From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Feb 9 14:03:21 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id i19J3K811775; Mon, 9 Feb 2004 14:03:21 -0500 (EST) Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 14:03:21 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200402091903.i19J3K811775@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V23 #63 TELECOM Digest Mon, 9 Feb 2004 14:03:00 EST Volume 23 : Issue 63 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Telecom Update (Canada) #419, February 9, 2004 (Angus TeleManagement) Book Review: "Web Site Privacy With P3P", Lindskog/Lindskog (Rob Slade) Re: Comcast Has Limits For Heavy Internet Users (Clarence Dold) Re: Comcast Has Limits For Heavy Internet Users (Rich Greenberg) Re: Call Centres (Rob) Re: Plain Old Cell Phones Fading Away in U.S. (Justin Time) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk is definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 09 Feb 2004 09:50:17 -0500 From: Angus TeleManagement Subject: Telecom Update (Canada) #419, February 9, 2004 ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 419: February 9, 2004 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** ALLSTREAM: www.allstream.com ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca ** CYGCOM INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGIES: www.cygcom.com ** GROUP TELECOM: www.360.net ** JUNIPER NETWORKS: www.juniper.net ** PRIMUS CANADA: www.primustel.ca ** SPRINT CANADA: www.sprint.ca ** TELUS: www.telus.com ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** Sault PUC to Offer Internet Over Power Lines ** Bell to Own 100% of Bell West ** Shaw Registers to Offer Phone Service ** Cybersurf, Shaw Spar Over Internet Access ** Wireless Auction Starts Today ** Call-Net vs Royal Bank and Bell ** Bell Offers Global IP Networking ** Telecom Ottawa Tests Wi-Fi Service ** CRTC Deregulates Telus Quebec's WAN Services ** TeraGo to Offer Wholesale Broadband ** Ottawa Optical Startup Raises $10 Million ** Milliard to Head Ottawa VoIP Developer ** CATA Seeks Nominations for Innovation Award ** Financial Results Allstream BCE Cisco MTS Rogers Wireless Telesat ** Contact Centre Leadership Program Launched ** Charter Offer for Telemanagement Online ============================================================ SAULT PUC TO OFFER INTERNET OVER POWER LINES: PUC Telecom, owned by the City of Sault Ste. Marie, has begun technical trials of Broadband over Power Line technology developed by Massachusetts-based Amperion Inc. It hopes to begin market trials, perhaps involving thousands of homes, "in a matter of weeks." BELL TO OWN 100% OF BELL WEST: As expected, MTS has decided to exercise its option to require Bell Canada to buy the Manitoba telco's 40% stake in Bell West, for approximately $645 million. Bell says it will pay the purchase price, due in 180 days, out of general corporate funds. SHAW REGISTERS TO OFFER PHONE SERVICE: On January 22, Shaw Telecom Inc. notified the CRTC that it intends to meet all the regulatory obligations of a Competitive Local Exchange Carrier, and plans to begin offering service in Calgary. It provided no dates or details. CYBERSURF, SHAW SPAR OVER INTERNET ACCESS: Calgary-based ISP Cybersurf has told the CRTC that Shaw Cablesystems has refused to provide its retail higher-speed Internet service to Cybersurf for resale, as the Commission ordered in Telecom Decision 2003-87 (see Telecom Update #414). Shaw counters that it is now ready to provide Third Party Internet Access in Vancouver and Calgary, so the resale arrangement is superseded. www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2004/8622/c122_200400656.htm WIRELESS AUCTION STARTS TODAY: The auction for Canadian spectrum in the 2.5 and 3.5 GHz bands starts on February 9, with 22 qualified bidders. Information on bidders and licences is available on Industry Canada's website, which will also provide round-by-round summaries of bidding. http://agora.ic.gc.ca/AuctionGCLF_BTS/mainmenu.cfm CALL-NET VS ROYAL BANK AND BELL: Call-Net has asked the CRTC to block a mass transfer to Bell Canada of Sprint long distance customers served under a "Talk and Save" program available to Royal Bank Visa users. RBC wants to switch them to Bell, but Sprint says that requires explicit authorization from each individual customer. www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2004/8622/c25_200400812.htm BELL OFFERS GLOBAL IP NETWORKING: Bell Canada has launched Global Internet Protocol Suite, which extends its enterprise IP networks to 50 countries, using Infonet's international IP network. TELECOM OTTAWA TESTS WI-FI SERVICE: Telecom Ottawa has begun a three-month trial of wireless technology developed by a Ottawa-based BelAir Networks. The utility-owned carrier will provide free Wi-Fi Internet access at Ottawa City Hall and the Nepean Sportsplex through April. CRTC DEREGULATES TELUS QUEBEC'S WAN SERVICES: CRTC Telecom Decision 2004-7 forbears from regulating Telus Quebec's wide area network services, on similar terms to other major incumbents' WAN services. The Commission retains the power to protect customer confidentiality and to prevent discrimination against other service providers or customers. www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2004/dt2004-7.htm TERAGO TO OFFER WHOLESALE BROADBAND: TeraGo Networks has begun offering wireless broadband at wholesale rates to Internet providers, resellers, and sales agents. OTTAWA OPTICAL STARTUP RAISES $10 MILLION: Metconnex, an Ottawa-based supplier of optical components, has raised $10.6 million from an international investors group led by St. Paul Venture Capital and Skypoint Capital. MILLIARD TO HEAD OTTAWA VoIP DEVELOPER: Natural Convergence, an Ottawa-based developer of broadband communications software for VoIP, has named Daniel Milliard as CEO. Milliard was formerly CEO of Group Telecom. CATA SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR INNOVATION AWARD: The Canadian Advanced Technology Alliance will present the "19th Annual Canadian Innovation Awards" in Ottawa April 27. Nomination deadline is March 5; for more information go to www.cata.ca/Media_and_Events/Awards/ FINANCIAL RESULTS: ** Allstream reports fourth-quarter sales of $301.9 million, 2.4% less than during the same period last year. Net income was $17.1 million, down 29% from the previous quarter. ** BCE reports fourth-quarter revenue of $4.9 billion and net income of $400 million. Bell Canada's revenue from continuing operations was down 1.8% from last year: long distance and data sales fell 5%, while local and access sales were unchanged and those of wireless rose 16%. ** Cisco had net income of US$1.3 billion in the quarter ended January 24, up from $1.1 billion the previous quarter. Sales rose 5.8% on the quarter to $5.4 billion. Cisco predicted that sales growth would slow in the next quarter to 1%-3%. ** Manitoba Telecom's fourth quarter revenues were $211 million, level with those of a year earlier; net income rose 5.7% to $12.8 million. Wireless sales were up 16%; long distance sales fell 13%. As of February 2, MTS had connected 10,000 customers for TV over DSL. ** Rogers Wireless reports fourth quarter revenue of $625 million, 19% more than in the same period last year. Net income was $1.35 million, compared to a $39 million loss. Revenue per subscriber rose 2.4%. Data service revenue made up 4% of sales, double the rate of a year ago. Rogers added a net 166,200 postpaid subscribers in the quarter. ** Telesat Canada, a BCE subsidiary, had net earnings of $11.5 million, down 35% from the previous year. Sales increased 5% to $99 million. CONTACT CENTRE LEADERSHIP PROGRAM LAUNCHED: Angus Dortmans Associates is now scheduling client-site presentations of a new seminar, presented by Henry Dortmans. Topics include: Setting strategies and tactics; Producing effective reports; Understanding technology and tools; Managing financials; Establishing credibility. ** For information on bringing this important two-day program to your team, call 1-800-263-4415 ext. 300 or go to www.angustel.ca/ada/adccs.html. CHARTER OFFER FOR TELEMANAGEMENT ONLINE: Time is running out. Act now to take advantage of special Charter Subscriber rates for Telemanagement and Telemanagement Online. Download full details (including 107 reasons to subscribe now!) today. ** Subscribe now and start your subscription with the current issue, featuring in-depth reports on implementing and using wireless data for business applications in 2004, and Part One of our exclusive series on new IP Telephony systems for branch offices. www.angustel.ca/teleman/tm-sub-online.html ============================================================ HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-MAIL: editors@angustel.ca FAX: 905-686-2655 MAIL: TELECOM UPDATE Angus TeleManagement Group 8 Old Kingston Road Ajax, Ontario Canada L1T 2Z7 =========================================================== HOW TO SUBSCRIBE (OR UNSUBSCRIBE) TELECOM UPDATE is provided in electronic form only. There are two formats available: 1. The fully-formatted edition is posted on the World Wide Web on the first business day of the week at www.angustel.ca 2. The e-mail edition is distributed free of charge. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: join-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com To stop receiving the e-mail edition, send an e-mail message to: leave-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com Sending e-mail to these addresses will automatically add or remove the sender's e-mail address from the list. Leave subject line and message area blank. We do not give Telecom Update subscribers' e-mail addresses to any third party. For more information, see www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html. =========================================================== COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2003 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail rosita@angustel.ca or phone 905-686-5050 ext 500. The information and data included has been obtained from sources which we believe to be reliable, but Angus TeleManagement makes no warranties or representations whatsoever regarding accuracy, completeness, or adequacy. Opinions expressed are based on interpretation of available information, and are subject to change. If expert advice on the subject matter is required, the services of a competent professional should be obtained. ------------------------------ From: Rob Slade Organization: Vancouver Institute for Research into User Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 08:18:38 -0800 Subject: Book Review: "Web Site Privacy with P3P", Lindskog/Lindskog BKWSPP3P.RVW 20031019 "Web Site Privacy with P3P", Helena Lindskog/Stefan Lindskog, 2003, 0-471-21677-1, U$40.00/C$61.95/UK#27.95 %A Helena Lindskog %A Stefan Lindskog %C 5353 Dundas Street West, 4th Floor, Etobicoke, ON M9B 6H8 %D 2003 %G 0-471-21677-1 %I John Wiley & Sons, Inc. %O U$40.00/C$61.95/UK#27.95 416-236-4433 fax: 416-236-4448 % http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471216771/robsladesinterne http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471216771/robsladesinte-21 %O http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471216771/robsladesin03-20 %P 244 p. %T "Web Site Privacy with P3P" Chapter one is a brief but reasonable introduction to privacy. Internet security gets the same level of treatment in chapter two. The World Wide Web is explained in chapter three. Privacy and the net are examined in chapter four. All of this acts as background by the time we get to chapter five, which explains the Platform for Privacy Preferences, or P3P. Chapter six describes how to enhance your Web site's privacy. The creation of a privacy policy is reviewed in chapter seven. Chapter eight lists such a policy in English, and then nine provides a detailed structure of how the policy is established using P3P. Special consideration for cookies is outlined in chapter ten. Chapter eleven examines P3P tools. P3P and mobile networking, as well as XML source code for policies, is given in chapter twelve. A serviceable guide, with no major problems, but no stellar qualities, either. copyright Robert M. Slade, 2003 BKWSPP3P.RVW 20031019 ====================== (quote inserted randomly by Pegasus Mailer) rslade@vcn.bc.ca slade@victoria.tc.ca rslade@sun.soci.niu.edu May you live all the days of your life. - Jonathan Swift http://victoria.tc.ca/techrev or http://sun.soci.niu.edu/~rslade ------------------------------ From: dold@ComcastXHa.usenet.us.com Subject: Re: Comcast Has Limits For Heavy Internet Users Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 22:59:46 +0000 (UTC) Organization: a2i network KimBrennan wrote: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: And how often do you ever see an ISP > who will give you a shell if you ask for one. They're deathly afraid > of what havoc you might cause if you had a shell account. PAT] I only read mail and usenet news from a shell account ... cuts down on the virus/worms and anything that I can't read is probably SPAM anyway. http://www.rahul.net/guest is what I use, at the moment connected via cablemodem to an ISP that I never use, except for connectivity. A google search for "shell account" turns up lots of potential sites. http://www.sonic.net is another company in my area that is well respected and offers dialup-dsl-wireless and shell accounts. KimBrennan wrote: > This begs the question of what they (Comcast et al) are doing. ISP > means (or is SUPPOSED to mean) Internet Service > Provider. Unfortunately far too many of these silly people think that > means ONLY http, and they restrict it so that ONLY http can be served. > But INTERNET service implies FTP and Mail and telnet and a whole slew > of other capabilities. I think streaming video is generally delivered via http, or at least as a result of web browsing. To me, FTP implies two way. I don't just download stuff. The cable and DSL already have limits on the speed of uploads. Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5 ------------------------------ From: richgr@panix.com (Rich Greenberg) Subject: Re: Comcast Has Limits For Heavy Internet Users Date: 8 Feb 2004 19:52:45 -0500 Organization: Organized? Me? In article , KimBrennan wrote: [...] > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: And how often do you ever see an ISP > who will give you a shell if you ask for one. They're deathly afraid > of what havoc you might cause if you had a shell account. PAT] There are several. IMHO the one I use is the best run one (Panix). And my HO was confirmed by some extensive discussion in an internal newsgroup started by someone asking for suggestions for backup shell providers. Thier policy is you can do nearly anything you want as long as its legal and doesn't disturb the service for other users. Example: They don't officially support the "screen" utility, but if you know unix well enough to d/l and compile your own copy, feel free to use it. Another frequent poster to CDT works there. He can chime in if he wishes. Rich Greenberg Work: Rich.Greenberg atsign worldspan.com + 1 770 563 6656 N6LRT Marietta, GA, USA Play: richgr atsign panix.com + 1 770 321 6507 Eastern time zone. I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67 Canines:Val(Chinook,CGC,TT), Red & Shasta(Husky,(RIP)) Owner:Chinook-L Atlanta Siberian Husky Rescue. www.panix.com/~richgr/ Asst Owner:Sibernet-L ------------------------------ From: rob51166@yahoo.com (Rob) Subject: Re: Call Centres Date: 9 Feb 2004 04:33:20 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com CCIE8122 wrote in message news:: >> Does anyone know what the situation is in the US/Canada as far as call >> centres being transferred abroad is like? >> It's *BIG* news over here at the moment, with many companies, such as >> insurance companies, telco's (including BT), some 118 Directory >> Assistance companies, National Rail Enquiries, and AOL, opening up >> call centres in India, primarily Kolkutt and Mumbai. Basically >> they're *MUCH* cheaper to run and operate over there than call centres >> here in the UK, but that's at the expense of job losses as well. At >> the moment they're being used as overflow for the call centres here >> -- but as I say, that's at the moment. >> BTW, the reason I know that AOL have opened a centre in India is >> because I had to call them a few weeks ago, only for my call to be >> answered (eventually) by a guy with a very strong Indian accent -- you >> don't hear Indian accents in Waterford, Ireland, where AOL have their >> main European office! >> TIA! >> Rob > Same in US. > I sell MCI/AT&T/Qwest/GX services, including IPL, to a major call > center company in the US (they do call center for UPS, United > Healthcare, Metlife, AT&T, and several other Fortune 500 cos). May > even be the same company that does AOL. > Anyway this company has IPL to Mexico, Ghana, India (Bangalore and > Mumbai), with call centers in all those locations. According to them > the next major areas are Beijing, and Philippines. > Other major companies like Cisco do a similar sort of thing -- Cisco > TAC does sort of a "follow the sun," doing TOD routing between call > centers in US, India, Sydney, among others. > kr > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: One reason they like locating in the > Philippines (well, two reasons, actually) is the neutrality of the > language (mostly decent English) and the low costs involved in the > payroll; the people work for very low wages, and employers are > not subject to all the various worker comp, insurance, and taxes > they are here in the USA. Work for people who need jobs, and less > grief for the employers. A 'win-win' situation for all (smile) except > the USA customers/consumers. PAT] Yeah, it's very much the same over here. Most major banks, such as Barclays, Abbey, HSBC, Lloyds TSB have transferred call centres over to India (my bank, NatWest, hasn't, thankfully), as well as many insurance companies such as Sun Alliance, Prudential, Axa. Because English is spoken fluently by the literate in India, as well as the wages being an nth of what they are over here in the UK and Europe, and the lack of employee rights are just a few of the reasons British companies chose to go there en masse. Some British companies have also moved call centres to South Africa, where there's no language problem whatsoever. China I'm not so sure about, but I wouldn't put it past any major British company to move call centres etc, to the Philipines in the not too distant future. Oh BTW, British jobs are also going to Europe, as well. My mother worked at Hoover Europe Headquarters in the neighbouring valley and her department (export) was transferred to Italy. I've put it down to the fact that, as Italy's in the Eurozone, it's cheaper for them to export from there to other countries which use the Pound than to export from here, where the Pound is stronger, and therefore the goods are more expensive for sale to Euroland. ------------------------------ From: a_user2000@yahoo.com (Justin Time) Subject: Re: Plain Old Cell Phones Fading Away in U.S. Date: 9 Feb 2004 06:45:16 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com BobGoudreau@withheld at users request wrote in message news:: > [Please obcure my email address. Thank you.] > Rodgers Platt wrote: >> Keeping notes in a diary may make them "more difficult" to share, but >> the support systems available are much more robust, and my day timer >> notebook will never die because the battery went flat. > On the other hand, one aspect of the paper diary support system is > painfully inadequate: backup. My friend's wife painfully discovered > this last year when her purse (including her daytimer) was stolen from > her car and never recovered. Tens of thousands of bytes of > hand-written data were lost forever. This loss finally persuaded her > to emulate her husband's example and get a PDA, which can be easily > (and wirelessly) synced with his office computer to provide a backup > copy. Even if the device is lost or destroyed, a replacement can > quickly be purchased and loaded with all the backed-up data, which > will be no more than a day or two out of date. We are beating a dead horse, but if the person having the PDA never performs a backup or transfer -- when was the last time you backed up the contents of your PC's hard disk -- the data is still lost. PDAs and computers still do not have the ability to take hand drawn graphics as input, notes or other items that may be shared. Every office I visit has at least a copier or fax machine that would allow a sheet of notes or sketches to be copied and shared if need be. Most of the time, and this goes for all you advocating the use of PDAs as well, the notes I take at a meeting are for my use and are not shared. When was the last time you sent someone a copy of your meeting notes? The notes I take are virtually meaningless to someone else as they don't think, or remember, things the way I do. With notes in a daytimer, I have a record of what happened, and when. Not only the date, but the time. If someone wants a copy of my notes, I can scan and e-mail or fax them a copy -- complete with drawings. Rodgers For keeping records of appointments, phone lists and expense records, a PDA is difficult to beat. I can sync the PDA with my PC and have it keep records and even download expense information to a program for tracking purposes. Paper, for this purpose, is a little more difficult I know and recognize. Each has its use and there are some things for which the "old" way still excels. ------------------------------ 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 networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. 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His mail order telephone parts/supplies service based in the Chicago area has been widely recognized by Digest readers as a reliable and very inexpensive source of telecom-related equipment. Please request a free catalog today at http://www.sandman.com --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. If you donate at least fifty dollars per year we will send you our two-CD set of the entire Telecom Archives; this is every word published in this Digest since our beginning in 1981. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V23 #63 *****************************