better service, less cost. David ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 1 Sep 93 14:29:44 -0700 From: gast@CS.UCLA.EDU (David Gast) Subject: GTE and the Cerritos Experiment The {LA Times} had a front page article yesterday on the big GTE experiment in Cerritos. In essence, this was a so-called high technology project involving movies on demand, interactive TV, and the like. GTE obviously thought it would prove very profitable. The reality is that the project has generated far less use than GTE expected. Even though movies on demand cost something like four or five bucks instead of the 6.50 I remember them mentioning at the outset, few people use the service. People prefer to save the bucks and go to their local video store. GTE is really miffed because many telco executives thought they would put the video stores out of business, and they hate that they have not made a bigger dent in the market. Unfortunately, GTE, living in its monopoly world, still does not believe in downward sloping demand curves. (They even exist for GTE's monopoly products). In fact, a large number of people have not even signed up for cable. Sidebar: Cable executives have said that the only thing people will pay for is video on demand, but the Cerritos experiment says otherwise. Even fewer people have signed up for or used the interactive features. David ------------------------------ From: pwl@tc.fluke.COM (Paul Lutt) Subject: PTT Approved ISDN Equipment Organization: Fluke Corporation, Everett, WA Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1993 16:25:45 GMT We are currently looking at ways to provide a network connection from our headquarters in the US to our offices in the Netherlands. Since this link will be low volume, with intermittent use, we are considering using ISDN bridges for the connection. We have found a couple of vendors with products that could do the job, but their equipment has not been certified by the PTT in the Netherlands for connection to their ISDN phone lines. One solution would be to find some sort of PTT approved box that would be the ISDN equivalent of the old telephone data access arrangement. Such an electrical firewall would permit us to use the ISDN bridge in the Netherlands. Does anyone out there in netland know of such a box? We are also investigating other solutions, but the ISDN bridges look quite attractive. Paul Lutt Domain: pwl@tc.fluke.COM Voice: +1 206 356 5059 UUCP: uunet!fluke!pwl Snail: Fluke Corporation / P.O. Box 9090 / Everett, WA 98206-9090 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 1 Sep 93 18:24 GMT From: Telecom <0005877669@mcimail.com> Subject: Global telecommunications Conference October 13-15, 1993 Rye Town Hilton Rye Brook, NY Conference Overview Pace University has developed this conference to provide a world class forum for telecommunications users to explore implementation strategies for the development of global networks. Three conference tracks will provide over 30 sessions and user case studies in the critical areas of Technology, Regulation and Policy, and Implementation. The distinguished list of conference presenters will include: Marie-Monique Steckel President, France Telecom US Gerald Thames President, British Telecom North America Al Kurtze Senior Vice President, Sprint Peter Scott Commission of European Communities Sachio Semmoto Senior Vice President, DDI Corporation (Japan) Topics to be addressed include: * Successful Implementation Strategies * Multimedia Networking * Outsourcing vs. Insourcing * Wireless Networks * Deregulation and Privatization * Personal Info Systems * Enterprise Networking Deployment * Reform at the ITU * Technology Trends * User case study series Optional Pre-Conference Seminars * Global networking-Executive Decision Frameworks * Asynchronous Transfer Mode * The Global Telecommunications Business Environment (2 days) Who Should Attend * CIOs * Communications managers * Network analysts, planners or designers * Information technology specialists * MIS directors * Systems engineers * International marketers Information and Registration Please contact David Sachs, 1 Martine Avenue, White Plains, NY 10606. Telephone: (800) 546-3157, (914) 763-8764 Fax: (914) 763-9324 E-mail: 587-7669 @MCIMAIL.COM ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 1 Sep 93 9:08:44 PDT From: Anthony E. Siegman Subject: AT&T VISA Card Validation New gimmick on AT&T VISA cards (at least new to me): mandatory phone validation of new and replacement cards before they can be used. My wife and I received the annual replacements for our AT&T Univeral VISA cards the other day. WIth the cards was a memo: The new cards would not be valid until we telephoned an 800 number and verified the cards. When I called, the totally automated system ("You will be asked for certain information; if you have your new card with you please push 2 now") wanted me to enter: * The 16-digit card number * Last two digits of primary card holder's year of birth * My SSN I know the last item will push some people's buttons. Whether they also captured the number I called from I don't know -- I suppose so. [Moderator's Note: Didn't the same people put their SSN on the original application for credit? Then what is their beef now? PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 1 Sep 93 09:09:45 EDT From: Tara D. Mahon Subject: Thank you! No More Beeps... Dear TELECOM Digest (comp.dcom.telecom) readers: Thanks for all the replies I received about the mysterious beeping calls. I just wanted to let everyone know they stopped at 10:55 am, after over 30 calls in seven hours (the voice messaging system counted, not I). The signal was neither modem nor fax (as I suspected). The phone company believes it may have been a line check gone awry or a broken telemarketing machine. They have also set a trap on my line for two weeks in case the calls return. Thank you for all the kind replies to my _most annoying_ message. Insanity sets in after a while. Best Wishes, Tara [Moderator's Note: I'm glad the list was able to help you Tara. Speaking of the mailing list, over a hundred new names added in the past three days! Many of them employees of MCI; several from GTE departments. Welcome new readers, one and all! PAT] ------------------------------ From: rmj@ajk.tele.fi (Johanna Mikkola) Subject: Voice Converters Date: 1 Sep 1993 12:23:27 GMT Organization: Telecom Finland Reply-To: rmj@ajk.tele.fi Hello, Does anybody know something about Wescom or Prescom voice converters? My problem is to connect four-wire E&M system to two-wire analogue line. (One voice channel) I know that this equipment is used in this kind of cases but I would need some specific information about it. If anybody knows also who is its local distributor in Scandinavia, please tell me. Regards, Johanna ------------------------------ From: gvaeth@netcom.com (Jerrold Comm/GI) Subject: Stupid Code Tricks Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1993 20:49:26 GMT Has anyone compiled a list of "special" codes telcos use (for callback, number id, etc.)? I am particularly interested in what is in use in the 215 area code, or if it is cut finer, in the Philadelphia metro area. Thanks. Regards, Gregory Vaeth Jerrold Communications internet: gvaeth@netcom.com General Instrument voicenet: (215) 956-6488 2200 Byberry Road faxnet: (215) 675-4059 Hatboro, PA 19040 [Moderator's Note: Now and then someone puts one of those lists together; we had one here a few months ago. Maybe someone will write you direct with the information for your area if they know it. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 1 Sep 93 17:03:53 EDT From: ae446@freenet.carleton.ca (Nigel Allen) Subject: Creative Intercept Announcement Organization: National Capital Freenet, Ottawa Reply-To: ae446@freenet.carleton.ca David Grabiner, grabiner@zariski.harvard.edu, uses the following cute saying in his .signature: > "We are sorry, but the number you have dialed is imaginary." > "Please rotate your phone 90 degrees and try again." I am tempted to use it on my answering machine. It would scare off telemarketers quite nicely. Nigel Allen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada ae446@freenet.carleton.ca ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1993 16:12:00 -0500 From: jim.wenzel@grapevine.lrk.ar.us (Jim Wenzel) Subject: BBS Direct (CRIS) Continued Reply-To: jim.wenzel@grapevine.lrk.ar.us (Jim Wenzel) Organization: The GrapeVine BBS *** N. Little Rock, AR *** (501) 753-8121 An update on BBS Direct (CRIS): Well, I called to day and talked to someone different. This time around they were a little more straight-forward about what was and wasn't. I was wrong about full UseNet feed. They will not be providing it. Nor will they be providing FTP or TelNet (someone blew smoke up my a**). The chat-based Interlink Service is not up yet; it is promised soon. The only way to access BBS Direct is thru them (dial into SprintNet and type C CRIS). From there they will patch you back out to the BBS of your choice. Currently there are only a little over ten BBS's signed up. They did mention heavy advertisement but, frankly, I don't see the need for it really. This was an opportunity for someone to really do something. . IMHO it is beginning to look like a glorified BBS directory. The GrapeVine / Ferret Face BBS (501) 753-8121 PGP Distribution Site, UseNet, RIME, ThrobNet, MediaNet, U'niNet, ForthNet RecoveryNet, MetroLink. Putting Communications back in Telecommunication ------------------------------ From: rdsun5a!eep@aloft.att.com Date: Wed, 1 Sep 93 17:44:43 EDT Subject: Denver, Adamstown, PA Moving to 717 Since I've seen several references to Denver and Adamstown, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, in this Digest, I thought there'd be some interest in this. Both these exchanges are moving from area code 215 to area code 717. According to a friend who lives there, Denver (215-267) gets a new prefix (717-336). Adamstown (484) just changes the area code. Right now, both the old and new numbers work. I'm not sure how long that will continue. There are one or two other exchanges which are also predominantly in Lancaster County and are currently in 215, but I haven't heard anything about them. The latest Reading/Berks County Bell of PA phone books have 1 page announcing the 215/610 split which will occur on Jan. 8, 1994. They don't say anything about a permissive dialing period which I think comes after that date. Betty Perry AT&T Bell Laboratories Reading, PA eep@aluxpo.att.com ------------------------------ From: arb2@engr.engr.uark.edu (Allan R. Baker) Subject: Help: Deaf Terminal Emulation Through Modem Organization: University of Arkansas Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1993 22:13:33 GMT Help. Is it possible to communicate a with TDD (or is it DDT) device with common modem software? If anyone has any helpful information please e-mail at arb2@engr.uark. edu. Thank you for your time. Allan R. Baker arb2@engr.uark.edu [Moderator's Note: No it is not possible. They are different protocols. The one uses ASCII, the other uses Baudot (of some level, I forget). PAT] ------------------------------ From: john@citr.uq.oz.au (John Gottschalk) Subject: Public ATM Network in Australia Organization: Prentice Centre, University of Queensland Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1993 07:15:29 GMT Hello all, For those interested in Broadband ISDN and ATM, Telstra Corp. (usually known here as Telecom Australia) have announced they will soon be offering an ATM service in the major Australian cities (this is not too difficult as we do not have very many people and cities in Australia). There will be a trial of the ATM network next year, with commercial operations soon after that if the trial is successful. The network will use the 155Mbit/sec SDH protocol and the 34Mbit/sec Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy (PDH) protocol. I have heard elsewhere that the network could easily run at 650Mbit/sec but Telstra does not yet see a need for it. Regards, John Gottschalk, john@citr.uq.oz.au Project Manager, CiTR, +61 7 365 4321 (phone) Gehrmann Building, +61 7 365 4399 (fax) The University of Queensland, 4072, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, ------------------------------ From: thgoh@iss.nus.sg (Goh Tiong Hwee) Subject: Telephone Fraud Date: 1 Sep 1993 02:01:40 GMT Organization: Institute Of Systems Science, NUS. I have been keeping watch on this newsgroup for the past three weeks looking out for Fraud Detection Systems but to no avail. I have been tasked with proposing such a system for cellular phones especially illegal clone cellular phone fraud for our local service provider. So far I have only got credit card fraud detection systems by Nestor and HNC. Will appreciate if readers of this group can recommend any such system. (I have been told they exist.) Please email to me or post. Should there be sufficient interest, I will consolidate, summaries and post. Thank you for your attention. [Moderator's Note: You missed a great thread on the topic which began here two or three months ago, and dealt with the capture of ESNs by phreaks who then install the ESN in chips used in stolen phones, etc. I suggest you check the Telecom Archives for those back issues. The archives is accessible using anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu. PAT] ------------------------------ From: todamhyp@unlv.edu (Brian M. Huey) Subject: 57.6kb CCIT Standard? Organization: University of Nevada at Las Vegas, College of Engineering Date: Wed, 1 Sep 93 23:15:29 GMT Is there a Protocol/standard for modems that operate at a RAW data connection speed of 57.6 kbaud without data compression? Brian M. Huey If you have an opinion in regards todamhyp@unlv.edu -or- to what I said, mail me. todamhyp@cs.unlv.edu ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #619 ****************************** From telecom Thu Sep 2 12:10:00 1993 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA06780 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecom@eecs.nwu.edu); Thu, 2 Sep 1993 12:10:00 -0500 Date: Thu, 2 Sep 1993 12:10:00 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199309021710.AA06780@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #620 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Thu, 2 Sep 93 12:10:00 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 620 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson International Symposium on Applied Computing (ISAC93) (Martha S. Salinas) World Wide Web Newsletter (wwwn@ukartnet.demon.co.uk) Easytouch Phone Trouble (Dave Carpentier) Foreigners Need Not Apply? (Ramaiah V. Narla) Used D4 Channel Bank Needed (Stanley Kechak) E-mail Address(es) For Congress? (David R. Zinkin) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: msordia@academ01.mty.itesm.mx (Ing. Martha Sordia Salinas) Subject: International Symposium on Applied Computing (ISAC93) Date: 1 Sep 93 22:48:58 GMT Organization: ITESM, Campus Monterrey Simposium Internacional en Computacion Aplicada: Investigaciones y Aplicaciones en Ingenieria de Software, Bases de Datos y Sistemas Distribuidos International Symposium on Applied Computing: Research and Applications in Software Engineering, Data Bases and Distributed Systems ISAC '93 Oct. 13 - 15 1993 This Symposium is being organized by the Informatics Research Center and it is sponsored by the ITESM (Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey) in conjunction with Texas A&M University. ITESM Campus, Monterrey, Mexico, October 13-15 1993. MONTERREY/ITESM INFO Monterrey is an industrial city located 160 miles south of the US border. ITESM is a leading private university system composed of 26 campuses in 25 cities. It has a faculty of 4000 and student body of 48000. All campuses are linked by a telecommunications network operating via satellite. The Center for Informatics Research is one of 10 applied research centers whose main goal is to develop and transfer new technologies that will help industrial competitiveness. PROGRAMA PRELIMINAR / PRELIMINARY PROGRAM ________________ Miercoles 13 de octubre, 1993 ________________ TUTORIALES/TUTORIALS Los tutoriales seran en paralelo. / Parallel sessions for tutorials. 8:00 "Design by Contract: Making Object - Oriented Programs that Work" Dr. Bertrand Meyer / Interactive Software Engineering, U.S.A. ( 8 hrs ) 8:00 "Software Reuse: From Concepts to Implementation" Dr. Ruben Prieto-Diaz / Reuse Inc., U.S.A. (8 hrs) 8:00 "Distributed Databases " Dr. Hector Garcia-Molina / Stanford University, U.S.A. (6 hrs) 8:00 "The Theory and Practice of Information Technology Transfer" Dr. James C. Brancheau / University of Colorado, U.S.A. (8 hrs) ________________ Jueves 14 de octubre, 1993 ________________ PROGRAMA DE CONFERENCIAS / INVITED SPEAKERS AND PAPERS Las ponencias seran en paralelo. Se contara con traduccion simultanea. / Parallel paper sessions. Translation service available. 8:00 - 9:00 Registro /Registration 9:00 - 9:30 Inaguracion y Bienvenida / Opening Ceremony 9:30 -10:30 "Information Finding in an Electronic Library" Dr. Hector Garcia - Molina / Stanford University, U.S.A. 10:30 - 11:00 RECESO/BREAK 11:00 - 12:00 Applying Technology: A key to success in 21st century Dr. James Brancheau / University of Colorado, U.S.A 12:00 - 13:00 " CASE: Tools for People or People for Tools ? " Dr. Anneliese Von Mayrhauser /Colorado State Univ., U.S.A. 13:00 - 14:30 COMIDA / LUNCH PONENCIAS EN PARALELO / PARALLEL PAPER SESSIONS INGENIERIA DE SOFTWARE (SOFTWARE ENGINEERING) 14:30 - 15:00 " A Statistical Method to Assess Human Factors in Computing " Jorge Gonzalez Sustaeta / Inst. de Invest. Electricas, MEXICO 15:00 - 15:30 " Levels of Consciousness for Reuse of Software in Practice: Maintainability, Balance, Standardization " Thomas Grechenig / Technical University of Vienna, AUSTRIA 15:30 - 16:00 " Building a Better Software Product through Total Quality " Danielle V. Bernstein / TRW, Inc., U.S.A. 16:00 - 16:30 RECESO/BREAK BASES DE DATOS ( DATA BASES ) 16:30 - 17:00 "Developing a Database Server for Distributed Real-Time Systems" Sang H. Son / University of Virginia, U.S.A. 17:00 - 17:30 "Modular Concurrency Control Algorithms for Object Bases" Ken Barker / University of Manitoba, CANADA ________________ Jueves 14 de octubre, 1993 ________________ SISTEMAS DISTRIBUIDOS (DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS) 14:30 -15:00 " Towards Integrated Distributed Systems Management " James W. Hong / University of Western Ontario, CANADA 15:00 -15:30 " Algorithms for Implementing Replicated Priority Queues " Brahma Dathan / University of Wyoming, U.S.A. 15:30 -16:00 " iTOS: A Distributed Operating Systems for Real Time Systems " Rajendra Rathod / Indian Telephone Industries Limited, INDIA 16:00 -16:30 RECESO/BREAK 16:30 - 17:00 "Using the Object - Oriented Framework to Construct Wide - Area Group Communication Mechanisms" Darrell D. E. Long / University of California, U.S.A. 17:00 - 17:30 "On the Performance of Voting with Ghosts" Jehan - Francois Paris / University of Houston, U.S.A. 17:30 - 18:30 Panel de Discusion de Sistemas Distribuidos / Discussion Panel in Distributed Systems ________________ Viernes 15 de octubre, 1993 ________________ PROGRAMA DE CONFERENCIAS /INVITED SPEAKERS AND PAPERS 9:00 - 10:00 " Software Development Solutions for a Parallel Database System" Dr. Walter G. Wilson / T.J. Watson Research Center, U.S.A. 10:00 - 11:00 The User as Leader during Information System Implementation Ing. Gustavo Cervantes / ABACO Grupo Financiero, MEXICO 11:00 - 11:30 RECESO/BREAK SESIONES EN PARALELO / PARALLEL PAPER SESSIONS INGENIERIA DE SOFTWARE (SOFTWARE ENGINEERING) 11:30 -12:00 " Object Oriented Encapsulation: Integrating Applications in Information Systems " Steven D. Litvintchouk / The MITRE Corporation, U.S.A. 12:00 - 12:30 " Reverse Engineering for System Transformation " Harald Gall / Vienna University of Technology, AUSTRIA 12:30 - 14:30 COMIDA /LUNCH BASES DE DATOS (DATA BASES) 11:30 - 12:00 "Failure-Resilient Transaction Execution in Multidatabase Systems" Jongtae Lim / Korea Advanced Inst. of Sc. & Tech., KOREA 12:00 - 12:30 " Simple Object - Oriented Syntax for the SQL User " James L. Johnson / Western Washington University, U.S.A. 12:30 - 14:30 COMIDA / LUNCH ________________ Viernes 15 de octubre, 1993 ________________ SESIONES EN PARALELO / PARALLEL PAPER SESSIONS INGENIERIA DE SOFTWARE (SOFTWARE ENGINEERING) 14:30 - 15:00 " An Integrated Software Maintenance Environment and the Ghinsu Toolset" Panos E. Livadas / University of Florida, U.S.A. 15:00 - 15:30 " Thirteen Years of Tedium : A New Approach to System Development and Maintenance " Bruce I. Blum / Johns Hopkins University, U.S.A. 15:30 - 16:00 RECESO/BREAK 16:00 - 16:30 " A Requirements Capturing Environment for Telephony " Douglas D. Dankel II / University of Florida, U.S.A. 16:30 - 17:00 "A Hierarchical Approach for Structuring MMS Based Applications" Luis Vega / CRIN - ENSEM, FRANCE 17:00 - 18:00 Panel de Discusion de Ingenieria de Software/ Dsicussion Panel in Software Engineering BASE DE DATOS (DATA BASES) 14:30 - 15:00 " OODBMS and Integration of the AEC Industry " Jesus Favela / Massachusetts Institute of Technology, U.S.A. 15:00 - 15:30 "Object Modeling and Efficient Allocation and Multimedia Objects for Storage Device Architecture in Real - Time Multimedia " Kingsley C. Nwosu / IBM Data Systems Division, U.S.A. 15:30 - 16:00 RECESO/BREAK 16:00 - 17:00 Panel de Discusion de Base de Datos/ Discussion Panel in DataBases ----------------------- EVENTOS SOCIALES / SOCIAL EVENTS 18:00 Coctel de Bienvenida para Tutoriales Miercoles 13 de octubre Cocktail 18:30 Coctel de Bienvenida para Conferencias Jueves 14 de octubre Cocktail 20:00 Cena de Clausura Viernes 15 de octubre Dinner ------------------------ TARIFAS DE HOTEL / HOTEL RATES Here are the sepecial hotel rates for conference attendees: Hotel Ancira Tarifa/Rate: N$346.00 + IVA $110.00 US dlls + 10% TAX Tel/Phone: (52)(8) 345-10-60 or 345-75-75 Fax/Fax: (52)(8) 344-52-26 Observations: Downtown; about 20 min from ITESM by car Observaciones:Centro de la ciudad; a 20 min del ITESM en carro Hotel Holiday Inn Crown Plaza Tarifa/Rate: N$327.00 + IVA $109.00 US dlls. + 10% TAX Tel/Phone: (52)(8) 319-60-00 Fax/Fax: (52)(8) 344-30-07 Observations: Downtown; about 20 min from ITESM by car Observaciones: Centro de la ciudad; a 20 min del ITESM en carro Hotel Rio Tarifa/Rate: N$250.00 + IVA $89.00 US Dlls. + 10% TAX Tel/Phone: (52)(8) 344-90-40 Fax/Fax: (52)(8) 345-14-56 Observations: Downtown; about 20 min from ITESM by car Observaciones: Centro de la ciudad; a 20 min del ITESM en carro Hotel Holiday Inn Express Tarifa/Rate: N$215.00 + IVA $70.00 US dlls. + 10% TAX Tel/Phone: (52)(8) 329-60-00 Fax/Fax: (52)(8) 329-60-20 Observations: South; about 5 min from ITESM by car Observaciones: Al sur de la ciudad; a 5 min del ITESM en carro We have a help counter, to aid you arranging hotel reservations in Monterrey. If you want a hotel reservation, please send to the help counter the folowing data as soon as posible. * dates of stay * hotel name * international credit card number, expiration date and type Help Counter Mayra Padilla/Zoila Reyna phone:(8) 358-20-00 ext 5082, 5076 fax: (8) 358-20-00 ext 5081 e-mail:msordia at mtecv2.mty.itesm.mx ----------------------------- COSTO DEL EVENTO /FEES Profesionistas/Professionals Tutorial/Tutorial N$1,000 + IVA $310 USD + 10% TAX Conferencias / Conferences N$1,000 + IVA $310 USD + 10% TAX Conferencias y Tutorial N$1,700 + IVA Conferences and Tutorial $527 USD + 10% TAX Estudiantes/Students Conferencias/Conferences N$320 + IVA $100 USD + 10 TAX (dinner not included) Profesores/Professors Tutorial/Tutorial N$850 + IVA $265 USD + 10% TAX Conferencias/Conferences $850 + IVA $265 USD + 10% TAX Conferencias y Tutorial N$1,600 + IVA Conferences and Tutorial $500 USD + 10% TAX ------------------- REGISTRATION ITESM, Campus Monterrey Centro de Investigacion en Informatica Edificio CETEC 6: Nivel Torre Norte Ave. Eugenio Garza Sada #2501 Sur Monterrey N.L. Mexico ATN: Lic. Mayra Padilla/ Lic. Zoila Reyna Tel/Phone: (8) 358-20-00 ext. 5082, 5076 Fax/Fax: (8) 358-20-00 ext. 5081 e-mail: msordia@mtecv2.mty.itesm.mx ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1993 19:13:48 +0000 From: wwwn@ukartnet.demon.co.uk Subject: World Wide Web Newsletter The World Wide Web Newsletter brings you Desktop Global Networking. Now you can plug in to an endless world of people and information: the fastest growing global event, with room and resources for everyone. Al Gore dubbed it the "information superhighway" now everyone from the President of the United States to the grungiest cyberpunk is out there, roaming the highways. The WORLD WIDE WEB NEWSLETTER is a unique source of news, information, help, addresses and ideas from and about the new global networks. If you want to know about the cyberspace you need to read the World Wide Web Newsletter. The WORLD WIDE WEB NEWSLETTER is proud to introduce Desktop Global Networking (DGN) for all. Anyone who has an interest in communication; anyone who is thinking about utilising the power of desktop global networking; anyone who should know what is happening out there; anyone interested in the range of resources and products that make up the World Wide Web has to read The World Wide Web Newsletter. The World Wide Web is a metanetwork of interconnected computers, known variously as the Internet, the Matrix and Cyberspace. The World Wide Web Newsletter is your navigation system to the greatest free resource and communication system in the history of the world. The WORLD WIDE WEB NEWSLETTER is designed with the non-specialist in mind -- you don't need a degree in computer networking to read us. We aim to bring you clear, informative, helpful, exciting insights into the most useful communication and information system that you will ever use. This World Wide Web the Internet, the Matrix, the Cyberspace is a huge interconnected system of networked computers. It is estimated that fifteen million people a day use the system and that the system is growing at ten percent a month. The Web will change our lives. As access to it becomes widespread, so knowledge of how it works, what is in it, how to make use of it and what will happen next becomes of prime importance to more and more of us. The global network is so huge that newcomers and old hands alike find it difficult to keep tabs on the needles in this haystack. The WORLD WIDE WEB NEWSLETTER brings you the best of the global networks every other month: News; Features; UK access information; network multimedia; a-z of the Internet; Frequently Asked Questions; common problems, common solutions; Reviews - books, software, hardware, services and systems; non-Internet systems and how they connect; how individuals use the global networks. Resource and Listings sections will provide ready references to resources on the Internet, from those you use everyday to the obscure depths that you may never otherwise find. The September/October issue of The WORLD WIDE WEB NEWSLETTER: + UK Networking: how to; where to; who to and a full listing of UK Internet accesss providers. + Powermail The wonderful world of mailing lists: how to exploit the power of e-mail. + Cello - Full featured Internet software for Windows reviewed by Neville Wilford + Awesome Sites: Virtual Tourism the John S. Makulowich Column + NetNews latest news from the global networks + Off Internet Hardware and software developments outside and around the Internet + Internet a-z: Astronautics How to become an astronaut and other frequently asked questions + Plus information on software and hardware developments; resource lists; publications; Internet Multimedia and much more. If you don't read The WORLD WIDE WEB NEWSLETTER, you'll never know what you are missing -- or who's missing you. The WORLD WIDE WEB NEWSLETTER Editor: Ivan Pope ISSN 1350 - 2263 Individual issues 3 + 1 p&p 24 for 6 issues including postage in the UK and Europe. 42 (US$60) elsewhere including airmail postage Payable to Art Computers CIS: 100135,1673 ivan@ukartnet.demon.co.uk IPope@well.sf.ca.us FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT THE EDITOR IVAN POPE ON +44 81 533 0818 or IVAN@UKARTNET.DEMON.CO.UK or FAX ON THE ABOVE NUMBER Published by: Art Computers, 13 Brett Rd, London E8 1JP UK Ivan Pope Editor ivan@ukartnet.demon.co.uk The World Wide Web Newsletter +44 (0)81 533 0818 13 Brett Rd Fax: +44 (0)81 533 0818 London E8 1JP wwwn@ukartnet.demon.co.uk UK The World Wide Web Newsletter (WWWN). The WWWN is a monthly subscription newsletter that covers the new global networks. ------------------------------ From: dave.carpentier@oln.com Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1993 17:22:56 -0400 Subject: EasyTouch Phone Trouble We have a "Bell Phones by Northwestern Bell Phones" telephone model "EasyTouch 2 Line" unit that deceided to quit dialing in the pulse mode. The phone works fine on tone. When switched to pulse, it makes the appropriate sounds in the earpiece, but fails to break dialtone. If this is in fact a product of "Northwestern Bell" (one of the baby Bells?), I wonder if some of the phone-techies may know of a common fix. With my luck, "Northwestern Bell Phones" is just the name of a company in Korea. Please don't send messages with detailed setups involving 'scopes and the like, as I have none at my disposal. I do, however, have access to a 600v dc "breakdown" unit in need be. ;() Later, Dave Carpentier [Thunder Bay, Ont. Can.] dave.carpentier@oln.com ------------------------------ From: Ramaiah V Narla Subject: Foreigners Need Not Apply? DateThu 2 1 Sep 1993 01:05:24 EDT "HOW MANY RESUMES MUST A MAN SEND, BEFORE ..." First, we are told that the graduate program in telecommunications is a path breaker; whereas the telecom industry used to hire graduates from business management or engineering, now they have another resource -- the pools of bright ones trained especially to fit into telecom niches. We are told that this is the information age and the opportunities are limitless -- for telecom gradautes, they implied. Then came the guests speakers -- industry contacts of our professors -- who harped of new scenarios against the same information age backdrop: geographic, political, econonomic, and cultural, borders breaking down and the power of the universal corporation (no, not multi- or transnational anymore). Then comes news from all over about the "phenomenal" Changes Taking Place in economies and telecom industries around this blessed world. Privatization!! You got a plan? Here's a share for you. And then ... And then, here I am: for nine months have I tried, extensively and intensively and loss-of-wordsly, to locate myself with a company. But to no avail. Countless numbers of applications, cities and states, strategies, collaborated efforts with university councelers, consistensies, try-luck-now recklessnesses, complex webs of networks ... nine months! Response rate? TWO interviews (into 2nd meeting stage) and about 10% standard acknowledgments through s-mail. (The standard statement reads soemwhat like, "Although your credentials are very impressive, we do not have a position that suits ..."). And of course they got me on file. Meanwhile, the network is frustrated too ... [Maybe I got to make a profession out of just building these "networks," I mean!] And it wasn't uncommon for the common contact to say, "Maybe, you're asking for too much ..." What have I been asking for? I spent about $40K getting the degree. Worked the bit I have off, paid the taxes, played the cultural ambassador to my people [they haven't heard of the imminent threat to their borders], and helped my host country scholars understand the Other ... what then was I asking for? A few returns on that investment. And an internship for year before I get back into the still un-eroded borders of the country I came from. Specifically, I am permitted a year's practical training in the USA after my studies and that's all I have been asking for. In return for the kind of work (sloggery) that one will remember when one comes to my town to shop or to sell. The country I want to get back to is not as "attractive" as the CIS or east Europe. But it IS privatizing and it has one of the largest middle class populations and an eminently potential market. Any number of US telcos have bid for projects there in recent years, even on the threshold of change. Some have proposed or presently working on grand plans for business there. However, not one company had one idea as to how useful I could be, whether in their operations, to their long-term goals, or for a pecuniary benefit from hiring me: because I'd be dead cheap. Not that I am an absolute novice. I worked at my university in the USA. I took a break from a successful professional career in my country to come here particularly to extend my understanding of new technologies and services, and for an exposure to, simply put, the best and cheapest telecom services. And I believed that travel can lead to better education and salvation (sic!). Am I wrong or what? Ram Narla PLEASE MAIL ANY CORRESPONDENCE TO: narla@egr.msu.edu [Moderator's Note: Don't you really know what the problem is? It is the same problem faced by many young black people in urban areas like Chicago. All these years we've been saying stay in school, work part time at an entry-level job at McDonalds, get a diploma, take a couple of extra courses ... hey, some blacks *believed it* and did just what was suggested. Now out of school, they go out and look for jobs only to have personnel departments politely tell them there is nothing which is 'suitable', or that the job was filled. These days, dyed in the wool racists are more in the closet than the gay guys ever used to be. But they still staff the employment offices and apartment rental offices everywhere. The young teenage black kids who recently graduated from high school and are out looking for a job rarely have experienced the open and bald-faced racism their grandparents lived with; some of them have seen none at all and are led to believe it does not exist any longer. They honestly think it has to do with how well they perform their duties. There is still some 'resentment toward foreigners' here in the USA also. I strongly suspect that has something to do with it. PAT] ------------------------------ From: kechak@uuhare.rabbit.net (Stanley Kechak) Subject: Used D4 Channel Bank Needed Organization: The Rabbit Network, Inc. Mt. Clemens, MI Date: Thu, 02 Sep 1993 12:53:11 GMT One of our customers is in need of a D4 channel bank. They will be receiving their 800 calls over a T1 and they want to hook the 24 channels to two racks of Telebit worldblazer modems. They don't seem to have $8-$12k in their budget for a new one and would like to avoid leasing one -- its money down the drain. Any ideas? Jon S. Havel, Technical Support Services, havel@rabbit.net The Rabbit Network, Inc. | Internetworking Services 34486 South Gratiot Ave. | Suite 200 Mt. Clemens, MI 48043 | (313) 790-0094 FAX: (313) 790-0156 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 02 Aug 1993 09:26:50 EDT From: David R Zinkin Subject: E-Mail Address(es) for Congress? A while back, someone posted the E-mail addresses for President Clinton (president@whitehouse.gov), Vice President Gore (vice-president@whitehouse.gov), and Congress; the address for Congress supposedly would tell which members of the House and Senate had their own E-mail addresses on the Internet. Unfortunately, I lost the address (I think there was only one; please correct me if I'm wrong) for Congress; could someone please re-post it or send it to me? Thanks! Dave Zinkin UB School of Medicine ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V13 #620 ****************************** From telecom Fri Sep 3 12:09:01 1993 Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu id AA24292 (5.65c/IDA-1.4.4 for telecom@eecs.nwu.edu); Fri, 3 Sep 1993 12:09:01 -0500 Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1993 12:09:01 -0500 From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <199309031709.AA24292@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V13 #621 Status: RO TELECOM Digest Fri, 3 Sep 93 12:09:00 CDT Volume 13 : Issue 621 Inside This Issue: Moderator: Patrick A. Townson Bell Canada Local Rate Increase Denied, Expanded 911 Approved (D. Leibold) Who Are These Cincinnati Bell People, Anyway? (Alec Isaacson) This Month in {Wired} (Robert L. McMillin) Info Needed: Regulatory Status For Satellite Communications (H. Takashi) York University Residential Service (Dave Leibold) Introducing alt.snail-mail For Postal Discussions (Nigel Allen) Wescom or Prescom Voice Converters (Eero Torri) Strange Sound on my Line (jvarley@netcom.com) Looking For Inexpensive CSU (Mark Fanty) ATT-Like Video (Richard A. Galen) Review: Bulletin Board Systems for Business, Wood/Blankenhorn (Rob Slade) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1993 10:04:06 -0400 From: Dave.Leibold@f730.n250.z1.FIDONET.ORG (Dave Leibold) Subject: Bell Canada Local Rate Increase Denied, Expanded 911 Approved [From the press release of today's CRTC (Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission) decision on Bell Canada's local rates and other matters.] 30-08-93 CRTC REJECTS BELL CANADA BID FOR LOCAL RATE INCREASES, ENDORSES ENHANCED 9-1-1 SERVICE THROUGHOUT ONTARIO & QUEBEC OTTAWA/HULL - The CRTC today denied Bell Canada's request for increases in the basic service rates paid by its customers in Ontario and Quebec. The company had asked for increases to allow it to earn extra revenue of $315 million during 1993 and $520 million in 1994. The CRTC also denied Bell's proposal for expanded local calling areas around Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa-Hull, which would have increased basic service prices for the majority of subscribers in those regions. However, the CRTC did approve a plan for enhanced 9-1-1 service in all communities served by Bell in both provinces. Today's decision (Telecom Decision CRTC 93-12) follows a month-long public hearing held in May and June. "The CRTC has acted to ensure that Canadian telephone subscribers are not asked to pay unjustified increases," said CRTC Chairman Keith Spicer. "The Commission took fully into account Bell's financial situation and its legitimate need to earn enough to adequately serve its customers and to generate reasonable profits for shareholders. This delicate balancing of public versus private interests, so that rates are just and reasonable, is a cornerstone of the CRTC's mandate from Parliament." Revenues, expenses and regulated rate of return In setting Bell's allowed rate of return range and rates, the CRTC examined carefully the company's projected revenues and expenses. In general, the Commission concluded that Bell had underestimated its projected earnings, while overestimating anticipated expenses and the impact of competition in the long-distance market. Highlights of the CRTC's findings include: * establishment of an allowable profit range (rate of return on common equity) of 11% - 12%, down from the range of 12.25% - 13.25% set in 1988 and lower than the range of 12.5% - 13.5% requested by Bell; * downward adjustment of forecast expenses by $19.6 million for 1993 and $141.1 million for 1994. The CRTC determined that Bell had overestimated costs, as it has in previous projections since 1988; * reassessment of anticipated revenues upward by $153 million in 1993 and $275 million in 1994. In terms of revenues, the CRTC found that Bell had underestimated market growth and overestimated potential market share losses due to long-distance competition; and, * acceptance of Bell's proposal to increase its debt/equity ratio. The CRTC approves a 55% equity level which should mitigate any increase in business risk since the last general rate decision in 1988 and the 1993 introduction of competition in the long-distance market. Quebec and Ontario-wide 9-1-1 services The CRTC agreee with Bell that the introduction of an enhanced 9-1-1 Public Emergency Reporting Service (PERS) in Ontario and Quebec is in the public interest. Enhanced 9-1-1 service means the location of an incoming call is automatically identified at the emergency monitoring station. Currently, consumers pay for existing 9-1-1 services through municipal taxes. The service will route 9-1-1 emergency calls to special offices set up by municipalities for relay to emergency agencies such as police, fire and ambulance services. While Bell had proposed charging different prices in each province, the CRTC decided that an average monthly fee of $0.32 would be more appropriate. The price will vary for some business customers depending on the type of business access service they have. This approach will make enhanced 9-1-1 service more affordable for even the smallest communities. "We welcome Bell's initiative to ensure that all of its customers, and particularly those in small and rural communities, will be able to call for help easily and quickly when they face a crisis," Mr. Spicer said. "This service saves lives and we're pleased that all of Bell's customers will have access to it. Introduction of the service throughout Ontario and Quebec is expected to be completed within five years." Bell had also filed a proposal to introduce an option to 9-1-1 service in Ontario only. This would allow municipalities, particularly small ones, to have 9-1-1 calls answered directly by Bell personnel who would then route them to the appropriate agency. The CRTC had directed the company to file an economic study for offering a similar plan in Quebec. The proposals for both provinces will then be considered by the Commission. Expanded local call plan denied Bell proposed expanding local calling areas to communities within 80 miles of each other in the areas around Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa-Hull. Survey results and comments presented to the Commission showed that there was no significant customer demand for this service. "Expanding local calling areas would have entailed a significant increase in local rates for the majority of customers in those areas," the CRTC Chairman explained. "Given that, the Commission was concerned that Bell did not plan to hold a referendum so that subscribers whose bills would be increased could have their say. We also kept in mind the fact that heavy long-distance users can take advantage of many optional discount services without causing an increase in the local rates of other subscribers." Bell Sygma and WorldLinx Telecommunications Bell had also requested CRTC approval for the transfer of certain assets and services to two of its subsidiary companies - Bell Sygma and WorldLinx Telecommunications. While the Commission supports the transactions in principle, it determined that some regulatory adjustments would have been necessary. In particular, the CRTC would require an independent, third-party assessment of the assets and services in question to ensure that they are being transferred to Bell's subsidiaries at fair market prices, so that shareholders do not benefit at the expense of subscribers. During the public hearing, Bell advised the CRTC that if the transactions were not acceptable exactly as proposed then the company would not proceed with them. Given the Commission's views on the need for some regulatory adjustments, neither transaction was taken into accound in the determination of the company's revenue requirements for 1993 and 1994. Extension of service As part of the proceeding, the CRTC examined several other related items, including Bell's construction program and certain accounting matters. After reviewing Bell's service extension plans, the Commission advised the company that it should pursue this goal more aggressively and directed the filing of annual status reports. Contact: Bill Allen, Director CRTC Public Affairs Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0N2 Tel: (819) 997.0313 TDD: (819) 994.0423 Fax: (819) 994.0218 ------------------ Dave Leibold - via FidoNet node 1:250/98 INTERNET: Dave.Leibold@f730.n250.z1.FIDONET.ORG ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 02 Sep 93 22:37:13 EDT From: Alec Isaacson Subject: Who Are These Cincinnati Bell People, Anyway Hello all: I had an interesting telecom happening this evening that I'd like to share with you, and perhaps get some feedback as well. I moved recently from an area served by GTE of Ohio to an area served by Cincinnati Bell. Before I moved I contacted my long distance provider, AT&T, to find out the best way to move my long distance plan to my new number. The AT&T dude said "No problem, just give us a call with the new number and we'll move your account over." Well, the problems have begun. After I reached my new place, I called Cinci Bell and confirmed that my LD carrier was AT&T, then, tonight, I called AT&T to confirm my LD plan, and I got no joy. AT&T had no record of my new number, their computers say it is an invalid number instead. If they look under my old number, they can see that it was closed out, but that's all. To add insult to injury, the AT&T dude I spoke to tonight said that Cinci Bell is completely "independant" and they provide _no_ billing information to AT&T. I asked if that meant that for all aspects of my LD billing he couldn't help me and he said yes, that I'd have to contact Cinci Bell for all billing questions, local and long distance. (I wonder what that means regarding credit for bogus calls.) Dang it!!! One of the reasons I picked AT&T was that if I wanted to call them at 3:00 a.m. on Christmas Eve, there'd be someone there, with a cheery voice and a good attitude, now Cinci Bell seems to be denying me that service, among others, by witholding LD billing info from AT&T. (Cinci Bell's billing office closes at 7 weekdays and if their installation rep is any measure ...) Doesn't this fall under "Equal Access" or something? AT&T has to get billing information sometime, else Cinci Bell could say "Alec didn't make any LD calls last month." and pocket the cash. What's the scoop here, is Cinci Bell allowed to do this or was the AT&T agent selling me a bill of goods? Thanks, I feel better now :) Disclaimer: Above are my opinions. I don't really believe that Cinci Bell is ripping off, or would rip off, AT&T for LD money, it's just a hypothetical. Alec D. Isaacson AI4CPHYW @ miamiu.acs.muohio.edu isaacson @ rogue.acs.muohio.edu (NeXt Mail) Miami University, Oxford, OH [Moderator's Note: Cincinnati Bell is not subject to the same equal access and divestiture rules as other companies which have 'Bell' in their name because it was never part of AT&T to the extent the others were. Cincinnati Bell is pretty much free to do its own thing where long distance service is concerned. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 2 Sep 93 22:31 PDT From: rlm@helen.surfcty.com (Robert L. McMillin) Subject: This Month in {Wired} {Wired}, a magazine about which I can justifiably use many very positive adjectives, has in this month's issue a good article on the recent history of the Russian Net and its growth due to the terrible state of Russian telephone service. Also: an essay by Michael Crichton on the coming extinction of the mass media; an interview with George Gilder reprising the main points of his earlier {Forbes: ASAP} article, "Into the Fibersphere," namely that dark fiber will drastically lower data transmission costs and usher in a new economic era; and an actual photograph of the One True Leader Of The Net, Leader Kibo. William Gibson gets to go on a junket to Singapore, in his (less than enlightening, I'm afraid) essay, "Disneyland With The Death Penalty". Lastly, Nicholas Negroponte continues his series of thoughtful opinion pieces, this time advocating an open archetecture for television's next generation. On newsstands now: e-mail editor@wired.com for more info. Robert L. McMillin | Surf City Software | rlm@helen.surfcty.com ------------------------------ From: hoshino@tkysun.phys.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp (HOSHINO Takashi) Subject: Info Needed: Regulatory Status For Satellite Communications Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1993 15:20:26 GMT I'm now reserching the regulatory status for fixed satellite communications in foreign countries. My question is that, for example, to use the satellite for international telecommunication other than Intelsat launched and operated by foreign country, if it's necessary to obtain a radio station licence of your country for that satellite or not. If is there anyone who can help, please write to me. I'll send back the questionnare. Thanks in advance, HOSHINO Takashi Tokyo, JAPAN ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 01 Sep 93 10:05:14 EST From: Dave.Leibold@f730.n250.z1.fidonet.org (Dave Leibold) Subject: York University Residential Service Students living on York University's campus will be able to obtain residential phone service from the university itself this fall. * it is still possible to obtain service from Bell Canada rather than the university; thus, there is a choice of local service provider. * cost is $12.50/month for a five digit extension line. To call these numbers, dial (416) 650.2200 then enter the extension number with tones, or wait for assistance (the opening greeting of this number states that long distance charges are not accepted to that number; thus, no collect calls can be received with this service). * A direct-dial number can be obtained for $14.85/month; * touch tone is included in the monthly rates; * long distance carrier is the reseller ACC; rates will be cheaper than Bell's; * a voice mail feature is available for an extra $4.50/month; * call waiting/forwarding/hold/conference package is available for an extra $5.50/month; It will be interesting to find out how well the service will work. (Gated via FidoNet Node 1:1/31) Dave Leibold Internet: Dave.Leibold@f730.n250.z1.fidonet.org ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Sep 93 02:22:49 EDT From: ae446@freenet.carleton.ca (Nigel Allen) Subject: Introducing alt.snail-mail for Postal Discussions Organization: The National Capital Freenet, Ottawa Reply-To: ae446@freenet.carleton.ca Since we have had some interesting discussions here about postal bar codes and other aspects of postal service, and since there have been similar (but less sophisticated) discussions in misc.consumers and some Canadian newsgroups, I decided (after some discussion in alt.config) that it was time for a newsgroup specifically dealing with postal service. The newsgroup is alt.snail-mail. (Calling postal mail "snail-mail" is not intended to be derogatory; it's simply the jargon term that distinguishes postal mail from electronic mail.) Stamp collectors still have rec.collecting, of course. I realize that some sites do not receive alt.* groups. If alt.snail-mail is a successful newsgroup, perhaps there will be enough interest to justify a mainstream newsgroup (comp.dcom.snail-mail or misc.consumers.postal). Nigel Allen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada ae446@freenet.carleton.ca ------------------------------ Subject: Wescom or Prescom Voice Converters Date: 3 Sep 1993 06:53:27 GMT Organization: Telecom Finland Reply-To: rmj@ajk.tele.fi (Johanna Mikkola) From: rmj@ajk.tele.fi (Johanna Mikkola) Hello, Does anybody know something about Wescom or Prescom voice converters? My problem is to connect two-wire E&M system to two-wire analogue line. (One voice channel) I know that this equipment is used in this kind of cases but I would need some specific information about it. If anybody knows also who is its local distributor in Scandinavia, please tell me. Regards, Johanna ------------------------------ From: jvarley@netcom.com Subject: Strange Sound on my Line Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760) Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1993 08:03:42 GMT A couple months ago I was sitting in my bedroom at an apartment of ours that is now rented out. I was chatting with a dear friend of mine, when all of a sudden, we both hear a high-pitched sound. It sounded much like a tuning fork, as it started high and loud but then lowered in volume. After the sond, which lasted about a second, we got a hissing like a carrier signal and we were disconnected from each other. I hung up and called back and the call was uneventful. Afterwards, I dialed 611 and had a check run on the line. I never heard the sound again. The apartment is on PacBell/AT&TR. It was a local call. jvarley@netcom.com ------------------------------ From: fanty@cse.ogi.edu (Mark Fanty) Subject: Looking For Inexpensive CSU Date: 3 Sep 93 16:53:13 GMT Organization: Oregon Graduate Institute (formerly OGC), Beaverton, OR Can somebody give me the number for a distributor who sells a CSU from Kendrox or Kentrox, model T-serve 2. Thanks. Mark Fanty Center for Spoken Language Understanding fanty@cse.ogi.edu Oregon Graduate Institute of Science & Technology (503) 690-1030 PO Box 91000 fax (503) 690-1334 Portland, OR 97291-1000 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Sep 93 08:21:44 CDT From: Richard A. Galen Reply-To: Richard A. Galen Subject: ATT-Like Video I am looking for some information on putting in a slow-scan home-made video conferencing operation. We do a lot of presentations using transparencies and an overhead projector. As we are trying to cut down on travel costs, I would like to use teleconferencing but, as you know, something is lost without the video portion. I don't need real time; or even near-real time. I would like to aim an industrial grade B&W camera at the overhead screen and open a phone line. One scan per second would be adequate as it would only have to look at the screen so people in remote locations (watching their AT&T picturephone?) could follow the presenter as he/she went throught the presentation. Any clues on where to look for this type of help most appreciated. rgalen@tad.eds.com Rich Galen EDS 5400 Legacy Dr. H3-3F-33 Plano, TX 75024 214-605-4561 ------------------------------ Date: 3 Sep 93 10:08 -0600 From: Rob Slade Subject: Review: "Bulletin Board Systems for Business", Wood/Blankenhorn BKBBS4BS.RVW 930801 Wiley 605 Third Avenue New York, NY 10158-0012 USA 800-263-1590 "Bulletin Board Systems for Business", Wood/Blanenhorn, 1992, 34.95 There is no preface, and therefore no stated purpose, to this book. It would appear from both the title and the contents of the first few chapters that the intent is to promote the use or establishment of "bulletin board systems" (also known as "computer bulletin board systems", "electronic bulletin board systems" or just BBSes). The authors seem to be primarily concerned with PC based "in-house" systems, and Fidonet technology networks. Indeed, at one point they downplay the capabilities of commercial "online services" in favour of private BBSes, and the book never betrays any knowledge of the Internet, Usenet or the Waffle or SLIP (serial link Internet protocol) means of extending access to PCs. Also, PC based means MS-DOS PCs to the authors: aside from CP/M (for historical purposes) no other platform or operating system is mentioned. The authors do not make a very convincing case, at least not for what I assume is the intended audience: businesspeople. Certain specialized uses are demonstrated in "case studies", but the generic usefulness of the various BBS functions are not convincingly presented. There is somewhat of a tone of "preaching to the choir" about the initial chapters. For those who are trying to make their own case to management, however, there are some interesting and possibly helpful resources. Chapter one has a history of BBS development that any aficionado will find fascinating reading. Chapter two, "Should you run a board", as mentioned, makes a less than compelling case, but does give some possibly useful examples. Chapters three and four give simple background descriptions of BBS and computer communications technology components which may be useful in presentations. Chapter five delves more deeply into the "basics of telecommunications, with clear and concise explanations of such issues as parity, band (correctly distinguished from "bits per second") and file transfer protocols. Some of the material suffers from the PC bias: for example, the description of the Kermit protocol is unnecessarily harsh, and is unaware of the recent advances. Chapter six replays a fair amount of this material in its discussion of modem technology. Chapter seven is supposedly the "basics of modem software", but is primarily a brief listing of eleven terminal emulation programs. Chapter eight is entitled "File Manipulation" but is again a listing of software, this time file archiving and compression programs. The listings are longer in this section, given a brief history of each program and author, but more due to the inclusion of all the available "command line switches" and features of each program. (The material is somewhat dated. Given the 1992 copyright date, it is odd to see PKZIP represented by version 1.05.) There is also a short discussion of graphics file types. There is no discussion of "binary to text" conversion methods, which allow the transmission of program files over email systems. Chapter nine is another set of listings, this time of BBS software. The listings are duplicated, with a slightly differing slant, in chapter ten. Supposedly it deals with generic issues of management, but, in reality, it lists the "administrative" functions of some of the previously listed BBS programs. A list of the "top ten BBSes in North America" makes up chapter eleven. This may be of historical interest to those in the online community, but is not of great use to those building a corporate, "in-house" BBS. Chapter twelve discusses "online etiquette", a subject very dear to my heart. The list of "do's and don'ts" is useful and proper, but with little discussion preceding it, may not be compelling to the average reader. (Oddly, there is no mention here of the "smiley", or "emoticon", which can help greatly with one of the problems mentioned, that of "subtle" humour.) Chapter thirteen talks about legal matters. Perhaps the best advice from this section would be to get a copy of "Syslaw". Chapter fourteen is entitled "Viruses, hackers and other dangers". I won't say it "covers" the topic because it doesn't. The definition of a virus is flatly wrong, and the discussion is blatantly biased in favour of one John McAfee. Of five antiviral programs, one is the McAfee product and two others are commercial resellers of it. (The remaining two are Norton and Central Point, of which the shortcomings are, or should be, well known.) Two BBSes are listed, one the McAfee board and one the now-defunct NCSA/ICSA board. (Interestingly, the disk of shareware contained with the book does *not* contain the McAfee product.) Of hackers, the only useful material is some discussion of password choice. The future (limited to CPU speed, ISDN, MIDI and JPEG) is discussed in chapter fifteen. Sixteen is more helpful: a glossary of computer and communications terms, as well as common email abbreviations. FWIW ("for what it's worth") the "smiley" still doesn't make it, but ROTFL ("rolling on the floor, laughing") does. There are seven appendices. "A" is some information on offline mail readers and "Fidonet" protocol networks. "B" is a very brief discussion of the BBS situation by various regions: both "The Matrix" and Krol's "Internet Guide" contain more information on Fidonet alone than does this. "C" comments briefly on various commercial online or email services. "D" lists "selected" BBSes. (How the selection was done is a bit of a mystery.) "E" lists BBSes contacted during the preparation of the book; "F" lists the "outdial" modem parts of the U.S. "PC Pursuit" system, and "G" lists "resources". The book is packaged with a disk of software. The cover states that SMARTCOM EZ is included; according to the final chapter of the book it also contains a number of shareware programs. (These, of course, are fairly dated, but I note that PKZIP 1.10 did finally make it in.) The inclusion of these programs reminds me that the authors nowhere discuss the concept of shareware. For those with some background in BBS use the book is interesting for its anecdotal approach to history. There are a number of interesting stories, and "meet the name" pieces. For those who are seriously interested in setting up an in-house corporate BBS, there is a useful, if somewhat limited, overview of some of the concepts involved. Those completely new to the field will find helpful background information, although there are definite gaps that need to be filled from other sources. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993 BKBBS4BS.RVW 930801 Vancouver ROBERTS@decus.ca Institute for Robert_Slade@sfu.ca Research into rslade@cue.bc.ca User p1@CyberStore.ca Security