Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa00547; 28 Mar 94 13:22 EST Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA06313; Mon, 28 Mar 94 09:13:28 CST Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA06304; Mon, 28 Mar 94 09:13:27 CST Date: Mon, 28 Mar 94 09:13:27 CST From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9403281513.AA06304@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #151 TELECOM Digest Mon, 28 Mar 94 09:13:00 CST Volume 14 : Issue 151 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Data Communications in Mobile Environment (Lee Chang-Geun) Radio Contest Overloads 911, Business Lines (Ottawa Citizen via D. Sellers) Re: Bell South ISDN Announcement (Juergen Ziegler) Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (jdl@wam.umd.edu) Re: Pager Scam Resurfaces (Dave Lakerson) Re: Pager Scam Resurfaces (David Hough) Re: Direct Modem / Cellular Links (Terry Gilson) Re: Competition and Technology (zta@delphi.com) Re: Country Code For San Marino (Anton Sherwood) Re: Country code for San Marino (Richard Barry) Re: Los Angeles Phone Fire Update (Marty Brenneis) Re: Los Angeles Phone Fire Update (Paul Robinson) Re: Area Code 215 Changed to 610, Why? (Carl Moore) Re: International Free Numbers (Anton Sherwood) Re: Murata Business System Email, Fax or Voice Address Wanted (PPI Yvonne) Re: The Day 905 Went Solo (Ed Leslie) Re: Extension Cord For Cell Phone (Dave Held) Re: Area Code 562 (David H. Close) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: cglee@archi.snu.ac.kr (Lee Chang-Geun) Subject: Data Communications in Mobile Environment Organization: SNU,KOREA Date: Mon, 28 Mar 94 10:26:07 GMT I am interested in PCS, PCN, Wireless Communications, and cellular systems. We (our study group) want to study these topics more systematically. We have tried to find some appropriate text on the PCS, Wireless and cellular systems. We could obtain some articles and papers on specific research area (eg. Mobile IP protocols, base station networking, channel allocations, and location strategies). We want to study these topics step by step, from erectronical aspects to mobile network architecture, protocols for mobility supports, and application aspects. We want a good text book summarizing researches on these topics. I am sure you can give me a clue. I am especially interested in data communication in mobile environments. I heard briefly about CDPD (low speed data communication on cellular phone systems). But I am studying multimedia communication over mobile environment. So I am walking through the same way that many researchers (who consider internetworking High Speed Backbone (like ATM) and Cellular System) are walking. Some (like Goodman) think about data loss and recovery caused by hand-off problems. But I have no quantative data about data loss during cell hand-off. And I will be happy if I can get some information about this research. I also want your help about this. Thank you. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Mar 94 16:48:45 EST From: sellers@on.bell.ca (Dave Sellers) Subject: Radio Contest Overloads 911 Lines, Business Calls As reported in the {Ottawa Citizen} March 27, 1994, radio and television. Canada's national capital was put on hold Friday night when a local radio station (CHEZ 106) gave away tickets to a Pink Floyd concert to the first 53 callers. The problem started when the radio station offered pairs of tickets to the Pink Floyd concert to the first 53 callers, it was swamped with calls -- more than 306,000 in about an hour. The calls overloaded Bell Canada's switching equipment even thou the radio station was using special "contest lines". The switches responded by making callers wait up to a minute for dial tone. CHEZ's general manager, Chuck Azzarello, said the station was suprised by the response to its contest -- and the outcome. "The station at no time set out intentionally to cause something like this to happen. It's unfortunate that it did and, as concerned corporate citizens and individuals, we are concerned that this sort of thing could occur." said Azzarello Saturday night. Phone service was affected whereever the radio station had listeners -- as far south as Cornwall and Smith Falls and as far north as Pembrook. Many business were affected, like Pizza Pizza which Friday night is their busiest. Pizza Pizza estimates they lost $12,000 because people could not get through to place their order. The phone problems also hampered other services such as 911. Many people called to complain about their problems with the phones. About 280 calls were made to 911 between 5 to 9PM compared to about 125 on a normal Friday night. Tony Yantha of the Ottawa Police said "I normally have three clerks working on 911. Last night I had five and still wasn't enough." Sandra Cruikshanks of Bell Canada said that the phone service was back to normal by 9:30PM (started at about 6:20PM). The station's contest number designed by Bell, is designed to allow large number of callers to hear a busy signal if the line isn't available, without affecting other lines. She said that the sheer number of calls to the radio station during the ticket give away "is just unheard of". But she said the phone system responded exactly the way it should have. "It worked perfectly well." ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 17:16:00 +0100 From: juergen@aldebaran.sub.de (Juergen Ziegler) Subject: Re: Bell South ISDN Announcement Organization: Aldebaran Marine Reserach & Broadcast In article is written: > 3/21/94 Release from Bellsouth: > BELLSOUTH ANNOUNCES LARGEST GEOGRAPHIC DEPLOYMENT OF ISDN IN THE NATION > "Previously, you had to be served directly by a central office switch > equipped with ISDN capability. Under this new alternate serving > arrangement, ISDN capabilities can be routed from a nearby ISDN-capable > switch to your home or office -- at no additional charge. This arrangement > is a cost-effective and expeditious method of deploying ISDN region wide," > Carter said. I don't doubt that Germany is years behind the USA in regard to a modern and efficient telecommunications infrastructure, but this "new alternate" method of providing ISDN lines is commonplace in Germany ever since. Most German ISDN subscribers are not served by their local switch, but through a remote switch. As a result of this method general availability of ISDN in Germany (excluding from East Germany) could (will) be reached within five years since 1989. In my hometown ISDN is available since January 1991. And this remote access arrangement is offered at no extra charge, if the ISDN line will be served by the designated remote switch. If there was no designated ISDN switch, then a remote access charge was imposed. Since most local access areas have now ISDN, general availability will be reached within this year. Juergen Ziegler * Obervogt-Haefelinstr. 48 * 77815 Buehl (Baden) * Germany juergen@jojo.sub.de ****** Fax: +49-7223-900646 ***** Voice Mail: 900686 ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 23:35:45 -0500 From: Jonathan Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? In TELECOM Digest Volume 14, Issue 149, Message 13 of 16, the Editor wrote: > Here in the USA, you have to be very careful about getting involved. > It is best not to, since if you do, you are often treated like a > criminal and the (true) criminal like the victim. It goes against my > grain to say it, but you are better off not getting involved unless > the crime is against you personally. What would happen to you if you simply called the police? I guess that if you shot at the perpetrator then you could easily get into serious trouble; but if you merely called the police then you won't get into legal trouble. If you did it anonymously then the perp won't get back at you either. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Sometimes when you call 911 the dispatcher puts you through a alot of questions ("how do you know that is what he is doing?"; "are you the owner of the property?", etc.) and they never do respond or they tell you the police have already responded and consider the report unfounded. PAT] ------------------------------ From: cyknight@aol.com Date: Sun, 27 Mar 94 17:24:43 EST Subject: Re: Pager Scam Resurfaces Let me relate a story to you about this pager scam. My company is located in Pennsylvania. Our VP religiously carries his pager, giving all our customers his pager number to call "anytime day or night". Last year he was in New York visiting a client. Two hours after the meeting he got a page which began with 212 (I won't put in the rest of the number since its not really necessary.) He was back in Pennsylvania at home when he got the page. He called the number and got through to a 'porn line'. At the time he had Sprint for his home service. Two months later he got a charge on his Sprint bill for $25 for the one minute call to the number. He got into quite a fight with Sprint about it. Sprint was going to make him pay for the call. As the Director of Telecom for our company I was asked to check into the situation. (We had Sprint in most of our 60 locations at the time and the VP thought I could have our account team look into it.) Our account team said there was nothing they could do about it either. Around this time we were putting out an RFP for long distance service with all three carriers since our committment with Sprint was almost over. While meeting with representatives from MCI and AT&T I related the story. Both reps told me there had been several occurances of the 'pager scam' taking place and that authorities in New York were investigating. The MCI rep gave me the name of the person to report our problem to in New York. She also gave me a copy of a newspaper article about it as well. I gave the information to Sprint who advised me they knew nothing about it. They still wanted our VP to pay for the call. He did and subsequently cancelled his service with Sprint. Our company chose not to renew with Sprint as well ... I won't say who we went with ... but when they said 'let us show you' they did! David Lakerson Harrisburg PA Cyknight@aol.com ------------------------------ From: dave@llondel.demon.co.uk (David Hough) Subject: Re: Pager Scam Resurfaces Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 22:26:39 GMT In article Stephen Goodman <0003945654@ mcimail.com> writes: > Be aware that the pager scam using area code > 212/540-XXXX > has resurfaced. > If you receive a page to call this number, DON'T return the call. The > 212/540 is translated to a 900 number and you/we can be billed $50.00 > or more per call. I have never understood how/why the US authorities allow such diverts, because the only purpose I can see for hiding a 900 number in this way is to con people into ringing it and getting charged. Is there any other valid reason for wanting to hide a 900 number behind an otherwise 'normal' number? Dave G4WRW @ GB7WRW.#41.GBR.EU AX25 dave@llondel.demon.co.uk Internet g4wrw@g4wrw.ampr.org Amprnet [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Authorities are not allowing a 900 service to 'hide' or be 'diverted' simply because any area code + 976 (or in the case of New York '540') is an equally valid premium charge number. There is no diversion taking place. The differences in numbers is due to billing requirements. 900 is typically national in scope and is handled by long distance carriers while 976/540 is local in scope; limited to a specific area or LATA and handled by a local telco. Some local telcos also offer their own 900 service, however no long distance carriers offer 976. There is nothing 'normal' about 976 (in more than one sense of the word where some of the programs presented are concerned, but we won't get into that can of worms - grin!), but I suppose you'd need to be in the USA and familiar with the USA phone numbering system to know that. Consider then that we basically have two premium type numbers here: 900 and 976, each with different ranges or geographic service areas. Nothing is being hidden or diverted. Generally our domestic long distance carriers here will not connect to 976 and generally one local telco will not connect with another local telco's 976 numbers. PAT] ------------------------------ From: tgilson@DELPHI.COM (Terry Gilson) Subject: Re: Direct Modem / Cellular Links Date: 28 Mar 1994 03:43:44 GMT Organization: Delphi Internet Services Corporation > These products are for direct links between RJ11 jack and the cellular > phone. Perhaps other/better products are available? NEC makes an interface which provides dial-tone and RJ-11 jack for the P110, P120, P180 and P300. It's called the INT4000. Motorola also makes something that I think is called the "PC Data Link" which provides dial-tone and RJ-11 jack for all the "Flip" phones. I have tested both of these units and they work very well. Each is battery powered and can be used just about anywhere there is a cellular signal. I think all of these units can trace their roots (through some kind of licensing fee) to a company called Telular, which has successfully defended it's patent on the dial-tone technology against quite a few companies. Terry Gilson tgilson@eis.calstate.edu DCN Cellular 805-379-3333 71220.2040@compuserve.com Westlake Village, CA tgilson@delphi.com ------------------------------ From: zta@DELPHI.COM Subject: Re: Competition and Technology Date: Sat, 26 Mar 94 10:37:56 -0500 Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice) One of the surveys from the {Economist} magazine a few years ago said the reason that cost may not decline is that the telcom industry is one of the largest provider of taxes. Few governments will kill their favorite cash cow. ------------------------------ From: dasher@netcom.com (Anton Sherwood) Subject: Re: Country Code For San Marino Organization: Bureau of Making Sure You Eat Your Vegetables Date: Sat, 26 Mar 1994 08:16:40 GMT In article , Clive D.W. Feather wrote: > I have a note in my files that San Marino has been allocated the > country code 295 but is not yet using it. HOwever, I recently saw a > posting, here I believe, that it has been allocated 378. 29x is typical for Atlantic islands. But with German reunification, 37 came free; I've seen 37x codes for two of the Baltic states. It would seem that the assigners-of-codes, seeing that 295 though assigned was not being used, took the opportunity to give San Marino a European code. Disclaimer: The above is likely to refer to anecdotal evidence. Anton Sherwood *\\* +1 415 267 0685 *\\* DASher@netcom.com ------------------------------ From: Richard Barry Subject: Re: Country Code For San Marino Date: 28 Mar 1994 06:39:02 -0000 Organization: Ireland On-Line Bob Smeets writes: > The Dutch telephone authorities mention +39 549 for access to San Marino. The ITU has issued a batch of new country codes which includes a new code for San Marino (+378 effective 26.10.93). Other countries that will be getting their own country code include Andorra (Autumn 1994) and Monaco (in 1995) when France Telecom introduces its 2-digit new area code plan. The 370 to 379 range of country code numbering space was created when the former DDR (used to be 37) telecom network was integrated into the Deutsche Telekom system. Prior to that there was no unallocated country code numbering space in the European range (3 and 4). The former Yugoslavia (code 38) is also being divided into three-digit ranges; eg. Slovenia is now +386. Following the break-up of Eastern Europe, there has been heavy demand for new country codes as countries like Lithuania and Latvia wanted to disconnect themselves from the Russian network. Richard Barry Ballsbridge IRL-Dublin 4 rbarry@iol.ie ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 18:58:11 -0800 From: droid@kerner.com (Marty the Droid) Subject: Re: Los Angeles Phone Fire Update Organization: Sparkology With 'telecommuting' being the wave of the future, how about the telcos set up workstations at all of the switch locations. Then the DA, TSPS, 611, customer service, and other droids could work from the location closest to their home. It seems that the telco office worker type jobs can be done with an isdn line, i.e. a voice path and a data link. Perhaps they could decentralize all of the telco droid type work and be more efficiant. I would think that they could even have personnel work from home. There really is no real technical reason now for these people all being in a specific location. It could even make the network more resiliant since it couldn't be compleatly downed by a disaster. Marty 'The Droid' Brenneis droid@well.com (415)258-2105 ~~~ KAE7616 - 462.700 - 162.2 ~~~ KC6YYP ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 23:52:45 EST From: Paul Robinson Reply-To: Paul Robinson Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA Cliff Sharp , whatever address that is, writes to TELECOM Digest as follows: > In article mac@rci.ripco.com > (Mark A. Cnota) writes: >> [PAT said:] >>> According to Mr. Eibel, a vice-president of Illinois Bell >>> at the time, staffing a phone office *with even just one >>> clerk* at all times to prevent situations like this was not >>> cost effective. >> I agree with Jim Eibel. He's one of the better executives >> IBT has had in the past ten years, in my opinion. > Let's see ... ten dollars per hour, figure twenty with > benefits etc. 365.24 days per year. That's $175,315.20 > per year. Say 200 thou with holiday pay, overtime, etc. > Figuring the cost of Hinsdale at $100,000,000, that means > Eibel must have planned a useful life of the equipment there > at something over 600 years. Mr. Sharp, you are much too kind. A clerk sitting in an office like that can probably be paid what the night operator at a gas station makes, probably minimum wage, which is about 1/2 of what you stated, at most perhaps $5 an hour and considerably less ten years ago. Average overhead is probably 100% of what they are paid, so figure it means that the phone company should have budgeted about $8 an hour around the clock, or something less than $1200 a week for continuous coverage. That is about $60,000 a year. Based on that number, it means that if nothing happened for 20 years, the company would have wasted about 1 1/2% of the facility cost for onsite protection. Want to bet its insurance costs more than this? I'll bet there are a lot of things that are unimportant that IBT spends more than $60,000 a year on, that are far less critical than a major statewide switching facility. Paul Robinson - Paul@TDR.COM [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You are headed in the right direction on this but your calculations are off. First of all, you have three shifts per day, not just one. Therefore you need three people for week- ends. I assume you would need one person for overnight coverage during the week and on holidays (no, Mr. Eibel, Mother's Day is not a holiday but to paraphrase President Roosevelt, it is a day which will live in infamy at Illinois Bell for many years to come). So figure four times your numbers shown above. Second though, you don't really want people who are willing to work for minimum wage. Either they are very young and not yet completely mature/responsible enough to do the job right or if they are old enough/mature enough, etc then they've got other problems or excess baggage to deal with. I'd go with Cliff Sharp's figures; those folks should be paid very nicely, expected to stay awake, and trained to deal with anything which should go wrong. Even using then the higher figures, telco still gets quite a good deal, don't they? PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Mar 94 05:21:24 EST From: Carl Moore Subject: Re: Area Code 215 Changed to 610, Why? > The other day I managed to dial a non-existing number in the USA. > Area code was 215 and number 385 xxxx. The error message said I > called area code 610 and number 385 xxxx and, of course, that the > number did not exist. If the 385 is correct, then (depending on my memory) that is Douglass- ville, along U.S. route 422 between Pottstown and Reading, and it is indeed going into area code 610, with 215 remaining useable until Jan. 7, 1995. But I called directory assistance within the past seven days for 610 (I had to leave my car at a shop in Wind Gap, which uses 863 prefix at Pen Argyl), and the DA operator passed me along to the automated response, which included the area code BUT used area code 215! Like 385, 863 is going into 610. KYW news-radio ran an item asking that people who have trouble with the use of 610 please call repair service. ------------------------------ From: dasher@netcom.com (Anton Sherwood) Subject: Re: International Free Numbers Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 08:22:43 GMT What do you do when you want to call Britain from America (or vice versa) and all you have is an 800 number? I'd happily pay the toll, but last time I tried it the call was simply refused. Anton Sherwood *\\* +1 415 267 0685 *\\* DASher@netcom.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: '800' is simply a shorthand way of saying (quote) "... if you are in the USA (or a given section thereof) and wish to call us with charges reversed, we will automatically pay for the call." 800-anything is *not* to be taken to be a 'real' phone number in the same sense as some other area code and seven digit number. What you do when 'all you have is an 800 number' is you ring up the directory enquiry for the place in particular and get the real number for the company. Then you call *that* number, and 'happily pay the toll'. Ah, but I hear your next question even as the words begin to form on your lips: what if the company does not give an address, or at least a city and state where you can begin to search for the number? What is all they have given you is an advertisement in the papers with an 800 number? Then you accept them for the ignorant fools they are; if they would waste a lot of money on a large advertisement (for example in the British newspapers) and not even accurately or completely tell you how to reach them, then they are unworthy of your patronage. You'd trust them to build a computer for you, or a scientific instrument? You know, we see the same thing here in reverse in the USA: if we read the London newspapers or a trade journal or whatever from Europe we now and then see only the toll-free numbers a person in the UK might call for information with no recourse for the Americans. In practice though, USA companies are the worst about this. So many Americans seem to feel the sun and moon revolve around the USA. We see some of that attitude from Europe, but not nearly in the quantity it goes from this side back to you. So for those non-telephone-number/no address firms in the USA which advertise abroad, you've got to simply let *them* eventually wonder why their international advertising never seems to do them much good; that is, if they ever do wonder about it. PAT] ------------------------------ From: ppiyvonne@aol.com (PPI Yvonne) Subject: Re: Murata Business System Email, Fax or Voice Address Wanted Date: 28 Mar 1994 07:02:02 -0500 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) In article , LCHESALI@iki3.bitnet writes: > Please help me to find Murata Business System Inc. adresses Lev, I'm not sure how updated this information is but I have a listed number in Texas of: 214-403 3300 Good luck, Yvonne ------------------------------ From: edleslie@apogee.ccs.yorku.ca (Ed Leslie) Subject: Re: The Day 905 Went Solo Organization: York University Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 00:46:30 -0500 djcl@io.org wrote: > Friday (25 Mar) was the last official day of Bell Canada's permissive > dialing period for the 416/905 area code split in the Toronto region. > This means that calls to 905 points will no longer be processed using [stuff deleted] > Ten digit local calling can be used within an area code (optionally). > That is, someone in 416 can dial elsewhere in 416 (Toronto) as 416 + > seven digits, as well as just the seven digits. True, and thankfully so for cell phone users. I asked Bell Mobility what would happen if I were in Mississauga, and tried to call a Toronto exchange using seven-digit dialing, ans was told that the call would not go through. I then asked just how someone driving on a road near the Metro Toronto boundary would know whether their call would be processed by a cell within or outside of Toronto, and was told that there would be no way to predict, and that if a cell on the 'wrong' side was used, the call would not go *and the user would just have to try again, or try the other dialing style*. Note that in theory, you could go at this for quite some time before getting through. Also consider the hassle of keeping two sets of speed dial numbers, one for when you are in, the other for when you are outside of Metro :-( Anyhow, from my tests so far, ten-digit dialing *always* works, so I've updated my memory dialer numbers to all be ten-digit numbers. The original note also referred to the use of 416-210 for messaging. I just ordered a PrimeLine number, and it will be a 416-410 number. What's PrimeLine you say -- fodder for another note another day, except to say that it is a new offering of a phone number not tied to any physical phone *line*, and which you can use to allow others to use a single number to reach you anywhere in the world that touchtone is available. Ed [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: PrimeLine is essentially the equivilent of AT&T's 'Easy Reach 700' service. PAT] ------------------------------ From: daveheld@DELPHI.COM Subject: Re: Extension Cord For Cell Phone Date: Sun, 27 Mar 94 23:21:49 -0500 Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice) writes: > Can anybody tell me where I can purchase an extension cord for my > cellular phone? I tried my local Radio Shack but they don't carry > this. It appears to be an 8 wire connection. The connection is very likely to be an 8-wire modular connector, called RJ-45. These connectors are commonly used for PBX extensions, intercom stations, etc., and are widely available. You can find an extension cord at a local electronics store (perhaps you will need to go a tad more sophisticated than Radio Shack). I _still_ think you're crazy. Nearly any cellular connection will cost more than nearly any equivalent wired connection. Please check this out carefully. ------------------------------ From: dhclose@alumni.caltech.edu (David H. Close) Subject: Re: Area Code 562 Date: 27 Mar 1994 03:34:00 GMT Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You know, this is getting to where it > isn't even funny any more. Thirty years ago I knew every area code and > where it was located. Now I can't remember half of them ... and wait until > next year when all those strange ones start popping up everywhere. PAT] But is the problem one of multiplying codes or an aging moderator? Creeping Alzheimer's? Dave Close, Compata, Costa Mesa "Always" and "never" are two words you dhclose@alumni.caltech.edu should always remember never to use. dave@compata.attmail.com Wendell Johnson [TELECOM Digest Editor's Ice Cold Note: Thank you for participating in our little Digest. I really appreciated your comments as another week gets underway. I'll always remember to never forget your gracious commentary. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #151 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa01103; 28 Mar 94 14:07 EST Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA07213; Mon, 28 Mar 94 09:49:05 CST Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA07204; Mon, 28 Mar 94 09:49:04 CST Date: Mon, 28 Mar 94 09:49:04 CST From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9403281549.AA07204@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #152 TELECOM Digest Mon, 28 Mar 94 09:49:00 CST Volume 14 : Issue 152 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Windows or DOS Caller ID Program (Paul Robinson) Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (Sean Slattery) Re: Hunt Groups/Ring-No-Answer-Call-Forwarding (puma@netcom.com) Re: Ripped By InfoAccess (Paul Robinson) Faculty Position in Telecom (Jane Fraser) Ruling on Dark Fiber (Robert P. Vietzke) Re: Who Paid For My 550? (Paul Robinson) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 23:38:53 EST From: Paul Robinson Reply-To: Paul Robinson Subject: Re: Windows or DOS Caller ID Program Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA Steve Lindsay , writes to TELECOM Digest as follows: > Does anyone know of a little DOS or Windows shareware program > that will act like the one of those caller ID boxes? > Or is there some AT commands I can type in to my communication > program to extract the phone number that is calling me? I > don't want my modem to answer; just tell me what number is > dialing me. As I have mentioned to people, many times, you *cannot* get caller ID information on a computer modem (or any other device) unless *all* of the following is true: 1. You must be on a telephone switch that support it. 2. Your local telephone company must offer it. 3. You must have subscribed to caller-id service. 4. The caller must be on a telephone switch that supports it. 5. The caller must not use *67 or otherwise be blocked. 6. All connections between you and the caller must support caller-id and retain the information, and the intervening long distance carriers must provide it. 7. Your modem or (receiving telephone) has to have the circuity to accept the special 1200 baud signal which is *not* the same as regular 1200 baud data. 8. Your modem must have the caller-id code enabled. Only if all eight conditions are true will you receive the information. If all but step five is not true, you get "P" or "PRIVATE". If step four or six is not true, and all others are, you get "O" or "OUT OF AREA". Then you have to enable the code. And the modem package will clearly indicate if you have Caller-ID capability. Six months ago I purchased a Practical Peripherals 14400FX internal for about $200. This modem advertises that it supports Caller-ID, which you do by using %CCID=0 for no Caller-ID, or =1 or =2 to get the Caller-ID information either in ascii or in hex, sent to the screen either before or after the second "RING" message. I'll probably write an article on Caller-ID and some games you can play with it someday. Because I am unable to disable one of the serial ports on my computer's everything card (IDE/Floppy Disk/Game/Serial port), I had to go out and purchase an external modem. The least expensive external 14400 is a very nice Intel PCFM7600 in a metal case, and only $159. I still have the internal modem which I'll probably put into another computer once I have time to do so. This modem *does not* support Caller-ID. If it did, it would advertise it. Nice modem; feels professional and looks it. But there is no way I could get Caller-ID information out of it since the capability isn't there. Not important to me because I don't need it, but for you to get it, it has to be there before your modem can provide it. If it does, it will prominently advertise it on the package and in the instruction manual. If your modem does support it and you have it, you will get the information in the data stream same as the "RING" and "NO CARRIER" information. Paul Robinson - Paul@TDR.COM ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Mar 94 09:17 EST From: Sean Slattery Subject: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? In article , howard@hal.com (Howard Gayle) writes: > A friend suggested to me that, sometime in the future, almost > everyone will carry around a cellular phone almost all the time. She > thinks this will significantly reduce the amount of crime, because it > will be very easy to report a crime or other suspicious behavior that > one observes. I'm skeptical, but it seems like an interesting topic > for discussion. I seriously doubt that crime will be reduced. A lot of people in society today avoid "getting involved". Why would the sudden availabil- ity of communications change them? > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Here in the USA, you have to be very > careful about getting involved. It is best not to, since if you do, > you are often treated like a criminal and the (true) criminal like the > victim. It goes against my grain to say it, but you are better off not > getting involved unless the crime is against you personally. PAT] Sorry Pat, this is the kind of crap that keeps things the way they are. If you are not willing to get involved you have no right to complain about how screwed up things are. We will not have an end to crime until the criminals view each and every one of us with the same fear and respect that they view a uniformed police officer. I am not advocating that people act foolishly, use your head. Usually the most effective thing that one can do to help is to contact the authorities. But DO IT !! Here in Mass. the state police have commented that due to the increase in popularity of cellular car phones they now know about each and every accident and breakdown, sometimes within SECONDS of its occurring. They also get a lot of DWI reports with detailed descriptions of car and plate numbers and often actually find the car in question and make an arrest. Of course, Boston was also where the Stewart case occurred. And no one can deny that portable cell phones have been a boon to the drug trade. Back to the original question, will the proliferation of cell phones reduce crime? The answer is: no, but your use of one might. Sean Slattery Network Administrator Airflow Research. ------------------------------ From: puma@netcom.com (puma) Subject: Re: Hunt Groups/Ring-No-Answer-Call-Forwarding Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 14:45:35 GMT In article , Scott M. Pfeffer wrote: > The basic idea is to provide 32 dialup modem lines with a backup > configuration in case a modem goes bad or the rack containing half the > modems goes bad. > If the line chosen by the switch is one of the first sixteen, but > there is no answer after two rings, find a line in the second sixteen > and ring it instead. We have about 60 lines with a mix of 1200/2400/9600 modems. We're using "forward on busy/noanswer" from each line to the next. We're also on Centrex and a university, so when I tell folks that I make sure they understand they need to check with their telco, as some places charge per call or even per minute for calls forwarded in this fashion, or have problems with forwarding multiple calls from a single dialed number. After the third ring, calls will go to the next line. Even with a number of consecutive lines out, eventually you will get one that works if you wait long enough. The only time it won't forward is if all the lines further down are already in use, then it will sit on the one line and ring. If you're concerned about a rack of modems going down, you could alternate lines between the two racks. Keep in mind though, that as lines fill up in the rack that works, it will still have to skip individually over all the non-working ones between. If you have a LOT of people trying to call in, some will be skipped over immediately because other folks are already ringing on those lines. Distributed calling, if you have that available, might help SOME callers avoid lines that are down, but other WILL get those line, and once there will stick there -- they need to replace the call -- the CF on busy/noanswer will eventually get them to a working modem. Usually you are concerned with just one modem or line not working at a time, and this seems the best solution for us. puma@netcom.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 23:15:03 EST From: Paul Robinson Reply-To: Paul Robinson Subject: Re: Ripped By InfoAccess Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA jabussey@ualr.edu, writes in TELECOM Digest: > Has anyone had any DEALINGS with InfoAccess? For some reason 4 > EXPENSIVE calls to this service was added to my phone. Although NO > calls to it were made from our phones! There are only two people in > my house, me and my wife and neither of use dialed this number. Jabussey doesn't say whether this is a company that charges an arm and a leg for long distance calls either as local or as an "operator assisted" provider, or whether it's a 900 number. You have several options depending on what the call is. If it's a long distance call or operator assisted call, you have these choices: if you cannot afford the charges, then you can (1) complain to the phone company and ask for proof of connection; (2) and complain that the charge is fraudulent and you want proof; (3) Pay the bill minus the disputed amount and inform them of such; (4) file a claim of mail fraud with the postal inspectors claiming that the phone company or the biller has intentionally sent you a charge for a call you did not make. If you can afford to pay the disputed charges, you have these choices: If you can pay for the call, pay your bill to the public utilities commission for your state, filing a grievance saying the call is fraudulent and should be zero. Or pay them and sue the telephone company in small claims court for refund of the disputed charge. Here's a fairly good idea: take item (3) above and send the payment minus the disputed amount to the state Public Utilities Commission dictating the circumstances. The PUC *will* send your check back since it's not for the full amount of the bill, and the phone company will hear about it, but in this case someone at the phone company *will* look into the matter. This may be the best choice for you under the circumstances. Another option if you can't afford to pay the bill (or if you take option #1 of reducing the bill by the disputed amount and get a disconnection notice) is to sue the telephone company and perhaps the long distance carrier and subpoena their records, as well as the carrier's records, to have them show proof of their claim that you dialed the number in question. Another option is to get ahold of your local newspaper or TV station ombudsman who handles problems between sellers and customers. The reason for making this distinction is that -- if I'm not mistaken -- under new federal laws, your phone service *cannot* be disconnected for nonpayment of calls to 900 numbers, but the tariffifs state that you *can* be disconnected for nonpayment of a long distance carrier (since often the local telephone company purchases those bills from the carrier at a factor's discount then bills them to you at the full rate.) You might simply refuse to pay for the 900 number and the phone company will most likely block access to 900 numbers in the future. But you might want to find out if there is a leakage on your phone line, e.g. that your line can be accessed somewhere else, or if the phone company computer is wrong or is billing you for someone else's calls, or what. Paul Robinson - Paul@TDR.COM ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 09:22:23 EST From: fraser@ccl2.eng.ohio-state.edu Subject: Faculty Position in Telecom University of Missouri - Kansas City Computer Science Telecommunications Program As the Information Age unfolds, the science and technology of communications has become critically important. The Computer Science Telecommunications Program at the University of Missouri-Kansas City is focused on Computer Networking, Telecommunications and Software Engineering in the context of communications. Motivated research scientists in these disciplines who wish to join a distinguished faculty in a stimulating work environment should apply. The Computer Science Telecommunications Program is organized to support basic and applied research, prototyping and product development, with unusual opportunities for professional advancement. Degrees are offered at all levels. We are looking for applicants whose research productivity is established in one of the fields named above. Nine-month regular tenure track appointments are available at competitive salaries. Non-teaching, non-tenure track research positions are offered in the Center for Telecomputing Research where the focus is on multimedia networking with applications in distance learning and collaboration. Visiting appointments are available as well. In addition to the usual research funding opportunities, support for research is encouraged through industry collaborations. Send resume and names of three references to: Andrea Duncan, Computer Science Telecommunications Program, University of Missouri-Kansas City, 5100 Rockhill Road, Kansas City, MO 64110. Applications will be reviewed until position is filled. UMKC is an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Employer. ------------------------------ From: Vietz@RM42.ucc.uconn.edu (Robert P. Vietzke) Subject: Ruling on Dark Fiber Organization: University of Connecticut Date: Sun, 27 Mar 1994 23:20:42 GMT Some time ago I read an article about the Dark Fiber Wars which stated that the FCC had ruled fiber was subject to equal access rules. The deal was one RBOC had provided dark fiber to a customer and then said no to another because they thought they might lose money on the deal. Supposedly the FCC ruled that if you provide it to one you must provide it to all. If anyone could point me towards the ruling and where I might find it or the details of the case I would be -greatly- appreciative. This would assist my research immeasurably. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I would also direct your attention to the Telecom Archives and the collection of essays by George Gilder there. One such essay deals with the dark fiber matter. The Telecom Archives is accessible using anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu. When logged in, then 'cd telecom-archives'. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 00:16:59 EST From: Paul Robinson Reply-To: Paul Robinson Subject: Re: Who Paid For My 550? Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA Jim Cluett , writes in TELECOM Digest, as follows: > Can anyone explain the economics of the $50 Motorola 550? The > 550 is selling locally at a discount department store for $50. > Motorola can't build 'em for that. Probably not. But don't bet with the falling price of circuitry and components that the actual cost is all that high. > The department store is acting as an agent for both an A and > a B carrier ... Unusual. I've never seen it here in the Washington, DC area; the seller either sells for the A carrier (Cellular One) or for the telephone company B carrier (Bell Atlantic). I've never seen one handle both. > but I don't think they can recover enough from a year's contract to > make up the difference. Oh don't bet on it. Here, the cellular companies make a good sized kickback to the seller to get the customer to sign up with them. The customer must keep the service for a year or they have to pay the cellular company back the rebate, which is quoted at around $165. So figure that the cellular company gives up about 3/4 of the monthly charge for the first year to the seller as commission for the sale on the assumption that the customer will keep the service longer than one year. The carrier also figures they'll make up a lot of the commission on the airtime. When you purchase life insurance, if you were to check into it, you would discover that the insurance company pays the agent *MORE* than your first year's premiums as commission. Because most people don't change their insurance carriers over time. > Who's subsidizing this? It's probably me, but I don't quite see how. Yeah, you are. On the installment plan. Well, figure you keep a cellular phone for two years. Let's say you make a total of $10 in charges in the two years beyond your allocation. Let's say the rate for service is $29 a month and they charge you $25 to activate your phone. Monthly Charges $29 x 24 = $ 696 Installation charge 25 Air Time 12 Gross 731 Commission to seller -165 Net $568 These figures are low to show that where the rates are even higher, the cellular companies can make a nice piece of change. Don't forget the kickbacks the "A" carrier could get by forcing your service to, say, MCI or Sprint since -- if I'm not mistaken -- they are not required to offer equal access the way the B landline carrier is required. Or not even forcing your service to them, but simply having the long distance carrier connect direct to their switch and keeping 1c/minute of the 2c/minute or more charge the carrier normally would pay the local telephone company for access to its facilities. So this means, for subsidizing your phone to the tune of $165, they can make $568 in two years from someone who only uses 50c worth of airtime a month! Can you imagine what they make from people who spend upwards of $20-100 a month on cellular calls? King Camp Gillette learned this strategy more than 100 years ago: Give away the razors and charge for the blades! Paul Robinson - Paul@TDR.COM [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Normally the agents are on the A or B side but not both; that is in their contract with the carriers. The exception is the very large agents such as Radio Shack and quite a few large discount chain stores, etc. Their volume of business is such that *they* tell the carriers what they will do and won't do. For example, Radio Shack is on the A side in some parts of the country and the B side in others. In a few places, they work both sides of the cellular scene at the same time. Tandy has the kind of money and influ- ence with the carriers that they can get away with it. Its the same kind of thing where Pepsi and Coca-Cola are concerned. You never see them both in the same vending machine; you never see them both in the same restaurant as fountain drinks. You never see either one dispensed in the paper cups bearing the logo of the other. They are both very strict with their dealers and distributors on this point. Oh really? Try going to your local 7-Eleven: one fountain dispenser handles both and the logos on the paper cups say both. That's because Southland, like Tandy is large enough to say do it our way or it won't get done. Pepsi and Coca-Cola make Southland the exception to their vending machine rules; the cellular carriers are equally respectful of Tandy and certain other major dealers/distributors. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #152 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa12248; 29 Mar 94 13:20 EST Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA04948; Tue, 29 Mar 94 08:51:07 CST Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA04939; Tue, 29 Mar 94 08:51:06 CST Date: Tue, 29 Mar 94 08:51:06 CST From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9403291451.AA04939@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #153 TELECOM Digest Tue, 29 Mar 94 08:51:00 CST Volume 14 : Issue 153 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Caller-ID Will be Available Nationwide (FCC News via Steve L. Rhoades) Competition in Calls From China (Laurence Chiu) Receive Junkmail and Get Paid Cash Scam (Brock Meeks via Graham Toal) Observations About Area Code Splits (Linc Madison) Warning: Private Payphone "Fraud" (Clive D.W. Feather) Average Call Duration (Bob Schwartz) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: srhoades@netcom.com (Steve L. Rhoades) Subject: Caller-ID Will be Available Nationwide Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 19:24:12 PST The following news release is from fcc.gov under /pub/Common_Carriers/ nrcc4002.txt (lots of other neat stuff here too!) Report No. DC-2571 ACTION IN DOCKET CASE March 8, 1994 CALLER ID TO BE AVAILABLE NATIONWIDE; FCC ADOPTS FEDERAL POLICIES FOR REGULATION (CC DOCKET 91-281) The Commission has adopted a federal model, effective April 12, 1995, for interstate delivery of calling party number based services. These services include caller ID, which is available today in many states, as well as services that will permit businesses to serve customers more efficiently and will permit increased security of computer networks. The rules adopted today enable these services to become available to consumers and businesses nationwide and require free, automatic, per call blocking to protect privacy interests. They also require carriers to educate consumers about these services. The Commission also adopted rules to address privacy concerns raised by the reuse or sale of information generated by automatic number identification (ANI). Specifically, the Commission found that a federal model for interstate delivery of calling party number is in the public interest, that calling party privacy must be protected, and that certain state regulation of interstate caller ID must be preempted. The availability of calling party number based service, including caller ID, requires end to end interconnection of Signalling System 7 (SS7) networks between carriers, so that the calling party's number can be transmitted from the calling party to the called party. Interstate delivery of calling party based services is thus not feasible until interstate SS7 interconnection and calling party number delivery between local exchange carriers and interexchange carriers becomes widespread. The Commission noted that a consistent, nationwide interstate policy will contribute to economic growth as businesses employ the new technology for a number of uses. These uses may include pay- per-view television, order/entry verification, voice messaging storage, customized customer service, business fraud reduction, call routing, emergency dispatch, health care services, telephone banking, home shopping, dealer locator, and selective call message forwarding. While the technology for nationwide caller ID service is being deployed and used on an intrastate basis, several regulatory and legal issues have delayed its introduction nationwide. Today's action supports the efforts of carriers, standards setting bodies, states, equipment manufacturers and others to provide caller ID in an efficient manner. In the federal model the Commission recognizes the value and benefits to the public of this service and promotes the transmission of the calling party number from the originating carrier to the terminating carrier. The Commission has balanced the reasonable privacy expectations of both the calling and called parties and removed obstacles to the development of calling party based services posed by uncertainty and non-uniform state policies. In today's action the Commission found that: -- Common carriers using Common Channel SS7 and subscribing to or offering any service based on SS7 functionality must transmit the calling party number parameter (CPN) and its associated privacy indicator on any interstate call to connecting carriers; (The CPN is the subscriber line number or the directory number contained in the calling party number parameter of the call set-up message associated with an interstate call using SS7. The calling party number parameter includes an associated privacy indicator.) In other words, local exchange carriers (LECs) must transmit both the calling party number and its associated privacy indicator to interexchange carriers (IXCs) and vice versa; -- Carriers offering CPN delivery services must provide, at no charge to the caller, an automatic per call blocking mechanism for interstate callers. Terminating carriers providing calling party based services, including caller ID, must honor the privacy indicator; -- The costs of interstate transmission of CPN are so small that the CPN should be transmitted among carriers without additional charge; and -- Carriers participating in the offering of any service that delivers CPN on interstate calls must inform telephone subscribers that the subscriber's number may be revealed to called parties and describe what steps subscribers can take to avoid revealing their numbers. In the Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in this proceeding, the Commission is seeking comment on whether more detailed customer education rules should be adopted and whether the policies adopted for interstate calling party number-based services like caller ID should be extended to other services that might identify the calling party. The Commission also adopted rules to limit the use of information generated by ANI to call set-up, routing, screening, billing and collection and other services by end users, with exceptions for most law enforcement and emergency uses and for marketing by the ANI recipient only. The reuse or sale of ANI would be prohibited absent affirmative subscriber consent, and carriers would be required to educate callers regarding ANI services. (ANI based services were developed in the pre-SS7 signalling environment as the billing telephone number of the calling party. Because this technology predates SS7 technology, ANI is not blockable in the same way as the calling party number in an SS7 network.) In considering whether to extend its existing rules governing disclosure of customer proprietary network information (CPNI) to cover residential and single line business customers as protection of their privacy interests, the Commission said it would seek comments through a separate public notice to be considered in the context of the Computer III Remand Proceeding. Action by the Commission March 8, 1994, by Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FCC 94-59). Chairman Hundt, Commissioners Quello and Barrett, with Commissioner Barrett issuing a separate statement. - FCC - News Media contact: Rosemary Kimball at (202) 632-5050. Common Carrier Bureau contacts: Olga Madruga-Forti at (202) 634-1816 and Suzanne Hutchings at (202) 634-1802. -------------- Steve L. Rhoades Voice: (818) 794-6004 1000 Video Road Internet: srhoades@netcom.com Mt. Wilson, Calif 91023 Finger me for PGP public key. ------------------------------ From: lchiu@crl.com (Laurence Chiu) Subject: Competition in Calls From China Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 12:39:02 -0900 Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access I just got told by my wife that AT&T was offering discounts for USA Direct Calls from China (if placed collect). The rate would be $1.70/minute which reflects a 20% discount. Apparently these are significantly cheaper than local calling rates. If the call is billed to a calling card there is a $3.50 surcharge but an additional 5% discount. The USA Direct caller calls 10810 (from memory) and reaches a Mandarin speaking operator in the US. As an aside when I tried to get information on this plan by calling my normal AT&T customer service number, I was put on hold for ten minutes and I eventually hung up. I asked my wife to call the number in the ad she had seen and reached a Mandarin speaking representative immediately. Of course not being telecom literate, I had to relay questions to her! Since I can call China for $0.59/minute in weekends on AT&T and $0.49 via MCI (to one specific number) if I use their International Friends and Family rate, it makes sense for our friends/relatives to call us collect, we eat a minute charge and then call them back. In fact I am sure there are ways to avoid even the 1st minute charge but I will leave that as an exercise for the reader :-) Laurence Chiu Walnut Creek, California Tel: 510-215-3730 (work) Internet: lchiu@crl.com ------------------------------ From: gtoal@an-teallach.com (Graham Toal) Subject: Receive Junkmail and Get Paid Cash Scam Revealed X-Organisation: An Teallach Limited Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 20:12:23 GMT This scam was discussed here before. Here is the latest update. Date: Tue, 8 Mar 1994 15:16:48 -0800 From: "Brock N. Meeks" CyberWire Dispatch//Copyright (c) 1994// Jacking in from the P.T. Barnum Port: Washington, DC -- Thwart the proliferation of electronic junk mail and make yourself some cash as the same time. Ask Me How! Interested? There's more. You get a free Internet account, accessible through a toll free number. All you have to do is let poor capitalist slubs pour junk mail into your free account and you get an average of 6.5 cents for every message that you receive. You don't even have to read the stuff. Remember, there's "absolutely no charge, periodic charge, hourly charge or phone charge." And for all your effort, you'll likely get an annual check of $500 "and likely more," according to a company called Electric Postal Service (EPS). Such are the claims made by the mysterious EPS during a February Internet E-mail blitzkrieg. All EPS said it required was that you "send E-mail to our internet address at eps@world.std.com." And be sure to include you name and address, EPS said. Or there was an 800 number to call. The EPS offer intrigued thousands of Internet users, who rushed to forward their electronic application and sat back to waiting to collect their piece of the Internet pie. Fat Chance. The EPS information never arrived. A month-long Dispatch investigation has revealed that EPS is nothing more than a shell company for a direct mailing scam run out of Canton, Ohio. Bait and Switch =============== After weeks of waiting, no information, electronic or otherwise, has ever appeared from EPS. Instead, those requesting information were sent a curious mailing from an outfit called "Suarez Corporation Industries" headed by one Benjamin Suarez. The Suarez information arrived in an envelope annotated "Important: The information you requested." Inside an "approved letter of requisition" tells how you can receive a new book called "Seven Steps to Freedom II -- How to Escape the American Rat Race." The book supposedly tells you how to birth a corporate creature called a "Net Profit Generation System" (NPGS). Such a deal! An NPGS can produce $30,000 to "over one million dollars a year" in income, Suarez says. The catch? The book and associated software only costs you $159. But that's a steal, Suarez says, because if you buy the book and software separately, they cost you almost $200. But hurry, the offer expires within ten days, because Suarez doesn't want "an order to be wasted on the curiosity seeker." Small problem: The supposed authorization letter contains no date, no authorization code, no bar code. Nothing to determine when it was received or when the supposed 10 day expiration clocks starts to tick. Oh... and the "Seven Steps" book ("not sold in stores") doesn't show up in the Dialog "Books in Print" database. Suarez claims in his letter to be one of the richest people in the nation, "one of the truly rich" unlike those that are "only paper rich" because they count stock. Published reports put Suarez Corp. Industries (SCI) worth at only $100 million, with some 630 envelope stuffing employees. What Suarez is, however, is a slick direct mail baron. The letterhead from SCI lists a host of "divisions" all of which operate out of SCI's headquarters in North Canton. One of those divisions is "CompuClub Software and Computer Services." Dispatch called SCI's main number to ask if EPS was, in reality, one of the infamous Suarez, Net Profit Generation System companies. After a few rounds of questioning, a Suarez operator admitted that EPS was, indeed, an NPGS, "a subsidiary of CompuClub." She wouldn't answer any further questions about EPS. Calls to CompuClub weren't returned. What's the real story on Benjamin Suarez? Let's flip this latest Internet scam on its back and gut that soft white underbelly. (Gloves, please ...) The Rap Sheet Two-Step ====================== Suarez, it appears, is attempting to pull off some kind of Internet P.T. Barnum routine. He's infamous for his questionable direct marketing scams. And he has a mean streak. His record speaks for itself. In February, Suarez agreed to quit all operations in the state of Washington, agreeing to pay more than $70,000 in refunds to some 4,500 consumers there who bought jewelry, cutlery and other products from his companies since 1992. The Washington State attorney general's office brought suit against Suarez, alleging his company violated the state's prizes and promotions laws by selling fake diamonds under the company name Lindenwold Fine Jewelers (also a Suarez "division"). One tactic that apparently pissed off the attorney general was an offer that gave a "free gift" of a cubic zirconia to customers along with an offer for a "discount" on the cost of getting it mounted. That arrangement violates Washington law: If a recipient must spend money to use an award, you can't use the term "free prize." Blaaaahhh!!!! Thank you for playing, Mr. Suarez. The suit so enraged Suarez that he began running negative campaign ads slamming the attorney general who was, at the time, running for the governor's office. Suarez even offered to pay the attorney general's opponents up to $50,000 to front his own hit-squad negative campaign ads. They declined. In a second case in Washington, Suarez offered the same rhinestones, claiming they were worth more than $100. Natch, said former Attorney General Ken Eikenberry, the real value of those stones were about $2.65 a pop. Eikenberry called the promotion, a "blatant deception." In that suit, Suarez settled out of court by paying $15,000. According to court records and published reports, other charges brought against Suarez by the state of Washington in 1992 include: (1) Making false promises of saving. (2) Making deceptive price represen- tations. (3) Conducting charitable solicitations without registering with the secretary of state. (4) Failing to state the odds of winning a sweepstakes. (5) Distributing a simulated check that doesn't have the phrase: "This is not a check" plastered on its front. For all those charges, Suarez is no prohibited from doing business in the State. Seems he's moved his operation to the Internet. The attorney general's office says Suarez is also involved in lawsuits in Indiana and Ohio, but could give no details. Suarez, in previously published interviews with the {Seattle Post- Intelligencier}, defended his company, saying he offers a money- back guarantee and has a return rate of less than two percent. Life On the Laugh Track ======================= For Suarez, adversity and conflict are his Rice Krispies and whole milk. A newspaper database search finds: * The Idaho attorney general making Suarez change its jewelry-marketing pitch. * FDA challenged a Suarez company claim of certain "health benefits" he advertised that arose from a 2,000-year-old secret recipe for Himalayan bread. Suarez successfully defended his right to advertise the alleged health benefits. * The U.S. Post Office files suit against Suarez in 1986, stemming from certain marketing tactics for his book on how to recover money from the government. All in the Family ================= For the Suarez boys, blood is thicker than lawsuits. In 1990, a company called Consumer Direct, run by Richard and Luann Suarez, was hammered by the Federal Trade Commission for making false claims about a product called the "Gut Buster," an exercising device. The company was also sued by government agencies over marketing tactics for a line of diet plans and pills. Seems only five minutes a day with the ol' Gut Buster had you buffed and ready for Muscle Beach. But the FTC didn't buy off on the hypefest. Instead, the FTC insisted that there was no "competent and reliable evidence" to prove such claims. You'd think with all these hard knocks, these guys would learn. What's the motivation? Do the math. Some 2.4 million Gut Busters were sold, according to FTC files, for total revenues of $55 million. (Minus a couple of slap-on-the-wrist fines. Question: Who's going to box their ears for scamming the Net??) Suarez headquarters were swamped with hundreds of reports of injuries to Gut Buster users when the springs on the damn thing broke. "Approxi- mately 1,000 people have reported injuries caused when the Gut Buster spring broke and snapped back to hit them as they exercised," the FTC testimony reads. Search and Verify ================= All this will come as no surprise to Benjamin "Gary Hart" Suarez. In his rogue mailing, it clearly states: "These facts are all verifiable by you, if you wish to investigate." Thanks for the tip, Ben. It's been real. Meeks out ... ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 18:43:33 -0800 From: LincMad@netcom.com (Linc Madison) Subject: Observations About Area Code Splits I was looking at David Esan's 1/15/94 NPA-NXX list and noticed quite a number of surprising numbers. There were a couple of instances where I hope the answer is that a previously-effected split is not yet reflected in the number of exchanges shown for the old area code. For example, 212 shows 639 exchanges, and 168 for 917. I hope that the total for 212 still includes the prefixes now in 917 and/or the Bronx prefixes now in 718. Colorado's 303 is also one I hope is wrong: it shows 601 prefixes against 184 in 719. Atlanta's recent split apparently isn't yet (fully?) reflected: 404 shows 590 and 706 shows 308. Even if my suspicion about the number for 303 is correct, it still shows that the split was very poorly designed: at best, the split is 417/184, worse than a 2:1 margin. Clearly, a much larger portion of the state should have been moved into 719. The split in Dallas also should have been done more tightly -- 214 now has 585 exchanges against 291 in 903, again more than 2:1. Clearly, areas not local to Dallas should not have been left in 214. The split in Houston would have been difficult to tighten, but it was also a worse than 2:1 split. As for the 917 split in New York City, I recently read an article from someone who has a cellphone that has remained in 212, and his carrier stated that it has no plans to switch it to 917. I thought that the point of 917 was that *ALL* cellular and pager numbers in New York City would be moved to 917; deviation from that plan would seem quite unwise. The splits in areas like Detroit were performed much more judiciously: 313 will have 364 prefixes to 356 in 810. If I'm correct about Atlanta, its split is 282/308, which is quite good, although it would indicate that Atlanta was not nearly as ready for a split as other areas. Perhaps the source material on Atlanta has deleted some but not all of the old exchanges from 404. There are also some historical splits that look quite silly. For example, in Ontario, 705 and 807 between them have only 381 exchanges. In Massachusetts, 413 has fewer than one third the number of exchanges of either 617 or 508, and is one of the least populated NPAs. In New York, 607 and 315 between them have only 448 exchanges. Some splits that don't make sense from a telephony viewpoint have clear political and economic roots: Marin County logically belongs in 707, but has remained in the overpopulated 415. Upper Peninsula Michigan doesn't warrant its own area code, but the geographic logic is clear. Although I can't exactly lay claim to a crystal ball, I'll post in a separate article some predictions about area codes that will split soon and others that will probably *never* split in my lifetime. Linc Madison * Oakland, California * LincMad@Netcom.com ------------------------------ Subject: Warning: Private Payphone "Fraud" Date: Tue, 29 Mar 1994 02:29:32 BST From: Clive D.W. Feather The following appeared in uk.telecom recently: From: alon@ibmpcug.co.uk (Alon Risdon) Date: Sun, 13 Mar 1994 13:21:48 GMT SECTION: Business & City Page DATE: 12-03 HEAD: One penny worth 20 in phones BY: MARY FAGAN, Industrial Correspondent of The Independent Newspaper in London THOUSANDS of owners of private payphones are facing financial loss because the phones mistake some one penny coins for a 20p piece. More recent penny coins are copper-plated steel rather than bronze and, according to BT, have a different density that allows them to be mistaken for 20p. Although the plated coins have been in circulation since late 1992, the problem of people using them for cheap telephone calls has only recently come to light. BT said: "It is fraud, but it is not a problem for BT. The people who are losing out are those with private payphones." The company estimates that there are up to 70,000 private payphones, many in pubs and shops. Some large families also use them to avoid running up huge bills. BT charges the owners for the use of the line, but does not get any of the coins inserted by those who make the calls. BT said that it had been aware of the problem for some time and was adjusting payphones free of charge by changing the software. The spokesman said the adjustment itself was no problem, but that the company did not necessarily know all those who operated private payphones. BT said that one reason the problem affected private rather than public payphones was that they were often cheaper and less sophisticated or robust. It added that the Royal Mint was careful to warn in advance of changes to coins that could affect public telephones and other coin-operated equipment. University unions, which often obtain revenues from campus services including payphones, are likely to be among the main victims. The union at Surrey has asked the National Westminster bank on the campus to be wary of students asking for large quantities of pennies or asking cashiers to sort out new ones from old. Clive D.W. Feather | Santa Cruz Operation clive@sco.com | Croxley Centre Phone: +44 923 816 344 | Hatters Lane, Watford Fax: +44 923 210 352 | WD1 8YN, United Kingdom [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The problem of one coin successfully imitating another happens from time to time in automatic coin collection devices. Back in the early 1970's there was quite a problem here with people cheating the Chicago Transit Authority subway turnstiles. It seems CTA tokens were almost identical in size, shape and weight to the Brazillian centavo coin, a virtually worthless thing by our stand- ards here. It took a hundred or more of the darn things to equal just a few cents in United States money. When it was discovered these foreign coins were accepted by the subway turnstiles suddenly there was a big rush to purchase them from coin dealers and such here. Of course the excuse the buyers gave was they used them in 'costume jewelry' and such. The CTA started putting heat on the coin dealers to quit selling them, but there was nothing legally they could do to force the dealers to stop (other than use old-fashioned Chicago style political pressure by city hall) the sales, and eventually the Transit Authority had to change the size of their tokens and rework the turnstiles to accept the new tokens instead of the old ones. CTA lost a couple million dollars before they got it under control. PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: Average Call Duration From: bob@bci.nbn.com (Bob Schwartz) Date: Mon, 28 Mar 94 14:56:45 PST Organization: Bill Correctors, Inc., Marin County, California Does anyone have, or know where I can find, information on averege hold time which to me means average call duration (length of call) (number of properly billable minutes? Are they listed by industry group? My long distance bill shows a rate with a series of discounts. The discounts equal 30.33% which would put their Intrastate rate at about .09 for day calls! Problem is that I don't see this rate echoed by their competitors. It's too good to be true (sort of). The average call duration however is about 3.03 minutes. I thought the national average hold time to be more like 2.6 minutes. If they inflate the call duration there goes the benefit of my discounts! Oh yes, another important detail, this is a switched service. Also, thought I'd check another premise; does anyone in California see Intrastate rates for switched traffic at or about .09? Thanks, Bob Schwartz bob@bci.nbn.com Bill Correctors, Inc. +1 415 488 9000 Marin County, California [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Intrastate rates are peculiar things, aren't they? Very odd in how they are calculated, a very much left to the whims of the state PUCs, which frequently are nothing more than tools of the local Bell company. If you can figure this out Bob, an article here in the Digest would be welcome. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #153 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa12871; 29 Mar 94 14:09 EST Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA07367; Tue, 29 Mar 94 10:06:02 CST Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA07358; Tue, 29 Mar 94 10:06:00 CST Date: Tue, 29 Mar 94 10:06:00 CST From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9403291606.AA07358@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #154 TELECOM Digest Tue, 29 Mar 94 10:06:00 CST Volume 14 : Issue 154 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Africa Telecom - Lunchbag Discussion (Barry Laina Raveendran Greene) Newton PCMCIA Fax Modem to Cellular (Michael Eskin) Question About IS-54 Standard (Sathyadev Uppala) Predictions About Future A/C Splits (Linc Madison) Re: Windows or DOS Caller ID Program (Ralph Becker) Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (Andrew C. Green) Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (Jeff Hibbard) Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (Dave Ptasnik) Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (Andrew Robson) Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (Danny Burstein) Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (Rhett Salisbury) LEAGUE @ AT&T Press Release (Tom J. Tilkey) About the Chicago Post Office (Paul Robinson) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Barry Laina Raveendran Greene Subject: Africa Telecom - Lunchbag Discussion Date: Tue, 29 Mar 94 03:44:26 -0500 Organization: Baha'i Computer and Communications Association "EMERGING COMMUNICATION MARKETS IN AFRICA" The event will also present some issues to be discussed at the Africa Telecom'94 Forum (April 25-29 in Cairo). It is open to the public but space is limited. RSVPs are required (for security passes to the World Bank) by the 12 April 1994. GTS members who RSVP by 11th April 1994 will receive priority. For RSVP call 833-3322 to leave a message. SPEAKERS: JOHN RICHTER, Regional Director for Africa, US Trade & Developmental Agency NOAH SAMARA, CEO, Afrispace HAMADOUN TOURE, Regional Director for Africa, INTELSAT WHEN?- WEDNESDAY, 13 APRIL 1994, 12 noon-2 p.m. WHERE?- 1717 H Street (World Bank Building) Room T-7070 Washington D.C. The Global Telecommunications Society, (GTS), is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. The Society is dedicated to promoting understanding of the issues involving international telecommunications. The Society seeks to establish chapter organizations in countries and cities throughout the world because of the growing need to bring together professionals and specialists who are focused on the accelerating field of international telecommunications. GTS brings its members together through electronic mail and also builds human links through friendships and professional cooperation and respect that overcome differences in various disciplines, cultures and geography. If interested to join the Global Telecommunications Society, call 202-833-3322 to leave a message. ------------------------------ From: eskin@brooktree.com (Michael Eskin) Subject: Newton PCMCIA Fax Modem to Cellular Date: Mon, 28 Mar 94 20:39:42 GMT Organization: Brooktree Corporation I am looking for recommendations for equipment and experiences in sending data and fax from a Newton MessagePad 110 with the internal Apple PCMCIA Fax Modem using an external interface to a Mitsubishi 4000 pocket cellular phone. Can it work? I am pretty much limited to 2400 baud data by the speed of the Newton so a basic data connection is all that is needed. I've heard reports that this should work, others that it shouldn't. I am looking for some real data. Michael Eskin Brooktree Corporation eskin@brooktree.com 9868 Scranton Road AOL: BTRE MichE San Diego, CA 92121 AppleLink: D4729 CIS: 76376,541 ------------------------------ From: sathya@uw-isdl.ee.washington.edu (Sathyadev Uppala) Subject: Question About IS-54 Standard Date: 28 Mar 1994 17:31:07 GMT Organization: Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle Does anybody out there have a copy of EIA/TIA/IS-54B TDMA standard proposed for cellular telephony? Any information like ftp sites for the document, or address of the organisation from where I can get it will also be appreciated. sathya ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 18:43:38 -0800 From: LincMad@netcom.com (Linc Madison) Subject: Predictions About Future A/C Splits I looked through David Esan's posting of the 1/15/94 NPA-NXX list and came up with a few predictions of area codes that will split in the next couple of years and others that will likely never split in my lifetime. DON'T WORRY: YOUR AREA CODE WON'T BE CHANGING SOON The following area codes could all at least TRIPLE the number of exchanges in use without requiring a split. Any split is thus quite a long ways off. 807 - Thunder Bay, Ontario 906 - Upper Peninsula, Michigan 302 - Delaware 413 - Western Massachusetts 401 - Rhode Island 607 - Binghamton, New York 307 - Wyoming 802 - Vermont 719 - Colorado Springs, Colorado 506 - New Brunswick 707 - Napa/Eureka, California 417 - Springfield, Missouri 308 - Grand Island/North Platte, Nebraska 901 - Memphis, Tennessee 603 - New Hampshire 509 - Spokane, Washington 608 - Madison, Wisconsin Others that could more than DOUBLE the number of exchanges include: 806 TX, 709=NF, 309 IL, 315 NY, 814 PA, 705 ON, 902=NS+PE, 518 NY, 507 MN, 812 IN, 712 IA, 808=HI, 606 KY, 202=DC, 218 MN, 918 OK, 613 ON, 609 NJ, 208=ID, 819 PQ, 815 IL, 715 WI, 915 TX, 805 CA, 702=NV, 618 IL, 505=NM, 319 IA, 517 MI, 419 OH, 304=WV, 318 LA, 207=ME, 204=MB, 912 GA, 519 ON, 605=SD, 701=ND, 418 PQ, 801=UT, 502 KY, 217 IL. I've left out a few that are recent products of splits or are otherwise experiencing considerable growth. An '=' means "entire state/province." All of the above should be good for at least 35 to 40 years at currently projected rates of growth. HOLD OFF PRINTING STATIONERY, YOU'RE NEXT IN LINE Splits have already been announced for 205=AL, 602=AZ, 206 WA, 708 IL, 713 TX, and 213/310/818 CA. 703 - Virginia suburbs of D.C. and down along WV border 403 - Alberta/Northwest Territories/Yukon Territory Might well be the first three-way split (two in AB, one for NT/YT) 604 - British Columbia 216 - Cleveland/Akron Canton Youngstown, Ohio 803 - South Carolina 303 - Denver, Colorado (previous split was ineffective?) 615 - Nashville/Knoxville Chattanooga, Tennessee 503 - Oregon 813 - Tampa, Florida 214 - Dallas, Texas (again) A little bit farther down the list we have: 612 MN, 305 FL, 501=AR, 203=CT, 904 FL, 619 CA (again), 405 OK, 817 TX, 804 VA, 310 CA (just created and filling up rapidly), 717 PA, 312 IL, 414 WI, 514 PQ, and 718 NY. Most of these are at least 3 to 15 years off, though. The splits in 703 and 214 in particular may put to the test the sanctity of the "you must dial 1 for all toll calls, and you must be able to dial all local calls without a 1" arrangement, because of the considerable likelihood that the new area code assigned will duplicate an existing prefix in the affected area or an immediately adjacent area. If so, the preservation of 10-digit "metro dialing" will require moving 10,000 customers at a chunk, and considerably more complicated advance planning (adding lead time for the prefix change to the normal lead time for the area code split and later trying to route calls to the old number to the correct recording for wrong NPA or wrong prefix). Linc Madison * Oakland, California * LincMad@Netcom.com ------------------------------ From: rbecker@xap.xyplex.com (Ralph Becker) Subject: Re: Windows or DOS Caller ID Program Date: Tue, 29 Mar 1994 09:00:23 ET Organization: Xyplex Customer Support In article Paul Robinson writes: > Steve Lindsay , writes to TELECOM Digest > as follows: >> Does anyone know of a little DOS or Windows shareware program >> that will act like the one of those caller ID boxes? >> Or is there some AT commands I can type in to my communication >> program to extract the phone number that is calling me? I >> don't want my modem to answer; just tell me what number is >> dialing me. > As I have mentioned to people, many times, you *cannot* get caller ID > information on a computer modem (or any other device) unless *all* of the > following is true: > 1. You must be on a telephone switch that support it. > 2. Your local telephone company must offer it. > 3. You must have subscribed to caller-id service. > 4. The caller must be on a telephone switch that supports it. > 5. The caller must not use *67 or otherwise be blocked. > 6. All connections between you and the caller must support caller-id > and retain the information, and the intervening long distance > carriers must provide it. > 7. Your modem or (receiving telephone) has to have the circuity to accept > the special 1200 baud signal which is *not* the same as regular 1200 > baud data. > 8. Your modem must have the caller-id code enabled. This article about the requirements to get caller ID was interesting and informative, but does not address the question being asked (I believe). I am in the same situation as the original author. I have Caller-ID service at my home, and I have a stand-alone Caller-ID box that usually displays the numbers of callers in my local area codes (508 & 617; BTW, I've never seen one from outside those areas ... yet). However, I have a Practical Peripheral PM14400FXMT modem, and it supports Caller ID, and I, too, would like a Windows utility that basically acts like my stand-alone Caller-ID box. I want the utility to display incoming caller information in real time, and also have to ability to log this data to a file if I want. I should be able to scroll thru some number of recent calls, etc, etc. The question is: does such a utility exist? Ralph Becker Xyplex Customer Support [Tech. Support hotline 800-435-7997] rbecker@sup.xyplex.com or 71174.1262@compuserve.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 11:27:51 CST From: Andrew C. Green Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? Peter M. Weiss writes: > I wonder if a parallel answer can be extrapolated based upon CB radio > and/or cell phones on the highways? I think results will differ; most reporting from the highways tends to involve mechanical difficulties and medical emergencies (e.g. crashes), though of course drunk drivers are also called in. I do a good amount of highway travel, and have equipped my car with both a CB radio and cellular phone. On various occasions I have used both, to different ends: the CB is useful for line-of-sight conversa- tion with both truckers and State Police, though the latter don't always monitor either Channel 19 (the truckers' channel) or Channel 9 (the emergency channel), at which point my cellular phone will call in the cavalry. I've heard more than a few frustrated truckers trying to contact the police over the CB about breakdowns or accidents, but receiving silence in return. For no-holds-barred emergencies, I can either try calling a 10-33 on the CB (Channel 9 is usually deserted within the short range of my antenna but Channel 19 will always get a response), or I can dial *999 for a more certain response, if not a more prompt one. Andrew C. Green Datalogics, Inc. Internet: acg@dlogics.com 441 W. Huron Chicago, IL 60610-3498 FAX: (312) 266-4473 ------------------------------ From: jeff@bradley.bradley.edu (Jeff Hibbard) Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? Date: 28 Mar 1994 11:42:46 -0600 Organization: Bradley University > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Sometimes when you call 911 the dispatcher > puts you through a alot of questions ("how do you know that is what he > is doing?"; "are you the owner of the property?", etc.) and they never > do respond or they tell you the police have already responded and consider > the report unfounded. PAT] This must be a regional difference. I've called 911 (or its seven-digit equivalent from my cellular phone) several times from various cities here in downstate Illionis, and I've always been surprised by the complete lack of interest in who I am and how I'm involved. They just politely take the report and either say that they'll send someone out, or say that they've already heard about it and an officer is on the way. ------------------------------ From: davep@u.washington.edu (Dave Ptasnik) Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? Date: 28 Mar 1994 19:10:56 GMT Organization: University of Washington howard@hal.com (Howard Gayle) writes: >> A friend suggested to me that, sometime in the future, almost everyone >> will carry around a cellular phone almost all the time. She thinks >> this will significantly reduce the amount of crime, because it will be >> very easy to report a crime or other suspicious behavior that one jim@isnpo1.pwss.gov.ab.ca@math.fu-berlin.de(James, Slupsky) writes: > I seriously doubt that crime will be reduced. A lot of people in society > today avoid "getting involved". Why would the sudden availability of > communications change them? > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Here in the USA, you have to be very careful > about getting involved. It is best not to, since if you do, you are often > treated like a criminal and the (true) criminal like the victim. It goes Wandering a little far afield from hard telecom issues -- One SF author has postulated a world where anyone who wants to can wear "glasses" that include cameras and microphones that digitally transmit everything that the wearer sees to some big storage system. Then if they see a crime, they can immediately report it to the police, and the police have an easy time of getting convictions. Most of the wearers are retirees who end up "spying" on kids. Greatly reduced the amount of violence against the old folks, even in rough parts of town, and greatly cut down on graffiti, greatly cut down on personal freedom. Even making obscene gestures to the watchers was a harshly punished crime. To misquote Heinline, an observed society is a polite society. All of the above is nothing more than the personal opinion of - Dave Ptasnik davep@u.washington.edu ------------------------------ From: uswnvg!arobson@uunet.UU.NET (Andrew Robson) Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 15:43:30 -0800 (PST) The Half Moon Bay Review (a local paper in CA) carried an article on the front page about a bank robbery foiled by a cell phone. When the getaway car roared away, a local citizen was offended by the reckless driving. He didn't know about the robbery, he just wanted safe driving on the local streets. He followed long enough to call the licence, a description of the car, and its direction to 911. There are only three roads out of town, with no turn off for several miles. The robber was arrested a couple of minutes later. It may not help much overall, but cellular will help catch some of the bad guys. Andy ------------------------------ From: dannyb@panix.com (danny burstein) Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? Date: 29 Mar 1994 03:02:26 -0500 (Stories and scenarios of people witnessing crimes, then using cellular phones to call for help, police arriving and making the world safe for democracy, deleted). A similar thread made its way onto some radio oriented groups umptity months ago, and the consensus was that yes, as the cost of individual telcom equipment went down we'd see lots more people with them. Also suggested was that there'd be rentals of 'emergency only' phone/radios by the same folk who brought you the 'I've fallen, and I can't get up' stuff. HOWEVER, an equally plausable scenario was raised. Namely that Mrs. Fletcher, when she witnesses a crime (or is about to be a victim), doesn't pick up her communicator, but instead, pulls out her revolver and wastes the bad guy. An interesting concept ... dannyb@panix.com (or dburstein@mcimail.com) ------------------------------ From: rs2510@dice.nwscc.sea06.navy.mil (Rhett Salisbury) Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? Date: 29 Mar 1994 07:11:18 -0600 Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway >> A friend suggested to me that, sometime in the future, almost >> everyone will carry around a cellular phone almost all the time. She >> thinks this will significantly reduce the amount of crime, because it >> will be very easy to report a crime or other suspicious behavior that >> one observes. I'm skeptical, but it seems like an interesting topic >> for discussion. >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Here in the USA, you have to be very >> careful about getting involved. It is best not to, since if you do, >> you are often treated like a criminal and the (true) criminal like the >> victim. It goes against my grain to say it, but you are better off not >> getting involved unless the crime is against you personally. PAT] > Sorry Pat, this is the kind of crap that keeps things the way they > are. If you are not willing to get involved you have no right to > complain about how screwed up things are. We will not have an end to -- good stuff deleted -- > Back to the original question, will the proliferation of cell phones > reduce crime? The answer is: no, but your use of one might. In total agreement with Sean Slattery -- Pat should excercise a certain measure of responsible judgment. When someone flippantly tells an international community that not only we live in a extremely dangerous country, but also that it is dangerous to become 'involved', someone will be injured due to your inaction. If you have had instances when you have been put in danger or harassed because of your involvement you should document it and report that. The 911 operator should be fired and charged with something. If you are just ranting and raving about a urban legend, remember that excuses are like b--- holes, everyone has one and they all stink. Rhett Salisbury aka RS2510 (812)854-4709 dice.nwscc.sea06.navy.mil (130.163.1.200) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But it is true. Ask German citizens who come to visit the USA in Florida whether or not the USA is a violent country. Check the crime statistics in the USA versus around the world. We have the highest rate of crime in the world. Sorry if you don't like hearing it told to people outside the USA, but that's the way it is. Ask the residents of Milwaukee who called the police to report Jeff Dahmer (serial killer two years ago) only to have the police brush them aside if it pays to get involved. Ask anyone who has called the Chicago Transit Authority to report the constant and blatant thievery by subway collection agents who pocket fares without registering them if it pays to get involved -- or if in fact, if you are an employee of the CTA and you report your fellow employees if it isn't *you* that gets punished instead. Ask at the US Department of Justice what happens if you are an employee who complains about all the *stolen and pirated software* your agency is using. Ask a social worker for the Chicago Board of Education what happens when you report that the principal of the school where you are assigned is a pedophile -- because the children have confided in you what happened. You'll lose your job! Ditto the few honest people who work for the CTA. I see it happen over and over again. And if you witness a crime and report it, you'll spend the next six months or a year in court getting harassed by the defendant and his attorney. My advice is don't get involved unless you like being a martyr. Criminals are given so many rights, *you* will be made to be the villian instead. PAT] ------------------------------ From: ttilkey@attmail.com (Tom J Tilkey) Date: 29 Mar 94 12:59:16 GMT Subject: LEAGUE @ AT&T Press Release News Release For further Information: Tom Tilkey 201-644-7904 (office) 201-993-8581 (home) Charles Turner 508-960-2695 (office) BOSTON - - LEAGUE (Lesbian, Bisexual and Gay United Employees at AT&T) will hold its third national conference here from May 18 to 21, at the Swissotel. More than 350 AT&T employees are expected to attend the three day professional development conference which focuses on workplace issues for bisexual, lesbian and gay employees. Theme for the conference is "United in Diversity". Conference guest speakers include the Honorable Barney Frank, member of Congress from Massachusetts; Rabbi David Horowitz; Reese Smith and Cynthia Balogna, Levi Strauss Co.; and Ken Sheppard of the Liberty Consulting firm. Award winning author Brian McNaught will present a session on internal homophobia. In addition, two senior level AT&T executives, Jerre Stead and Pat Russo, will discuss the corporation's Diversity Strategy Plan. They will update participants on efforts to create productive and inclusive work environments where everyone can contribute to the success of the business. Workshop topics include domestic partner benefits; managing careers; race, class and gender issues in the gay community; lesbian invisibility; and countering hate groups. LEAGUE is an educational and support group that addresses workplace environment issues affecting employees or their families, friends or colleagues who are lesbian, gay or bisexual. The organization has more than 2,000 active members in 26 chapters nationwide. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1994 06:49:33 EST From: Paul Robinson Reply-To: Paul Robinson Subject: About the Chicago Post Office Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA Thought you might find this interesting: Unofficial Summary of the Rush Limbaugh Show for Wednesday, March 23, 1994 BRIEF SUMMARY OF TOPICS: Chicago postal workers burning and abandoning mail instead of delivering it; o Investigators for the U.S. Post Office in Chicago have found that stacks of mail were thrown under bridges, stashed in garbage cans, burned, etc. - the postal workers involved evidently were lazy and didn't want to do all their job. Chicago residents are livid at this, so when Postmaster Marvin Runyon went out there to take a look for himself, 300 of them bombarded Runyon at a recent town meeting. Tens of thousands pieces of mail dating back to 1979 were found burning recently, and last month 40,000 undelivered pieces of mail were discovered in a postal worker's truck; that postal worker was suspended, but not fired. In January, test letters that were sent to Chicago addresses were discovered in a dead letter office in Minneapolis. Runyon has promised to "fix this," although it might take up to five years. Rush asks, though, if it is any wonder that the Chicago Post Office is in such bad shape, given that Chicago is Dan Rostenkowski's home district; Rostenkowski, of course, is implicated in the House Post Office scandal. Paul Robinson - Paul@TDR.COM ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #154 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa23780; 30 Mar 94 15:46 EST Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA07378; Wed, 30 Mar 94 12:22:05 CST Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA07367; Wed, 30 Mar 94 12:22:02 CST Date: Wed, 30 Mar 94 12:22:02 CST From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9403301822.AA07367@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #155 TELECOM Digest Wed, 30 Mar 94 12:22:00 CST Volume 14 : Issue 155 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Newton PCMCIA Fax Modem to Cellular (Gregory Youngblood) Switch Problems (From OPERS-L) (Paul Robinson) Local Charges for 950 and 800 Access? (John R. Grout) History: Vail, Monopoly, AT&T (James H. Haynes) Re: Pacific Bell Voice Mail Types (Todd Inch) Re: Observations About Area Code Splits (Bob Goudreau) Re: Observations About Area Code Splits (Dave Niebuhr) Re: Observations About Area Code Splits (Danny Padwa) Re: AT&T Cellular Privacy System (Steven King) Re: Voice and Data Through PBX (David Hough) Re: Voice and Data Through PBX (James Slupsky) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Newton PCMCIA Fax Modem to Cellular From: zeta@tcscs.com (Gregory Youngblood) Date: Tue, 29 Mar 94 21:15:48 PST Organization: TCS Computer Systems eskin@brooktree.com (Michael Eskin) writes: > I am looking for recommendations for equipment and experiences in > sending data and fax from a Newton MessagePad 110 with the internal > Apple PCMCIA Fax Modem using an external interface to a Mitsubishi > 4000 pocket cellular phone. > Can it work? I am pretty much limited to 2400 baud data by the speed of > the Newton so a basic data connection is all that is needed. > I've heard reports that this should work, others that it shouldn't. I am > looking for some real data. Assuming that you can plug the PCMCIA Fax Modem into a phone line and it works, and you have the RJ11 interface for the Mitsubishi 4000, and you realize you'll have to disable dial tone detection and dial the number on the mitsubishi and press send yourself (unless you've got an interface that provides dial tone and/or can automatically dial the numbers) it should work. 2400 is no problem. I know I can send a fax at 4800 on cellular without the best conditions, and that's going thruogh ADPCM connections from the cell site to the switch (I run the cell sites and soon will have a local switch to run too). I also know 2400 is no problem data wise. Just today I did a UUCP poll via cellular at 2400/v.42 bis, as well as a few 1200 data calls as well. If your going to do 2400, then it would be a very good idea to have some form of error correction, otherwise your more prone to see lots of garbage..unless your in a great area. Faxes, I believe, have a built in form of error correction, though I don't know anything about it. Greg The Complete Solution BBS Allfiles List: Anonymous UUCP Calls Accepted 707-459-4547 (24hrs, v.32) ~/tcsbbs.lst Login: nuucp Password: nuucp Telemate Distribution Site zeta@tcscs.com Cellular Telephony Groups ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Mar 1994 11:49:01 EST From: Paul Robinson Reply-To: Paul Robinson Subject: Switch Problems (From OPERS-L) The following was posted on the OPERS-L list on bitnet (Mainframe Operations). Perhaps someone on TELECOM Digest can help Mr. Osterlin with his problem. Please reply directly to him: Date: Fri, 25 Mar 1994 11:57:09 -0600 (CST) From: Bob Oesterlin Subject: Digital Telephone Switches and Modems Early last month, our local phone company (US West) replaced our "aging" analog telephone switch with a new digital one, which was designed to bring us "into the information age". Well, no sooner was the switch installed, people started having problems connecting to our dial-in service for home terminal support. The current system consists of a front-end box (made by Traqnet) and a Cisco terminal server. The problems seemed to be widespread but intermittent: - Dropped connections - Can't connect at 14.4 KB (drops back to 1200!) - Can't connect at all After some lengthy (and still ongoing) investigation, the problem turned out to be that the time bases of three digital switches involved are not in sync! The three are: - The Rochester switch (run by US West) - The IBM Rochester Local ROLM switch (local PBX) - The NPN Switch (which connects IBM to the corp network run by Advantis, Inc) Comments from our local communications rep: "I have been told that there are three national master clocks. Each phone company must sync their digital switch with one of these master clocks." "U.S. West's switch is sync'd with a master, I don't know which." "NPN's switch is sync'd with a master too, this may be the same master that U.S. West is sync'ing to but, this is not important yet." "Our ROLM switch is sync'd with NPN and cannot be changed." BTW, the problem "seems" to be getting worse as time passes. It would seem to me that this could become a widespread problem as more DSS's are used. Is someone causes a master clock to become out of step, then you could (potentially) disrupt communications over wide areas. Bob Oesterlin, IBM AS/400 Division, Dept 54T, Rochester MN 55901 oester@vnet.ibm.com (IBM IPNET: oester@rchland.ibm.com) (507)-253-4528 ------------------------------ From: j-grout@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (John R. Grout) Subject: Local Charges for 950 and 800 Access? Date: 30 Mar 1994 17:19:23 GMT Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana Reply-To: j-grout@uiuc.edu Does the FCC permit _local_ call charges for calls to 950 exchanges or to 800 LD numbers? If so, which states/telcos do in fact allow/make such charges (at telco-operated payphones, or on lines for which telco makes a charge for each local call)? I remember having to pay for such a call at a C & P-operated payphone in Maryland ... so that might be one such state/telco combination. John R. Grout | INTERNET: j-grout@uiuc.edu [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Generally it is only the rip-off private payphones (COCOTS) which have charges for 950 and 800. They are not supposed to either, but they get away with it. I am surprised it was at a C&P phone. Maybe there was a programming error. PAT] ------------------------------ From: haynes@cats.ucsc.edu (James H. Haynes) Subject: History: Vail, Monopoly, AT&T Date: 30 Mar 1994 06:51:05 GMT Organization: University of California, Santa Cruz There's some interesting stuff in the new book, "The Story of Telecommunications" by George P. Oslin. Oslin is the 93-year-old former PR man for Western Union. A lot of the following is quoted from the book, slightly altered. Theodore N. Vail was related to Alfred Vail, one of Morse's partners and one of the most important inventors in early telegraphy. Theodore was a telegraph operator, got a job as a mail clerk on trains, and improved mail handling so much that he was called to Washington in 1873 to improve the railway mail. In 1876 he was appointed General Superintendent of Railway Mails. He quit to join the Bell Telephone Company in 1878. He was given charge of the territory within a 33-mile radius of New York. An experimental office was used at the Holmes Burglar Alarm Company at 194 Broadway [note that Western Union headquarters, and later AT&T headquarters was at 195 Broadway]. AT&T was incorporated in 1885 as a long-distance subsidiary of American Bell, with Vail as president. He resigned as president in 1887 because he was dissatisfied with the American Bell president and directors declaring a dividend payment instead of plowing the profits back into the company. In 1907 AT&T was was in dangerous financial condition. The bankers asked Vail to return as president. At first he refused, saying that at sixty-two he was too old, but he had just sold a South American transit development for $3 million, his wife and son had died, and he needed to keep busy, so he accepted. At the time Western Union had a near monopoly on the telegraph business. It was owned by Jay Gould and run by his man Thomas Eckert; they ran the business for their own profit and left it in seedy condition. Vail in contrast stressed service, cultivated public relations, was popular with the press for keeping the public informed. In 1909 AT&T was rich enough and WU was poor enough that AT&T bought control of WU and made Vail the president. Goes on to tell how Vail made over WU with redecorating offices and raising salaries. AT&T moved its headquarters into the WU building at 195 Broadway after a $1.3 million improvement. In 1913 the Justice Department complained about the communications monopoly and AT&T agreed to divest WU. Newcomb Carlton because president of WU and continued Vail's policies there. Vail resigned from AT&T because of ill health in 1919 and died the following year. haynes@cats.ucsc.edu haynes@cats.bitnet [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thanks for that great bit of history. Most all readers of this Digest know that WUTCO and AT&T had a very long history together over the years, but little tidbits such as yours today are news to many folks. I also strongly recommend reading the book by Oslin; you'll learn much about how things came to be as they are. Without question, Ted Vail was the man who made AT&T what it is today, or at least what it was for more than half a century. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Todd Inch Subject: Re: Pacific Bell Voice Mail Types Date: Wed, 30 Mar 1994 09:48:43 PST wjhalv1@pacbell.com writes: >> Also, do Telco's provide voicemail to customers with their own PABX? > Possible but unwieldy. The PABX would have to have additional trunks > back to the CO where the Telco's VM box is. >> If so, how are the calls routed to the Voicemail equipment? I take it >> the Telco will have a centralized VoiceMail node, and will route (divert) We have third party off-site voicemail (where each mailbox has it's own real phone number but you can also select a different mailbox once you're connected to the system) and use it in conjunction with our PBX. We use Centranet (GTE's brand name for "Centrex") to allow incoming PBX calls to to be transferred to another number through the telco (flash, dial number, hang up) without tying up our PBX phone lines. We use this for forwarding to voicemail, to cell phones, and to our recently split-off sister company. Centranet also allows us to forward our main number to the main voice mailbox after hours and after the fourth ring. Since we have an 800 number which rings in on our main number, this works well for me to get my own voice mail from out of the area after hours. During business hours, I tell whoever answers in our office to please transfer me to my voicemail after reading me any paper messages first. It really helps that we have system-wide speed dial numbers programmed for each person's voicemail and the speed dial includes the required "flash". The only "kludge" is the PBX requires you to wait until it has dialed the whole number before you hang up. Fortunately the LCD display shows the number as it is being dialed so you simply hang up when you see all seven digits in the display. Interestingly, when I call and voice mail answers, I never hear any ringback tone -- I dial the number and almost immediately hear the voice mail message. I am looking into possibly getting our own in-house voicemail, however, because (1) I think it would be cheaper than the service, and (2) it would allow the message waiting lamps on the phone to light up, and (3) an auto- attendant would allow fax/modem calls via our existing 800 number and "inside" callers could bypass the receptionist person with a backdoor number. It's kinda silly -- we now get paper slips that say "check your voicemail." ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Mar 1994 12:11:50 -0500 From: goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau) Subject: Re: Observations About Area Code Splits LincMad@netcom.com (Linc Madison) writes: > There are also some historical splits that look quite silly... > In Massachusetts, 413 has fewer than one third the number of exchanges > of either 617 or 508, and is one of the least populated NPAs. Yes, but 413 and 617 were never split from one another at all; they were both there from the start of the area code system. In fact, I remember an article in the Digest several years ago describing how 413 reportedly arrived a bit earlier than *that*, because a small region in western MA was used by AT&T to prototype area codes, and 413 was the code they tested it with. Supposedly, that's how come such a small and underpopulated region got one of the "best" area codes (by using only 8 pulls, 413 is tied for sixth place for fewest-pulses-to- dial), while Boston and the rest of MA ended up with 617. That historical anomaly also explains why the original MA area code boundary was drawn so far west, leaving 617 with two-thirds of the land area and 80+% of the people in the state. If things had been set up more rationally, 413 probably should have extended at least as far east as Worcester, and the need to split 617 (out of which 508 was born in the late 1980s) could have been deferred for many years. Bob Goudreau Data General Corporation goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com 62 Alexander Drive +1 919 248 6231 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Mar 94 12:46:15 EST From: dwn@dwn.ccd.bnl.gov (Dave Niebuhr) Subject: Re: Observations About Area Code Splits In TELECOM Digest Volume 14 : Issue 153 LincMad@netcom.com (Linc Madison) wrote: > I was looking at David Esan's 1/15/94 NPA-NXX list and noticed quite a > number of surprising numbers. There were a couple of instances where > I hope the answer is that a previously-effected split is not yet > reflected in the number of exchanges shown for the old area code. For > example, 212 shows 639 exchanges, and 168 for 917. I hope that the Area code 917 is not a "true areacode" in the sense that it is restricted to pagers, cell phones, and similar services, etc. NYTel could have left the exchanges in 212/718 available and/or in use after the overlay took affect. What probably happened, and maybe someone from NYTel/NYNEX who is more familiar with this could answer, is that since there were available exchanges after the overlay, more connections could be made for voice and data lines. Or, Bellcore might not have deleted them from their V&H tapes. I just can't see a company sitting around doing nothing with valuable equipment. Dave Niebuhr Internet: dwn@dwn.ccd.bnl.gov (preferred) niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl Senior Technical Specialist, Scientific Computing Facility Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973 (516)-282-3093 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Mar 1994 08:45:46 EST From: padwad@psd.gs.com (Danny Padwa) Subject: Re: Observations About Area Code Splits Not sure about cellulars, but the 212-vs-917 split is still proceding in terms of pagers. While "new" numbers have been allocated out of 917 for well over a year (at least I have one much older than a year), we are still just entering the "permissive" period for the switchover for some of our older pagers. I expect (not sure) that the above mentioned cellular provider will soon be getting a surprise from NYTel (oops ... NYNEX). Danny ------------------------------ From: king@wildebeest.cig.mot.com (Steven King, Software Archaeologist) Subject: Re: AT&T Cellular Privacy System Date: 30 Mar 1994 16:49:16 GMT Organization: Motorola Cellular Infrastructure Group Reply-To: king@wildebeest.cig.mot.com I asked some questions regarding the AT&T Cellular Privacy System. Mr. Arneke kindly responded and indicated that I could post his response to the Digest. Thanks for the info, guys! From: darneke@attmail.com (David R Arneke) Date: 28 Mar 94 09:45:44 GMT Subject: Re: AT&T Cellular Privacy System Here is a more complete answer to your message of last week regarding the AT&T Cellular Privacy System. This comes from our cellular privacy product manager, Ben Bratcher (214 280-9410). 1. Is the scrambling technology simple inversion? No. The scrambling algorithm uses split-band frequency inversion, translation of the upper band's frequencies, frequency dispersion of both bands, time compression of both bands and independent time displacement of the individual bands. The combinations are determined by a key generator driven by a common key that is negotiated for each privacy activation by using a public key technique. This is the strongest scrambling algorithm available for handheld, transportable and mobile cellular subscriber equipment. 2. Is the signaling channel scrambled? How about the blank-and-burst signal sent on the voice channel to change power level or to do a handoff? Neither the signalling channel nor the inband signalling are scrambled. The Advanced Cellular Privacy System scrambles only the user's audio. However, the system is designed to maintain all functions of the cellular telephone system without degradation. 3. Is the SAT tone affected? No. The common channel interface of the cellular network is not affected by the cellular privacy system. 4. How does the mobile recognize that it's in a scrambler-capable system? How does the base site recognize that a mobile has a scrambler attached? Does the mobile scrambling unit recognize when the mobile is roaming into an incompatible system and turn itself off? The mobile system when activated sends a signal to the switch that includes its part of the public key. If the switch is scrambler- capable and the user's electronic serial number (ESN) relates to a privacy class of service mark, the switch will respond with its part of the public key and privacy is established. If there is no response from the switch, the mobile system will return a fast busy, alerting the user that privacy is not available and preventing communication until the user releases the privacy request, indicating that clear-only operation is acceptable. The Mobile Switching Equipment (MSE) will first recognize that a user has a privacy class of service from the relation of the ESN and the home or visitor location register. This causes the MSE to route the call to the MSE-based scrambler equipment. The MTSO Privacy Unit (MSE-based scrambler equipment) then recognizes the initial signal from the mobile subscriber and returns the confirmation. If a user is roaming in a non-privacy capable system and tried to initiate privacy, the mobile unit will not enter the privacy mode and will alert the user. If the mobile unit is operating in the privacy mode and enters a non-privacy capable sysyem, the mobile unit also will alert the user. Every three seconds the mobile scrambler and the switch scrambler exchange information. After five failures (allowing time for tunnels and fades), the mobile scrambler will return a fast busy call and block communication. The user can then choose to return to clear mode. 5. Is the MTSO scrambler unit part of the base site or the switch? If it's part of the base site, can a scrambled call be handed off into a cell with no scrambler unit attached? The MTSO scrambler unit is attached to the MSE and therefore is always available to cell sites associated with the MSE. Through networking, a MSE unit can continue privacy service as the mobile transits between MTSOs. 6. If there are no MTSO scrambler units available, does the subscriber get any indication that the call is being sent in teh clear rather than scrambled? Yes, as described above. 7. What is Ameritech charging for the service? Confirm this number with Ameritech, but I believe it's $14 per month. Thanks again for writing. Feel free to pass this on to Telecom Digest or anyone else who might be interested. David Arneke Media Relations Manager AT&T Secure Communications Systems david.arneke@att.com (!darneke on AT&T Mail) =================== Steven King -- Motorola Cellular Infrastructure Group ------------------------------ From: dave@llondel.demon.co.uk (David Hough) Subject: Re: Voice and Data Through PBX Date: Wed, 30 Mar 1994 09:03:52 +0000 In article Thomas Humphreys writes: > I have asked the question "Would you recommend running both voice and > data (LAN) traffic through a PBX?" of 11 individuals. 4 said yes, 7 > said no. > I am interested in what the readers of this newsgroup think about this > issue. I have to admit to some bias, because the company I work for is developing a PABX which will do just this, as well as other features. Basically, the intention is that the PABX is connected to the LAN and can accept instructions from a PC on the LAN to dial numbers, answer calls etc. This allows you to use Windoze to pop up a phone directory and click on a number to dial. The PC tells the PABX, the PABX dials the number and kicks your keyphone into life in handsfree mode. When the other end answers you can either pick up the phone handset or talk handsfree. It doesn't take much of a leap from this to be able to select a file and a destination and have the PC request the PABX to set up an external data connection to the destination and transfer the file. Even dial-on-demand routeing of individual network packets is possible. Other options include the facility for a remote user using ISDN to dial in and appear as an ethernet address on your LAN (CLI can help with security here), which is ideal for the sales force who might not have to visit the office quite so much. No we can't do all of that yet, but it is coming! It is about time the telephone was properly integrated with everything else. After all, digitized speech is only another 64kb data stream -- it has to be switched the same as all other data streams. Dave G4WRW @ GB7WRW.#41.GBR.EU AX25 dave@llondel.demon.co.uk Internet g4wrw@g4wrw.ampr.org Amprnet ------------------------------ From: jim@isnpo1.pwss.gov.ab.ca (James Slupsky) Subject: Re: Voice and Data Through PBX Organization: Alberta PWSS Telecom Date: Tue, 29 Mar 1994 21:12:57 GMT In article , Thomas Humphreys writes: > I have asked the question "Would you recommend running both voice and > data (LAN) traffic through a PBX?" of 11 individuals. 4 said yes, 7 > said no. > I am interested in what the readers of this newsgroup think about this > issue. In my opinion, there are much better products available for switching LAN traffic than a PBX. For voice, a PBX works great; for switched data, a PBX also works great (although in some cases, a packet network would be better). But for LAN data, existing LAN networking hardware/software costs less and is more mature. If you desire to connect two lans, then ISDN links through a PBX may also be an option. Regards, James Slupsky jslupsky@pwss.gov.ab.ca ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #155 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa10878; 1 Apr 94 13:38 EST Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA20188; Fri, 1 Apr 94 09:22:10 CST Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA20179; Fri, 1 Apr 94 09:22:08 CST Date: Fri, 1 Apr 94 09:22:08 CST From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9404011522.AA20179@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #156 TELECOM Digest Fri, 1 Apr 94 09:22:00 CST Volume 14 : Issue 156 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson ISDN in Texas? Your Input is Requested, Please (bkravitz@vtel.com) Canada Direct to European Customers - Why Not Possible? (Francois Dufresne) Anyone Attending the APCC Show? (safer@delphi.com) RS-423/RS-422/RS-232 on a DB-25 Connector (Robert Inch Jr) UC Berkeley Short Courses on SONET/ATM and Wireless Networking (H. Stern) Alert! New CD-Rom Database a la Lotus: Household! (David S. Greenberg) Where Can I Find A Copy of Mosaic? (Ellis Claggett) Telemarketing Systems - Need Help/Suggestions (unique7@aol.com) Address of 'Planet Connect' Needed (Christian Ekhart) Wireless Standards: GSM, UPT, UMTS, and FPLMTS (Kimberly Kirlin) Privacy on Rolm Switch (Chris Michael) Hacking != Fraud (was Re: Cellular Phone Hacking) (Nick Sayer) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 09:01:58 CST From: bkravitz@vtel.com Subject: ISDN in Texas? Your Input is Requested, Please PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION OF TEXAS REQUESTS COMMENTS ON INTEGRATED SERVICES DIGITAL NETWORK (ISDN) The Public Utility Commission of Texas (the Commission) has established a project (Project No. 12756) to examine Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) issues. The Commission seeks comments from interested parties in response to the following questions. If your answers would differ depending upon time-frame considerations, please provide answers for each time-frame. Parties are requested to organize their comments to address the specific questions asked in the order asked and are encouraged to include an executive summary emphasizing the main points of their comments to each question. Comments (13 paper copies) should contain a reference to Project No. 12756 and should be submitted to John M. Renfrow, Secretary of the Commission, Public Utility Commission of Texas, 7800 Shoal Creek Boulevard, Austin, Texas 78757, no later than April 30, 1994. Informal comments may be sent to Ms. Pam Whittington at the Commission via e-mail addressed to: pam.tel@email.puc.texas.gov Or you may call her at (512) 458-0100. 1. To which local exchange carriers (LECs) should a rule on ISDN apply? Why? 2. Should ISDN-based services be considered to be a replacement of or successor for "plain old telephone service"? Why? 3. Should all Texas customers and customer classes have access to ISDN? Why? If not, why not? What policies should be adopted by the Commission regarding customer access to ISDN? Why? 4. What are the policies which the Commission should adopt regarding the determination of costs and the pricing of ISDN and ISDN-based services? Explain why. Provide detailed cost information for each position if available. 5. Should the manner in which ISDN is deployed affect the price? How? 6. Should the Commission grant regulatory incentives, penalties, or flexibility in exchange for a LEC's provision of ISDN? Why? If yes, describe the incentives, penalties, or flexibility. 7. Does the Commission have jurisdiction to compel the provision of ISDN? Why? Explain the legal basis for your position. 8. Should the LECs be required to provide ISDN services in a manner that is conducive to competition in the provision of ISDN? Why? If so, how? 9. What policies should the Commission adopt regarding the deployment of ISDN? Should the Commission directly mandate deployment, require deployment to be driven by customer demand, or require deployment in some other manner? Why? Describe in detail how. 10. Describe in detail how these policies regarding deployment should be implemented and enforced. 11. If customer driven demand deployment was ordered by the Commission, should the trigger for deployment be thirty customer requests for ISDN per central office? Why? If not, why not, and provide evidence to support your position. If thirty requests is not the appropriate number, explain what is. 12. Should LEC compliance with deployment requirements be monitored on a periodic basis by the Commission? If so, explain in detail how and why. 13. What are the appropriate time frames for completion of deployment of ISDN in a LEC's service territory and in the entire state respectively? Why? 14. What are the technological options of the LECs with respect to the system upgrades necessary to deploy ISDN within their service areas? Explain in detail how the costs should be determined and reported to the Commission. 15. Are there any other policies, aspects, technical characteristics, costs, or obstacles (e.g. switch architecture, software, or SS7) regarding deployment that the Commission should consider? If yes, list and describe each and explain why. Provide detailed cost information for each item if available. 16. What policies regarding ISDN standards should be adopted by the Commission? Why? 17. To what standards (e.g. National ISDN, ITU-T standards, etc.) should the Commission require ISDN be deployed and provided? Why? 18. What specific service capabilities (e.g. bearer services, teleservices, supplementary services, etc.) should be required to be provided to customers? Why? 19. How should the policies regarding ISDN be implemented by the Commission? Why? If tariff filings were required, what should they contain? Why? 20. What end-user applications (e.g. telemedicine, distance learning, telecommuting, and video conferencing) using ISDN are available? Will these applications be available using technology other than ISDN? Should the Commission consider this in its rulemaking? Why? 21. Does Texas need ISDN to compete with other states? Why? 22. Would the widespread availability of ISDN have a beneficial impact (e.g., through telecommuting, video conferencing, etc.) on Texas' compliance with the Clean Air Act? Explain how. 23. Are there any other aspects or characteristics of providing ISDN that should be considered by the Commission? If yes, describe each and explain why. Parties interested in providing additional comments are welcome to do so. The Commission also welcomes data and documentation supporting the parties' comments. General Counsel and staff will review the comments and use them in preparing a recommendation to the Commission. Comments (13 paper copies) should contain a reference to Project No. 12756 and should be submitted to John M. Renfrow, Secretary of the Commission, Public Utility Commission of Texas, 7800 Shoal Creek Boulevard, Austin, Texas 78757, by April 30, 1994. Informal comments may be sent to Ms. Pam Whittington at the Commission via e-mail addressed to: pam.tel@email.puc.texas.gov Or you may call her at (512) 458-0100. ------------------------------ From: Francois.Dufresne@isa.unil.ch (Francois Dufresne) Subject: Canada Direct to European Customers - Why Not Possible? Date: 31 Mar 1994 13:42:47 GMT Organization: Cypherpunks Hi there! Does anyone know why Teleglobe Canada can not offer the service Canada Direct to European customers? Are there legal reasons? Agreements with other countries? Is it because it belongs to Bell Canada? I would be very interested to have access to this service since their rates are much better than those of the Swiss PTT. Thanks in advance. Francois Dufresne Ecole des HEC, University of Lausanne, Switzerland e-mail: Francois.Dufresne@isa.unil.ch tel.: 41.21/692.4022 apres/after: 1994.04.05 : 41.21/692.33.74 fax : 41.21/692.4193 41.21/692.33.05 ------------------------------ From: safer@delphi.com Subject: Anyone Attending the APCC Show? Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 23:05:56 -0500 Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice) Is anyone out there going to the APCC show in Vegas? ------------------------------ From: transpak@netcom.com (Robert Inch Jr) Subject: RS-423/RS-422/RS-232 on a DB-25 Connector Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 04:32:22 GMT Here at work, we have a sparc 1, and an hp laserjet 4. The sparc manual says it uses rs-423 to talk to printers on the serial line, and the hp has rs-232 and rs-422, both using db-25 connectors (the sparc and the printer). When I print I get 22 error message which means protocol confusion. So, I think it is true that rs-423 and rs-422 could not talk since rs-422 uses balanced send and receive lines or whatever (send and send-inverse), but rs-423 I think uses equivelant or one to one matchable lines. So, my questions is what is the pin layout for rs-423 over a db-25 coming out of a sparc, and can I connect it to the printer as if it were rs-232? ------------------------------ From: southbay@garnet.berkeley.edu Subject: UC Berkeley Short Courses on SONET/ATM and Wireless Networking Date: 31 Mar 1994 01:52:53 GMT Organization: University of California, Berkeley U.C. Berkeley Continuing Education in Engineering Announces 3 Short Courses on Communications Technology SONET/ATM-BASED BROADBAND NETWORKS: Systems, Architectures and Designs (April 18-19, 1994) It is widely accepted that future broadband networks will be based on the SONET (Synchronous Optical Network) standards and the ATM (Asynchronous transfer Mode) technique. This course is an in-depth examination of the fundamental concepts and the implementation issues for development of future high-speed networks. Topics include: Broadband ISDN Transfer Protocol, high speed computer/network interface (HiPPI), ATM switch architectures, ATM network congestion/flow control, VLSI designs in SONET/ATM networks. Lecturer: H. Jonathan Chao, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Brooklyn Polytechnic University. Dr. Chao holds more than a dozen patents and has authored over 40 technical publications in the areas of ATM switches, high-speed computer communications, and congestion/flow control in ATM networks. GIGABIT/SEC DATA AND COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS: Internetworking, Signaling and Network Management (April 20-21, 1994) This short course aims to provide a general understanding of the key issues needed to design and implement gigabit local and wide area networks. The topics are designed to compliment those covered in the SONET/ATM-Based Broadband Networks course (above). Topics include: technology drivers, data protocols, signaling, network management, internetworking and applications. Specific issues addressed include TCP/IP on ATM networks, design of high performance network interfaces, internetworking ATM networks with other network types, and techniques for transporting video over gigabit networks. Lecturer: William E. Stephens, Ph.D., Director, High-Speed Switching and Storage Technology Group, Applied Research, Bellcore. Dr. Stephens has over 40 publications and one patent in the field of optical communications. He has served on several technical program committees, including IEEE GLOBECOM and the IEEE Electronic Components Technology Conference, and has served as Guest Editor for the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications. PERSONAL (WIRELESS) COMMUNICATION NETWORKS: Cellular Systems, Wireless Data Networks, and Broadband Wireless Access (April 20-22, 1994) This comprehensive course focuses on principles, technologies, system architectures, standards, equipment, implementation, public policy, and evolving trends in wireless networks. Topics include: modulation, coding, and signal processing; first generation systems; second generation systems; broadband networks; third generation systems; and applications and technology trends. This course is intended for engineers who are currently active or anticipate future involvement in this field. Lecturer: Anthony S. Acampora, Ph.D., Professor, Electrical Engineering, Columbia University. He is Director, Center for Telecommunications Research. He became a professor following a 20 year career at AT&T Bell Laboratories, is an IEEE Fellow, and is a former member of the IEEE Communications Society Board of Governors. For more information (complete course descriptions, outlines, instructor bios, etc.) contact: Harvey Stern U.C. Berkeley Extension/Southbay 800 El Camino Real Ste. 150 Menlo Park, CA 94025 Tel: (415) 323-8141 Fax: (415) 323-1438 ------------------------------ From: mgreeny@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu (David S. Greenberg) Subject: Alert! New CD-Rom Database a la Lotus: Household! Date: 31 Mar 1994 09:48:27 -0600 Hi all, just thought I'd let everyone out there know that I just received in my daily pile of junk mail yet another company (which shall be named shortly ...) which has decided that they have the right to sell ****YOUR**** name and address AND PHONE NUMBER on CD ROM! Not only are they doing this for your home, but also for businesses as well! They pull no punches and have an ad which has several subheadings: "The Hook", "The Line", "The Sell", "The Close" -- they designed the paperwasting junk mail flyer for resellers. At any rate, I called to protest this unlicensed and unwanted use of my name/address and was told by the wonderful person I spoke to (after being forced to wait on hold with a joyful voice mail system for several tortous minutes) that "she'd certainly pass my request along". All I've got to say is that they'll be getting a FAX from me shortly and from my lawyers as well. I'd encourage EVERYONE out there reading this to call and protest this as well -- let your friends know and have them call as well. If you recall, the only reason that Lotus dropped their moronic Household CDROM was because they received 20,000 letters/calls requesting removal from the database. Lotus LEARNED THE HARD WAY HOW TO ALIENATE YOUR CUSTOMER BASE -- MAYBE THIS COMPANY NEEDS A GOOD KICK IN THE *&*(& AS WELL... CAll and let them know just how you feel about this sort of crapola: ProCD, Inc. 8 Doaks Lane, Little Harbor Marblehead, MA 01945-9866 1-800-992-3766 (800-99-CD-ROM) FAX: 1-617 631 9229 For DOS machines only ... worst of all, this product allows UNLIMITED downloading/searching of the database -- no metering, no extra fees so it encourages people to use it (or abuse it...). CALL NOW! Protect your right to privacy! Stop the abuse! Microcomputer Support Specialist, Student Residential Programs, WIU, Macomb, IL 61455 Internet: mgreeny@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu, greeny@srp.wiu.bgu.edu GEnie: GREENY (once a month, Internet's preferred) AOL: GREENY1@AOL.COM (really infrequently....use the internet!) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The thing is, they *do* have the right to see compiled listings -- as did Lotus or as does anyone else -- if they wish to do so. If a telephone book containing alphabetical listings is not illegal then neither is a consolidated listing of several telephone books made into one. Neither is the same thing when the medium happens to be CD Rom. Lotus decided it was in their best business interests to discontinue the sale of the product when sufficient numbers of people who expressed interest in all their products were angered by this. I think what you will find in this case however is that the company in question is merely a list seller. They specialize in lists for other companies to purchase, and they are not going to be impressed very much one way or the other by consumers, per se. Lists like this in all sorts of formats (both alphabetical by name and numerically by street address and/or phone number) have been compiled for over half a century. Haines of Cleveland, Ohio and R.L. Polk of Detroit were the pioneers at this, starting back in the 1920's. All of a sudden because the medium has changed (from great big hardover books with several thousand pages each in several volumes) to CD Rom the complaints become more vocal. Why? Is it because the ease and availability in obtaining the information has become greater? PAT] ------------------------------ From: Ellis Claggett Subject: Where Can I Find A Copy of Mosaic? Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 09:14:00 PST Hello, I recently heard of a product called Mosaic which acts as a front end for Internet access. Could some one provide me additional information on this product an where I might locate a copy on the internet. Your help will greatly appreciated. Ellis R. Claggett The Travelers claggette@bsp03c.primerica.com ------------------------------ From: unique7@aol.com Subject: Telemarketing Systems - Need Help/Suggestions Date: 31 Mar 1994 00:49:03 -0500 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) I am trying to put together a telemarketing function for a small start-up software firm. To facilitate this I am looking for any information I can on software to support the telemarketing function by doing things such as: tracking phone calls, tracking customer leads (including automatic "tickler" call reminders), interfacing with an email system to alert other parts of the organization of customer issues that might be of concern to them (e.g. reporting a bug to engineering), etc ... Does anyone have any thoughts on what systems might do this and where I could get info. Also can anyone recommend any journals that I might peruse to get a better handle on these products. Thanks in advance. I can be reached directly at unique7@aol.com. Marc ------------------------------ From: ekhart@fochsg01.tu-graz.ac.at (Christian Ekhart) Subject: Address of 'Planet Connect' Needed Date: 31 Mar 1994 12:16:41 GMT Organization: Graz University of Technology, Austria Hi, I need the address and fax number of a company called Planet Connect. They offer direct satellite uplinks at data rates of 19.2 kbit/s for about $500/month. Is that correct and is this possible with connects Europe-USA? This would be very cheap leased lines. One idea (grin) would be to link this line to the US-phone system (whereas only 9.6 kbit/s would be needed for compressed voice data) and to obtain that way an US-phone-line routed to Europe ;-) Are there any other providers for reasonably priced direct satellite uplinks. Thank you! Christian Ekhart University of Technology voice: +43-316-8738247 Department of Organic Chemistry fax: +43-316-811057 Stremayrgasse 16, 8010 Graz email: ekhart@fochsg01.tu-graz.ac.at Austria - Europe fidoNet: 2:316/3.0, DTP-Mailbox ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 13:09:54 -0600 From: Kimberly Kirlin Subject: Wireless Standards: GSM, UPT, UMTS, & FPLMTS Organization: Texas Metronet, Internet for the Individual 214-705-2917 (info) These are statements that I have taken from articles about GSM (Global Systems for Mobile Communications) in telecom trade journals: "... no one yet knows how first generation digital will mesh or evolve into PCS/PCN or from there into wideband FPLMTS or UMTS." GSM Phase 2 will provide for the "integration of GSM in UPT to make provision for UPT subscribers and services through GSM networks and vise versa." In fact in many articles there is reference to the eventual evolution of second generation digital cellular into UPT or UMTS or FPLMTS. FPLMTS - Future Public Land Mobile Telecommunications Systems (I think); UMTS - Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems; UPT - Universal Personal Telecommunications. My QUESTION is: What is the difference between UPT, UMTS, and FPLMTS? From what I have read they all refer to having a personal number which is unique to each subscriber, which can be registered on any terminal on any network, fixed or mobile. And what makes these technologies so different from what GSM is trying to accomplish with the use of a SIM card? Any input to this debate is greatly appreciated! Kim Kirlin University of Colorado Telecommunications Program kirlin@metronet.com ------------------------------ From: cm@nwu.edu (Chris Michael) Subject: Privacy on Rolm switch Date: 31 Mar 94 23:18:20 GMT Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL USA Reply-To: cm@nwu.edu (Chris Michael) My company has a Rolm 8000 (9000?) (something) switch. It's configured so that certain supervisors can monitor conversations on certain exten- sions by hitting the right key on their phone. This is all above board and well understood by everyone. There is a persistent rumor, however, that these people can monitor *all* conversations. The person who manages the switch believes this to be true, although she's never configured anything like that. The Rolm service people say it can't be done. Is it possible? If it were, could it be hidden from the switch console? christopher michael, george s. may international, 708-825-8806 x 395 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Persons with the ability to monitor the calls can probably do it on all extensions except that possibly there is some class of service higher than theirs and they are unable to monitor the extensions 'above them' in class of service. But if they can monitor anyone in class of service 'below them' then they can monitor all such lines. I've seen that feature on a couple of Rolm systems. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 16:47:26 -0800 From: Nick Sayer Subject: Hacking != Fraud (was Re: Cellular Phone Hacking) Might I interject at this point to mention that EVERYONE in this thread so far has mis-used the term 'hacking'? Until I saw the reference to cloning phones, I thought the original poster might have wanted tips on NAM programming his phone to roam differently, or perhaps to do any of the other things that are perfectly legitimate ways to alter the behavior of ones phone that have nothing at all to do with fraud of any sort. The term has, unfortunately, been hijacked and now those of us who hack (traditional definition) are left linguistically orphaned by the prevalance of the incorrect definition. Nick Sayer N6QQQ @ N0ARY.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NOAM +1 408 249 9630, log in as 'guest' PGP 2.2 key and geek code via finger [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Programming the NAM in a phone is not the same thing as duplicating the ESN. The only people who have permission to install, record, or change an ESN are the manufacturers of cell phones. Everyone else, keep away! That's the law. You are correct about how the words 'hacker' and 'hacking' have been confiscated. It reminds me of the word 'gay' and how traditionally it always meant happy, cheerful or merry. Now if the word is used, it is always taken to refer to persons who are, well, gay ... times change and so do definitions of words. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #156 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa11413; 1 Apr 94 14:51 EST Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA22060; Fri, 1 Apr 94 10:32:03 CST Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA22051; Fri, 1 Apr 94 10:32:01 CST Date: Fri, 1 Apr 94 10:32:01 CST From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9404011632.AA22051@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #157 TELECOM Digest Fri, 1 Apr 94 10:32:00 CST Volume 14 : Issue 157 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson April NPA Report (David Esan) Mexican Audiotext ("Dial 900") (wright@LAA.COM) 911 Chatline (Richard Baum) Extended 911 and Cellular Phones (Dan Leifker) Is 800 Really Portable Yet? (Dave Leibold) 900 and Other Premium Numbers (was Pager Scam) (Atri Indiresan) 976, 540 Services (John R. Levine) AccessLine and 700 Service Information Wanted (Marita Anne O'Brien) USRobotics Email Address Wanted (Ralph Spitzner) Ethernet via Cable TV (John Biederstedt) STAR*Telecom Dialback Experiences Wanted (Daniel Winkowski) Getting Wired: Leased Line vs. Dial-up For 14.4kps Data Comm (P. Rukavina) Satellite/Mobile Data Applications (Carl Silva) Voice and Data Simultaneously Over Modem? (Tom W. Tomlinson) FAX Mailbox Services (Lars Nohling) New Area Codes List Wanted (David Winters) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: de@moscom.com (David Esan) Subject: April NPA Report Date: 31 Mar 94 20:24:00 GMT Organization: Moscom Corporation, Pittsford NY This is my quarterly report on the number of exchanges in each NPA in the NANP. It is derived from information in FCC #10. This is article #13 in the series. FCC #10 is a tariff issued by BellCore that contains all the area codes, exchange combinations in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). It also contains lata information and V&H coordinate information. There is a lot of additional information that I don't use, so I won't add here. It is available through a number of sources. The one closest to the FCC is ITS, which can be contacted at 202-857-3800. My company compiles this information for use in its products and does not seem to be interested in selling this information. Queries are still flowing through the bureaucracy. I have used pages that are effective prior to April 21, 1994. I am not responsible for the information supplied in FCC #10. I have not included the following in my counts of exchanges: - NXX's that are not dialable by a standard user (ie nxx's that begin with a 1 or 0). - Mexican exchanges in the 52? series of area codes. I've got them, you can dial them with 011, but they're not really NPAs. - Exchanges that are non-dialable in the 88? series of area codes. I've got those also, but you can't dial them, so I'm not including them. Numbers that begin with 88 are nondialable stations in the US, Canada and Mexico. They are ranches in the middle of the Nevada or Texas desert, or isolated outpost of civilization (always wanted to use that phrase) in the tundra of Canada. I find place names like the Bar J Ranch, Double B Ranch, and JD Dye, Texas, Amargosa, Corncreek and Reese Valley, NV, and Chick Lake, Redknife and Taglu, NT. I gather they are ringdown stations, or radio-telephone stations. [It has been noted in c.d.t. that at least two of these numbers are for a bordello on the NV-CA border.] The fields are: ------------ rank last in January, 1994 213: 736 (1, 7) area code --^^^ ^^^ ^------- number of new exchanges |-------------- total number of exchanges 919: 731 ( 1, 8) 206: 699 ( 6, 17) 212: 638 (11, 0) 813: 615 (19, 13) 313: 731 ( 2, 9) 708: 696 ( 8, 11) 303: 625 (17, 24) 803: 609 (15, 7) 205: 729 ( 3, 13) 602: 691 ( 7, 15) 403: 619 (13, 2) 503: 608 (18, 11) 215: 710 ( 5, 14) 713: 670 ( 9, 7) 615: 617 (16, 16) 216: 606 (14, 2) 416: 707 ( 4, 8) 703: 655 (10, 10) 604: 617 (12, 0) 404: 601 (20, 11) 1. 919 - split is in progress. Number should be reduced by split. 2. 313 - split is in progress. Number should be reduced by split. 3. 205 - split is planned. Number should be reduced by split. 4. 215 - split is in progress. Number should be reduced by split. 5. 416 - split is in progress. Number should be reduced by split. 6. 206 - split is planned. Number should be reduced by split. 7. 708 - split is planned. Number should be reduced by split. 8. 602 - split is planned. Number should be reduced by split. 9. 713 - split is planned. Number should be reduced by split. Note: The Los Angeles Area (213/818/310) area will receive an overlay area code. While none of these NPAs are in the top 20 (they are 64/47/32), this is an area of rapid telephone growth. -> The NPA that is largest and is not splitting nor has plans, at this time, to split, is 703. -> The 3 smallest NPA's were 302, 906, 807. They are now: 302: 134 - Delaware (+2 exchanges) 906: 117 - Michigan's Upper Peninsula (no change) 807: 107 - Western Ontario (+1 exchange) -> The NPAs with the greatest growth rates are: NPA % growth 512 4.91 917 4.76 417 4.21 310 4.02 303 3.99 617 3.91 813 3.89 719 3.80 610 3.79 213 3.63 -> The 10 NPAs with the least growth rates are: NPA % growth 806 -.76 718 -.39 212 0 217 0 309 0 410 0 418 0 506 0 515 0 519 0 Just for grins: The most used NXX (not counting 555) is 754 used in 118 npas. The least used are: 211 and 311 used only in 212, 900 used in 213, 950 used only in 716 (my NPA), and 959 used only in 808. All the NPAs and the number of nxx's in each are listed below: 919: 731 214: 595 201: 472 213: 400 912: 360 819: 317 709: 264 313: 731 612: 592 412: 466 316: 396 810: 359 918: 310 509: 263 205: 729 314: 588 913: 460 704: 392 519: 359 613: 309 806: 261 215: 710 809: 577 306: 458 219: 390 204: 358 909: 308 608: 260 416: 707 501: 575 818: 455 910: 385 207: 357 706: 308 603: 251 206: 699 203: 573 407: 454 801: 383 304: 351 218: 303 901: 250 708: 696 904: 571 210: 454 914: 382 419: 347 610: 301 417: 223 602: 691 619: 562 617: 452 406: 382 319: 346 808: 300 308: 217 713: 670 817: 550 614: 452 504: 380 618: 345 202: 299 707: 206 703: 655 405: 546 415: 443 502: 380 517: 344 606: 292 719: 191 212: 638 310: 544 410: 441 908: 376 505: 343 903: 291 506: 186 303: 625 804: 542 515: 440 301: 376 702: 337 712: 289 802: 183 403: 619 717: 525 601: 439 510: 375 805: 335 812: 288 307: 182 615: 617 312: 521 402: 428 217: 375 915: 324 518: 281 607: 180 604: 617 414: 517 714: 426 418: 370 409: 323 507: 281 917: 176 813: 615 514: 510 516: 426 701: 367 815: 322 902: 279 401: 149 803: 609 718: 506 508: 419 408: 366 715: 321 705: 275 413: 136 503: 608 816: 496 716: 415 605: 365 208: 320 315: 273 302: 136 216: 606 513: 488 907: 414 318: 364 609: 319 814: 271 906: 117 404: 601 317: 486 616: 410 512: 363 905: 318 309: 268 807: 107 305: 596 916: 475 209: 402 David Esan de@moscom.com ------------------------------ From: wright@LAA.COM Subject: Mexican Audiotext ("Dial 900") Date: 1 Apr 1994 14:38:06 GMT Organization: Lynn-Arthur Associates, Ann Arbor, MI Reply-To: wright@LAA.COM Telefonos de Mexico is offering an audio text product much like our dial 900 services in the U.S. It is dialed within Mexico by dialing 91-801 xxxxx. The cost is whatever specific service cost associated with the dialed phone number plus the cost from the caller to Mexico City. If your business in Mexico has not prohibited calls from your PBX, you should consider blocking this number. As in the U.S., your business/hotel/etc. cannot reliably determine the cost of a call before you are billed by Telmex. As a result, you are likely to be out some money. We provide businesses in Mexico with call pricing data and call rating software. Our software will rate calls from any place in Mexico to anyplace in the world. We cover local, national, and international calling using a full V&H database. We can also provide Mexican private rating data for those who need it. Carl A. Wright Lynn-Arthur Associates, Inc. +1 313 995 5590 wright@laa.com Operations Support Systems +1 313 995 5989 (fax) 2350 Green Road Suite 160 Ann Arbor, MI, 48105 USA ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Apr 1994 09:01:56 -0500 From: Richard Baum Subject: 911 Chatline New service to pay for cost of enhanced 911 Date: Fri, 1 APR 94 8:20:19 EST NEW YORK (AP) -- Century Communications announced today plans for an exciting new 900 service, with profits to go to help defray the cost of installing and maintaining enhanced 911 service across the country. Called, 'The 911 Chatline,' it allows callers to choose an area of the country, and to listen to 911 emergency calls from it. When asked what prompted this unusual foray into the 900 business, Century spokeswoman Fawn Lebowitz said, "In recent years we've seen a dramatic increase in the popularity of reality-based television shows. The 911 Chatline allows callers to experience real-life drama while it is going on, all from the comfort of their own home." While listening to the emergency calls going through, callers to the Chatline have a number of options. They can listen to just the 911 calls for the area they select, switch their call to a different area, or, probably the most interesting option, connect their call to the '911 Chatline' to discuss the details of the emergencies with each other as they happen, and before the police have even arrived! Thanks to new voice recognition software from AT&T, callers do not even need a touch tone telephone in order to use the service. They can choose which 911 center to listen to simply by saying the area code and city that they are interested in listening to calls from. Calls are directed to the 911 center nearest this location. As 911 centers sign up to recieve their share of the profits, they are connected to the Chatline network. Century says it has already wired up over 50 centers, and that it has coverage in most major metropolitan areas. They plan to have the whole nation wired by April, 1995. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Probably by April 1, 1995 ... Readers, take care and think it over before writing me in response to this one. I guess by now everyone has heard about the infamous magazine article this past week which talked about new FCC regulations which '...ban speeding on on the Information Highway or driving on it while under the influence of drugs or intoxicating liquors ... and which ban any discussion of sexual matters using networks connected to the Information Highway ...' A reference number was given and there have actually been a large number of angry calls to Senators and others in Washington, DC. April 1 always brings these things to the net. PAT] ------------------------------ From: dleifker@mitre.org (Dan Leifker) Subject: Extended 911 and Cellular Phones Date: 1 Apr 1994 13:51:56 GMT Organization: self A twist to a recent thread on 911 over cellular phones... I am trying to gather information on the use of so-called "extended" 911 over cellular phones (e.g., the 911 provider can automatically zero in and locate the caller's location). This is relatively straightforward for fixed-address phone numbers, but with nomadic telephony it becomes more complicated. What is the state of the art in this area? Can anyone point me to resources that might discuss the technical, legal, and management aspects of this problem? Random thoughts and musings would also be appreciated. Thanks. Dan Leifker dleifker@mitre.org ------------------------------ From: Dave.Leibold@f730.n250.z1.fidonet.org (Dave Leibold) Date: 31 Mar 94 00:38:40 -0500 Subject: Is 800 ReallP portablY yet? Organization: FidoNet I just received a "New Releases" flyer from Bellcore, and one of the publications listed was a "Special Access Codes 800/900 NXX Assignments" (SR-OPT-001843) dated Dec. 1993. For USD$40, one can get the NXX assignments for 800 and 900 special access codes in North America. The thing is, there was supposed to be a cutover to "portable" 800 service last year which rendered the idea of 800 NXX assignments to carriers meaningless. Canada should also have 800 portability by now (as of January from my latest news). Does this mean there are still some carrier NXX assignments for 800, or at least 900 service? Tangent: a recent ad for a company just outside Toronto listed its regular number as (905) 819.wxyz while its toll-free number was (800) 819.wxyz, the seven digit components being identical. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: After portability started, I do not think all the numbers were just tossed in a big pot for everyone to pick from. I think they were left with the carriers which had them all along but the earlier prohibition against moving them was dropped. If you, for example, want a certain 800 number and it is found to be inactive and available, you go to your carrier of choice and ask for it. They in turn check the database and find that the number is in the custody of carrier X, where it always had been prior to portability. Your carrier has to then go to carrier X and ask to have the number released to them, and carrier X cannot frivilously refuse to comply. Now if you have existing service with carrier X and you want to move it to another company, then you have to sign a standard form all the carriers seem to be using which authorizes the change. And it must be properly filled out. AT&T for one has been very stubborn about cooperating with portability. Whenever the form is sent to them, they always refuse to accept it the first (and usually second or third) time around, claiming it has been filled out incorrectly. They claim they can only work with the signature of the president of the corporation, for example, even if he has nothing to do with the phone service at all. Then they challenge the signature and claim it must have been signed by someone else fraudulently; etc. The carrier losing the account is given 72 hours after each time the form reaches them to challenge it, contact the customer themselves and eventually give over the number or refuse to do so (without additional 'verification'). In summary, if you try to get a *working* 800 number away from AT&T, it is not easy. When it comes to 'good' numbers (i.e. they spell words or end in x000 or some other desirable combination) which are idle from AT&T, then AT&T always claims the number is 'reserved' for a pending customer. They never can produce the name of the so-called customer of course, and although reservations are theoretically only good for sixty days (at which point a carrier has to make it available without further hassles) AT&T keeps on renewing the reservations on the numbers they want. Protest all you like, it does not matter. The big three carriers seems to have an unwritten rule which says you keep out of our pool of 'good' numbers, and we won't raid your pool of 'good' numbers where idle numbers are concerned. That is, if you as a potential customer see that a number is idle and ask your carrier for it, chances are likely they will try hard to avoid bucking AT&T to get it ... of course as an existing customer you can change your 800 away to wherever you want -- they can't give you any bull about the number 'is not available, it is reserved by another customer' -- but AT&T will insist that the president of your company sign off on it and even then they will stall. So although portability is the law, it will only work as it should when the FCC orders all the carriers to start responding promptly to customer requests for numbers which 'belong' to other carriers and to quit reserving numbers for customers who do not exist in order to hang on to desirable numbers. PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: 900 and Other Premium Numbers (was Pager Scam) Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 14:20:25 -0500 From: Atri Indiresan I thought that when you called a premium number, by law, it was required to have a recording that told you what the service cost, and gave you thee seconds to hang up to avoid invoking any charges? I remember reading this a long time ago, and it was the case on the one occasion I had to call a 900 number. Does this rule apply only to 900 numbers, and not to local premium services? Or is it voluntary and only more "respectable" services follow the rule? It seems to me that if this were applied to all numbers to which anything but the normal toll charges applied, all such scams would collapse. As an aside, 900 numbers get a lot of publicity, and most people know that they are expensive to call. Until I started reading the Telecom digest, I was not aware of the existence of 976/540 or any other kinds of premium numbers. Offhand, I cannot recall seeing a single advertisement for local premium services, but anyone who has ever watched late night TV cannot help being aware that 900 calls are rather expensive. Atri ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 19:04 EST From: johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) Subject: 976, 540 Services Organization: I.E.C.C., Cambridge, Mass. Is there anywhere a list of surcharged prefixes in the U.S.? In most places 976 is used for non-porn announcements, but the list of other surcharged prefixes seems to be large, growing, and largely undocumented. Here in eastern Mass, for example, the prefixes (valid in both 617 and 508) are: 550 - live chat lines 554 - live porn 920 - business info 940 - recorded porn 976 - recorded general info You have to ask in writing to get calls to 554 and 940 turned on. I am astonished at the report that Sprint billed the surcharge for a 212-540 number. Has anyone else ever had this happen? Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, jlevine@delphi.com, 1037498@mcimail.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 19:37:39 MST From: O BRIEN MARITA ANNE Subject: AccessLine and 700 Service Information Wanted Does anyone have any experience with AccessLine service or know how popular this service is? AccessLine is a personal communications services offered via landline telephone service through local telephone companies (US West, Ameritech, BT, etc). It allows you to set up one number access with a personal service profile that will forward calls where you want, allow prioritization of forwarded calls via voice prompts, interaction with independent fax or email systems for paging, etc. This seems similar to the AT&T 700 Easy Reach Service introduced a couple of years ago, but I can't find any information about how useful these products are and how much they're selling. Thanks in advance, Marita ------------------------------ From: rasp@cj.in-berlin.de (Ralph Spitzner) Subject: USRobotics Email Address Wanted Organization: Christof Junge, Berlin Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 18:39:58 GMT Subject says it all. Any tips appreciated. rasp@cj.in-berlin.de [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I don't know about their email address, but their physical presence is here in Skokie just several blocks down the street from me on McCormick Blvd. I ride past their office on the bus when going to Chicago. PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: Ethernet via Cable TV From: John@msus1.msus.edu (John Biederstedt) Date: 31 Mar 94 16:01:28 -0500 Organization: The Electronmeister Is there a product that runs Ethernet (10mbps) over 75 ohm cable? I thought I had heard of such a product once. John Biederstedt Mankato State University Mankato, MN 56002 44d 8'N 93d 59'W El.1000' ------------------------------ From: winkowsk@stc.nato.int (Daniel Winkowski) Subject: STAR*Telecom Dialback Experiences? Organization: SHAPE Technical Centre, NL Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 13:04:16 GMT I saw an ad in the {International Herald Tribune} for a US dialback service provider called STAR*Telecom. From their response to my fax they state very good rates with no enrollment fee, monthly charge, or access costs. They also have a travel phone card for those on the move. Sample rates from Europe are: Netherlands to USA $0.40/minute Austria to USA $0.34/minute UK to USA $0.29/minute This seems almost too good to be true. Does anyone have experience with this company or dialback companies in general? Their phone number is (France) +33 1 39 28 00 19 (phone/fax) US +1 305 386 5343 (6352 fax) If anyone happens to call the Miami Better Business Bureau I would be interested in their record :-) Daniel Winkowski Voice: +31 70 314 2255 SHAPE Technical Center Fax: +31 70 314 2111 P.O. Box 174 winkowsk@stc.nato.int ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 16:11:12 AST From: Peter L. Rukavina Subject: Getting Wired: Leased Line vs. Dial-up For 14.4kps Data Comm Our small non-profit organization is trying to become an Internet service provider with a budget of ~$20,000 which demands that we do everything that we do on the cheap. Our plans are to connect our Linux-based PC to our local Internet service provider, which is using rack-mounted USR Courier v.32bis modems. I'm trying to figure out the best way of doing this given two options: (1) We get a regular POTS line installed, ($40/month, $60 for the installation), buy a relatively cheap 14.4kbps modem (~$300) and have our service provider dedicate a dial-up line to our exclusive use. (2) We get a leased data line (the phone company calls this an LDDS circuit, $32/month, $180 for the installation) installed and buy a more expensive but leased-line capable 14.4kbps modem (~$900) and connect directly. The first option works out to a cost of $840 for the year, the second option $1284 for the year, a not-insignificant difference. I do not know enough about high-speed modems and leased lines to be able to evaluate the two options technically, nor do I know enough about the telephone system to know if I'm missing a third [or fourth] option that would be a better route to follow. I would very much appreciate any advice in this regard. I am Peter Rukavina at the PEI Crafts Council, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada Telephone at work (902) 566-1584, fax (902) 628-8740, at home (902) 368-2871 Electronic mail to peter@crafts-council.pe.ca or rukavina@peinet.pe.ca ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 14:19:20 PST From: Carl Silva Subject: Satellite/Mobile Data Applications I am currently investigating what companies provide applications for mobile data/satellite networks such as remote data collection, fleet management, stolen car tracking, etc. Does anyone know of companies which provide these kinds of applications or would be interested in providing these kinds of applications? Carl ------------------------------ From: twt@mindlink.bc.ca (Tom W. Tomlinson) Subject: Voice and Data Simultaneously Over Modem? Date: 31 Mar 94 16:17:21 GMT Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada Hi, I have read in recent articles in computer magazines about two different schemes which allow SIMULTANEOUS duplex voice and data transmission using high speed modems. Voice is severely compressed and then multiplexed with the normal modem data. For example, a user could be connected to an online service and type away while simultaneously talking voice to support staff. Does anyone have ANY info about the above? It is a software standard which can be used with standard modems. Direct replies by E-mail appreciated. Thanks, Thomas W Tomlinson aka Tom, Hylas, Deep Purple Vancouver, BC, Canada twt@mindlink.bc.ca ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 12:34 EST From: Lars Nohling Subject: FAX Mailbox Services Does anyone have any info on companies that provide a FAXMAIL service? What I am looking for is a FAX Number I can give out that receives faxes and then allows me to retrieve them from any fax machine by dialing up my code. Lnohling@mcimail.com ------------------------------ From: davidw@bga.com (David Winters) Subject: New Area Codes List Date: 1 Apr 1994 04:23:57 GMT Organization: Real/Time Communications - Bob Gustwick and Associates There has been much talk as of late on the new area codes in the Los Angeles region and elsewhere. I haven't seen any comprehensive list of announced area codes to be implemented in the future. In particular, I believe that I read somewhere that there will be a second (third if you count outlying metro) area code for the Houston area (pagers and cellular). However, I've not seen a posting on this subject. Does anyone have a comprehensive list of thus far announced codes including Houston? Thanks, David Winters | davidw@bga.com [preferred e-mail address] Austin, Texas | CIS: 73510.2404@compuserve.com | AOL: davidwi@aol.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Our two resident area code experts here are David Leibold and Carl Moore. There are various archives files on the subject of area codes, and these guys generally update them from time to time. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #157 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa12133; 1 Apr 94 16:15 EST Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA25606; Fri, 1 Apr 94 12:07:03 CST Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA25595; Fri, 1 Apr 94 12:07:01 CST Date: Fri, 1 Apr 94 12:07:01 CST From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9404011807.AA25595@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #158 TELECOM Digest Fri, 1 Apr 94 12:07:00 CST Volume 14 : Issue 158 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Call Counting Device Wanted (Paul Cook) Any Extra Features I Can Order For Analog Modem Line? (Rich Chong) Information About Ermes Project (Stewart Fist) Dials! (Bob Frankston) ZMODEM - Proprietary? (Christopher Tate) Where is alt.2600? (FILCHOCK@cup.edu) Job Opening (Doug Gurich) MCI Goes "Both Ways" (Was Useless 800 Number) (Paul Robinson) Looking For CID Box With Serial Port (David Vrona) Re: Humorous Names For the RBOCs (Ted Hadley) Re: Humorous Names For the RBOCs (Dave Ptasnik) Primeline Service (Peter Tindall) Modern Times (Jerry Leichter) *999; CB Channel 9 (Jonathan) Re: *999; CB Channel 9 (Andrew C. Green) Re: New Area Code 630 (Andrew C. Green) Re: Who Paid For My 550? (Jack Hamilton) Re: Country Code For San Marino (Jack Hamilton) Re: CATV Modems (wright@LAA.COM) Re: Ruling on Dark Fiber (Tom Watson) Re: Extension Cord For Cell Phone (Gregory Youngblood) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 18:46 EST From: Paul Cook <0003991080@mcimail.com> Subject: Call Counting Device Does anyone know of a box that could install in series with multiple phone lines to not only count calls, but deliver reports on the exact time between the first ring and when each call was answered? Output could be a printer or RS232 port. Paul Cook Proctor & Associates 206-881-7000 3991080@mcimail.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 08:12:16 CST From: Rich Chong Subject: Any Extra Features I Can Order For Analog Modem Line? Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago, ADN Computer Center I'm getting an analog phone line installed to be used for only modem work. I'll be using a v.fc modem. I understand that a normal voice grade line *should* work fine. But since the company is paying for it, I was wondering if there was any special conditioning I can request to be installed with that line to assure things are clean at my end; what it roughly costs; and is it worth it? I know v.fc and v.fast are different than normal v.32bis, but i've seen some problems where some 14.4k modems just dont want to connect at 14.4k on some phone lines. thanks. rc ------------------------------ Date: 31 Mar 94 07:00:34 EST From: Stewart Fist <100033.2145@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Information About ERMES Project Lars Kalsen requested information about the ERMES project. I doubt if I have anything substantial enough to interest him, and I think a lot of us would like to know what's happening here. Here's an outline for those who don't know Ermes. Iit is the European Radio Messaging System from ETSI. It is planned to be a pan-European VHF multi-channel, wide-area alphanumeric paging network with (originally) a 1993 launch date (which has since slipped). The European commission allocated 200 kHz of spectrum between 169.6 and 169.8MHz for Ermes, and other frequencies around 800 MHz have been reserved in the VHF band. It will use frequency-agile receivers which scan 16 possible frequencies. The data-rate is 6250bit/s and the system allows the transparent transmission of data. Ermes devices may eventually be able to receive common frequencies across the US, Asia and the Pacific region. The problem with the system appears to be the additional costs imposed by the need for agile receivers. Normal pagers only use a single frequency. Don't confuse Ermes with Hermes, which is a European development of a space shuttle. There's also a cut-down pre-Ermes standard called Euromessage in the UHF band, which is limited to the UK, Germany, Italy and France. ------------------------------ From: Bob_Frankston@frankston.com Subject: Dials! Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 09:47 -0400 My son (11) confronted a dial phone this past weekend and couldn't figure out how to use it. He tried pressing the "buttons" but nothing happened. We finally had to show him the concept of turning the dial. It took a little practice to get it smooth. I guess we've reached a milestone. What if he were confronted by the "anti-drug" pay phones with dials and had to dial 911? He'd be stuck. In designing UI's we make assumptions about cultural norms or icons. Most people see the phone dial as a very obvious interface. It isn't, it's just something most of us learned at an early enough age to assume it is a part of the natural world. ------------------------------ From: fixer@faxcsl.dcrt.nih.gov Subject: ZMODEM - Proprietary? Reply-To: fixer@faxcsl.dcrt.nih.gov Organization: DCRT, NIH, Bethesda, MD Date: Fri, 1 Apr 1994 01:04:43 GMT I'm trying to determine whether the Zmodem transfer protocol is proprietary. Specifically, are there any *free* (i.e. non-shareware) tools for sending/receiving files utilizing the Zmodem protocol? Christopher Tate MSD, Inc. fixer@faxcsl.dcrt.nih.gov ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 13:54:49 EST From: FILCHOCK@cup.edu Subject: where is ALT.2600? Hi, We do not receive any ALT newsgroups at our site ... ARGHHHHHHHHH Could someone please inform me how/if I could get on the mailing list for alt.2600 Thanks, Richard Filchock filchock@cup.edu [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You don't receive any alt groups at your site? What a horrible deprivation that must be! :) I could understand your sysadmins deciding to only take alt groups and dump all the Usenet groups ... but not the other way around. I dunno if alt.2600 even has a mailing list (electronically, of course they have their printed maga- zine) but surely somene from there reading this will get back to you with details if they do. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 13:59:02 CST From: Doug_Gurich@fcircus.sat.tx.us (Doug Gurich) Subject: Job Opening GlobalCom International, a diversified telcommunications firm with world-wide operations, is seeking a Proposal Engineer with significant experience in data communications, ISDN and video conferencing. The ideal candidate would also have voice communications experience. This request is for a part-time consulting position which maycould lead to permanent employment. Applicants from all areas of the world are encouraged to apply (most work will be done on a telecommuting basis). Please forward credentials and accomplishments to the attention of Doug Gurich. Internet Doug_Gurich@fcircus.sat.tx.us Compuserve 71650,3012 Fax +1 (210) 525-7959 Address 9311 San Pedro, St. 700, San Antonio, TX 78216, USA ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 02:31:04 EST From: Paul Robinson Reply-To: Paul Robinson Subject: MCI Goes "Both Ways" (Was Useless 800 Number) Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA Monty Solomon mentions MCI's 800-WOW-ITS-HOT number, to make us think of how hot it is during summer. (Actually it's a demonstration of MCI's network, of course.) Item three on MCI's WOW-ITS-HOT recording is of seagulls at the beach. This was also in their demonstration last summer, for numbers to listen to so we can cool off! I guess they figure this sound works both ways! Paul Robinson - Paul@TDR.COM [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Your mention of this brought to mind our illustrious former president Lyndon Baines Johnson (1963-1968). One of his campaign slogans was 'all the way with LBJ' ... but during his term in office, the person who was his chief of staff, principal right-hand man and confidant of many years standing -- a fellow named Walter Jenkins -- got caught in an indelicate situation in the public men's room at the YMCA in Washington, DC. Caught with his pants down in a manner of speaking, the newspapers had a great time with it for a few days and Jenkins was forced to resign, all the while President Johnson pleaded ignorance of his long time associate's predilection. Before long the slogan 'all the way with LBJ' was more commonly said as 'either way with LBJ' or 'both ways with LBJ'. If you recall the man, you'll appreciate well the slogan could fit him. He was a coarse and rough-talking old geezer; sex was never far from his mind. PAT] ------------------------------ From: dave@sashimi.wwa.com (David Vrona) Subject: Looking For CID Box With Serial Port Date: 31 Mar 1994 11:50:02 -0600 Organization: WorldWide Access (SM) Chicagoland Internet Services Reply-To: dave@sashimi.wwa.com Hi All, I am looking for a box like the old Classmate that does CID and has serial output. I know I can buy a modem like the ZyXEL that does this but I am looking for something for under $100. Oh, and also, I would like name as well as number capability. Thanks, David Vrona N9QNZ +1 708 367 1870 (voice) Internet: dave@wwa.com Computing Engineers Inc. +1 708 367 1871 (data) +1 708 367 1872 (fax) Home of WorldWide Access (SM), Internet services for the Chicagoland area. Send e-mail to info@wwa.com for information, or call +1 708 367 1871 (data). ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 09:59:34 PST From: tedh@cylink.COM (Ted Hadley) Subject: Re: Humorous Names For the RBOCs > US West Taco Bell FYI: Stockbrokers call Telefonos de Mexico (The newly privatized Mexican telephone company) Taco Bell. Fits better than with US West, IMO. ^^^^^^^^^ Ted A. Hadley tedh@cylink.com ------------------------------ From: davep@u.washington.edu (Dave Ptasnik) Subject: Re: Humorous Names For the RBOCs Date: 31 Mar 1994 18:54:28 GMT Organization: University of Washington DAVID AUS <71742.1102@CompuServe.COM> writes: > When the Bell System was broken up, some wags came up with a cute name for > each of the then new RBOCs. I think I remember some of them: > Ameritech ? > Bell Atlantic Liberty Bell > Bell South Southern Belle > Nynex ? > PacTel Tinker Bell > Southwestern Bell Mission Bell > US West Taco Bell > Does anyone remember all the names? Ameritech was Cow Bell as I recall. All of the above is nothing more than the personal opinion of - Dave Ptasnik davep@u.washington.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 00:31 WET From: ptindall@io.org (Peter Tindall) Subject: Primeline PAT said: > PrimeLine is essentially the equivilent of AT&T's 'Easy Reach 700' > service. Pat - Unless I am mistaken about 'Easy Reach 700' - they are not the same. PrimeLine is a service in Toronto that gives you a 416-410-NNNN number on a DMS switch. Software on the switch (written by a company called AccessLine I believe) answers the call and plays a message of your choice to the caller- and then handles the call according to your instructions. Transfer to Home/Office/Cellular/Other-In town/Other- Out of Town/Pager/ Messaging/Meet me Service (Caller hears jazzy elevator music while party is paged -- then calls are connected). An assortment of screening options are included: Prompts caller to identify if call is urgent/Forces caller to enter private DTMF code/ Forces caller to speak name & reason. You can also setup a weekly schedule in advance to vary your call processing options. My only complaint is that all long distance transfers are billed to your calling card. (With appropriate transaction charges -- and a slight delay as the DMS is DTMF'ing your calling number -- (caller does not get to hear)). Also the service is available in Ottawa area. Definately not a new advance in the Telecom world, but new for Ontario. You could duplicate this with a PC -- two phone lines and a Voice Mail card. But having used Primeline since March 2 I have only good things to say about it (except for comment above). It has simplified my life, and lowered my voice mailbox costs. Regards, Peter ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 16:02:30 EST From: Jerry Leichter Subject: Modern Times The following appeared last Wednesday in the {New York Times} "Metro- politan Diary" section, a compendium of amusing little stories about life today: Lobby conversation overheard while waiting for an elevator in midtown Manhattan. First guy: Well, I sure wasted a buck and a half last night. Second guy: How's that? First guy: That TV program "Hard Copy" did a segment on Tonya Harding and invited viewers to phone in, at 50 cents per call, yes or no, to the question, "Should Tonya go to jail?" Second guy: And...? First guy: I dialed the 'Yes' number but after I hung up I realized I'd phoned the 'No' number by mistake so then, of course, I had to dial the 'Yes' number twice to make my vote count. Second guy: Remember when you could just sit and watch? Jerry ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 21:09:06 -0500 From: Jonathan Subject: *999; CB Channel 9 Hello. I am wondering why the police do not routinely monitor CB channel 9, since the primary use of this channel is to report emergencies. Also, I have never heard of *999. Does it only work in Illinois? ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 23:04:00 CST From: Andrew C. Green Subject: Re: *999; CB Channel 9 Jonathan writes: > I am wondering why the police do not routinely monitor CB > channel 9, since the primary use of this channel is to report > emergencies. I think I generalized a bit there. I have heard conversations on Channel 9, including participating in one with an Indiana State Trooper trying to get through backed-up traffic to the scene of a rather nasty accident on I-65 one night, so Indiana State Police are listening. I think it's reasonable to assume that in all the technology packed into those squad cars, particularly Highway Patrol cars, they probably have sprung an extra fifty bucks or so for a CB radio, or included the appropriate wavelengths in the tuners of whatever equipment they have. Nevertheless, the fact remains that on many occasions I've heard legitimate requests for State Police help, in the middle of Chicago rush hours when you just _know_ they're around, and those requests are not answered. Similarly, the "Minutemen" Department of Transportation heavy tow trucks on routine patrol seem to be unreachable via CB radio. Now, I know they are in contact with dispatchers, but it's somewhat ridiculous to be in line-of-sight with a Minuteman who's unaware of, say, some incident occurring behind him, and be unable to get his attention via a simple CB radio. > Also, I have never heard of *999. Does it only work in Illinois? It's an arrangement between the cellular providers and the State Police, and I know it's not unique to the Chicago area, but beyond that I don't know the details. PAT, please advise! Andrew C. Green Datalogics, Inc. Internet: acg@dlogics.com 441 W. Huron Chicago, IL 60610-3498 FAX: (312) 266-4473 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: *999 goes to a state police dispatcher who in turn can dispatch it out or forward the call to the appropriate city authorities as needed. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 10:19:44 CST From: Andrew C. Green Subject: Re: New Area Code 630 Carl Moore writes: > Just today, I have received note of 630 in Illinois and 562 in > California ... > 630 might get landlines (that would affect some people who shifted > from 312 to 708 only in November 1989); On further reflection here in 708-land, I would have to assume that 630 would overlay 708, not be created from a renumbered chunk of existing 708. When 708 was introduced as a renumbering of part of 312 (the part outside Chicago city limits), there was a great hue and cry, of course, but also a rather considerable lead-in time. I believe it was something much more than the eleven months indicated for the impending 630. Consider also how much complaining would be generated from 708 folks having to change their stationery yet again. The local press has responded with thundering silence to this news item, by the way. Andrew C. Green Datalogics, Inc. Internet: acg@dlogics.com 441 W. Huron Chicago, IL 60610-3498 FAX: (312) 266-4473 ------------------------------ From: jfh@netcom.com (Jack Hamilton) Subject: Re: Who Paid For My 550? Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 17:04:13 GMT > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Normally the agents are on the A or B > side but not both; that is in their contract with the carriers. ... > Tandy has the kind of money and influence with the carriers that > they can get away with it. Its the same kind of thing where Pepsi and > Coca-Cola are concerned. You never see them both in the same vending > machine; you never see them both in the same restaurant as fountain > drinks. In our vending machine room there are two Pepsi machines. One has Pepsi products plus a few other things like Mountain Dew. The other contains no Pepsi products, but does have several varieties of Coca-Cola. In one of the smaller buildings, there's a single machine with both Coke and Pepsi. I'd never heard of this happening before very recently, though. Jack Hamilton Postal: POB 281107 SF CA 94128 USA jfh@netcom.com Packet: kd6ttl@w6pw.#nocal.ca.us.na [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Probably they cut a deal with the local salesman. Whoever is the bottler (distributor) for the area is under pretty tight constraints with Pepsi headquarters in Purchase, NY or Coke headquarters in Atlanta, GA regarding those things. Note that the local Pepsi bottler also has the Mountain Dew franchise, but he *cannot* have the 7-Up franchise because they are aligned with Coke. So you won't -- or rarely -- see 7-Up in a so-called 'Pepsi machine', and you won't see 'Upper-10' or whatever it is called in a 'Coke machine'. All the little (by comparison) outfits, join one side or the other in the local bottling and distribution process where Coke and Pepsi are concerned. But they all want **so bad** to be in the fountain syrup vending machine at all Southland stores that they swallow their pride or ambition or whatever. Coke even goes so far as to say in fountain service, you *will* use their paper cups with their insignia and their products advertised ... none others. But 7-Eleven gets to break the rules, as does Tandy where cell phones are concerned. Tandy has tossed around the idea of starting their own national cellular service, you know. They'd buy *huge* blocks of capacity from various cell carriers and they would then call the shots. I'm sure all the A and B carriers would fall in line pretty fast, or get dealt out of the game completely. PAT] ------------------------------ From: jfh@netcom.com (Jack Hamilton) Subject: Re: Country Code For San Marino Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 17:09:14 GMT Richard Barry wrote: > The ITU has issued a batch of new country codes which includes a new > code for San Marino (+378 effective 26.10.93). Other countries that > will be getting their own country code include Andorra (Autumn 1994) > and Monaco (in 1995) when France Telecom introduces its 2-digit new > area code plan. Do you know what the new plan will be? The two-digit department number strikes me as being a good choice, although it might not have enough space for Paris. If I were in charge of France Telecom, I'd probably use the department number plus a third digit for overlays and very large departments. (A department is roughly equivalent to a state or province in North America. Postal codes start with the department number.) Jack Hamilton Postal: POB 281107 SF CA 94128 USA jfh@netcom.com Packet: kd6ttl@w6pw.#nocal.ca.us.na ------------------------------ From: wright@LAA.COM Subject: Re: CATV Modems Date: 31 Mar 1994 18:07:07 GMT Organization: Lynn-Arthur Associates, Ann Arbor, MI Reply-To: wright@LAA.COM In article , gabioud@uni2a.unige.ch writes: > Do you know any equipment (modem, remodulator, ...) that allows data > communication over the CATV cable. On the user side, the modem should > feature a well-known interface (RS232C, Ethernet, ...). Check out First Pacific Networks at 408-730-6600. They have been providing this equipment for years. Carl A. Wright Lynn-Arthur Associates, Inc. +1 313 995 5590 wright@laa.com Operations Support Systems +1 313 995 5989 (fax) 2350 Green Road Suite 160 Ann Arbor, MI, 48105 USA ------------------------------ From: tsw@cypher.apple.com (Tom Watson) Subject: Re: Ruling on Dark Fiber Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 12:45:24 -0800 Organization: Apple Computer (more or less) OK, I'll bite... What is "dark fiber". Tom Watson tsw@cypher.apple.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Dark Fiber is, as I understand it, simply the fiber from one point to another, without the intelligence on either end of the line **as supplied by the telco** to use it. Dark fiber could roughly be compared to a wire cable from one place to another without telco's battery and/or switching apparatus on either end; the customer left to his own devices on how to use it. Although telcos have for many years provided so-called 'private line service' -- that is, a piece of wire from one point to another with the subscriber doing his own thing on both ends of the wire, I understand they (telcos) are not terribly enthusiastic about providing fiber under the same conditions. George Gilder wrote about this, and his essay is in the Telecom Archives for interested parties to review. PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Extension Cord For Cell Phone From: zeta@tcscs.com (Gregory Youngblood) Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 12:57:24 PST Organization: TCS Computer Systems > I _still_ think you're crazy. Nearly any cellular connection will > cost more than nearly any equivalent wired connection. Please check > this out carefully. Not quite. Several carriers now have plans with free (yes *FREE*) airtime on weekends or extremely low rates at night during certain hours. In 1988, it was cheaper to call from your basic rate cellular phone in Galveston after 11PM at night to Houston than it was to use the regular telephone. The price was 0.045 cents per minute with cellular. Now, my cousin in houston has a phone that has free airtime on the weekend. They use it a lot ... and they should. They pay $70/month for it, but when you consider that the dialing area for cellular in houston is so much larger than telco, they can call all their friends and family in the surrounding Houston metro area for no charge. So, the idea of going with an extension cord is not a crazy one ... it could make sense, although you have to check very carefully to make sure that your plan really is cheaper. It is possible. Greg The Complete Solution BBS Allfiles List: Anonymous UUCP Calls Accepted 707-459-4547 (24hrs, v.32) ~/tcsbbs.lst Login: nuucp Password: nuucp Telemate Distribution Site zeta@tcscs.com Cellular Telephony Groups [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But would they use $70 worth on a regular basis if landline was all they had? That is what has to be answered. We all know that the more service which is available, the more subscribers will use it. In other words, cellular service comes in many shapes and sizes. Some very inexpensive plans bill for every single minute day or night at high rates. There is nothing unusual about spending a lot of money on cellular and getting a sort of kickback from the carrier in terms of free or nearly free weekend and night service. And while landline service offers 'free local calling' in many areas, the geographic area is smaller as is the monthly fee for the 'free local calls'. Cellular service gives a larger 'local area' but charges by the minute. It has to be your own application as to which works out better; but overall, would you be willing to spend as much money on landline service call by call as you spend on cellular for the advantage of 'free' service nights and weekends if landline was all you had available? PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #158 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa12729; 1 Apr 94 17:51 EST Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA00513; Fri, 1 Apr 94 13:33:03 CST Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA00502; Fri, 1 Apr 94 13:33:01 CST Date: Fri, 1 Apr 94 13:33:01 CST From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9404011933.AA00502@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #159 TELECOM Digest Fri, 1 Apr 94 13:33:00 CST Volume 14 : Issue 159 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Long Distance Dialing in Delaware (Wilmington News Journal via Carl Moore) Re: Bellcore Goes Crypto (Greg Trotter) Re: Bellcore Goes Crypto (George L. Sicherman) Re: Windows or DOS Caller ID Program (Fritz Friedlaender) Re: Windows or DOS Caller ID Program (Todd Inch) Re: Windows or DOS Caller ID Program (Nazli Meliha Roth) Re: Predictions About Future A/C Splits (David A. Kaye) Re: Predictions About Future A/C Splits (James Taranto) Re: Observations About Area Code Splits (David Esan) Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (Jeff Haran) Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (102030@pwfl.com) Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (Ed Mitchell) Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (Laurence Chiu) Re: Direct Modem / Cellular Links (Daniel Goemans) Re: Direct Modem / Cellular Links (Lynne Gregg) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 1 Apr 94 11:54:21 EST From: Carl Moore Subject: Long Distance Dialing in Delaware This appeared on page 1 of the {News Journal}, Wilmington, Delaware, on March 31, 1994. Notice that 1 is being dropped for 555-1212. About 2/3 of the way through this article, it says "zeroes and ones as second digits in local numbers"; I don't know the meaning of this remark, because: 1. Some Bell Atlantic areas already use N0X/N1X prefixes. (New Jersey; 215 in Pa.; 410/301/202/703 in Md./DC/Va.) 2. As you know, Delaware is way down near the bottom in being crowded w/r to telephone numbers. (And in the history file, I do ask what will become of "no N0X/N1X prefixes unless NNX is running short".) ------------------ Long-distance dialing in Del. just got longer By JANE BROOKS, Staff reporter WILMINGTON -- Beginning April 1, people making long-distance telephone calls within Delaware should start dialing 11 digits. It's no April Fools' Day joke. Dial 1 (or 0 for collect), plus area code 302, plus the seven-digit number of the party you are calling. After April 1, however, you can drop the 1 prefix when calling directory assistance within the state. Just dial 555-1212. But should you forget to add the area code or dial the unnecessary 1 for information, have no fear. The phone company will be forgiving. The network will accept old and new dialing patterns for nine months. And there will be plenty of advertising reminders before the new methods become mandatory. Why change dialing patterns? There's no immediate problem in Delaware, but the nation is running out of phone numbers. Until now, all area codes had 0 or 1 as the middle digit, for instance, 302 and 610. As the population and telephone service grows, so does the need for more area codes and the subsequent need for different middle digits. Also, Bell Atlantic will begin using zeroes and ones as second digits in local numbers next year to open up a multitude of new number series. Eleven-digit dialing is designed to help computers distinguish area codes and local exchange numbers. The Delaware Public Service Commission approved. So, on Jan. 7, 1995, you fingers will have to walk a little longer from Wilmington to Dover, from Dover to Delmar. Bell Atlantic-Delaware suggests you start now. Rates will not be affected. ------------------------------ From: greg@gallifrey.ucs.uoknor.edu (Greg Trotter) Subject: Re: Bellcore Goes Crypto Date: 31 Mar 1994 01:39:03 GMT Organization: Home of the TimeLords... In article vantek@aol.com writes: > LIVINGSTON, N.J. (MARCH 22) BUSINESS WIRE - March 22, 1994 -- A new > company which is employing Bellcore-developed technology is expected > to have a far-reaching impact on electronic record keeping and on > controversies ranging from authenticity of business records to false > retouching of digital photographs. [...] > Surety Technologies welcomes developers and corporations who are > interested in testing the system and serving as beta sites for Digital > Notary software. Call Surety Technologies, Inc. at (201) 993-8178; > fax number is (201) 993-8748. Information is also available on the > Internet at infonotary.com. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ My system can't seem to find this place ... and whois at internic seems clueless as well. Anybody have any updated information? greg ------------------------------ From: George.L.Sicherman@att.com Subject: Re: Bellcore Goes Crypto Organization: Save the Dodoes Foundation Date: Fri, 1 Apr 1994 14:25:59 GMT In , vantek@aol.com wrote: > The new company, Surety Technologies, Inc., will offer its Digital > Notary service that can affix a tamper-proof time-stamp seal to any > electronic document. ... > At the core of the time-stamping technology is an innovative > application of software that generates a characteristic "digital > fingerprint" for any document. ... When a > user seals a document, computer software generates the document's > fingerprint and sends it as a "time-stamp request" to a Digital Notary > server, which immediately sends back a "time-stamp certificate" for > the document. ... Isn't the server a critical weakness? The details are missing, but it sounds as if the server encrypts the hashed document with the date and time, using a private R.S.A. key. To validate the document, the public would decrypt the cipher with the corresponding public key. If you obtain the private key, by bribery or other means, you can forge all the documents you like. For the service company to let the key fall into the wrong hands would be like a bank's letting a safe-deposit key fall into the wrong hands. That's bad for the bank's reputation and is not supposed to happen -- but it does. The lesson for us is that an authentication is no more reputable than the people doing the authenticating. In the computer age, everybody's reputation is on the line! P.S. I've never committed all the area codes to memory (though ASCII codes are another story), but anybody who thinks the Moderator's wits are crumbling just isn't reading carefully. The only warning symptom I've ever seen is his continuing to put out this Digest when he could be out enjoying life as a coal miner in Kentucky. Col. G. L. Sicherman gls@hrcms.ATT.COM [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thank you Colonel. Tell me this: any ideas how Colonel came to be pronounced 'kernel' rather than 'call-on-nell'? Or put another way, why is it we make popcorn and have left over kernels rather than left over colonels? And even though this is April Fool's Day, there *was* at one point in the Army an actual person of Colonel in rank whose last name was Korne. At least it was not spelled 'corn'. And why do we call it the kernel in Unix instead of the colonel? PAT ------------------------------ From: fritzj@ecn.purdue.edu (Fritz Friedlaender) Subject: Re: Windows or DOS Caller ID Program Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 21:46:45 GMT If you have a modem that supports caller ID (e.g. PP14400 - the mini- tower and internal version, NOT the pocket version) it is easy to store the CNID data on a PC. Get Kermit (for instance), at zero cost, and run a "log file". This file will contain all the "ring" entries, and the Caller-ID information, usually between the first and second ring. Just be sure that your communications program is running and Caller-ID enabled in the desired format, IF available on your modem. See several very recent postings on the minimum conditions needed to make this work (in essence, if your Caller-ID box works, so will this scheme with the appropriate modem). Same information. FJF ------------------------------ From: Todd Inch Subject: Re: Windows or DOS Caller ID Program Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 14:22:10 PST In volume 14, issue 154 it is written: > In article Paul Robinson > writes: >> Steve Lindsay , writes to TELECOM Digest >> as follows: >>> Does anyone know of a little DOS or Windows shareware program >>> that will act like the one of those caller-ID boxes? If, as others have said, most modems with Caller-ID can output formatted, human-readable text, why not simply use Windows' "Accessories Terminal" or Kermit or whatever to monitor the modem output? Most such communications programs will log output to a file as well. Of course this won't run in the background and pop up in the forground when a call comes in or have other fancy features, but the price is right. ------------------------------ From: Nazli@panda.dnr.state.mi.us (Nazli Meliha Roth) Subject: Re: Windows or DOS Caller ID Program Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 00:22:58 +1000 Organization: Michigan State University > I am in the same situation as the original author. I have Caller-ID > service at my home, and I have a stand-alone Caller-ID box that > usually displays the numbers of callers in my local area codes (508 & > 617; BTW, I've never seen one from outside those areas ... yet). > However, I have a Practical Peripheral PM14400FXMT modem, and it > supports Caller ID, and I, too, would like a Windows utility that > basically acts like my stand-alone Caller-ID box. I want the utility > to display incoming caller information in real time, and also have to > ability to log this data to a file if I want. I should be able to > scroll thru some number of recent calls, etc, etc. You may do well by just loading up some decent terminal application (or terminal.exe if you are desperate), typing in the AT command that starts up your Caller-ID support and let it run in the background. I have a SupraFaxModem v.32bis and plan on doing this when (and if) I ever get the service. ------------------------------ From: dk@crl.com (David A. Kaye) Subject: Re: Predictions About Future A/C Splits Date: 31 Mar 1994 12:52:46 -0800 Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access (415) 705-6060 [login: guest] Linc Madison (LincMad@netcom.com) wrote: > The following area codes could all at least TRIPLE the number of > exchanges in use without requiring a split. Any split is thus quite a > long ways off. > 707 - Napa/Eureka, California It's funny that you call this Napa/Eureka, since Santa Rosa is the largest city. Anyhow, I don't think they'll be splitting anytime soon, because aside from the Santa Rosa area there is no growth in the Redwood Empire. Eureka has only grown 3,000 people in 10 years, Napa about 10,000, and Ukiah about 2,500. Cell phone penetration is not big in that region, nor is voicemail. Paging is okay, but has none of the intensive growth seen in metro areas. It's not a fad there. I'll admit it is unusual to see a California area code amost 300 miles long and about 100 miles wide, but nobody's there! ------------------------------ From: taranto@panix.com (James Taranto) Subject: Re: Predictions About Future A/C Splits Date: 31 Mar 1994 00:59:43 GMT Organization: The Bad Taranto In article , LincMad@netcom.com (Linc Madison) wrote: > The splits in 703 and 214 in particular may put to the test the > sanctity of the "you must dial 1 for all toll calls, and you must be > able to dial all local calls without a 1" arrangement. That arrangement is hardly sacred. In NYC, for example, we have to dial 1 for all calls between 212 and 718. Cheers, James Taranto taranto@panix.com ------------------------------ From: de@moscom.com (David Esan) Subject: Re: Observations About Area Code Splits Date: 31 Mar 94 15:42:25 GMT Organization: Moscom Corporation, Pittsford NY In article LincMad@netcom.com (Linc Madison) writes: > I was looking at David Esan's 1/15/94 NPA-NXX list and noticed quite a > number of surprising numbers. There were a couple of instances where > I hope the answer is that a previously-effected split is not yet > reflected in the number of exchanges shown for the old area code. For > example, 212 shows 639 exchanges, and 168 for 917. I hope that the > total for 212 still includes the prefixes now in 917 and/or the Bronx > prefixes now in 718. Your hope is in vain. When the Bronx was moved to 718 there were more than 700 exchanges in 212. There were 99 exchanges that moved and 212 must have added a few. When 917 was created, I understood that all cellular, fax, modem, etc. numbers would be moved there. This does not seem to be the case. It looks more like all new numbers will be there, while the old numbers remain in 212. > Colorado's 303 is also one I hope is wrong: it shows 601 prefixes against > 184 in 719. Atlanta's recent split apparently isn't yet (fully?) reflected: > 404 shows 590 and 706 shows >308. I stand by my numbers. The numbers given will reflect the deletions caused by a split, when those deletions go into effect, usually three to six months after the end of the permissive dialing period. I can not speak for why NPAs were split the way that they were. It is possible that they were done in the hope that the NPAs would survive until Time T, when overlays would be more common and available. It makes sense on a map to draw a circle around Atlanta and say: This will be 404, the rest will be 706. It makes no sense from a telephonic viewpoint. The 303 split should have a been a overlay. The majority of the people in Colorado live in or near Denver. And yet that wouldn't have been polically expedient in those days. You can easily see why most the splits were done in the manner they were, circles drawn on the map. Dallas and the 'burbs remain 214, the exurbs go to 903. Houston goes by itself. Toronto, but not the surrounding area. Detroit, but not the 'burbs, Chicago but not the 'burbs. Do these splits actually split? Do they make sense for the future? No. Houston is now going to split while the surrounding NPA (409) has only 323 exchanges. 708 is going to split, just a few short years after the first split. 303 and 404 are bound to be split in the next few years. There will continue to be explosive growth in the West. I have seen studies that suggest the mountain states could quadruple their populations in the next 20 years. (Where the water is coming from I fear to find out.) This could mean an increase in telephone services of 6 to 8 times, as the newcomers will not add just one line, but several, and services will increase. David Esan de@moscom.com ------------------------------ From: jharan@cwa.com (Jeff Haran) Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? Organization: CWA Communications Products, Los Gatos, CA Date: Fri, 1 Apr 1994 01:02:06 GMT In article howard@hal.com writes: > A friend suggested to me that, sometime in the future, almost everyone > will carry around a cellular phone almost all the time. She thinks > this will significantly reduce the amount of crime, because it will be > very easy to report a crime or other suspicious behavior that one > observes. I'm skeptical, but it seems like an interesting topic for > discussion. There is an interesting sci-fi novel that you might still be able to find on the bookshelves that discusses this very topic (among several others), sort of. "Earth" by David Brin. Interesting method of reducing crime, but not a universe I want to live in. My problem is at this point I think it is a future scenario that is just about unavoidable in the not so far distant future, and I figure I still have quite a few years left. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: "Earth" discusses things that even a few years ago were unthinkable. But a lot of things which were unthinkable years ago are gradually becoming 'thinkable' ... solutions are being found for problems that are as frightening as the problems they solve. Yet they seem to be the only solution; the only real workable answer. Consider Chicago: what little civilization remains in large parts of the city is rapidly vanishing. Gangs rule in large parts of the south and west sides. Twelve children killed in the past two weeks in various incidents of gun battles between rival gangs ... the murder rate here is 25 percent higher than a year ago. Ditto Miami and Los Angeles to name two areas here: the inner cities are rotten to the core. I lived in Chicago for almost all my life and I would never want to go back into the city again. I cringe when I have to ride downtown to the post office where I still have my PO Box I've had for 25 years. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 15:57:06 EST From: E102030@PWAGPDB.pwfl.com Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cellphones Reduce Crime? Widespread use of cellphones will probably not reduce crime but it will give ball-less individuals another opportunity to not make a difference. Appropriate avoidance of physical involvement in violent situations is certainly a responsible behavior. However, not calling 911 because it does not involve 'me' is reprehensible. I'm glad I don't live in Chicago. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I'm glad I don't live there any longer also. First of all, 911 does not work from cell phones here. You can dial the oh-operator and ask to be extended if you wish. However, contrary to what you might hear when listening to a police scanner with the constant backlog of calls (the Chicago PD dispatchers *never* quit talking; *never* drop carrier -- seriously, there is a constant backlog of calls being given out), even though on all sorts of minor matters when the police are sent somewhere and the complaintant is given as 'citizen refused' or 'Mr. Good Citizen' as they sometimes mock the callers to 911 when talking on the radio, your number is recorded and they can get back to you if they wish -- which is fine, except! Try reporting a serious crime which you witnessed. If the criminal is caught, *you* will be subpoened to come to court and give your eye-witness account. *You* will be hounded and harassed by the ACLU attorney appointed to represent the defendant. *Your* integrity will be called into question. Defendants have the right, as I believe they should, to confront their accuser ... that's you if you were the one calling 911 to report it. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Ed Mitchell Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 12:06:49 PST Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? In Seattle WA, the 911 dispatchers have said that they often receive up to 30 calls from cellular phone users when an accident occurs on a major highway. This results in a massive overload of the 911 system. The result is that US West Cellular announced last winter that they would begin charging 50 cents for each 911 call, in addition to airtime charges, to discourage overuse of the system and to help fund additional 911 dispatchers to answer the phone. The Seattle Times article that reported on this also mentioned that the enhanced 911 system, which provides addresses of the caller, is going to become worthless in a world full of portable telephones. Clearly, this is a major problem to which some great minds will need to give a lot of attention. Lastly, use your own judgment in terms of reporting a crime. Ensure your own safety by not putting yourself in danger (an injured rescuer is worse than no rescuer since now there are at least two parties to rescue). Do report medical emergencies and serious vehicle accidents. Minor fender benders do not need a police response. Your state may wish that you report motorists with disabled vehicles along freeways. A few years ago, I read where a mother and daughter, parked will off the right side of the road, in broad daylight, hood up, flasher on, were slammed from behind by a drunk and killed -- if someone had called a tow truck or 911, perhaps they would not have been waiting beside the road so long. A couple of months ago, a woman was raped in her own vehicle on I-5, right in Seattle. She'd been on the side of the road, flashers on, for FOUR hours in the darkness of evening. State records showed that no patrol car had passed by. You should have called! Ed Mitchell edmitch@microsoft.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: One thing you do not want to do in Chicago is get out of your car for any reason on the Dan Ryan expressway where it runs through the center of the CHA housing projects on the south side. In general, avoid the Dan Ryan (I-94) whenever possible because they also shoot at the cars from the highrises nearby. PAT] ------------------------------ From: lchiu@crl.com (Laurence Chiu) Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? Date: 31 Mar 1994 17:42:33 -0800 Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access In article , Andrew Robson wrote: > The Half Moon Bay Review (a local paper in CA) carried an article on > the front page about a bank robbery foiled by a cell phone. > When the getaway car roared away, a local citizen was offended by the > reckless driving. He didn't know about the robbery, he just wanted > safe driving on the local streets. He followed long enough to call > the licence, a description of the car, and its direction to 911. > There are only three roads out of town, with no turn off for several > miles. The robber was arrested a couple of minutes later. Out of interest, I presume that when you call 911 from your home phone you reach a dispatch service which is local to your community. So if you call 911 from a cell phone, which dispatch service do you reach? Laurence Chiu | Walnut Creek, California | Tel: 510-215-3730 (work) | Internet: lchiu@crl.com | [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: In a lot of places, including the Chicago metro area you don't reach anyone. 911 goes to intercept telling you in an emergency to dial the operator for assistance. In other place where there is only one central dispatch, it goes there. PAT] ------------------------------ From: goemansd@kirk.usafa.af.mil (Daniel Goemans) Subject: Re: Direct Modem / Cellular Links Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 21:19:25 GMT Organization: United States Air Force Academy In article bobfromtn@aol.com (BobFromTN) writes: > These products are for direct links between RJ11 jack and the cellular > phone. Perhaps other/better products are available? With that link, does anyone know if you then need an MNP-10 standard modem *in addition* to the link (to package data) ... or does the link package the data accordingly on its own? Daniel Goemans USAF Academy ------------------------------ From: Lynne Gregg Subject: Re: Direct Modem / Cellular Links Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 13:15:00 PST From: bobfromtn@aol.com (BobFromTN) > A competitor's product is made by AXCELL, but I have no other information > about this product. I've used the AXCELL (Spectrum) product under the Fujitsu label. The Spectrum product performs very well and worked with a number of devices from PC's to fax machines. Regards, Lynne ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #159 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa13040; 1 Apr 94 18:18 EST Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA02629; Fri, 1 Apr 94 14:21:10 CST Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA02620; Fri, 1 Apr 94 14:21:08 CST Date: Fri, 1 Apr 94 14:21:08 CST From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9404012021.AA02620@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #160 TELECOM Digest Fri, 1 Apr 94 14:21:00 CST Volume 14 : Issue 160 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson PC Pursuit Has Ended (Steven H. Lichter) Re: CATV Modems (Barton F. Bruce) Re: CATV Modems (Steve Kalkwarf) Re: CATV Modems (Darren Swartzendruber) Re: Telecom Business Idea (Paul Robinson) Re: Telecom Business Idea (Mike Lanza) Re: Telecom Business Idea (Robert L. McMillin) Re: Area Code 562 (Alan Larson) Re: Cellular Roaming Charges (Carl Jones) Re: Digital Cordless Phones -- How Private? (Bill Mayhew) Re: Pager Scam Resurfaces (David G. Cantor) Congo Expedition Video Con Kickoff (Steve Eggleston) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ***************************************************** DON'T FORGET! THIS IS THE WEEKEND WE IN THE USA MUST CHANGE OUR CLOCKS FORWARD ONE HOUR ON SATURDAY NIGHT OR SUNDAY MORNING. SPRING AHEAD AS 'THEY' SAY!! ***************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: co057@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Steven H. Lichter) Subject: PC Pursuit Has Ended Date: 1 Apr 1994 19:29:13 GMT Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA) PC Pursuit has now gone into The Information Highway history books. As of 9:00 PM Pacific Time it went down; that was three hours earlier then it was supposed to on 3/31/94. Many paid for a full month of $30.00 for 30 hours and got cheated for at least three hours. The talk among the many users of the service was Sprint killed the program by not advertising a service that could have made money. Global Access hasa service much like Pursuit but at a higher cost but from what I have seen soon to be 9600 and it covers much more of the country the Pursuit did since they have switched or are switching over to Tymnet. Sysop: Apple Elite II -=- an Ogg-Net Hub BBS (909) 359-5338 12/24/96/14.4 V32/V42bis Via PCP CACOL/12/24 ------------------------------ From: Barton.Bruce@camb.com Subject: Re: CATV Modems Organization: Digital Equipment Computer Users Society Date: 31 Mar 94 01:00:43 -0500 Organization: Cambridge Computer Associates, Inc. In article , leonard@telcom.arizona.edu (Aaron Leonard) writes: > In article , gabioud@uni2a.unige.ch writes: >> A CATV cable has a huge bandwidth available. A part of it is usually > I understand that Zenith also has (or is working on) such a device, > although Zenith's is cheaper and only provides .5Mbps. Zenith is what Continental Cable and PSI are using in their 500kb Internet to the home service in Cambridge MA. The Zenith NIC fits in you ISA bus PC and has NDIS and other reasonable drivers. A short cord ties it to a box that the CATV cable goes into. This per home stuff **LISTS* at $500, and obviously wholesales in CATV quantities for a LOT less. The 'headend' stuff (headend here is the 20 or so 'neighborhoods' Cambridge is split into -- done for normal video, before data) is a $2000 box plus another at $1000 to get to ethernet. Zenith puts four 500kb channels on a video channel, and two (one each way) are used for each 'LAN' of customers. More video channels can be used if needed, and 'neighborhoods' can be split into smaller ones. It is all fiber back to headquarters. Recent trade press has Continental buying MANY $100,000 each ATM switches to feed out to various towns. Zenith has the hardware, just order it. Oh, and while you are at it, you probably better BUY a cable TV company too ... ------------------------------ From: kalkwarf@netcom.com (Steve Kalkwarf) Subject: Re: CATV Modems Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) Date: Fri, 1 Apr 1994 06:04:01 GMT In article , gabioud@uni2a.unige.ch wrote: > Do you know any equipment (modem, remodulator, ...) that allows data > communication over the CATV cable. On the user side, the modem should > feature a well-known interface (RS232C, Ethernet, ...). I've seen PR flack from Zenith Data Systems that promises 4 .5mb Ethernet "stripes" per 6mhz channel. The burning question in my mind that an engineer from TCI (my local franchise) couldn't answer is, "What can you do to guarantee that ingress won't snuff my network?" Steve ------------------------------ From: dls@cci.com (Darren Swartzendruber) Subject: Re: CATV Modems Organization: Northern Telecom, Network Application Systems Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 16:49:11 GMT In article , gabioud@uni2a.unige.ch writes: > A CATV cable has a huge bandwidth available. A part of it is usually > not used for TV channels and could be used (at least from a technical > standpoint) for data transmission, if a return channel is available. > Do you know any equipment (modem, remodulator, ...) that allows data > communication over the CATV cable. On the user side, the modem should > feature a well-known interface (RS232C, Ethernet, ...). I have been looking into PSICable. For $125 a month (flat fee) they offer a 500 Kb/s connection to the Internet to your home via cable. Small businesses and larger organizations can get a 2 Mb/s connection. Unfortunately, it is currently only available in Cambridge (not here!). I have a call into my cable company's VP of Marketing to find out when the Rochester, NY area will get it. Try PSICable at 1 800 827 7482 (1.800.82psi82). For me, forget ISDN! Darren Swartzendruber Internet: n2ktj@cci.com Northern Telecom NAS Packet->Internet: n2ktj@w2xo.wpa.pa.usa.noam Rochester, NY ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 12:22:00 EST From: Paul Robinson Reply-To: Paul Robinson Subject: Re: Telecom Business Idea Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA Mike Lanza , writes in TELECOM Digest: >> Since many people are buying computers with modems and >> software (and often trial Compuserve memberships), I feel >> there may be a market for providing a local access number that >> would give them a dial-tone in a neighboring city, thus >> allowing them to dial the service of their choice. > If the economics were there to do this, I don't see why the > packet networks wouldn't have already done it. Besides, it > seems to me that the most cost-effective way to get this done > is either through 800 access or 950 access for those who do > not have a local access number. I think they have. That's what Compuserve did. But remember that a large company is going to have large overhead, and higher costs. A small, lean company can get by on much less. What I find -- amazing is the kindest term - are the claims of people who suggest that using a packet network provider is less expensive. I've seen people quote rates for someone wanting to use Compuserve's network to connect their own system, and the rates are something like $7.80 an hour. Someone want to explain how this supposed to be an advantage to me? I can get $6.60 an hour on AT&T at night without even having to subscribe to their plans. Compuserve itself only charges its own customers $0.30 an hour for connection time through its network (probably because they make it up in the service fees.) And if I was doing a wats extender service, I would *never* give someone raw dial tone; you have something simulate it, let them dial in, then have your end dial out on a different line, then bridge the two together, being certain to instantly disconnect if it either gets CPC or hears dialtone on the distant line. > At low volume, 800 service (w/ T1 at the receiving end) goes for about > 14 cents a minute, while 950 access goes for around 18 cents a minute, > but the latter should definitely come down as its traffic increases. > This compares to about eight or nine cents a minute for packet access. > (Of course, keep in mind that the quantity discount for packet access > is greater since there is no fixed cost of local access -- four cents > a minute -- to account for.) This doesn't make any sense. If a call across the country at night is around 11c/minute, why would someone pay 3-7c/minute more to allow someone to be able to connect to them. I think your rate is much higher than actual rates. Even the smallest telephone company providing long distance service (Interexchange Company or IXC) can match AT&T's rates, which I'm sure they can't do it if a 1-800 access costs 14c, plus costs to then retransmit that traffic. Yet even a small IXC can't be doing that large a volume. Here's an example. If you have a small town and set up a bank of ten lines to allow them to be used for reduced-price outgoing calls, here's the numbers to expect: Fixed Costs: 10 Computers to do wats extender service- $5000 20 Installed lines 2000 Fiber and installation between points 1000 8000 Recurring Costs 20 Commercial lines at $20 a month each $400 Rental of a closet at each end 200 Electricity for computers 20 Connection between both points 200 Subtotal 820 One year's charges 9840 Total 17840 My estimate of "connection between both points" is based upon running your own connection across private property and leasing pole space. This does not include any permits or licenses it is claimed you might be required to obtain. Now, let's say that you can get the lines used for 50% of the time, due to the cost difference. If you charge, let's say 5c per minute, then 10 lines x 12 hours x 60 x 5 = 36000 minutes @.05 = 1800 a month. For small towns, there probably just isn't the interest for a larger company to spend the time and trouble to handle the load. 10% ROI is not bad -- if you can keep the lines loaded. If this can be done in several areas that someone can service all of them as one person, then it may be possible to make a living off of it. At least until the phone company wises up and cuts its rates or uses its political clout to try to allow you to be refused access. Paul Robinson - Paul@TDR.COM ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 11:16:59 +0000 From: Mike Lanza Subject: Re: Telecom Business Idea >> At low volume, 800 service (w/ T1 at the receiving end) goes for about >> 14 cents a minute, while 950 access goes for around 18 cents a minute, >> but the latter should definitely come down as its traffic increases. >> This compares to about eight or nine cents a minute for packet access. >> (Of course, keep in mind that the quantity discount for packet access >> is greater since there is no fixed cost of local access -- four cents >> a minute -- to account for.) > This doesn't make any sense. If a call across the country at night is > around 11c/minute, why would someone pay 3-7c/minute more to allow > someone to be able to connect to them. You're talking about night rates. I didn't qualify what time period I was talking about. What you'll find with volume long-distance pricing is that it's a bit cheaper for non-peak times (i.e. nights and weekends), and a *lot* cheaper for peak times. Having an 800 number adds a small amount to the total cost. Let's take Sprint's 800 pricing. The structure is more complicated than I want to get into here, but Peak (M-F, 8-5) prices are about 15 cents less at least 12 percent volume discount (low volumes -- around $5000 month get around 12 percent discount, and the highest volumes get up to 20 percent). Non-peak prices are about 12.2 cents less at least 12 percent volume discount. These prices were as of about a year and a half ago. I'm sure that they're lower now, and will be lower a year from now. > Here's an example. If you have a small town and set up a bank of 10 > lines to allow them to be used for reduced-price outgoing calls, here's > the numbers to expect: > Fixed Costs: > 10 Computers to do wats extender service- $5000 > 20 Installed lines 2000 > Fiber and installation between points 1000 > 8000 > Recurring Costs > 20 Commercial lines at $20 a month each $400 > Rental of a closet at each end 200 > Electricity for computers 20 > Connection between both points 200 > Subtotal 820 > One year's charges 9840 > Total 17840 It sure looks like you've done your homework on how to do it your way. One problem that I have with your numbers, though, is that I think a very large cost of running these sites is the labor cost of setting everything up at a site (transporting hardware to the site, finding the "closet" and renting it, traveling to the closet to install the hardware and to get everything up and running) and maintaining each site. There's a *ton* of travel time in there. After all, these rural sites are almost always hard to get to by definition. One other problem -- how do you let the people in these rural areas know about your service? I can't think of a way to do it unless you team up with the online services to inform them. They'd have to change their welcome packet literature, software for online signup (AOL), and they'd have to get this information to all their customer support people. You're pretty much dependent on them to do all this, so you'd have to pay them for it. You might have to pay them, say, 20% (?) of your revenues. One thing I can guarantee you -- it won't be 1% or 5%, as you'd like. > Now, let's say that you can get the lines used for 50% of the time, due > to the cost difference. If you charge, let's say 5c per minute, then 50% utilization? Really? That's if you're doing *really* well. That's after you've been up and running for a couple of years and have tuned each node to match performance well. And to do the latter, you're going to have to monitor utilization on all these sites rather closely. How will you monitor them? Won't monitoring cost money (in terms of up-front software development time, telecom time to pick up data, and management time to collect and interpret the data)? I'm just skeptical that adding hardware at rural sites for connection to the telephone system can be profitable. As any telco numbers person -- their rural loops are *incredibly* unprofitable. The telcos will continue take a bath in rural loops because they're forced to. If they didn't have to, they wouldn't. Mike Lanza ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 20:44 PST From: rlm@helen.surfcty.com (Robert L. McMillin) Subject: Re: Telecom Business Idea On 24 Mar 1994 04:09:22 PST, Jonathan_Welch said: > If you're going to go to the trouble of leasing a line you might be > better off setting up a 486DX50 pc running linux and lease the line to > an internet provider. You'd then sell accounts on your machine for a > flat monthly rate. You'd have to be sure your local calling area > encompases enough subscribers so you don't end up losing money. Good grief! I run Linux and I know *I'd never* want to run it as an O/S directly connected to the Net, particularly one that is a public location. The networking code still has lots of security holes. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Mar 94 14:54:26 PST From: larson@net.com (Alan Larson) Subject: Re: Area Code 562 In article was written written: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You know, this is getting to where it > isn't even funny any more. Thirty years ago I knew every area code and > where it was located. Now I can't remember half of them ... and wait until > next year when all those strange ones start popping up everywhere. PAT] Well, this is one of the unfortunate side-effects of getting older ... Alan [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thank you for sharing. Who's next? PAT] ------------------------------ From: uswnvg!uswnvg.com!cajones@uunet.UU.NET (Carl Jones) Subject: Re: Cellular Roaming Charges Date: 31 Mar 94 23:43:53 GMT Not to be a pessimist here, but your method is not going to work very well for several reasons. Usually A system carriers do not have roaming agreements with B side carriers and vice versa. So you won't be able to use your phone on the non preferred system most of the time (unless you set up as a guest roamer which is expensive to the point of insanity). Also your roaming rates are pre-determined by your cellular carrier. Your home carrier sets up roaming networks with other carriers and will charge under the standard rate that the carrier that you are roaming into charges (or over, for that matter) I speak for everyone in a twenty mile radius around me. Any questions ... E-Mail cajones@uswnvg.com ------------------------------ From: wtm@uhura.neoucom.EDU (Bill Mayhew) Subject: Re: Digital Cordless Phones -- How Private? Organization: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 00:47:07 GMT I don't know about most models. I have a Tropez "Digital 900DX". It appears to exchange a 16 bit key when it is placed on the base unit. It appears that the key is not sent out over he air. If the handset forgets the key due to a dead battery, the only way to resynchronize is to put it back on the base unit. There are three elelctrical contracts that engage when the handset is on the base. The logical extension of this fact is that the same key (or key sequence) will be used at least until the phone is hung up. If they were smart, a working key would be generated based upon the message exchanged without brodcast. Without too much work, the 900 MHz phones could be made pretty darn secure. It is all a matter of programming, and the processing power is will within the reach of modern inexpensive embedded controllers. I don't know if it is possible to exhaustively search the 65,536 or so available key combinations. I'm not terribly familiar with the operation of the Motorola CODECs and control microprocessors to make a judgement. A professional might be able to get your converstion, but the casual teenager next door with a scanner will be foiled. Bill Mayhew NEOUCOM Computer Services Department Rootstown, OH 44272-0095 USA phone: 216-325-2511 wtm@uhura.neoucom.edu amateur radio 146.58: N8WED ------------------------------ Reply-To: dgc@math.ucla.edu Subject: Re: Pager Scam Resurfaces Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 18:51:37 -0800 From: David G. Cantor In his note the TELECOM Digest Editor stated: > The other thing which makes this 'modem scam resurfaces' thing fishy > in my opinion is that suppose you have a pager and get such a call. > Where do you usually go to return the call? Either a pay phone or > you use your cell phone ... and telcos do not connect to 976 or 900 > numbers from pay phones either. How are they gonna get paid; are > you gonna stand there and deposit fifty dollars in quarters in the > box? And cellphone carriers also typically disallow 976 and 900 > calls. Usually the only place you can complete these calls is from > a private phone within the LATA. PAT] There are many workmen who go to customer's offices or homes and who can't afford cellular telephones. They carry pagers. When they get a page, they will ask the customer if they can return the page from the customer's phone. The customer will almost always say "yes". Furthermore, at least in California, you can make it very difficult for the fraudulent scam operator to collect. The back of my Pac Bell bill states "Your basic telephone service will not be disconnected for non-payment [of] 900 and 976 charges or other information services ..." David G. Cantor dgc@math.ucla.edu [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You know, failure to pay for your sub- scription to this Digest will not cause your phone to get turned off either ... but my phones here are in constant jeopardy of disconnection due to the high cost versus relatively low income where the publication of the Digest is concerned. Gifts from readers are always graciously accepted and may be made payable either to Ameritech or Northern Illinois Gas Company. Thanks go to a reader who wishes to remain anonymous who sent a check to the Village of Skokie Water Works; that bill is now paid in full; at least I don't have to worry about drawing water for my bath should I be inclined to take one or fixing a pot of coffee now and then. It was a long and very cold winter here though; I still have a few hundred to pay off on the gas bill. I've had a few contacts with a corporate/organizational sponsor for the Digest and I hope that those arrangements will be in effect soon. My sincere thanks go out to those readers who have contributed financially to the Digest over the past couple months; I appreciate the generosity you have shown. PAT] ------------------------------ From: nuance@access.digex.net (T. Stephen Eggleston) Subject: Congo Expedition Video Con Kickoff Date: 31 Mar 1994 20:59:53 -0500 Organization: Nuance Data Systems - Alexandria, VA (703)823-8963 I am posting this for an associate. ++++++ Cut Here ++++++ 28 March, 1994 THE CONGO EXPEDITION KICK-OFF Interactive Videoconference Be a part of the adventure that will capture the attention and imagination of the world. This 6,000 mile trek across Africa will bring the excitement of distance learning to students and teachers across the country. The Congo Expedition will reenact Stanley's historic search for the source of the Nile and Congo Rivers. They will leave Washington, D.C. on April 20, 1994 to begin their year long adventure. The Alliance for Environmental Education will use the exciting expedition to test a new educational model. This model will demonstrate the connection between exploration, accurate, timely information about environmental issues, and hands-on learning on the educational experience. BEGIN THE JOURNEY WITH US! Introduce your middle and high school students to the thrill of this adventure by subscribing to this LIVE-INTERACTIVE videoconference. April 13, 1993 we will be introducing the Expedition Leader, Jim Owens and his team, to students who will experience this journey with them. Jim will discuss what lies ahead for everyone as the Congo Expedition begins. This 60 minute videoconference will also host other dignitaries including representatives of the Afrcan Embassies, U.S. Department of Education and a possible guest appearance from the White House. IF YOU SIGN-UP IMMEDIATELY YOUR STUDENTS CAN ALSO PARTICIPATE IN THE Q&A SESSION WITH EACH OF THESE REPRESENTITIVES. Involve your students in the excitement and thrill of following scientific experiments, conducting cultural investigations and exploring environmental questions-all in real time-and from a global perspective. Date of Videoconference: April 13, 1994 Time: 11:30am-12:30pm (EST) Technical Requirements: Ability to access a satellite downlink facility. Broadcast Opportunities: The program can easily be captured and rebroadcast to multiple school locations for a nominal fee of $15.00. To Subscribe: Schools with immediate interest should contact VideoLinx Communications, Inc. at 703-658-5469 for complete subscription details. Contact: VideoLinx Communications at 703-658-5469 for Details E-Mail to: Steve Eggleston nuance@digex.net Steve Eggleston Internet:nuance@digex.net Nuance Data Systems (703)823-8963 CIS:72040,713 "Technology Should Set You Free, Not Make You Crazy" ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #160 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa26121; 4 Apr 94 15:33 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA15617; Mon, 4 Apr 94 10:40:06 CDT Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA15601; Mon, 4 Apr 94 10:40:03 CDT Date: Mon, 4 Apr 94 10:40:03 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9404041540.AA15601@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #161 TELECOM Digest Mon, 4 Apr 94 10:40:00 CDT Volume 14 : Issue 161 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson CID Modem Inits and Result Codes (Cid Technologies) STU 3 Secure Phones (Mark Kelly) Centrex - Disaster Recovery and Remote Access (Keith Luca) Question About MIN and ESN (Sathyadev Uppala) Satellite Seminar on Convergence of Computing, Telecom and TV (R. Layman) AT&T Screws up, Over and Over (Scott D. Green) Telco MUX to Home? (Roger Marquis) Information Wanted on Univ of Florida, Gainesville (Steven Glinberg) Bornstein, Cooper & Associates (Jeffrey Bornstein) Information Wanted on ATM (Apurva Shrivastava) New Use of ANI (Rob Boudrie) Help! Big Problem With Phone Company (smolko@che.ncsu.edu) Last Laugh! Dennis the Menace (Carl Moore) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: dreuben@netcom.com (Cid Technologies) Subject: CID Modem Inits and Result Codes Date: Mon, 4 Apr 1994 03:15:37 PDT I've recently been made aware that Caller ID decoding modems do NOT all use the same init string and/or now display the CID information on a terminal the same way. For example, I *thought* that the standard CID Init to enable Caller ID detection was: "AT#CID=1" (alternately you can use AT#CID=2 for the "raw data" output format). However, a ZyXEL modem user has told me that the Init string for him is something like "ATS40=4" (or something like that, ie, not the same as above). Moreover, I had come to believe that the standard output format for the CID data was as follows: TIME: 0900 DATE: 0401 NMBR: 6175551212 (I assume all modems with Rockwell chips look like this ... am I correct in this assumption?) However, it seems the ZyXEL outputs the info differently, and this doesn't even take into account Canadian CID or CNID (with the name somewhere in the string). So, if anyone has a Caller ID modem whose Init string is different from "AT#CID=1" to enable Caller ID detection, and/or whose output string differs from the above example (including people with CNID and CID in Canada), could you please drop me a note with what Init string you use, or a copy of a typical CID output from a call? (You don't need to use real numbers or anything, just so I'll know what the format looks like ...) Thanks in advance for any help! Doug dreuben@netcom.com (Since there will hopefully be a number of responses, please reply to netcom instead of my usual Wesleyan address - thanks!) ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 3 Apr 1994 16:23:23 EDT From: Mark Kelly Subject: STU 3 Secure Phones Can anyone point me to (or provide me with) information about STU 3 phones. Based on a brief conversation I had with a potential customer, I believe it is a portable phone that can be plugged into an standard telephone jack to allow secure (scrambled) telephone calls. The customer asked me if he could hold multi-party conference calls using the STU phone through our service. We have direct T1 feeds from our local telco into our digial conference bridge. DSPs in the bridge mix the voice signals to do multi-point conferencing. I suspect that the STU phone scrambles the voice signal and the DSPs will just end up mixing a bunch of garbage. If this is true, does anyone know of H/W that can be connected to T1s to unscramble the incoming voice before it hits the conference bridge and then rescramble it on its way back out the T1. E-mail to mkelly@resudox.net would be appreciated. Thanks. Mark Kelly Advanced Multi-Point Conferencing Kanata, Ontario, Canada ------------------------------ From: kluca@pipeline.com (Keith Luca) Subject: Centrex - Disaster Recovery and Remote Access Date: 3 Apr 1994 10:57:01 -0400 Organization: The Pipeline My company has recently switched to NYNEX Intelepath Centrex service. We were given several disaster recovery options which were all very expensive. If you use Intelepath or any other Centrex service, preferably on an AT&T 5ESS switch, what kind of offsite disaster recovery plan are you using? Also, I would like to provide my users with remote access to the switch but I'm very concered about the security issue. I have not initiated this with NYNEX yet, but would appreciate any comments about opening up you switch. ------------------------------ From: sathya@uw-isdl.ee.washington.edu (Sathyadev Uppala) Subject: Question About MIN and ESN Date: 3 Apr 1994 22:53:10 GMT Organization: Electrical Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle What is the difference between MIN and ESN? Each mobile unit in a celllular system has a unique ESN, so what is the need to have a MIN? ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Apr 1994 08:46:38 EDT From: Richard Layman Subject: Satellite Seminar on Convergence of Computing, Telecom and TV The Public Broadcasting Service's Adult Learning Satellite Service/The Business Channel, the Computer Television Network, and the Data Processing Management Association have joined together to produce a series of programs on information technology (IT) and telecommunications. {NetworkWorld} magazine is a promotional sponsor. (Previous programs in this year's series were "Deploying New Computer Technology Successfully" and "Solving Local and Wide Area Network Challenges.") "Bandwidth and Public Policy: The Data Highway Debate and Its Impact on Businesses" (4/14/94 - two hours) covers the convergence of television, computing, and telecommunications, and explores what this may mean for organizations. It features Robert Heldman, director of technical strategies for US WEST and author of {Future Telecommunications}, {Information Telecommunications}, and {Global Telecommunications} all published by McGraw-Hill and Richard Wiley, former chair of the Federal Communications Commission and the leading telecommunications attorney in Washington, D.C. The program features filmed Q&A with George Gilder, one of the leading "futurists" about convergence, and author of {Life After Television} and {Microcosm}. It will also feature filmed pieces with VP Gore, Rep. Rick Boucher of the House Telecommunications Subcommittee, and others. Mr. Heldman is well-known in the telephone industry for trying to figure out what their future may be -- his normal audience is made up of the presidents of the local telephone companies. Mr. Wiley will discuss how the federal government and regulation will respond to bring that future about. George Gilder has provocative ideas about how the computing industry will be in the drivers seat -- and how the laws of the microcosm and telecosm are driving much faster than 55 mph! (He has other provocative ideas too! -- for example, that cable companies and telephone companies ought to be able to work together TODAY, even in monopolistic situations, provided there are no barriers to unaffiliated content-providers.) Audience/Objectives: Everyone is talking about "video-on-demand" and the information highway. Most of the discussion has focused on the home consumer. This program focuses on the "enterprise" -- be it a profit-making or non-profit organization. The target audience is IT and telecommunications managers. How to receive this program: This program is distributed by the Public Broadcasting Service's Adult Learning Satellite Service, by satellite, direct to a site equipped with satellite-receive (TVRO) equipment. The license fee is based on the type of organization receiving the program. Affiliates of PBS-ALSS and Data Processing Management Association chapters pay $175. Other nonprofits pay $275. Businesses are charged $375. University Downlink Tips: Many of the college and universities that license the ITS programs do so through a continuing education division. (This may be in collaboration with a local chapter of the Data Processing Management Association and/or computing departments within the university, or with academic or administrative computing divisions.) Most charge non- University attendees a fee for the seminar. You may wish to explore this as a way to keep costs down. Downlink Tips for Businesses and other organizations: If your organization doesn't have satellite-receive equipment it is possible to identify a site in your area which does (colleges, PBS television stations, and K-12 school districts, etc., to name a few). PBS account representatives can provide suggestions about sites in your area. It is also possible that there is a site within your community which has already licensed the program, and is making it available to others within your area. We can help you identify such sites as well (send an e-mail request to rllayman@netcom.com). For More Information: For questions about downlinking, licensing, etc., please contact PBS's Adult Learning Satellite Service at 1-800-257-2578 or by fax at 1-703-739-8495. You may also send additional queries by e-mail to: rllayman@netcom.com Thank you for your time and interest. Richard Layman Marketing Director Computer Television Network East Coast Office 825 6th St. N.E. Washington, DC 20002-4325 202-544-5722 (voice) 202-543-6730 (fax) rllayman@netcom.com (email) ------------------------------ From: green@whrepro1.wharton.upenn.edu (Scott D. Green) Subject: AT&T Screws up, Over and Over Date: Sun, 3 Apr 1994 16:36:40 Here's a tale of AT&T Corporate Card/ProWATS hell that I've been going thru since 11/93. I share it with you to see if there are other battle-scarred veterans out there. My company, thru the Travel office and Telecom, got AT&T calling cards hooked up with our AMEX statements to provide single-statement "convenience" for submitting vouchers for reimbursement. Our rate schedule is on some sort of ProWATS plan, and provides a 10% discount of the total. So I get my 11/93 statement with a few calls between TX and PA listed. They were all made during night or weekend periods, yet the Rate Code listed is E(vening) or U (no rate - pretty strange for domestic calls). I also notice that calls made between the same CO's during the same rate period were costed differently: three one-minute calls at $.90, $.96, and $1.00. I call their "customer service" line and, shockingly, my next statement appears with a total of $5.43 in credit, against original charges of $10.13! Unfortunately on that (12/93) statement, I also had a bunch of new calls, but our AT&T/ProWATS page turned into an AT&T/Corporate page, and didn't have our 10% discount. So another round with customer service, only this time it has to go to the Corporate Card Center in Charleston, WV. Turns out that the entire university was billed incorrectly. They admitted it. Of course, most folks who use calling cards, and get reimbursed, have no incentive at all to analyze their charges and/or discounts, so this is pretty much a ripoff, even though AT&T pledged to credit back the differences. So the next statement (1/94) comes in, with no adjustments. AT&T said that they're still working on it. 2/94 rolls in, and AT&T's fix was to credit back every call from 12/93, and then re-bill it. This one is pretty interesting, because virtually all the calls were re-billed at a higher rate (under ProWATS) than under "Corporate", *even after the 10% discount*. And on top of that, there are several pairs of identical calls (CO's, rate period, length) that are again billed inconsistently. First thing I do here is call AMEX and explain to them that I have a dispute with a vendor (AT&T) and would they kindly not mark my account delinquent while this is being resolved. AMEX says they can't do that, I have to call AT&T. OK, I've got to call them anyway. :) AT&T can't explain to me the billing inconsistencies; they can't even tell me what the calling card surcharge is for the calls! What follows is a long series of phone calls to the Corporate Card Center, our local AT&T AE, and the folks at this university in Travel and Telecom, who are supposed to be watchdogging their vendor. It was a frustrating month, because most of it was spent trying to convince the aforementioned Bozos of the existence of a problem. The kicker came on my 3/94 statement. I had one new call listed, placed on a Saturday afternoon. The rate code listed was E(vening). Honest. And, AMEX placed a polite "your account is delinquent" message on my statement. Another round of calls to my new-found extended family: AMEX still says they can't deal with the AT&T dispute (why not? they handle it with every other vendor whose charges appear on their statement); AT&T said I need to contact AMEX about the dispute. AT&T finally got the three of us on a conference call to fix that. My "personal" AT&T CSR tried to foist some of the blame onto *their* "billing vendor," Cincinatti Bell. So, while we're waiting for corrected charges, the university is finally wondering how much we got ripped off for, and whether this program is really worth it. Meanwhile, AT&T, which has presumably been in the business of providing toll-call service longer than anybody, has not provided me an accurate billing since November, for calls made in October. That's six months, with no resolution in sight. How the mighty have fallen ... ------------------------------ From: marquis@netcom.com (Roger Marquis) Subject: Telco MUX to Home? Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) Date: Mon, 4 Apr 1994 01:37:19 GMT When Pac Bell recently installed a second line into my (1940s) apartment building they didn't run any new wire but instead installed a new demark/ junction box. When I opened this box to connect my second line I was surprised to find only the one original line going in, and _two_ lines coming out! Could it be my lines are MUXed to the local switch? I've tested the quality of both lines by making a voice call on one and a data call on the other (while executing 'sz /dev/zero' at 14.4+) without finding any measurable degradation. The alleged MUX measures 2*3*3 in. and is fully sealed except for the contacts. Does anyone know what I have here? Roger Marquis ------------------------------ From: sjg@cs.wisc.edu (Steven Glinberg) Subject: Information Wanted on Univ of Florida, Gainesville Date: 3 Apr 1994 22:57:58 GMT Organization: U of Wisconsin CS Dept Sorry for the intrusion, but I was wondering if anyone could email input on the University of Florida, in Gainesville. I read this group all the time and I figured I could reach a lot of people quickly this way. I have an opportunity to study there this summer, particularly in the psych dept, and I would like input from anyone who studied/lived there, to help me make my decision. (what the campus is like, how big the school is, how close the campus is to the real world, about the city, Gainesville, anything about the campus would be helpful) I will be unable to read this newsgroup this week, but I will have access to my email, so please email any responses to sjg@yar.cs.wisc.edu Thanks much for your help. Steve Glinberg E mail: BEST ADDRESS sjg@yar.cs.wisc.edu 2nd best address glinberg@students.wisc.edu 3rd best glinberg@macc.wisc.edu ------------------------------ From: nteractive@aol.com Date: Sun, 03 Apr 94 20:10:12 EDT Subject: Bornstein, Cooper & Associates BORNSTEIN, COOPER & ASSOCIATES functions as a Broker and "Clearing House" for Agents and Marketing Companies that are already active, or wish to become involved in the RESALE OF LONG DISTANCE SERVICES, PRODUCTS, AND ANCILLARY ITEMS. BC&A Principals have been active in the Telecommunications Industry for over 40 years! Our Support Staff is located in all geographic areas of the United States. BC&A represents only reputable and proven PROVIDERS, RESELLERS, AND CARRIERS who in most cases, are members of TRA (Telecommunications Resellers Association). However, in all instances, each has been carefully screened and researched by our company, it's legal staff, and Dun & Bradstreet. BC&A CONTRACTS Agents and Marketing Companies DIRECTLY with the Providers, Resellers and Carriers that we represent. There are NO "MIDDLEMEN" involved with you and your COMMISSIONS! However, we are licensed to discuss all contractual issues so that you can achieve a proper match and fit. Nondisclosure Forms ARE NOT REQUIRED, since BC&A guarantees you can not secure a better deal, even if you negotiate directly with our service providers. If you are involved in Long Distance and desire: higher commissions, better and more accurate reporting, and a safer environment to market in, or ... if you are simply excited about becoming a part of a growing ($60 BILLION MARKET) and dynamic industry ... look to the experience and expertise of BC&A. Our PRODUCT LINE consists of the following: * OUTBOUND & INBOUND: AT&T, SPRINT, WILTEL, ALLNET, LDDS-METROMEDIA, LCI & WCT * DEDICATED (T-1) ACCESS * CALLING CARDS * DEBIT (PREPAID) CALLING CARDS * INTERNATIONAL CALLBACK * OTHER SMALL BUSINESS DISCOUNT PRODUCTS & SERVICES * QUALIFIED CUSTOMER/END-USER LEADS For more information, please contact Jeffrey Bornstein (nteractive@aol.com) or feel free to FAX/write or call for more information: Jeffrey Bornstein BORNSTEIN, COOPER & ASSOCIATES 1001 Village Road Orwigsburg, PA 17961 (800) 754-4411 (717) 366-1699 (717) 366-1827 FAX Jeff Bornstein Bornstein, Cooper & Associates nteractive@aol.com ------------------------------ From: ashrivas@st6000.sct.edu (Apurva Shrivastava) Subject: Information Wanted on ATM Date: Sun, 3 Apr 94 22:26:29 EDT People, I am looking for material on doing my thesis on routing problems in ATM as this this is an open issue. It has been suggested by my guide, Dr. Doreen Erickson, to ask companies like Bellcore etc for material and also volunteer to do research on their behalf. Of course all confidentiality papers etc. would be signed by the entire committee. I have knocked one door after another but have been very unsuccessful as yet. (My confidence level seems to be decaying exponentially). All articles and material that I have read seem to say 'ROUTING IS AN OPEN ISSUE', but nobody elaborates (proprietory problems?). I know that this forum is very well and widely subscribed to and hence would like to take the great opportunity offered by this medium to request for help from all sympathetic souls. ADVthanksANCE, Apurva ------------------------------ From: rboudrie@chpc.org (Rob Boudrie) Subject: New Use of ANI Date: 4 Apr 1994 06:37:38 GMT Organization: Ctr for High Performance Computing, Marlboro Ma. Reply-To: rboudrie@chpc.org (Rob Boudrie) 800-WHY-GUNS is an 800 number set up by a gun control proponent to accumulate messages from people wanting to recieve literature on their cause. Interesting points : - Some users report that the message changes after the third call from the same number, stating that calls from a single number are limited to three because of harassment from opponents [note: I wonder if they still pay for a call to their computers to identify the caller and leave this message?] - The voice repsonse unit appears to do some checking on the zip code spoken into the system -- it replies invalid entry if you read in a nine digit zip (with a spoken dash in it). Robert Boudrie Center for High Performance Computing rboudrie@chpc.org 293 Boston Post Rd West (508) 624-7400 x635 Marlboro, MA 01752 ------------------------------ From: smolko@che.ncsu.edu Subject: HELP! Big Problem With Phone Company Date: 4 Apr 1994 02:21:40 -0600 Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway I have a big problem with the phone company, and I'm not sure how to deal with it. This "friend" of mine who lives at the university is forced to use a single long-distance carrier that charges top dollar for long- distance calls. Somehow he got MCI to set up an account that would allow him to make calls on my phone, using a special code, and have the bill for the calls sent to his address. This seemed rather unusual and so I called MCI to inquire about it. I was told that this is not really unusual and that I would not be responsible for the charges if this guy doesn't pay the bills. The impression I was given was that the special code that he would use is something like a calling card. That being the case, I told him he could use my phone. For several months he has been using this arrangement with MCI to make numerous, lengthy calls to a foreign country (he is not a U.S. citizen). However, on my latest phone bill there was listed nearly $700 worth of calls that this guy made using my phone. When I called MCI to try to rectify the situation I was told that his account had been closed by the fraud department. Apparently, he racked up between $3000 and $4000 worth of charges on that account, paid some of it, and then disputed the rest of the charges. I was told by MCI that I am responsible for the $700 bill since this guy used the phone with my permission. I was also told that they will probably come after me for the other charges as well. Apparently, they may try to use the same excuse -- that he used the phone with my permission. However, as I see it, there's a big difference between "Can I make a toll call on your phone?" and "Can I make a toll call on your phone and have it charged to my account?". What are my legal responsibilities in a situation like this? What is the best way to handle this predicament? I suppose I'll have to try to collect the $700 from this guy so I can pay my recent phone bill. As for the other charges, I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens. Unfortunately, I don't expect it to be easy to get any money from this guy. I'll probably have to put a lot of pressure on him, and even then I may never collect a penny. I hope someone out there can provide me with some helpful advice, as this whole thing is starting to make me feel rather ill. Dan smolko@che.ncsu.edu [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The long-standing rule in telephony has always been that each subscriber is responsible for the (physical) use of his instruments. That is, if someone uses your phone with your per- mission, then telco will as a courtesy attempt to bill the call however the party wants; but as a worst-case scenario, if the billing falls through then it comes back to the subscriber as a last recourse. The called party could agree to accept your collect call for example, and if later they change their mind, you get billed. When you, or someone you allow uses your phone, the tariff says you agree -- if no other billing is workable (third party, collect, credit card, whatever) to pay. If your phone is used, billing and collection is your problem. Now in your case, there seems to be no physical use of your phone, thus no liability on your part in that way. However, there is a credit issue involved: did you agree to allow your credit standing with telco to be used as the basis for an extension of credit to your friend? If the answer is yes, that you told telco they could rely upon you for payment of your friend's bills, then indeed you are now responsible for payment. Consider it like co-signing a note for an automobile purchase or any other credit purchase. On his own merits, he could not get credit, but you agreed to help, and as a good customer, telco accepted your guarentee. As 'they' say, now it is payback time. But did you really give this guarentee or permission to telco? Your first paragraph seems to imply otherwise. You say he 'somehow' got MCI to set up a credit account using your phone number as the basis for credit. Were you aware that he got MCI to make these arrangements prior to him making them? If so, then now this is your problem. You say you called MCI and were told this was not 'unusual'. No, it is not; telcos will issue credit cards to 'friends' or roomates or whatever, but they do it on the basis of someone, somewhere having a good credit standing and agreeing to pay. Your account with the local telco sufficed for this purpose. You say you were told by the MCI rep (orally I am sure, not in writing) that you would not be responsible for charges. That amounts to the same thing as a used-car salesman telling you that if you co-sign for some kid to buy a car, you won't be held responsible if the kid defaults on the payments ... of course you will be responsible! And needless to say, MCI will deny ever making such a statement in the first place; maybe they did and maybe they didn't. They'll help chase him, but its your problem. Most likely if you do not pay, one of two things will happen. If the charges are billed to you via your local telco, then failing to pay, you will get cut until you do. Telco may require a deposit to turn you back on. If the charges were billed direct by MCI on a separate statement, then if you fail to pay MCI will place you with an agency and probably auth- orize the agency to sue you. If at that point you can convince MCI or the court that you did not initially know of the billing arrangements and that the guarentee was not authorized by you, then you will be off the hook. If you knew about the arrangement from its onset, it is unlikely the court will accept your word that MCI told you 'that you would not be responsible if party did not pay ...'. If you can convince the court (should you get sued, although MCI may simply write you off as a bad debt) that you did not initially know of the arrangements; that they were made without your knowledge or permission and that you attempted to void the arrangements, then you will get off the hook. The catch is, what did you know and how soon did you know it and what efforts did you take to mitigate creditor's losses and your own? Only you and your friend know the answer to that, and should this go to the wall, a judge will decide who owes what. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Apr 94 7:53:07 EST From: Carl Moore Subject: Last Laugh! Dennis the Menace I have just seen an episode of the "Dennis the Menace" TV series, made in 1959. It always opens with some mischievous incident; this morning, Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell were saying how someone "fixed" their phone so they could dial long distance without having to go through an operator, and Dennis then talks about dialing and hearing the ringing sound (he used nonsense syllables to describe it) and saying that "Aunt ___ was surprised to hear my voice". At that, Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell have astonished looks; left unspoken is "Dennis, did YOU make a long distance call?". (In case anyone is interested, Dennis was played by Jay North; Henry and Alice Mitchell, his parents, by Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry; Mr. Wilson, by Joseph Kearns. It was based on Hank Ketcham's comic strip.) That reminds me that the Nancy comic strip had Aunt Fritzie holding a $98 phone bill and saying "NANCY, DID YOU MAKE ANY LONG DISTANCE CALLS?". ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #161 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa26757; 4 Apr 94 16:41 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA21283; Mon, 4 Apr 94 12:22:03 CDT Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA21273; Mon, 4 Apr 94 12:22:00 CDT Date: Mon, 4 Apr 94 12:22:00 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9404041722.AA21273@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #162 TELECOM Digest Mon, 4 Apr 94 12:22:00 CDT Volume 14 : Issue 162 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson FAQ: Telephone Call-Back Service Providers (v1.1) (Bruce Hahne) Globalcom Inernational Callback Service (Scott C. Bundren) AT&T Price Changes on International Calls (Van Hefner) LEC Competition/Value of Service (00r0nolting@leo.bsuvc.bsu.edu) Where Can I Find Back Issues? (Javier Montero) Need Advice on Terminal Server For PPP Access (Ben Lippolt) Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (Brian Gordon) Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (Jon Anhold) Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (Robert S. Helfman) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: FAQ: Telephone Call-Back Service Providers (v1.1) Date: Mon, 04 Apr 94 17:38:04 +0900 From: Bruce Hahne LIST OF COMPANIES PROVIDING INTERNATIONAL CALL-BACK SERVICE version 1.1 March 24, 1994 Introduction: This list started as an attempt to gather information about companies which provide call-back services to Japan. Such companies allow you to call from Japan to the U.S. at U.S. rates instead of at the (much less competitive) rates set by Japan's 3 international phone companies. I have since found that most call-back companies provide call-back services to many different countries, so I will not limit the distribution of this post to newsgroups such as soc.culture.japan and fj.life.in-japan. However, the pricing information I give has a bias towards examples connecting to or from Japan. This document is in the public domain. Please pass it around freely and help people to save some money! Please send additional information on old or new callback companies to Bruce Hahne at any of the addresses listed at the end of this post. Companies are listed in alphabetical order. This information is NOT guaranteed accurate, and may be based in part on advertisements or fliers which are out of date, as well as on 3rd-party reports. For full details and up-to-date pricing information, contact the companies directly. NAME: Business Communications Management, Inc. CONTACT INFO: Business Communications Management, Inc. 1320 El Capitan Drive, Suite 300 Danville, CA 94526 Phone: 1-510-277-3030 Fax: 1-510-277-3555 Internet: vthiry@netcom.com HOW IT WORKS: Call your access number (in the U.S.?), then hang up. Their computer calls you back at a preselected number. BILLING: $50 one-time enrollment fee. $25 monthly minimum. Billed to your credit card. SAMPLE RATES: Japan to U.S. or U.S. to Japan: $0.45/min. Japan to U.K. or U.K. to Japan: $0.74/min. Japan to Canada or Canada to Japan: $0.68/min. Japan to Germany or Germany to Japan: $0.91/min. (30-second minimum per call, billed in 6-second increments) COMMENTS: Rates are the same at all times of the day and week. Monthly statement is mailed to you. No PIN. You can register as many call-back numbers as you want. NOTES: - This company is a reseller of the MTC PASSPORT service, also available from MTC listed below. They do not resell the MTC OneCard mentioned in the MTC entry. - Vthiry@netcom.com appears willing to fax out rate sheets so that you have pricing information in writing. NAME: CSI (Communications Systems International) CONTACT INFO: Communications Systems International, Inc. 121 E. Pikes Peak Ave., Suite 226A Colorado Springs, CO 80903 USA Phone: 1-719-471-3332 Fax: 1-719-471-2893 or 1-719-564-0541 Internet: HVGriner@delphi.com Compuserve: 73174,2250 HOW IT WORKS: Dial an unlisted number assigned to you in the U.S. Their computer doesn't answer, but calls you back after you hang up, giving you a U.S. dial tone. BILLING: $250 refundable deposit required for account setup. $27.50 monthly service fee if your bill is under $100/month. Billed directly or via credit card. Billed in 6-second increments, not 1-minute increments. SAMPLE RATES: Per-minute costs from Japan to various sites are, in U.S. dollars: Japan Time: 8am - 2pm 2pm - 11pm 11pm - 8am first add'l first add'l first add'l Country or ZONE min. min. min. min. min. min. --------------------- ------- ------- ------- ------- -------------- Australia 4.48 2.07 3.98 1.99 4.51 2.19 United Kingdom 3.36 1.88 3.23 1.79 3.35 1.98 United States 2.52 1.38 2.41 1.30 2.56 1.48 COMMENTS: Can be set up for any of 235 countries. No PIN. It seems as if you will always be called back at the same number, though this isn't completely clear from their P.R. materials. Full pricing information available on MS-dos disk. Speed dialing available. NAME: Logical / Kokusai Telecom CONTACT INFO: 2-1-1 Minamidai Nakano-ku Tokyo 164, Japan (03) 5385-4701 Other information presently unavailable. Supposedly their rates are 25% below those of KDD, at all times. This company is the Japanese agent for a U.S. company. NAME: MTC OneCard CONTACT INFO: MTC Passport Telemanagement Call Clearance Center 55 S. Market St., Suite 1435 San Jose, CA 95113 1-800-967-5382 or (408) 298-2985 Fax: (408) 298-6905 HOW IT WORKS: Dial local access number, your PIN, the phone number you're calling FROM, then hang up. Their computer calls you back and gives you a U.S. dial tone. BILLING: $5 for initial account setup. Billed through your credit card. SAMPLE RATES: From Japan to U.S.: $2.50 per call + 46.3 cents/minute? COMMENTS: Works from anywhere in the world with a local access number: about 45 countries. Other services (speed dialing, conference calls, etc.) also available or will be available soon. NOTES: - MTC also sells a callback service called "PASSPORT", listed below. - I have had serious problems trying to figure out the facts behind what services MTC offers and where to contact them to request service. So far I have 3 postal addresses, 4 phone numbers, 2 fax numbers, and at least one person has reported being told that MTC doesn't offer the "OneCard". This is clearly not true, since I have one. See the entry below for more MTC addresses and phone numbers. - I do not have anything in writing directly from MTC giving their per-call and per-minute rates. I have reports of $2.50/call plus 46.3 cents per minute from Japan, but the math on my first bill does not match these numbers. I would suggest contacting them directly for pricing information. - MTC is allegedly receiving 100 new customers a day, so you may need to be patient about signing up and receiving information. NAME: MTC Passport CONTACT INFO: MTC Telemanagement Corporation 1304 Southpoint Boulevard Petaluma, CA 94954 1-800-999-2682 or 1-800-733-2682 Fax: (707) 769-5940 or Passport International Telemanagement 925 Lakeville St. #318 Petaluma, CA 94952 HOW IT WORKS: 2nd-hand information suggests it works as follows: dial local access number, your PIN, then hang up. Their computer calls you back at a predetermined number and gives you a U.S. dial tone. BILLING: $50 one-time enrollment fee. $25 monthly minimum. SAMPLE RATES: From Japan to U.S.: 46.3 cents/minute, no per-call charge? NOTES: - See notes above on MTC OneCard. - The Passport service is also resold by Business Communications Management, listed earlier. NAME: Progressive Communications CONTACT INFO: P.O. Box 5890 Athens, OH 45701-5890 Fax: 614-592-4970 Internet: dprince@oucsace.cs.ohiou.edu COMMENTS: - Information presently unavailable, but hopefully will be in place by the time I release version 1.2 of this FAQ. NAME: Telepassport CONTACT INFO: P.O. Box 1003 Chicago, IL 60690 Fax: 1-708-329-0572 HOW IT WORKS: There are two main methods: 1: Dial a U.S. number given to you by Telepassport, then hang up. Their computer calls you back at your home number. PIN optional. 2: Dial a local toll-free number for Japan, enter account number and PIN, then enter a number which requests a callback to wherever you are. BILLING: $25/month minimum. Billed via credit card or via electronic funds transfer (bank to bank). SAMPLE RATES: From Japan to U.S., standard/discount/economy rates: .98/.85/.79 ($/minute) COMMENTS: PIN is 4 digits. You receive monthly statements. Service available all over the world. Message forwarding, voice mail, and other services available. For extensive information, email the following message to tel-archives@lcs.mit.edu : reply YOURNAME@YOURSITE.YOUR.DOMAIN info telepassport end Disclaimer: I don't work for any of these companies. Bruce Hahne Current address: bruce@jise.isl.melco.co.jp Lifetime address: hahne@acm.org ------------------------------ From: scottb@cats.ucsc.edu (Scott C Bundren) Subject: Globalcom International Callback Service Date: 4 Apr 1994 05:16:00 GMT Organization: University of California, Santa Cruz *****GLOBALCOM INTERNATIONAL CALLBACK SERVICE BEGINS APRIL 15****** Globalcom 2000 is a U.S. based telecommunications company offering Prepaid calling cards and long distance service to residential and commercial clients. Globalcom 2000 uses the WilTel fiber optic network for superior quality telephone service. On April 15th, 1994, Globalcom will begin to offer International Callback service to clients worldwide. HOW IT WORKS: The International Callback user dials a number which is a toll free call from anywhere in the world, and receives a busy signal. The customer then hangs up the phone, and the system calls them back, giving them access to U.S. lines and low Globalcom rates on International calling. SAMPLE RATES: All rates are per minute, for anytime of day Australia $0.88 France $0.56 Germany $0.57 Hong Kong $0.66 India $1.27 Japan $0.63 Sweden $0.54 United Kingdom $0.44 Features: -- The most sophisticated and technologically advanced callback system in the world. -- 24-hour operator assistance. -- Tremendous savings: Call from outside the USA to the USA at discount rates saving you 20%-70%. -- Call from outside the USA to other countries, including across closed political borders. -- Your personal/business voice mail message service in the USA--FREE. -- Fax service: Store and Foward -plus- Fax Mail Boxes. -- Access to all USA toll free 800 numbers. -- Immediate access to Directory Assistance anywhere in the USA. A complete rate sheet is available by e-mail. Please send requests or questions to scottb@cats.ucsc.edu. ------------------------------ From: vantek@aol.com Date: Mon, 04 Apr 94 09:00:44 EDT Subject: AT&T Price Changes on International Calls AT&T LOWERS PRICES ON INTERNATIONAL COLLECT CALLS SHORT HILLS, N.J. (APRIL 1) BUSINESS WIRE - March 31, 1994 AT&T customers can now save money when making collect calls to the United States from more than 125 countries using AT&T USADirect (R) Service. The new prices go into effect on April 13, thanks to a tariff filed this week with the FCC. "With these reductions, the price of a five-minute collect call on USADirect will be reduced by up to 27 percent," said Mike Dimperio, group product manager for AT&T Direct services. With AT&T's reduced prices, a customer who makes a five-minute collect USADirect call from London to New York would pay only $9.89, a 23 percent reduction from the previous price of $12.89. A similar call to the U.S. from Germany has dropped almost $3.00, from $12.04 to $9.36, a reduction of over 22 percent. AT&T also filed modest price increases on AT&T USADirect calling card rates. These rate revisions for calling card calls from 113 countries to the United States average about a 2.5 percent increase per call. Millions of people worldwide -- business people, vacationers, students and military persons -- use AT&T USADirect and AT&T World Connect (sm) Service for fast, convenient and economical telephone access to the United States and over 75 countries. "These services let customers call the U.S., or country-to-country, from more countries than any other telecommunications company," Dimperio said. AT&T USADirect and AT&T World Connect Service are available simply by dialing a toll-free access number. Callers are connected directly to an English-speaking AT&T operator or voice prompt to place calling card and collect calls. AT&T's international operators provide service in eight languages. Additionally, AT&T offers customers automated calling card and collect calls without operator assistance from more than 60 countries. Other AT&T USADirect and AT&T World Connect Service benefits include: o Sequential calling of up to 10 consecutive numbers o Voice messaging services allow callers to record a message and have it delivered to virtually any phone in 170 countries o Callers can conference up to 500 people in up to 270 countries on the spur of the moment or by reservation o Callers can gain access to AT&T Language Line Services for over-the-phone interpretations from English to more than 140 languages o Instant connection to all U.S. 800 numbers o Instant access to U.S. and international directory assistance o Customer service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week For AT&T Calling Card calls via AT&T USADirect, AT&T True World subscribers get a five percent discount off the cost of the call. And True World customers who call their designated country receive an additional 15 percent -- for a total of 20 percent -- on AT&T Calling Card calls via USADirect. For $3 a month, True World offers savings of up to 35 percent for customers who make international calls. AT&T USADirect customers who are also enrolled in the AT&T True Rewards(sm) program and spend at least $25 a month in long-distance services receive points that can be redeemed for frequent flier miles and long distance gift certificates. For more information on AT&T USADirect Service, customers in the U.S. may call 1-800-331-1140. CONTACT: AT&T, Short Hills, N.J. Pat Robinson, 908/221-7949 (office) 201/292-1557 (home) or Maureen Lynch, 201/564-3265 (office) 908/580-1125 (home) ----------------- Van Hefner Vantek Communications vantek@aol.com ------------------------------ From: 00r0nolting@leo.bsuvc.bsu.edu Subject: Information Needed on LEC Competition/Value of Service Date: 4 Apr 94 10:04:02 EST Organization: Ball State University, Muncie, In - Univ. Computing Svc's I urgently need information on pricing regulations in the local exchange with regard to universal service subsidies. I have heard the term "value of service" but am unable to find how the higher priced business phone subsidizes the rural phone. Is part of the monthly fee put into a fund, part of every local call? Three of us are participating in a competition and have to present our ideas on Friday, April 8th, in the morning. A short explanation or a reference will be appreciated. Anyone who wants to can have our handout e-mailed to them next week. Thanks, Reinhard Nolting, CICS, BSU 00r0nolting ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Apr 1994 10:36:17 UTC+0200 From: Javier Montero Subject: Where Can I Find Back Issues? Hi, Where can I find the back issues of TELECOM Digest? Is there another mag like this? Thanks a lot. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You can have thirteen year's worth of back issues of this Digest by checking out the Telecom Archives. You can get there using anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu; then when connected you would do 'cd telecom-archives/back.issues'. They are in batches of fifty issues with the most recent fifty or so at any given time available individually in the 'recent.single.issues' sub-directory or the 'telecom.recent' file. You can also use Gopher or WEB. In addition you can use the Telecom Archives Email Information Service, and a help file for that is available on request from me. Since like my competitor {The New York Times} I print all the news that fits (both the amount of space available and my own philis- ophical perspective on life), you need look no further. :) PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Apr 1994 06:51:01 GMT From: B.J.Lippolt@research.ptt.nl (Ben Lippolt) Subject: Need Advice on Terminal Server For PPP Access Reply-To: B.J.Lippolt@research.ptt.nl Organization: PTT Research, The Netherlands Hi, We want to start a pilot with PPP. We're looking for a terminal server (with 8 ports) which will be connected to our ethernet and which should support at least PPP (and preferable also (c)slip). Any suggest- ions about good brands, models, etc, positive as well as negative are welcome. Thanks for any info. Ben Lippolt ------------------------------ From: briang@netcom.com (Brian Gordon) Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? Organization: Netcom Online Communications Services (408-241-9760 login: guest) Date: Sun, 3 Apr 1994 19:33:43 GMT In article lchiu@crl.com (Laurence Chiu) writes: > Out of interest, I presume that when you call 911 from your home phone > you reach a dispatch service which is local to your community. So if > you call 911 from a cell phone, which dispatch service do you reach? > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: In a lot of places, including the Chicago > metro area you don't reach anyone. 911 goes to intercept telling you > in an emergency to dial the operator for assistance. In other place where > there is only one central dispatch, it goes there. PAT] In CA, it goes to the nearest CHP (California Highway Patrol) dispatch center. At their discretion, they can transfer to an appropriate 911 dispatch center, but a very high percentage of the calls are CHP matters anyway (breakdowns and the like). Brian G. Gordon briang@netcom.COM bgg on DELPHI 70243,3012 on Compu$erve BGordon on GENie BGordon2 on AOL ------------------------------ From: jganhold@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Jon Anhold) Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? Date: 4 Apr 1994 13:24:48 GMT Organization: The Ohio State University In Cleveland, we have CECOM/CEMAC. It's an Emergency Management Agency with office space downtown. One of the departments is a central emergency dispatch, where they can talk to all of the suburbs Police and Fire Departments in case of a city/county-wide emergency. 911 calls go there from Cell phones, so it's city-independant. Jon Anhold N8USK jganhold@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu ------------------------------ From: helfman@aero.org (Robert S. Helfman) Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cellphones Reduce Crime? Date: Mon, 4 Apr 1994 00:11:54 -0800 Organization: The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I'm glad I don't live there any longer > also. First of all, 911 does not work from cell phones here. PAT, you seemed to imply that Los Angeles' inner-city was "rotten to the core". It isn't true. I live here. The streets are not ruled by gangs, unless you consider the one that rides in the L.A.P.D. cars and wears blue. > 'Mr. Good Citizen' as they sometimes mock the callers to 911 when talking > on the radio, your number is recorded and they can get back to you if they > wish -- which is fine, except! Try reporting a serious crime which you > witnessed. If the criminal is caught, *you* will be subpoened to come to > court and give your eye-witness account. *You* will be hounded and harassed > by the ACLU attorney appointed to represent the defendant. *Your* integrity > will be called into question. Defendants have the right, as I believe they > should, to confront their accuser ... that's you if you were the one > calling 911 to report it. PAT, you should be ashamed of yourself for bad-mouthing the ACLU. First, the ACLU rarely handles the initial defense of a suspect. Their work is almost always on appeals (at least in criminal matters). And they aren't defending a particular defendant - they're defending a matter of constitutional law. You will note that they have defended the Ku Klux Klan and Oliver North and other such "non-liberal" defendants. Lawyers appointed by courts to defend indigents are almost always a public defender (or a private attorney appointed to defend one of multiple defendants when there would a conflict of interest if the public defender handled all the defendants). As an ACLU member, I take personal offense at your sometimes mindless conservative blather. For a guy with a sometimes wicked sense of humor, you take some things entirely to seriously. And I'll be the most surprised person on the Net if you let this posting into comp.dcom.telecom (That's a dare, PAT!) > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: In a lot of places, including the Chicago > metro area you don't reach anyone. 911 goes to intercept telling you > in an emergency to dial the operator for assistance. In other place where > there is only one central dispatch, it goes there. PAT] In Los Angeles, dialing 911 from a cellular phone gets the California Highway Patrol dispatcher. In Southern California, it's important to know exactly what jurisdiction you're in. There are embedded sections of unincorporated L.A. County, served by the County Sheriff, within the City of Los Angeles. Use of 911 for reporting out-of-service traffic lights, water main breaks, car fires, etc. is encouraged here, by PacTel cellular and is free, 24-7. To save the dispatcher time, I just ask for the specific agency I need: City of L.A. Transportation, L.A. Department of Water and Power, L.A. Fire Department, etc. The dispatchers seem to appreciate this approach since it gets them off the line much faster. By the way, the response time is phenomenal. I was driving one evening with a friend and spotted a car fire. I called 911 and 1 1/2 minutes later, as we passed Engine Company 94's station house, the red lights came on and the guys (and woman, of course) were roaring out headed for the car. I've had similar response from DWP for water mains -- which can do horrible things to a street in just minutes if someone doesn't get on them right away. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Here we do not use 911 to report open hydrants, out of order traffic signals, railroad crossing gates stuck in the down position, draw bridges stuck in the open position, etc. If one wishes to bother -- and I *do* call on things like this, we call the water department, the department of streets bureau of electricity, or the appropriate railroad, bridge-tender, etc. The rule here, although it is not always followed, is that 911 is to be used *only* in a dire emergency when immediate police/fireman intervention is required. For example, someone stripped your automobile last night and you found out about it this morning? That's no longer an emergency; it is over with. By the way, thus far in 1994 here, *27 children* have been killed in the crossfire of gang-related incidents in Chicago. Their involvement? They were on their way (at various times) to/from Ludwig von Beethoven School, an elementary school located in the middle of the Chicago Housing Atrocity (oops, I mean Authority) complex of a dozen highrise buildings on the south side. That's about two per week. Now the teachers and the police meet the children at the entrances of the buildings to walk with them acting like human sheilds the *one block* from their home to their school and back again in the afternoon. Yet even the little ones too young to go to school are not safe. A three year old boy was hit by bullets which came through the window of his family's home. An optical nerve was hit; he will now be blind for the rest of his life. He repeatedly asks his father -- in the words of a three year old -- "Why can't I see? I'm not a bad boy, I am a good boy, why can't I see anymore?". His father would like to know how to explain to his son why gang members with guns shooting from the windows of highrise apartment buildings are afforded protection from reprisal by police under some bogus civil liberties theories. How, he wants to know, could the Fourth Amendment have been twisted and perverted that badly, that ACLU attornies get court orders to prevent police from searching the apartments where the shots were fired? Mayor Daley said it best about Mr. Harvey Grossman, director of the ACLU here: (quote) "He is a jerk." You can take all the offense you want as an ACLU member at my 'mindless blather'; personally I find the ACLU to be a direct affront to what little decency and civility still remains in the USA. And yes, I know the constitution quite well thank you, and the ACLU does not have a monopoly on its interpretation and implementation even though they think they do. Since you like El Lay so much, I'm sure you would love Chicago. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #162 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa27368; 4 Apr 94 17:43 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA26790; Mon, 4 Apr 94 13:46:11 CDT Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA26778; Mon, 4 Apr 94 13:46:08 CDT Date: Mon, 4 Apr 94 13:46:08 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9404041846.AA26778@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #163 TELECOM Digest Mon, 4 Apr 94 13:46:00 CDT Volume 14 : Issue 163 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson New OTA Study on Wireless Technology (Todd LaPorte) Re: Alert! New CD-Rom Database a la Lotus: Household! (Les Reeves) Re: Alert! New CD-Rom Database a la Lotus: Household! (Scott Coleman) Re: Alert! New CD-Rom Database a la Lotus: Household! (Tarl Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (Carl Moore) Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (Rob Boudrie) Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (H. Peter Anvin) Re: PC Pursuit Has Ended (Thomas M. Allebrandi) Re: PC Pursuit Has Ended (James Taranto) Request For Information on Voicemail Systems (Henry Sobel) Small Scale Voicemail Information Needed (Eric A. Litman) Can I Use my Cellular Phone in Turkey and Germany? (Yilmaz Cengeloglu) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Todd LaPorte Date: Mon, 04 Apr 94 13:08:00 PDT Subject: New OTA Study: Wireless Technology and National Info Infrastructure We are pleased to announce that the Office of Technology Assessment+s study of the implications of wireless technologies for the National Information Infrastructure (NII) was formally approved by our Congressional Technology Assessment Board at its February 8th meeting. The texts of the request letters for the study, the press release from Representatives Brown and Boucher, and the proposal for the study, which outlines the issues we will be considering during the next 14 months, are all available via ftp at otabbs.ota.gov. Look in pub\wireless\ for these documents. Other study-related documents will be posted as they become available. The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the problems and promises of integrating wireless technologies into the NII. Wireless technologies and systems--such as TV and radio broadcasting, new personal communications services, and many kinds of satellite communications -- will form an integral part of the NII, but the role they will play and the implications of their widespread adoption are not yet clear. In particular, integrating the many wireless and wireline systems that will comprise the NII will prove a difficult challenge for Federal, State, and local regulators. Many factors, including standards development, interconnection and pricing arrangements, and differing industry regulation, must be addressed before radio-based technologies and systems can become an effective part of the NII. This study will: identify and discuss the various wireless technologies that could contribute to the development of the NII, assess the barriers to greater or more efficient use of radio-based systems, and explore the economic, regulatory, and social implications of the convergence of wireline and wireless technologies in the NII. The study will also present policy options addressing relevant wireless/NII issues. Over the course of the study, we will try to talk to as many people as we can in order to understand the wide range of interests and concerns surrounding these complex and difficult issues. In addition, OTA will also conduct several (as yet undetermined) workshops that will address specific issues in more detail. These meetings will be announced as far in advance as possible. If you would like more information, please feel free to contact the study team at our project e-mail address, wireless@ota.gov. Any suggestions you may have for people we should talk to, or other sources of data and information will be greatly appreciated. David Wye, Todd La Porte, Alan Buzacott, Greg Wallace Wireless Project Team Telecommunications and Computing Technologies Program Office of Technology Assessment U.S. Congress (202) 228-6760 wireless@ota.gov ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Apr 1994 09:29:07 PDT From: Les Reeves Subject: Re: Alert! New CD-Rom Database a la Lotus: Household! Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access (415) 705-6060 [login: guest] David S. Greenberg (mgreeny@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu) wrote: > If you recall, the only reason that Lotus dropped their moronic > Household CDROM was because they received 20,000 letters/calls > requesting removal from the database. Lotus LEARNED THE HARD WAY HOW > TO ALIENATE YOUR CUSTOMER BASE -- MAYBE THIS COMPANY NEEDS A GOOD KICK > IN THE *&*(& AS WELL... > TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The thing is, they *do* have the right > to see compiled listings -- as did Lotus or as does anyone else -- if they > wish to do so. If a telephone book containing alphabetical listings is > not illegal then neither is a consolidated listing of several telephone > books made into one. ...... > Why? Is it because the ease > and availability in obtaining the information has become greater? PAT] Pat is correct. The CD Rom has simply brought this well established list business within reach of anyone with a PC. The Direct Marketing Association will help you make sure your name is not used by direct marketers. It will not remove your name from lists, but it will attempt to alert all direct marketers who are members that you do not wish to receive unsolicited mail. As for the ProCD product, if you have moved in the last five years the information on the CD is probably wrong. This company's products are loaded with errors. If you are going to complain to them, ask them to improve their accuracy . Les lreeves@crl.com Atlanta,GA ------------------------------ From: genghis@ilces.ag.uiuc.edu (Scott Coleman) Subject: Re: Alert! New CD-Rom Database a la Lotus: Household! Date: 4 Apr 94 14:56:47 GMT Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana mgreeny@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu (David S. Greenberg) writes: > Hi all, just thought I'd let everyone out there know that I just > received in my daily pile of junk mail yet another company (which > shall be named shortly ...) which has decided that they have the right > to sell ****YOUR**** name and address AND PHONE NUMBER on CD ROM! [...] > CALL NOW! Protect your right to privacy! Stop the abuse! > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The thing is, they *do* have the right > to see compiled listings -- as did Lotus or as does anyone else -- if they > wish to do so. [...] I think > what you will find in this case however is that the company in question > is merely a list seller. They specialize in lists for other companies to > purchase, and they are not going to be impressed very much one way or > the other by consumers, per se. I'd like to add to these points that the above company is by no means the first to offer residential listings on CD-ROM. Last summere at the American Library Association annual conference there was a CD-ROM reverse directory shown, and its booth drew quite a bit of attention. What this means is the chances are good that you can walk right into your public library and use, in addition to the standard printed cross directory, a CD-ROM version, as well. The reference room here at the University of Illinois has a CD-ROM workstation dedicated to searches on a reverse directory disc. In short, your campaign, even if successful, won't make much of a dent in the abuses telemarketing scum make of our telephones. The information will still be available from too many other sources, including Compu$erve (via their PHONE*FILE service) and the 900 number which you can call and punch in a phone number via DTMF tones and retrieve the directory information. On the bright side, however, you *can* protect yourself. Call your phone company and have your listing changed to "city only" - i.e. your listing appears as "John Doe, Anytown USA." As others have noted, you can also choose to be listed under an assumed name, provided it sounds reasonable. There are scads of call screening devices, some designed specifically to thwart telemarketers, coming on the market now. I use one which I designed myself based on a PC voice mail card and a computer CNID interface, but I've seen similar devices in such catalogs as Home Automation Labs. Using these techniques, I have managed to cut my junk calls down to near ZERO. One other glimmer of hope is that the data sources used by these CD-ROM producers may not always be up to date. I sometimes look up the "unknown" numbers which show up in my caller logs to see who's calling me. Much of the time the information simply isn't there. A friend of mine who actually owns some of these CD-ROM cross directories laments this fact. Unless the CD-ROM in question has as its source the telco's proprietary directory assistance data, there's a chance your information isn't there or is listed incorrectly. Scott Coleman tmkk@uiuc.edu President ASRE (American Society of Reverse Engineers) Ed Green Fan Club #005 ------------------------------ From: tarl@coyoacan.dmc.com Date: Sun, 3 Apr 94 22:04:00 EST Subject: Re: Alert! New CD-Rom Database a la Lotus: Household! In article , mgreeny@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu writes: > to sell ****YOUR**** name and address AND PHONE NUMBER on CD ROM! Not > only are they doing this for your home, but also for businesses as > well! The Lotus database was more than phone numbers. It included juicy little details like annual income, credit history and marital status. This new database sounds more like one large phone book, which is far less irritating. [and our Moderator follows:] > All of a sudden because the medium has changed (from great > big hardover books with several thousand pages each in several volumes) > to CD Rom the complaints become more vocal. Why? Is it because the ease > and availability in obtaining the information has become greater? PAT] Yup. As long as it took big money to get that kind of data on me, it didn't bother me too much. Exxon and IBM have better things to do than harrass me. When the price falls down to a couple of hundred dollars, the local Church of the Latter Rain can get that data on everyone in town and target accordingly. That bothers me. Tarl Neustaedter tarl@bostech.com [work] Ashland, MA, USA tarl@coyoacan.dmc.com [home] [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But Tarl, where do you draw the line? I mean, you do like this information superhighway concept and the ease with which everyone can get whatever information they want don't you? Funny part is -- really it is not so funny -- when Clinton talks about the Information Superhighway, he is not talking about how easy it will be for every home in America to access the Grollier's Encyclopedia online at Compuserve or America OnLine. Certainly the ease of obtaining neutral third-party non-specific information will increase ... but so will the ease in obtaining information on anyone about anything. We as human beings can employ some ethical standards and say that normally there are certain inquiries we won't make about others without their permission or some definite reason for doing so combined with a 'need to know' ... but to the computer, its all just bits of data flowing down the wires. The computer doesn't care what you ask about. Superhighways are designed to make it easy to get from A to B ... and the church people have the same rights as everyone else. Public information is becoming easier and easier for the *public* to get their hands on ... and I can see where to some people it might get sort of scary. The time is going to come -- I think in the lifetimes of most of us -- when there are no hiding places left; no secrets are hidden; everyone's soiled underwear on display at the laundromat; when we no longer have privacy to count on to hide our peccadillos. Then the computer will have metamorphosed from being our trustworthy tool to being our master instead. When the church people aren't getting after you, the government will be or your ex-wife or your former husband, or your parents or your neighbors. Forget Grollier's Academic Encyclopedia or the Fruitcake Recipe Database ... now the real lookups are getting underway! Come one, come all, serve yourselves. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Apr 94 10:15:10 EDT From: Carl Moore Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? When the timing belt went bust on my car on March 19, I waited 3 1/2 to 4 hours on the route 33 expressway in Northampton County, PA. No one stopped to inquire (at LEAST someone needed to contact police). Although it had gotten dark, I had to leave the car and walk 1 1/2 miles, along a shoulder that was VERY narrow in some places, to an exit ramp on my way to a phone. I was honked at twice or so, but still nobody made a move to stop me. ------------------------------ From: rboudrie@chpc.org (Rob Boudrie) Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? Date: 4 Apr 1994 10:32:08 -0500 Organization: Center for High Performance Computing of WPI In article howard@hal.com writes: > A friend suggested to me that, sometime in the future, almost everyone > will carry around a cellular phone almost all the time. She thinks > this will significantly reduce the amount of crime, because it will be > very easy to report a crime or other suspicious behavior that one > observes. I'm skeptical, but it seems like an interesting topic for > discussion. Or it can increase it ... A few months ago, someone in Framingham, MA was held up for their Motorola flip phone at (I think knife point). The agressor then demanded that the phone be unlocked before he would leave. ------------------------------ From: hpa@eecs.nwu.edu (H. Peter Anvin N9ITP) Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? Reply-To: hpa@nwu.edu (H. Peter Anvin) Organization: Northwestern University Electromagnetics Laboratory Date: Mon, 4 Apr 1994 00:21:10 GMT In article of comp.dcom.telecom, rs2510@ dice.nwscc.sea06.navy.mil (Rhett Salisbury) responds to TELECOM Digest Editor: >> Sorry Pat, this is the kind of crap that keeps things the way they >> are. If you are not willing to get involved you have no right to >> complain about how screwed up things are. We will not have an end to > -- good stuff deleted -- >> Back to the original question, will the proliferation of cell phones >> reduce crime? The answer is: no, but your use of one might. > In total agreement with Sean Slattery -- Pat should excercise a > certain measure of responsible judgment. When someone flippantly > tells an international community that not only we live in a extremely > dangerous country, but also that it is dangerous to become 'involved', > someone will be injured due to your inaction. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But it is true. Ask the few honest > people who work for the CTA. I see it happen over and over again. > And if you witness a crime and report it, you'll spend the next six > months or a year in court getting harassed by the defendant and his > attorney. My advice is don't get involved unless you like being a > martyr. Criminals are given so many rights, *you* will be made to be > the villian instead. PAT] How about asking the two brave young students in Evanston recently who stopped a rape and made a citizen's arrest on the perpetrator? They got a medal for it. America has problems largely *because* people don't get involved, and by saying "it is better not to", we are exacerbating the problem. Have some guts. hpa INTERNET: hpa@nwu.edu FINGER/TALK: hpa@ahab.eecs.nwu.edu IBM MAIL: I0050052 at IBMMAIL HAM RADIO: N9ITP or SM4TKN FIDONET: 1:115/511 or 1:115/512 STORMNET: 181:294/101 Linux system administrator (3 systems on the net, one off) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Certainly, and that kind of thing (giving a medal) happens occassionally in Chicago also. I will never forget the instance a few years ago of the woman who slipped on the ice and fell in the Chicago River and the kid about fifteen years old who jumped in and pulled her to safety. The next day in a rather unusual twist to the news of the day the {Chicago Sun Times} put a large picture of him on the front page with a headline, " is a hero". Mayor Washington gave him a medal and recognition as well. Now if that kind of thing happened more often, I might agree with you. Citizen's arrests are very dangerous things to do however and I have simply seen too many cases where the police harrassed the person(s) who tried to stop the crime while doing nothing to the person who *did* commit the crime. PAT] ------------------------------ From: tom@MCS.COM (Thomas M. Allebrandi) Subject: Re: PC Pursuit Has Ended Date: 3 Apr 1994 17:30:05 -0600 Organization: MCSNet Subscriber Acct, Chicago's First Public-Access Internet! Steven H. Lichter (co057@cleveland.Freenet.Edu) wrote: > PC Pursuit has now gone into The Information Highway history books. As > of 9:00 PM Pacific Time it went down; that was three hours earlier > then it was supposed to on 3/31/94. Many paid for a full month of > $30.00 for 30 hours and got cheated for at least three hours. The talk > among the many users of the service was Sprint killed the program by > not advertising a service that could have made money. PC Pursuit was originally intended as a way to make some money off of the unused network capacity that Sprint had after business hours. They were already providing remote outdial capabilities for thier business customers who went home at 5:00PM. Overnight, this gear sat their gathering dust. Enter PC Pursuit - $15.00 per month for unlimited use of the outdial network between 6:00PM and 7:00AM weekdays and all hours on weekends. The growth was incredible, it was not very long until the demand far outweighed the capacity. It got to the point that the costs of operating PC Pursuit at the level required by the demand was significantly greater than the costs of operating the daytime service for businesses. A way of making some extra money was turning into a full blown business entity. Sprint piddled around putting up with the complaints, made a lot of people mad, and then decided to meet the demand with significantly higher rates. That's when $30.00 for 30 hours was introduced. (There may have been a couple of steps before that, I don't recall.) This made a lot of people mad and there were massive defections. The problem was that there was no place to go and so people starting getting into other things like UUCP. I was using PC Pursuit in '87-'88 as a cheap way to get to Portal who at that time was $10.00/month. In 1988, $25.00/month for Internet Mail and USEnet news was a great deal. By the end of 1988, I had UUCP on my machine so I no longer needed Portal and hence no longer needed PC Pursuit. What exactly killed it in the end I canot say. But it would not surprise me that Sprint was simply tired of dealing with it. Tom [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I signed up with PC Pursuit about 1982 during the first week or so of its operation when they were using the 'dial us, we call you back' method of connecting callers to the network. At the time, no one really thought PCP would gain any real popularity. PAT] ------------------------------ From: taranto@panix.com (James Taranto) Subject: Re: PC Pursuit Has Ended Date: 4 Apr 1994 06:33:43 GMT Organization: The Bad Taranto In article , co057@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Steven H. Lichter) wrote: (I am commenting only on the writer's signature): > Sysop: Apple Elite II -=- an Ogg-Net Hub BBS > (909) 359-5338 12/24/96/14.4 V32/V42bis Via PCP CACOL/12/24 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Huh? Cheers, James Taranto taranto@panix.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Steve, want to explain it? PAT] ------------------------------ From: eccobbs@crl.com (ECCO BBS) Subject: Request For Information on Voicemail Systems Date: 4 Apr 1994 10:55:45 -0800 Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access (415) 705-6060 [login: guest] We are a small software development shop looking for a good voicemail package that we can set up ourselves. We need about five lines and will be purchasing all the handsets and hardware. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Henry Sobel ------------------------------ From: elitman@proxima.com (Eric A. Litman) Subject: Small Ccale Voicemail Information Needed Date: 4 Apr 1994 11:32:18 -0500 Organization: Proxima, Inc. I'm interested in purachasing a voice mail system for my company. I've always been impressed by the features of the Octel line, but my last investigation (maybe five years ago) revealed only relatively high-end systems. Audix and its offspring are OK. What are some recommendations for a system which will need to support between ten and fifty users? I'm not at all familiar with costs or administrative features, only with the systems from a user's perspective. I appreciate any information -- vendors welcome. Eric Litman Proxima, Inc. vox: (703) 506.1661 Systems Engineer McLean, VA elitman+@proxima.com ------------------------------ From: cengelog@sunny.dab.ge.com (Yilmaz Cengeloglu) Subject: Can I Use my Cellular Phone in Turkey and Germany? Date: 4 Apr 1994 12:28:01 -0500 Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway I use my cellular phone in FL, USA. I would like to know if I can use that phone in Turkey and/or Germany. If I can not use it, do you know any phone that is compatible with cellular system in Germany, Turkey and USA. Thanks in advance, cengelog@dab.ge.com ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #163 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa28235; 4 Apr 94 20:01 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA02097; Mon, 4 Apr 94 15:48:06 CDT Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA02087; Mon, 4 Apr 94 15:48:03 CDT Date: Mon, 4 Apr 94 15:48:03 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9404042048.AA02087@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #164 TELECOM Digest Mon, 4 Apr 94 15:48:00 CDT Volume 14 : Issue 164 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson What's Up With The NANP (John R. Levine) New NPA For Virginia (Karl Johnson) Re: Ruling on Dark Fiber (Michael P. Herlihy) Re: Bellcore Goes Crypto (Garrett Wollman) Re: Bellcore Goes Crypto (Peter M. Weiss) Re: Dials! (Tom Watson) Re: *999; CB Channel 9 (Chris Sullivan) Re: History: Vail, Monopoly, AT&T (Mike Eastman) Re: Leased Line Connectivity Question (Barton F. Bruce) Re: Is 800 Really Portable Yet? (Terry Eugene Knab) Re: Is 800 Really Portable Yet? (Steve Forrette) Re: ZMODEM - Proprietary? (Matt Silveira) Re: ZMODEM - Proprietary? (Linc Madison) Re: Charges For 800 and 950 Access (Kurt Albrecht) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) Subject: What's Up With the NANP Date: Mon, 4 Apr 94 14:13:30 EDT I just picked up this FCC news release from the fcc.gov ftp server. Despite the date, it's real. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, jlevine@delphi.com, 1037498@mcimail.com -------------------------- Report No. DC-2581 ACTION IN DOCKET CASE April 1, 1994 CHANGES IN ADMINISTRATION OF NORTH AMERICAN NUMBERING PLAN PROPOSED (CC DOCKET NO. 92-237) The Commission has proposed to establish a new, non-government entity to administer the North America Numbering Plan (NANP). Administration of the NANP has evolved from its earlier focus on conventional area codes to include other numbering resources such as service access codes (e.g., 500 and 900 codes), N11 codes (e.g., 411), and carrier identification codes. As a result, the NANP administrator coordinates many of the telephone numbers used in the United States, Canada, and other parts of North America. To explore issues pertaining to future administration of the NANP, the Commission opened this docket with a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) in October 1992. The NOI divided the docket into two phases. Phase I requested comment on the identification of an appropriate entity to administer the NANP, future funding for such administration, and how such administration might be improved. Phase II sought comment on the costs, benefits and technical issues associated with expanding Feature Group D (FGD) Carrier Identification Codes (CICs) from a three-digit to a four-digit format. The expanded format has been proposed to avoid premature exhaustion of the current supply of three-digit FGD codes. In this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the Commission tentatively concluded that ministerial administration of the NANP should be undertaken by a new, non-government entity and that the FCC should impose fees to offset the costs of regulating US numbering resources. The Commission also asked for comment on whether it, in conjunction with other World Zone 1 regulators, should impose numbering charges to finance future international administration of NANP. In addition, the Commission sought comment, on whether a new numbering policy board should be established to assist regulators. With respect to Phase II, the Commission tentatively concluded that FGD CICS should be expanded to a four-digit format. In addition, it proposed to specify a transition period of six years during which subscribers could use both the current three digit and the new four-digit FGD CICs. The Commission also sought comment on whether it should require local exchange carriers in equal access areas to deliver interstate, intraLATA "1+" MTS calls to the carrier preselected by the end user. In addition, the Commission sought comment on the need, if any or for a nationally uniform dialing pattern that would use the digit "1" as a toll call identifier. Action by the Commission March 30, 1994, by Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (FCC 94-79). Chairman Hundt, Commissioner Quello and Barrett. New Media contract: Rosemary Kimball at (202) 632-5050. Common Carrier Bureau contact: Peyton Wynns at (202) 632-0745. ------------------------------ Date: 04 Apr 94 17:59:36 EDT From: Karl Johnson Subject: New NPA For Virginia In the business section of the 1 April 1994 {Washington Post} there is an article "announcing" a split for NPA 703. The Post gives the start date for this split as August (I personaly think that this will occur a year from August). No number or geographic location has been assigned as of yet. The article also states that over the next three months that an economic study will be conducted by Bell Atlantic, the local wireless companies, and 14 other local phone companies in the region. I think this will be a normal split with the line somewhere west of the Washington, DC suburbs, with the western part getting the new NPA. ------------------------------ From: mikeh@cbnewsg.cb.att.com (michael p.herlihy) Subject: Re: Ruling on Dark Fiber Organization: AT&T Date: Mon, 4 Apr 1994 11:19:08 GMT In article tsw@cypher.apple.com (Tom Watson) writes: > OK, I'll bite... > What is "dark fiber". > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Dark Fiber is, as I understand it, simply > the fiber from one point to another, without the intelligence on either > end of the line **as supplied by the telco** to use it. Dark fiber could > roughly be compared to a wire cable from one place to another without > telco's battery and/or switching apparatus on either end; the customer > left to his own devices on how to use it. Although telcos have for many > years provided so-called 'private line service' -- that is, a piece of > wire from one point to another with the subscriber doing his own thing > on both ends of the wire, I understand they (telcos) are not terribly > enthusiastic about providing fiber under the same conditions. George > Gilder wrote about this, and his essay is in the Telecom Archives for > interested parties to review. PAT] I thought Dark-Fiber was telco run fiber that wasn't being used. An AAV or CAP would lease it from a LEC and provide alternate access using the LEC's own facilities ... ------------------------------ From: wollman@ginger.lcs.mit.edu (Garrett Wollman) Subject: Re: Bellcore Goes Crypto Date: 4 Apr 1994 10:13:37 GMT Organization: MIT Laboratory for Computer Science In article , PAT writes: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thank you Colonel. Tell me this: any ideas > how Colonel came to be pronounced 'kernel' rather than 'call-on-nell'? There is a reason for this, oddly enough. The English word `colonel' is a result of the collision between the French word `colonelle' and the Italian `coronello'. For some unknown reason, English adopted the French spelling and the Italian pronunciation. Garrett A. Wollman wollman@lcs.mit.edu formerly known as wollman@emba.uvm.edu ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Apr 1994 05:13:30 EDT From: Peter M. Weiss Subject: Re: Bellcore Goes Crypto Organization: Penn State University In article , greg@gallifrey.ucs.uoknor.edu (Greg Trotter) says: > In article vantek@aol.com writes: >> (...) Call Surety Technologies, Inc. at (201) 993-8178; >> fax number is (201) 993-8748. Information is also available on the >> Internet at infonotary.com. > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > My system can't seem to find this place ... and whois at internic seems > clueless as well. Anybody have any updated information? Taking a SWAG, I looked up info.notary.com which resolved to an MX host. Pete-Weiss@psu.edu "The 'NET' never naps" +1 814 863 1843 31 Shields Bldg. -- Penn State Univ -- University Park, PA 16802-1202 USA ------------------------------ From: tsw@cypher.apple.com (Tom Watson) Subject: Re: Dials! Date: Mon, 04 Apr 1994 12:42:59 -0800 Organization: Apple Computer (more or less) In article , Bob_Frankston@frankston.com wrote: > My son (11) confronted a dial phone this past weekend and couldn't > figure out how to use it. He tried pressing the "buttons" but nothing > happened. We finally had to show him the concept of turning the dial. > It took a little practice to get it smooth. Something similar to this is references to "clockwise" and "counterclock- wise" as directions to torn something. It seems that the notion of direction has been "depreciated" since we now have digital clocks. Are first and second graders being taught how to tell time on one of those "old-fashion" "dial" clocks? This is probably not the correct place to discuss this, but surfing over to 'alt.folklore.computers' will probably yield some interesting ideas on this subject ... Tom Watson Not much simpler!! tsw@cypher.apple.com ------------------------------ From: feedle@kaiwan.com (Prof. Feedlebom) Subject: Re: *999; CB Channel 9 Date: 4 Apr 94 17:58:17 GMT Organization: KAIWAN Internet (310/527-4279,818/756-0180,714/741-2920) Jonathan (jdl@wam.umd.edu) wrote: > I am wondering why the police do not routinely monitor CB channel 9, > since the primary use of this channel is to report emergencies. A few police departments monitor channel 9 across the country, however even at CB's peak that was not really who was monitoring. A long time ago, there was a group called REACT who's basic purpose was to monitor channel 9, and render assistance as needed by calling the appropriate authorities by telephone and acting as a "relay" for motorists in trouble. Unfortunately, even though REACT still exists, few still monitor channel 9. Most (especially here in LA) just act as roving reporters for the local traffic service. I know of entire TEAMS of REACT members that don't even have one CB radio between them. If you need emergency assistance while travelling, don't depend on your CB radio. Invest the $200 to buy a GOOD cellular phone, or pass the no-code Amateur license and use ham radio. You'll be doing yourself a favor. Chris Sullivan, KD6COS, Santiago REACT #19 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: In some places, the REACT people have moved up to the 462 megs area in GMRS. During the height of the CB craze back in the 1970's, channel 9 was abused a lot in many places and what limited police attention it received wained. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 04 Apr 94 08:56:38 EST From: mfe@ihlpm.att.com Subject: Re: History: Vail, Monopoly, AT&T Organization: AT&T In article , haynes@cats.ucsc.edu (James H. Haynes) writes: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thanks for that great bit of history. > .... Without question, Ted Vail was the man who made AT&T what it is > today, or at least what it was for more than half a century. PAT] AT&T has an employee award called the VAIL Medal of Valor given for acts of bravery (e.g., saving someone in fire). I find it satisfying that it is not given out for technical achievement or monetary achievement, just for HUMAN achievement. Mike Eastman att!ihlpm!mfe (708) 979-6569 AT&T Naperville, IL 60566 ------------------------------ From: Barton.Bruce@camb.com Subject: Re: Leased Line Connectivity Question Organization: Digital Equipment Computer Users Society Date: 04 Apr 94 01:49:21 -0500 In article , kostick@umbc.edu (kostick christopher) writes: > I have some questions. I am more of a LAN person and this WAN stuff is > new to me. Before I approach vendors and providers about equipment and > connectivity, I like to have some knowledge of what I'm talking about, > and the net seems to be the place. > Two offices need connectivity. I was thinking through a leased line of > 56Kbps. I'm in the Bell Atlantic region, would I talk to them? AT&T? > MCI? Sprint? Anyone of them? > What kind of equipment would be necessary? I've heard of these CSU/DSU > devices? Do I need one? Bell Atlantic has frame relay in many places and more coming. If you are intralata, compare that to a DDS-II circuit or some FT1 circuits. Whether leased line or frame relay, you will need a CSU/DSU (think of it as a digital modem). The CSU/DSU (also spelled DSU/CSU - your choice) you get depends on speed. DDS to 56 or possibly 64 is one type. T1 or fractions is the other type. If small groups are at either end and this is otherwise suitable, bridge. It will be plug and play -- no configuration hassles. Get a Gandalf 5220 that does screaming good compression. Lists at 2295 each. Wholesales at Ingram at 1513, your street price depends on your bargaining. The base model used to just do 56kb. 2nd wan port is just $150 more. S/W upgrade (flash equipped, no less) to support compression to 384kb and T1 speeds without compression WAS $700, but may now be bundled free due to competition -- ask. DDS DSU/CSU ***SERIOUS QUALITY** try Adtran's DSU-III AR listing at $725. Shopping in the back of "Telecom Gear" may find ads offering it at $479 or less. A BAT brand one that JUST does 56kb and JUST has a v.35 (no rs232) lists at $299. **LARGE** discount %s generally available. A T1 CSU/DSU, oh, probably lists at $1595. There are MANY options -- best get someone you trust. With a little effort current models with reduced chip counts should be available just under $1000 with some careful shopping. If you really MUST route, get cisco's new 250x models. Hardware is 995 for one ethernet to two T1 capable ports. Software is 1500, 2300, or 3000 per end depending on what you need to do. Cisco discounts, though definitely available, are more difficult than othe rbrands. But you are getting 'class' stuff. The csico 250x router MUST be used if you are using frame relay, as the Gandalf doesn't do f/r. Cisco can bridge, too, but lacks compression that is promised in some future s/w upgrade. cisco ALWAYS will need con- figuring. If you must go interlata, then you need an IXC. Same leased line vs frame relay questions should be asked. Try other than the mainstream ATT/Sprint/MCI. Wiltel or C&W should be good. Resellers should be avoided until you get more experience. they tend to want your $s without really getting the service installed properly, and will help precious little later. 56kb is probably all you need, but you didn't give many details. Ignore 8:1 claims. With the gandalfs you probably will get 3:1 or maybe 4:1 compression on average. With a 56kb line, that is VERY nice. Get the v.35 connectorized versions even if just starting at 56kb. One last thing. 56kb DDS *WAS* and in some places still IS the old hubbed MEGA-RIP-OFF obsolete service. You want DDS-II, or BDS (Basic...) or GDS (Generic...) or, in AT&T terms ASDS (Acunet Spectrum of Digital Service). Specifically you want the LOWEST PRICE non hubbed generic digital service available. Check BOTH the in state utility commission tariffs and the FCC ones. *YOU* (in state only) and you alone can pick which you order under. There ARE rules saying which to use. No one polices this and no one seems to really care. Bigest problem if the FCC ones are cheaper inlata may be getting a local telco sales droid that even understands HOW to take your order under FCC pricing! Persist. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Apr 1994 06:01:52 CST From: Terry Eugene Knab Subject: Re: Is 800 Really Portable Yet? I applied for my 800 number (800-900-XXXX) on May 3, 1993 (two days after the new system started. When I enquired as to what was available, (and I was dealing with MCI) they offered me the 800-900- XXXX, 800-417-XXXX, 800-889-XXXX (all of which either ended in double 0 or repeated i.e. 8989) When I asked the MCI rep why I had these choices, she told me that all combinations were opened up for general use. BTW, 889 was a RBOC NNX. Terry Knab tknab01@services.dese.state.mo.us P.O. Box 34 Buffalo, MO 65622 417-345-7979 ------------------------------ From: stevef@wrq.com (Steve Forrette) Subject: Re: Is 800 Really Portable Yet? Date: 4 Apr 1994 10:10:26 GMT Organization: Walker Richer & Quinn, Inc. Reply-To: stevef@wrq.com (Steve Forrette) > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: After portability started, > When it comes to 'good' numbers (i.e. they spell words or end in x000 > or some other desirable combination) which are idle from AT&T, then AT&T > always claims the number is 'reserved' for a pending customer. They never > can produce the name of the so-called customer of course, and although > reservations are theoretically only good for sixty days (at which point > a carrier has to make it available without further hassles) AT&T keeps > on renewing the reservations on the numbers they want. ... > So although portability is the law, it will only work as it should > when the FCC orders all the carriers to start responding promptly to > customer requests for numbers which 'belong' to other carriers and to > quit reserving numbers for customers who do not exist in order to hang > on to desirable numbers. PAT] I had this problem last year. The number I wanted was not in service, but when I tried to get it through AT&T, I was told that it was "reserved" by the original carrier who owned that prefix, Cable & Wireless. So I called C&W, and they told me that it was reserved by themselves for "internal use." Instead of battling with them to get them to release it, I explained to them that I wanted to sign up for 800 service, but I will do so with them only if I can get the number I want, and that if I have to have a number assigned to me other than the one I want, that I might as well go with another carrier. I played dumb and acted like I didn't know anything about portability. Magically, the sales rep was able to get the number "released" and assigned to me. Once the account was set up and working, I filled out the RespOrg switch form and had it moved over to AT&T where I wanted it. Once it was in service in my name, there was no argument about moving it. Although it introduces a bit of a delay, extra work, and perhaps a setup charge and first-month's fee from a carrier you don't want to deal with, it is far easier than trying to battle it out. I'd recommend to anyone to do it this way if at all possible. Steve Forrette, stevef@wrq.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You shouldn't have to play games like that however. I've had to do the same thing though. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Apr 94 10:16:45 PST From: mws1@admin01.osi.com (Matt Silveira) Subject: Re: ZMODEM - Proprietary? Yes, many modems of like bps rate will not "communicate" due to proprietary bit compression schemes. V.fast and MNP are proprietary and will not "sync-up" with a standard modem. And save your money on fancy options for LEC lines or IXC lines and buy a better modem with more robust error correction. With regard to ZMODEM, it is not proprietary and there are many "shareware" programs available for Macs, PCs, and UNIX boxes, check a "mirrored" INTERNET site or sumex.aim at Stanford for Macs. Good Luck. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 3 Apr 1994 18:20:12 -0700 From: lincmad@netcom.com (Linc Madison) Subject: Re: ZMODEM - Proprietary? Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) In article you wrote: > I'm trying to determine whether the Zmodem transfer protocol is > proprietary. Specifically, are there any *free* (i.e. non-shareware) > tools for sending/receiving files utilizing the Zmodem protocol? The ZMODEM protocol is definitely NOT proprietary. Particular implementations of it (such as the Mark/Space ZMODEM tool for the Apple Communications Toolbox) are proprietary, but the protocol itself is not. You can obtain complete source code for "sz/rz" for Unix. I don't recall the FTP site, but I'm sure someone on the net can inform you. There are also freeware comm applications for popular micros that supply ZMODEM (e.g., ZTerm for Macintosh). Linc Madison * Oakland, California * LincMad@Netcom.com ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 4 Apr 94 13:31:00 EDT From: National Electric Telephone <0006348890@mcimail.com> Subject: Re: Charges For 800 and 950 Access My company provides public telephones for general public use in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Consequently, I'm pretty familiar with access to 800 and 950 numbers from public telephones. I'm going to give you some of the history, rules, and reasons behind the rules. I'm also going to let you know where I think things are going on this issue. In the Telephone Operator Consumer Services Improvement Act of 1990 (TOCSIA) Congress mandated that telephone aggregators (i.e. public telephone providers, hotels, university provided phones, etc.) must provide access to 800 and 950 at no higher cost than what they charge to access their presubscribed 0+ carrier (i.e. the carrier that you get when you just dial 0). Since most aggregators don't charge to access their presubscribed carrier (they receive a commission from the presubscribed carrier in exchange for sending the traffic their way) they therefore should not be charging for access to 800 and 950 access. They definately cannot block access. TOCSIA also mandated that the FCC decide whether 10XXX should be handled in the same manner. In addition, they also directed the FCC to see if compensation should be granted to the aggregators for allowing the end user to access their carrier of choice. The carrier receives compensation from the end user who pays for the call, why shouldn't the company that provided the equipment from which the call originated also be compensated. In 1992 the FCC decided that 10XXX access should be handled in the same manner as 1-800 and 950 and that aggregators should be compensated on a per call basis. However, they couldn't figure out how to implement a per call compensation plan so they did nothing. At the urging of the American Public Communications Council (A trade group which represents public accessible communication companies) the FCC did implement a temporary plan in which the major long distance carriers pay into a fund. Each aggregator phone receives $6 per month to compensate them for interstate access code calls. Prior to this aggregators received *nothing* everytime someone placed one of these calls. You might wonder why an aggregator should receive compensation for 800, 950, and 10XXX calls when these are free to them to begin with. Well, if you decided to start a business providing public telephones for use by the public you would invest money in equipment, personnel, training, maintenance. Each month you have to pay a phone bill to the LEC (local telephone company) for dial tone service. Each month you have to pay to keep the phones in good repair (handsets, keypads, circuit boards, lamps). And each month you have a payroll you have to meet. Everytime someone uses your phone to make an 800, 950, or 10XXX call they tie up the phone from someone that is actually going to make a paid call. Prior to the per call compensation plan many aggregators felt that it was unfair to give away service for free. Consumers saw this as unfair because it had always been free. Most aggregators have now unblocked access to these codes. Issues that still need to be resolved are compensation for intrastate access code calls, calls to new access services like MCI's 1-800-COLLECT and AT&T's 1-800-OPERATOR, and subscriber 800 calls (ie. Calls to L.L. Bean). The number of 800 subscriber calls far outweighs 1-800, 950, and 10XXX carrier access calls. Basically, any call that is originated from a public telephone should be compensated. This is no different than the LEC's that receive access charges for *all* calls that they send onto an Interexchange carrier (i.e. AT&T, MCI, etc.). They aren't forced to pass any calls onto the long distance carriers for free. It is my opinion that once compensation is awarded on a time sensitive basis for all originated calls, that are not paid by coin at the public telephone, you will start to see rates on operator assisted calls come down. A lot of the cost now in non-dominant operator service calls is from the Premise Imposed Fee (PIF). This is a fee that the aggregator has asked the operator service company to collect on their behalf. Right now, the scales are unbalanced. If you have to give away calls for free on one hand you have to make up the loss elsewhere. Basically, calling card and collect call users are subsidizing callers who make 1-800 calls. Once proper compensation is in place these PIF fees should be greatly reduced or eliminated and the scales will finally be balanced. Hope this was helpful. Kurt Albrecht National Electric & Telephone ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #164 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa14239; 6 Apr 94 18:24 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA06216; Wed, 6 Apr 94 14:31:12 CDT Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA06205; Wed, 6 Apr 94 14:31:09 CDT Date: Wed, 6 Apr 94 14:31:09 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9404061931.AA06205@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #165 TELECOM Digest Wed, 6 Apr 94 14:31:00 CDT Volume 14 : Issue 165 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson ATM in the Government Sector II (Michael R. Brown) Beacon Initiative (Dave Sellers) PacBell Billing For AT&T - Constant Problems (Laurence Chiu) Meridian Mail Problem (rah@connectinc.com) Help Needed With Phone Wiring (Simon Shaw) Intrastate LD Rates (Todd Inch) Voice Mail System Log-Off (Stephen Polinsky) Toshiba Strata III Documentation (omniplex@access.digex.com) Re: Getting Wired: Leased Line vs. Dial-up For 14.4kps Data Comm (L Reeves) Re: Question About MIN and ESN (Jay Hennigan) Re: Cellular Roaming Charges (John R. Levine) Re: Ethernet via Cable TV (Jerry Yost) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Michael R. Brown Subject: ATM in the Government Sector II Date: 6 Apr 1994 13:33:33 GMT Organization: The MITRE Corporation ATM Networking in the Government Sector The MITRE Corporation and the ATM Forum are pleased to announce their second annual workshop on ATM networking in the government sector, to be held on 26 April 1993 in McLean, VA. The focus of this workshop is on the government's need for broadband network technology and services, and industry's plans for to meet these needs over the next five to ten years. Senior representatives from the Government and Industry will discuss a wide range of issues including requirements, technology developments, early (ATM) trial results, and product and service plans. Workshop sessions include: Keynote Speakers Rep. Rick Boucher Chair, House Subcommittee on Science Mr. Donald Teague,Jr. VP and GM, Sprint Government Systems ATM Networking Standards Mr. Irfan Ali VP, ATM Forum Mr. Richard Vickers Manager, Northern Telecom ATM Networking - Early Experiences Mr. Dan McAuliffe Director, Telecom Division, Rome Labs Ms. Chris Caldwell National Information Infrastructure Testbed Mr. Kwok Li Director, Product Development, WilTel Federal and State Government Requirements Dr. John Okay Director, Information Resource Mgt, US Army Dr. Howard Frank Director, ARPA/DISA AITS-JPO Pat Jackson Director, Council on Information Mgt, VA Mr. Nick Giordano Assisstant Director, Bureau of ATM, PA Vendor and Carrier Plans Dr. Mohan Kinra Director, Apex Marketing, General Datacom Mr. Bob Halligan VP & GM, Government Systems Division Mr. Tony D'Agata VP, Military, Bell Atlantic Federal Systems Mr. William Clark Director, Advanced Technologies, Cabletron In addition to these sessions, vendor demonstrations will be conducted throughout the workshop. Given the continued interest in related initiatives such as NREN, NII, and Global Grid, this workshop offers a unique opportunity for government and industry officials to discuss potential applications of this enabling technology. Because of the desire to facilitate one-on-one discussions between government and industry officials, non-government representatives will be admitted on a limited basis. The workshop will be held at : The MITRE Corporation Hayes Auditorium 7525 Colshire Drive McLean, VA 22102 For registration information contact: Ms. Holly Robbins hrobbins@mitre.org 703.883.5890 703.883.5914 (FAX) Michael R. Brown mrb@mitre.org Advanced Telecommunications Group 617.271.7390 The MITRE Corporation 617.271.7231 (FAX) S B280 Burlington Road Bedford, MA 01730 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 5 Apr 94 15:42:49 EDT From: sellers@on.bell.ca (Dave Sellers) Subject: Beacon Initiative THE FOLLOWING NEWS RELEASE WAS ISSUED BY STENTOR APRIL 5, 1994 NR-94-E04 Stentor Companies Address Canada's Telecommunications Future Through The Beacon Initiative (TORONTO -- April 5, 1994) -- In a coast to coast broadcast today, Stentor telecommunications companies announced a joint initiative to bring the Information Highway to all Canadians. The companies will pool their resources to upgrade their local, regional and national networks to provide multimedia services into homes, offices, hospitals and schools across the country. Under the banner of the The Beacon Initiative , the Stentor companies outlined their plans and rationale to help bring the Information Highway to Canadian businesses and consumers. The central theme of the initiative is an open, collaborative effort with all interested players to bring enhanced interactive, data, image and video services to Canadians. The activities announced represent a major commitment to the future of Canada, investment in Canada's economic infrastructure, and improvement in the quality of life of Canadians. The Stentor companies have come together in a world first -- the delivery of a broadband network from the Pacific to the Atlantic. While many players have talked about the Information Highway, this initiative brings it into being. The joint activities include: - an $8 billion upgrade of the local telephone networks over 10 years to provide broadband capability for multimedia; - a $500 million enhancement program over six years to provide seamless national connectivity; - creation of a new company to supply multimedia services and applications; and - initiation of a venture capital fund -- possibly to reach $50 million -- to assist companies developing multimedia applications and products for the Information Highway. Host of the Toronto event, Brian Canfield, Chairman and CEO of BC TELECOM and Chairman of the Stentor Alliance Council of CEOs, said the Information Highway is a tool that will assist Canadians as they build a stronger economy and ever more modern society. It will be part of a network of networks connecting Canadians, he said. It will make communications faster and easier for Canadians. Mr. Canfield also outlined the impact this initiative will have on the Canadian economy. Our sector creates more employment growth than any other, he said. The types of jobs created are knowledge workers who are the fuel in the engine of our economic growth and increasing global competi- tiveness. He also noted that a strong telecommunications infrastructure has a direct relationship with a country's indust- rial competitiveness, economic development and social well-being. Ivan Duvar, CEO of MT&T, said the local upgrade program alone would fund 12,000 jobs nationally over a ten year period. Mr. Duvar also made a strong commitment to the universality of the Information Highway. We are committed to offering an Information Highway which is accessible and affordable for all Canadians -- in keeping with our tradition of innovation and service, he said. John McLennan, President and CEO of Bell Canada, outlined how the Stentor companies would capitalize on their long- standing cooperation to manage the necessary upgrades to their regional and national networks to provide seamless national connectivity. Mr. McLennan also announced a commitment to ensure Canada's educational, health care and cultural institutions have access to the Information Highway and the benefits it will deliver. As part of The Beacon Initiative each Stentor company will work together with the organiza- tions and institutions in their regions to deliver the desired multimedia capabilities in an affordable manner. Completing the full solution provided by The Beacon Initiative was the announcement of a new multimedia company, currently called MMI. Customers expect that multimedia will allow them to set up a desktop video conference, dial up a movie from their living room, exchange video messages with friends and colleagues, or browse through a far off database for visual information all as simply as placing a telephone call across town, said Mr. Neuman, President and CEO of WorldLinx, a Stentor company. MMI will become involved in all areas of the multimedia business, he said, including content and service acquisition and development, conversion of information to digital format, and distribution coordination of multimedia controllers and business software. MMI will also work closely with the appropriate agencies to ensure that privacy and security concerns are addressed. Stentor, an alliance of Canada's major telephone companies, provides customers uniform, leading-edge products and services and service excellence across Canada and internationally. The nine owner companies are: BC TEL, AGT Limited, SaskTel, Manitoba Telephone System, Bell Canada, NBTel, Maritime Tel & Tel, Island Telephone and Newfoundland Telephone. For further information, For interviews with our please contact: national spokespersons, please contact: Don Doucette Maureen MacDonald Stentor Communications Stentor Communications work: (613) 781-9223 on Apr. 5 (416) 585-3588 after Apr. 8 (613) 781-3495 after Apr. 5 (613) 781-9232 home: (613) 744-6025 ------------------------------ From: lchiu@crl.com (Laurence Chiu) Subject: PacBell Billing For AT&T - Constant Problems Date: 5 Apr 1994 17:47:51 -0700 Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access Has anybody else noticed this? For the past six months each time I get my phone bill from PacBell I have go through the AT&T portion very carefully to see if I have been billed correctly. And it has been wrong every time, sometimes up to $40. This is mainly due to applying the wrong rate for calls (mostly international). AT&T have been very gracious every time I call them about this and always work out the discrepancy and send forward a credit. Finally I decided to ask the customer rep what the problem was. He sighed and said they always had problems with PacBell -- in fact this past month because of some software foulup, they viz. PB) screwed up 250,000 customer's bills! Now if only AT&T could bill directly as MCI do (I get direct MCI billing because I use them via 10222 for international calls occasionally) then this problem would not occur. Laurence Chiu Walnut Creek, California Tel: 510-215-3730 (work) Internet: lchiu@crl.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 5 Apr 94 14:50:56 -0700 From: rah@connectinc.com Subject: Meridian Mail Problem Paul, Steve; Thank you both for your help! I have to apologize for not getting back to both of you sooner. but with end-of-quarter work to do I haven't had time to look at the switch until today. Of course our system went down briefly over the weekend and that gave me a bit more incentive... :-) Your suggestions were remarkable similar -- great minds must think alike. 1) I changed the TODC to a Message Service. Much to my surprise, the system accepted it. Unfortunately, it did not solve the problem. As a result of this experiment however, I realized that I *needed* an emergency TODC instead of a Message Service since I wanted the voice response to be different during different time periods. During the day I want key three to go to Customer Service, during Evenings, Weekends, and Holidays I want it to go to voicemail. No problem, I can deal with that. 2) During our latest emergency, I set the evening message service in TODC 1000 to 1004 (the emergency message). This worked! now the 408 NPA and the 800 NPA (on TODC 2000) both had the emergency message. This was useful, but not a long term solution because I can not do this with Remote Activation -- only from the console. However, This told me that there must be (as you both suggested) TWO DNs associated with the TODC 1000. 3) I looked in the "DN to Services" table and, sure enough, DN 520 *AND* DN zero were both set to TODC 1000. If I use Remote Activation to change both of those to TODC 2000 during an emergency, the system should work as planned. I haven't tested this yet, But I'm sure it will work :-) :-) I am a happy camper ... ------ Now, the mystery of the Holiday during working hours prompt! While fiddling around with the system, I discovered that someone (not me :-) had recorded a holiday message in the place of the menu choices prompt for Message Service 1001 (business days). Normally, we only have a greeting prompt recorded for any Message Service. Somehow, in some mysterious way, the Menu Choices prompt was being played for the edification of the occasional customer. I still don't know when or why a Menu Choices prompt is played instead of the Greeting prompt. However, I re-recorded the Menu Choices prompt to be the same as the Greeting Prompt and this seems to have solved the problem. Intuitively, this seems to be wrong. I think I should just erase the Menu Choices prompt ... So, thank you both very much! I will post a summary to comp.dcom.telecom as I promised. Regards, Rick rah@netcom.com rah@connectinc.com ------------------------------ From: mmine@yarrow.wt.uwa.edu.au (Micromine) Subject: Help Needed With Phone Wiring Date: 5 Apr 1994 04:00:58 GMT Organization: The University of Western Australia I am after a circuit to allow someone to put a caller "on hold" and play CD music to them down the line. To purchase such a beast here costs over $200 Australian ... Anyway, the line plug is like this: 0V --------- (Green wire) (Maybe black??? ?V --------- (yellow) ----+ | ----+ NC --------- NC --------- 48V --------- Red wire. ?V --------- Not too sure if colours are correct, (we have our own system at work so I can't check). Basically, an on/off button for the hold function and a circuit showing how to connect the CD player to the line is required. Anybody have answers? Private mail to me can be sent to the addresses below or post this group. Thanks, Simon Shaw Please finger mmine@yarrow.wt.uwa.edu.au for further company information. Micromine Pty. Ltd. Exploration and Mining Software [PHONE] +61 9 389-8722 [FAX] +61 9 386-7462 [BBS] +61 9 389-8317 ------------------------------ From: Todd Inch Subject: Intrastate LD Rates Date: Tue, 29 Mar 1994 09:19:21 PST TELECOM Moderator said: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Intrastate rates are peculiar things, > aren't they? Very odd in how they are calculated, a very much left > to the whims of the state PUCs, which frequently are nothing more > than tools of the local Bell company. If you can figure this out Bob, > an article here in the Digest would be welcome. PAT] Indeed. The biggest chunk of my phone bill is to my inlaws across the state. Intrastate is almost always the exception to the calling plan discounts -- I wish Idaho would annex Spokane. In a recent mailing from MCI, they promise savings over AT&T's interstate rates on "all calls all the time". One rep on the phone actually said yes, they'd beat AT&T's interstate rates on intrastate calls. I may have to take them up on it. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 06 Apr 1994 13:52:00 EDT From: Stephen Polinsky Subject: Voice Mail System Log-Off Our local users are on a Northern Telecom Digital Centrex [DMS-100], and thus we use five-digit dialing to access our voice mail. The Centrex trunks terminating on our VMX 300 are in what Northern calls a UCD group [Uniform Call Distribution]. This allows incoming calls to sort through the busy trunks to find those that are available. For some reason, all of these trunks repeatedly "drop out" of the UCD group, and none of the 64 lines will take calls. Of course there is much fingerpointing between VMX and our LEC [Ameritech] as to whose problem it really is. We have a large [nearly 5,000], and increasingly hostile, user base that would appreciate any help you may be able to offer. Thanks, Stephen Polinsky tele_steph@ohio.gov ------------------------------ From: omniplex@access.digex.net (Omniplex) Subject: Toshiba Strata III Documentation Date: 6 Apr 1994 08:18:32 -0400 Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA I'm looking for documentation on a Toshiba Strata III electronic telephone system. I was able to pick one up for a reasonable price (free!) with nine telephones, 3 BFI Communication Sysetm 4000's, and a radio (holding with music). I would like to install it in a small business. I've contacted a local Toshiba distributor and they are currently attempting to get me a copy of the docs. I suspect that their effort will be weak as they have an opportunity to make some $$$ setting up the system for me. All the components were working when the phone system was removed. I'm missing some of the cables and need to get some documentation to connect and configure all the components. Thanks, Bob Omniplex Computer Consulting omniplex@access.digex.net Columbia, Md. 21045 410.290.6640 ------------------------------ From: lreeves@crl.com (Les Reeves) Subject: Re: Getting Wired: Leased Line vs. Dial-up For 14.4kps Data Comm Date: 6 Apr 1994 13:05:06 -0800 Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access (415) 705-6060 [login: guest] Peter L. Rukavina (rukavina@bud.peinet.pe.ca) wrote: > Our small non-profit organization is trying to become an Internet > service provider with a budget of ~$20,000 which demands that we do > everything that we do on the cheap. Our plans are to connect our > Linux-based PC to our local Internet service provider, which is using > rack-mounted USR Courier v.32bis modems. I'm trying to figure out the > best way of doing this given two options: > (1) We get a regular POTS line installed, ($40/month, $60 for the > installation), buy a relatively cheap 14.4kbps modem (~$300) and have > our service provider dedicate a dial-up line to our exclusive use. > (2) We get a leased data line (the phone company calls this an LDDS > circuit, $32/month, $180 for the installation) installed and buy a more > expensive but leased-line capable 14.4kbps modem (~$900) and connect > directly. > The first option works out to a cost of $840 for the year, the second > option $1284 for the year, a not-insignificant difference. > I do not know enough about high-speed modems and leased lines to be able > to evaluate the two options technically, nor do I know enough about the > telephone system to know if I'm missing a third [or fourth] option that > would be a better route to follow. I would very much appreciate any > advice in this regard. I am certainly no expert on this subject, but it is possible that your LDDS requires a LDDS modem which is more like a line driver. They go to 19.2 kbps and are *much* less complex than a modem. While a modem will work just fine on line which is designed for LDDS (Limited Distance Data Set), the converse is not true. I can't tell you exactly how to determine if your circuit is compatible with these line drivers. I think there is a separate USOC for LDDS as opposed to voice channels for data. One way to tell is distance; LDDS will only work at 19.2 for a mile or two. BTW, I have a box of brand-new LDDS line drivers if you decide to experiment. Les lreeves@crl.com Atlanta,GA 404.874.7806 ------------------------------ From: jay@coyote.rain.org (Jay Hennigan) Subject: Re: Question About MIN and ESN Date: 6 Apr 1994 11:43:39 -0700 Organization: Regional Access Information Network (RAIN) In article sathya@uw-isdl.ee.washington.edu (Sathyadev Uppala) writes: > What is the difference between MIN and ESN? > Each mobile unit in a celllular system has a unique ESN, so what is > the need to have a MIN? The ESN (Electronic Serial Number) is programmed into the telephone when it is manufactured, and uniquely identifies that particular telephone transceiver. It is (supposed to be) secure against tampering, and used to verify that a particular subscriber is using the hardware assigned to it. The MIN is the "Mobile identification number", or the cellular phone number issued to the phone. It is assigned by the cellular carrier when the phone is activated, and programmed at that time. The MIN is what is sent by a cell site to page the phone and is matched against the ESN for validation. In a nutshell, the MIN identifies the phone *number*, the ESN identifies the phone *hardware*. Both the MIN and ESN must match the carrier's database as valid for a call to go through. Jay ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 06 Apr 94 13:42 EDT From: johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) Subject: Re: Cellular Roaming Charges Organization: I.E.C.C., Cambridge, Mass. > Are then any tricks to cutting costs on the high roaming rates many > cellular carriers charge? Not really that I've ever seen. If you roam much, get the Cellular Travel Guide, a 1000 page book which lists every cellular company in North America with phone numbers, coverage areas, system numbers, and roaming prices. Also, contact your own cellular carrier to find out where they have reduced rate roaming -- in many cases you get rates in adjoining areas that are considerably lower than the list roaming price. In most areas there are two carriers, and the rates are often different; unless you have a really cruddy phone, you can tell the phone which carrier to use. Finally, if you roam in specific areas a lot, consider getting multiple numbers for your phone. For example, here in Boston I have a NYNEX Mobile number (they gave me the phone as part of the deal) which gives me home rates throughout eastern Mass, Rhode Island, and southern New Hampshire, and reduced rate roaming in Connecticut, Manchester NH, and much of southern Maine. I spend a fair amount of time in Vermont, so I have a second number from Atlantic cellular which gives me home rates in all of Vermont (there's two cell companies but they give each other's customers home rates) and northern New Hampshire, as well as reduced rate roaming in Concord NH. That covers the major areas I visit, I just have to remember to switch phone numbers, a procedure that involves pushing five keys on the phone, at the toll booth between Concord and Manchester. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, jlevine@delphi.com, 1037498@mcimail.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 April 1994 02:54:04 PDT From: Jerry Yost Organization: First Pacific Networks, Inc. Subject: Re: Ethernet via Cable TV In , John@msus1.msus.edu (John Biederstedt) wrote: > Is there a product that runs Ethernet (10mbps) over 75 ohm cable? I > thought I had heard of such a product once. My company, First Pacific Networks, manufactures a broadband Ethernet product which operates at 10mbps over a standard CATV cable plant (fiber, coax, or hybrid) using two standard 6MHz TV channels in the forward path and two in the reverse path. If you'd like more information, please contact me via the information in my signature block below or e-mail me your complete mailing address. Regards, Jerry Yost Telephone: +1 800 544-4959 Director, Int'l Distribution Sales +1 408 943-7647 (direct) First Pacific Networks, Inc. 871 Fox Lane Facsimile: +1 408 943-7666 San Jose, California 95131 USA Residence: Telephone: +1 408 264-6987 2698 Custer Drive Facsimile: +1 408 264-6988 San Jose, CA 95124-1712 USA Internet: jyost@infoserv.com ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #165 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa14649; 6 Apr 94 19:00 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA08581; Wed, 6 Apr 94 15:22:38 CDT Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA08570; Wed, 6 Apr 94 15:22:35 CDT Date: Wed, 6 Apr 94 15:22:35 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9404062022.AA08570@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #166 TELECOM Digest Wed, 6 Apr 94 15:22:00 CDT Volume 14 : Issue 166 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Free Expo: Distributed Computing World - April 19/20 - Wash DC (B. Gavin) Update: Help! Big Problem With Phone Company (Dan Smolko) Win a Free SoundBlaster With Speech Recognition (Steven Feinstein) ISDN in Rhode Island (Tony Pelliccio) What Are Fortress Phones and Other Terms? (Leif Ordorica) Re: CATV Modems (Jerry Yost) Re: Who Paid For My 550? (Dave Niebuhr) Re: Who Paid For My 550? (Alan Dahl) Re: 976, 540 Services (Wm. Randolph Franklin) Re: 976, 940 Services (Dave Niebuhr) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Barbara Gavin Subject: Free Expo - Distributed Computing World - April 19/20 - Wash DC Date: Wed, 6 Apr 94 07:23:35 -0500 Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice) FREE DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING WORLD & CLIENT/SERVER DEVELOPERS EXPOSITION Washington, D.C. Convention Center Tuesday, April 19, 12:00pm-6:30pm Wednesday, April 20, 10:30am-4:30pm See Over 100 of the Leading Distributed and Client/Server Technology Companies! Expand your Expertise Hear from today's industry leaders and slash thousands of dollars off your IS budget. No other industry event can offer you a broader range of today's leading edge suppliers of client/server computing, networking, and distributed computing at one time a nd in one place. Save Months of Costly Investigation Time Visit over 100 exhibits and see live demos of working client/server networks and the latest C/S application development tools in action. Discover key products and technologies and address your interoperability issues. Learn the secrets to Success Crucial questions ... important answers! Find out about the strengths and weaknesses of distributed computing. Learn how to use your distributed computing tools to meet your organization's strategic business requirements in a heterogeneous database environment. Glimpse into the Future See an impressive array of products and services unveiled for the first time at this pivotal industry event! Receive privileged insight into the industry's emerging technologies and services. And Much More! Don't Delay -- Get a jump on your competition and discover the secrets to your success. Bring your entire team and maintain your competitive edge by attending this year's largest and most comprehensive exposition event. FREE EXPOSITION EVENTS Client/Server Developers User Group Wednesday, April 20, 1994 - 9:00 am - 11:50 am This interactive event is part of a nationwide client/server user group sponsored by DCI. It provides technical attendees with a chance to discuss the interoperability issues that occur in a client/server environment. Discover the issues users like yourself have encountered, and work together to get answers to your questions. See registration panel to receive more information. Special Industry Presentation (Product Education Session) Another conference element which we've opened up to expo attendees. Attend in-depth session where leading companies present their products' technical capabilities in an informative classroom-style setting. FREE GIVEAWAYS Free software package from Syncsort ... come to booth #133 and learn how you can start to distribute your applications. Discuss the implementation of their "MVS to Unix Migration software". Human Factors International Inc. (booth 129) is giving away a complimentary course registration to "How to Design Effective Graphical User Interfaces." This three day course teaches system developers, interface designers and project managers to use the science of ergonomics to design optimal GUI screens Alternet -- The "Information Highway" of the 90's is here, and your computer is your vehicle -- so hop in, and get rolling! Come see how easy it is to tap into the Internet .. Retrieve your Email, become part of a global network of organizations and individuals. From its roots as the original commercial Internet service provider, AlterNet is now the most experienced, best connected, and most reliable Internet access service in the business. So whether you're looking for others to chat with, returni ng you E-mail, or trying to increase your companies productivity, tap into the Internet with Alternet. FREE KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS - TUESDAY, 11:00am - 12:00noon PAUL STRASSMANN, President, Strassman, Inc. The Politics of Distributed Computing - This session addresses the analogies between the design of information systems and organizational governance. Computing Reflects Organizational Politics Distributed Computing Not Autonomous Computing Organizational Governance Must Precede Network Architecture Technical Proposals Including Political Context ART BENJAMIN, President, Online People Limited The Business Case for Client/Server - By the end of the 90's the difference between a good I.T. infrastructure and an adequate one will be immense. Most companies are defaulting towards an infrastructure that is in inadequate, for the following reasons: Not Identifying Their Infrastructure Needs Basing Long-Term Infrastructure Direction on Current Needs Alone No Method of Measuring Costs and Benefits HERB EDELSTEIN, Principal & Founder, Euclid Associates AND LARRY DeBOEVER, Founder, DeBoever Architectures Rightsizing Point/Counterpoint: Two Industry Experts Go Toe-to-Toe on 1994's Hot Issues. These two leading industry visionaries put their reputations and friendship on the line, as they take on the toughest downsizing issues in this provocative present ation. Future of CASE Dowsizing Enablers Downsizing Issues FREE KEYNOTE PRESENTATIONS - WEDNESDAY, 9:30am - 10:30am Beyond Rows and Columns: What's New in Relational DBMS Panel Moderator: Pieter Mimno Relational DBMSs are moving rapidly to support complex data, such as; very large databases, multi-dimensional data, multi-threaded server architectures, gateways, text, images, audio, and video. This forum will allow attendees the opportunity to questio n leading RDBMS vendors on the latest advances in database technology for a distributed client/server environment. Companies invited to participate include: Arbor Software, Cincom, IRI, Oracle and Sybase. ROHAN CHAMPION, Vice President of Solutions Strategy, Novell Where Upsizing Meets Downsizing - This presentation explores key management and technological issues that must be addressed if the full power and productivity of modernized information systems are to be realized. Values to Business Enterprise Infrastructure and Transition Planning Re-Defined Role IS Management CHRISTINE COMAFORD, President, Corporate Computing Techniques For Rapid Application Development of GUI Client/Server Projects - The structure, scope, methods and deliverables required to build solid applications are explored in this conference session. Application Design and Architecture Methods Development Tasks Can Be Done in Parallel GUI Client/Server Project Duration and Resources Development Rules and Tasks Planning/Analysis How to Scope and Control Prototypes GARY A. STEMLEY, Major General, US Army Components Automation System The World's Largest LAN/WAN System - This presentation describes the approach being used by the U.S. Army to design, develop, and install the world's largest client server network. Customers' Functional Requirements Why Client Server Architecture Was Chosen Major Challenges of Customer Community Installation, Start-up Problems and Solutions Short-range and Long-range Benefits INDUSTRY SPOTLIGHT Join a select group of exhibitors who will unveil and demonstrate the technical capabilities of their newest products. Due to the delicate nature of this information, the details of some of these companies, their products and announcements will not be r evealed until show time. See highlights of the latest technologies including: Client/Server application development, networking strategies and Data Warehousing tips and techniques. EXPOSITION CO-SPONSORS: Client/Server Magazine Government Computer News IBM Integris JYACC KnowledgeWare Midrange Systems Network World Magazine Pyramid Technology Sequent Computer Systems, Inc. INVITED COMPANIES Acucobol Advanced Software Automation American Software Andersen Consulting Analysts International Corp. Arbor Software Corp. AT&T Beyond Computing Booz Allen & Hamilton Cincom Systems, Inc. CIMLIN, Inc. CIO Magazine Client/Server Magazine CODA, Inc. Codex/Motorola Cognos Corporation Command Technology Communications Week Computer Associates Int'l Computer Reseller News Computer Systems Advisers Computer Task Group Computerworld Concepts Dynamic, Inc. Corporate Computing Cortex Corporation Covia Technologies Data Based Advisor Database Decisions, Inc. Database Prog. & Design Datamation DBMS Magazine DeBoever Architectures Digital Equipment Corporation DPMA Encore Computer Evernet Federal Computer Week FourGen Software Government Computer News Hewlett-Packard High Tech Careers Human Factors Int'l IBM Information Builders, Inc. Information Week Informix Software Interactive Systems Corporation IRI Software James Martin Insight JYACC KnowledgeWare, Inc. Lattice, Inc. Logic Plus Open System, Inc. Logic Works, Inc. Lotus Development Corp. McCabe & Associates MDBS, Inc. Micro Decisionware Micro Focus Microsoft Corporation Microstrategy, Inc. Midrange Systems Momentum Software Corp. Netwise, Inc. Network World Magazine Neuron Data, Inc. News 3X/400 NeXT Computer, Inc. Novell, Inc. ODC Systems Open Systems Today Oracle Corporation Palindrome Corporation PC Magazine Peerlogic, Inc. PeopleSoft, Inc. Platinum Software Powersoft Corporation Prologic Corporation ProtoView Development Pyramid Technology Promark Corporation Q + E Software RAXCO, Inc. Red Brick Systems Revelation Technologies Select Software Tools Seer Technologies, Inc. Sequent Computer Systems, Inc. SMC Software Magazine Solbourne Computer SQA, Inc. SQL Connections Stratus Computer Sun Microsystems, Inc. Sybase Inc. Symantec Corporation SYNCSORT, Inc. Tivoli Systems, Inc. Transarc Corporation Trinzic Corporation Uniface Corporation UniKix Technologies (Integris) Unisys Corporation Universal Business Computing Co. US LAN Systems Corporation VAR Business Washington Technology Windows Magazine Wordperfect Corporation The Workstation Group XDB Systems ZYGA Corporation DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING WORLD & CLIENT/SERVER DEVELOPERS EXPOSITION-4015 YES! REGISTER TODAY FOR THE EXPOSITION--FREE NAME: TITLE: COMPANY: STREET: MAILSTOP: CITY, STATE, ZIP: E:MAIL ADDRESS: TELEPHONE: FAX: PRIORITY CODE: BVTQM1K OR CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 508-470-3880 Compuserve - 75300,2002 ------------------------------ From: smolko@che.ncsu.edu Subject: Update: Help! Big Problem With Phone Company Date: 5 Apr 1994 23:08:43 -0500 Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway An update: Though I was led to believe my friend had an account with a special code, I now have some doubts about that. When I asked him yesterday what the code was that he used, he replied "102220 or something like that." Also, when I called MCI to try to resolve the problem I discovered something that seems rather weird. When I gave them my phone number and name they sounded a little puzzled. The only names listed were my roommate's and my friend's. Also -- and this seems most peculiar -- the address that they have listed as being associated with my phone number is my friend's address! It seems as though they never even bothered to check whether the phone number and address match up. While I'm not sure if this is possible, he may have called MCI, given them my phone number, and said something like "I'm one of Dan's roommates. He has AT&T and doesn't want to switch, but I want to use your overseas plan. Can you please set up an acount for me?" P.S. When I talked to a rep at the local telco today, he said to expect an additional $790 in calls to show up on my next bill. Dan smolko@che.ncsu.edu [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: As I mentioned a couple days ago about this when you originally wrote, either you have a credit problem at this point with MCI/telco as a result of this, or you hava problem with fraud by your friend. If MCI changed over your phone records without telling you based on a call from your friend then my feeling is you will get off the hook completely. Give us a further update when you have one. PAT] ------------------------------ From: stevenf@world.std.com Subject: Win a FREE SoundBlaster With Speech Recognition Organization: Voice Processing Corp., Cambridge, MA Date: Wed, 6 Apr 1994 16:22:38 GMT I am collecting over-the-phone speech samples for a new speech recognition product being built by Voice Processing Corporation (VPC). To get the 300 more calls we need into our data collection system, we're offering the following deal: If you call into the system (whole thing takes about 2 1/2 minutes), you will be eligible to win one your choice of the following: 1. SoundBlaster 16 MCD with VPC's "Voice Assist" speech recognition. 2. Cellular telephone. (not a cheapy) This is a speech recognizer intended for the American market, so any American regional accent is fine, but heavy foreign accents might be discarded. HERE'S HOW TO DO IT 1. Call 1-800-560-0758 anytime. This will connect you with the collection system directly. 2. The system will prompt you to repeat about 60 voice commands. Don't speak over the prompt. If you make a mistake or can't understand a prompt, guess and go on to the next one. 3. The system sometimes hangs up prematurely, but it is supposed to end with the question "what state did you grow up in?" 4. When you're done, send me email with your name, phone number, and 5 command words you were asked to say. This will enter you into the random drawing. OR You can call (617) 494-0100, ask for extension 301. The receptionist will take your name and number and then transfer you into the system. The drawing will be held as soon as we get the rest of the calls. The winner will be notified by phone; losers won't be notified at all. I expect this to be done in two weeks. Thanks in advance for your participation, Steven Feinstein Voice Processing Corp. ------------------------------ From: Anthony_Pelliccio@brown.edu (Tony Pelliccio) Subject: ISDN in Rhode Island Date: 5 Apr 1994 19:11:04 GMT Organization: Brown University An interesting article appeared in the Tuesday, April 5, 1994 issue of the {Providence Journal} titled "Digital network a new on-ramp to information highway". Why is it that almost all the outlying areas have digital service (posh places like Barrington, Middletown, Portsmouth) but the capitol city won't get it until late 1994 and 1995. Does NYNEX have it's head up it's proverbial butt? And wonder why they're the worst performing RBOC in the country. Is there anyone from NYNEX who wants to counter this? Sure.. you changed the name but the level of service has barely changed. It's still shabby. Granted, they've improved basic customer service in areas like availability, etc. but service still remains in the dark ages. And of course you know that NYNEX is planning to install curbside fiber to the entire state by 1996 ... the biggest joke so far. I can't wait until competition for dialtone comes along! Anthony_Pelliccio@Brown.edu (Tony Pelliccio, KD1NR) Box 1908, Providence, RI 02912 Tel. (401) 863-1880 All opinions expressed are those of the individual, and not those of Brown University. ------------------------------ From: efn!leif@skinner.cs.uoregon.edu (Leif Ordorica) Subject: What are Fortress Phones and other terms? Organization: Prototype Eugene Free Net Date: Tue, 5 Apr 1994 20:36:07 GMT I've been wondering about these terms: What are Fortress Phones? What is a "trap-line?" What are "the bell master tones?" I know I've heard plenty about Fortress Phones but the last two terms sound hokey to me. Thanks, Leif Ordorica ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 April 1994 22:34:39 PDT From: Jerry Yost Organization: First Pacific Networks, Inc. Subject: Re: CATV Modems In , wright@LAA.COM wrote: > In article , gabioud@uni2a.unige.ch writes: >> Do you know any equipment (modem, remodulator, ...) that allows data >> communication over the CATV cable. On the user side, the modem should >> feature a well-known interface (RS232C, Ethernet, ...). > Check out First Pacific Networks at 408-730-6600. They have been > providing this equipment for years. Unfortunately, First Pacific Networks relocated its office from Sunnyvale to San Jose last month, so the above telephone number is no longer accurate. Our new number is +1 408 943-7600 and our San Jose address is listed in my signature block below, along with our facsimile number. However, I recommend that the original poster contact FPN's distributor in France, Reltek Communications, who has a great deal of experience with our broadband Ethernet products in Europe: Reltek Communications Contact: Marc Budan 26, Avenue de la Baltique Sales Manager Courtaboeuf ZA - BP 730 Telephone: +33 1 69187700 91962 Les Ulis Cedex B Facsimile: +33 1 69280609 France Regards, Jerry Yost Telephone: +1 800 544-4959 Director, Int'l Distribution Sales +1 408 943-7647 (direct) First Pacific Networks, Inc. 871 Fox Lane Facsimile: +1 408 943-7666 San Jose, California 95131 USA Residence: Telephone: +1 408 264-6987 2698 Custer Drive Facsimile: +1 408 264-6988 San Jose, CA 95124-1712 USA Internet: jyost@infoserv.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Apr 94 06:58:10 EST From: dwn@dwn.ccd.bnl.gov (Dave Niebuhr) Subject: Re: Who Paid For My 550 In TELECOM Digest Issue 158 jfh@netcom.com (Jack Hamilton) wrote: >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Normally the agents are on the A or B >> side but not both; that is in their contract with the carriers. >> Tandy has the kind of money and influence with the carriers that >> they can get away with it. Its the same kind of thing where Pepsi and >> Coca-Cola are concerned. You never see them both in the same vending >> machine; you never see them both in the same restaurant as fountain >> drinks. > In our vending machine room there are two Pepsi machines. One has > Pepsi products plus a few other things like Mountain Dew. The other > contains no Pepsi products, but does have several varieties of > Coca-Cola. In one of the smaller buildings, there's a single machine > with both Coke and Pepsi. > I'd never heard of this happening before very recently, though. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Probably they cut a deal with the local > salesman. Whoever is the bottler (distributor) for the area is under > pretty tight constraints with Pepsi headquarters in Purchase, NY or > Coke headquarters in Atlanta, GA regarding those things. Ah, that brings back memories. When I was growing up in Northeastern Nebraska in the '40s and '50s, my parents owned a pharmacy and Coke was always the main soft drink. 7-up was the next one and cherry, strawberry and one other were always on hand. Root beer was home-made using root beer extract and sugar. I don't remember the exact formula but it was five pounds of sugar to get so many gallons of syrup which was diluted with carbonated water. I used to drink the carbonated water straight; it was the best thirst killer around. Dave Niebuhr Internet: dwn@dwn.ccd.bnl.gov (preferred) niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl Senior Technical Specialist, Scientific Computing Facility Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973 (516)-282-3093 ------------------------------ From: alan.dahl@mccaw.com (Alan Dahl) Subject: Re: Who Paid For My 550? Date: 5 Apr 1994 20:31:21 GMT Organization: McCaw Cellular Communications, Inc. [I know this is getting a little far from telcom issues but I had to pipe in - ABD] In article PAT writes: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Probably they cut a deal with the local > salesman. Whoever is the bottler (distributor) for the area is under > pretty tight constraints with Pepsi headquarters in Purchase, NY or > Coke headquarters in Atlanta, GA regarding those things. Note that > the local Pepsi bottler also has the Mountain Dew franchise, but he > *cannot* have the 7-Up franchise because they are aligned with Coke. > So you won't -- or rarely -- see 7-Up in a so-called 'Pepsi machine', > and you won't see 'Upper-10' or whatever it is called in a 'Coke > machine'. All the little (by comparison) outfits, join one side or In the Pacific Northwest 7-Up is bottled by Alpac, the same company that bottles Pepsi. It's quite common to find 7-Up in a Pepsi machine here. In fact everyone here wrongly assumes Pepsi owns 7-Up just as PAT wrongly assumes that Coke and 7-Up are "aligned". You will never find 7-Up in a Coke machine since Coke makes Sprite which is pretty much the same thing. No idea what "Upper-10" is since it's not sold here. People always assume that the way things are in their part of the country is the way it is everywhere else and that's not always the case. The local Coke and Pepsi bottlers had quite a battle when we wanted to install both a Coke machine and a Pepsi machine in our office but they finally relented. Our 7-11 stores sell both from the same fountain as PAT describes just as they do elsewhere. Alan Dahl Analysts International Co. 10655 N.E. 4th St. Suite 804 Bellevue, WA 98004 PH: (206) 803-4496 FAX: (206) 803-4901 ------------------------------ From: wrf@ecse.rpi.edu (Wm. Randolph U Franklin) Subject: Re: 976, 540 Services Date: 5 Apr 1994 23:15:37 GMT Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY, USA Reply-To: wrf@ecse.rpi.edu (Wm. Randolph U Franklin) In article on Thu, 31 Mar 94 19:04 EST, johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) writes: > Is there anywhere a list of surcharged prefixes in the U.S.? Some time ago I was unable to get a complete list from a NYNEX operator. She didn't seem to know what I was talking about at first, but finally gave me what they said was a list for NYNEX territory, but she seemed so ignorant that I wouldn't trust it. Another example of NYNEX operator ignorance: I block those calls. It seems that this also blocks 700-555-4141 from finding my LD carrier. 1) She didn't know this. 2) She didn't even know about 700-555-4141. My current phone book nowhere suggests the existence of any extra-charge numbers, 900 or otherwise, anywhere in its 52-page introduction, altho it includes detailed rate information. I mention this since some people think that subscribers should know all about these things. How? Wm. Randolph Franklin, wrf@ecse.rpi.edu, (518) 276-6077; Fax: -6261 ECSE Dept., 6026 JEC, Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst, Troy NY, 12180 USA ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Apr 94 06:23:50 EST From: dwn@dwn.ccd.bnl.gov (Dave Niebuhr) Subject: Re: 976, 940 Services In TELECOM Digest Volume 14 : Issue 157 johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) wrote: > Is there anywhere a list of surcharged prefixes in the U.S.? In most > places 976 is used for non-porn announcements, but the list of other > surcharged prefixes seems to be large, growing, and largely > undocumented. > Here in eastern Mass, for example, the prefixes (valid in both 617 and 508) > are: > 550 - live chat lines, 554 - live porn, 920 - business info > 940 - recorded porn, 976 - recorded general info > You have to ask in writing to get calls to 554 and 940 turned on. > I am astonished at the report that Sprint billed the surcharge for a > 212-540 number. Has anyone else ever had this happen? NNYTel (oops, NYNEX) has 540, 550, 910, 920, 955 and 976 as special exchanges. 976 is general information, 540 is chat (and scam), 955 is radio call-in. I don't know about the others but all but 955 are classified as "Circuit 9(tm)" which means a surcharge is added. The exception is 976 which is a local call. All exchanges are enabled and the customer has to specifically request that they be disabled which I did. 540 received a lot of attention earlier this year when people were getting calls from a radio station of some sort that bilked the customers who did not realize what was happening, meaning kids replied. My number was called three times, ditto for work (on three extensions). PAT mentioned when I posted about this earlier that this thing had been around before and was an "urban legend" of sorts; well, when I take those calls, they are not legend at all but real. Dave Niebuhr Internet: dwn@dwn.ccd.bnl.gov (preferred) niebuhr@bnl.gov / Bitnet: niebuhr@bnl Senior Technical Specialist, Scientific Computing Facility Brookhaven National Laboratory Upton, NY 11973 (516)-282-3093 ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #166 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa21759; 7 Apr 94 15:35 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA25977; Thu, 7 Apr 94 10:09:04 CDT Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA25968; Thu, 7 Apr 94 10:09:02 CDT Date: Thu, 7 Apr 94 10:09:02 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9404071509.AA25968@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #167 TELECOM Digest Thu, 7 Apr 94 10:09:00 CDT Volume 14 : Issue 167 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Ring Down Unit Wanted (Sal Kabalani) Call Waiting Detection (Michael Stroucken) Information Wanted on PCMCIA (Lars Kalsen) Wanted: Cellular/Microcellular Network Simulator (Ravi Prakash) Textbook Inquiry (Dennis Esteban) Re: Question About MIN and ESN (Gregory Youngblood) Re: Question About MIN and ESN (Henrik Rasmussen) Australian Communications Futures (Steven Byrne) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: sal@ins.infonet.net (Sal Kabalani - Operations Manager / Info Systems) Subject: Ring Down Unit Wanted Date: 6 Apr 1994 21:56:53 GMT Organization: INS Info Services, Des Moines, IA USA Reply-To: sal@ins.infonet.net I am looking for a "ring-down unit" which is used to send the output of a fax machine (scanned documents) to a PC directly without using the telephone lines. I am told the device is connected via a regular phone cord to the fax machine so that when a document is scanned into the fax memory, the ring-down unit is started, connects to the fax machine, and downloads the document to a PC conencted to it. If this sounds familiar, please drop me mail on what exactly it is, and where to get it. Thank you, Sal A Kabalani InterNet: SAL@ins.INFOnet.net Operations Manager PhoneNet: (515) 830-0436 Information Systems FaxNet: (515) 830-0123 Iowa Network Services YellNet: Yo! Sal-Man! 4201 Corporate Drive Centralized Equal Access West Des Moines IA 50265 Internet Provider ------------------------------ From: mxsst1+@pitt.edu (Michael Stroucken) Subject: Call Waiting Detection Date: 6 Apr 94 03:44:07 GMT Organization: University of Pittsburgh Hello, I've got call waiting where I live, and since I'm on my modem quite alot, I've relied on call waiting to interrupt my connection, so I could take the call. But lately, my connections seem hardly affected by the call waiting signal. I would like to know if there is something I can attach to the phone line that would either flash a light or make noise if a call is coming in. Thanks, Michael Stroucken mxsst1@pitt.edu Mud+IRC: Stroucki ------------------------------ From: dalk@login.dkuug.dk (Lars Kalsen) Subject: Information Wanted on PCMCIA Date: 6 Apr 94 21:01:39 GMT Organization: DKnet Hi, What is a PCMCIA card really? What are the uses and how does it work? Please E-mail me if you can explain that to me. Lars Kalsen dalk@login.dkuug.dk ------------------------------ From: prakash@cis.ohio-state.edu (ravi prakash) Subject: Wanted: Cellular/Microcellular Network Simulator Date: 6 Apr 1994 11:39:53 -0400 Organization: The Ohio State University Dept. of Computer and Info. Science I would like to simulate a cellular/microcellular network, and observe its performance over a period of time for different channel allocation strategies. Is there a simulation package available, that I can use for my work? I have access to CSIM, but would rather use a simulator that gives me greater flexibility to send messages between interacting processes. Any information will be highly appreciated. Thanks, Ravi Prakash Office: Bolz Hall, #319b prakash@cis.ohio-state.edu Phone: (614)292-5236 - Off. Department of Computer & Information Science, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210 Fax: (614)292-2911 ------------------------------ From: desteban@mis.nu.edu (Dennis Esteban) Subject: Textbook Inquiry Date: 7 Apr 1994 06:20:59 -0700 Organization: National University, San Diego I was wondering if anyone can recommend an informative text book on telecommunications to include cabling, communication protocols and LAN wiring. Thanks! desteban@mis.nu.edu ------------------------------ From: zeta@tcscs.com (Gregory Youngblood) Subject: Re: Question About MIN and ESN Date: Thu, 07 Apr 1994 00:19:00 PST Organization: TCS Computer Systems sathya@uw-isdl.ee.washington.edu (Sathyadev Uppala) writes: > What is the difference between MIN and ESN? > Each mobile unit in a celllular system has a unique ESN, so what is > the need to have a MIN? The ESN provides a unique serial number which is used to identify the phone. The idea behind the ESN is to make it difficult to change so that normally the rule/idea of one phone to one ESN is the case. The ESN can be written two ways, either in HEX or in DECimal.. here's a breakdown: HEX: xx xxxxxx DEC: xxx xxxxxxxx The first two digits (three in DEC) refer to the brand of phone. I don't have a chart in front of me, but each company has their own code for identification. This helps to insure that one company doesn't come up with the same ESN as another company. The last six digits (eight in DEC) is the actual electronic serial number. In several cases you can look at the physical serial number of the phone, add a couple of zeros or drop the first so many digits, add or subtract a certain value and insert the manufacturer's code to find the ESN. Each manufacturer is slightly different, for example, Motorola doesn't have a correlation between the ESN and the physical serial number, where NEC and others you can just add a couple of zeros the the decimal value, put the manufacturer's code in the front, and you have the ESN. Now, why the MIN? The MIN allows the phoen to be programmed for use in a certain area, and allows for more natural dialing. Can you imagine if all cellular numbers were either eight or eleven digits long (plus the 1 for long distance ones?) Not only would it make it unusual, it wouldn't be the "seamless" integration of wireless radio and telephone that many wanted in the industry's infancy. It also allows each phone to be used in a certain area and makes billing easy, since you can look at a NPA/NXX combination and knwo where that phone belongs to. [Imagine a database for billing roaming calls ... if the phones were known by ESN and not MIN, then the roamer database would have to have an individual record for every cell phone in use, whereas with a MIN, they can have a pattern match, i.e. 713-822-xxxx belongs to Houston Cellular and 713-823-xxxx to Houston's GTE Mobilnet (these are examples, they may or may not be accurate). So, two entries separated 20,000 physical phones to two separate carriers, but if the ESN was used, the database would have to have all 20,000 entries so it would know where to bill for each ESN. Also, the MIN and ESN combination also serves as an extra measure of security. If the ESN doesn't match the switch's record of what the ESN is supposed to be for a certain MIN, then the switch isn't supposed to let the call go through. [This doesn't take into consideration cloning where people actually change the phone's physical equipment so that it reports another phone's MIN and ESN effectively getting around this.] All in all, the MIN provides a very useful feature. My phone, for example, could have the number: 555-555-7500 for its' MIN, imagine trying to remember: A5-08c13d and use it for dialing. Greg ------------------------------ From: Henrik.Rasmussen@lambada.oit.unc.edu (Henrik Rasmussen) Subject: Re: Question About MIN and ESN Date: 6 Apr 1994 01:51:04 GMT Organization: The University of NC at Chapel Hill, the Experimental BBS. In article , Sathyadev Uppala wrote: > What is the difference between MIN and ESN? > Each mobile unit in a celllular system has a unique ESN, so what is > the need to have a MIN? MIN= mobile identification number, the "phone number" of the cellular phone. This is a number that uses area codes and NXX patterns that are part of the national system. Mobile phones need MIN because a customer may change phones over the years but want to keep a phone number. ESN= Electronic serial number. Identifies a piece of equipment not the user. Henrik Rasmussen Audiovox Cellular Communications Corp. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Another analogy might be to wired or 'landline' telephones: each phone wire running to the exchange has a number, but in addition each subscriber has a number. We dial the subscriber number (or listed directory number as it is sometimes called) to reach the other person, we do not dial the circuit or wire pair identification number. But these two provide a check on each other. We might claim we are speaking from one number or another, but the iden- tification of the wire pair is proof of the accuracy of the number we say we are at. I often times think of the MIN in cellular as the listed directory number and the ESN as the equivilent of the identification assigned to cables and wire pairs in the central office. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Apr 94 16:10:01 EST From: Steven=Byrne%CFP%BTCE@smtpgate.dotc.gov.au Subject: Australian Communications Futures This may be of interest to a number of TELECOM Digest readers internationally who wish to be kept abreast of developments in telecoms research on the Pacific Rim. Some of this work (the Module 5 Paper 2) in particular contains an extensive discussion of technical developments that TELECOM Digest readers may want to find out more about. All CFP documents are available for anonymous FTP at happy.dotc.gov.au. =============================== AUSTRALIAN COMMUNICATIONS FUTURES PROJECT (CFP) OVERVIEW This posting sets out the background to the CFP, a research initiative of the Australian government to examine the emerging trends in the telecommunications and related industries, and consider their possible implications for Australia. The CFP on 28 March 1994 publicly released its first two work-in- progress papers, titled: "Emerging Communications Services - an Analytical Framework"; and "Delivery Technologies in the New Communica- tions World". Summaries of these papers are also below. Full text of all CFP papers will be available from 1 April 1993 by anonymous ftp from happy.dotc.gov.au, in the directory \cfp_documents\. Please note: Enquiries about any CFP matters, or anyone wishing to be included on the circulation list for Bureau work-in-progress papers for this project and/or for notification of relevant seminars should contact Ms Ann Morris, phone [Australia] +61 6 274 6016 or at Internet e-mail address: Ann=Morris%cfp%btce@smtpgate.dotc.gov.au. _______________________ ABOUT THE COMMUNICATIONS FUTURES PROJECT ... The CFP is a research project being undertaken by the Bureau of Transport and Communications Economics. It aims to upgrade understanding of future economic, technical, commercial, regulatory and policy implications of emerging information and communications services and technologies; and to stimulate and inform public debate on these issues. The project's terms of reference are wide ranging and call for an examination of likely developments in services and technologies; implications of these developments for market participants in those industries (including the underlying economic factors influencing industry growth and change, and emerging patterns of commercial relationships within and between traditional industries); and implications of these developments for policy and regulation over the coming decade. The project is due to report by the end of 1994. Project work is, however, proceeding in stages ('modules'), and work in progress (of which this paper is one of a series) is being exposed progressively to encourage feedback, and to stimulate discussion. Terms of Reference The CFP Team will examine and report on: 1. likely developments over the next decade and beyond in information, entertainment and communications services and technologies; 2. implications of these developments for market participants in those industries, including (a)the underlying economic factors influencing industry growth and change; (b)emerging patterns of commercial relationships within and between traditional industries; and 3. implications of these developments for policy and regulation over the coming decade. The proposed areas of project work include: Services, content and marketing 1. Emerging communications services - an analytical framework; 2. Development and marketing aspects of emerging services; 3. The effects of emerging electronic communications services on related industries; 4. Demand for emerging communications services; Technologies 5. Delivery technologies in the new communications world; 6. The state of Australia's existing communications infrastructure; 7. Cost models for delivery technology alternatives; 8. Costs and network evolution Market behaviour 9. A profile of industry participants (internal); 10. Corporate strategies and communications investment; Policy and Regulation 11. An analytical framework for regulation; 12. Market structure, competition, and emerging communications issues; 13. Industry development aspects of emerging services; 14. Some social policy implications of developments. CFP Paper 1, Module 1: EMERGING COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES - AN ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK INTRODUCTION The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for understanding changes in the communications industry structure and performance. This is done by describing categories of communications services in terms of the technological combinations and the distinctive user needs they are expected to meet. The framework will provide a basis for further analyses, including: the identification of key demand factors, which may be used to forecast demand for emerging services; the analysis of service production possibilities, which may be used as a basis for outlining production functions, cost modelling and understanding industry organisation trends; and access issues. To understand convergence it is necessary to understand the dynamics of communications markets. This is because it is the competitive market which is driving convergence by pursuing both productivity improvements (such as increases in signal capacity) on the one hand and service improvements (such as increasing the range, volume and quality of services) on the other hand. This paper considers factors that drive communications demand as well as the productive processes by which organisations provide such services. This provides the context for the convergence framework. Structure of the paper: Chapter 2 describes the existing markets for communications and related services in terms of their current (but changing) demarcation as telecommunications, broadcasting, entertainment and information technology sectors. Key characteristics such as prices and volumes of various services are examined. A summary of the relative value of each sector, and available demographic and household expenditure information is provided. The outcome suggests an industry evolving in its approach to providing for the needs of users, and users who are becoming gradually more sophisticated in their needs. Chapter 3 illustrates the way a dynamic market has worked to develop services over recent years. It considers how individuals and organisations in a market make their preferences known, and how suppliers organise to provide goods and services in response to these preferences. The interaction of buyers and sellers to establish appropriate services is complex, extensive and ongoing. Market activity is also subject to influences intended to deal with questions related to both imperfections in the market and equity and social issues such as universal service and content control. Understanding the realistic dynamic context helps provide an understanding of current developments in the communications market. In this context the main characteristics of communications services as valued by users are outlined in chapter 4. The theory of consumer demand established by Lancaster (1971) considers services as bundles of characteristics. Different users value different characteristics differently, depending on their individual preferences. Many service features provide an indication to potential users of the likelihood that a new service will be useful or meet their needs. Understanding these characteristics will provide more information about which services may be more successful: by definition, the characteristics will form part of the analytical framework. In chapter 5 the main attributes of services from the service providers' perspectives are outlined. The chapter briefly describes how organisations combine different skills, materials and equipment, and through technology process them to provide, deliver and market services to buyers.The chapter summarises the theory and its application to communications and related industries. The distinguishing features for communications services are the technologies employed, including both the various inputs employed and the productive process itself. These include both delivery technologies and value-added and 'functionality' technologies. Key technological features define certain services and match characteristics valued by users. These also, by definition, form part of the analytical framework. Chapter 6 provides a brief summary of some of the main views on emerging communications services and environment. These include selected summaries from the USA, Canada, Japan, and from industry companies and analysts. The chapter also contains a literature survey of emerging services, and a classification scheme. Chapter 7 provides a summary of the communications services framework in the context of interacting buyers and sellers. The framework is comprised of (i) valued service characteristics; (ii) technological and functional attributes; and (iii) certain non-market influences, as indicated in preceding chapters. The framework has a dynamic aspect as it is based on observed trends in these factors in the life cycle of certain communications services. In conclusion, the framework may be used to provide indications of some likely new services (and claimed services) and as a basis for further research by the Communications Futures Project. (end of excerpt) CFP Paper 2, Module 5: DELIVERY TECHNOLOGIES IN THE NEW COMMUNICATIONS WORLD INTRODUCTION Even a casual reader of the communications (and increasingly the popular) press both in Australia and overseas would quickly become aware that one of the major themes of discussion relates to the delivery platform(s) for future communications services. Among the more common questions that are raised, often implicitly, are the following: What sorts of delivery systems can be used to provide the range of new communications services that are often being mooted, and how do these delivery systems line up against each other? How are the various technological solutions likely to fare in the market place over the next few years? Is an optic fibre network the inevitable, all- embracing solution for satisfying all our communications needs in the future? (And, if so, should the Government be actively supporting this technology in preference to other solutions?) This paper provides some early insights into these and similar questions, and sets a foundation for future Communications Futures Project (CFP) work on the current and future development of communications markets and the policy implications arising from this development. The paper aims to provide a framework for further analysis by bringing together some early views about the key platform technologies and their market- relevant characteristics, about how these technologies influence and are influenced by market developments, and about some known market activities in Australia. Such a survey is perhaps timely given the almost unprecedented state of ferment at present in the cable and satellite industries. Much of the flurry of standards activity and corporate mergers and the general hype about 'information superhighways' surrounds the implications of two relatively new, but fundamental, changes in delivery platform technologies - digital compression and optic fibre. There are also some important developments in terrestrial wireless technologies that are sometimes overlooked. Taken together, these new technologies offer the prospect of a communications environment that is qualitatively different from the one that currently exists, characterised by service (or channel) abundance, and based on a wide range of delivery platforms that are or soon will be available. In comparison with many other markets, this matter assumes a somewhat greater practical significance in Australia than in many other markets because of the Commonwealth Government's decision to allow the introduction of narrowcast and subscription television. The practical implementation of pay television in particular will probably give rise to a range of issues with a technological dimension as it progresses commercially. Some of these are already apparent, including digital compression standards, capabilities of 'set-top unit' alternatives, and the maturity and costs of new technologies such as asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL). These are frequently the subject of conflicting claims from commercial participants who often speculate on the commercial timing and capabilities of particular solutions that are not yet commercially (and sometimes even technically) proven. This implies a transitional phase in which policy makers will need to have a clear understanding of important concepts and issues. In the longer run, these technological developments are important because they will strongly influence market structures. Some of the supply-side fundamentals of future communications markets will depend on the inherent economies of scale and scope, and the barriers to entry of different technological solutions. Although the level of technological maturity is not likely to permit definitive views on these issues yet, a basic understanding of how these issues can help shape market evolution is important. This paper focuses strongly on delivery platform technologies. While developments in information processing technologies are probably more pervasive, the issues relating to platforms are likely to have a particularly direct influence on the direction and nature of future market evolution and market structure and to raise more tangible issues for policy consideration. The paper is in two parts. Part One (chapters 2 to 5) sets out the technological framework: a description of important design concepts (chapter 2), the mature delivery platforms (chapter 3), the major recent developments in delivery technologies (chapter 4), and some of the issues surrounding the consumer electronics required to support a multi-channel environment (chapter 5). Part Two deals with market evolution (chapter 6), relevant current market activities in Australia (chapter 7), and some early observations on these developments (chapter 8). Posted by: Steven Byrne, Principal Research Officer Communications Futures Project. Canberra, Australia Internet: steven=byrne%cfp%btce@smtpgate.dotc.gov.au CIS: 100033,1506 OZ-Email: SBYRNE@OZEMAIL.COM.AU ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #167 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa22189; 7 Apr 94 16:20 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA27731; Thu, 7 Apr 94 11:05:10 CDT Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA27722; Thu, 7 Apr 94 11:05:08 CDT Date: Thu, 7 Apr 94 11:05:08 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9404071605.AA27722@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #168 TELECOM Digest Thu, 7 Apr 94 11:05:00 CDT Volume 14 : Issue 168 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Information Needed on LEC Competition/Value of Service (F. Goldstein) Re: Question About MIN and ESN (Daniel Goemans) Re: Cellular Roaming Charges (David E. Sheafer) Re: Cellular Roaming Charges (Tak To) Re: New NPA for Virginia (Carl Moore) Re: New NPA For Virginia (Karl Johnson) Re: Anonymous Phoning (Paul Robinson) CLID and Toll Saver (Jack Meth) Re: Local Charges for 950 and 800 Access? (John R. Grout) The Sacred and the Profane (Paul Robinson) Re: Radio Contest Overloads 911 Lines, Business Calls (Mark Rudholm) Re: Switch Problems (Matt Silveira) Re: 900 and Other Premium Numbers (was Pager Scam) (Mark Brader) Re: FAX Mailbox Services (Les Reeves) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: goldstein@carafe.tay2.dec.com (Fred R. Goldstein) Subject: Re: Information Needed on LEC Competition/Value of Service Date: Wed, 6 Apr 1994 00:38:11 Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation In article 00r0nolting@leo.bsuvc.bsu. edu writes: > I urgently need information on pricing regulations in the local > exchange with regard to universal service subsidies. I have heard the > term "value of service" but am unable to find how the higher priced > business phone subsidizes the rural phone. Is part of the monthly fee > put into a fund, part of every local call? Three of us are participating > in a competition and have to present our ideas on Friday, April 8th, in > the morning. Yes, there is a fund. (I apologize in advance if my information is out of date; this was the way it was set up by the FCC in the early '80s and I am not aware of major changes, but I miss details like that at times.) The National Exchange Carriers' Association administers a Universal Service Fund. Low-cost telephone companies (Bells, especially in urban territories) contribute some of their carrier access charges (stuff paid by AT&T, MCI and the like for use of their local networks) to this fund, which is used to subsidize service in high-cost areas, such as Wyoming. It's not taken from local calls, but from interstate calls. Also, the price paid by carriers to local telcos varies, with some rural companies getting much more than the 3-5c/minute/end that Bells collect. So the long distance carriers lose money on those calls and it is made up for by the rest of their calls. Fred R. Goldstein k1io goldstein@carafe.tay2.dec.com ------------------------------ From: goemansd@kirk.usafa.af.mil (Daniel Goemans) Subject: Re: Question About MIN and ESN Date: Wed, 6 Apr 1994 15:47:20 GMT Organization: United States Air Force Academy In article sathya@uw-isdl.ee.washington. edu (Sathyadev Uppala) writes: > What is the difference between MIN and ESN? MIN (Mobile Identification Number) is the mobile unit phone number. It is user programmable and necessarily different from the ESN for two reasons: (1) The ESN is not user programmable (ideally) and it represents the true radio signature of the phone. (2) The ESN, more recently, is starting to become a security issue and is generally no longer posted on the packaging or shell of the phone. It is somewhat of a secret. Because a caller must identify the phone he/she is trying to call, the MIN is available -- which is not a security issue. ESN (Electronic Security Number) is everything said above, and stored separately from the info in the NAM (Number Assignment Module). Hope that helps. Daniel Goemans USAF Academy ------------------------------ From: David E. Sheafer <_sheaferd@merrimack.edu> Reply-To: __SHEAFERD@merrimack.edu Subject: Re: Cellular Roaming Charges Date: 5 Apr 94 22:19:25 EST Organization: Merrimack College, No. Andover, MA, USA In article , nsayer@quack.kfu.com (Nick Sayer) writes: > Lars Nohling > writes: >> Are then any tricks to cutting costs on the high roaming rates many >> cellular carriers charge ? >> Any sort of Resellers who provide discounts like in the Long Distance >> business ? > In any given area there can be up to two cellular companies. One of > them will probably be some sort of variation on "Cellular one", one is > very likely to be either some variation of GTE or a BOC. > Your only choice in the matter is if you are in an area where there > are two services. My phone is a Motorola 550 (one of the more popular > ones, so they tell me. It's a "flip fone" sort of reminiscent of Star > Trek TOS communicators). I can, using RCL * set up how it roams by > telling it which of the two services in a given area it should check > first for roaming. I can change this on the fly (not during a call, > though). So I could conceivably call *611 and ask whoever answers what > their roaming rates are, then switch to the other service and ask them > the same question. If I don't like the second answer better than the > first, then I will switch back to the first provider and there you go. The home system you subscribe to usually sets the roaming rates for any areas where you are allowed to roam, not the company that you are roaming with, they just bill your carrier according to their agreements and then bill you according to their charges. From what I understand some carriers take a loss in certain markets, to provide the customer less costy service in areas adjacent to the home area. In addition in some markets if you subscribe to the A side, you wont be able to roam on the B side, and visa-versa without setting up a temporary account. It all depends on your carriers agreements with other carriers. David E. Sheafer internet: __sheaferd@merrimack.edu ^^ thats 2 _ in the net address GEnie: D.SHEAFER ------------------------------ From: TTO@RANKIN.aspentec.com (Tak To) Subject: Re: Cellular Roaming Charges Date: 7 Apr 1994 04:12:35 GMT Organization: Aspen Technology, Inc. In LNohling_+a_BSSI_+lLars_Nohling+r% REMSBSSI@mcimail.com writes: > Are then any tricks to cutting costs on the high roaming rates many > cellular carriers charge? > Any sort of Resellers who provide discounts like in the Long Distance > business? Comparing to typical [roaming] air time charges, the long distance carrier charges are of secondary concern. I talked with an AT&T sales person before and he said that PRO WATS service is available to cellular accounts in some areas. (I did not ask which since it is not available in the areas that I have accounts in -- namely Boston and NYC/NJ.) Note that roaming charges are set more or less _solely_ by your home cellular serive and may or may not have anything to do with the what is charged by the cellular providers in the roaming locale. E.g., NYC-NJ Cell/1 charges has a much higher roaming rate for, say, DC, than Boston Cell/1. (Actually, in the off peak periods, the home rate in NYC charged by NYC-NJ Cell/1 is higher than the roaming rate charged by Boston Cell/1; even with the added L.D. charges!) So, shop around. Depending on your calling pattern, it might be cheaper to sign up for service in some other areas in addition to your home area. Tak To (617) 577-0310 x377 Box 45, MIT Branch PO, Cambridge, Ma 02139. tto@aspentec.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 Apr 94 19:30:42 EDT From: Carl Moore Subject: Re: New NPA For Virginia Well, it'd have to be one of those N00 codes if it's this coming August (1994). More likely, it'll be an NNX code becoming useable in August 1995. As has been discussed in the digest before, the DC area gets precedence for keeping the old area code, so Richmond and Norfolk switched from 703 to 804 in 1973, and Baltimore and Annapolis switched from 301 to 410. I am not yet aware of any N0X/N1X prefixes in Virginia beyond the DC area. Roanoke might be the biggest city to get the new area code in this upcoming split of 703. I've travelled across a lot of Virginia, so I'd be interested in hearing where the new boundary is. ------------------------------ Date: 07 Apr 94 07:17:45 EDT From: Karl Johnson Subject: Re: New NPA for Virginia Carl Moore replied to my post: > Well, it'd have to be one of those N00 codes if it's this coming > August (1994). More likely, it'll be an NNX code becoming useable > in August 1995. As has been discussed in the digest before, the > DC area gets precedence for keeping the old area code, so Richmond > and Norfolk switched from 703 to 804 in 1973, and Baltimore and > Annapolis switched from 301 to 410. I am not yet aware of any > N0X/N1X prefixes in Virginia beyond the DC area. Roanoke might > be the biggest city to get the new area code in this upcoming > split of 703. I've travelled across a lot of Virginia, so I'd > be interested in hearing where the new boundary is. In my comments in the original post I was trying to say these same speculations, but I suppose it may not have been visible enough. To further show that a likelihood of the split happening in 1995 one only needs to look at the upcoming splits in 205, 206, 708, and 602 each of which will happen in 1995 each NPA is (according to Friday's quarterly NPA count posted in TCD) larger and growing faster (in terms of number of NXXs). After further contemplation I think that the companies involved have been told by Bellcore to spend three months preparing their recmendations by the end of June and Bellcore will take another month to decide where to put the line. After looking at the map in the Northern Virginia Directory showing the NPAs for Virginia I think the border between 703 and the new NPA will be an east-west line going west from Harrisonburg or somewhere further south, but this is nothing but a WAG (wild assed guess) as I have no solid information as to the NXX counts in each county (I assume that like the Maryland split this will follow county lines). ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Apr 1994 00:05:50 EDT From: Paul Robinson Reply-To: Paul Robinson Subject: Re: Anonymous Phoning Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA jmm@elegant.com (John Macdonald), writes in Comp-privacy: > There has to be a middle ground which allows anonymous calling > to parties that are willing to accept such calls while not > allowing anonymous calls to parties that wish to insist upon ID. There is, and it's already available. > The phone company ought to provide a recipient option that lets > the recipient choose to never receive calls with blocked ID. That's exactly what is available now. > Their phone would not even ring This is *exactly* what happens. > (or be busy), and the caller would get an intercept message "The > number you have dialled does not accept calls with blocked > ID.". The caller would know why their call did not get through > and could choose to unblock and call again if they felt that > there was a need to complete the call. (The current situation > where the recipient's display says "number blocked" and the > recipient just does not answer can lead to the caller trying > again and again, hoping that the recipient will eventually get > home. While there may be some desire to cause such callers that > sort of nuisance, it also means that the recipient's phone is > busy.) Where they have Caller-ID, they can have (subject to political considerations) exactly the system you mentioned available. In Virginia and Maryland (DC probably has it if the suburbs do) the service is called "anonymous call rejection." You dial *77 and from that point on, if someone calls you by dialing *67, they don't get through; they are shunted to a recording that tells them that the party they are calling does not accept anonymous calls; if they want to reach the party, call again without blocking their number. This remains in effect until and unless the called party dials *87. Here, ACR is free with Caller ID (which costs $6.50 a month) or is $3.50 a month without Caller ID). As strange as that sounds, you *can* block calls from people who block the transmission of their number even if you don't have Caller-ID. Paul Robinson - Paul@TDR.COM [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: And having it available for people without Caller-ID makes good sense since the caller would not know one way or the other and probably assumes they *do have it* if he goes to the trouble of adding the *67. Even though the recipient does not have Caller-ID they may not like the idea of getting calls from people who choose to block it for whatever reason, the theory being I don't care who you are, but I don't like the idea of you trying to hide from me. PAT] ------------------------------ From: methj@fi.gs.com (Jack Meth) Subject: CLID and Toll Saver Organization: Fixed Income Division - Goldman, Sachs & Co. Date: Thu, 7 Apr 1994 15:06:45 GMT I am considering getting Caller-ID on a line with an answering machine. The answering machine picks up before the second ring when in toll saver mode. CLID is delivered between the first and second ring. Will CLID be delivered if the phone is picked up before the second ring? The CLID will be a backup to a doctors off hours answering machine. If the machine fails to record the message then CLID can be used to figure out who called last. (Last number call back *69 won't work because the MD dials into the machine to check messages and wont know that machine failed until after she dials in.) CLID costs $6.50 per month in (718) 544. Thanks, Jack [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It will be haphazard at best. A lot of telcos deliver Caller-ID immediatly after the first ring, easily a second or so before the second ring starts (and the answering machine likely to pickup). If delivery is delayed until just before the second ring it is possible some of the transmissions will be garbled if the answering machine picks up at the start of the second ring. It would be better if you could delay the answer all the time until the third or fourth ring unless toll-saver is an important feature to the person using the system. PAT] ------------------------------ From: j-grout@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (John R. Grout) Subject: Re: Local Charges for 950 and 800 Access? Date: 6 Apr 1994 20:00:51 GMT Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana Reply-To: j-grout@uiuc.edu In TELECOM Digest Editor responded to j-grout@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (John R. Grout): > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Generally it is only the rip-off > private payphones (COCOTS) which have charges for 950 and 800. They > are not supposed to either, but they get away with it. I am surprised > it was at a C&P phone. Maybe there was a programming error. PAT] According to Jonathan (jdl@wam.umd.edu), it is unlawful to charge for 800 calls, but C&P _does_ charge $.25 for a call to a 950 number from its payphones in Maryland. John R. Grout INTERNET: j-grout@uiuc.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Apr 1994 00:15:00 EDT From: Paul Robinson Reply-To: Paul Robinson Subject: The Sacred and the Profane Organization: Tansin A. Darcos & Company, Silver Spring, MD USA taranto@panix.com (James Taranto), writes: > In article , LincMad@netcom.com (Linc > Madison) wrote: >> The splits in 703 and 214 in particular may put to the test the >> sanctity of the "you must dial 1 for all toll calls, and you must be >> able to dial all local calls without a 1" arrangement. > That arrangement is hardly sacred. In NYC, for example, we have > to dial 1 for all calls between 212 and 718. Perhaps it is the age of some equipment that requires this, or because it was considered the simplest way for the public to handle the system. The DC area does a nice job: if the number is local and in the same area code, dial the seven digit number, or optionally dial the area code and the seven digit number. If it's local and in a different area code, dial the area code and number. If it's long distance, even in the same area code, dial 1 + area code + number. In *all* cases, dialing 1+ area code + number will put the call through even if the call is local, and at no additional charge. One thing to be careful of in this area is that IXC 10xxx codes are permitted to be used even for local calls. I got a couple of minor bites for about 40c when I misprogrammed my modem and dialed a local number via 10222 plus seven digits on a couple of local calls lasting less than five minutes each. But this sort of thing has all sorts of personal animosity attached to it. Let's go on to something less controversial, like which Church is the One True Religion of God, shall we? Paul Robinson - Paul@TDR.COM ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 07 Apr 1994 01:59:58 -0800 From: rudholm@aimla.com (Mark Rudholm) Subject: Re: Radio Contest Overloads 911 Lines, Business Calls sellers@on.bell.ca (Dave Sellers) writes in Telecom-Digest: Volume 14, Issue 151, Message 2 of 18 > As reported in the {Ottawa Citizen} March 27, 1994, radio and television. > Canada's national capital was put on hold Friday night when a local > radio station (CHEZ 106) gave away tickets to a Pink Floyd concert to > the first 53 callers. [deletia] > The calls overloaded Bell Canada's switching equipment even thou the > radio station was using special "contest lines". The switches > responded by making callers wait up to a minute for dial tone. It sounds like a simple case of too many simultaneous requests for dialtone. The special overload prefixes won't do anything to prevent this problem. This is usually what is going on when people say "my phone went out during the earthquake." [deletia] > Phone service was affected wherever the radio station had listeners -- > as far south as Cornwall and Smith Falls and as far north as Pembrook. > Many business were affected, like Pizza Pizza which Friday night is > their busiest. Pizza Pizza estimates they lost $12,000 because people > could not get through to place their order. Yeah, right! They've got to be selling some pretty darn expensive pizzas for a three hour loss of phone service to cost them $12,000. > The phone problems also hampered other services such as 911. Many > people called to complain about their problems with the phones. About > 280 calls were made to 911 between 5 to 9PM compared to about 125 on a > normal Friday night. Tony Yantha of the Ottawa Police said "I normally > have three clerks working on 911. Last night I had five and still > wasn't enough." Obviously some people could get dialtone. So why is it that when people find their phone doesn't deliver a dailtone quickly, when they finally get one, they dial 9-1-1 ?? News reports about phone outages always have to mention 911, I guess it makes for nice, sensationalistic copy. > Sandra Cruikshanks of Bell Canada said that the phone service was back > to normal by 9:30PM (started at about 6:20PM). The station's contest > number designed by Bell, is designed to allow large number of callers > to hear a busy signal if the line isn't available, without affecting > other lines. > She said that the sheer number of calls to the radio station during > the ticket give away "is just unheard of". But she said the phone > system responded exactly the way it should have. "It worked perfectly > well." It's nice to see that the Canadian press is as lousy as its American counterpart -- sensationalistic and largely ignorant about the issues on which it alleges to report. Mark D. Rudholm Philips Interactive Media rudholm@aimla.com 11050 Santa Monica Boulevard +1 213 930 1449 Los Angeles, CA 90025-7511 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 06 Apr 94 22:28:57 PDT From: mws1@admin01.osi.com (Matt Silveira) Subject: Re: Switch Problems Mr. Robinson brings up an interesting but NOT uncommon problem with clocks. The syncing required for digital lines are critical but many IXCs and LECs have clocking problems (this is why we have alarm messages on OOSs such as "Out of Sync" or "Clocking Error".) The solution, install better and more clocks in the backbone nets. And make sure each clock is synched properly to prevent timing issues. It is curious that you had so many problems, perhaps you should get on the case of your telco. ------------------------------ From: msb@sq.sq.com (Mark Brader) Subject: Re: 900 and Other Premium Numbers (was Pager Scam) Organization: SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, Canada Date: Thu, 7 Apr 94 07:04:17 GMT > As an aside, 900 numbers get a lot of publicity, and most people know > that they are expensive to call. Until I started reading the Telecom > digest, I was not aware of the existence of 976/540 or any other kinds > of premium numbers. Offhand, I cannot recall seeing a single > advertisement for local premium services, but anyone who has ever > watched late night TV cannot help being aware that 900 calls are > rather expensive. This obviously varies either by region, or between the US and Canada. Around here (Toronto) we have 900 and 976 numbers also, but it is the 976's for which there are numerous late night advertisements featuring scantily clad women. As just about everyone reading this knows, in much (but not all) of the US and Canada, long-distance numbers must be dialed differently from local ones, so that you always know when you're dialing a toll call. Such a rule applies here. And when someone dials a 976 number here, *they must dial it as if it was long distance within their area code*. Are there places in the US or Canada where long-distance and local numbers are dialed differently, but where 976 or other premium numbers are dialed like *local* calls? Mark Brader, msb@sq.com SoftQuad Inc., Toronto [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well here in the Chicago area, we have but one single source of 976 numbers; it is in Chicago downtown yet callers to those numbers only dial 976 and the number regardless of where we are in the region, ie. no 708-976 or 312-976 ... just 976. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Apr 1994 09:31:27 PDT From: Les Reeves Subject: Re: FAX Mailbox Services Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access (415) 705-6060 [login: guest] Lars Nohling (LNohling_+a_BSSI_+lLars_Nohling+r%REMSBSSI@mcimail.com) wrote: > Does anyone have any info on companies that provide a FAXMAIL service? > What I am looking for is a FAX Number I can give out that receives > faxes and then allows me to retrieve them from any fax machine by > dialing up my code. AT&T came out with a bunch of services for "professionals on the go" about a year ago, and a FAX mailbox was part of the package. The disadvantage was that callers had to dial an 800 number and then enter a bunch more digits for your mailbox. Most business users won't stand for this nonsense; they punch the number into the fax machine and walk away. If you come up with a FAX mail service that can be dialed like a standard fax machine, I too would like to know about it. Les lreeves@crl.com Atlanta,GA 404.874.7806 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Ameritech offers fax mailbox service. It uses straight seven digit DID numbers in area 312. IIt works just like voicemail; the caller dials 'your' number and gets a fax. You as the owner call in to the same number and retrieve your faxes. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #168 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa22568; 7 Apr 94 17:12 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA00652; Thu, 7 Apr 94 12:17:10 CDT Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA00643; Thu, 7 Apr 94 12:17:07 CDT Date: Thu, 7 Apr 94 12:17:07 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9404071717.AA00643@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #169 TELECOM Digest Thu, 7 Apr 94 12:17:00 CDT Volume 14 : Issue 169 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Alphanumeric Pager Software (Rob Lockhart) Re: Alphanumeric Pager Software (pdcchris@aol.com) Re: Specs For CDPD, Embarc, RAM, Ardis Wanted (Rob Lockhart) Re: Data Over Cellular (Lynne Gregg) Re: Dying Telephones (Charles L. Mclafferty) Re: FAX Mailbox Services (Ed Leslie) Re: PC Pursuit Has Ended (Steven H. Lichter) Re: Voice and Data Through PBX (William M. Davis) Re: April NPA Report (Hugh Pritchard) Re: Bellcore Goes Crypto (Robert Bonomi) Re: 976, 540 Services (Jay Hennigan) Re: 976, 540 Services (Mike King) Re: *999; CB Channel 9 (Jon Anhold) Re: *999; CB Channel 9 (David A. Kaye) Re: *999; CB Channel 9 (Gregory Youngblood) Re: Africa Telecom - Lunchbag Discussion (Bill Hofmann) Re: New LA Area Code (kris%sanctum%paladin@uunet.uu.net) Agents Wanted Outside USA (miked23887@aol.com) EDI Electronic Data Interchange (Joakim Westman) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: rlockhart@aol.com (RLockhart) Subject: Re: Alphanumeric Pager Software Date: 07 Apr 1994 12:11:08 -0500 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) In article , nsayer@quack.kfu.com (Nick Sayer) writes: > Does anyone have a description of the protocol used by such > software? Not everyone is saddled with x86 ISA machines running an OS > that was obsolete ten years ago at its introduction, which probably > means we have to write our own software for alpha paging. If it's > possible to write such a program ... The TAP protocol's available through PCIA (the standard setting and maintenance organization) at 202.467.4770. I've also a thread that covers the more commonly used parts of TAP and can POST it if you like. (It's a distilled version of the original spec we gave to Telocator (now PCIA) several years back that formed the basis of TAP.) However, If you don't feel like rolling your own, there're commercial apps for everything from DOS/Win boxes, to Macs, to AS/400s, to Mainframes, to even the little guys like HP100s and Atari Portfolios. We publish a freebie called the Motorola Third Party Referral Guide to Alpha and Data Paging that lists all the apps we know to exist in the marketplace (horizontal and vertical markets and information services) for both sending alpha and data pages to receiving them from such wireless data receiving devices as our NewsStream and NewsCard. The Guide gets updated once a quarter or so and is available in electronic form in Stuffed MacWord 5.1 (not readily convertable to W4W 6.0a). Unfortunately it's not available on the I'net ('cause I'm 'FTP challenged' ), but *is* available on CIS and AOL (04 March 94 edition). (AppleLink has the previous 17 Sep 93 edition.) 'Course the software interface specs for both our NewsStream and NewsCard are also available on those services in the same formats. Rob Lockhart Resource Manager, Interactive Data Systems (Home of the NewsStream, NewsCard, and Two-Way Paging) Paging Products Group Motorola, Inc. Desktop: Lockhart-EPAG06_Rob@Email.Mot.Com Wireless I'net (< 1K characters): Rob.Lockhart@RadioMail.Net Wireless I'net (<32K characters): Rob_Lockhart-ERL003E@Email.Mot.Com ------------------------------ From: pdcchris@aol.com (PDC Chris) Subject: Re: Alphanumeric Paging Software Date: 06 Apr 1994 12:25:01 -0500 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) I think someone here was asking about where to get the protocol specs for talking to alpha paging terminals. Anyway, call PCIA (Personal Communications Industry Association, formerly Telecator) at (202) 467-4770 and ask for info on TAP (Telecator Alphanumerice Paging) and TDP (Telecator Data Paging protocol). TAP is the older one supported by everyone, TDP is very new and is still being implemented. Chris ------------------------------ From: rlockhart@aol.com (RLockhart) Subject: Re: Specs For CDPD, Embarc, RAM, Ardis Wanted Date: 06 Apr 1994 22:16:05 -0500 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) In article , tom.kee@mccaw.com writes: > Ardis is Native Mode for the device; MDC 4800/MG Protocol for the > network ... ARDIS also has pockets of RD/LAP, if memory serves. > EMBARC not quite sure (Motorola in Boynton Beach, Florida). Our EMBARC subsidiary doesn't publish it's protocols, but the main input method *has* been X.400 EMail (although there's a proprietary gateway, an MHS one, and an I'net one). The output format is also proprietary but is close to PCIA's TDP suite of protocols ... at least on the output side (e.g., TRT and TMC). Rob Lockhart, a Paging Motorolan ------------------------------ From: Lynne Gregg Subject: Re: Data Over Cellular Date: Wed, 06 Apr 94 12:57:00 PST Terry Gilson (tgilson@eis.calstate.edu) noted: > I think all of these units can trace their roots (through some kind of > licensing fee) to a company called Telular, which has successfully > defended it's patent on the dial-tone technology against quite a few > companies. In addition to Motorola and NEC, I've successfully used the Spectrum product. Actually, Telular has nothing to do with these interfaces, though a number of companies license the Spectrum technology. NEC and Motorola developed their own data interfaces that are equipment specific (that is they are designed to operate with specific phones within their product lines and in Motorola's case, that interface may be limited on the "device" end). Regards, Lynne ------------------------------ From: Charles L. Mclafferty Subject: Re: Dying Telephones Organization: University of Virginia Date: Thu, 06 Apr 1994 02:15:19 GMT I believe his phones are getting hit by lightning. They had very violent storms in Alabama two weeks ago, and the newer electronic phones can be very sensitive to power surges. Especially the 20Kv kind. I suggest that he may want to see if his NIU is grounded properly, but even that won't help all the time. Charles McLafferty UVa Dept of Ed Studies clm3c@virginia.edu ------------------------------ From: edleslie@apogee.ccs.yorku.ca (Ed Leslie) Subject: Re: FAX Mailbox Services Organization: York University Date: Thu, 7 Apr 1994 04:48:11 -0500 Lars Nohling (LNohling_+a_BSSI_+lLars_Nohling+r%REMSBSSI@mcimail.com) wrote: > Does anyone have any info on companies that provide a FAXMAIL service? > What I am looking for is a FAX Number I can give out that receives > faxes and then allows me to retrieve them from any fax machine by > dialing up my code. I think Delrina (the WinFAX people) are offering something like this with 1-800 numbers(?). Their phone is 1-800-268-6082. Ed ------------------------------ From: co057@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Steven H. Lichter) Subject: Re: PC Pursuit Has Ended Date: 6 Apr 1994 22:21:31 GMT Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA) I have now updated the signature file which is send out direct from Freenet. I just got signed up for Global Access which is like PCP. The best prt is they are moving over to Tymnet which has many more outdials. The cost is more, but I need it to run my system which is a hub. Sysop: Apple Elite II -=- an Ogg-Net Hub BBS (909) 359-5338 12/24/96/14.4 V32/V42bis ------------------------------ From: tyton@crl.com (William M Davis) Subject: Re: Voice and Data Through PBX Date: 06 Apr 1994 11:43:47 -0800 Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access (415) 705-6060 [login: guest] Thomas Humphreys (trans-omega@mv.MV.COM) wrote: > I have asked the question "Would you recommend running both voice and > data (LAN) traffic through a PBX?" of 11 individuals. 4 said yes, 7 > said no. Wouldn't this depend on the type of PBX? I mean, we use an AT&T System 75 and if LAN traffic is routed (not switched data calls) through there would be system parameters I would explore along with recommend methods ... Mike Davis Communication Technician CSX Tranportation Atlanta, Ga. tyton@crl.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Apr 94 06:22 EST From: Hugh Pritchard <0006348214@mcimail.com> Subject: Re: April NPA Report de@moscom.com (David Esan) notes, in his wonderful report on the NANP, > -> The NPA that is largest and is not splitting nor has plans, at this > time, to split, is 703. The local (i.e., the Washington, D.C. metro area) media are reporting that Bell Atlantic has indeed decided to split 703 -- northern Virginia. Bell Atlantic says it has decided neither the exact geographical boundaries, nor the NPA code. Hugh Pritchard, Senior Systems Specialist Smoke 'N Mirrors, Inc., Herndon, VA hugh@snm.com ------------------------------ From: bonomi@eecs.nwu.edu (Robert Bonomi) Subject: Re: Bellcore Goes Crypto Organization: EECS Department, Northwestern University Date: Thu, 7 Apr 1994 01:17:00 GMT In article , Greg Trotter wrote: > In article vantek@aol.com writes: >> Surety Technologies welcomes developers and corporations who are >> interested in testing the system and serving as beta sites for Digital >> Notary software. Call Surety Technologies, Inc. at (201) 993-8178; >> fax number is (201) 993-8748. Information is also available on the >> Internet at infonotary.com. > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > My system can't seem to find this place ... and whois at internic seems > clueless as well. Anybody have any updated information? Simple typo. try mailing to user 'info', at domain-name 'notary.com' -something- ate the "at"('@') symbol from the name. ------------------------------ From: jay@coyote.rain.org (Jay Hennigan) Subject: Re: 976, 540 Services Date: 7 Apr 1994 09:11:42 -0700 Organization: Regional Access Information Network (RAIN) In article johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) writes: > Is there anywhere a list of surcharged prefixes in the U.S.? In most > places 976 is used for non-porn announcements, but the list of other > surcharged prefixes seems to be large, growing, and largely > undocumented. I have the following, which is probably incomplete and out of date. I agree that such exchanges should be documented, as the numbering scheme appears to be random throughout the country. As to who is going to do the documenting, that's a good question. As things stand today, it may not be all that important to block these numbers outside of one's state (or LATA), as there doesn't *appear* to be a method of billing for them, and the IXCs will probably block them anyway. 976 LOOK-ALIKE LIST Location Area Code Local Prefix Maine 207 940 Massachusetts 413 550,940 Massachusetts 508 940 Massachusetts 617 550,940 New Hampshire 603 940 Rhode Island 401 940 New York 212 540,550,970 New York 315 540,550,970 New York 516 540,550,970 New York 518 540,550,970 New York 607 540,550,970 New York 716 540,550,970 New York 718 540,550,970 New York 914 540,550,970 New York 917 540,550,970 Maryland 301 915 Maryland 410 915 Pennsylvania 215 556 Pennsylvania 412 556 Virginia 703 844 Minnesota 507 960 Ohio 216 931 Ohio 513 499 Nebraska 308 960 Nebraska 402 960 Louisiana 504 636 New Mexico 505 960 Texas 214 703 Texas 512 766 Texas 713 766 Texas 817 892 Colorado 303 960 Colorado 719 898 South Dakota 605 960 Utah 801 960 Wyoming 307 960 Arizona 602 676,960 Idaho 208 960 Washington 206 960 District Columbia 202 915 Jay Hennigan jay@rain.org ------------------------------ From: mk@TFS.COM (Mike King) Subject: Re: 976, 540 Services Date: Thu, 6 Apr 1994 09:48:20 PDT In TELECOM Digest, V14 #157, johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) wrote: > Is there anywhere a list of surcharged prefixes in the U.S.? In most > places 976 is used for non-porn announcements, but the list of other > surcharged prefixes seems to be large, growing, and largely > undocumented. In Washington, DC, and the MD and VA suburbs, 976 is a surcharged prefix that defaults to permitted on each telephone line, but blocking can be installed for free by placing a phone call. The prefix 915 is also a surcharged prefix; however, it is blocked by default. To get access, a request must be made to C&P (Bell Atlantic) in writing. Mike King mk@tfs.com ------------------------------ From: jganhold@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Jon Anhold) Subject: Re: *999; CB Channel 9 Date: 7 Apr 1994 01:54:19 GMT Organization: The Ohio State University In article , Prof. Feedlebom wrote: > A few police departments monitor channel 9 across the country, however > even at CB's peak that was not really who was monitoring. The Ohio State Highway Patrol all have CB's in their cruisers. I don't know if they're on channel 9, but I would assume they are either there or on 19. > If you need emergency assistance while travelling, don't depend on your > CB radio. Invest the $200 to buy a GOOD cellular phone, or pass the no-code > Amateur license and use ham radio. You'll be doing yourself a favor. ^^^^^^^ ^^^^^^^ Good plan ... 99.999% of the time there is someone around on 2m to help you .. it's the only reason I have a 146MHz radio in the car.. (440MHz is SO much nicer!) Jon N8USK, Northeastern Ohio ARES/Skywarn Net Control Jon Anhold N8USK (jganhold@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 146 mhz is two meters, isn't it? I see a lot of that around here, and there are clubs operating repeaters. PAT] ------------------------------ From: dk@crl.com (David A. Kaye) Subject: Re: *999; CB Channel 9 Date: 7 Apr 1994 01:49:32 -0700 Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access (415) 705-6060 [login: guest] Andrew C. Green (ACG@dlogics.com) wrote: > listening. I think it's reasonable to assume that in all the > technology packed into those squad cars, particularly Highway Patrol > cars, they probably have sprung an extra fifty bucks or so for a CB > radio, or included the appropriate wavelengths in the tuners of Squad cars of the Oregon State Police often monitor CB channel 9. In fact I was riding down I-5 when a trucker commented that he hoped there wasn't an OSP car around because he hadn't had time to fake his log book entries. The truck was just behind me. I heard another voice on the channel suggesting the trucker pull over. He said, "Who are you kidding?" The cop then turned on his red lights and said, "I'm not kidding anyone." He pulled over. ------------------------------ From: zeta@tcscs.com (Gregory Youngblood) Subject: Re: *999; CB Channel 9 Date: Thu, 07 Apr 1994 06:57:00 PST Organization: TCS Computer Systems feedle@kaiwan.com (Prof. Feedlebom) writes: > Jonathan (jdl@wam.umd.edu) wrote: >> I am wondering why the police do not routinely monitor CB channel 9, >> since the primary use of this channel is to report emergencies. > A few police departments monitor channel 9 across the country, however > even at CB's peak that was not really who was monitoring. I know in some places the Highway Patrols have monitoring equipment that can listen to Channel 9, but they do not have transmission equipment. Specifically, I _KNOW_ Wisconsin has this from when I was driving through and they had a rest area where they gave away free coffee and other stuff and were talking about how to report suspected drunk drivers in a campaign to get more of them off the highways. I also seem to remember somthing about when CB's were fairly popular and how the truckers and others used them like the police use their radios to track others. In this case, they tracked the cops. There was some talk about entrapment, and if a cop had a CB and could transmit, then the cop could have been giving the all-clear for truckers, and then pulling 'em over right and left. I don't know how factual this little tidbit really is, but it does seem reasonable, and would explain why at least _some_ police/highway patrol/law enforcement vehicles are equipped to _listen_ to the CD (ch. 9 at the least). Greg [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 'Entrapment' is often confused with the term 'enticement'. One is illegal, the other is not. Generally speaking, if the government breaks the law in an effort to get you to do the same, that is entrapment, and it is illegal. If the government merely makes it more convenient for you to break the law -- without actually doing so themselves -- that is enticement. Sleazy perhaps, but not illegal. It happens all the time both ways, especially where drug enforcement is concerned. It does not surprise me that cops would use CB to encourage people to speed, then arrest them for it. I know they use CB at many truck stops to encourage and solicit prostitutes and/or drug sellers whom they then arrest when approached, but most of those cases get off in court (traffic, prostitution and drug cases) if the judge thinks the cops are lying about the way it happened. PAT] ------------------------------ From: wdh@netcom.com (Bill Hofmann) Subject: Re: Africa Telecom - Lunchbag Discussion Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest) Date: Wed, 06 Apr 1994 17:09:25 GMT Barry Laina Raveendran Greene writes: > "EMERGING COMMUNICATION MARKETS IN AFRICA" > The event will also present some issues to be discussed at the Africa > Telecom'94 Forum (April 25-29 in Cairo). It is open to the public but > space is limited. RSVPs are required (for security passes to the World > Bank) by the 12 April 1994. Phone 202-833-3322 to leave a message. Can you post a summary of the meeting? Bill Hofmann wdh@netcom.COM Fresh Software and Instructional Design +1 510 524 0852 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: If a summary shows up here I'll be glad to include it in the Digest. PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: Re: New LA Area Code Reply-To: kris%sanctum%paladin@uunet.uu.net From: sanctum!kris@uunet.UU.NET (Kris) Date: Wed, 06 Apr 1994 23:06 EDT James Taranto writes: > 907 is Alaska. New York City alone has 212, 718, and 917, and the > metro area, broadly defined, includes part or all of 516, 914, 201, > 908, 609, 203, and 717. [...] > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Yes, thank you, I meant 917 and the > Alaska area code got in there by error. PAT] This reminds me of an AT&T commercial in which they were hyping their Reach Out America plan, where you would spend something like $10 for an hour of calls anywhere in the nation after 6 pm, and then $6 per hour thereafter. They showed different scenery from several cities around the nation, with the city name and NPA in very large type. Well, you guessed it, even AT&T was confused. They used 203 for Los Angeles. We all know that 203 is really the NPA for most of Connecticut. My roommate at the time, who was from CT, was quick to point that out every time the ad came on. Kris kris%sanctum%paladin@uunet.uu.net uunet.uu.net!paladin!sanctum!kris ------------------------------ From: miked23887@aol.com (MikeD23887) Subject: Agents Wanted Outside USA Date: 6 Apr 1994 19:50:01 -0400 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) I am looking for agents to market long distance services to consumers and businesses around the world. You can do this in your spare time or full time. This is an easy sell as the rates are far below the local phone companies and you get high quality US dial tone. A five minute call from Germany to the US would cost $7.04 on the local PTT while only $3.84 with my firm, a 45% savings. >From Germany to Japan - 45%, Canada - 37%, Hong Kong - 41% and Australia - 51%. These savings can be achieved from most countries around the world. Our commission structure starts at the highest percentage that I am aware of. These commissions are recurring for all the clients you sign up and can add up to significant $$$. You can market this service even if you have no prior experience in telecommunications. Our company is located in New York City and has been at this for some time now. If interested please e-mail me with your address and country your interested in marketing this service. An agents package describing the service will be sent to you via air mail. Please also note that we plan to cut rates again in the next 30 days as well as introduce new services such as fax on demand, integrated voice response and many new value added services giving our agents the best combination of price and service. Please reply by private e-mail to our Compuserve corporate e-mail address at 73321.2252@compuserve.com. ------------------------------ From: westmanj@scico1.chchp.ac.nz (Joakim Westman) Subject: EDI Electronic Data Interchange Date: Thu, 7 Apr 1994 07:54:07 GMT Organization: Christchurch Polytechnic (NZ) I'm wondering if somebody knows what the concept of EDI -- Electronic Data Interchange is al about. I've been trying to get information about this, I believe quite new topic at least in NZ, with no luck. Therfore I turn to you as a new news user. Regards, Jo Westman ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #169 ****************************** Received: from delta.eecs.nwu.edu by MINTAKA.LCS.MIT.EDU id aa23584; 7 Apr 94 19:32 EDT Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA06706; Thu, 7 Apr 94 14:33:04 CDT Return-Path: Received: by delta.eecs.nwu.edu (4.1/SMI-4.0-proxy) id AA06689; Thu, 7 Apr 94 14:33:01 CDT Date: Thu, 7 Apr 94 14:33:01 CDT From: TELECOM Moderator Message-Id: <9404071933.AA06689@delta.eecs.nwu.edu> To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V14 #170 TELECOM Digest Thu, 7 Apr 94 14:33:00 CDT Volume 14 : Issue 170 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Windows or DOS Caller ID Program (Ralph Becker) Re: Bellcore Goes Crypto (John Perkins) Re: What's Up With the NANP (Carl Moore) Re: What's Up With the NANP (Michael Israeli) Cellular Privacy??? (malcolm@apple.com) Shopping For an 800 Number (Shahid Ikram Butt) Jargon Dictionary Wanted (John Conwell) Caller-ID FAQ Update and "Never Say Never" (A. Padgett Peterson) Re: New Use of ANI (James Taranto) Re: New Use of ANI (Ron DeBlock) Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (Evan Leibovitch) Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? (Scott Johnston) Re: AT&T Cellular Privacy System (mcharry@cwc.com) Re: Information About ERMES Project (Rob Lockhart) Re: Canada Direct to European Customers - Why Not Possible? (Eric Snyder) Re: Local Charges for 950 and 800 Access? (John R. Grout) Re: Where Can I Find A Copy of Mosaic? (Evan Robatino) Re: Can I Use my Cellular Phone in Turkey and Germany? (Gerald Serviss) Re: History: Vail, Monopoly, AT&T (syntech@access.digex.com) Re: Los Angeles Phone Fire (Nevin Liber) Re: Alert! New CD-Rom Database a la Lotus: Household! (Robert Lightfoot) Re: Alert! New CD-Rom Database a la Lotus: Household! (Steve Brack) Colonel vs. Kernel (Theodore M.P. Lee) TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of public service systems and networks including Compuserve and GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers. To reach us: Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: rbecker@xap.xyplex.com (Ralph Becker) Subject: Re: Windows or DOS Caller ID Program Date: Thu, 7 Apr 1994 11:43:19 ET Organization: Xyplex Customer Support In article fritzj@ecn.purdue.edu (Fritz Friedlaender) writes: > If you have a modem that supports caller ID (e.g. PP14400 - the mini- > tower and internal version, NOT the pocket version) it is easy to > store the CNID data on a PC. > Get Kermit (for instance), at zero cost, and run a "log file". This > file will contain all the "ring" entries, and the Caller-ID information, > usually between the first and second ring. Just be sure that your > communications program is running and Caller-ID enabled in the desired > format, IF available on your modem. See several very recent postings > on the minimum conditions needed to make this work (in essence, if > your Caller-ID box works, so will this scheme with the appropriate > modem). Same information. I would like to follow up briefly on my request for a Windows-based Caller ID box simulation/replacement utility. I got a few "me too" requests, and I promised to let them know what I found. The only software I was pointed to is a $15 Shareware Windows utility. The file CID.ZIP is available in the Telecommunications Forum on Compu$erve (search on "Caller" will find it). I don't know of any FTP sites that have this (yet). This software is, er, a bit rough around the edges. I'm using it with my PPI PM14400FXMT, and it has several bugs. I am compiling a list that I will forward to the author. However, it's all there is, apparently, for now. The suggestion to use the logging feature on a Comm package was made to me, and I actually already tried this (works fine) with Crosstalk for Windows. I am still using this approach for now. I expect that as Caller ID increases in popularity, more of this type of software will become available in the coming months. Ralph Becker Xyplex Customer Support [Tech. Support hotline 800-435-7997] rbecker@sup.xyplex.com or 71174.1262@compuserve.com ------------------------------ From: johnper@bunsen.rosemount.com (John Perkins) Subject: Re: Bellcore Goes Crypto Organization: Rosemount, Inc. Date: Thu, 7 Apr 1994 12:04:10 GMT In article wollman@ginger.lcs.mit.edu (Garrett Wollman) writes: > In article , PAT writes: >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thank you Colonel. Tell me this: any ideas >> how Colonel came to be pronounced 'kernel' rather than 'call-on-nell'? > There is a reason for this, oddly enough. The English word `colonel' > is a result of the collision between the French word `colonelle' and > the Italian `coronello'. For some unknown reason, English adopted the > French spelling and the Italian pronunciation. There is no 'r' sound in the British pronunciation of 'colonel'. There is a sound that corresponds to the French 'eu', a sound that does not occur in American speech. John Perkins ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Apr 94 9:48:03 EDT From: Carl Moore Subject: Re: What's Up With the NANP > other numbering resources such as service access codes (e.g., 500 and 900 codes) What is the meaning of the inclusion of 500 here? All I know about 500 is that it has been one of the "last-resort" N0X/N1X area codes. > In addition, the Commission sought comment on the need, if any or > for a nationally uniform dialing pattern that would use the digit "1" > as a toll call identifier. Notice this is ONLY the comment stage. What would be affected is some areas using just seven digits for long distance within area code. Also, some cases of local calls to another area code require a leading 1. ------------------------------ From: izzy@netaxs.com (Michael Israeli) Subject: Re: What's Up With the NANP Date: 6 Apr 1994 21:44:29 GMT Organization: Netaxs BBS and shell accounts! Where can one write or e-mail to state an opinion on this to? Michael Israeli - (izzy@access.netaxs.com) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I suppose one can now contact the FCC via their new online thing with the net which we have been hearing about. Does anyone know if the mail can go both directions on that or if pen and paper still required? :) PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: Cellular Privacy??? Date: Thu, 07 Apr 94 08:39:20 -0700 From: malcolm@apple.com I saw a copy of RCD newsfax talking about cellular privacy. The gist of the article is that the Illinois Attorney General said "persons who use a telephone which transmits by radio waves have no justifiable expectation of privacy." The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association quickly pointed out that this is not what the federal law says and then goes on to say "As an industry, we are totally committed to the personal privacy of cellular telephone users." Hah! If they were that committed then they would encrypt the transmission and not depend on silly laws. Malcolm ------------------------------ From: sib1@Ra.MsState.Edu (Shahid Ikram Butt) Subject: Shopping for an 800 number Date: 7 Apr 1994 12:47:05 -0500 Organization: Mississippi State University Hello World, I am shopping for an 800 number for my business. We currently do not have one but our phone bill still exceeds $1,000/month. We expect the volume to increase with the new 800 number. I know I should probably be calling LD companies. But I know next to nothing about LD companies, their policies and charges etc. Any help on who to call at what number etc would definitely be appreciated. If you got a good rate and you liked the service from anybody, I would like to hear from you. Thanks a million. Shahid sib1@Ra.Msstate.Edu ------------------------------ From: John Conwell Subject: Jargon Dictionary Wanted Date: Thu, 7 Apr 1994 08:49:48 EDT I am looking for a book/dictionary for the great number of telephone (and cabletelevision) slang terms. You know, RBOC, STS, etc. I know a few, but a desk-top guide to the oft used shorthand phrases would be useful. I believe that the once monolithic Ma Bell produced one in-house, and probably the Baby Bells still do. Anything would be nice. :} [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Have you checked out the online glossaries which are part of the Telecom Archives? Use anonymous ftp to connect with lcs.mit.edu. Then, 'cd telecom-archives/glossaries'. You'll find several large files there; glossaries compiled at one time or another. You can also obtain glossary entries using the Telecom Archives Email Information Service. Use the regular instructions for that service. The command is given as GLOSSARY . For example, 'GLOSSARY COCOT' would cause email to be sent to you automatically explaining what that term meant. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Apr 94 07:54:54 -0400 From: padgett@tccslr.dnet.mmc.com (A. Padgett Peterson) Subject: Caller-ID FAQ Update and "Never Say Never" I wrote: > My understanding is that the Motorola chip and most Caller-ID boxes > are designed to only accept data *before* pickup and to stop listening > when the line is answered. Further, the through connection is only > made once the line has been answered. For this reason there should not > be a problem. > Further, I have understood that a Caller-ID box would only accept one > valid sequence per call. I have since found out that the above is not always true. When I studied the Motorola chip specs, I noted that this mode was available but that the chip could also be placed in a maintenance mode (listen always). Did not think that any box other than a test set would ever do so since the alternative was obviously preferable in a consumer environment. Wrong Again. Turns out that a few manufacturers may have designed their boxes in this mode (was told that some boxes sold by US West were this way - have not personally confirmed it though) and *these* boxes could be flooded/spoofed by the DE after call pickup. Warmly, Padgett PS: I incorporated this information and other corrections submitted by watchful readers into v 1.1 of the Caller-ID FAQ and sent to Pat for inclusion in the archives. ------------------------------ From: taranto@panix.com (James Taranto) Subject: Re: New Use of ANI Date: 7 Apr 1994 00:17:22 GMT Organization: The Bad Taranto In article , rboudrie@chpc.org (Rob Boudrie) wrote: > > 800-WHY-GUNS is an 800 number set up by a gun control proponent to > accumulate messages from people wanting to recieve literature on their > cause. > Interesting points : > - Some users report that the message changes after the third call > from the same number, stating that calls from a single number are > limited to three because of harassment from opponents [note: I wonder > if they still pay for a call to their computers to identify the > caller and leave this message?] I tried the number. The message changes on the third call, and subsequent calls do not go through -- I got a fast busy on my fourth call. I dialed the number four times in rapid succession, so this is done automatically. Cheers, James Taranto taranto@panix.com ------------------------------ From: news@cbnewsj.att.com Date: Thu, 7 Apr 94 12:30:53 GMT Subject: Re: New Use of ANI Organization: AT&T In article rboudrie@chpc.org (Rob Boudrie) writes: >- Some users report that the message changes after the third call > from the same number, stating that calls from a single number are > limited to three because of harassment from opponents [note: I wonder > if they still pay for a call to their computers to identify the > caller and leave this message?] This is not new. Limiting calls based on ANI has been done before, usually for contests and promotions. >- The voice repsonse unit appears to do some checking on the zip > code spoken into the system -- it replies invalid entry if you > read in a nine digit zip (with a spoken dash in it). Out of the box, the ASR systems I've seen do not understand "dash." They understand "zero" through "nine", "oh" (== "zero"), "yes" and "no." Unless the VRU instructs (through the prompts) otherwise, I would stick to that limited vocabulary when dealing with ASR systems. Decent ASR systems support word spotting -- "dash" or any other words not in the vocabulary would be ignored. Ron DeBlock AT&T Bell Labs / InfoWorx(R) Interactive Voice Service Somerset, NJ, USA rdb1@homxa.att.com ------------------------------ From: evan@telly.on.ca (Evan Leibovitch) Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cell Phones Reduce Crime? Date: Thu, 7 Apr 1994 10:33:54 -0400 Organization: Somewhere just far enough out of Toronto In Ontario, they haven't yet told us they'd be charging for each 911 call, but there are a few alternates that (one would hope) discourage people from clogging 911 to report fender benders. In Ontario, *OPP gets one the Ontario Provincial Police (sorta like our State Troopers) on a free-airtime call. As well, though it ain't publicized much, *PEEL is a direct line to the local police serving my city (Peel Region, covering Mississauga and Brampton Ontario, just west of Toronto). Also airtime-free. I have used both on occasion, as well as calling in accidents to local radio stations. I have also used *CAA to call the local equivalent of triple-A, thankfully not very often. Evan Leibovitch, Sound Software Ltd., located in beautiful Brampton, Ontario evan@telly.on.ca / uunet!utzoo!telly!evan / (905) 452-0504 ------------------------------ From: scottj@MCS.COM (Scott Johnston) Subject: Re: Will Widespread Use of Cellphones Reduce Crime? Date: 7 Apr 1994 01:01:08 -0500 Organization: Another MCSNet Subs., Chicago's First Public-Access Internet! PAT says: >> thus far in 1994 here, *27 children* have been killed in >> the crossfire of gang-related incidents in Chicago. From the {Chicago Tribune}, April 4, 1994: (article about Le Twan Redmond, killed 4/2/94) Section 1, page 1, sports final edition) " Le twan was the sixth child aged 14 or younger to be killed in the Chicago area in the last week; 5 of those were killed by gunfire. He is the 15th child aged 14 and under to be killed in the Chicago area this year." Where do you get 27? Scott in 60657 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Note the key phrase in that particular story in the {Tribune} was 'aged 14 and under'. Put the upper age limit for 'children' at 18 and you get different figures. But you know Scott, I get the feeling you want to play games and discredit the entire thing based on my use of one set of figures and the {Tribune} story with other figures. For a moment, let's take your figures as correct. Isn't 15 kids killed since the first of the year -- that's about one per week -- still pretty sad? Wouldn't you say we are still in a state of emergency here exacerbated by the ACLU's unwillingness to cooperate? Of course, ACLU attornies live in Winnetka or Glencoe -- or maybe even in 60657, that fine bastion of liberal, modern thinking; although Jay Miller, one of the head people there lives on Printer's Row south of downtown -- so they wouldn't know much about an eight year old child on his way to school laying dead on the sidewalk. The ultimate deprivation of his civil liberties, along with 14 others (using your figures and ages) gone unnoticed by a group which purports to protect civil liberties for everyone. Now if you add the other dozen or so -- high school age kids, and I have not read the paper today to get the latest counts -- then we get over two dozen young lives given up. I guess that's the way it has to be; after all, we all know the ACLU is a fine, outstanding organization with only the purest of agendas and a monopoly on interp- reting the US Constitution. In general in Chicago, the rate of violent, deliberate murder is running 25 percent ahead of last year. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 06 Apr 94 09:52:28 EDT From: mcharry@cwc.com (McHarry) Subject: Re: AT&T Cellular Privacy System David Arneke wrote regarding the AT&T Cellular Privacy System: "This is the strongest scrambling algorithm available for handheld, transportable and mobile cellular subscriber equipment." This appears somewhat disingenuous -- there are cellular STU-IIIs available. The commercial versions use DES encryption. Granted, you need units at both ends of the link. I have only seen the units as mobiles and transportables. They are likely too large to build as handhelds. Nevertheless, to render Arneke's claim true, either one has to hold that encryption is different from scrambling, or to strongly construe the 'and' clause to take advantage of the lack of DES handhelds. ------------------------------ From: rlockhart@aol.com (RLockhart) Subject: Re: Information About ERMES Project Date: 7 Apr 1994 11:06:01 -0500 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) In article , Stewart Fist <100033.2145@ CompuServe.COM> writes: > There's also a cut-down pre-Ermes standard called > Euromessage in the UHF band, which is limited to the UK, Germany, > Italy and France. EuroMessage isn't a 'cut-down' ERMES. (Atleast it wasn't last time I looked .) It's purely POCSAG and uses standard alpha pagers. Italy is linked into the network via SIP. France is linked in via France Telecoms. Germany is the DBP. The UK is through a couple of carriers. (And didn't Sweden and a few others plan on linking in at one time?) EuroMessage pre-dates ERMES by a couple of years (and technologies ). BTW, Hi Stewart ... are you getting these messages via Scott's posting of TELECOM Digest on CIS' TeleCom forum? Rob Lockhart Resource Manager, Interactive Data Systems Paging Products Group Motorola, Inc. Desktop: Lockhart-EPAG06_Rob@EMail.Mot.Com I'net Wireless Data <32K: Rob_Lockhart-ERL003E@EMail.Mot.Com I'net Wireless Data < 1K: Rob.Lockhart@RadioMail.Net CIS: 71333.1075@compuserve.com AOL: RLockhart AppleLink: ROBLOCKHART [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Responding only to the final paragraph in Rob's message, this is a good time to remind all readers that the TELECOM Digest is available as a regular feature on Compuserve. Look for it in the Telecom Forum area. Of course if you prefer, the Digest is also sent by email to the boxes of CIS subscribers requesting it that way instead. PAT] ------------------------------ From: ae924@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Eric G. Snyder) Subject: Re: Canada Direct to European Customers - Why Not Possible? Reply-To: ae924@FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Eric G. Snyder) Organization: The National Capital FreeNet Date: Thu, 7 Apr 1994 07:28:07 -0500 Could someone please describe exactly what the Canada Direct service is? Eric Snyder - Ottawa Canada Targeted Communication Mgt ae924@freenet.carleton.ca ------------------------------ From: j-grout@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (John R. Grout) Subject: Re: Local Charges for 950 and 800 Access? Date: 7 Apr 1994 00:00:51 GMT Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana Reply-To: j-grout@uiuc.edu In j-grout@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (John R. Grout) writes: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Generally it is only the rip-off > private payphones (COCOTS) which have charges for 950 and 800. They > are not supposed to either, but they get away with it. I am surprised > it was at a C&P phone. Maybe there was a programming error. PAT] According to Jonathan (jdl@wam.umd.edu), it is unlawful to charge for 800 calls, but C&P _does_ charge $.25 for a call to a 950 number from its payphones in Maryland. John R. Grout INTERNET: j-grout@uiuc.edu ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 7 Apr 94 11:27:56 EDT From: erobatino@attmail.att.com Subject: Re: Where Can I Find A Copy of Mosaic? Organization: AT&T In article Ellis Claggett writes: > I recently heard of a product called Mosaic which acts as a front end > for Internet access. Could some one provide me additional information > on this product an where I might locate a copy on the internet. Your > help will greatly appreciated. Look in FTP site ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu. I believe it's in a subdirectory of /PC/Mosaic; there are versions of Mosaic for MS Windows (that's the one I use), UNIX and, I believe, Macintosh. To do anything useful with Mosaic, you'll need either direct TCP/IP access to Internet (in other words, you have to be an Internet host) or a dial-up SLIP (Serial Line Internet Protocol) or PPP (Point-to-Point Protocol) connection, which makes you a temporary Internet host. (Mosaic makes its own FTP connections, Gopher searches, Telnet sessions, and so forth which is why direct TCP/IP connectivity is needed.) Hope this helps. Evan Robatino AT&T erobatino@attmail.com Phone: (908) 457-3432 ------------------------------ From: serviss@tazdevil.cig.mot.com (Gerald Serviss) Subject: Re: Can I Use my Cellular Phone in Turkey and Germany? Date: 7 Apr 1994 17:40:27 GMT Organization: Cellular Infrastructure Group, Motorola