From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Jun 22 15:34:40 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i5MJYeo12092; Tue, 22 Jun 2004 15:34:40 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 15:34:40 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200406221934.i5MJYeo12092@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 #301 TELECOM Digest Tue, 22 Jun 2004 15:35:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 301 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Verizon Begins Deploying Packet Switches to Provide Local (VOIP News) Skype Linux Beta (VOIP News) A New Kind of States' Rights (VOIP News) The Quest For the Rural Full Monty (VOIP News) Pulver.com CRTC Comments Now Online (VOIP News) The 411 on VoIP (VOIP News) VoIP - SIP Suggestions (PDA Enthusiastic) Technical Question About VOIP (R.J. Phipps) Re: Telus Prevents Residential Clients From Sending Email (jmeissen) Re: Telus Prevents Residential Clients From Sending Email (DevilsPGD) Re: Telus Prevents Residential Clients From Sending Email (Barry Margolin) Re: Telus Prevents Residential Clients From Sending Email (Robert Bonomi) 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 are 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 12:08:04 -0400 Subject: Verizon Begins Deploying Packet Switches to Provide Local Service Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-22-2004/0002197838&EDATE= Installations in Six West Coast Communities Pave the Way for New Services and Greater Network Efficiencies Verizon Local Packet Switches Complement Previous Use of the Technology in Long-Distance Network NEW YORK, June 22 /PRNewswire/ -- In a first among major United States telecommunications companies, Verizon is deploying advanced packet-switching technology to serve local business and consumer lines. The program is under way in California and Washington state. The state-of-the-art technology will make Verizon's network more reliable, and the new switches pave the way for a broad array of new services for local businesses and consumers in the future. The new packet switches will replace existing technology known as circuit switches. Telecommunications switches are at the heart of Verizon's networks and direct voice traffic from the person making to the call to the person being called. Company technicians are currently installing packet-switching systems in five southern California communities: Temecula, Elsinore, Homeland, Baldwin Park and Azusa. Installation of a sixth packet switch is also under way in Mount Vernon, Wash. The six switches -- provided by Nortel Networks -- are expected to come on line later this year. Customers served by the new packet switches in California and Washington will continue to receive the same voice and data services at the same price, and customers will not be required to change equipment. "This is a major step forward in building our next-generation network," said Paul Lacouture, president of Verizon's Network Services Group. The new packet-switching systems - also known as softswitches -- are based on the same technology used to send data through the Internet. Until now, circuit-switching systems have been the standard for routing calls in telecom networks. Packet switch technology can be combined with innovative Internet service capabilities to provide a wide array of advanced services to customers in the future. For example, in the future, customers will be able to monitor their incoming and outgoing calls, keep a log of all calls, automatically route incoming calls to a cell phone or other locations, and manage all their calling and e-mail traffic on a personal computer. Today's announcement follows Verizon's launch in Keller, Texas, on May 19 of a program to build fiber-optic networks to connect homes and businesses to the network using a technology called fiber to the premises (FTTP). Verizon plans to deploy fiber systems to pass as many as 1 million homes and businesses this year. These two powerful new technologies are widely expected to provide even more advanced services that are far superior to those available from other telecommunications service providers, including cable TV networks. "We continue to transform our wireline network," Lacouture said. "Of course, we expect this transformed network to improve revenue growth for the company, but, also importantly, it will expand services for customers nationwide." Lacouture added that deployment of the new switches will change the way Verizon's network handles voice traffic. Today, a traditional voice call relies on a distinct circuit for the duration of the call or transmission. While that call is going on, that circuit cannot be used for anything else. In a packet-switching environment, the call is broken up into chunks -- or packets -- and transmitted over links that are also being used to transmit packets of data information such as Internet access, as well as many other calls. This sharing of the network for voice, data and video means the network can handle far more traffic. Verizon began deploying this advanced technology in its network in 1999, in the form of voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) gateways to connect local customers with some long-distance networks. In 2002, Verizon began installing packet switches in parts of the company's inter-city network. A year later, Verizon deployed softswitches in segments of the company's long-distance network to carry national calls using VoIP technology. A Dow 30 company, Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) is one of the world's leading providers of communications services, with approximately $68 billion in annual revenues. Verizon companies are the largest providers of wireline and wireless communications in the United States. Verizon is also the largest directory publisher in the world, as measured by directory titles and circulation. Verizon's international presence includes wireline and wireless communications operations and investments, primarily in the Americas and Europe. For more information, visit http://www.verizon.com. VERIZON'S ONLINE NEWS CENTER: Verizon news releases, executive speeches and biographies, media contacts and other information are available at Verizon's News Center on the World Wide Web at http://www.verizon.com/news. To receive news releases by e-mail, visit the News Center and register for customized automatic delivery of Verizon news releases. SOURCE Verizon Communications Web Site: http://www.verizon.com Company News On Call: Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/618232.html How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 11:57:35 -0400 Subject: Skype Linux Beta Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3095591 Skype Linux Beta; Skype P2P Internet Telephony Now Available to Millions of Linux Users Worldwide LUXEMBOURG (BUSINESS WIRE) June 21, 2004 Skype Technologies S.A., the Global P2P Internet Telephony Company that offers consumers the ability to make free superior quality voice calls using their Internet connections, today launched the first beta version of Skype for Linux. The software can be downloaded for free and is available immediately for download at www.skype.com. "We've had strong demand for a Linux version of Skype since debuting the Skype beta 10 months ago," said Niklas Zennstrom, Skypes CEO and co-founder. Skype will continue to innovate by offering new quality telephony options, and listen to our users in setting priorities. Full press release at: http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3095591 ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 13:48:28 -0400 Subject: A New Kind of States' Rights Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://industryclick.com/magazinearticle.asp?magazineid=7&releaseid=12344&magazinearticleid=201021&siteid=3 by Donny Jackson Telephony, Jun 21, 2004 For more than a century, most telecom regulation has come from the states. That changed somewhat with the passage of the 1996 Telecommunications Act, which granted the FCC greater powers. Still, states continued to play a key role in the voice-calling arena, particularly after the FCC released its Triennial Review Order last year. Key components of the TRO called for state commissions to oversee detailed studies of the telecom marketplace and determine where CLECs were impaired. The aggressive, nine-month timeline created mountains of work for state commission staff members, but the TRO represented a high watermark for state commissions' authority. It was short-lived. Today, state commissions' future role in regulating real-time voice calling is in doubt, and even its present role is in limbo. The future is in doubt because most believe voice over IP is the future of voice calling. For states, that's a problem, because the distributive networks used to carry VoIP calls cross state boundaries. With this in mind, most FCC commissioners have indicated they believe VoIP is inherently interstate, meaning it falls within the jurisdiction of the FCC, not the state commissions a sentiment echoed in two VoIP bills pending in Congress. Meanwhile, most carriers have told the FCC they do not want states to have any economic regulatory authority over VoIP. Full story at: http://industryclick.com/magazinearticle.asp?magazineid=7&releaseid=12344&magazinearticleid=201021&siteid=3 ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 13:54:25 -0400 Subject: The Quest For the Rural Full Monty Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://industryclick.com/magazinearticle.asp?magazineid=7&releaseid=12344&magazinearticleid=201028&siteid=3 by Donny Jackson Telephony, Jun 21, 2004 Several telecom officials pine for the FCC to pre-empt states, and many more seek economic deregulation of VoIP providers. But one former FCC official working as a lawyer for a group of disparate rural carriers has asked his former employer to deregulate his clients completely including legacy networks. "We're asking for it all [to be deregulated]," said David Irwin, attorney for America's Rural Coalition, or ARC. I like to call it the full monty. Detailed in ARC's comments filed in the FCC's IP services proceeding, Irwin's deregulatory request is based on the presence of intermodal competition from various platforms wireless, cable, independent VoIP operators and broadband over power lines. In addition, ARC notes that usage minutes and access have diminished as a result of indirect competition from technologies such as e-mail and instant messaging. Full story at: http://industryclick.com/magazinearticle.asp?magazineid=7&releaseid=12344&magazinearticleid=201028&siteid=3 ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 14:23:01 -0400 Subject: Pulver.com CRTC Comments Now Online Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com The comments that pulver.com filed last week with the CRTC (in Canada) are posted here: http://pulver.com/reports/pulverCRTC.pdf ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 14:47:46 -0400 Subject: The 411 on VoIP Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/34630.html By Leon Erlanger Most agree that a major transition to VoIP in the enterprise is inevitable, but in most companies it will probably be a gradual process of greenfield branch office rollouts, deploying IP where it brings the most benefit, replacing obsolete legacy equipment, and gradually upgrading the data network infrastructure. Ultimately, every enterprise will find its own unique path to VoIP. "Our branches had every type of phone system imaginable," says Stan Adams, SouthTrust's group vice president of voice and data. With 730 branches and 13,200 employees, SouthTrust, a regional bank based in Birmingham, Alabama, had been growing through acquisitions since 2000. "Dealing with all those maintenance programs was turning into a major management headache. We were about to upgrade all our branches to TIs and switched 100Mb anyway, so we decided to build a converged IP voice/data network that would let us manage all our voice and data services centrally from Birmingham." Now all of SouthTrust's sites are populated with IP-based phone handsets connected over the data network to a few Cisco CallManager IP PBX server clusters in Birmingham, which are in turn backed up by another CallManager cluster in Atlanta. "The CallManager clusters manage call setup, voice mail, and long distance for all our sites," Adams says. "The savings we've seen from centralized management are incredible. And now we can take advantage of cheaper high volume long distance rates and bypass long distance tolls on the branch WAN connections." Full story at: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/34630.html ------------------------------ From: support@mantragroup.com (PDA Enthusiastic) Subject: VoIP - SIP Suggestions Date: 22 Jun 2004 00:38:42 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Hello, We are looking to write a SMALL client for VoIP which uses SIP. I have started reading a lot about it lately and would like to learn and start implementing stack. Can you give me some pointers where I can understand the SIP (after I look at the RFC) and some code samples which are VERY easy to understand? How easy is it to write the code for SIP and where can I find any developers documentation (as in how I can start from connecting to server, what messages I have to send etc.). Is there any free server I can test the client with which runs on windows. Thanks a ton. As an offtrack, we are looking for some C programmer who has some PT to work on the SIP stack that we are planning to develop in C for one of the embedded projects. Thanks, Mike ------------------------------ From: R.J. Phipps Subject: Technical Question About VOIP in Greece Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 17:47:59 -0400 Pat, A question that I am not clear about is the use of ISDN. Is this supported? I understand the app would work well on 90k synchronous connection. Could it be pulled off with say 192k ISDN? I believe that this is the closes to the bandwidth required that we will get while in Greece. Thanks again, R.J. ------------------------------ From: jmeissen@aracnet.com Subject: Re: Telus Prevents Residential Clients From Sending Email Date: 21 Jun 2004 17:30:22 GMT Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com In article , Digest Editor wrote: > Note: I was not referring to *receiving mail* either but sending > it. I do happen to have a shell at a few sites, but that is not > material. I am talking about using the existing mail programs at > those sites. Seated at my computer, (through typing of course) I > 'say' to my ISP Cableone.net "connect me to terraworld.net" and I > get connected. If I said "connect me to terraworld.net port 25" I am > not so sure they would do that. But I will take terraworld.net's > front door. The term "connect" is a bit ambiguous the way you're using it. Since you have a broadband connection you're always connected in the network sense. There is no "connecting" that happens prior to using a mail application. When you launch whatever program you intend to use, it "connects to" one or more ports on some remote system. > Now having connected to terraworld.net and properly logged > myself in, I then say to terraworld.net "I want to send/receive email" > and a handy-dandy little program comes up to let me do just that. Or > massis, or AOL or Compuserve or ... let me count them all. Now I could > see where an ISP might, if they chose, refuse to connect me to > someISPsomwhere port 25, but are you suggesting the ISP (in this case > it would be Telus I guess) sits there 'listening' all the time just so > it can block me in the event I do something 'port 25-like' on that > distant site, such as sending mail? "Oh, I heard him say 'port 25' to > that ISP in Kansas somewhere, so I am blocking him cause he may be a > spammer." Yes. But not to any specific site in this case. The destination address and port number are part of the packet header, and often examined for routing purposes. In this case if the destination is outside their network and the port is 25 they reject the packet. > This over-simplifies it a little, but I hope you understand > me now. And just as I can ask cableone.net to connect me to Terraworld > to use Terraworld's mail service (NOT a shell account, just Windows) > I can also go to Terraworld and ask for connection to CableOne then > use their Windows-based email service. With most mail applications you need to configure two mail hosts, one for receiving mail (typically using POP3 or IMAP), and another for sending email. While you can certainly have multiple mail accounts with different providers (and different hosts), typically you only configure a single host for handling all your outbound email. LookOut may be making the assumption now that those are the same, but that would be a dangerous assumption. Receiving and sending are independant. I don't know how M$ does it, since I try to avoid their stuff, but the Windows-based clients I've used lets me configure a host for outgoing mail, then, for each account, a host and protocol for dealing with the received mail for that account. AOL may be different. Since you use their proprietary interface you establish a "session", not unlike a VPN. I seriously doubt that their mail interface uses the standard protocols. In that case your outgoing mail probably wouldn't be going to port 25 on an AOL machine, so there would be no problem. John Meissen jmeissen@aracnet.com ------------------------------ From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: Telus Prevents Residential Clients From Sending Email Reply-To: bond-jamesbond@crazyhat.net Organization: EasyNews, UseNet made Easy! Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 22:08:02 GMT In message Barry Margolin wrote: > But the OP's complaint is that he's connected through Telus but wants > (for some reason he wasn't fully clear on) his email to *not* > originate from the Telus SMTP server. There are a number of good reasons, SPF being one of them. News: CIVIL SERVANT STAYS AWAKE ALL SHIFT LONG "Man, I've really got to cut back on the caffeine" he says. ------------------------------ From: Barry Margolin Subject: Re: Telus Prevents Residential Clients From Sending Email Organization: Looking for work Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 21:11:08 -0400 In article , Nick Landsberg wrote: > As it turns out, my ISP (ATT-Worldnet), won't accept port 25 > connections unless they originate on their network. When I got > broadband (just last week) I kept my Worldnet account and phone lines > as a backup, just as Pat does. When I tried to access my worldnet > mail, send mail or read netnews over the broadband connection, I was > blocked. That's a separate issue. ISPs have to prevent their own servers from being used as open relays, so they only allow their customers to use them. Many ISPs now support SMTP authentication, and allow authenticated use from any address. This is useful when their customers are using public wireless access points (e.g. accessing the net from airports), since it's not easy for the users to know what to configure their SMTP server to in such environments. Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu Arlington, MA *** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me *** ------------------------------ Organization: Robert Bonomi Consulting Subject: Re: Telus Prevents Residential Clients From Sending Email From: bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi) Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 14:33:14 +0000 In article , Robert Bonomi wrote: [[.. munch ..]] > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I just now tried this. I got onto Terra > World and used Outlook to send outgoing spam to myself *making a claim > that I was really at cableone*; Terraworld would not allow it. If I > went into Outlook and changed my default (which usually is cableone) > over to terraworld (in other words admitting to the recipient of the > mail who I really was) then terraworld would accept the mail. Earlier > I was using the mail client on Terraworld rather than my own client > (Outlook) which I guess got me confused, since I was using the mail > client on the ISP itself. When using *my mail client* (Outlook) then > Terraworld would not accept anything from me unless I was Terraworld. > When I shut down the dialup and went back to highspeed at cableone > then again using *my mail client* (Outlook) the same thing happened. > Cable One would only accept mail outbound from cableone and would > not accept my claim that I was using TerraWorld. > Using the mail clients on the ISPs (Terra or Cable) worked just fine, > but I apparently forgot that my own client (Outlook) goes to whoever or > whatever is controlling the computer at the moment, thus I approach > either ISP as a third-party intruder and that I was not trying to use > the mail clients on Terra or Cable but had introduced *my own mail > client* into the picture, and that unless my own mail client was auth- > orized i.e passwords and satisfactory parameters otherwise (per > whatever Terra or Cable individually demanded) I would not get > through. As long as I was on terraworld dial up and had my Outlook > parameters correct I could send mail out through terraworld. As long > as I was on CableOne high speed and had my Outlook parameters correct > I could send mail through CableOne. This is all clear as mud to me, > so I guess you are correct. PAT] Just for come clarification, there are about _four_ separate, but related issues involved in this kind of thing. 1) If the network operator runs separate mailservers for 'incoming' mail (i.e., mail _from_ the 'outside world') and 'outgoing' mail (from it's customers _to_ the outside world, it probably restricts access to the 'outgoing' server to IP addresses that _are_ on it's own network. 2) The 'inside' user at an ISP probably has to 'authenticate' himself to to that server, using the ID/password supplied by the ISP running the server. (makes tracking down spammers _really_ easy/simple ) 3) The network one is connected to may block 'port 25' access to 'foreign' servers, except from the 'official' mailservers for _that_ network. 4) (rare, and virtually *worthless*) the 'outgoing' mailserver may accept mail only if the _claimed_ sender domain matches the domain of the mail- server. If this is the -only- check for access, then all a spammer has to do is forge an address _in_the_mail-server's_domain_, and it will happily relay the mail. NOTE: *VIRTUALLY*EVERY* mail-server _will_ reject mail if -neither- the sender address or the recipient address are 'local' to the network on which the mail-server resides. (Otherwise _anybody_ -- including spammers -- could send mail through that system. This is the infamous 'open relay' issue.) So, you have to cope with 'which network you're directly connected to' (which may have required an id/password to access it), 'which mailserver you're trying to use' (by hostname and 'port'), 'which access-code is needed to access _that_ server' (which may, or *may*not* be the same as the id and password required to access the _network_ you're currently using, *AND*, last but not least, whether or not the network you are currently connected to "allows" contact to 'foreign' networks/servers on the port you use to contact that mailserver on a foreign network. Get _any_ of the above wrong, and the mail won't go out. Sometimes, even _reading_ your mail is a 'restricted-access' activity. On ATT/WorldNet, if you're _not_ on an att.com-owned IP address, you cannot access the regular POP server to _read_ mail. Although it works just fine if you *are* on an att.com address (one of their dial-ups, for example). (you _can_ get in, via an 'alternate port', with an SSL-encrypted connection; given that you have a mail client that supports POP-over-SSL.) ------------------------------ 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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End of TELECOM Digest V23 #301 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Jun 22 20:15:18 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i5N0FHf14440; Tue, 22 Jun 2004 20:15:18 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 20:15:18 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200406230015.i5N0FHf14440@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 #302 TELECOM Digest Tue, 22 Jun 2004 20:15:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 302 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: Norvergence Problems (Robert White) Re: Norvergence Questions (Black Ninja) Re: NPA-N00 Numbers (was Strange 202 Number) (Sam Etler) Re: NPA-N00 Numbers (was Strange 202 Number) (Gary Novosielski) Re: NPA-N00 Numbers (was Strange 202 Number) (Patrick Lee Humphrey) Re: NPA-N00 Numbers (was Strange 202 Number) (Robert Bonomi) Re: Who Got the Message? There's a Way to Know (Clarence Dold) Re: Who Got the Message? There's a Way to Know (jsw@ivgate.omahug.org) Re: 1st Private, Manned Rocket Set for Launch (Rob Warnock) Lucent Message Detail Recorders (PhoneMan) Converting Rate Center Name to City Name (Marcus Jervis) Flat Panel TV Prices Fall as Competition Heats Up (Monty Solomon) Re: Telus Prevents Residential Clients From Sending Email (Paul Vader) Call Progress Analysis in Intel Dialogic Card (Chandhru) Verizon FSK Voice Mail Indication (David) Mobile Device Developments 2004 (Elena Colle) 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 are 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: rwhite@lightship.com (Robert White) Subject: Re: Norvergence Problems Date: 21 Jun 2004 11:54:06 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com galip@hotmail.com (pricepc.com) wrote in message news:: > We have been a customer of Norvergence for a year now and had many > problems. Now the worst problem ever, it looks like the company is > going out of business. Today Qwest dropped all of their customers from > the network. No Internet access no phone calls. Also last week > accidentally I hit the button on my cell phone and get the billing > information and Norvergence has $1.7 M past due balance to Sprint PCS. > Any similar experiences or any ideas? Please let us know. If you know of anyone who needs new services due to this problem please forward them to me. My name is Robert White, I work for Lightship Telecom and my number is 781-684-1149. Thank you, Bob White ------------------------------ From: triple_des1544@yahoo.com (Black Ninja) Subject: Re: Norvergence Questions Date: 22 Jun 2004 00:17:32 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Franki Truth wrote in message news:: > I would be willing to give all the information that I know. > But unfortunately I don't have much juicy info. > Ask away and I will be willing to share. Franki Truth also wrote: > Being an ex employee of Norvergence in a high capacity I know a lot > and am willing to share it all. Which is it? You know a lot, or you don't have much juicy info? I feel that it may be the latter. Why don't you tell us all just one (1) thing that we don't already know. I know a lot too, and I can tell you if it is true or not. Personally, I think you are a full of sh*t ex-telemarketer. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 16:00:19 CDT From: Sam Etler Subject: Re: NPA-N00 Numbers (was Strange 202 Number) > There are numerous NPA-N00 codes, and several are landlines. I just wrote a quick script to analyze LERG6 and there seems to be 817 office codes in the format NPA-N00 as of the June LERG. I didn't bother to figure out the breakdown of code type (local service, mobile, etc). sam The trouble with the world is that it's always one drink behind. -- Humphrey Bogart ------------------------------ From: Gary Novosielski Subject: Re: NPA-N00 numbers (was Strange 202 Number) Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 22:46:22 GMT Neal McLain wrote: > 201-200-2000 New Jersey City University, Jersey City, NJ That's interesting because, unless there are additional 201-200 numbers lower than 2000, that would mean that NJCU (formerly Jersey City State) has the "lowest" phone number in the world. At least it would show up first in a list of all the phone numbers in the world, sorted ascending on Country Code, Area (City) code, and Phone number, since 1 is the lowest country code, 201 is the lowest valid area code, and 200 is the lowest NXX code. Of course, it's possible someone has +1 201 200 0000, which would be the ultimate first-place winner. Would that make it the ultimate vanity number, like a license plate of "1" ? Of course I'm presuming the numbers would be left-aligned, rather than "decimal aligned" so that no other international numbers could be termed "lower" simply because they contained fewer than 10 digits. We are, after all dealing with strings of characters that all happen to be digits, not dealing with actual integer numbers. However ... That reminds me of a late night talk show host (probably Jack Paar, but possibly even Steve Allen) who one night called up the USSR trying to get then-Premier Nikita Khrushchev (widely considered to be an autocratic despot and certainly the ultimate authority in the country) to speak on the air. Naturally he was unsuccessful in reaching Khrushchev, but in the process of patiently holding and being transferred and talking to various low-level diplomats, operators, secretaries, and others, he did manage to get someone to tell him Khrushchev's number, which was "Kremlin 2". A minute later, after admitting defeat and hanging up, it occurred to him to wonder out loud: If Khrushchev is Kremlin 2, who the heck is Kremlin 1 ? (Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain, he's probably only a dial-plan anomaly.) =Gary ------------------------------ Subject: Re: NPA-N00 numbers (was Strange 202 Number) From: Patrick Lee Humphrey Date: 21 Jun 2004 22:03:20 -0500 Neal McLain writes: > Joseph wrote: >> As to N00 offices there are at least a couple in NPA 206. >> 206-200, 300 are Verizon Wireless office codes. > There are numerous NPA-N00 codes, and several are landlines. There > seems to be a heavy concentration in 847; I guess is no surprise given > ICC's desperate efforts to forestall the inevitable overlay. Many > NPA-N00 codes appear to be businesses: > 201-200-2000 New Jersey City University, Jersey City, NJ > 415-600-6000 California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA > 818-700-7000 Life Alert, Northridge, CA > 847-400-3400 Pcnation.com, Northbrook, IL > 847-600-2000 Shure Incorporated, Niles, IL > 847-700-4000 United Airlines, Elk Grove Village, IL 713-500-xxxx: UT Houston Health Sciences Center (in the Texas Medical Center). Patrick "The Chief Instigator" Humphrey (patrick@io.com) Houston, Texas www.chiefinstigator.us.tt/aeros.php (TCI's 2003-04 Houston Aeros) ------------------------------ Subject: Re: NPA-N00 numbers (was Strange 202 Number) Organization: Robert Bonomi Consulting From: bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi) Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 14:48:17 In article , Neal McLain wrote: > Joseph wrote: >> As to N00 offices there are at least a couple in NPA 206. >> 206-200, 300 are Verizon Wireless office codes. > There are numerous NPA-N00 codes, and several are landlines. There > seems to be a heavy concentration in 847; I guess is no surprise given > ICC's desperate efforts to forestall the inevitable overlay. You mean the overlay that went into effect 2 years ago? > Many NPA-N00 codes appear to be businesses: Some are, some aren't. The proverbial 'it depends'. :) [Aside: many numbers in a _lot_ of prefixes belong to businesses] The N00 prefixes include a fair number of CLEC number-blocks. Basically, in territories where mandatory 11-digit inter-NPA dialing is in effect, almost all the N0X and N1X sequences were available for use as exchange prefixes. I've seen a number -- but I don't remember just where -- that was NPA-800-xxxx. That's got to be good for some confusion. :) > 201-200-2000 New Jersey City University, Jersey City, NJ > 415-600-6000 California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, CA > 818-700-7000 Life Alert, Northridge, CA > 847-400-3400 Pcnation.com, Northbrook, IL > 847-600-2000 Shure Incorporated, Niles, IL > 847-700-4000 United Airlines, Elk Grove Village, IL > Neal McLain ------------------------------ From: dold@WhoXGotXth.usenet.us.com Subject: Re: Who Got the Message? There's a Way to Know Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 20:44:25 UTC Organization: a2i network Tony P. wrote: > Not true -- in the case of didtheyreadit.com they put a web bug in the > message that 'phones home'. If you put an entry in your hosts files that > points didtheyreadit.com to 127.0.0.1 it'll never get back. I tried > several tests and not one of them managed to say I'd read the test > messages on my main mail account. Man, is that ever a popular IP address! On my system, it is the ip address of several well known web sites, like double-click, futuresite.register.com I think I might add didtheyreadit.com to keep my personal DNS tables up to date ;-) http://www.gmail.com The google mail service offers this note: "External images are not displayed. Display External Images?" Which would obviate this method if it were part of email that didn't have required graphics. Sometimes I load them, usually not. Every email that you send is routed through them so they can track the IP addresses of the recipient, I suppose. "ellen@aol.com you'd just send it to ellen@aol.com.didtheyreadit.com". Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5 ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Who Got the Message? There's a Way to Know Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 16:37:32 CDT From: jsw@ivgate.omahug.org Reply-To: jsw@ivgate.omahug.org > Not true -- in the case of didtheyreadit.com they put a web bug in the > message that 'phones home'. If you put an entry in your hosts files that > points didtheyreadit.com to 127.0.0.1 it'll never get back. I tried > several tests and not one of them managed to say I'd read the test > messages on my main mail account. I have been waiting for several weeks now for some moro^H^H^H^Hperson to send one of those bugged didtheyreadit messages to this account. The didtheyreadit people don't take into account that there are still a few of us who still use an admittedly lowtech mailer on a Real Computer. Yes, there are fewer and fewer everyday who do not use a peecee with a web-enabled mail reader. Oh sure, it will do mime and (most) all of the fancy stuff, but one thing out of many that it won't do is phone home to a web bug nest. I'm still holding my breath waiting for the opportunity to respond to said moro^H^H^H^Hperson to the effect that yes, I received the mail, but there's no way that tracking service knows about it. Good day JSW (still waiting >>HINT<<) ------------------------------ Subject: Re: 1st Private, Manned Rocket Set for Launch Organization: Rob Warnock, Consulting Systems Architect From: rpw3@rpw3.org (Rob Warnock) Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 23:17:13 -0500 Monty Solomon wrote: > If SpaceShipOne is successful, designer Burt Rutan and his Scaled > Composites development company will use the craft to make a run at the > $10 million Ansari X Prize, a formal competition intended to spur > commercial development of spaceflight. BTW, just in case anyone cares, the flight *was* successful. (Yippee!) Also, in order to win the $10M Ansari X Prize, they have to make two successful flights [manned flight, altitude >100km] with the same spacecraft within two weeks. Rob Warnock 627 26th Avenue San Mateo, CA 94403 (650)572-2607 ------------------------------ From: PhoneMan Subject: Lucent Message Detail Recorders Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 09:39:04 GMT I have 3 Lucent MDR's and I am looking to for a refurber to sell them too. Any help is appreciated. I also have 3 PollCat Polling devices also. Thanks! joe@joescotti.com ------------------------------ From: Marcus Jervis Subject: Converting Rate Center Name to City Name Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 16:21:20 +0000 Can anyone post a method for converting rate center names to full city names? Is there a master list or a coding scheme? Example: LSAN DA 14 = Los Angeles (not necessarily a real example. one I just made up) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 16:41:28 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Flat Panel TV Prices Fall as Competition Heats U By Franklin Paul NEW YORK, June 22 (Reuters) - Flat panel televisions will become more affordable during this year's holiday shopping season as more brands hit stores, but the pricey TVs still cost four times what most Americans pay for a monthly home mortgage. Analysts expect prices to drop 25-30 percent as high profit margins lure Motorola Inc. , Dell Inc. and other makers of products like computers and mobile phones into the market for flat panel plasma and liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=42100784 ------------------------------ From: pv+usenet@pobox.com (Paul Vader) Subject: Re: Telus Prevents Residential Clients From Sending Email Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 20:50:21 -0000 Organization: Inline Software Creations > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Excuse me Brian, but it is unclear to > me how Telus, or any ISP you wish to use, is able to prevent you from > logging into and using as desired, the mail service of any other ISP > where you have an account and are otherwise authorized to use the > service. It's effortless really -- they tell their routers to not forward any port 25 traffic that goes outside of their system, or even better, transparently forwards it to their own mailservers. This is an increasingly common thing, so much so that most external mail vendors (such as the one I use, pobox.com), provide a mailserver running on a different port. A minute's work and you're fine again, while protecting the net from worm programs that start their own mailservers or take over your computer and send spam by bouncing it off of other unsecured machines. I think Brian is out of luck, and it's several years too late to complain about it now. * * PV something like badgers--something like lizards--and something like corkscrews. ------------------------------ From: chandhra_sekar@hotmail.com (Chandhru) Subject: Call Progress Analysis in Intel Dialogic Card Date: 22 Jun 2004 14:50:43 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Hi, I am trying to make a call progress analysis using my dialogic card. I have written a code which makes a ring and plays the file. but I am not able to analyse my calls using ATDX_CPTERM. I dont know where I am going wrong. please correct me. The code is going to CON_handler, but it is not recognised by ATDX_CPTERM().please correct *************************************************************** /* Call Analysis with user-specified parameters and synchronous mode. */ #include #include #include #include #include #include int AON_received = 0; long int AON_handler(unsigned long evhandle); long int CON_handler(unsigned long evhandle); main(){ int chdev, dti; int parm = 3; int mode = EV_SYNC; char dialstrg[11] = "2059783440"; int res; DX_CAP capp; DV_TPT tptplay; int retval; /* Open voice channel */ if ((chdev = dx_open("dxxxB1C4",NULL)) == -1) { printf("Error in channel open\n"); } /* Open dti time slot */ if((dti = dt_open("dtiB1T4",NULL)) == -1){ printf("Error in dti board open\n"); } /* Map voice and dti boards */ if(nr_scroute(chdev,SC_VOX,dti,SC_DTI,SC_FULLDUP)== -1 ){ printf("Error in nr_scroute"); return 0; }else{ printf("Mapped properly \n"); } /* Clear DX_CAPP structure */ dx_clrcap(&capp); capp.ca_nbrdna = 3; capp.ca_dtn_pres = 100; capp.ca_dtn_npres = 100; capp.ca_noanswer = 2000; capp.ca_intflg = 8; /* set on hook */ if((res = dt_settssigsim(dti, DTB_AOFF|DTB_BOFF))== -1){ printf("Error in dt_setssigsim %s\n",ATDV_ERRMSGP(dti)); } Sleep(500); /* set off hook */ if((res = dt_settssigsim(dti, DTB_AON|DTB_BON))== -1){ printf("Error in dt_setssigsim %s\n",ATDV_ERRMSGP(dti)); } if(dx_setevtmsk(chdev,DM_RINGS|DM_LCON|DM_SILOFF|DM_SILON|DM_WINK)== -1){ printf("Error in dx_setevtmsk"); } Sleep(500); if(dx_setsvmt(chdev, SV_VOLUMETBL,NULL, SV_SETDEFAULT) == -1){ printf("Error in dx_setsvmt()\n"); } if (dx_dial(chdev,dialstrg,&capp,EV_ASYNC) == -1) { printf("Error in dial\n"); } else{ printf("No error in Dial function \n"); } if(sr_enbhdlr(chdev, EV_ANYEVT,CON_handler)==-1){ printf("Unable to set CON_hanlder for device %s \n",ATDV_NAMEP(chdev)); } if((retval = sr_enbhdlr(dti, DTEV_SIG, AON_handler)) == -1){ printf("unable to set AON hadnler for device %s \n",ATDV_NAMEP(dti)); return (retval); } tptplay.tp_type = IO_EOT; tptplay.tp_termno = DX_MAXDTMF; tptplay.tp_length = 1; tptplay.tp_flags = TF_MAXDTMF; //Sleep(1500); while( AON_received == 0) { Sleep( 1 ); /* Sleep until we receive an incoming call */ } printf("BON_received %d\n",AON_received); if(dx_playwav(chdev, "c:\\temp\\ezpay.wav", &tptplay,EV_SYNC) == -1){ printf("Error playing file - %s \n", ATDV_ERRMSGP(chdev)); exit(1); } printf("Played audio file \n"); /* set on hook */ if((res = dt_settssigsim(dti, DTB_AOFF|DTB_BOFF))== -1){ printf("Error in dt_setssigsim %s\n",ATDV_ERRMSGP(dti)); } /* unMap voice and dti boards */ if(nr_scunroute(chdev,SC_VOX,dti,SC_DTI,SC_FULLDUP)== -1 ){ printf("Error in nr_scroute"); return 0; } dx_close(chdev); dt_close(dti); return 1; } long int AON_handler(unsigned long evhandle){ printf( "dx_handler() called, event is 0x%x\n", sr_getevttype(evhandle)); long int event = sr_getevttype(evhandle); int *datap = (int *)sr_getevtdatap(); short indx; if(event != DTEV_SIG){ printf("Unknown event %d received. Data = %d \n",event,*datap); return 0; } for(indx = 0; indx <4; indx++){ if(!(*datap &(0x1010 < Subject: Verizon FSK Voice Mail Indication Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 18:05:47 -0400 Has anyone successfully used an FSK voice mail indicator with Verizon CO voice mail? When one asks the Verizon sales office they say that they will try to turn it on, but they don't seem to know which COs support it. The exchange that I am interested in is 781-235-XXXX. Panasonic has a new portable phone with a nice LED in the antenna that is supposed to light from FSK signaling. Much better than stutter dial tone if it will work. David ------------------------------ Subject: Mobile Device Developments 2004 Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 15:06:06 +0100 From: Elena Colle Mobile Device Developments 2004 1-3 September 2004 Hilton Kensington, London FULL AGENDA BELOW ***************** Following up on the success off Mobile Device Developments 2003 visiongain B2B Conferences are please to announce the 2nd annual event examining the current state of the market for mobile devices (smartphones, phone-enabled PDA, communicators, 2.5G and 3G handsets), and the opportunities for growth both in market size and ARPU (average revenue per user). This event will yet again be the meeting point for Mobile Operators, Handset Manufacturers & Application Developers. Key themes include: *What features and applications are going to be tomorrow's standard *What brands are going to lead the market? *Which handsets/devices are revolutionising the mobile offer? *Developing features to boost customer use and ARPU *Adapting devices for all networks and standards of connectivity: *2G, 2.5G, 3G, Bluetooth, WiFi, VoIP, EDGE *Managing strategic alliances for maximum revenue for all players involved *Marketing new devices: market segmentation, pricing, promotional alliances Confirmed Speakers: -Eric Shadduck, Group Manager Mobile E-Mail and Messaging, International Business Marketing IM2, T-Mobile International -Marcos Eguillor, Handsets & Smart Cards Expert, Telefónica Móviles -Jukka Helin, Head of MediaLab, TeliaSonera -Cdric Nicolas, Mobile Multimedia and i-mode Expertise and Roadmap manager, Bouygues Telecom -Ed Candy, Technology Director, 3 UK -Alex Hum, Programme Head, New Human Interaction Technologies, Orange Group Research and Innovation -Thijs Altena, Marketing Business Markets, KPN Mobile -David Werezak, Vice President Marketing, Research in Motion -Myrddin Jones, Manager Business Display Group, Hitachi Europe Ltd -Mike Phillips, Director of Marketing Wireless & Broadband Systems, -Motorola/Freescale Semiconductors -Orly Nesher, Director of Marketing, Emblaze Mobile -John Williamson, Vice President Technology, Carrier Devices Testimonials from the event: 'Good event: well organised, good speakers, and good content', P.P., TIM 'Very compelling content, good variety of speakers with different angles', K.M., Belgacom Mobile 'Very interesting, very good networking opportunities', S.T., Alcatel 'Excellently prepared conference', G.W, Sun Microsystems 'Useful event - good range of topics and questions', N.H., TDK Systems This years event is planned to bigger and better with more attendees, more exhibitors and more opportunities to discuss, network and learn. Places at this event are strictly limited so BOOK YOUR PLACE NOW. To make a booking on this event, please contact me via phone or email. Book early to secure a place. - PRICING - Attend the: 2 Day conference with interactive workshop - ONLY GBP1600 plus VAT 2 Day conference - ONLY GBP1299 plus VAT Workshop only - ONLY GBP650 plus VAT - BOOKINGS - Booking is easy, simply contact Elena Colle on: Telephone: +44 (0)20 8767 6711 Fax: +44 (0)20 8767 5001 Terms and conditions apply - see below Email: mailto:elena.colle@visongain.com Please find below the conference agenda. To book your place at simply give me a quick ring or email me stating whether you require a single place or a group booking. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Regards, Elena Colle Account Manager Visiongain b2b Conferences Tel: +44 (0) 20 8767 6711 http://www.b2b-conferences.com mailto:elena.colle@visiongain.com ****AGENDA**** ----------------------------------- PRE-CONFERENCE INTERACTIVE WORKSHOP ----------------------------------- Developing devices and features for business customers Wednesday 1 st September 2004 Led by: Edward Belgeonne, Chief Executive Officer Destiny Wireless Plc. Schedule: The workshop will run from 10:00 until 16:00 with lunch and refreshments at appropriate intervals Workshop schedule This workshop is designed to provide participants with an in-depth look into how to develop and implement efficient strategies to market mobile devices to business customers. It will review how businesses use mobile devices, how they could develop a wireless strategy including new devices and features, and how to anticipate market demand. The event will enable participants to engage in a debate on the opportunities in targeting the business market and what products and features to develop to attract varied customer segments. Main topics of discussion: * Businesses' wireless needs: devices/handsets to suit different sectors * Developing partnerships between vendors, operators and enterprises to implement wireless strategies * Marketing new devices and features to business customers Benefits of attending: * Discuss the specific challenges of marketing for business customers * Anticipate business customers' needs in terms of wireless devices and features Edward Belgeonne is Chief Executive Officer of Destiny Wireless. ------------------------------------- DAY ONE - THURSDAY 2ND SEPTEMBER 2004 ------------------------------------- Conference Chair Alan Hadden President Global mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) 8:40 Registration and coffee 9:10 Opening remarks from the Chair DEVELOPING NEW DEVICES: STRATEGIES AND REQUIREMENTS 9:20 Optimising devices opportunities for the business market * Device segmentation from voice to data and what is in between * Features sets that sell devices and have an impact on their price points * Service and device bundles - the advantages and disadvantages * Services and revenue in the business market Eric Shadduck Group Manager Mobile E-Mail and Messaging International Business Marketing IM2 T-Mobile International 10:00 The role of devices in Telefonica Mviles' business strategy: the advantages of branded handsets * Determining the key features to develop a handset offer to suit end-users needs * Managing working partnerships with manufacturers to develop branded handsets * Adapting the offer to varied markets * Developing handsets to enable personalisation and interactivity Marcos Eguillor Handsets & Smart Cards Expert Telefónica Móviles 10:40 Coffee and discussion 11:00 Building a varied device offer to meet users needs * Update on the current trends and dynamics within the mobile device market * Analysing the segments of the device market, and how to combine features and functionality to meet differing user needs * Ensuring the usability of new handsets: how to make it work for business and entertainment users? * Developing successful partnerships with operators and software developers * Strategies for future devices: what features are going to lead the market and what devices will dominate? David Werezak Vice President Marketing Research in Motion 11:40 Challenges in software integration and testing for handset manufacturers * Issues in technology choices when developing new mobile devices * Interoperability and how it influences the development of applications * Technology solutions to enhance the usability and profitability of mobile devices Colin Aitken Vice President Marketing & General Manager Europe Sasken Communications 13:00 Lunch PERSONALISATION AND INTERACTIVITY 14:10 The importance of personalisation and interactivity for mobiles * Boosting revenues with personal and interactive offering * Key features to provide the right level of interaction and personalisation * Working with device manufacturers to develop the features Alex Hum Programme Head, New Human Interaction Technologies Orange Group Research and Innovation 14:50 Enabling key content and personalisation services * Balancing standardisation and differentiation/personalisation * The technology needed to allow a full range of applications, location services, e-payments, multimedia messaging and video * Designing the user interface: making the use of new services and applications more appealing to users * How can device designs lead to an increase of ARPU? Johan Lodenius Senior Vice President Europe Business Relations Qualcomm 15:20 Case Study: Orange Israel, Alpha P8 * Market need for a segmented customized device * Targeting the youth market with the Alpha P8 * Unique features in the Alpha P8 * Emphasis on usability for uptake of operator services * Understanding the market for customized operator devices Orly Nesher Director of Marketing Emblaze Mobile 15:50 Coffee and discussion 16:10 Enhancing mobile devices with successful displays * Review of the display market * Current and emerging display technologies for mobile devices * New display technologies for video and wide viewing * Review of display resolutions and sizes used in mobile devices * Display customisation Myrddin Jones General Manager, Display Products Group Hitachi Europe Ltd 16:40 Smart Card solutions to boost update of mobile data services * New solutions for multi-media services and devices * Removing the complexity for the end-user * The benefits for operators and handset manufacturers * Ensuring security for wireless applications Cyril Annarella EMEA Marketing Director - BU Telecom Gemplus 17:10 Close of Day One ----------------------------------- DAY TWO - FRIDAY 3RD SEPTEMBER 2004 ----------------------------------- 8:40 Registration and coffee 9:10 Opening remarks from the chair: Alan Hadden, President Global Mobile Suppliers Association (GSA) 9:20 Challenging convention to deliver innovation in the mobile device offer * Using the latest technology to deliver innovative devices * Delivering a mobile offer to support operators' brand development * Striking the right balance between innovation, performance and usability * The importance of design, style and features in creating a range of devices Eric Pite Vice President Smartphones Sendo ADAPTING DEVICES TO NEW NETWORKS AND NEW CONTENT 10:00 Developing a handset offer to drive 3G services * 3UK's experience of working with manufacturers to develop suitable handsets * Determining the key requirements to design handsets according to the services offered * What features drive mobile usage and 3G services * Providing the right balance between new technology and usability * Future handset technologies for 3 and the relevance to customers Ed Candy Technology Director 3 UK 10:40 Coffee and discussion 11:00 Technology requirements for next generation devices * What are the new handset requirements for next generation services (3G, EDGE) and how to make the step from 2.5G? * Determining what drives market demand for enhanced data services and identifying the relevant handset requirements * The current choice of handsets for next generation services and their distinguishing features: are they living up to the expectations? Brian Dally Director Product Marketing, Client Software Openwave Systems 11:40 Streaming and Broadcasting Services for Mobile Handsets * How handset vendors, software vendors, network operators and service operators can all benefit from the introduction of mobile video services * Mobile streaming and broadcasting technology overview and requirements for GPRS/EDGE/W-CDMA/DVB-H networks & handsets * Streaming, downloading or broadcasting: which technology to use for different services? * Assessing the quality aspects in mobile video services * Mobile video broadcasting for DVB-H terminals: experiences from the Finnish trial * TeliaSonera's first commercial video services for cell phones Jukka Helin Head of MediaLab TeliaSonera 12:20 Lunch 13:40 Adapting to EDGE: developing handsets for a new technology and new services * Why Bouygues Telecom selected EDGE technology for its network * What services will be introduced with EDGE * What are the links with Bouygues Telecom's i-mode main offer? * How the EDGE handsets were designed with vendors * What is the evolution path from EDGE to 3G ? Cédric Nicolas Mobile Multimedia and i-mode Expertise and Roadmap manager Bouygues Telecom 14:20 Platforms solutions to enable mobile digital broadcasting (DVB-H) * Designing standards for the delivery of digital television and data services * What are the market enablers, who are are the key parties who will create the DVB-H market ? * What services and revenues can be expected from the development of mobile DVB? * The technology behind digital broadcasting to mobile handsets * Possible platform solutions for subscriber equipment Mike Phillips Director of Marketing Wireless & Broadband Systems Motorola/Freescale Semiconductors 15:00 Coffee and discussion 15:20 A new brand for a new generation of mobiles: i-mate(tm) * The I-mate offer: smartphones and pocket-PCs * Designing devices: usability and portability * Developing devices for next generation networks (3G, EDGE, Bluetooth) * Enabling wireless services with Windows Mobile * Accessories and features John Williamson Vice President Technology Carrier Devices 15:50 KPN's experience of handset developments for businesses * The fundamentals of building a successful relationship with vendors * Using devices to achieve differentiation in a competitive marketplace * Determining the key selling-point of a new device and developing it accordingly: mobile office, video content, gaming Thijs Altena, Marketing Business Markets KPN Mobile 16:20 Close of conference Terms & Conditions NB - Due to high demand, we do not 'reserve' or 'hold' places - a request for an invoice to be raised will be treated as an official booking and will be subject to the cancellation policy as outlined below. Cancellations/substitutions and name changes: All bookings carry a 50% liability after the booking has been made, by post fax, email or web. There will be no refunds for cancellations received on or after one month before the start of the conference (e.g. cancellation on or after 20th January for a conference starting on 20th February). If you decide to cancel after this date the full invoice remains payable. Conference notes, which are available on the day, will be sent to you. Unfortunately we are not able to transfer places between conferences and executive briefings. However if you are unable to attend the event you may make a substitution/name change at any time as long as we are informed in writing by e-mail, fax or post. Name changes and substitutions must be from the same company and are not transferable between companies or countries. Indemnity: visiongain Ltd reserve the right to change the conference/executive briefing content, timing, speakers or venue without notice. The event may be postponed or cancelled due to acts of terrorism, war, extreme weather conditions, industrial action, acts of God or any event beyond the control of visiongain Ltd. If such a situation arises we will endeavour to reschedule the event. However, visiongain Ltd cannot be held responsible for any cost, damage or expenses, which may be incurred by the customer as a consequence of the event being postponed or cancelled. We therefore strongly advise all customers to take out insurance to cover the cost of the registration, travel and expenses. ------------------------------ 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. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2004 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management (MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35 credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including data, video, and voice networks. The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum. Classes are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning. Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at 405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at http://www.mstm.okstate.edu ************************ In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. 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 #302 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Jun 23 14:22:47 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i5NIMlU24151; Wed, 23 Jun 2004 14:22:47 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 14:22:47 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200406231822.i5NIMlU24151@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 #303 TELECOM Digest Wed, 23 Jun 2004 14:23:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 303 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson My Policy on Advertisement Messages (VOIP News) Powell: VOIP Regs 'Grave Mistake' (VOIP News) Packet8 Videophones Will Bring U.S. Military in Iraq Closer (VOIP News) Covad Readies VoIP Launch (VOIP News) VoIP At Supercomm Emerges As 'Next Big Thing' (VOIP News) International VoIP (Nitoy) Re: Who Got the Message? There's a Way to Know (Tony P.) Re: NPA-N00 Numbers (was Strange 202 Number) (Neal McLain) Re: Norvergence Questions (Steven J Sobol) Re: Norvergence Working Here (Norvergence Survivor) Re: Converting Rate Center Name to City Name (Linc Madison) Telephony Card For SOHO CTI? (Fred) Last Laugh! Osama Bin Laden Dies; Goes to Heaven (Lisa Minter) 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 are 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: VOIP News Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 11:31:43 -0400 Subject: My Policy on Advertisement Messages Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com Just so you know, I don't usually approve messages containing advertisements. However, since I just approved one from DORETEL Communications, Inc., I think I should probably state my policy. And that is this: I may, depending on my mood at the time, accept an ad message if it appears to offer something of genuine value. Now please understand, I don't check these companies out, so someone could certainly fool me, but what I look for is some indication that the company is a reliable business that actually believes in giving customers both value for their money and good customer service, and a message that is VERY relevant to the topic of the group. If that appears to be the case, I may run the announcement ONCE. If if the message appears the least bit flaky, or smells even a little bit like "spam" (and I don't mean the lunch meat), it will not be accepted. As an example, last night I got a message from someone that supposedly had immediate openings in VOIP Development and Testing. What "smelled" to me about it was that the sender was using a yahoo.com address (I know this is a Yahoo Group, but still ...) AND did not include ANY information whatsoever about the company they supposedly represented. There was not one single indication that this came from any sort of "real" VoIP-related company, and for all I knew it could be some outfit trying to harvest personal information (since they asked for updated resumes). So for me it's a pretty thin line and I usually tend to err on the side of NOT running anything that doesn't appear to be fully legitimate. As I say, don't infer from that that I in any way check these companies out, because I do not -- it's still caveat emptor. And also, if I start receiving more than about two or three commercial messages in the same week, I'll probably stop allowing any of them, so you need not fear that this will become an advertisement list. ======================================= [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The above came to me from Jack Decker, on the VOIP side of things here, but it applies to TELECOM Digest as well. The volume of advertising and out-and-out spam on the net these days -- some 'more legitimate looking' than others makes it almost impossible to check out. PAT] ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 11:13:04 -0400 Subject: Powell: VOIP Regs 'Grave Mistake' Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?site=supercomm&doc_id=55022 CHICAGO Supercomm 2004 -- The states that are quickly trying to regulate VOIP services are making a 'grave mistake,' said Michael Powell, Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), in his keynote speech here at Supercomm. "There are some dozen states taking an aggressive stance with VOIP, and they are making a grave mistake," said Powell, contending that regulatory agencies should show restraint when considering newer packet-based services. "I don't really understand what the problem is," said Powell. "Is the problem that consumers are getting the services for a price less than the regulated price? Is it that they have control over their own services?" Full story at: http://www.lightreading.com/document.asp?site=supercomm&doc_id=55022 How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 11:39:37 -0400 Subject: Packet8 Videophones Will Bring U.S. Military in Iraq Closer Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-23-2004/0002198476&STORY&EDATE= Packet8 Videophones Will Bring U.S. Military in Iraq Closer to Family Members at Home Veterans of Foreign Wars Arranges for Installation of New Consumer Videophone in VFW Family Assistance Centers Across the Country CHICAGO, SUPERCOMM 2004, June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- 8x8, Inc. (Nasdaq: EGHT), the Packet8 broadband voice over internet protocol (VoIP) and videophone communications service provider, announced today that it has finalized arrangements with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) to provide Packet8 Videophones to up to 28 VFW Family Assistance Centers in the U.S. and several locations in Iraq where American military personnel are presently stationed. The third generation "consumer friendly" videophone, introduced yesterday at the annual SUPERCOMM Show, will allow military personnel stationed in Iraq to see and hear their loved ones thousands of miles away by simply dialing a regular phone number and carrying on a face to face conversation. After months of planning and coordination on the part of 8x8 reseller NexGenesis Telemedia Networks, logistics of the arrangement with the VFW and other involved parties were recently solidified to the anticipation and enthusiasm of many individuals. In addition to managing the logistical arrangements, NexGenesis Telemedia Networks has established a charitable foundation to support the deployment of as many videophones as possible, as well as to generate funds for the VFW Military Family Emergency Fund, which provides emergency assistance to military families in need. "The VFW, with its newly-formed national Family Support Center network, is anxious to use the Packet8 Videophone to connect soldiers with their loved ones," said Bud Haney, Director of the VFW Military Assistance Program. "This is one instance where a picture will be worth much more than a thousand words." The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, an organization that, with its Auxiliaries, includes 2.6 million members in approximately 9,000 Posts worldwide, has a rich tradition in enhancing the lives of millions through its community service programs and special projects. Last month, the VFW announced the formation of Family Assistance Centers to expand the network of support services and emergency aid for family members of deployed service personnel. Packet8 Videophones will be installed at up to 28 designated Family Assistance Centers and made available for family and friends in the United States to communicate with military personnel in Iraq on a regular basis. "It gives 8x8 great pleasure to know that our efforts with the Packet8 Videophone will be meaningful to the military families who continue to sacrifice so much for our country, said Bryan Martin, 8x8 Chairman & CEO. "This is what videophone technology is all about, and we're excited that it will now be accessible to the general public." The plug-and-play Packet8 Videophone represents a technology and price breakthrough, transmitting high quality audio and crisp instant-on video communications over the Internet with the ease and convenience of regular telephone service. Previous videophone technology has been limited by bandwidth capabilities of the PSTN (public switched telephone network), which hampered the delivery of crisp real-time video images. Because it is based on SIP, an international Internet protocol standard, the new Packet8 DV326 Videophone achieves a level of technology and performance sophistication previously not possible. The Packet8 DV326 Desktop Videophone is available immediately online at http://www.packet8.net, and will soon be available at retail outlets for a suggested retail price of $299 after rebates. The Packet8 consumer video plan costs subscribers $29.95 per month and includes unlimited phone calls to any number in the United States and Canada, unlimited phone calls to any other Packet8 subscriber, either voice or video, anywhere in the world, and access to the same, low per-minute international rates as Packet8's voice subscribers for voice calls to non-Packet8 phone numbers outside the United States and Canada. Full press release at: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-23-2004/0002198476&STORY&EDATE= [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The above is the 'advertising message' Jack Decker approved, and it appears okay to me. Anyway, its immediate application, to help the guys in Iraq is a fine service; IMO you cannot do too much for the guys over there. I only wish Dubya had stuck some of us old farts in Iraq as sacrifices instead of the kids, since he was (still is?) so detirmed to cause a war. PAT] ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 07:28:50 -0400 Subject: Covad Readies VoIP Launch Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://telephonyonline.com/ar/telecom_covad_readies_voip/index.htm By Kevin Fitchard TelephonyOnline.com, Jun 22 2004 CHICAGO -- Less than a month after closing its acquisition of California voice-over-IP carrier GoBeam, Covad Communications is set to launch its nationwide packet telephony service. Covad officials at Supercomm 2004 today said Covad will be in 13 of its large markets by the end of the month and all 100 of Covad's MSAs by the end of the year. "We're pretty much ready to go on the East and West Coasts and Chicago," said Ed Mattix, senior vice president for communications and brand at Covad. "The network readiness is there. We're now in the process of training our 3000 sales channels and hiring some additional sales management staff. Aside from that we're set to launch." Full story at: http://telephonyonline.com/ar/telecom_covad_readies_voip/index.htm ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 22:04:31 -0400 Subject: VoIP At Supercomm Emerges As 'Next Big Thing' Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.telecomweb.com/news/1087936982.htm CHICAGO -- This year's Supercomm event has virtually removed all doubt as to what the "next big thing" in telecom is. Indeed, as discussion topics go, the single most popular issue at Supercomm 2004 is Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Virtually every major player in the U.S. telecom industry is here this week, and all of them appear to have some sort of a hook into VoIP. A clear majority of the nearly 700 exhibitors at this year's show are pitching VoIP-related products and services. Full story at: http://www.telecomweb.com/news/1087936982.htm ------------------------------ From: nitoy69@hotmail.com (Nitoy) Subject: International VoIP Date: 23 Jun 2004 08:00:53 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com I have a question about the implementation of VoIP for international calls. From looking at the rate schedule for companies like Vonage it seems that once they get to the country of origin over the internet calls are connected via the PSTN from a PBX or similar switch and completed (perhaps over DOD trunks?) My question is how do they get away with it, since I can almost guarantee that this is considered bypass in most countries? The International Settlements Policy is a serious matter in developing countries since it is international accounting rates that subsidize most network buildouts to provide basic phone service to the populace. Pat - Thank you again for a resource more valuable than the network it rides! ------------------------------ From: Tony P. Subject: Re: Who Got the Message? There's a Way to Know Organization: ATCC Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 01:54:38 GMT In article , jsw@ivgate.omahug.org says: >> Not true -- in the case of didtheyreadit.com they put a web bug in the >> message that 'phones home'. If you put an entry in your hosts files that >> points didtheyreadit.com to 127.0.0.1 it'll never get back. I tried >> several tests and not one of them managed to say I'd read the test >> messages on my main mail account. > I have been waiting for several weeks now for some moro^H^H^H^Hperson to > send one of those bugged didtheyreadit messages to this account. > The didtheyreadit people don't take into account that there are still a > few of us who still use an admittedly lowtech mailer on a Real > Computer. Yes, there are fewer and fewer everyday who do not use a > peecee with a web-enabled mail reader. They also don't take into account those of us who feel our privacy violated by return receipts on email, and who also have the technical savvy to defeat their start product by putting a one line entry in a hosts table. In article , dold@WhoXGotXth.usenet.us.com says: > Tony P. wrote: >> Not true -- in the case of didtheyreadit.com they put a web bug in the >> message that 'phones home'. If you put an entry in your hosts files that >> points didtheyreadit.com to 127.0.0.1 it'll never get back. I tried >> several tests and not one of them managed to say I'd read the test >> messages on my main mail account. > Man, is that ever a popular IP address! On my system, it is the ip > address of several well known web sites, like double-click, > futuresite.register.com I think I might add didtheyreadit.com to keep > my personal DNS tables up to date ;-) > http://www.gmail.com The google mail service offers this note: > "External images are not displayed. Display External Images?" Which > would obviate this method if it were part of email that didn't have > required graphics. Sometimes I load them, usually not. > Every email that you send is routed through them so they can track the > IP addresses of the recipient, I suppose. "ellen@aol.com you'd just > send it to ellen@aol.com.didtheyreadit.com". > Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5 127.0.0.1 is also known as localhost and local loop back. It's your machines way of checking it's own services. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 22 Jun 2004 22:43:33 -0500 From: Neal McLain Reply-To: nmclain@annsgarden.com Subject: Re: NPA-N00 Numbers (was Strange 202 Number) Gary Novosielski wrote: > Of course, it's possible someone has +1 201 200 0000, which > would be the ultimate first-place winner. Would that make it > the ultimate vanity number, like a license plate of "1" ? Someone does indeed have 201-200-0000; it's a fax number at NJCU. Google lists it as follows: "Dr. Shirley Williams Criminal Justice Department. Office: Professional 223 Phone: 201-200-4096 Fax: 201-200-0000 E-Mail: swilliams@njcu.edu. Office hours..." There was a thread about this on TD back in 1994. In TD 14:101, Dave Levenson (dave@westmark.com) wrote: > According to NJ Bell's automatic intercept service, the > number 201-200-0000 is 'being checked for trouble'. The > number 201-200-0001 has been disconnected. I didn't try any > others in that prefix." . My favorite low number belonged to the Number 1 Cab Company in Traverse City, Michigan (back before 1957, when Traverse City was still manual). Besides being its phone number, "1" was its business name and the unmistakable logo (a big red "1") on the doors of its cabs. Neal McLain ------------------------------ From: Steven J Sobol Subject: Re: Norvergence Questions Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 00:42:43 -0500 Black Ninja wrote: > Which is it? You know a lot, or you don't have much juicy info? I > feel that it may be the latter. Why don't you tell us all just one > (1) thing that we don't already know. I know a lot too, and I can > tell you if it is true or not. Personally, I think you are a full of > sh*t ex-telemarketer. Hey, all. Black Ninja is the jackass who replied to my post in alt.cellular re: Norvergence's cellular services and then alternately waffled and insulted me and a couple other posters when we pointed out the company's problems and solicited comments from him. He eventually stopped posting. Norvergence's problems are well-documented. I'm sure Mr. Ninja will dispute that, but the facts are out there. Surf on over to: http://tinyurl.com/2uckn and then click the Complete Thread link to view the sordid story. I think the proper term is "company shill." JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/ Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED) Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids. ------------------------------ From: norvsurvivor@yahoo.com (norVsurvivor) Subject: Re: Norvergence Working Here Date: 23 Jun 2004 10:28:21 -0700 Dan Pearlman wrote in message news:: > We have a Norvergence T1, LD and cell phones here in Miami. Our cell > phones never went down but our LD and T1 did. They got it back up > later that night. Qwest told me directly that they have recinded any > remarks regarding NorV and that they are still partners with NorV and > that it should not be a problem going forward. Let's hope, because > outage = lost revenue. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Hmmm, now where I have I heard before > about people making statements about Norvergence then wind up later > making disclaimers, etc? At least I have no 'official statements' here > in our archives from Qwest or I suppose they would be demanding I > remove them also. PAT] Dan, Don't you think it would be a good idea to identify yourself as an employee of Norvergence? You are still the Market Vice-president (branch manager) in the Miami office aren't you? While we're at it, please explain how a Qwest problem created T-1 outages (Matix customers) and disruption of service to NorV customer with the SOHO solution (PIC'd lines) at the same time? Maybe NorV just didn't pay their invoice! Sign me, Glad to be gone! ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Converting Rate Center Name to City Name Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 00:14:33 -0700 From: Linc Madison Reply-To: lincmad@suespammers.org Organization: California resident; nospam; no unsolicited e-mail allowed In article , Marcus Jervis wrote: > Can anyone post a method for converting rate center names to full > city names? Is there a master list or a coding scheme? > Example: LSAN DA 14 = Los Angeles (not necessarily a real example. > one I just made up) Master list, yes; coding scheme, not really. In particular, there are rate centers whose names don't correspond exactly to any given city. The other issue is that the rate center name can have two forms, the full name and the truncated name which must be 10 characters or less. In cities like Los Angeles (LSAN) and San Francisco (SNFC) which have multiple rate centers, the truncated name often uses the four-letter abbreviation from the CLLI standards, which are maintained by (and trademarked by) Telcordia. Thus, you have rate centers like LSAN DA 14 (a real rate center, it turns out) and SNFC JUNPR (San Francisco - Juniper). (Since SF has only three rate centers, they get real names instead of just numbers.) It gets even a bit more complicated in billing, because if you place a long distance call to LSAN DA 14, that won't show up on your bill: you will see a call to LOSANGELES CA. Telcordia is the ultimate source for this sort of information. Linc Madison * San Francisco, California * lincmad@suespammers.org * primary e-mail: Telecom at LincMad dot com All U.S. and California anti-spam laws apply, incl. CA BPC 17538.45(c) This text constitutes actual notice as required in BPC 17538.45(f)(3). DO NOT SEND UNSOLICITED E-MAIL TO THIS ADDRESS. You have been warned. ------------------------------ From: Fred Subject: Telephony Card for SOHO CTI? Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 15:09:08 +0200 Organization: Guest of ProXad - France Hello, I just ordered CallerID on an analog line at the office. Instead of hooking a phone with an LCD, I was curious to see if I could install some interface (Digium TDM FXO?) with two plugs, one to connect it to the phone line, the other to a telephone, and have some application running on the PC that displays customer's infos while the phone is ringing. Just some basic CTI :-) Googling a bit, it appears that the market leaders for this kind of device are Intel/Dialogic, Digium, and Eicon. Could someone knowledgeable in the CTI business tell me if there are some solutions available for such basic needs (ie. I don't need to set up a full-fledged PBX)? Thank you, Fred ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 01:10:49 CDT Subject: Last Laugh! Osama bin Laden Dies; Goes to Heaven From: Lisa Minter After his death, Osama bin Laden went to heaven. There he was greeted by George Washington, who proceeded to slap him across his face and yell at him, "How dare you try to destroy the nation I helped conceive!" Patrick Henry appoached and punched Osama in the nose and shouted, "You wanted to end our liberties but you failed." James Madison entered, kicked Osama in the groin and said, "This is why I allowed our government to provide for the common defense!" Thomas Jefferson came in and proceeded to beat Osama many times with a long cane and said, "It was evil men like you that provided me the inspiration to pen the Declaration of Independence!" These beatings and thrashings continued as John Rudolph, James Monroe and 66 other early Americans came in and unleashed their anger on the Muslim terrorist leader. Some of them had a bucket of hot tar and bags of feathers, and started pouring the tar and feathers all over Osama. As Osama lay bleeding and writhing in unbearable pain, God appeared. Bin Laden wept and said to God, This is not what the teachers in our Mosques promised me! God replied, "I told you there would be 72 Virginians waiting for you in heaven. What did you think I said?" ------------------------------ 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. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2004 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management (MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35 credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including data, video, and voice networks. The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum. Classes are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning. Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at 405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at http://www.mstm.okstate.edu ************************ In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. 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 #303 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Jun 24 01:48:27 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i5O5mRZ00652; Thu, 24 Jun 2004 01:48:27 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 01:48:27 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200406240548.i5O5mRZ00652@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 #304 TELECOM Digest Thu, 24 Jun 2004 01:48:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 304 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Exciting News For One UNI-P CLEC's Customers (TELECOM Digest Editor) Panel: VoIP Savings Not Enough To Draw Customers (VOIP News) Vonage Chooses UTStarcom for Unified Messaging Services (VOIP News) Boingo Bets on VOIP (VOIP News) FCC Commissioners Say States Should Leave VoIP Alone (VOIP News) United States: Is State Excise Taxation of VOIP Services (VOIP News) Free VOIP Resource Site - H.323, MGCP, SIP, MEGACO, VOIP PBX (tekjockey) Re: My Policy on Advertisement Messages (Thomas Cawley) Lingo VoiP Phone and RCN Cable Modem (Brian E Williams) Re: International VoIP (John Levine) Re: Telus Prevents Residential Clients From Sending Email (Henry Schaffer) EFFector 17.23: How Doesn't DRM Work? Let Us Count the Ways (Monty Solomon) Re: Norvergence Problems (Alderan) Re: Norvergence Working Here (Steven J Sobol) It's Better to Know - National HIV Testing Day is June 27 (Patrick Townson) Last Laugh! Ham Radio in Hell? (Fred, WB4AEJ) 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 are 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: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 00:26:12 EDT From: TELECOM Digest Editor Subject: Exciting News For One UNI-P CLEC's Customers I was downtown today (4th Wednesday of each month is when my Social Security Disability Check arrives each month) getting some stuff at Sayers (Ace Hardware) and Radio Shack, across the street, when I ran into Duane, the owner/operator/manager of our local phone company Prairie Stream Communications. I was getting a supply of AAA batteries, Duane was getting a few small parts of some kind or another. We got to talking about the latest revolting development, that the courts have ruled in favor of Bell and setting the price for UNI-P guys to stay in business. Duane said "as usual, Southwestern Bell is being very outrageous in their demands. Sprint Local (United Tel in the northern part of Kansas) actually had the nerve to tell us and the government that *their* loops were going to cost $140 per month ... or about three to four times what we (or even *they*!) charge the end users. SBC heard that and said 'well that is what we will charge Prairie Stream also ...' " So I asked him does this mean Prairie Stream will go out of business soon? Duane said, "first of all, none of the telcos, Bell or United, is gonna make any changes until at least after the election. I guess Bush told them to lay low so people don't get even more angry with their telephone bills. His popularity is getting worse and worse with each passing day, he dare not offend even more people; that's why with a wink and a nod, and most people's short memory or grasp of phone- related matters they will largely forget about how Bell does business, etc. " So we are all set until December or January? Duane replied, "Even longer than that ... I am building a C.O. for Prairie Stream." When my eyes finished bulging out of my head, he continued, "A two thousand line switch for Independence, and the rural area. It should be installed before Christmas, maybe around December 1." I asked him how Bell would deal wih the co-location. Duane snorted, rolled his eyes and said, "they wanted fifteen thousand dollars merely to do an engineering survey of their building at 6th and Maple. That now mostly empty building with the switch stuff on the second floor and a empty first floor which used to be a very limited business office (one rep, two cashiers, etc). Before they would even talk about us co-locating there, they wanted that money up front to have their engineer come from San Antonio to decide if we could or not. But of course you know they would eventually decide we could, as long as we further agreed to pay them a few grand each month in 'rent' for a few square feet of floor space, coming and going as *they* wanted to allow us; heat and a/c as *they* thought it should be, etc. "So I just decided to not touch their stuff at all anymore, and bought a building next door to them, across the alley between Maple and Main Street. Got the whole building for only twenty thousand; a sort of old place we will have to do some fix up work on. My eyes bulged again, and I asked Duane, what about the local loops; the last mile of the wiring. He replied, "I told you we were not gonna touch their stuff any more at all, and I meant just that. I was at City Hall earlier this week, and got the necessary permit to excavate in the streets. We are gonna put fiber optic in the conduits all over town; probably work with the same contractors who did Cable One on some of that. The rural areas of southeast Kansas is where things are at for me. And a couple of the rural telephone cooperatives are thrilled to see me doing it." I think he named a couple of them, Totah? and another one will probably work along with him on it also; guys who have hated the Bell for years from before even I was born. He said his best estimate for a clean break from SBC was January 1, 2005, maybe by mid-month. I said it all sounded a bit far fetched; he said so was TerraWorld back in 1995 ... but I made that happen. Yes Duane, you did. Well, I certainly wish him a lot of luck. I think Southwestern Bell is just daring him go to ahead with his plans. He said that right after Prairie Stream first got up and running in 2002, "two or three management people from SBC came over to spy on us and see what we were doing as a UNI-P. They referred to it as a 'courtesy call' rather than 'spying' of course, and we all smiled at one another but they insisted they did not see how we were able to 'make it work'. "Once I get it going, I will also start selling my own DSL instead of reselling theirs or maybe I will continue reselling their DSL as well; why not?" was his concluding remarks. I surely wish him the best. Patrick Townson ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 20:11:04 -0400 Subject: Panel: VoIP Savings Not Enough To Draw Customers Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://cio-today.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=Panel--VoIP-Savings-Not-Enough-To-Draw-Customers&story_id=25520 By Erika Morphy NewsFactor Network The barrier to widespread VoIP adoption used to be cost, but now it seems that lower prices are not enough to draw customers en masse -- more nifty applications will be needed, says a panel at the ongoing Supercomm 2003 conference. Lower costs have long been the holy grail for corporates willing to take a flyer on VoIP technology. But now that the price barrier has been broken, ingratitude apparently is setting in. The cheaper phone bills and lower maintenance costs finally possible with the current technology simply are not enough, says a panel at the ongoing Supercomm 2004 conference. In short, equipment manufacturers need to come up with sexier apps than currently on the market if they want the technology to gain traction in the marketplace, they say. Full story at: http://cio-today.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_title=Panel--VoIP-Savings-Not-Enough-To-Draw-Customers&story_id=25520 How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 20:14:11 -0400 Subject: Vonage Chooses UTStarcom for Unified Messaging Services Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-23-2004/0002198569&EDATE= UTStarcom's PCMS Platform to Provide Enhanced IP Communications Services for Vonage's Growing Customer Base in the US and Canada SUPERCOMM, CHICAGO, June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- UTStarcom, Inc. (Nasdaq: UTSI), a global leader in IP access networking and services, today announced that it has signed a contract with Vonage, a leader in the broadband Internet telephony industry, to provide to Vonage its 8250 Personal Communications Management System (PCMS). With UTStarcom's PCMS platform, Vonage can now offer its growing consumer and small business customers advanced, cost-effective IP communication services bundled with its high-quality voice-over-IP (VoIP) service. Vonage will deploy UTStarcom's PCMS voice mail application, which enables customers to access voice messages either by phone, online, or via email. The company will initially offer the service to its customers in the United States and Canada and plans to expand the service globally in 2004. "Vonage chose UTStarcom's PCMS solution for its superior quality and overall product set, which offers flexible features that are compatible with our existing infrastructure," said Michael Tribolet, executive vice president of operations for Vonage. "UTStarcom's system will enable us to strengthen our market position in the VoIP industry, starting with a vastly improved voice mail platform. And with its global corporate stability, UTStarcom provides Vonage with the products, service, and support that will help to ensure that our customers will always have the best possible service." UTStarcom's PCMS platform also provides Vonage with a framework for deploying additional revenue-generating IP services in the future. An end-to- end VoIP solution, PCMS can support various applications, such as voice/fax messaging, Pre-Paid Calling Card, Any-Where Access, Call Monitor, and Call Handling. PCMS can deliver these services over wireline, wireless, or broadband access networks, creating a truly unified personal messaging portal and experience regardless of the access methodology used by the consumer. "UTStarcom's contract with Vonage, a leader in the VoIP industry, provides further opportunities for our IP products to be deployed in the growing small business market," said John Giarolo, vice president of sales in North America for UTStarcom, Inc. "UTStarcom's innovative PCMS service portfolio will enable Vonage to increase customer satisfaction and customer retention. We are committed to a long-term partnership as Vonage's broadband telephony needs expand." UTStarcom's PCMS Platform The UTStarcom 8250 Personal Communications Management System provides tools to migrate customers from a legacy voicemail platform. It offers service providers enhanced service portfolios and revenue-generating services with compelling new features such as Unified Messaging, voice/fax messaging, Pre- Paid Calling Card, Any-Where Access, Call Monitor, and Call Handling. The system complies with IMAP4, SIP, SS7, POP3, and SMTP protocols, and most all other network standards and can be configured as a complete voice mail system, a fully functional unified messaging platform or as a hybrid, containing elements of both systems. Full press release at: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-23-2004/0002198569&EDATE= ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 20:26:14 -0400 Subject: Boingo Bets on VOIP Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=55114 CHICAGO Supercomm Hotspot startup Boingo Wireless Inc. is betting that wireless LAN will become a hot item for cellphones within the next couple of years and that it will be able to make seamless roaming between 802.11 and 3G networks a reality. Meeting with Unstrung today at the massive Supercomm tradeshow, Boingo's president David Hagan laid out his firm's strategy for allowing fast, unobtrusive transfers between WiFi and cellular networks in both consumer and corporate environments (see Voice Over 802.11: Talkin' Loud; Sayin' Something? for more on the voice-over-WLAN technology). Hagan reckons the demand for integration between separate wireless networks will be driven, in part, by wired and wireless carriers that want to cut costs by implementing VOIP on their networks. For carriers currently providing cable/DSL and other wireline services, VOIP is seen as a mechanism that will allow them to inexpensively offer voice services. "The broadband carriers love it," says Hagan. Full story at: http://www.unstrung.com/document.asp?doc_id=55114 ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 20:36:55 -0400 Subject: FCC Commissioners say States Should Leave VoIP Alone Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://telephonyonline.com/ar/telecom_fcc_commissioners_say/index.htm By Donny Jackson CHICAGO--FCC Chairman Michael Powell and Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy yesterday reiterated their positions that state commissions should not regulate voice over IP, a technology both regulators indicated is an interstate service that should be under the FCC's jurisdiction. In his afternoon keynote question-and-answer session, Powell said he believes states like New York that are trying to apply traditional telecom regulations to VoIP providers are 'making a mistake, a very grave mistake' that potentially can harm consumers and the industry. Powell said government regulation is appropriate when there is a danger of market failure or a need to uphold certain core values, such as protecting consumers. Neither circumstance applies to VoIP, he said. Full story at: http://telephonyonline.com/ar/telecom_fcc_commissioners_say/index.htm ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 20:47:41 -0400 Subject: United States: Is State Excise Taxation of VOIP Services on Horizon Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.mondaq.com/i_article.asp_Q_articleid_E_26845 United States: Is State Excise Taxation of VOIP Services on the Horizon? Helen E. Disenhaus Originally published 2nd Quarter 2004 Freedom from some state and local communications excise taxation soon may no longer be one of the advantages of Voice-Over-Internet-Protocol (VOIP) services. The New York State Public Service Commission (NY-PSC) has just issued a decision classifying Vonage Holdings Corporation, a provider of VOIP services that utilize the public Internet, as a "telephone corporation." While not a tax decision per se, this decision has tax implications for both service providers and end-users. Full story at: http://www.mondaq.com/i_article.asp_Q_articleid_E_26845 (Requires free registration) ------------------------------ From: tekjockey@gmail.com (tekjockey) Subject: Free VOIP Resource Site - H.323, MGCP, SIP, MEGACO, VOIP PBX, IP Date: 23 Jun 2004 20:06:48 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com We've put on-line a FREE VOIP LEARNING SITE. http://www.intersyncsolutions.com -Learn VOIP (H.323, SIP, MGCP, MEGACO), QOS, IP PBX Technology -Resourceful and Quality links on IP CONVERGENCE TECHNOLOGY -NEWS, LINKS and RESOURCES updated DAILY to keep you informed. GREAT FOR: -TECH PROFESSIONALS looking to get ahead on on VOIP, QOS, IP PBX -Business Professionals looking for VOIP solutions. -Students learning VOIP technology. Tech moves FAST and this will help you get there! http://www.intersyncsolutions.com JUST PURE GOLD....BOOKMARK it and TELL a FRIEND! ENJOY! :-) ------------------------------ From: Thomas Cawley Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 09:24:52 -0700 Subject: Re: My Policy on Advertisement Messages Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com Jack, It's all good info. I am updating our VoIP training material and I get a wealth of information from vendor, manufacturer and service provider web sites. Just keep up the great work and we'll filter out the noise! Thomas P. Cawley Applied Professional Training, Inc. Office: (800) 431-8488 Cell: (760)443-0899 Web: www.aptc.com ------------------------------ From: sorry_no_email@yahoo.com (BrianEWilliams) Subject: Lingo VoiP Phone and RCN Cable Modem Date: 23 Jun 2004 16:23:08 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com I just ordered a Lingo VoiP phone which arrived on Monday. After two days, I still can't get it to work. I asked RCN if they block TFTP or ports 50, 60, or 69, and they said no. I have a cable modem with RCN, and Lingo thought the problem might be on RCN's end. Hooking up the Lingo box right after the cable modem, it first downloaded the firmware update, and all looks good. Lingo (Primus Telecom.) can see the MAC address hit their servers once, and that's it. No VoiP light and no joy. I will probably RMA the unit and cancel the service unless someone here has some suggestions. I am interested in Lingo because of their unlimited Western Europe calling from the US, so please don't suggest Vonage or any of the alternatives unless they also offer this for free with their $20 a month plan. Obviously Lingo is not ready for prime time, but it's only a matter of when, not if. The phone companies must be wetting their pants over this. ------------------------------ Date: 23 Jun 2004 18:50:44 -0000 From: John Levine Subject: Re: International VoIP Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA > I have a question about the implementation of VoIP for international > calls. From looking at the rate schedule for companies like Vonage > it seems that once they get to the country of origin over the > internet calls are connected via the PSTN from a PBX or similar > switch and completed (perhaps over DOD trunks?) I think that in the US, at least, the VoIP carriers make deals with CLECs and the calls go out via the CLEC's switch. > My question is how do they get away with it, since I can almost > guarantee that this is considered bypass in most countries? That's the question you're not supposed to ask. The U.S. VoIP providers say they only provide service in the US and Canada, and most of them will only ship their equipment and bill to US addresses, but of course once you have the stuff, they can't control where you use it. A few countries such as Panama have tried to filter VoIP data, but I doubt that will be very effective. It's too easy to move the VoIP data around the filters. > The International Settlements Policy is a serious matter in > developing countries since it is international accounting rates that > subsidize most network buildouts to provide basic phone service to > the populace. I realize that's the theory, but there's an awful lot of countries where it's hard to see where all the settlement money went. The U.S. as a matter of policy has been trying to push settlement rates down so I doubt you'll find much sympathy from the U.S. end. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies", Information Superhighwayman wanna-be, http://www.johnlevine.com, Mayor "A book is a sneeze." - E.B. White, on the writing of Charlotte's Web ------------------------------ From: hes@unity.ncsu.edu (Henry E Schaffer) Subject: Re: Telus Prevents Residential Clients From Sending Email Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 19:14:35 UTC Organization: North Carolina State University In article , Ed Clarke wrote: > You block port 25 outgoing at the router from anything except > authorized SMTP servers. I do this for my own ISP to prevent spam. > The "proper" way to contact an outside SMTP server is via the > "submission" port (587) and to use SMTP AUTH on that port. You have > to tell Outlook/Mozilla/Eudora to use the alternate port ( and TLS/SSL > etc.). > You're going to see more and more of this because of the spam that > comes from "owned" personal computers. Thank your local spammer and > cracker or virus writer for this loss of access to the raw SMTP port. > Telus IS correct in blocking port 25; you should use an authorized > alternate and TLS/SSL instead. Our mail systems people analyzed a few hundred thousand mail messages which came from some ISPs which did not have this outside-port-25-blocking implemented. They divided the incoming mail into two categories 1) mail that came through the ISP's mail servers; 2) mail that originated at an "owned" PC but didn't come through the ISP's mail servers; and then analyzed them with one of the spam-block tools. There was very little spam (10% IIRC) in category #1. Category #2 was 90% spam. I can look up the details if that's important -- but the main message was that we would prefer every ISP to do this, as without this the ISP is basically unable to block compromised "owned" PCs ("zombies"). --henry schaffer hes _AT_ ncsu _DOT_ edu ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 18:06:49 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: EFFector 17.23: How Doesn't DRM Work? Let Us Count the Ways EFFector Vol. 17, No. 23 June 23, 2004 donna@eff.org A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ISSN 1062-9424 In the 295th Issue of EFFector: * How Doesn't DRM Work? Let Us Count the Ways * EFF Joins Coalition in Fight for Legal Uses of Digital Media * EFF Stands Up for Election Integrity in California E-Voting Lawsuit * RIAA Asks FCC to Lock Down Digital Radio Broadcasts * Let the Sun Set on PATRIOT 218 - "Foreign Intelligence Information" * EFF Seeks Dynamic, Motivated Membership Coordinator * MiniLinks (8): Induce Act = Hollings II? * Staff Calendar: 06.24.04 - Wendy Seltzer speaks at Supernova 2004, Santa Clara, CA; 06.28.04 - Cory Doctorow speaks at Tech Active, London, UK * Administrivia http://www.eff.org/effector/17/23.php ------------------------------ From: nsillc@msn.com (Alderan) Subject: Re: Norvergence Problems Date: 23 Jun 2004 12:07:44 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Not much left to do. I'm waiting for the cellular phone service to be disconnected. We have to keep paying the lease for the magic box, find a new broadband and long distance provider, buy new cell phones service, inform customers and supplyers for the 3rd time that our cell phone numbers has been changed. I feel like an idiot. rwhite@lightship.com (Robert White) wrote in message news:: > galip@hotmail.com (pricepc.com) wrote in message > news:: >> We have been a customer of Norvergence for a year now and had many >> problems. Now the worst problem ever, it looks like the company is >> going out of business. Today Qwest dropped all of their customers from >> the network. No Internet access no phone calls. Also last week >> accidentally I hit the button on my cell phone and get the billing >> information and Norvergence has $1.7 M past due balance to Sprint PCS. >> Any similar experiences or any ideas? Please let us know. > If you know of anyone who needs new services due to this problem > please forward them to me. My name is Robert White, I work for > Lightship Telecom and my number is 781-684-1149. > Thank you, > Bob White ------------------------------ From: Steven J Sobol Subject: Re: Norvergence Working Here Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 14:15:39 -0500 norVsurvivor wrote: > Dan Pearlman wrote in message > news:: > Dan, > Don't you think it would be a good idea to identify yourself as an > employee of Norvergence? You are still the Market Vice-president > (branch manager) in the Miami office aren't you? While we're at it, > please explain how a Qwest problem created T-1 outages (Matix > customers) and disruption of service to NorV customer with the SOHO > solution (PIC'd lines) at the same time? Maybe NorV just didn't pay > their invoice! Why should he tell the truth? That's apparently not part of Norv's corporate culture. :) JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/ Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED) Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids. ------------------------------ From: Patrick Townson Subject: It's Better to Know - National HIV Testing Day is June 27 Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 21:01:06 -0500 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The following is a public service message presented to the entire internet community by comp.dcom.telecom and other participating news groups by the National Association of People With AIDS ( www.napwa.org ) PAT] National HIV Testing Day Sunday, June 27th is National HIV Testing Day. If you've never been tested, or if you've had unprotected sex or shared a needle since your last test, now is the time to get an HIV test. IT'S BETTER TO KNOW Take advantage of treatment and care options. Visit www.hivtest.org to find a testing location near you. National HIV Testing Day is a project of the National Association of People with AIDS. www.napwa.org ------------------------------ Reply-To: Fred, WB4AEJ From: Fred, WB4AEJ Subject: Last Laugh! Ham Radio in Hell? Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 14:40:53 -0400 A ham radio operator died. He was given the choice of going to heaven or to hell. He looked in heaven, but they had zoning ordinances against radio antennas. He looked in hell and met the devil. He asked the devil if they had ham radio in hell. The devil took him to the ham station showing him all the really neat ham gear that they had there. He then showed him all of the radio antennas. Between the antennas and equipment, one should be able to run every legal mode. The ham said that this was great so he'd choose to go to hell. After he'd gotten settled in, he went to the ham radio station. But none of the equipment would turn on. He asked the devil why none of the equipment worked. The devil replied, "That's the hell of it. We don't have any electricity." ------------------------------ 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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Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at 405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at http://www.mstm.okstate.edu ************************ In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. 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 #304 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Jun 24 18:52:15 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i5OMqEe09973; Thu, 24 Jun 2004 18:52:15 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 18:52:15 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200406242252.i5OMqEe09973@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 #305 TELECOM Digest Thu, 24 Jun 2004 18:52:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 305 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson H.264 Video Codec Adopted for Next Generation DVDs (Monty Solomon) Comdex Cancels November 2004 Convention (Monty Solomon) Telemarketers Draw 428,000 Complaints, FTC says (Monty Solomon) AOL Worker Sold Customer List For Spam, US Charges (Monty Solomon) More U.S. Airlines Gave Passenger Data, TSA Says (Monty Solomon) Caveat Lector: Beastie Boys Evil (Monty Solomon) iChat AV at 35,000 Feet (Monty Solomon) Re: Telephony Card for SOHO CTI? (Robert Bonomi) Re: VoIP At Supercomm Emerges As 'Next Big Thing' (David) Re: Exciting News For One UNI-P CLEC's Customers (Paul Vader) Cell Phone Reception Question (nick) Looking For Software Modem (Paul) RLT-Release Link Trunk versus RTP-Release To Pivot (Deepak Pant) Re: Lingo VoiP Phone and RCN Cable Modem (Brian E Williams) Z-Tel Forced to Streamline, Refocus (VOIP News) AT&T Slashes Forecast (VOIP News) Time Warner Exec Outlines Competitive Landscape (VOIP News) Teton Wireless Launches First (Well, Not Really) VoIP Service (VOIP News) Vonage(R) Releases Xten's X-PRO SoftPhone for Mac OS X (VOIP News) Jeff Pulver: "Big Brother" XTen Networks is WATCHING You (VOIP News) Canadians Have Been Slow to Adopt Internet Telephony (VOIP News) Oh Canada ... Oh Cable ... Oh Marketing (VOIP News) 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 are 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: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 02:20:58 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: H.264 Video Codec Adopted for Next Generation DVDs MPEG Developed Video Codec Key to Future High Definition DVDs CUPERTINO, Calif., June 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Apple(R) today announced that the DVD Forum has ratified the H.264 Advanced Video Codec (AVC) to be included in the next generation High Definition (HD) DVD format. The H.264/AVC codec was jointly developed by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and has been ratified into the MPEG-4 specification as the next-generation video codec. H.264/AVC is based on open standards and will ship in Apple's QuickTime(R) software in an upcoming release next year. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=42120788 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 02:37:45 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Comdex Cancels November 2004 Convention By MATTHEW FORDAHL AP Technology Writer SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- The venerable Comdex convention, which for nearly 25 years showcased the latest and greatest in high tech in Las Vegas every November, is canceling this year's show after years of declining attendance and interest. Show organizer MediaLive International Inc. described the cancelation as a "postponement" and said Wednesday that it had formed an advisory board to reshape the troubled event. The company also said the next Las Vegas show would take place in November 2005. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=42141026 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 02:40:22 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Telemarketers Draw 428,000 Complaints, FTC Says WASHINGTON, June 23 (Reuters) - Consumers who signed up for a government-run list designed to cut down on unwanted sales calls have lodged 429,000 complaints against telemarketers over the past year, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on Wednesday. FTC Chairman Timothy Muris said the low number of complaints showed that the National Do Not Call List has been a success since it was launched one year ago. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=42140226 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 02:43:10 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: AOL Worker Sold Customer List for Spam, US Charges - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=42133939 WASHINGTON, June 23 (Reuters) - U.S. investigators said on Wednesday they had arrested an America Online (NYSE:TWX) employee for stealing the Internet provider's customer list and selling it to a purveyor of "spam" e-mail. Jason Smathers of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, has been charged with stealing a list of 92 million AOL customer screen names and selling them to Internet marketer Sean Dunaway of Las Vegas, said David Kelley, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. Dunaway, who has also been arrested, used the list to promote his online gambling operation and also sold the list to other spammers, Kelley said. An AOL spokesman said Smathers has been fired from the company. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 02:44:59 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: More U.S. Airlines Gave Passenger Data, TSA Says By Andy Sullivan WASHINGTON, June 23 (Reuters) - More airlines than originally thought secretly provided passenger data for a U.S. government screening system in possible violation of privacy laws, the Bush administration said on Wednesday. Two big reservation systems also provided names, addresses, credit card numbers and other data, said the Transportation Security Administration's acting administrator, David Stone. America West (NYSE:AWA), Frontier Airlines , Continental Airlines , and the Sabre and Galileo International reservation systems gave passenger data to the TSA or companies working for the agency in 2002 and 2003, Stone said in a signed affidavit released at his Senate confirmation hearing to head the agency. JetBlue (NASDAQ:JBLU), American Airlines (NYSE:AMR) and Northwest Airlines (NASDAQ:NWAC) have previously disclosed that they also shared passenger records with government researchers, despite promises to keep them private. Delta Air Lines provided artificial passenger records but asked for them to be deleted five days later, Stone said. The TSA also ordered Delta to provide passenger records to the U.S. Secret Service during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, he said. Frontier Airlines had no immediate comment. None of the other airlines, and none of the reservation systems, were immediately available for comment. Under a 1974 privacy law, government agencies and contractors are required to notify the public when they collect personal information. Lockheed Martin Corp. (NYSE:LMT), HNC Software Inc., International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM), Infoglide and Ascent Technology collected passenger data to develop screening prototypes, but TSA officials determined that public notice was not needed, Stone said. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=42133123 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 02:59:50 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Caveat Lector: Beastie Boys Evil http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/366191 From: Dragos Ruiu Organization: All Terrain Ninjas Subject: Caveat Lector: Beastie Boys Evil Date: Wed, 16 Jun 2004 01:10:23 -0700 Well I truly regret actually purchasing a copy of the new Beastie Boys album to support them. It seems that Capitol Records has some sort of new copy protection system, that automatically, silently, installs "helpful" copy protection software on MacOS and Windows as soon as you insert the CD into default systems. I'm not sure exactly what it does yet, but I am sure regreting actually purchasing said media now ... they don't deserve my money if they choose to pull stupid stunts like this. Installing software without your permission sounds like viral malware behaviour to me. I certainly hope the AV companies put signatures into their products for this crap. They include some sort of uninstaller buried on there for Windows, but I see no such thing for MacOS. If anyone has disassembled the aforementioned malware already and can save us some time with instructions on how to remove it ... thanks in advance. caveat emptor, --dr http://www.securityfocus.com/archive/1/366191 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 14:33:03 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: iChat AV at 35,000 Feet It's a long flight from Munich to San Francisco, even non-stop. But recently two enterprising Apple product managers cut the distance dramatically with a few at-hand tools: iChat AV, iSight, 17-inch PowerBook G4, a Boeing 777 and an orbiting satellite. In what might have been the first in-air commercial videoconference, Apple product manager Kurt Knight, on the ground in Cupertino, hooked up over iChat AV with product line manager Eric Zelenka, returning to San Francisco from Munich, by leveraging Lufthansa's new wireless high-speed broadband connection service. http://www.apple.com/hotnews/articles/2004/06/ichat_at_35k/ ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Telephony Card for SOHO CTI? Organization: Robert Bonomi Consulting From: bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi) Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 08:53:12 +0000 In article , Fred wrote: > Hello, > I just ordered CallerID on an analog line at the office. Instead of > hooking a phone with an LCD, I was curious to see if I could install > some interface (Digium TDM FXO?) with two plugs, one to connect it to > the phone line, the other to a telephone, and have some application > running on the PC that displays customer's infos while the phone is > ringing. Just some basic CTI :-) > Googling a bit, it appears that the market leaders for this kind of > device are Intel/Dialogic, Digium, and Eicon. Could someone > knowledgeable in the CTI business tell me if there are some solutions > available for such basic needs (ie. I don't need to set up a > full-fledged PBX)? Just use *ANY* _modem_ with caller-id capability. Yeah, that's "too simple" --- but it works! ------------------------------ From: David Subject: Re: VoIP At Supercomm Emerges As 'Next Big Thing' Organization: SBC http://yahoo.sbc.com Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 15:41:18 GMT VOIP News wrote in message news:telecom23.303.5@telecom-digest.org: > http://www.telecomweb.com/news/1087936982.htm > CHICAGO -- This year's Supercomm event has virtually removed all doubt > as to what the "next big thing" in telecom is. Indeed, as discussion > topics go, the single most popular issue at Supercomm 2004 is Voice > over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Virtually every major player in the > U.S. telecom industry is here this week, and all of them appear to > have some sort of a hook into VoIP. A clear majority of the nearly 700 > exhibitors at this year's show are pitching VoIP-related products > and services. > Full story at: > http://www.telecomweb.com/news/1087936982.htm I remember 10 years ago, over half of the papers at Supercom dealt with ATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode) as the next big thing. It was really Another Technical Mistake but quite a few people got Ph.D.s by researching it. I am not, however, saying this is true for VoIP. David ------------------------------ From: pv+usenet@pobox.com (Paul Vader) Subject: Re: Exciting News For One UNI-P CLEC's Customers Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 15:55:32 -0000 Organization: Inline Software Creations TELECOM Digest Editor writes: > We got to talking about the latest revolting development, that the > courts have ruled in favor of Bell and setting the price for UNI-P > guys to stay in business. Very revolting that a company should be able to charge what it actually *costs* to provision a service. Yes, we all know that Ma Bell stole your lollypop. Please move on. > or about three to four times what we (or even *they*!) charge the > end users. SBC heard that and said 'well that is what we will charge > Prairie Stream also ...' " So I asked him does this mean Prairie > Stream will go out of business soon? So you're saying that, based on a street conversation, that you know what SBC will be pricing their UNE-P services at? Nice trick that. > Duane said, "first of all, none of the telcos, Bell or United, is > gonna make any changes until at least after the election. I guess It's 18 months IIRC, and this was a stated-in-public part of the agreement on letting the Bad and Wrong rules lapse. No secret deal needed. Heck, it was even on the news! > my eyes finished bulging out of my head, he continued, "A two thousand > line switch for Independence, and the rural area. It should be > installed before Christmas, maybe around December 1." A whole 2000 lines? I can throw a rock out a window and hit a larger switch than that. > My eyes bulged again, and I asked Duane, what about the local loops; > the last mile of the wiring. He replied, "I told you we were not gonna > touch their stuff any more at all, and I meant just that. I was at > City Hall earlier this week, and got the necessary permit to excavate > in the streets. I'm sure this will work great for rural Kansas, but try getting the necessary permits and variances in a large city. Hey, I'm happy that Prarie Stream is transitioning themselves into a true LEC, that's pretty cool. But is it even slightly significant? No. * * PV something like badgers--something like lizards--and something like corkscrews. TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: No, it is not revolting that anyone can charge and collect for the actual costs of something. But it is rather odd and revolting when the same company (Sprint Local/United Tel) goes along for years with a substantially lower rate (which they claimed was a truthful accounting) then bingo, when the old arrangements are set to expire they suddenly have this massive inflation problem (despite a few more years of amortization) which raises them five or six times over what it had been, and they'll just barely be able to survive at that, we are told. It is also rather revolting when their sister in the cloth Southwestern Bell (oh, a hundred years ago they were fighting each other [the consortium of telephone co-ops who united to make United Telephone did so to avoid going with AT&T/Bell back then, so great was their dislike and hatred for the Bell]; now days United and Bell are like two peas in a pod) Bell, 're-examines' their accounting and by coincidence discovers their resale of their loops is going to have to have about the same price in order for them to make do.) Geeze, inflation is awful, isn't it? I wonder why that same 'rate of inflation' is not going to affect Duane all that much? My conversation was with the man who is the owner of Prairie Stream and the owner of TerraWorld, his remarks were based on recent meetings with the Kansas Commissioners in Topeka, the state capitol with a representative from SBC and a representative from Sprint Local in the discussion, as he pleaded his case for Prairie Stream. But yeah, it did take place on a street (actually in the entrance way of Radio Shack, and we chatted for 5-10 minutes, not just a few seconds.) Regards the size of the switch you may want to recall that SBC here has ten thousand lines for Independence, mostly and historically on 620-331. Most people in town recite their phone number as just four digits, the 331 being assumed. A few years ago there was some excitement when City Hall put in a centrex covering themselves and all municipal functions including schools, police, parks, library, etc and it was installed on 620-332. But the vast majority of 332 is given over to cellular phones otherwise. The Montgomery County Sheriff (Independence is the county seat and the jail is located here) is a special case with 330-1000 and his own centrex on that exchange. I think his are the only landlines on 330; a few cell phones are on that exchange also, including my own. I also I guess looked somewhat askance when Duane told me his new switch would have 2000 stations on it. He noted that "Independence has a population of a little under 9000 people; about 5000 working phone lines. If I could actually get 20-25 percent of the phone business in town, that would be great, and more than I would expect." You see Paul, our entire *county* has a population of only 25-30 thousand people, with 20 thousand of those people concentrated in Coffeyville, (12,000) and Independence, (8842 the last time I noted it). The other 5-6 thousand people are either in 'small' towns considered 'rural' to Independence such as Caney, 2000, Cherryvale, 2000, Neodesha, 1500, or the small places little more than wide spots on the road, Liberty, Dearing, Tyro, and Sycamore, maybe a thousand people between all four of them. So a two thousand station switch is quite ample for starters, although SBC does not like it one iota, I am sure. They don't really cotton to anyone who won't accept their rules and ways of doing things as Holy Writ. I mean, fifteen thousand for an 'engineering study' on a mostly vacant building they own here in town is really a bit much, and several thousand per month in rent after that. PAT] ------------------------------ From: flyerscrew05@aol.com (nick) Subject: Cell Phone Reception Question Date: 24 Jun 2004 10:03:59 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com I have been having a lot of trouble with my reception I get on my cell phone. How much does the actual phone have to do with reception? Is cell phone reception have more to deal with the carrier's network or does your phone model actually play a large enough part to make a difference. I got a new phone a couple months ago and I've been having lots of problems lately that I don't remember having with my old phone. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks. Nick ------------------------------ From: paul-mackenzie@email.com (Paul) Subject: Looking for Software Modem Date: 24 Jun 2004 13:10:50 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Hi guys, I am having real difficulties in finding good V92. modem which base on TMS320C6000 DSP. Can someone direct me to a software modem supplier? Thanks. Paul ------------------------------ From: deepakpant@hotmail.com (Deepak Pant) Subject: RLT-Release Link Trunk versus RTP-Release To Pivot Date: 24 Jun 2004 10:49:32 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Could someone point us to the documents or help explain the difference between RLT-Release Link Trunk and RTP-Release To Pivot. ------------------------------ From: sorry_no_email@yahoo.com (BrianEWilliams) Subject: Re: Lingo VoiP Phone and RCN Cable Modem Date: 24 Jun 2004 11:44:23 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Just RMA-ed the unit and stopped the service. Way too much work already on this. I'll just stick with my POTS for now. BTW, the $9.95 shipping charge is non-refundable, but I will dispute it with my credit card company on the basis that they shipped me something that doesn't work. sorry_no_email@yahoo.com (BrianEWilliams) wrote in message news:: > I just ordered a Lingo VoiP phone which arrived on Monday. After two > days, I still can't get it to work. I asked RCN if they block TFTP or > ports 50, 60, or 69, and they said no. I have a cable modem with RCN, > and Lingo thought the problem might be on RCN's end. > Hooking up the Lingo box right after the cable modem, it first > downloaded the firmware update, and all looks good. Lingo (Primus > Telecom.) can see the MAC address hit their servers once, and that's > it. No VoiP light and no joy. I will probably RMA the unit and > cancel the service unless someone here has some suggestions. > I am interested in Lingo because of their unlimited Western Europe > calling from the US, so please don't suggest Vonage or any of the > alternatives unless they also offer this for free with their $20 a > month plan. > Obviously Lingo is not ready for prime time, but it's only a matter of > when, not if. The phone companies must be wetting their pants over > this. ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 09:53:31 -0400 Subject: Z-Tel Forced to Streamline, Refocus Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.sptimes.com/2004/06/24/Business/Z_Tel_forced_to_strea.shtml The alternative phone company plans to cut costs in response to likely rate hikes from larger carriers for leasing network access. By LOUIS HAU, Times Staff Writer Published June 24, 2004 TAMPA - Every business is buffeted now and then by external forces beyond its control. But consider the case of Z-Tel Technologies Inc. of Tampa. Until recently, Z-Tel's business was based mostly on selling local phone service and advanced calling features in most of the United States - primarily in New York, Georgia, Illinois and Michigan - directly to consumers and via marketing partners with instantly identifiable brand names, such as MCI, Sprint and Time Warner Inc.'s AOL subsidiary. "Well, that plan just got shot in the head," Smith said. "It's over and there's not much we can do about it." To compensate, Z-Tel is shifting its attention to providing Internet phone service, which doesn't require leasing as much phone-network access as its existing phone services do. The company is hoping to convert about a third of the approximately 225,000 customers that it directly serves and pick up some new customers, Smith said. He added that the company also hopes to eventually offer high-speed Internet access services to compete better with cable companies, which are increasingly launching their own local phone services, and phone companies, which are expanding their broadband and video offerings. Full story at: http://www.sptimes.com/2004/06/24/Business/Z_Tel_forced_to_strea.shtml How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 10:02:36 -0400 Subject: AT&T Slashes Forecast Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.smartmoney.com/bn/ON/index.cfm?story=ON-20040623-000917-1700 BEDMINSTER, N.J. -(Dow Jones)- AT&T Corp. (T) cut its full-year revenue guidance below its own prior expectations as well as those of analysts, after the company said a regulatory decision forced it to pull service from seven states. AT&T decided to pull service from the seven states after the Federal Communications Commission and the Bush administration sided with regional Bell operating companies over the rates that AT&T and other Bell rivals must pay to use local phone networks. The long-distance company reaffirmed its commitment to an "aggressive" deployment of its plan for voice over Internet protocol. The plan, called AT&T CallVantage, is now offered in 46 major markets in 12 states. By the end of the third quarter, the company expects that AT&T CallVantage will be available in over 100 domestic markets, ahead of its goals. The company said higher marketing expenses associated with CallVantage will contribute to consumer operating margins in the low double digits in the second quarter. Full story at: http://www.smartmoney.com/bn/ON/index.cfm?story=ON-20040623-000917-1700 ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 11:06:05 -0400 Subject: Time Warner Exec Outlines Competitive Landscape Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://telephonyonline.com/ar/telecom_time_warner_exec/index.htm By Donny Jackson CHICAGO--Cable companies are poised to compete with telecom carriers and other communication providers in a marketplace that values bundled services provided over broadband connections, a Time Warner executive said today in a morning keynote. [Time Warner chairman Don] Logan said Time Warner's voice-over-IP trial in Portland, Maine, is progressing well, with the MSO capturing 10% of the voice customers in the market -- 85% of which are using VoIP as a primary-line substitute. Similar success with wider deployments would be key very beneficial to Time Warner. "Today, total telephone revenues are about $200 billion," he said. "For us, even a small share can be a real growth business." After his speech, Logan told reporters that Time Warner primarilyq is using 2004 to make sure the company has VoIP working well, with appropriate support personnel, in a manner that is scaleable. Logan said his company will more aggressively market VoIP in 2005 and 2006. Full story at: http://telephonyonline.com/ar/telecom_time_warner_exec/index.htm ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 10:37:04 -0400 Subject: Teton Wireless Launches First (Well, Not Really) VoIP Services Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com [Comment: I hate to break it to whoever wrote this press release, but Teton Wireless is NOT the first to offer VoIP services in Montana and Idaho. Packet8 has numbers there for incoming calls, and of course you could obtain service from any of the major VoIP providers if you didn't mind having an out-of-state phone number. People who write press releases have got to learn to do their research before making claims like this, let they wind up with egg on their faces.] http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-24-2004/0002199167&EDATE= Teton Wireless Launches First VoIP Services in Montana and Idaho Provider Makes 'Internet Phone' Available in Rural Markets IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, June 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Teton Wireless today announced the availability of the first VoIP (Voice Over I.P.) calling services for residents of Idaho and Montana. The Teton service, tagged "Internet Home Phone Service," enables anyone with a broadband Internet connection to make local and long distance calls over the Internet, without a local telephone service provider. A special adapter is required to connect a standard telephone to a broadband router. "Hooking up the Internet phone service is truly 'plug and play,'" stated Kari Alcala, Teton product manager for the new telephone service. "The Internet infrastructure is invisible to the end user, it's just like using any home phone. You even get local telephone numbers." "We're committed to providing high quality, low cost services to our customers in Idaho and Montana," said Teton Wireless CEO and Owner Willis "Gene" Twiner. "Most of the deployments of Internet voice services have been rolled out by very large cable providers in the major metropolitan areas. And a lot of cable companies are still evaluating their voice plans. We are excited to be making 'voice over IP' -- another state of the art technology solution -- available in our rural market areas." "Voice Over IP" generally means sending voice information in digital form in discrete packets over the Internet rather than via the traditional circuit-committed protocols of the public switched telephone network (PSTN). A major advantage of VoIP, also called Internet telephony, is that it avoids the tolls charged by ordinary telephone service. "Our customers are looking for one source for their television, Internet and phone services, just like customers in big cities. And they want to save money when they buy all these services from one provider," said Jessica Peters, Customer Service Manager for Teton Wireless. "We've got a 'triple play' solution now that is cost effective and widely available." "Adding voice to our existing video and Internet access services was simple to implement," according to Tom Carey, Teton Director of Engineering. "The privately licensed frequencies making up Teton's wireless network are very robust, and most IP applications work seamlessly over our infrastructure. The extremely low latency makes our delivery ideal for voice." Carey noted that Teton is also looking at delivering other applications over their Internet service in the future, including an expanded video package including pay per view movies, and expanded Internet service areas. "The Internet service changes how we compete," Carey observed. "We deliver a great big pipe right to your home. Because we're wireless, the service is nearly ubiquitous, you're not tied to any cable or DSL lines. And a lot of content can be carried on that pipe, just about anywhere." Orders are being accepted for the Internet phone service immediately. Pricing is $139 for the special telephone adapter, and the first month's service is free. Regular monthly rates are $29.99 for unlimited local and long distance calls to the United States and Canada. For additional information and to attend a demonstration of the new phone service on June 24, 2004, please contact Donna Nims at 208-529-8895. About Teton Wireless Teton Wireless is the leading provider of wireless broadband, video and voice services in the Mountain States and is a division of Teewinot Licensing. Incorporated in 1995, Teton Wireless owns and operates MMDS Internet and video operations serving over 25,000 customers in Idaho Falls, Twin Falls, and Pocatello, Idaho, and Missoula and Hamilton, Montana. Teton Wireless also owns MMDS licenses in Wyoming, Washington, and eastern Idaho. More information is available at the company's website, http://www.tetonwireless.com. For further information, please contact Donna Nims of Teton Wireless, +1-208-529-8895, dnims@tetonwireless.com. SOURCE Teton Wireless Web Site: http://www.tetonwireless.com ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 10:41:01 -0400 Subject: Vonage(R) Releases Xten's X-PRO SoftPhone for Mac OS X Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-24-2004/0002199300&EDATE= Vonage's cutting edge Voice over IP service now available for Mac users EDISON, N.J. and SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Vonage, the leading broadband telephony provider in the U.S., and Xten Networks (OTC Bulletin Board: XNWK), publisher of the award winning X-PRO SoftPhone, announced today that Vonage and Xten have completed interoperability testing of an OEM version of Xten's X-PRO SIP SoftPhone for Mac-based Vonage subscribers. Mac users can now download the Vonage X-PRO for the Mac OS X SoftPhone to start making and receiving telephone calls immediately on their computers, while maintaining the same quality of service they have come to expect from Vonage. Road Warriors using the Vonage X-PRO SoftPhone for Mac OS X can access the Vonage service from almost any Internet connected personal computer. The Vonage X-PRO SoftPhone provides increased mobility of the Vonage service; this along with the feature-rich X-PRO's ease-of-use, make it a winning combination. "We are really excited to partner with Xten to offer our Mac-based customers the best soft phone on the market," said Michael Tribolet, Vonage's executive vice president of Operations. "This offering underscores our commitment to our customers who requested Mac availability for one of the most cutting edge applications, which is replete with great features and prices." "VoIP services have come a long way since the mid-nineties and to see them replacing circuit-switched primary line services marks a new era for the telephone," said Erik Lagerway, co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Xten Networks, Inc. "Xten is proud to have Vonage as a customer and we are excited about the opportunities this new partnership will foster." About Vonage(R) Vonage is redefining communications by offering consumers and small businesses an affordable alternative to traditional telephone service. The fastest growing telephony company in North America, Vonage's service area encompasses more than 1900 active rate centers in over 125 North American markets. Vonage is sold directly through http://www.vonage.com and retail partners such as Amazon.com, RadioShack, Best Buy and Circuit City. Wholesale partners such as EarthLink, ARMSTRONG(R), Advanced Cable Communications and the Coldwater Board of Public Utilities resell the Vonage broadband phone service under their own unique brands. With more than 175,000 lines in service, Vonage continues to add more than 20,000 lines per month to its network. Over 5 million calls per week are made using Vonage, the easy-to-use, feature-rich, flat rate phone service. Vonage is headquartered in Edison, New Jersey. For more information about Vonage's products and services, please visit http://www.vonage.com or call 1-VONAGE-HELP. Vonage(R), Vonage Digital VoiceTM, Toll Free PlusSM and Virtual Phone Number(SM) are trademarks of Vonage Holdings Corp. About Xten(R) Networks, Inc. Xten is a provider of award-winning, high-quality, carrier-grade SIP-based VoIP software and softphones. Xten's goal is to be the primary choice in SIP- based client-side audio and video IP communications software for Telecoms, Cable Providers and Internet Telephony Service Providers. Those who are interested in Xten products should visit sales.xten.com . On the Web: http://www.xten.com . SOURCE Vonage; Xten Networks, Inc. Web Site: http://www.vonage.com http://www.xten.com ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 11:30:31 -0400 Subject: Jeff Pulver: "Big Brother" XTen Networks is WATCHING You Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com This is from The Jeff Pulver Blog at http://192.246.69.231/jeff/personal/index.html June 24, 2004 One thing that I learned while I was at Supercomm was that each time someone launches their XTen FWD Client, Xten Networks gets a data notification of the event and they have an ability to track on a real-time basis every one of their mutual customers around the world. This was news to me and while on one hand it is pretty cool that this is possible, I had no idea that the FWD population that choose to use the Xten softphone was being "tracked" by the software publisher. I wonder how many other software/hardware vendors are tracking the use of their products/services on a real-time basis. Posted by jeff at 08:01 AM ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 09:56:00 -0400 Subject: Canadians Have Been Slow to Adopt Internet Telephony Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=9a558880-2bf2-4692-befc-4400c76a5e98 VoIP: What flavour would you like? Canadians have been slow to adopt Internet telephony but a sea change is coming Mark Evans According to a recent poll by Ipsos-Reid, Canadians have been slow to embrace Internet telephony and there appears to be little demand for the service among consumers. However, this has not stopped an increasing number of companies from jumping into the market. The playing field now includes Primus Telecommunications Canada Inc., Comwave Telecom Inc., Vonage Holdings Corp., Nicer Technologies Inc. and BabyTel. Telus Corp., AOL Canada Inc., Saskatchewan Telecommunications Holding Corp. and Yak Communications Inc. plan to launch services later this year. Jon Arnold, an analyst with Frost & Sullivan, said the Canadian Internet telephony market will be slower to develop than in the United States because telephony service in Canada is high-quality and relatively inexpensive. Full story at: http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/financialpost/story.html?id=9a558880-2bf2-4692-befc-4400c76a5e98 ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 14:42:58 -0400 Subject: Oh Canada ... Oh Cable ... Oh Marketing Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com This is from VoIP Watch at http://andyabramson.blogs.com/voipwatch/ Depending on when you go there, the article may or may not be at the top of the page. June 24, 2004 Oh Canada ... Oh Cable ... Oh Marketing More viewpoints about the adoption, or slow progress VoIP will have in Canada is coming to light, this time from the National Post of Canada. While the stats have been beaten to death here and elsewhere, there is no faulting the reporter who clearly identified what VoIPWatch has been saying for a long time. Marketing and education about VoIP's product differentiation needs to be ratcheted up a few notches by the VoIP brands, and this applies to both USA and Canada, as well as in other countries each player will enter. [Interesting comments on VoIP marketing follow. Remember, you may have to scroll down the page a little to find this article, if anything has been added since I posted this.] Full article at: http://andyabramson.blogs.com/voipwatch/ ------------------------------ 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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End of TELECOM Digest V23 #305 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Jun 25 15:22:06 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i5PJM6420479; Fri, 25 Jun 2004 15:22:06 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 15:22:06 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200406251922.i5PJM6420479@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 #306 TELECOM Digest Fri, 25 Jun 2004 15:22:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 306 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Norvergence in Financial Trouble (Barry B.) Re: Norvergence Questions (Black Ninja) Beastie Boys CD Installs Virus (Monty Solomon) Re: AOL Worker Sold Customer List For Spam, US Charges (Monty Solomon) EPIC Alert 11.12 (Monty Solomon) MCI Layoffs Looming (r8989) Peer to Peer/Point to Point VOIP (Jeroen) Re: Cell Phone Reception Question (Joseph) Re: Telephony Card for SOHO CTI? (Fred) Re: Verizon FSK Voice Mail Indication (SELLCOM Tech Support) VoIP Moves Continue: Qwest Enters Fray (VOIP News) Nortel Wants to Take VoIP to the Next Level (VOIP News) A Conversation With AT&T Labs Clayton Lockhart (VOIP News) Shaw Profits Surge; Links With Bell on VOIP (VOIP News) SH RISC/DSP SoC Does VoIP (VOIP News) Xten Phone Home - SIP FWD Client a Little Nosy? (VOIP News) Policy Makers Warned on VOIP Challenges to E-911 (VOIP News) Looking For a Security Engineer? (rwf) 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 are 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: BarryB Date: Thu, June 24 2004 9:25:00 PM Subject: Norvergence in Financial Trouble Norvergence article June 17 Star Ledger Page 58 Layoffs this week; financial problems; rumors that paychecks are bouncing. No way they can make it to the middle of July. Barry [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, you know what 'they' say: When it comes to paying your bills you *always* pay the utilities and meet your payroll. Without employees and utilities you are out of business. You can always stall for time on the others; but not the utilities and not the payroll. You MUST take care of those. PAT] ------------------------------ From: triple_des1544@yahoo.com (Black Ninja) Subject: Re: Norvergence Questions Date: 24 Jun 2004 17:58:01 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Steven J Sobol wrote in message news:: > Black Ninja wrote: >> Which is it? You know a lot, or you don't have much juicy info? I >> feel that it may be the latter. Why don't you tell us all just one >> (1) thing that we don't already know. I know a lot too, and I can >> tell you if it is true or not. Personally, I think you are a full of >> sh*t ex-telemarketer. > Hey, all. Black Ninja is the jackass who replied to my post in > alt.cellular re: Norvergence's cellular services and then alternately > waffled and insulted me and a couple other posters when we pointed out > the company's problems and solicited comments from him. He eventually > stopped posting. > Norvergence's problems are well-documented. I'm sure Mr. Ninja will > dispute that, but the facts are out there. Surf on over to: > http://tinyurl.com/2uckn > and then click the Complete Thread link to view the sordid story. > I think the proper term is "company shill." And Sobol is the greasy jackhole that decided to post a totally incorrect response to a person's request for nuts and bolts info on a product -- just so that he could get his business email signature on the web. Get your facts straight and make a real contribution. Steven, let me help you out. Folks, if you are lucky enough to live in the oasis that we call "Apple Valley" (best damn tap water on earth and the meth aint half bad either), then please contact Mr. Steven "Never Heard of Norv Doing Cell Phones" Sobol for all of your web hosting needs. He's the man in the know. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 11:21:47 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Re: AOL Worker Sold Customer List For Spam, US Charges UNITED STATES v. JASON SMATHERS, SEAN DUNAWAY http://news.findlaw.com/hdocs/docs/cyberlaw/ussmthrs604acmp.pdf ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 11:13:36 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Beastie Boys CD Installs Virus By Thomas C Greene A new Beastie Boys' CD called "To the Five Boroughs" (Capitol Records), is raising hackles around the Web for reputedly infecting computers with a virus. According to a recent thread at BugTraq, an executable file is automatically and silently installed on the user's machine when the CD is loaded. The file is said to be a driver that prevents users from ripping the CD (and perhaps others), and attacks both Windows boxen and Macs. The infected CD is being distributed worldwide except in the USA and UK, which prevents us from giving a firsthand report. However, according to hearsay, we gather that the Windows version exploits the 'autorun' option, and that the Mac version affects the auto play option. On Windows, when a CD is loaded, a text file called autorun.inf is read, and any instructions within it are executed. In this case, the machine is instructed to install some manner of DRM driver that prevents copying. We haven't seen either the .inf file or any of the executables, so we can't say how or at what level it accomplishes this -- or if indeed it actually does accomplish this. But assuming that the unconfirmed reports are accurate, we have here a media company infecting users' machines silently with a file that affects a computer's functionality, without first obtaining informed consent: a likely violation of pretty much every jurisdiction's anti-hacking laws. It's possible to foresee criminal charges being brought at some point: after all, having a good reason for spreading malware has never been much of a defence in court. And a file that alters a computer's functioning without the owner's informed consent is the very definition of malware. Because this malware can be transferred from machine to machine on a removable disk, and requires user interaction to spread, it is, quite simply, a computer virus. (A worm, on the other hand, is distinguished by its ability to spread without user interaction.) http://www.theregister.com/2004/06/23/beastie_boy_cd_virus/ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 13:37:21 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Re: AOL Worker Sold Customer List For Spam, US Charges Penis pill peddler stiffs AOL spam insider By Andrew Orlowski in San Francisco Published Thursday 24th June 2004 00:32 GMT An AOL employee has been arrested and charged with conspiracy, after selling 92 million screen names to an Internet gambling operator in Las Vegas. 24-year-old Jason Smathers found out how to access what the charges describe as AOL's "highly secure database" when he was assigned another employee's laptop PC. All the instructions he needed were on the machine. Using his, er, AOL email account, Smathers got in touch with Sean Dunaway, who then sold the list onto spammers. Dunaway later boasted of using the list to boost his own Internet business and charged $52,000 for the full list, or $2000 for each letter of the alphabet, according to police charges. Smathers also gave himself away by using his new database privileges to first check on his own AOL account. The scam came to light when one of Dunaway's customers, whose job we learn, "is primarily the sending out of masses of unsolicited e-mail marketing herbal penile enlargement pills." This source, who isn't named, hopes to mitigate his participation in spamming. http://www.theregister.com/2004/06/24/aol_spam_insider/ ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 18:36:01 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: EPIC Alert 11.12 ======================================================================= E P I C A l e r t ======================================================================= Volume 11.12 June 24, 2004 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Published by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) Washington, D.C. http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_11.12.html ====================================================================== Table of Contents ====================================================================== [1] Supreme Court Upholds Arrest for Refusal to Give Identification [2] EPIC Recommends Protections for Social Security Numbers [3] Info on PATRIOT Act Surveillance Authority Released [4] EPIC Proposes RFID Privacy Guidelines to the FTC [5] EPIC Opposes Ratification of Cybercrime Convention [6] Top TSA Official Admits Vast Collection of Air Passenger Data [7] News in Brief [8] Upcoming Conferences and Events http://www.epic.org/alert/EPIC_Alert_11.12.html ------------------------------ From: rlm2174@yahoo.com (r8989) Subject: MCI Layoffs Date: 24 Jun 2004 21:59:50 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Has anyone seen anything on layoff this week? ------------------------------ From: muskjer@hetnet.nl (Jeroen) Subject: Peer to Peer/Point to Point VOIP Date: 25 Jun 2004 00:41:30 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Would anybody know how it is possible to connect a couple of branch offices with ip phones that will use ip for voice transfer and that are not connected to the PSTN with a gateway, like an intercom to get two sites connected. Regards, John ------------------------------ From: Joseph Subject: Re: Cell Phone Reception Question Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 07:13:46 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Reply-To: JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.NONOcom On 24 Jun 2004 10:03:59 -0700, flyerscrew05@aol.com (nick) wrote: > I have been having a lot of trouble with my reception I get on my cell > phone. How much does the actual phone have to do with reception? Is > cell phone reception have more to deal with the carrier's network or > does your phone model actually play a large enough part to make a > difference. Which phone you use on a network can make all the difference in the world as far as holding a call and the useablility of the signal received. Some phones that have come out within the last few years have been notorious for bad RF reception such as the Ericsson T68i. That's not the only one, but it can make a big difference on how good your reception is. If you read mobile phone reviews that's one of the things that is often reviewed i.e. how well it picks up and holds on to signals. Also antenna design isn't always an indicator on which phone will have better RF reception. Some internal antenna designs on some phones will trump external antennas either the fixed type or the whip type. remove NONO from .NONOcom to reply ------------------------------ From: Fred Subject: Re: Telephony Card for SOHO CTI? Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 17:20:19 +0200 Organization: Guest of ProXad - France On Thu, 24 Jun 2004 08:53:12 +0000, bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi) wrote: > Yeah, that's "too simple" --- but it works! I wasn't looking specifically for a sophisticated solution, but I didn't know a modem could read caller ID info without answering a call. An 18E PCI modem did the trick. Thx for the tip. Fred. ------------------------------ From: SELLCOM Tech support Subject: Re: Verizon FSK Voice Mail Indication Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 16:58:51 GMT David posted on that vast internet thingie: > Has anyone successfully used an FSK voice mail indicator with Verizon > CO voice mail? When one asks the Verizon sales office they say that > they will try to turn it on, but they don't seem to know which COs > support it. The exchange that I am interested in is 781-235-XXXX. > Panasonic has a new portable phone with a nice LED in the antenna that > is supposed to light from FSK signaling. Much better than stutter > dial tone if it will work. Just about each time I have needed to have Verizon VMWI turned on it has taken several calls. Sometimes a repair tech can go in and toggle it on. I am pretty sure they support it because a lot of people buy our TMC ET4000 phones to use with Verizon's products. Steve at SELLCOM http://www.sellcom.com Discount multihandset cordless phones by Siemens, AT&T, Panasonic, Motorola Vtech 5.8Ghz; TMC ET4000 4line Epic phone, OnHoldPlus, Beamer, Watchguard! Brick wall "non MOV" surge protection. Mini-Splitter log splitter! If you sit at a desk www.ergochair.biz you owe it to yourself. ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 20:05:12 -0400 Subject: VoIP Moves Continue: Qwest Enters Fray Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.x-changemag.com/tdhotnews/46h24133929.html By Tara Seals Qwest Communications International Inc. this week says it will soon launch IP telephony-based local and long-distance bundles with broadband nationwide. The notice follows a VoIP announcement by Verizon Communications Inc. earlier in the week and others by incumbents and top interexchange carriers over the last six months. Qwest's VoIP service, dubbed OneFlex, targets businesses and will be available in mid-July in Boise, Idaho; Denver; Minneapolis; and Phoenix. The company plans to roll out OneFlex to 22 more metropolitan areas, ranging from Albuquerque, N.M. to Washington, D.C., by the end of 2004. The managed and hosted solution relies on Qwest’s national IP network and requires no CPE beyond IP phones. It allows self-service via a Web portal for conference calling, adds, moves and changes, voice mail setup and other features. It also provides some quality of service controls as long as the traffic stays on the Qwest network. Full story at: http://www.x-changemag.com/tdhotnews/46h24133929.html How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 20:13:37 -0400 Subject: Nortel Wants to Take VoIP to the Next Level Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.x-changemag.com/tdhotnews/46h24131256.html By Tara Seals Taking a page from open source initiatives, Nortel Networks announced a global strategy at SUPERCOMM to jumpstart mass market adoption of SIP-based multimedia by making it easy to for device manufacturers and other vendors to interoperate with its Multimedia Communication Server (MCS) 5100 and 5200 products. It hopes to add at least 40 vendors to its roster of those with certified compatible manufacturers. "There are not enough SIP clients out there to provide a choice to consumers," explains Thom Baker, product line manager at Nortel. "We want to seed the market with clients and devices, and interoperate with different products," the theory being that more available, interoperable devices will lead to cheaper manufacturing costs, more affordable clients and more end user adoption. "You should be able to walk into Best Buy or Wal-Mart and buy a SIP device," he adds. Full story at: http://www.x-changemag.com/tdhotnews/46h24131256.html ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 20:59:34 -0400 Subject: A Conversation With AT&T Labs Clayton Lockhart Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://telephonyonline.com/ar/telecom_conversation_att_labs/index.htm By Dan O'Shea CHICAGO--This spring, AT&T steered the voice-over-IP market into a new phase by launching its CallVantage VoIP service for the residential market. Though VoIP has matured gradually over the last few years, the service launch still represents a remarkable change in attitude and shift in strategy by the mother of all old-school telcos. Clayton Lockhart, vice president for global network planning and development at AT&T Labs, sat down with Telephony's Dan O'Shea at the Supercomm 2004 trade show Thursday morning to discuss how AT&T got to this market turning point and what to expect in the future. Full story at: http://telephonyonline.com/ar/telecom_conversation_att_labs/index.htm ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 11:28:09 -0400 Subject: Shaw Profits Surge; Links With Bell on VOIP Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1088158352925&call_pageid=968350072197&col=968705923364 CALGARY (CP) Cable TV giant Shaw Communications Inc. is reporting a third-quarter profit of $24.8 million, sharply reversing the $13-million loss a year earlier and teaming up with Bell Canada on coming Internet telephone services. In a third-straight profitable quarter, Shaw's net income in the period ended May 31 amounted to six cents a share, contrasting with a year-ago loss of 10 cents a share, the Calgary-based company said Friday. Service revenue rose 5.2 per cent to $532 million. Shaw said it plans to "decisively pursue" new business in the new voice-over-Internet protocol (VOIP) phone market. "We have selected Bell to provide wholesale services for our initial launch of residential telephone service," the company said in a release. "Bell will provide wholesale services, including interconnection to the public switched telephone network, and long-distance termination in order to enable Shaw to provide residential telephone service to its customers in Western Canada." Full story at: http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1088158352925&call_pageid=968350072197&col=968705923364 ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 11:30:18 -0400 Subject: SH RISC/DSP SoC Does VoIP Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS6000469573.html Renesas has introduced a new SuperH embedded processor that supports Linux and is optimized for VoIP (voice over IP) applications. The SH7710 dual-core RISC/DSP chip can process VoIP with enough overhead to simultaneously run a firewall and security algorithms, according to Renesas. It targets VoIP ATAs (analog telephone adapters), routers, home gateway servers, and secure routers. Renesas says the SH7710 can encode or decode up to four channels of voice while simultaneously running an operating system, SIP (session initiation protocol), and other networking protocol stacks. A "complete set of VoIP middleware" for the chip is available for licensing to VoIP equipment OEMs, according to Renesas. The middleware is based on ITU-compliant CODECs including G.711, G.723.1, G.726, and G.729A, and the speech CODEC license includes patent indemnification that covers major countries in North America, Asia, and Europe. An echo canceller and an adaptive jitter buffer manager are also available. Full story at: http://www.linuxdevices.com/news/NS6000469573.html ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 11:34:44 -0400 Subject: Xten Phone Home - SIP FWD Client a Little Nosy? Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/46666 Free World Dial-Up's Jeff Pulver notes in our forums that SIP VoIP softphone provider Xten seems to be tracking user information when users launch their product. Each time a user launches the Xten Free World Dial-up client, the company receives: - the date and time the call was made - The license key - Software version number and build stamp - NAT IP Address According to a post from an apparent employee over at Jeff's blog , the company claims they aren't data mining, they simply "need to know how many active endpoints we have in the market not only for our purposes but also for our customers." They also claim the information is only collected the first time the client is run. Big deal? Depends who you ask and how paranoid they are. One thing to note; after a quick glance of the Xten license agreement, there seems to be no mention that this information would be shared with the parent company. Article plus reader comments at: http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/46666 ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 13:59:06 -0400 Subject: Policy-Makers Warned on VoIPs Challenges to E911 Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://rcrnews.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=18632 by HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER WASHINGTON Congressional staffers were told Thursday that Voice over Internet Protocol technology poses challenges to the enhanced 911 system. "VoIP brings new technical challenges and new players to the E911 system. The purpose of the briefing is to educate policy-makers on the implications of VoIP technology for public safety, homeland security and emergency communications, and provide more information on efforts by the public-safety community and industry to address these challenges," said Gregory Rohde, executive director of the E911 Institute. Full story at: http://rcrnews.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=18632 ------------------------------ From: rwf@loonybin.net Subject: Looking For a Security Engineer? Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 18:35:03 GMT Organization: Road Runner Looking for a security engineer? My website is http://www.loonybin.net/ and email rwf@loonybin.net Please feel free to contact me. Robert ------------------------------ 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. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2004 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management (MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35 credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including data, video, and voice networks. The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum. Classes are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning. Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at 405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at http://www.mstm.okstate.edu ************************ In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. 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 #306 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Jun 27 15:49:54 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i5RJnsX12145; Sun, 27 Jun 2004 15:49:54 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2004 15:49:54 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200406271949.i5RJnsX12145@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 #307 TELECOM Digest Sun, 27 Jun 2004 15:49:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 307 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Internet Phone Service For Every Home Not Far Off (VOIP News) Domain Registration Recommendations (SELLCOM Tech support) Cyberstalking Investigations (LVPI) No Ringtone When I am Called (Desk) DECT - Telephony (Desk) Re: Norvergence Questions (Steven J Sobol) Re: Peer to Peer/Point to Point VOIP (Chip G) Re: Looking For a Security Engineer? (John Levine) Re: Looking For a Security Engineer? (Rob Foehl) Re: Looking For a Security Engineer? (TELECOM Digest Editor) Re: Looking For a Security Engineer? (John R Levine) Web Virus May Be Stealing Financial Data (Monty Solomon) Public Service Announcement: June 27 is HIV Testing Day (Patrick Townson) 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 are 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: VOIP News Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2004 10:05:35 -0400 Subject: Internet Phone Service For Every Home Not Far Off Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2004/06/27/News/244994.html By Wesley Brown Arkansas News Bureau LITTLE ROCK - Local phone service in Arkansas and the rest of the nation is nearing a big evolution, experts say, meaning that terms like WiFi, telephony and FTTH (fiber-to-the-home) will soon become part of our everyday language. However, it is Internet phone service, more commonly known as voice-over-Internet protocol (VOIP) technology, that many feel will have the biggest impact on the landscape of the $100-billion-a-year telecommunications industry over the next few years. "Clearly, VOIP is going to be very important over the next few years," said SBC Arkansas spokesman Ted Wagnon. "It is the most substantial technological advance in 100 years." SBC, which operates about 950,000 access lines in Arkansas, is betting on the new technology. On Tuesday, San-Antonio-based SBC Communications - parent company to SBC Arkansas - announced a $4 billion to $6 billion expansion plan over the next five years to install a fiber optic network offering high-speed Internet access, voice communications and television programming. SBC officials would not discuss details of the expansion plan. Full story at: http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2004/06/27/News/244994.html How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ ------------------------------ From: SELLCOM Tech support Subject: Domain Registration Recommendations Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2004 18:07:12 GMT I have received so much spam from buydomains.com / domaindiscover.com (delivered by their email server) after repeated notice to them that I am now looking for another registrar. It is our policy never to support spammers or spam enablers. After DAYS of reporting spam to them I get this garbage from them wanting me to FAX them copies of any spam so they can build a case. No one is *that* incompetent! Does anyone have any recommendations for dependable domain registrars that have stability, economy pricing etc, basic services, but do not knowingly support spammers? I have quite a few domains registered. Steve at SELLCOM http://www.sellcom.com Discount multihandset cordless phones by Siemens, AT&T, Panasonic, Motorola Vtech 5.8Ghz; TMC ET4000 4line Epic phone, OnHoldPlus, Beamer, Watchguard! Brick wall "non MOV" surge protection. Mini-Splitter log splitter! If you sit at a desk www.ergochair.biz you owe it to yourself. ------------------------------ From: LasVegasPI@aol.com (LVPI) Subject: Cyberstalking Investigations Date: 26 Jun 2004 22:50:34 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com I'd like to introduce our service of identifying cyberstalkers. We can trace and identify the person behind almost any email address or Screen Name. Our sucess rate is over 85% and we can usually return the information in under 24 hours. If we cannot find the name, address and phone number there is no charge. If you are a victim of a cyberstalker, auction fraud or contemplating an online romance please visit our site or email us with your questions. http://emailrevealer.com/ [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You know, if your service of identifying the *true* name, address and telephone number of cyberpests is so good -- 85 percent positive success rate after all -- then why not contract your services to the several experienced sysadmins who search for spam senders and virii writers? Now that spam and virii equal about 80-85 percent of all traffic on the net (we are told), and the net is becoming increasingly useless, I imagine these guys would love to have your services. I know that I, for one, would love to know the true identity of people who send out that crap under my name. PAT] ------------------------------ From: desk.exp@skynet.be (Desk) Subject: No Ringtone When I am Called Date: 26 Jun 2004 02:05:58 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Situation: We have a PABX connected to the public network. This PABX is sending the information to the DECT's in the office. Problem: When we are called by our customers we do not hear a ringtone. The customer is calling us and he hears the phone going over, meaning that he thinks the phone is ringing, but on our site there is no ringtone. This means that we do not know that there is a phone call comming in. This problems happens sometimes. This makes it hard to investigate. What can I do? We changed already the complete installation, but the problem is not solved. ------------------------------ From: desk.exp@skynet.be (Desk) Subject: DECT - Telephony Date: 26 Jun 2004 02:00:20 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Situation: I have a PABX connected to the telephone network. This PABX is sending the incoming calls to my DECT's on my desk. Problem: When somebody calls we most of the time the handsets are ringing, but sometimes when I pick up the handset the conversation is disconnected immediately when I pick up the phone. We changed every component, but the problem is still there. What can be the reason for this disconnect? What do I need to investigate? [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I wonder if your two problems described above, (1) phone 'rings' but you get no audible signal and (2) pick up a phone and the conversation in progress gets disconnected are somehow related. Are the two problems both on the same installation? Did you swap out the components after (1), or (2) or both? PAT] ------------------------------ From: Steven J Sobol Subject: Re: Norvergence Questions Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 15:08:29 -0500 Black Ninja wrote: > Steven, let me help you out. Folks, if you are lucky enough to live > in the oasis that we call "Apple Valley" (best damn tap water on earth > and the meth aint half bad either), then please contact Mr. Steven > "Never Heard of Norv Doing Cell Phones" Sobol for all of your web > hosting needs. He's the man in the know. This is exactly what happened last time ... all I got was insults. No facts. JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/ Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED) Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids. ------------------------------ From: Chip G Subject: Re: Peer to Peer/Point to Point VOIP Organization: Comcast Online Date: Sat, 26 Jun 2004 01:19:23 GMT Jeroen wrote in message news:telecom23.306.8@telecom-digest.org... > Would anybody know how it is possible to connect a couple of branch > offices with ip phones that will use ip for voice transfer and that > are not connected to the PSTN with a gateway, like an intercom to get > two sites connected. > Regards, > John You could easily do this with the Asterisk PBX and a couple of IP Telephones. ------------------------------ Date: 26 Jun 2004 01:17:18 -0000 From: John Levine Subject: Re: Looking For a Security Engineer? Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA Hey, Pat, this is spam. I got lots of other copies of it. It's hard to imagine someone who thinks that spam is a good idea having a grasp of computer security. In article you write: > Looking for a security engineer? > My website is http://www.loonybin.net/ and email rwf@loonybin.net > Please feel free to contact me. > Robert ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 21:21:30 -0400 (EDT) From: Rob Foehl Subject: Re: Looking For a Security Engineer? John, This (and the presumably dozens of posts like it) are the result of a joe-job; I replaced my usual page with some more information on the matter. If you're able to retract/cancel/etc any of these posts, I would greatly appreciate it; I have close to 200 bounces from various places. I'll share the rest of the evidence I have, if you'd like; it's not posted publicly (yet). It has, however, been reported to the rr.com abuse department, and I'm hoping they'll be in touch with me ASAP, since their news server was used. -Rob On Fri, 26 Jun 2004, John Levine wrote: > Hey, Pat, this is spam. I got lots of other copies of it. > It's hard to imagine someone who thinks that spam is a good idea > having a grasp of computer security. > In article you write: >> Looking for a security engineer? >> My website is http://www.loonybin.net/ and email rwf@loonybin.net >> Please feel free to contact me. >> Robert ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 26 Jun 2004 00:10:58 (EDT) From: TELECOM Digest Editor Subject: Re: Looking For a Security Engineer? John, thanks for letting me know. I only got one copy of it or that would have tipped me off. But you are right of course. Silly me, I actually thought maybe I was helping the guy. PAT ------------------------------ Date: 26 Jun 2004 00:24:01 -0400 From: John R Levine Subject: Re: Looking For a Security Engineer? > John, thanks for letting me know. I only got one copy of it or that > would have tipped me off. But you are right of course. Silly me, I > actually thought maybe I was helping the guy. Turns out it's a joe job, he's not sending the spam, some dimwitted kiddie who's mad at him is. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies", Information Superhighwayman wanna-be, http://iecc.com/johnl, Mayor "I dropped the toothpaste", said Tom, crestfallenly. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well that just goes to show how little I know about anything. I suppose I should read the net more, and follow the politics and learn who is angry at whom about what, then those things would not get past me here. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2004 18:29:35 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Web Virus May Be Stealing Financial Data By ANICK JESDANUN AP Internet Writer NEW YORK (AP) -- A mysterious Internet virus being spread Friday by hundreds and possibly thousands of infected Web sites may be aimed at stealing credit card and other valuable information, security experts warned. The infection appears to take advantage of three separate flaws with Microsoft Corp. products. Microsoft said software updates to fix two of them had been released in April, but the third flaw was newly discovered and had no patch to fix it yet. Experts said the infection, detected by Microsoft on Thursday, was unusually broad but wasn't substantially interfering with Internet traffic. Security experts at Microsoft and elsewhere worked Friday to pin down how the infection spreads across Web sites. It appears to target at least one recent version of Microsoft software for operating Web sites -- called Internet Information Server. The infection makes subtle changes to the Web site so visitors get a piece of code that's designed to retrieve from a Russian Web site software that records a person's keystrokes and can send data back, experts say. Such software "Trojan horses" are routinely used to fish for credit card numbers, bank accounts, passwords and the like. Now that the code is out, other hackers are likely to adapt it to distribute software for spamming and for launching broad Internet attacks against popular Web sites, said Alfred Huger, senior director of engineering at security company Symantec Corp. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=42179860 ------------------------------ From: Patrick Townson Subject: It's Better to Know - National HIV Testing Day is June 27 Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2004 15:00:00 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The following is a public service message presented to the entire internet community by comp.dcom.telecom and other participating news groups by the National Association of People With AIDS ( www.napwa.org ) PAT] National HIV Testing Day Sunday, June 27th is National HIV Testing Day. If you've never been tested, or if you've had unprotected sex or shared a needle since your last test, now is the time to get an HIV test. IT'S BETTER TO KNOW Take advantage of treatment and care options. Visit www.hivtest.org to find a testing location near you. National HIV Testing Day is a project of the National Association of People with AIDS. www.napwa.org ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of 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. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. You can get desired files in email. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from * * Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate * * 800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting. * * http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com * * Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing * * views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc. * ************************************************************************* ICB Toll Free News. Contact information is not sold, rented or leased. One click a day feeds a person a meal. Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2004 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. ************************ DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO YOUR CREDIT CARD! REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST AND EASY411.COM SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest ! ************************ Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management (MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35 credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including data, video, and voice networks. The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum. Classes are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning. Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at 405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at http://www.mstm.okstate.edu ************************ In addition, gifts from Mike Sandman, Chicago's Telecom Expert have enabled me to replace some obsolete computer equipment and enter the 21st century sort of on schedule. 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 #307 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Jun 28 13:13:18 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i5SHDIW21360; Mon, 28 Jun 2004 13:13:18 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 13:13:18 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200406281713.i5SHDIW21360@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 #308 TELECOM Digest Mon, 28 Jun 2004 13:12:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 308 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson The Next Big Thing is Actually Ultrawide (Monty Solomon) Will Apple be Illegal? (Monty Solomon) Popular Camera Cellphones Raise Privacy Concerns in Vt. Schools (M Solomon) Is This a Legal System to Make Free Phone Calls (Kevin) Re: Office Telephone System Recommendations (Mike McWhinney) Re: Domain Registration Recommendations (SELLCOM Tech support) Re: Norvergence Questions (Black Ninja) What Happened to The "2 Way" Craze? (Proprclr) Re: Domain Registration Recommendations (Steven J Sobol) Re: Peer to Peer/Point to Point VOIP (Wolfgang S. Rupprecht) Re: No Ringtone When I am Called (Ken Abrams) Broadvoice Takes The "Limits" Off "Unlimited" (VOIP News) Internet Phones Lighten Traffic and Wallets (VOIP News) 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 are 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, 28 Jun 2004 02:04:32 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: The Next Big Thing is Actually Ultrawide The next big thing is actually ultrawide But technology hampered by regulatory hurdles, a clash over standards By Hiawatha Bray, Globe Staff | June 25, 2004 The space shuttle videos looked almost better than the real thing. They were high-definition videos, on display earlier this month at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. And though there's nothing unusual these days about high-definition television, these two videos came from an unusual source -- a laptop computer in one corner of a medium-sized conference room. The laptop was plugged into a black box bearing two small antennas; similar boxes were plugged into the HDTV monitors. The result was a wireless network powerful enough to broadcast two different high-definition videos simultaneously, with enough leftover capacity to handle a third channel. Those black boxes were built by Freescale Semiconductor, a division of Motorola Corp. The microchips inside them can pump out 110 million bits of data per second -- twice as much as the fastest WiFi wireless networking equipment now on the market. And that's just the beginning. Before the year's out, Freescale will be making chips that run twice as fast; by next year, it plans to offer a slice of silicon that will broadcast wireless data at one billion bits per second. Freescale is one of the leaders in a new kind of digital technology called "ultrawideband" that's being described as the next big consumer wireless technology, thanks to its ability to pump out massive amounts of data. But even though some ultrawideband devices will come to market this year, the technology is still hobbled by regulatory challenges and a long-running clash between two incompatible ultrawideband systems. According to Bob Heile, the Attleboro physicist who leads a wireless standards-setting committee for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), "Right now, it's 10 percent technology and 90 percent politics." Most radio devices send out a signal over a narrow band of frequencies. For example, WiFi data networks use a small set of frequencies in the 2.4 gigahertz range. But ultrawideband works by broadcasting over a much larger chunk of the radio spectrum -- from 3.1 to 10.5 gigahertz -- all at the same time. As a result, even a low-powered ultrawideband radio signal can carry huge amounts of data. Ultrawideband technology has other powerful attributes. Because the signal can penetrate solid objects, police forces and armies use the technology in radar systems that can see through walls. The precise digital pulses of an ultrawideband radio make it possible to locate a transmitter with an accuracy of a few inches, so automakers are working on ultrawideband detectors that can spot oncoming cars and prevent collisions. http://www.boston.com/business/globe/articles/2004/06/25/the_next_big_thing_is_actually_ultrawide/ ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 02:58:26 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Will Apple be Illegal? EFF has mocked-up a complaint against Apple under the pending INDUCE Act. http://www.lessig.org/blog/archives/001994.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2004 23:32:01 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Popular Camera Cellphones Raise Privacy Concerns in Vt. Schools Burlington's officials expected to OK new policy By Associated Press | June 27, 2004 BURLINGTON, Vt. -- School officials in Vermont's largest city are trying to put a lid on potential problems caused by the latest craze in new technology: tiny digital cameras built into cellphones. This past year, at least two students were disciplined for using the devices to take pictures of fellow students without permission. The school board is expected to approve tomorrow a policy clarifying that such behavior is forbidden. http://www.boston.com/news/local/vermont/articles/2004/06/27/popular_camera_cellphones_raise_privacy_concerns_in_vt_schools/ ------------------------------ From: vincent.mertens@tiscali.be (Kevin) Subject: Is This a Legal System to Make Free Phone Calls Date: 28 Jun 2004 05:42:34 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com System explain on http://www.webwizzard.nl/linkspel/?r=1814 ------------------------------ From: eljainc@ameritech.net (Mike McWhinney) Subject: Re: Office Telephone System Recommendations Date: 27 Jun 2004 20:37:01 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Carl Navarro wrote in message news:: > On Fri, 18 Jun 2004 02:35:44 GMT, Jack Murphy > wrote: >> Mike McWhinney wrote: >>> Hello, >>> We are currently shopping around for a office telephone system. We do >>> not need anything fancy (we have 4 lines, 8-10 phones). We're looking >>> for something similar to the following: >>> Is there any phone system better than this for within the same budget >>> area (<$2000) We want a good phone system that is upgradeable/expand- >>> able while remaining cost effective. >>> Regards, >>> Mike McWhinney [snip] We are not familiar with BizFone or the TMC/TMS name and are going with the Panasonic system that I had mentioned before. It is better I think to go with an established product with reliable support. I thought I saw one poster say that they had problems with Panasonic support, but it can't be too bad eh? We need a basic phone system, but good one. I think the KX-TA624 with 7 or 8 extensions and 4 lines (expansion card from 3 lines) should do. Anyone have any last minute horror stories with this particular phone system from Panasonic? Regards, Mike McWhinney ------------------------------ From: SELLCOM Tech support Subject: Re: Domain Registration Recommendations Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 04:52:45 GMT SELLCOM Tech support posted on that vast internet thingie: > Does anyone have any recommendations for dependable domain registrars > that have stability, economy pricing etc, basic services, but do not > knowingly support spammers? I have quite a few domains registered. Thank you to all who emailed your suggestions. I truly appreciate your time and suggestions. It looks like we have decided to become a reseller ourselves. Steve at SELLCOM http://www.sellcom.com Discount multihandset cordless phones by Siemens, AT&T, Panasonic, Motorola Vtech 5.8Ghz; TMC ET4000 4line Epic phone, OnHoldPlus, Beamer, Watchguard! Brick wall "non MOV" surge protection. Mini-Splitter log splitter! If you sit at a desk www.ergochair.biz you owe it to yourself. ------------------------------ From: triple_des1544@yahoo.com (Black Ninja) Subject: Re: Norvergence Questions Date: 27 Jun 2004 23:01:09 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Steven J Sobol wrote in message news:: > Black Ninja wrote: >> Steven, let me help you out. Folks, if you are lucky enough to live >> in the oasis that we call "Apple Valley" (best damn tap water on earth >> and the meth aint half bad either), then please contact Mr. Steven >> "Never Heard of Norv Doing Cell Phones" Sobol for all of your web >> hosting needs. He's the man in the know. > This is exactly what happened last time ... all I got was insults. No > facts. Suprised to see you still at it, Steve ... Mr. Sobol had no facts to offer in the first place, just regurgitated B.S. Please use his services for your webhosting needs ASAP so that he will not need to advertise as much on this board. ------------------------------ From: balanco01@yahoo.com (Proprclr) Subject: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Date: 28 Jun 2004 02:31:27 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Last year, it seemed like everybody was using the 2 way "walkie talkie" feature on Nextel phones (probaly others as well), and I would see a lot of "2 waying" going on on busses, in supermarkets, etc. For the past few months, there seems to have been a sharp decrease in people "2 waying", and I rarely see it anymore. I live in LA, so I see plenty of people using cellphones, but nobody seems to use the walkie talkie feature anymore. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Am I correct that the 'walkie-talkie two way feature' was not a Walkie-Talkie in the 'traditional' sense of using a two-way radio as such (RF or radio frequency) signals but was actually a speed dial type thing for one number on the cell phone which in addition to being speed dialed was put on a handsfree type 'loudspeaker' type thing? How did that Nextel feature actually work? PAT] ------------------------------ From: Steven J Sobol Subject: Re: Domain Registration Recommendations Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2004 17:24:37 -0500 SELLCOM Tech support wrote: > I have received so much spam from buydomains.com / domaindiscover.com > (delivered by their email server) after repeated notice to them that I > am now looking for another registrar. It is our policy never to > support spammers or spam enablers. > After DAYS of reporting spam to them I get this garbage from them > wanting me to FAX them copies of any spam so they can build a case. > No one is *that* incompetent! > Does anyone have any recommendations for dependable domain registrars > that have stability, economy pricing etc, basic services, but do not > knowingly support spammers? I have quite a few domains registered. I resell GoDaddy/WildWestDomains. http://DomainNames.justthe.net/ or if you're looking to resell domain names to others, http://wildwestdomains.com. JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/ Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED) Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Peer to Peer/Point to Point VOIP From: wolfgang+gnus20040627T160145@dailyplanet.dontspam.wsrcc.com Organization: W S Rupprecht Computer Consulting, Fremont CA Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2004 23:10:44 GMT Chip G writes: > Jeroen wrote in message > news:telecom23.306.8@telecom-digest.org: >> Would anybody know how it is possible to connect a couple of branch >> offices with ip phones that will use ip for voice transfer and that >> are not connected to the PSTN with a gateway, like an intercom to get >> two sites connected. > You could easily do this with the Asterisk PBX and a couple of IP > Telephones. Or if you wanted to do a quick proof-of-concent test you could just pick up a pair of Grandstream Budgetone-100's for $65 each and use Pulver's Free-World-Dial server as the PBX. Thats what I did before I got my Asterisk up and running. (Asterisk was a bit of an uphill battle since I needed to get it running on Openbsd-current and then needed to figure out the config files.) Wolfgang S. Rupprecht http://www.wsrcc.com/wolfgang/ New toy: Voice over ip phone. Sounds much better than an analog phone. http://www.wsrcc.com/wolfgang/voip.html ------------------------------ From: Ken Abrams Subject: Re: No Ringtone When I am Called Organization: SBC http://yahoo.sbc.com Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 01:57:53 GMT Desk wrote: > Situation: > We have a PABX connected to the public network. This PABX is sending > the information to the DECT's in the office. > Problem: > When we are called by our customers we do not hear a ringtone. It is the PABX that makes the phones ring (and also sends back the fake audible ring to the calling party). Your problem is "in-house". > What can I do? We changed already the complete installation, but the > problem is not solved. Exactly what do you mean by "complete installation" ? In any case, you should be beating on the supplier of your PABX and phones (assuming they both came from the same vendor). ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Sun, 27 Jun 2004 16:16:56 -0400 Subject: Broadvoice Takes The "Limits" Off "Unlimited" Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.voxilla.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=71&mode=nested&order=0&thold=0 By DAMEON D. WELCH-ABERNATHY for VOXILLA.COM BroadVoice, a Lowell, MA-based residential/SoHo Voice over IP service provider, has become the first major broadband telephone company to share its configuration options for unlimited nationwide calling plans with its customers. The bold step allows customers to use Broadvoice's $19.95/mo. unlimited service with virtually any SIP-capable telephone device, including analog adaptors, IP phones and telephone exchange systems such as the popular open-source Asterisk PBX. Broadvoice CEO David Epstein says simple business factors prompted the company to allow open use of its unlimited services. "There are more than 2 million Cisco phones out there," said Epstein. "Why would I not want to serve that market, or the asterisk market, or the soft-phone market?" Epstein adds that allowing end users to provide their own device significantly reduces the company's customer acquisition costs. Full story at: http://www.voxilla.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=71&mode=nested&order=0&thold=0 How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 08:15:37 -0400 Subject: Internet Phones Lighten Traffic and Wallets Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com [Comment: This story wins the award for the dumbest headline I've seen on a VoIP story!] http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/9030743.htm By John M. Moran Knight Ridder Newspapers HARTFORD, Conn. - Internet phone calling started out as a cheap way for computer nerds to avoid traditional long-distance rates. The calls were free, but sound quality was scratchy and both parties needed computers, speakers and microphones to complete the online voice connection. Now, roughly a decade later, phone calling using Internet technology has significantly improved and is quickly going mainstream -- threatening to rattle the multibillion-dollar telephone industry and to dramatically reshape personal and business communications. Just ask Tom Barberino Jr. of Meriden, Conn., who already has two Internet phones at home and even more at the office. Barberino began playing with Internet-based telephony -- sometimes called Voice over Internet Protocol, or VOIP for short -- a couple of years ago. Not only did VOIP slash his phone bill, Barberino said, but also it also gave him a raft of new features, such as detailed call logs and multiple phone numbers. Large telecommunications companies also are getting into the VOIP market, using their own sprawling private networks to carry voice calls in efficient, Internet-like fashion. Comcast Corp. is preparing to offer phone service to millions of households by the end of 2006, largely using VOIP. SBC Communications is offering VOIP services aimed at business customers. AT&T has been steadily expanding its VOIP service. And Cox Communications has issued a statement saying VOIP is "ready for prime time." Full story at: http://www.centredaily.com/mld/centredaily/9030743.htm ------------------------------ 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. 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End of TELECOM Digest V23 #308 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Jun 29 03:24:38 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i5T7Obl27377; Tue, 29 Jun 2004 03:24:38 -0400 (EDT) Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 03:24:38 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200406290724.i5T7Obl27377@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 #309 TELECOM Digest Tue, 29 Jun 2004 03:23:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 309 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Telecom Update (Canada) #439, June 28, 2004 (John Riddell) Re: Internet Phone Service For Every Home Not Far Off (Matt Simpson) Re: Internet Phone Service For Every Home Not Far Off (Justin Time) Pizza... Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID Info? (JV) Re: Domain Registration Recommendations (Clark W. Griswold, Jr.) Re: Domain Registration Recommendations (Ray Normandeau) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (Brad Houser) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (John R. Levine) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (Joseph) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (Gary Breuckman) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (Lincoln J. King-Cliby) Leader: The Dirty Little Secret of VoIP (VOIP News) Qovia Readies Tool To Block VoIP Spam (VOIP News) EyeTV 500 HDTV Digital Video Recorder For the Mac (Monty Solomon) 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 are 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, 28 Jun 2004 11:29:32 -0400 From: John Riddell Subject: Telecom Update (Canada) #439, June 28, 2004 ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 439: June 28, 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: ** Shaw Plans 2005 VoIP Launch ** Telus Bid for Microcell Extended ** 10% of Bell Staff Offered Early Retirement ** Bell Union Rejects Contract Offer ** Wi-LAN Sues Cisco for Patent Infringement ** 62 Million on U.S. Do Not Call List ** PrimeLine Destandardized, But Not Canceled ** Telus Appeals Labour Board Ruling ** Cities Want Emergency Access to 9-1-1 Databases ** Telus, Bell Block Some Overseas Calls ** AirIQ to Buy U.S. Telematics Company ** Telus Fast Dial-Up Offered in Quebec ** VoIP Startup Wholesales Long Distance ** VoIP Associations Merge ** Comdex Show Canceled ** Hennessy Confirmed in Top Job at CCTA ** Should VoIP Be Regulated? ============================================================ SHAW PLANS 2005 VoIP LAUNCH: Shaw Communications says it will launch IP-based residential telephone service in western Canada early in 2005. It will obtain wholesale VoIP services, including PSTN interconnection and long distance, from Bell Canada. Siemens will provide the softswitch platform. ** In the three months ended May 31 Shaw's subscriber base increased 2% (Internet), 1.5% (satellite), and 0.1% (basic cable). Consolidated service revenue for the quarter was 8.8% higher than last year. TELUS BID FOR MICROCELL EXTENDED: Telus has extended the deadline for its hostile takeover bid for Microcell to July 22, and has changed the conditions so that only a majority of shares (not two-thirds) must be tendered. ** By the original June 22 deadline, holders of only 14,877 of Microcell's Class A and Class B shares had accepted Telus's offer. Microcell has over 29,300,000 outstanding Class A and B shares. 10% OF BELL STAFF OFFERED EARLY RETIREMENT: As part of a program to cut yearly costs by $1 billion, Bell Canada has offered an early retirement package to about 4,500 of its 42,500 employees. A similar offer has been made to 2,300 unionized employees as part of current contract negotiations. (see next item) BELL UNION REJECTS CONTRACT OFFER: The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union has recommended rejection of Bell Canada's contract offer to 7,000 employees. A membership vote on whether to authorize strike action is currently underway: the results will be announced July 12. ** Bell Canada says its contract offer includes no change to job security provisions, a "wage settlement well aligned to the market," and enhanced benefits. WI-LAN SUES CISCO FOR PATENT INFRINGEMENT: Calgary-based wireless broadband developer Wi-LAN is suing Cisco in the Federal Court of Canada for allegedly infringing Wi-LAN patents for OFDM technology. A previous Wi-LAN suit against Cisco was settled in 2001. 62 MILLION ON U.S. DO NOT CALL LIST: In the 12 months since the Do Not Call Registry was launched in the U.S., consumers have registered 62 million phone numbers and reported 428,000 possible violations. About 200 companies had more than 100 complaints filed against them. PRIMELINE DESTANDARDIZED, BUT NOT CANCELED: CRTC Telecom Order 2004-201 rejects Bell Canada's application to discontinue PrimeLine service entirely, until the telco demonstrates "that most PrimeLine subscribers have been smoothly and satisfactorily migrated from the service." Bell can destandardize the service, but only if it continues to allow existing customers to make changes to their calling schedules. (See Telecom Update #387, 399) www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Orders/2004/o2004-201.htm TELUS APPEALS LABOUR BOARD RULING: Tele-Mobile Company, which operates Telus Mobility, has asked the Federal Court of Appeal to stay and review the Canada Industrial Relations Board decision that added Telus Mobility employees in Central Canada to the Telecommunications Workers Union bargaining unit. Telus says the ruling violates the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canada Labour Code. (see Telecom Update #434) CITIES WANT EMERGENCY ACCESS TO 9-1-1 DATABASES: In a Part VII application submitted on June 14, several municipalities in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and New Brunswick ask the CRTC to allow them to access the telcos' 9-1-1 databases to notify residents in case of emergency situations. www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2004/8665/s62_200405888.htm TELUS, BELL BLOCK SOME OVERSEAS CALLS: Telus and Bell are moving to block calls to destinations frequently involved in "modem hijacking" scams. Beginning July 1, Telus will block customer-dialed calls to Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Nauru, and Sao Tome, and beginning August 1, Bell will block customer- dialed calls to Guinea-Bissau, Nauru, Sao Tome, Cook Islands, Tuvalu, and the Tokelau Islands. AIRIQ TO BUY U.S. TELEMATICS COMPANY: AirIQ, which provides asset tracking services, has agreed to buy California-based Aircept.com, for $23.8 million in cash and shares. Aircept has 43 employees and 80,000 subscribers. TELUS FAST DIAL-UP OFFERED IN QUEBEC: Telus's Turbo GT fast Internet dial-up service, which offers speeds up to 280 Kbps using technology from Slipstream Data, is now available in Quebec. VoIP STARTUP WHOLESALES LONG DISTANCE: Toronto-based Budget Minutes is offering a suite of Voice over IP services, including "click2talk" instant calling, to competitive long distance and phone card suppliers. VoIP ASSOCIATIONS MERGE: The International VoIP Council, an alliance of vendors and service providers including Bell Canada and Telus, has merged into the International Packet Communications Consortium (IPCC), another trade organization promoting VoIP adoption. www.packetcomm.org COMDEX SHOW CANCELED: Comdex 2004 has been canceled because of weak support from leading IT vendors. The Las Vegas show, whose attendance peaked in 2000 at 211,000, drew 45,000 participants last year. Its owner, MediaLive International, hopes to relaunch next year. HENNESSY CONFIRMED IN TOP JOB AT CCTA: Michael Hennessy has been appointed President and CEO of the Canadian Cable TV Association, after "acting" in the position for nine months (see Telecom Update #401). Prior to joining the CCTA in 1999, he held senior regulatory and policy positions at Bell Mobility and the CRTC. SHOULD VoIP BE REGULATED? The July-August Telemanagement, available to online subscribers tomorrow, features Lis Angus's review and analysis of the telecom industry's debate on CRTC proposals for regulation of Voice over IP phone service. Also in this issue: ** Planning for High Availability Networking ** Is There a Future for Frame Relay and ATM Networks? ** Key Issues for Telecom Disaster Recovery To become a Telemanagement subscriber -- including unlimited access to Telemanagement's extensive online content -- visit www.angustel.ca/teleman/tm-sub-online.html or call 800-263-4415 ext 500. ============================================================ 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 2004 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: news01@jmatt.net (Matt Simpson) Subject: Re: Internet Phone Service For Every Home Not Far Off Date: 28 Jun 2004 10:33:20 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com That's a crock. We are still a very long way from "Internet Phone Service For Every Home". Before that can happen, we need broadband in every home. And that's a long way off. The article keeps mentioning how some people have "few choices" of VOIP providers. It doesn't mention that many of us have zero choice of broadband providers, which is a prerequisite for VOIP. ------------------------------ From: a_user2000@yahoo.com (Justin Time) Subject: Re: Internet Phone Service For Every Home Not Far Off Date: 28 Jun 2004 10:53:48 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com VOIP News wrote in message news: http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2004/06/27/News/244994.html > By Wesley Brown > Arkansas News Bureau > LITTLE ROCK - Local phone service in Arkansas and the rest of the > nation is nearing a big evolution, experts say, meaning that terms > like WiFi, telephony and FTTH (fiber-to-the-home) will soon become > part of our everyday language. > However, it is Internet phone service, more commonly known as > voice-over-Internet protocol (VOIP) technology, that many feel will > have the biggest impact on the landscape of the $100-billion-a-year > telecommunications industry over the next few years. > "Clearly, VOIP is going to be very important over the next few years," > said SBC Arkansas spokesman Ted Wagnon. "It is the most substantial > technological advance in 100 years." > SBC, which operates about 950,000 access lines in Arkansas, is betting > on the new technology. On Tuesday, San-Antonio-based SBC > Communications - parent company to SBC Arkansas - announced a $4 > billion to $6 billion expansion plan over the next five years to > install a fiber optic network offering high-speed Internet access, > voice communications and television programming. SBC officials would > not discuss details of the expansion plan. > Full story at: > http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2004/06/27/News/244994.html > How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: > http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html > If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ And Fiber to the curb was to be the NEXT big things of the late 80's if I remember right. Have they solved the problem of who is going to pay for all that bandwidth? That's not to mention the cost of the local loop. Rodgers Platt ------------------------------ From: cyberpizzaguy@hotmail.com (JV) Subject: Pizza ... Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? Date: 28 Jun 2004 10:56:12 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Ok, I did say Pizza to get your attention, but this question is related to Pizza. Just about everyone orders pizza for delivery ... right? Well on our side, getting pizza orders over the phone is big business. Problem is that sometimes crooks with ill intentions try to lure pizza drivers in to rob them, or worse. Many times they use a pay phone, and the prevelance of cell phones makes this a growing problem for me. My ultimate objective is to determine if the phone call is from a pay phone, cell phone, or land phone to help ensure the safety of the drivers. Though web searches I've read just enough about SS7 & ANI to make my head spin. I'm guessing this is possible because of what 911 can often do ... which is get a latitude/longitude from a cell phone to determine location. I'm not sure what security is around this rather personal information ... but I don't care about the values, just whether or not this is a cell phone. Based on some limited CallerID experience, it appears that no one solution may apply across the country. Is there a way I can tell if a call came from a land line, cell phone, or pay phone? .... Through data received from CallerID? .... Through data received via SS7? .... How big/$$$ a phone system would be needed to accomplish this? Thanks! Cyberpizzaguy [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Unfortunatly there is no way to do it within the reasonable limitations of what a pizza restaurant operator would want invest in a phone system. What you can do, and seems to work pretty well, but not perfectly, is begin to develop your own data base using caller ID, your computer-cash register system, etc. A call rings in and *your* database puts up certain details about the customer such as address, etc. Much of that data is compiled as you go along of course. In the early days of your database, you also rely heavily on criss-cross directories, telephone books, etc. Many times, a cellular phone will give the caller's 'name' as 'Wireless Caller' or a payphone may give the name of the phone's owner as customer. And don't hesitate to wait a couple minutes and dial back the number because 'the clerk who took your order may have gotten it wrong and I wanted to double check, etc'. It never hurts also to have your delivery person drop his money after each order rather than accumulate a lot of it in the course of the evening, **and publicize this fact with customers**, i.e. 'how much change will the delivery man need to bring with him; he never carries any extra money." Oh, and any time a call comes in with ID blocked have the phone company turn on 'privacy manager' so the call never even reaches you unless the person dials back with the ID unblocked. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Clark W. Griswold, Jr. <73115.1041@compuserve.com> Subject: Re: Domain Registration Recommendations Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 12:36:45 -0600 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com >> Does anyone have any recommendations for dependable domain registrars >> that have stability, economy pricing etc, basic services, but do not >> knowingly support spammers? I have quite a few domains registered. Although I've not had an unwanted email problems with BuyDomains, I recently switched over to http://www.1and1.com for my domain hosting. Their prices are very reasonable and they do web hosting inexpensively as well. The only negative I've seen so far is that their control panel is really sluggish. ------------------------------ From: rayta@msn.com (Ray Normandeau) Subject: Re: Domain Registration Recommendations Date: 28 Jun 2004 13:14:04 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com SELLCOM Tech support wrote in message news:... > Does anyone have any recommendations for dependable domain registrars > that have stability, economy pricing etc, basic services, but do not > knowingly support spammers? I have quite a few domains registered. GoDaddy.com Read their anti-spam policy. They are serious. Domains start at $4.95 ------------------------------ From: Brad Houser Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 12:37:37 -0700 Organization: Intel Corporation PAT wrote: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Am I correct that the 'walkie-talkie > two way feature' was not a Walkie-Talkie in the 'traditional' sense of > using a two-way radio as such (RF or radio frequency) signals but was > actually a speed dial type thing for one number on the cell phone > which in addition to being speed dialed was put on a handsfree type > 'loudspeaker' type thing? How did that Nextel feature actually work? > PAT] Exactly. You select a name, push a button and the recipient (also a Nextel user) hears a beap and your voice. "Hey Joe, you got the invoice ready yet?" Conversations continue as one way "push to talk" snips. Don't know if you can easily switch to phone or if you have to redial as a regular call. They use different frequencies than other cell phones. You can also get groups to hear it at the same time. Good for construction and other similar applications. Mostly a Nextel thing, it is their major selling point for some. Sprint has started to offer it. Maybe others. Brad Houser ------------------------------ From: johnl@iecc.com (John R. Levine) Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Date: 28 Jun 2004 19:33:05 -0400 Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA > Last year, it seemed like everybody was using the 2 way "walkie > talkie" feature on Nextel phones (probaly others as well), and I > would see a lot of "2 waying" going on on busses, in supermarkets, > etc. For the past few months, there seems to have been a sharp > decrease in people "2 waying", and I rarely see it anymore. I live in > LA, so I see plenty of people using cellphones, but nobody seems to > use the walkie talkie feature anymore. Nextel's walkie-talkie feature is still very popular, but not among the trendy crowd. Their main market is blue collar workers who use it many times a day to do things like talk from one end of a construction site to the other and say "we need 20 more 2x4s and a couple of pounds of nails," just like they used to do with CB walkie talkies. Nextel uses a scheme called IDEN which directly supports the direct connect feature in the radio protocol. I gather that other carriers are faking it with speed dial, but they don't get the very fast connection times that Nextel does. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies", Information Superhighwayman wanna-be, http://www.johnlevine.com, Mayor "I dropped the toothpaste", said Tom, crestfallenly. ------------------------------ From: Joseph Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 17:37:33 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Reply-To: JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.NONOcom On 28 Jun 2004 02:31:27 -0700, Telecom Digest Editor noted: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Am I correct that the 'walkie-talkie > two way feature' was not a Walkie-Talkie in the 'traditional' sense of > using a two-way radio as such (RF or radio frequency) signals but was > actually a speed dial type thing for one number on the cell phone > which in addition to being speed dialed was put on a handsfree type > 'loudspeaker' type thing? How did that Nextel feature actually work? PAT] Here's some of the scoop: The digital two-way radio service uses a half-duplex signal. A normal cell phone call uses two separate frequencies, one to send and one to receive, for each call while a Direct Connect call uses only a single frequency. Direct Connect relies on the proven technology of Push To Talk (PTT), commonly used in dispatch radio systems. PTT requires the person speaking to press a button while talking and then release it when they are done. The listener then presses their button to respond. This way the system knows which direction the signal should be traveling in. To enable Direct Connect, Nextel configures your phone to use the dispatch call service to reach the person or persons you specify. This person (or group) must use Nextel's service also. When you make a Direct Connect call to someone, here's what happens: You hit the Direct Connect button, which is configured with the number(s) of the person (or group) you are calling. Your phone establishes a session with the Nextel iDEN-based network. The network determines that this is a dispatch call (Direct Connect) instead of an interconnect call (a normal cell phone call). The network then determines if it is a one-to-one or a group call. If it is a group call, the network duplicates the digital voice packets for each phone in the group. The network routes the packets to the phone (or phones) of the person (or group) you are calling. Their phone alerts them that they have a Direct Connect call. They answer the call by pressing the Talk button. Whoever is pushing the button, whether a one-to-one or group call, is the speaker. The call is completed and everyone disconnects. Full article: http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/question530.htm Other PTT implementations used by Verizon, AT&T Wireless and others do not use the same PTT technology and do not use SMR as Nextel does. Other non-Nextel services have a lot more latency than the Nextel implementation. iDen had direct connect in the design of the service from the outset. Other PTT schemes work differently. Here's how PTT works with Verizon Wireless: Motorola's V60p is a standard ultra-compact flip phone; the only visible difference is a small black PTT button on the left side. When you push the PTT button, you see the list of your PTT contacts. Using up and down arrow keys, you highlight the individual or group you want to call. Then you push and hold the PTT button, wait about two seconds for a beep that confirms the connection, and start talking. At the other end, everyone in your group hears a notification beep and then your voice. If the V60p is set in speakerphone mode -- recommended for PTT communication -- you'll be heard clearly even if the phone is clipped to a belt or purse strap. When you finish talking and remove your finger from the PTT button, everyone else hears another beep. The next person to press his or her PTT button gets to respond. Someone else in the group hitting the button a second later gets a busy signal beep and has to wait.>> http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/6637702.htm [Personally, I find any kind of PTT service whether it's Nextel's or the competition extremely annoying. It's bad enough with people who do not know how to use a regular cell phone who insist on increasing their speaking volume threefold. All the squawks and beeps with direct connect phones is at best annoying.] As to the original poster's question other articles I found when looking up PTT I've found that while there may have been some initial interest in PTT services there's just not that much interest in it and it's really a specialized market which Nextel caters to (the trades for instance) that has interest in the direct connect feature. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - remove NONO from .NONOcom to reply ------------------------------ From: Gary Breuckman Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 23:09:07 -0500 Organization: Puma's Lair - catbox.com In article , "Proprclr" wrote: > Last year, it seemed like everybody was using the 2 way "walkie talkie" > feature on Nextel phones (probaly others as well), and I would see a lot > of "2 waying" going on on busses, in supermarkets, etc. For the past > few months, there seems to have been a sharp decrease in people "2 > waying", and I rarely see it anymore. I live in LA, so I see plenty of > people using cellphones, but nobody seems to use the walkie talkie > feature anymore. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Am I correct that the 'walkie-talkie two > way feature' was not a Walkie-Talkie in the 'traditional' sense of using > a two-way radio as such (RF or radio frequency) signals but was actually > a speed dial type thing for one number on the cell phone which in > addition to being speed dialed was put on a handsfree type 'loudspeaker' > type thing? How did that Nextel feature actually work? PAT] Nextel phones have two operating modes, one works just like a cell phone, you place a call have a normal conversation. The other mode works much like a radio -- you place a 'call' to the other unit (or to a group) and then use a press-to-talk key just like a radio. The other party responds in a like fashion. Once the call is dialed it appears much like a radio, but of course the traffic is not direct, it's sent to Nextel and back out. But it only occupies a channel when you transmit, so it's very efficient use of the channel space, and very practical when there is 'work' going on and you are only talking a small percentage of the time. As to why it's dropping -- normal cellular has gotten less expensive, and many carriers are offering unlimited 'mobile-to-mobile' calls to phones on the same carrier. -- Gary Breuckman ------------------------------ From: chsvideo@hotmail.com (Lincoln J. King-Cliby) Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Date: 28 Jun 2004 21:52:22 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com I think part of it is the novelty wearing off, the other part is people realized that the "DirectConnect"(r)-type feature can be more than twice as da*n annoying as a regular cell phone conversation. The fact that its half duplex doesn't help. (a) Novelty Wearing Off: There was a time when the 2Way features were being _heavily_ promoed-- people were extremely aware of the feature and no doubt a few people signed up as a result of this feature -- they used it for a while, became aware of the limitations (half-duplex, no cross-network stuff, etc.), and just kinda forgot about it. (b) More annoying than a tradidional cell phone. My employer (an agency of the State of California) provides me with Nextel cell/radio service. I love it for asking coworkers quick questions, etc. One must realize that it can be annoying. With a typical cell conversation you only hear one end of the conversation -- the person may be screaming at the top of their lungs but you only have to suffer through that side. With a radio conversation 99% of the time you hear both sides of the conversation (often with the volume up to 11 on a 1-10 scale). You also have that nice loud beep at the start and end of each transmission. (c) Half duplex. You don't realize how valuable full-duplex conversation is until you ask a co-worker a question and you suffer through a 5 minute rambling answer to a different question [Yes, I have discovered a way to kill a call, but its still not as convenient as just saying "No, what I really need to know is ..."]. I love my Nextel -- I really couldn't imagine having a job without one, in a campus environment ([bignum] acres) plus off-campus facilities an occassional national travel it's really handy ... Especially for those really short things like "Can you reset the MPIPC Server" or "Bring the screw gun back with you please"... But I keep my speaker volume fairly low and turn off the speaker in sensitive areas (i.e. when I walk into a classroom). To answer Pat's question ... I'm not entirely sure how Nextel's PTT service works, I believe it is unique [based on Motorola's iDEN] and I also beleive that at the beginning Nextel was a Commercial Radio service that happened to have a few bridges to the PSTN. I don't thing PTT and phone traffic are handled in the same channels -- I've had situations where PTT wouldn't work but phone service would I think I read somewhere that the others offering PTT services were using a VOIP-type implementation, but I really am curious myself. balanco01@yahoo.com (Proprclr) wrote in message news:: > Last year, it seemed like everybody was using the 2 way "walkie > talkie" feature on Nextel phones (probaly others as well), and I would > see a lot of "2 waying" going on on busses, in supermarkets, etc. For > the past few months, there seems to have been a sharp decrease in > people "2 waying", and I rarely see it anymore. I live in LA, > so I see plenty of people using cellphones, but nobody seems to use the > walkie talkie feature anymore. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Am I correct that the 'walkie-talkie > two way feature' was not a Walkie-Talkie in the 'traditional' sense of > using a two-way radio as such (RF or radio frequency) signals but was > actually a speed dial type thing for one number on the cell phone > which in addition to being speed dialed was put on a handsfree type > 'loudspeaker' type thing? How did that Nextel feature actually work? PAT] ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 00:44:08 -0400 Subject: Leader: The Dirty Little Secret of VoIP Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://networks.silicon.com/telecoms/0,39024659,39121732,00.htm by silicon.com How an industry standard can dampen competition The market for voice over IP -- the routing of phone calls over data networks -- is finally taking hold after many years of talk thanks in part to the emergence of a standard known as Session Initiation Protocol, or SIP. Or so say many industry experts. SIP enables communications between multiple users involving voice, video, instant messaging and other multimedia elements. At least that's the best we can explain it in plain English. Everyone we talk to tells us it's quite complex. The good thing about SIP, say the experts, is that it allows for interoperability. It provides a way for companies to know whether the software they buy from Vendor A will work with what they already have from Vendor B, and so on, and thus makes them more inclined to switch to VoIP than they were in the past. Hence the recent uptick in the use of the technology and the bullish predictions for the future. The bad thing about SIP is that it is such a complex standard. Because it's complex, it's very expensive to implement and support into a VoIP product. This naturally creates a high barrier to entry for smaller, cash-strapped players or even large players who don't want to invest huge sums to get in on VoIP. Full story at: http://networks.silicon.com/telecoms/0,39024659,39121732,00.htm How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 00:47:59 -0400 Subject: Qovia Readies Tool To Block VoIP Spam Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20040628S0009 By Antone Gonsalves, TechWeb News Qovia Inc. on Monday unveiled software that would block spam from entering the networks of corporations that have replaced traditional telephone systems with Internet telephony. The Frederick, Md., company said the anti-spam software would be available in the fourth quarter as a module for Qovia's VoIP Monitoring and Management System. Because voice over Internet protocol uses technology similar to email, it's vulnerable to the many of the same abuses, such as spam. To avoid overloading corporate mailboxes with junk voice mail, Qovia's technology would scan incoming traffic at the voice server, blocking spam before the calls are directed to recipients in the corporate network. Full story at: http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20040628S0009 ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2004 18:45:11 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: EyeTV 500 HDTV Digital Video Recorder for the Mac Elgato Unveils First HDTV Digital Video Recorder for the Mac; EyeTV 500 for ATSC Digital Terrestrial Television in the U.S. SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 28, 2004--Elgato Systems today announced the release of EyeTV 500, the first high-definition television (HDTV) solution for Mac OS X, specially designed for the thriving North American digital terrestrial television (DTV) market. EyeTV 500 allows users to watch, record, timeshift, edit and archive free over-the-air HDTV and digital standard-definition television (SDTV) on the Mac. EyeTV 500 is a FireWire(R)-powered, 100% digital, fully HD capable solution, based on Elgato's proven EyeTV 400 technology. http://finance.lycos.com/qc/news/story.aspx?story=200406281946_BWR__BW5818 ------------------------------ 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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End of TELECOM Digest V23 #309 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Jul 1 00:06:27 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i6146Re16578; Thu, 1 Jul 2004 00:06:27 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 00:06:27 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200407010406.i6146Re16578@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 #310 TELECOM Digest Thu, 1 Jul 2004 00:07:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 310 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson NYS Attorney General vs. AT&T Decent Not Great, Settlement (Danny Burstein) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (Barry Margolin) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (T. Sean Weintz) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (DevilsPGD) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (Keith) Re: Pizza; Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? (Dorsey) Re: Pizza; Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? (Gordon) Re: Pizza; Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? (Justin) Re: Pizza; Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? (Keith) Re: Pizza; Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? (Tech) Internet Access With a 800 Number (Kevin) What Happens to Expired Wireless Numbers (internist) Re: Popular Camera Cellphones Raise Privacy Concerns Schools (L. Hancock) For Sale: Telrad 8_16 Key bx (Earl Mon) Want to Buy: Used Cell Phones (Jerome Haden) Inet Domain Name, Help. (Ron Reaugh) Keyboard For Mobile and Palmtop Using Handwriting (chennakeshava_ramesh) Indian Telemarketing Shop Service-Monitoring Line? (John R. Covert) 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 are 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Danny Burstein Subject: NYS Attorney General vs. AT&T Decent, not Great, Settlement Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 23:55:56 -0400 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC "Attorney General Eliot Spitzer today announced a settlement that requires the state's leading long distance telephone company to issue refunds and credits to as many as 311,000 New Yorkers to correct improper billings. "As part of the settlement, AT&T Communications of New York will also reform its billing procedures, provide consumers with additional information on telephone services and pay $400,000 in penalties and costs." [snip] "The investigation began in January, after the Attorney General's office received hundreds of complaints from consumers who were billed for long distance telephone service that they neither requested nor used." [ snippety snip ] http://www.oag.state.ny.us/press/2004/jun/jun29a_04.html - I'm glad he forced them to proactively make all the refunds, but still disturbed that they've gotten no punishment ($400k is nothing) for, to quote Al Franken, LYING when they sent out bills. And there's no reimbursement to the customers who had to waste huge amounts of their time in arguing. - As I've said before, if you or I sent out hundreds of thousands of fake bills (and cheerfully cashed the 10 percent or so that came back with checks) we'd be guests over at Camp Fed. danny " was one of the people who wrote to his office " burstein _____________________________________________________ Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ From: Barry Margolin Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Organization: Looking for work Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 08:40:09 -0400 In article , johnl@iecc.com (John R. Levine) wrote: > Nextel's walkie-talkie feature is still very popular, but not among > the trendy crowd. I wonder if this is due to the cancellation of Baywatch. They had lots of product placement in the last year or two of that show -- the lifeguards would use "Nextel" as a verb to refer to their use of the walkie-talkies to contact each other on the beach. Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu Arlington, MA *** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me *** ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 14:54:00 -0400 From: T. Sean Weintz Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Organization: VISI.com TELEECOM Digest Editor noted in response to Proprclr: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Am I correct that the 'walkie-talkie > two way feature' was not a Walkie-Talkie in the 'traditional' sense of > using a two-way radio as such (RF or radio frequency) signals but was > actually a speed dial type thing for one number on the cell phone > which in addition to being speed dialed was put on a handsfree type > 'loudspeaker' type thing? How did that Nextel feature actually work? PAT] No. It does not work that way. It actually, from what I can see, seems to use some variation an instant messaging protocol or something similar -- all Nextel phones I have seen seem in fact to be IP phones. I know mine is. There is a different number than the phone number associated with the walkie talkie feature. Forget exactly what Nextel calls it. ------------------------------ From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Reply-To: bond-jamesbond@crazyhat.net Organization: EasyNews, UseNet made Easy! Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 07:43:03 GMT In message Joseph wrote: > [Personally, I find any kind of PTT service whether it's Nextel's or > the competition extremely annoying. It's bad enough with people who > do not know how to use a regular cell phone who insist on increasing > their speaking volume threefold. All the squawks and beeps with > direct connect phones is at best annoying.] This is a idiot at the controls, you can hit the "speaker" button and it uses the earpiece instead, beeps and all. Who is General Failure and why is he reading my disk? ------------------------------ From: Keith Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 11:55:32 -0400 Gary/Pat: >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Am I correct that the 'walkie-talkie two >> way feature' was not a Walkie-Talkie in the 'traditional' sense of using >> a two-way radio as such (RF or radio frequency) signals but was actually >> a speed dial type thing for one number on the cell phone which in >> addition to being speed dialed was put on a handsfree type 'loudspeaker' >> type thing? How did that Nextel feature actually work? PAT] > Once the call is dialed it appears much like a radio, but of course > the traffic is not direct, it's sent to Nextel and back out. But it > only occupies a channel when you transmit, so it's very efficient > use of the channel space, and very practical when there is 'work' > going on and you are only talking a small percentage of the time. This is absolutely true MOST of the time. Nextel has implemented something which I witnessed first hand a couple years ago. In the event you are close by (determined by the cell site), the tower instructs the radios to switch to a simplex radio frequency and then the two phones DO communicate directly via RF. This is done so that you don't tie up a channel unnecessarily. How do I know this? I saw two people communicate within the same room (one up an escalator, one below) using Nextel's phones. My frequency counter (which was strapped to my belt) didn't register normal cell frequencies when they talked, but frequencies in the business band neighborhood of 450mhz. I tuned my handheld radio to the frequency, and heard them talking. As soon as I heard the conversation, I of course realized this was illegal, and tuned away, of course. I'm not sure if its ONLY certain phones, or only certain areas(this was NYC), etc. Keith ------------------------------ From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) Subject: Re: Pizza ... Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? Date: 29 Jun 2004 15:44:08 -0400 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) JV wrote: > Is there a way I can tell if a call came from a land line, cell phone, > or pay phone? > .... Through data received from CallerID? No. > .... Through data received via SS7? Yes. > .... How big/$$$ a phone system would be needed to accomplish this? Not all that huge a system. A lot of small PBXes will let you do it. But, just having a CD-ROM phone database and using it to look the address up each time you get a call will get you 80% of the way there. I believe that when Pizza Hut first set their system up, they were taking caller-id data and using a combined database consisting of both a CD-ROM phone database and a database of customers and using that. If someone was not listed, the order entry folks would request name and address and put it into the database. This is handy because in addition the database can contain information about previous orders. If someone is suddenly ordering small pizzas when they used to order larges, you could offer them a particular promotion, for example. If someone is known to be a bad customer, with a history of problems, the order entry folks will know it. --scott "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 15:54:55 -0500 From: Gordon S. Hlavenka Reply-To: nospam@crashelex.com Organization: Crash Electronics Subject: Re: Pizza ... Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? JV wrote: > My ultimate objective is to determine if the phone call is from a > pay phone, cell phone, or land phone to help ensure the safety of > the drivers. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Unfortunatly there is no way to do it > within the reasonable limitations of what a pizza restaurant operator > would want invest in a phone system. http://www.whitepages.com has a reverse directory that tells you if a number is a cellphone. I'm not sure how it handles payphones, unlisted, non-pub, etc. But it's a start. Perhaps you could hire a local hacker-type to write a screen-scraper that checks numbers at Whitepages.com? Or, do it the "right" way and see if the Whitepages people have an API you can write to. The first method is kludgy but cheap, the second is more elegant but may cost you a few licensing $$ ... Gordon S. Hlavenka http://www.crashelectronics.com "If we imagined he could _find_ the car, we could pretend it might be fixed." - Calvin ------------------------------ From: a_user2000@yahoo.com (Justin Time) Subject: Re: Pizza ... Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? Date: 30 Jun 2004 05:24:45 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com cyberpizzaguy@hotmail.com (JV) wrote in message news:: > Ok, I did say Pizza to get your attention, but this question is > related to Pizza. Just about everyone orders pizza for delivery ... > Thanks! > Cyberpizzaguy > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Unfortunatly there is no way to do it > within the reasonable limitations of what a pizza restaurant operator > would want invest in a phone system. What you can do, and seems to > work pretty well, but not perfectly, is begin to develop your own data > base using caller ID, your computer-cash register system, etc. A call > rings in and *your* database puts up certain details about the customer > such as address, etc. Much of that data is compiled as you go along > of course. In the early days of your database, you also rely heavily > on criss-cross directories, telephone books, etc. Many times, a > cellular phone will give the caller's 'name' as 'Wireless Caller' or > a payphone may give the name of the phone's owner as customer. And > don't hesitate to wait a couple minutes and dial back the number > because 'the clerk who took your order may have gotten it wrong and > I wanted to double check, etc'. It never hurts also to have your > delivery person drop his money after each order rather than accumulate > a lot of it in the course of the evening, **and publicize this fact > with customers**, i.e. 'how much change will the delivery man need to > bring with him; he never carries any extra money." Oh, and any time > a call comes in with ID blocked have the phone company turn on > 'privacy manager' so the call never even reaches you unless the person > dials back with the ID unblocked. PAT] Pat, All your responses are spot on -- except the last one. I sometimes use my cell phone to order things to be delivered and my cell has been configured since day one as "private." The not sending of my telephone number is a business choice for me. I am a consultant with a major city as my chief client. I give my cell phone number to only select people as 99 per cent of my business calls are directed to my desk phone where I have voice mail when I am out. The decision not to give out my cell phone number is based on something you often speak out on, common courtesy. Because my cell phone number is not widely known, when I am in meetings with my clients, they know if it goes off, it is probably pretty important. But if my cell phone number were widely known and it went off, then I am dismissed as someone who doesn't have the courtesy to give the proper amount of attention to my client as they feel they deserve with the billing rates they pay. And yes, there is such a thing as silent mode, but you still take the phone out to look and see if the caller deserves immediate attention. So, telling a business to reject private or unidentified calls affects them directly -- at the cash register. If I called my local pizza delivery place and they blocked my call, then I would just find another place to do business. Rodgers Platt [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Just as you turn on ID blocking on a case by case basis using *67 (most places), you can turn off blocking on a case by case basis also, usually with *87 (?) or sometimes by using *67 again for that call. Try to be reasonable with those guys, can't you? PAT] ------------------------------ From: Keith Subject: Re: Pizza ... Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 10:11:11 -0400 PAT Wrote : > Oh, and any time a call comes in with ID blocked have the phone > company turn on 'privacy manager' so the call never even reaches you > unless the person dials back with the ID unblocked. PAT] Ummm. If I call a pizza shop from my blocked cell phone, like I did last Friday, and they reject my call, I'm calling a different pizza place. Pizza delivery places have gotten by just fine over how many years without CallerID? It's funny how both cell phone companies and regular phone companies are willing to give up your privacy, by default, automatically -- in turn for additional revenue for these add on services. Why is the default to have your number displayed? Why can't this be an opt-in program? (rhetorical question, of course) All my telephones lines have permanent line-blocking enabled. Getting to the OP's question: If the customer sets up an 800 number, is it possible for the telco to deliver ANI information via CallerID? 800 numbers are relatively inexpensive, so this might work. BTW, Pizza Hut for a long time had one of the most comprehensive reverse-lookup phone number databases in the world. They correlated information from a number of public sources, past customer calls, etc. My understanding was that they had a master database at some central location where they stored nationwide records. Keith [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The reason pizza delivery places got along fine without caller ID for many years is the same reason police got along fine without 911 for many years; they had to; there were no other options. That, and the fact that telco essentially re-invented the phone network in the late 1960's (with ESS, and its sophistication) which was necessitated in large part by how severely they were getting ripped off by an increasingly sophisticated public. Police grew weary off going somewhere on faith, based on bogus calls from the public (this was especially true of the Fire Department) and as soon as the same sophisticated public began to discover that pizza delivery men working in 'bad' neighborhoods were also easy pickings then things like Caller ID became good tools to use. And yes, a toll free 800 number is relatively inexpensive to use these days and 'identification-avoidance' is almost impossible to avoid. Not totally, but a mere *67 won't do it. PAT] ------------------------------ From: SELLCOM Tech support Subject: Re: Pizza ... Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 21:24:39 GMT cyberpizzaguy@hotmail.com (JV) posted on that vast internet thingie: > Ok, I did say Pizza to get your attention, but this question is > related to Pizza. Just about everyone orders pizza for delivery ... > right? Well on our side, getting pizza orders over the phone is big > business. Problem is that sometimes crooks with ill intentions try to > lure pizza drivers in to rob them, or worse. Many times they use a > pay phone, and the prevelance of cell phones makes this a growing > problem for me. My ultimate objective is to determine if the phone > call is from a pay phone, cell phone, or land phone to help ensure the > safety of the drivers. A good first step might be to not insist that your drivers be unarmed, especially if you live in a concealed carry state. If the criminals were not assured of easy unarmed marks, they might not have such a preference for the pizza man. We ordered our last pizza from a website. Steve at SELLCOM http://www.sellcom.com Discount multihandset cordless phones by Siemens, AT&T, Panasonic, Motorola Vtech 5.8Ghz; TMC ET4000 4line Epic phone, OnHoldPlus, Beamer, Watchguard! Brick wall "non MOV" surge protection. Mini-Splitter log splitter! If you sit at a desk www.ergochair.biz you owe it to yourself. ------------------------------ From: vincent.mertens@tiscali.be (Kevin) Subject: Internet Access With a 800 Number Date: 29 Jun 2004 06:28:54 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Info on http://www.webwizzard.nl/linkspel/?r=1814 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Not only are robberies of pizza delivery guys bad news; so is spam and virii. What would happen to the amount of spam if every ISP started using 800 numbers on their dialups and matching those logs with their other traffic logs, so they could hammer on the !absolute! senders of that crap. After all it came from YOUR account when YOU were on line to us, etc. The person could, I suppose, insist he had not been at the computer at that time, it must have been a virus-bot using my computer, etc. PAT] ------------------------------ From: internist9@yahoo.com (internist) Subject: What Happens to Expired Wireless Numbers Date: 29 Jun 2004 08:29:15 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com I was just curious to know what happens to the phone numbers once a wireless plan expires or a customer terminates the contract. Are those assigned to some other customers later? And most importantly how much time does it take? This information will be useful to me as number portability act doesn't work with the same carrier. If my plan with Sprint expires and I have bought phones and numbers from another private company for the same carrier (needs new activation); can I let the current numbers expire and then maybe request them back? [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Its like any other telco. If there is a number crunch, then they use the same numbers faster. But most carriers are happy to accomodate their *good* customers with number changes whenever possible. If you go to Sprint and say "I will sign this new contract for two years with you *if and only if* you will give me my old number (from earlier contract, etc)" I cannot imagine they would not accomodate you. PAT] ------------------------------ From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com (Jeff nor Lisa) Subject: Re: Popular Camera Cellphones Raise Privacy Concerns in Vt. Schools Date: 29 Jun 2004 12:16:12 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Monty Solomon wrote > This past year, at least two students were disciplined for using the > devices to take pictures of fellow students without permission. The > school board is expected to approve tomorrow a policy clarifying that > such behavior is forbidden. A job testing center bans all cellphones from the test rooms because they have been used to take pictures of the exams. An episode on a current TV show dealt with a girl's embarassment when other girls took her picture in the locker room and shared it. I expect there will be more problems with this since lots of kids have picture cellphones and would love to catch their classmates in embarassing moments. Of course, I see no reason for kids to have cellphones while in school, and lots of reasons why they shouldn't. If a kid has to have a phone for after school use, he/she should put it away at the start of the day and not access it until the end of the day. (If a parent has a true emergency and needs to contact their kid -- which is very rare -- they can call the school office as was done in the past.) When I was in public school there were pay phones, but students were not allowed to use them without permission from the school, e.g., a urgent situation. I expect to see more restrictions on cell phone usage, from the disturbance making and receiving calls creates as well as privacy/dignity violations from taking secret pictures. I suspect many buildings will not allow cellphones to be brought into them for those reasons. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Actually, camera cell phones are still relatively new and the pictures they take (and deliver elsewhere) are extremely crappy, IMO. Such tiny little pictures, grainy and poorly focused, etc. I've seen the ones over at the local Radio Shack store and also the Cingular Wireless store here. I cannot imagine spending money to get one presently. Maybe a lot of kids have money to burn on that sort of thing. PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: For Sale: Telrad 8_16 Key bx From: Earl mon Organization: Comcast Online Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 21:34:14 GMT FS: Telrad 8_16 key bx Please review my Ebay auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=11908&item= 5706508262&rd=1 or item number: 5706508262 Thanks. ------------------------------ From: Jerome Haden Subject: WTB: Used Cell Phones Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 14:53:00 -0500 We have numerous of our used computer customers asking us for new or refurbished cell phones. We currently have a need for 5,000++ Treo 180's or other similar models. We also have a customer looking for GSM gspr triband chips - or used phones to remove them from. Please send us your offers of: scrap cell phones used cell phones refurbished cell phones. All offers must be subject to physical inspection and samples must be available. Jerome Haden 504-454-7143 V.P. Sales & Marketing Computer Discounters Wholesale, Inc Computers Of Mexico 5416 Veterans Highway Metairie, LA. 70003 USA jerome@computersofmexico.com Chat: Yahoo: computersofmexico AOL: computerno MSN: jerome@computersofmexico.com www.computersofmexico.com ------------------------------ From: Ron Reaugh Subject: Inet Domain Name, Help. Organization: AT&T Worldnet Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 20:40:43 GMT What exactly is a registerable Internet domain name and how does that relate to subdomains? For instance if one owns or is renting xyzabc.com then what exactly is jkl.xyzabc.com? I understand that the jkl is known as a subdomain. But is the complete entity jkl.xyzabc.com something that is independently registerable from xzyabc.com? OR if one owns xyzabc.com then does one own automatically all subdomains off xyzabc.com in Internet domain name space? I guess the question boils down to whether '.' is a special and non-registerable character below the TLD level and therefore the registerable domain name is that entity in the right most portion of the name including one and only one '.' which preceeds a valid TLD? ------------------------------ From: chennakeshava_ramesh@yahoo.co.in (chennakeshava_ramesh@yahoo.co.in) Subject: Keyboard For Mobile and Palmtop Using Handwriting Date: 30 Jun 2004 06:41:25 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Hi friends, I am developing models for keyboards for mobiles which can be used with palmtops also. I had posted early regarding the paper. But the problem was how to use it was not clear. So I have just added a small email video cliping in the form of exe file, which show the way the data can be entered into the mobile using handwriting. After seeing it is easy to understand the paper which I presented. I am working on developing the grid structure for the japanese characters and any body interested in developing such keyboards can join the group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/keyboarddevelopment which I have recently started to carry on research in this field. The .exe is present in zip format in my site www.hcr.freewebspace.com if unable to download you can download in the file section of the Yahoo group keyboarddevelopment at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/keyboarddevelopment If any problems or queries please mail me back at chennakeshava.ramesh@wipro.com or chennakeshava_ramesh@yahoo.co.in, so that I can correct it. Thanks, Regards, RAMESH (same as ramesh_jun24) ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 16:28:15 -0400 (EDT) From: John R. Covert Subject: Indian Telemarketing Shop Service-Monitoring Line? There's an interesting number on the caller-id of my fax line. The call disconnected with no fax received. (866) 383-0986 If you call it back, you get a recording with a distinctive Indian accent saying, "Please dial the extension number which you want to monitor." Hmmmmm. /john ------------------------------ 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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End of TELECOM Digest V23 #310 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Jul 1 00:44:30 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i614iT717612; Thu, 1 Jul 2004 00:44:30 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 00:44:30 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200407010444.i614iT717612@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 #311 TELECOM Digest Thu, 1 Jul 2004 00:44:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 311 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Verizon Wireless TXT Traffic Alert Service (Monty Solomon) Linksys Adds 5-Port Switch to Its Wireless-G Ethernet Bridge (M Solomon) Linksys Introduces a 10/100 4-Port VPN Router for Small Business (Solomon) EFFector 17.24: Action Alert - The Induce Act: Innovation (Monty Solomon) Re: MCI Layoffs (Shadowday144) Re: Internet Phone Service For Every Home Not Far Off (Gordon S. Hlavenka) Re: Who Got the Message? There's a Way to Know (Sin Nombre) Ted Forstmann's Naked Defense (Eric Friedebach) Re: Domain Registration Recommendations (SELLCOM Tech support) Re: Domain Registration Recommendations (John Smith) Latest Norvergence News (Barry B.) Intrado Extends Presence in VoIP 9-1-1 Market (VOIP News) Voice Over Internet Challenges Telephone (VOIP News) Audits May Improve 911 Reliability (VOIP News) Vonage(R) Wins Preliminary Injunction Against New York PSC (VOIP News) Vonage Beats Back New York Ruling (VOIP News) 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 are 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: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 23:29:02 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Verizon Wireless TXT Traffic Alert Service Beat the Traffic this Fourth of July Weekend with Verizon Wireless' New TXT Traffic Alert Service Powered by Autodesk - Jun 30, 2004 08:28 AM (PR Newswire) Verizon Wireless Customers Get Free Personalized, Timely Traffic Information from July 2nd through July 6th BEDMINSTER, N.J. and SAN RAFAEL, Calif., June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless, the nation's leading wireless provider and operator of the nation's most reliable wireless network, today announced that its customers planning to hit the road this July 4th weekend can sign up to receive free TXT alerts about traffic conditions on their TXT Messaging-capable phones from Autodesk Location Services, a division of Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK). Travelers using the new Verizon Wireless TXT Traffic Alert Service can choose their preferred routes and designate which times of day they would like to receive traffic update alerts. With Verizon Wireless TXT Traffic Alert Service, customers can save time, gas costs, and frustration this holiday weekend by staying informed of changing traffic information. To register, Verizon Wireless customers simply login to http://www.vtext.com , Verizon Wireless' TXT Messaging companion Web site, and select which traffic alerts they wish to receive. The service is being offered at no cost to Verizon Wireless customers during the July 4th Holiday Weekend (July 2nd - July 6th, 2004). Beginning July 7th, 2004, Verizon Wireless customers can pay as they go for TXT Traffic Alerts, which are just $0.02 for each message received, or select from several bundled plans, including $2.99 per month for 100 messages, $4.99 per month for 250 messages and $9.99 per month for 1,000 messages sent or received. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=42256789 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 23:26:33 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Linksys Adds 5-Port Switch to Its Wireless-G Ethernet Bridge Wireless-G Bridge With Integrated 5-port Switch Ideal for Small Businesses With Remote Network Environments IRVINE, Calif., June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Linksys(R), a division of Cisco Systems, Inc., the leading provider of broadband, wireless and networking hardware for the consumer and Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) markets, today announced its Wireless-G Ethernet Bridge with 5-port Switch (WET54GS5). The Wireless Bridge with 5-port Switch provides high-speed cable-free bridging between remote networks within an office and connects wired devices to a wireless network. Equipped with enhanced security, easy to use Setup Wizard and a number of advanced features help provide the technology needed to network a small business simply and affordably. At the request of resellers and network installers, Linksys has developed the new wireless bridge with a switch to solve connectivity issues associated with multiple workgroup networks, offices not capable of being wired with Ethernet cables and connecting up to five wired devices to an 802.11b (wireless-B) or 802.11g (wireless-g) network from other areas in the office. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=42255809 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 23:27:04 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Linksys Introduces a 10/100 4-Port VPN Router for Small Businesses IRVINE, Calif., June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Linksys(R), a division of Cisco Systems, Inc., the leading provider of broadband, wireless and networking hardware for the consumer and Small Office/Home Office (SOHO) markets, today announced the immediate availability of its new 10/100 4-Port VPN Router (RV042). For a complete Internet-sharing network solution, the RV042 is ideal for small businesses with mobile employees. Situated at the heart of a small office network, the 10/100 4-port wired VPN router lets multiple office computers share an Internet connection, files and other resources on the network. This 10/100 4-port VPN Router features 30 VPN endpoints, SPI firewall, and dual Internet ports for load balancing and connection redundancy. The RV042 lets users connect a second Cable or DSL Internet line as a backup to ensure the connection will not be disconnected. Or, use both Internet ports at the same time, and let the router balance all the user requirements between them for maximum bandwidth efficiency. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=42255830 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 14:29:47 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: EFFector 17.24: Action Alert - The Induce Act: Innovation EFFector Vol. 17, No. 24 June 28, 2004 donna@eff.org A Publication of the Electronic Frontier Foundation ISSN 1062-9424 In the 296th Issue of EFFector: * Action Alert - The Induce Act: Innovation Under Attack * Will the Inducing Infringement Act Kill the iPod? * EFF Partners with No Starch Press * MiniLinks (11): Interview with a DMCA Reformer * Staff Calendar: 07.30.04 - 08.01.04 - Kevin Bankston, Annalee Newitz, Seth Schoen, and Wendy Seltzer speak at Defcon 12, Las Vegas, NV * Administrivia http://www.eff.org/effector/17/24.php ------------------------------ From: shadowday144@cs.com (Shadowday144) Subject: Re: MCI Layoffs Date: 29 Jun 2004 22:04:18 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com rlm2174@yahoo.com (r8989) wrote in message news:: > Has anyone seen anything on layoff this week? Not on MCI but I did see this on another telecom company. http://www.ssorg.com/jobloss/ ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 15:46:58 -0500 From: Gordon S. Hlavenka Reply-To: nospam@crashelex.com Organization: Crash Electronics Subject: Re: Internet Phone Service For Every Home Not Far Off VOIP News wrote: >> http://www.arkansasnews.com/archive/2004/06/27/News/244994.html >> LITTLE ROCK - Local phone service in Arkansas and the rest of the >> nation is nearing a big evolution, experts say, meaning that terms >> like WiFi, telephony and FTTH (fiber-to-the-home) will soon become >> part of our everyday language. Justin Time wrote: > And Fiber to the curb was to be the NEXT big things of the late 80's > if I remember right. > Have they solved the problem of who is going to pay for all that > bandwidth? That's not to mention the cost of the local loop. My parents live in a very rural area of Arkansas (870-269-xxxx) -- the road in front of their house was just paved for the first time a few years ago and they're adjusting to their new "city water". While the trench was open to lay pipe for the water system, an extra conduit was dropped in and populated with fiber. So far the fiber is still dark, but it's right in their front yard as soon as somebody decides to light it up. OTOH I live in the Chicago suburbs and the nearest fiber is almost a mile away. My dad has 384Kbs DSL at the moment -- not too bad considering he's on top of a freakin' mountain in the Ozarks -- but it's a shame he can't tap that fiber. Gordon S. Hlavenka http://www.crashelectronics.com "If we imagined he could _find_ the car, we could pretend it might be fixed." - Calvin ------------------------------ From: sin nombre Subject: Re: Who Got the Message? There's a Way to Know Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 23:18:42 GMT Organization: EarthLink Inc. -- http://www.EarthLink.net On Sat, 19 Jun 2004 04:57:31 -0500, Gary Breuckman wrote: > In article , Tony P. > wrote: >> In article , monty@roscom.com says: >>> outgoing messages have been opened. But DidTheyReadIt is the first such >>> service to keep itself a secret from the recipient, as well as the >>> first to report on where the message was read. >> Easy enough to defeat. Just put a new rule on the firewall that doesn't >> let it get back. Who would have thought it, or prevent viewing HTML in >> Eudora or Outlook -- that can be done too. > You can't defeat these new services, they don't work like that. > They way they work is they hold the email on their server, and send > the recipient a 'new' email that just contains a link to their server. > When you open the link to read the mail, they know. > But the only way to avoid notifying the sender is not to open the link, > and then you don't get to read the mail. > -- Gary Breuckman > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Can't you browse to the server holding > the mail on your own (manually copy only the pertinite parts of the > URL **less the cookie data** ) and get to it that way? PAT] That method lets them tell if it has been read, but not by whom it has been read. A person could read the message URL through http proxy servers on 3 or 4 different continents. I'll bet that would confuse someone. ------------------------------ From: friedebach@yahoo.com (Eric Friedebach) Subject: Ted Forstmann's Naked Defense Date: 30 Jun 2004 10:33:44 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Daniel Fisher, 06.30.04, Forbes.com ROCKVILLE, CONN. - In a 1998 Forbes interview, dealmaker Theodore "Ted" Forstmann explained his investment philosophy: Avoid risky assets like junk bonds and never, ever get involved in a bidding war. "I would sooner take my pants off in public," said the founder of Forstmann, Little & Co. "I tell the seller, 'This is the deal. If you want it, say yes by 5 P.M.'" A different Ted Forstmann was on display during a four-week trial that concluded Tuesday in the central Connecticut town of Rockville. In a lawsuit filed in 2002, the state of Connecticut accused Forstmann and his firm of engaging in a sort of bait-and-switch, luring the state to invest $200 million based on the old strategy but pouring most of the money into risky, overpriced telecom ventures. http://www.forbes.com/services/2004/06/30/cz_df_0630forstmann.html Eric Friedebach /We Grill Kittens/ ------------------------------ From: SELLCOM Tech support Subject: Re: Domain Registration Recommendations Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 21:21:23 GMT Thanks to everyone! We have ended up becoming a reseller ourselves http://www.wwwdomain.biz Now, to be fair to buydomains, they have revised their email system to prevent spam. I will admit their original concept was done with good intentions but technically flawed. It is rare to see a company react so FAST regarding a problem and revising a whole system. Steve at SELLCOM http://www.sellcom.com Discount multihandset cordless phones by Siemens, AT&T, Panasonic, Motorola Vtech 5.8Ghz; TMC ET4000 4line Epic phone, OnHoldPlus, Beamer, Watchguard! Brick wall "non MOV" surge protection. Mini-Splitter log splitter! If you sit at a desk www.ergochair.biz you owe it to yourself. ------------------------------ From: John Smith Subject: Re: Domain Registration Recommendations Date: 30 Jun 2004 12:01:08 -0500 Reply-To: None On 28 Jun 2004 13:14:04 -0700, rayta@msn.com (Ray Normandeau) wrote: > GoDaddy.com > Read their anti-spam policy. > They are serious. No they aren't. They're all talk and very little action. I've notified them of numerous major spammers (using domains registered through Go Daddy), using their proper reporting procedures. They have, in all cases, done exactly NOTHING. So, spammers can disregard all that marketing bullshit, and continue to get their cheap spamming domains at Go Daddy, without any serious fear that ANY action AT ALL will be taken. If someone is aware of a recent case where Go Daddy has actually taken action against one of their spamming registrants by canceling their domain, I'd like to hear about it. Secondly, since we're on the subject, Go Daddy has absolutely pathetic customer service. It wasn't always this way mind you, but their popularity and relentless pandering to the low-priced domain market has not been handled well by them internally. Bob Parsons may be a fine individual, but his company is now out of control, and infested with stupid loads and other incompetents. While they still DO answer the phone and their e-mails, resolving certain problems is another thing. In short, the Go Daddy of today sucks. I would stay way clear of them. Becoming a so-called "reseller" (JOKE) using Go Daddy's "Wild West Domains" would be a formula for misery. In the event of a problem, I would be put in between my customer and a non-responsive registrar. No thanks. > Domains start at $4.95 Price isn't everything. This will become clear to Go Daddy customers after the first time you have a problem there that needs resolution. My opinion only, based on personal experience. John Smith ------------------------------ From: "BarryB" Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2004 11:32 AM Subject: Latest Norvergence News Greetings: I was informed by Qwest that Norvergence agreed to pay $8,000,000 today in past due invoices; If they don't pay Qwest will disconnect all Norvergence T1 and long distance services PERMANENTLY by the end of the week.. There is another article today on News 12 NJ discussing Norvergence paychecks bouncing, and laid off employees not getting their final paychecks. I assume the Salzano brothers have their exit plans in place. Barry Bellin ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 08:54:25 -0400 Subject: Intrado Extends Presence in VoIP 9-1-1 Market Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040629005256&newsLang=en Intrado Extends Presence in VoIP 9-1-1 Market; Signs Agreement with Primus Telecommunications, Inc. for Intrado VoIP Emergency Calling Service LONGMONT, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 29, 2004-- Intrado Continues to Lead in U.S. VoIP 9-1-1 Deployments Intrado Inc. (Nasdaq:TRDO), North America's leading provider of 9-1-1 infrastructure systems and services, and experts in dynamic communications solutions, today announced an agreement to provide Primus Telecommunications, Inc. (PRIMUS) with 9-1-1 services for its VoIP subscribers. PRIMUS joins a growing list of providers using Intrado(R) VoIP Emergency Calling Service to provide their subscribers with access to critical 9-1-1 services. Full press release at: http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040629005256&newsLang=en How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 29 Jun 2004 22:50:09 -0400 Subject: Voice Over Internet Challenges Telephone Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.mcall.com/business/local/all-voipjun27,0,3374606.story?coll=all-businesslocal-hed From The Morning Call -- June 27, 2004 Voice over Internet challenges telephone Agere taking part in technology's rollout. U.S. is slow to adopt. By Jeanne Bonner Of The Morning Call Experts have long predicted the death of traditional home telephone service, in large part because of the deployment of wireless services such as the cell phone. Plain old telephone service, as it is known in the industry, will die. But it turns out its executioner will more likely be Voice over Internet Protocol, rather than the cell phone. VoIP is finally beginning to gather steam in the United States. The technology uses a high-speed broadband Internet connection to make telephone calls. The calls travel at least part of the way on an Internet protocol network rather than the public switches that make up the telephone infrastructure. [..... snip .....] "It will probably be the biggest transformation in telecom in 100 years," said Verizon spokeswoman Briana Gowing. "There have been enhancements over the years but this is really shaking things up." This summer, Verizon will offer its digital subscriber line (DSL) customers a converter box with an adapter that will allow customers to make IP-based calls. The box converts the telephone's analog signals to digital. The adapter will connect a consumer's telephone with a computer modem that will send calls out over the Internet. Verizon has not said how much the box will cost. The company will be offering new VoIP calling plans with the boxes. Full story at: http://www.mcall.com/business/local/all-voipjun27,0,3374606.story?coll=all-businesslocal-hed ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 07:33:07 -0400 Subject: Audits May Improve 911 Reliability Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com This is from the Post-Crescent in Applerton, Wisconsin. First is an excerpt from the main article, then the text of a sidebar that summarizes the issue. This article may have implications for VoIP users because "Intrado Inc., the Longmont, Colo., company that subcontracts with SBC to manage 911 databases" [a quote from the article] is also the company that is used by some VoIP providers (such as Vonage and Primus) to offer 911 service to their customers. http://www.wisinfo.com/postcrescent/news/archive/local_16562601.shtml P-C inquiry shows oversight of phone databases lags By Duke Behnke Post-Crescent staff writer Neither the state nor area counties demand an audit of 911 databases to determine the accuracy of records used to dispatch emergency personnel, The Post-Crescent has learned. But, industry experts said, such a requirement may be the only feasible way to bring public accountability and oversight to a system managed by phone companies that carry no legal liability for the information. And one area sheriff said he wants to build an audit requirement into his county's contract with the phone company, after being told by The P-C of such arrangements elsewhere. "There is no liability requirement for the telephone companies on the part of these databases," said David Sleeter, first vice president of the Wisconsin chapter of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), an industry advisory group. "There is no guarantee of accuracy and completeness. None." [Sidebar:] About the issue In light of two mix-ups in 911 dispatches this year in Winnebago County, The Post-Crescent began investigating area enhanced-911 emergency systems. In one of the incidents, involving the death of a Neenah man, paramedics mistakenly were sent to Menasha. Among other things, The P-C has found that: Mix-ups stem from incorrect data supplied to the county by the telephone company. Such data errors are discovered regularly in area counties. Regular audits of the data are not required. Full story at: http://www.wisinfo.com/postcrescent/news/archive/local_16562601.shtml ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 23:18:15 -0400 Subject: Vonage(R) Wins Preliminary Injunction Against New York PSC Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-30-2004/0002203167&EDATE= EDISON, N.J., June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Magistrate Judge Douglas F. Eaton, United States District Court (Southern District of New York) announced his intention to enjoin the New York Public Service Commission (PSC) from regulating Vonage as a telecommuni- cations carrier. The written order is expected shortly. The judge will consider the merits of a permanent injunction in January 2005. Reinforcing Minnesota District Judge Davis' October 2003 order enjoining a similar attempt by that state to regulate Vonage, the preliminary injunction will preclude the State of New York from asserting its jurisdiction over Vonage. "We are satisfied with the court's decision and believe this is a positive step forward for New Yorkers and the industry," said Jeffrey A. Citron, chairman and CEO of Vonage Holdings Corporation. "Vonage remains eager and committed to working with the states, Congress and the FCC to create a national framework for this emerging industry." Chairman Powell's clear leadership on this issue was instrumental in today's decision -- the court recognized the ongoing work of the IP-enabled NPRM and workshops furthering the national policy development. Vonage plans to continue to participate in the ongoing dialogue with the FCC and the states which brings clarity to the policies for VoIP services. Full press release at: http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-30-2004/0002203167&EDATE= ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 23:22:04 -0400 Subject: Vonage Beats Back New York Ruling Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5253841.html By Ben Charny CNET News.com The New York State Public Service Commission can no longer require Vonage to file for a telephone operator's license, possibly foreshadowing an important regulatory win for the Net phone industry. U.S. District Court Judge Douglas Eaton's decision is temporary and he scheduled a January hearing to decide whether his ruling should become permanent. "I guess he did get the memo from Minnesota," a Vonage spokeswoman said Wednesday, referring to a U.S. District Court judge issuance of a similar order now under appeal. She said that Vonage never acted on the New York request, made in May. Judge Eaton made his decision from the bench during a regularly scheduled hearing. He's expected to put his order, and thoughts supporting it, in writing in the next few days. Full story at: http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5253841.html ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of 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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End of TELECOM Digest V23 #311 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Jul 1 16:43:54 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i61Khrg26909; Thu, 1 Jul 2004 16:43:54 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 16:43:54 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200407012043.i61Khrg26909@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 #312 TELECOM Digest Thu, 1 Jul 2004 16:44:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 312 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson NXTV Reaches 10,000 Hotel Rooms with IP-Based Entertainment (Monty Solomon) LG Mobile VX7000 Camera Phone (Monty Solomon) Verizon Wireless Launches Mobile Web 2.0 (Monty Solomon) The Weather Channel(R) Launches New Mobile Weather Service (Monty Solomon) Interception of E-Mail Raises Questions (Monty Solomon) Nextel Freqs, was Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (Danny Burstein) Dialogic d21/h Board Driver Discs (Ace Ellis) MOS Calculation From Objective Data (Kalyan Sannedhi) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (Ron Chapman) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (Kalyan Sannedhi) Re: What Happens to Expired Wireless Numbers (Joseph) Re: Inet Domain Name, Help (Dave Garland) Re: Inet Domain Name, Help (SELLCOM Tech support) Re: Pizza; Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID? (B Margolin) Re: Pizza; Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID? (S Dorsey) Re: Domain Registration Recommendations (John Smith) Re: Domain Registration Recommendations (Steven J Sobol) Re: Domain Registration Recommendations (Richard Gozinia) 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 are 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: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 12:50:36 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: NXTV Reaches 10,000 Hotel Rooms with IP-Based Entertainment System NXTV Reaches 10,000 Hotel Rooms with IP-Based Entertainment System; Company Doubles Customer Base and Adds Orlando-Based Hotel Group LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 1, 2004--NXTV, Inc. the leading provider of digital IP-based entertainment solutions to the upscale hotel market announced today that it has reached a significant milestone of over 10,000 hotel rooms either installed or under contract. This major development comes as the company also announces the successful completion of an Agreement with Rosen Hotels & Resorts to install the NXTV digital entertainment system in all seven of its Orlando, Florida based hotels. NXTV, an IP-based interactive television system, delivers digital video-on-demand with PVR features such as fast-forward, pause, rewind and 24-hour save capability, high-speed Internet connectivity for both TV and Laptop, video games, branded hotel portal services, and satellite TV programming via DirecTV featuring an interactive TV guide. The company is also currently beta-testing its IPTV product which allows FTG to be digitally delivered to the guest-room over the same IP network as video-on-demand and other digital services. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=42282085 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 12:51:45 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: LG Mobile VX7000 Camera Phone Mobile Web 2.0(SM)-Enabled LG VX7000 Features Improved Graphics and Easier Navigation BEDMINSTER, N.J. and SAN DIEGO, July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless, operator of the nation's most reliable network, and LG Mobile Phones today announced the launch of the VX7000 camera phone. Available exclusively to Verizon Wireless customers, the VX7000 with its advanced features, such as a rotating lens, embedded flash and video messaging, helps capture all of life's moments as they happen. The VX7000's embedded VGA camera features bright LED flash, so mobile shutterbugs never miss a photo opportunity. With capability to capture video and still photography, the VX7000 gives users more freedom to record memories than ever before, and the rotating lens, flip image option and zoom control give photographers the chance to compose the perfect picture. Additional features like night mode, brightness adjustment, white balance adjustment, color effect adjustment and digital zoom capability, give customers the greatest flexibility with their photographs. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=42283836 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 12:53:04 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Verizon Wireless Launches Mobile Web 2.0 Enhanced Features and Improved Design Improves Customer Experience BEDMINSTER, N.J. June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless, the nation's leading wireless service provider, announced today the availability of Mobile Web 2.0 which allows customers to more easily access the latest news, tools and information content and read and send e-mail. Available for use on select phones, Verizon Wireless' Mobile Web 2.0 is packed with new features and enhancements, including new graphics, easier navigation, clickable headlines and premium content. The Mobile Web 2.0 home screen is VZW Today, which is an up-to-the-minute look at the news and hot stories that Verizon Wireless subscribers need to know. It also features several innovations, including a toolbar that allows customers to easily access the search tool, their favorites and bookmarks, or easily return to the homepage. Updated throughout the day, VZW Headlines stay current, providing the latest news and information that is just clicks away. From VZW Today, users can enter into various content categories in one click, including: * News -- Top national, business, world or political news * Weather -- Local and national weather forecasts and satellite images * Sports -- News, scores, standings and stories from the top professional and college sports * Entertainment -- Information about movies, music, TV, food and astrology * Business -- Business headlines, news and stock updates * E-mail -- Web-based e-mail services from the top Internet e-mail providers * More -- Shopping, travel, health, jokes and much more In addition to Verizon Wireless' content offering, customers can also access content from many branded content providers. Verizon Wireless customers can also access premium content that is available at an additional charge. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=42284448 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 12:56:15 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: The Weather Channel(R) Launches New Mobile Weather Service The Weather Channel(R) Launches New Mobile Weather Service On Mobile Web 2.0 (SM) From Verizon Wireless BEDMINSTER, N.J. and ATLANTA, July 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Planning outdoor activities this summer? Want to know the weekend weather forecast? Look no further than the new service from The Weather Channel Interactive on Verizon Wireless' new Mobile Web 2.0-enabled phones. Verizon Wireless, the nation's leading wireless service, and The Weather Channel (TWC), the nation's premiere provider of trusted weather information, announced today that weather information from The Weather Channel is available to subscribers of the newly launched Mobile Web 2.0 service. Verizon Wireless' Mobile Web 2.0 customers can receive current conditions and exclusive extended forecasts from The Weather Channel for 98,000 locations around the world -- from wherever they are. In addition to these important reports, customers can also view weather-related, regional news articles for the U.S., detailing the weather's impact on cities throughout the nation. The new application from The Weather Channel Interactive features vibrant graphics that more closely resemble those found on TWC's popular Web site, weather.com(R), which currently ranks as the most popular source of online weather information, the top news and information site and the tenth largest site on the Web according to Nielsen//NetRatings. Additionally, the enhanced application makes it even easier for customers to search for their favorite locations. Simply enter a zip code or city name or quickly browse through 18 major cities -- which are also identified by airport codes, making the search extremely convenient for business travelers. Regular travelers can also save their favorite locations in order to easily retrieve timely reports for their hometown, frequent business destination, weekend vacation spot and other cities of interest. Mobile Web 2.0 is self provisioning, eliminating the need for customers to call customer service or visit a Verizon Wireless store to sign up for the service. Customers simply register for Mobile Web 2.0 content right from their Mobile Web 2.0-capable wireless handsets. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=42288929 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 00:23:33 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Interception of E-Mail Raises Questions By MARK JEWELL AP Business Writer BOSTON (AP) -- In an online eavesdropping case with potentially profound implications, a federal appeals court ruled it was acceptable for a company that offered e-mail service to surreptitiously track its subscribers' messages. A now-defunct online literary clearinghouse, Interloc Inc., made copies of the e-mails in 1998 so it could peruse messages sent to its subscribers by rival Amazon.com Inc. An Interloc executive was subsequently indicted on an illegal wiretapping charge. An advocacy group said Tuesday's ruling by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals opens the door to further interpretations of the federal Wiretap Act that could erode personal privacy rights. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=42268927 ------------------------------ From: Danny Burstein Subject: Nextel Freqs, was Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 04:44:03 UTC Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC In Keith writes: >>> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Am I correct that the 'walkie-talkie two >>> way feature' was not a Walkie-Talkie in the 'traditional' sense of using >>> a two-way radio as such (RF or radio frequency) signals but was actually >>> a speed dial type thing for one number on the cell phone which in >>> addition to being speed dialed was put on a handsfree type 'loudspeaker' >>> type thing? How did that Nextel feature actually work? PAT] > This is absolutely true MOST of the time. Nextel has implemented > something which I witnessed first hand a couple years ago. > In the event you are close by (determined by the cell site), the tower > instructs the radios to switch to a simplex radio frequency and then > the two phones DO communicate directly via RF. This is done so that > you don't tie up a channel unnecessarily. > How do I know this? I saw two people communicate within the same room > (one up an escalator, one below) using Nextel's phones. My frequency > counter (which was strapped to my belt) didn't register normal cell > frequencies when they talked, but frequencies in the business band > neighborhood of 450mhz. I tuned my handheld radio to the frequency, > and heard them talking. It's barely possible you bumped into a Nextel test, but highly unlikely ... Keep in mind that Nextel does NOT use the "regular" cellular frequencies. The way they set up their network was that they went around the country and gobbled up ownership (or a lease) of all sorts of local "land mobile radio" channels. So, for example, they'd approach the owner of East Cupcake Trucking and Pizza and get permission to use, yes, his 464 mhz radio channel. They'd make a similar deal with North Cupcake Bar and Grill at 459 mhz. And dozens and hundreds and thousands of others. And not just in the 400 mhz range. They then took Motorola's iDen protocol and used it to let them put plenty of individual radio conversations on what had been a single use channel. The problem here is that their usable frequencies skipped all around the dial with lots of gaps in between. Which makes building the base stations a big pain (instead of a single design and single antenna arrangement, they have to customize each base), and causes lots and lots of other headaches. Many, many, headaches. Hence they've currently got a very big lobbying effort in front of the FCC to make a *major* change in huge amounts of frequenices, bumping plenty of current users, so as to give Nextel a contiguous nationwide swath of spectrum. (A related problem and complaint is that Nextel, since it's often right next to a police channel, causes interference with Public Safety Frequencies. There's a LOT more to that story, though). So yes indeed, you may have been picking up a valid Nextel radio<->base<->radio conversation. NOTE that in the near future they will, indeed, be marketing radios that have direct radio <-> radio capability. (Again, remember that at this point in time, ALL Nextel communication have to route back to a base station and be retransmitted). This is to meet the demands of the public safety folk who *need* the two people in the basement, for example -- out of range of a base station -- to converse with each other. These new models (some are out in test locations) have a very limited range when in direct radio <-> radio mode. As a side note: the purists (read nitpickers with too much spare time) claim that Nextel isn't a cellular phone system since they don't use cellular frequencies or standard cell phone protocols such as GSM. But to everyone who walks around in the real world, Nextel walks, waddles, quacks, and sh-ts like a duck. _____________________________________________________ Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ From: ace2@acesplaces.com (Ace Ellis) Subject: Dialogic d21/h Board Driver Discs Date: 1 Jul 2004 09:46:59 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Looking for the 3 set dos discs for Dialogic for msdos ver 4.02 Thanks if you can help. Ace Ellis ------------------------------ From: Kalyan Sannedhi Subject: MOS calculation from objective data Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 13:10:17 -0500 Dear all, Is there a way to calculate MOS from obejctive data such as delay, jitter, jitter standard deviation, packet loss, loss burst, etc? We would like like to get subjective scoring from the objective data for the voice quality. Any pointers in the right direction will be greatly appreciated. TIA ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 07:32:35 -0400 From: Ron Chapman Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? In article , Keith wrote: > In the event you are close by (determined by the cell site), the tower > instructs the radios to switch to a simplex radio frequency and then > the two phones DO communicate directly via RF. This is done so that > you don't tie up a channel unnecessarily. > How do I know this? I saw two people communicate within the same room > (one up an escalator, one below) using Nextel's phones. My frequency > counter (which was strapped to my belt) didn't register normal cell > frequencies when they talked, but frequencies in the business band > neighborhood of 450mhz. I tuned my handheld radio to the frequency, > and heard them talking. > As soon as I heard the conversation, I of course realized this was illegal, Is it? You're thinking of cell phone conversations. I haven't read the law word for word, so my immediate question here would be, is it in fact illegal for you to listen in on a Nextel "Direct Connect" conversation? Especially if it's as you describe above, and not using any part of the cellular system? One wonders if there isn't a loophole there whereby the Nextel stuff doesn't fit into the law ... ------------------------------ From: Kalyan Sannedhi Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 11:49:17 -0500 May be because almost every service provider is offering in-network calling for free. Proprclr wrote in message news:telecom23.308.8@telecom-digest.org: > Last year, it seemed like everybody was using the 2 way "walkie > talkie" feature on Nextel phones (probaly others as well), and I would > see a lot of "2 waying" going on on busses, in supermarkets, etc. For > the past few months, there seems to have been a sharp decrease in > people "2 waying", and I rarely see it anymore. I live in LA, > so I see plenty of people using cellphones, but nobody seems to use the > walkie talkie feature anymore. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Am I correct that the 'walkie-talkie > two way feature' was not a Walkie-Talkie in the 'traditional' sense of > using a two-way radio as such (RF or radio frequency) signals but was > actually a speed dial type thing for one number on the cell phone > which in addition to being speed dialed was put on a handsfree type > 'loudspeaker' type thing? How did that Nextel feature actually work? > PAT] ------------------------------ From: Joseph Subject: Re: What Happens to Expired Wireless Numbers Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 07:49:05 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Reply-To: JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.NONOcom On 29 Jun 2004 08:29:15 -0700, internist9@yahoo.com (internist) wrote: > I was just curious to know what happens to the phone numbers once a > wireless plan expires or a customer terminates the contract. Are those > assigned to some other customers later? And most importantly how much > time does it take? This information will be useful to me as number > portability act doesn't work with the same carrier. If my plan with > Sprint expires and I have bought phones and numbers from another private > company for the same carrier (needs new activation); can I let the > current numbers expire and then maybe request them back? Once a number is disconnected the number goes back to the company that originally had that numbering space allotted to them. Depending on whether they are running into a lack of numbering space the old number could remain unassigned for 90 to 180 days before it was reassigned. As far as getting an old number back to use with the same service the company *might* or might not do it for you depending on their policies. TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response: > If you go to Sprint and say "I will sign this new contract for two > years with you *if and only if* you will give me my old number (from > earlier contract, etc)" I cannot imagine they would not accomodate > you. PAT] Then again it may make a difference *how* valuable the old customer was. Do they do over $100 a month in charges or are they a $20 a month customer. That may make a difference. remove NONO from .NONOcom to reply ------------------------------ From: Dave Garland Subject: Re: Inet Domain Name, Help Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 23:36:09 -0500 Organization: Wizard Information It was a dark and stormy night when Ron Reaugh wrote: > if one owns xyzabc.com then does one own automatically > all subdomains off xyzabc.com Yes. Most often they are used to differentiate between servers or services. ------------------------------ From: SELLCOM Tech support Subject: Re: Inet Domain Name, Help Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 07:14:34 GMT Ron Reaugh posted on that vast internet thingie: > What exactly is a registerable Internet domain name and how does that > relate to subdomains? For instance if one owns or is renting > xyzabc.com then what exactly is jkl.xyzabc.com? I understand that the > jkl is known as a subdomain. But is the complete entity > jkl.xyzabc.com something that is independently registerable from > xzyabc.com? OR if one owns xyzabc.com then does one own automatically > all subdomains off xyzabc.com in Internet domain name space? I guess > the question boils down to whether '.' is a special and > non-registerable character below the TLD level and therefore the > registerable domain name is that entity in the right most portion of > the name including one and only one '.' which preceeds a valid TLD? Well if you own the domain then you can set up your dns how you want (assuming you have it hosted or parked etc). for example, I have wwwdomain.biz . Now it is generally automatic that a host will have www.wwwdomain.biz but I could add about any name I wanted. Say if I had five machines I wanted to use with my domain, assuming I had the static IPs (anyone else remember when they would give you a class C when you signed up for your 64k ISDN?) You could make bill.wwwdomain.biz and george.wwwdomain.biz or houston.wwwdomain.biz etc and etc.... generally I would only do that if I had a separate computer for each one. Also, usually mail.wwwdomain.biz would be the MX for email if you were doing that. The big question here is what exactly do you wish to do? and why? (if that is not inappropriate for me to ask). Steve at SELLCOM www.wwwdomain.biz (I can't believe that domain was available and just sitting there for the taking!) http://www.sellcom.com Discount multihandset cordless phones by Siemens, AT&T, Panasonic, Motorola Vtech 5.8Ghz; TMC ET4000 4line Epic phone, OnHoldPlus, Beamer, Watchguard! Brick wall "non MOV" surge protection. Mini-Splitter log splitter! If you sit at a desk www.ergochair.biz you owe it to yourself. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Personally, Steve, I think you made a serious mistake getting a domain in the '.biz' area. Did you know for example, that Spam Assassin automatically gives a very bad, very high point score to any '.biz' name showing up anywhere in a text file? For example, my own Spam Assassin automatically will give me a negative score on this issue of the Digest when it goes out in the mail because of the references to '.biz' in your message, as incidental as the mention may have been. People whose mail otherwise runs close to falling in the spam bucket will lose this issue of the Digest as a result. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Barry Margolin Subject: Re: Pizza ... Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? Organization: Looking for work Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 01:05:37 -0400 In article , Keith wrote: > BTW, Pizza Hut for a long time had one of the most comprehensive > reverse-lookup phone number databases in the world. They correlated > information from a number of public sources, past customer calls, etc. I thought it clever when I called one of my local taxi companies, and they knew the pick-up address without my having to tell them. They had a database of past customer calls, and correlated it with the CallerID. Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu Arlington, MA *** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me *** [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Our taxicab company here in Independence does something similar. With caller-ID and a cross reference directory they match addresses and names on their customers (including me). PAT] ------------------------------ From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) Subject: Re: Pizza ... Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? Date: 1 Jul 2004 09:56:13 -0400 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to Keith : >> Oh, and any time a call comes in with ID blocked have the phone >> company turn on 'privacy manager' so the call never even reaches you >> unless the person dials back with the ID unblocked. PAT] > Ummm. If I call a pizza shop from my blocked cell phone, like I did > last Friday, and they reject my call, I'm calling a different pizza > place. If you call a pizza shop through an 800 number with your blocked cell phone, they will not reject your call but get complete information about the source in spite of the blocking. Blocking caller ID does NOT DO ANYTHING about ANI. Since 800 service is billed to the receiver, the receiver needs to have detailed information for billing purposes anyway. Relying on caller-ID is foolish because it is so often blocked and is also often incorrect. Your chances of reliable data with ANI are much better although in the cases of calls from PBXes it may well give you the number of the outgoing PBX trunk rather than anything useful and your database may need to be set up to reflect this. --scott "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." ------------------------------ From: John Smith Subject: Re: Domain Registration Recommendations Date: 1 Jul 2004 02:08:32 -0500 Reply-To: None On 28 Jun 2004 13:14:04 -0700, rayta@msn.com (Ray Normandeau) wrote: > GoDaddy.com > Read their anti-spam policy. > They are serious. No they aren't. They're all talk and very little action. I've notified them of numerous major spammers (using domains registered through Go Daddy), using their proper reporting procedures. They have, in all cases, done exactly NOTHING. So, spammers can disregard all that marketing bullshit, and continue to get their cheap spamming domains at Go Daddy, without any serious fear that ANY action AT ALL will be taken. If someone is aware of a recent case where Go Daddy has actually taken action against one of their spamming registrants by canceling their domain, I'd like to hear about it. Secondly, since we're on the subject, Go Daddy has absolutely pathetic customer service. It wasn't always this way mind you, but their popularity and relentless pandering to the low-priced domain market has not been handled well by them internally. Bob Parsons may be a fine individual, but his company is now out of control, and infested with stupid loads and other incompetents. While they still DO answer the phone and their e-mails, resolving certain problems is another thing. In short, the Go Daddy of today sucks. I would stay way clear of them. Becoming a so-called "reseller" (JOKE) using Go Daddy's "Wild West Domains" would be a formula for misery. In the event of a problem, I would be put in between my customer and a non-responsive registrar. No thanks. > Domains start at $4.95 Price isn't everything. This will become clear to Go Daddy customers after the first time you have a problem there that needs resolution. My opinion only, based on personal experience ... John Smith ------------------------------ From: Steven J Sobol Subject: Re: Domain Registration Recommendations Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 00:00:43 -0500 John Smith wrote: > marketing bullshit, and continue to get their cheap spamming domains > at Go Daddy, without any serious fear that ANY action AT ALL will be > taken. If someone is aware of a recent case where Go Daddy has > actually taken action against one of their spamming registrants by > canceling their domain, I'd like to hear about it. Google Groups should have plenty of evidence. Ben, GoDaddy's abuse dude, posts to NANAE and probably also NANAU, you can check there. They don't always act as fast as they should, and I attribute that to them being busy -- they register tons of domains. But they do a hell of a lot more to help curb abuse than any other registrar I can think of. > Secondly, since we're on the subject, Go Daddy has absolutely pathetic > customer service. It wasn't always this way mind you, but their > popularity and relentless pandering to the low-priced domain market has > not been handled well by them internally. Look, I'm obviously biased since I am a WildWestDomains reseller (WWD is GoDaddy's wholesale division) -- but I WOULD NOT be a WWD reseller if I hadn't been a satisfied GoDaddy retail customer first. I've never had problems with either side of the company. Perhaps you could relate some of your negative experiences with them. I'd be very interested in hearing them since as a reseller, I need to know where their weak points lie. (I already have a good handle on what most of their strong points are.) > Becoming a so-called "reseller" (JOKE) using Go Daddy's "Wild West > Domains" would be a formula for misery. In the event of a problem, I > would be put in between my customer and a non-responsive registrar. No > thanks. Post examples of this, please. I don't have trouble getting hold of them. I do generally call, rather than send email. > My opinion only, based on personal experience. And I definitely want to hear about some of your experiences. I've had no problems with either the retail side of the company OR the wholesale side. There are definitely some improvements I could suggest making, but you want non-responsive? Try Joker.com. I used to be a regular customer. They refuse to answer emails, and you can't even contact them without filling out an asinine form on their website. Call? Sure. Go ahead, if you speak German. I don't, and their offices are in Duesseldorf, Germany, anyhow, which makes it impractical to call from here in the USA unless you have good per-minute rates on international phone calls. I guess I feel the same about Joker as you do about GoDaddy ... JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/ Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED) Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids. ------------------------------ From: Richard Gozinia Subject: Re: Domain Registration Recommendations Date: 1 Jul 2004 14:25:49 -0500 Reply-To: No Address On Sun, 27 Jun 2004 18:07:12 GMT, SELLCOM Tech support wrote: > I have received so much spam from buydomains.com / domaindiscover.com > (delivered by their email server) after repeated notice to them that I > am now looking for another registrar. It is our policy never to > support spammers or spam enablers. You'll find that many spammers send e-mail to addresses obtained by illegally mining the domain registry. Your registrar has a limited ability to stop this sort of abuse, since the domain registrant information is necessarily public. Many registrars have implemented some sort of challenge/response scheme using non-machine readable characters for whois lookups, specifically to prevent spammers from using automated scripts to scrape whois info from the registry database. Obviously, spam originating from a registrar itself would be an indication of some sort of serious misconduct or downright incompetence. Most of us hate spamming and spammers (I would favor the death penalty), but expecting registrars to be the gate keeper for denial or cancellation of domains to spammers is fairly inappropriate and simply unworkable, and comes from a position of ignorance. The best way to minimize your spam problem for your registered domains is to get control of your e-mail. You simply cannot publish an e-mail address anywhere -- in the whois database, on a web site, or in a newsgroup like this one, without spammers eventually harvesting that address with automated tools for addition to a spammer's database. After that happens the incidence of spam mail sent to that address will grow geometrically, as the list is sold and shared and sold again amongst spam gangs. This is a fact of life in today's Internet. Get used to it. The best defense against this problem is technological, not legal. You will not get relief by pestering your domain registrar, because that is not where the problem or the solution lies. Rather, if you have proper control of your e-mail server, mailboxes, and e-mail aliases, you need not suffer any significant spam problem. Believe it. Some Specific Suggestions: 1) Use a quality hosting company, where Spam Assassin or similar, possibly in combination with Real Time Block Listing, is incorporated into their mail server, and where you have complete and simple web-based control over aliases, mailboxes, and spam-thresholds for your domain(s). In most cases you cannot do this properly if you're relying on adjunct e-mail services provided by your domain registrar. 2) Use unique, disposable (but functional) e-mail addresses for your domain's public whois entries (the Registrant, Administrative, Technical and Billing Contacts). The first time, perhaps after a few months, you receive a spam sent to this unique address, e.g. "domains-admin@sellcom.com", login to your registrar's site and change the e-mail address of record for the domain to something else e.g. "domains-admininstrator@sellcom.com". Then, at your host's mail configuration webpage, set all mail sent to the original (now fouled) address ("domains-admin") to be bounced or discarded. My experience is that this only needs to be done every few months or so, as it takes awhile for the new whois e-mail address to be acquired and used by the spam gangs. 3) Use Javascript to obscure e-mail addresses displayed on your web pages. I just went to your site and I see that "support@sellcom.com" is placed on the home page in the clear (and you posted it in this group). I hope you're not blaming your registrar for spam you receive at that address, because I bet you're getting tons of it. That's because the spammers' robots will continue to harvest it as long as it's posted in the clear, as it is now. This is plainly unnecessary. Use simple Javascript techniques to prevent this, since spammers' harvesting robots can't (yet?) cope with Javascript. Check out these URLs for more info on obfuscating your addresses: http://www.u.arizona.edu/~trw/spam/index.htm http://www.december14.net/ways/js/nospam.shtml 4) Consider using cgi forms on your site for visitors to send you e-mail -- the web form accepts their mail and delivers it to you at a published, or an unpublished address. These scripts are freely available on the web. Do a Google search on "free web form scripts" and see what you end up with. 5) Avoid posting your real addresses in Usenet Newsgroups, unless they're munged. > After DAYS of reporting spam to them I get this garbage from them > wanting me to FAX them copies of any spam so they can build a case. > No one is *that* incompetent! Now *that* is ridiculous. It sounds like they're merely blowing you off because they think you've become an annoyance, and apparently you have :). They should simply be honest and say that, as a domain registrar, they are in no position to be the world's spam police. Frankly, you're barking up the wrong tree. They're probably jerks, however, so you probably should transfer your domains elsewhere (to another domain registrar). Just accept the fact that all e-mail addresses in use will eventually become spam-fouled. When the level of spam infestation exceeds your mail setup's filtering effectiveness, you invent another address, and route the polluted address to a blackhole, bounce it, or route it to an autoresponder which automatically generates a reply advising your correspondents that the address has changed to whatever. This is a basic advantage domain owners have over the unwashed masses suffering with ISP addresses, who cannot easily or conveniently change addresses. You can define a destination for mail without a specific alias (a catch-all) or just bounce or discard mail unless an alias IS specifically defined (this stops incoming spam of the increasingly common "dictionary" flavor [webmaster@, contact@, info@, john@, joe@, etc.]). > Does anyone have any recommendations for dependable domain registrars > that have stability, economy pricing etc, basic services, but do not > knowingly support spammers? I have quite a few domains registered. Blaming the average registrar for a spam problem is like blaming your dry cleaner because your paperboy can't "porch it." The connection is virtually non-existent. It's a non-productive waste of your energy to chew on your registrar over "the spam problem," and it belies a profound misunderstanding of the sources of spam and how spammers operate. They will always be able to get domains from someone, here or abroad, no matter what. Direct your energy where it belongs: get control of your e-mail service. When you do, your spam problem will disappear, as mine has. DG ------------------------------ 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'. 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End of TELECOM Digest V23 #312 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Thu Jul 1 18:24:50 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i61MOod27787; Thu, 1 Jul 2004 18:24:50 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 18:24:50 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200407012224.i61MOod27787@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 #313 TELECOM Digest Thu, 1 Jul 2004 18:25:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 313 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Norvergence Financial Problems (Ann Marie C) Norvergence News: Employees Not Paid! (Alessandra Di Maggio) Re: Latest Norvergence News (Steven J Sobol) Online Directory for Curacao? (Marcus Jervis) Utility Cuts Short BPL Trial that was Target of Amateur (Neal McLain) Re: Inet Domain Name, Help (Brad Houser) Re: Pizza; Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID Info? (Keith) Re: Internet Access With a 800 Number (Steven J Sobol) Re: WTB: Used Cell Phones (Joseph) Re: Internet Access With a 800 Number (John Hines) Re: Driver Distraction (and Not Just Cell Phone) (Carl Moore) Tune In, Turn On, Skype Out (VOIP News) "Reverse Calling" - a Feature I Wish More Providers Would Offer (VOIP News) 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 are 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Ann Marie C Subject: Norvergence Financial Problems Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 16:36:32 -0400 I worked for Norvergence starting on June 1 through June 9 when I resigned. It seems that Norv is having financial problem because June 18 was paid day and all NorV checks BOUNCED. So far I have received no check or explanation what happen to my pay. Tomorrow July 2 is scheduled payday again; that means that NorV has to pay employees for 4 weeks. It seem like they have no money to pay employeee, so I figured that Qwest, Sprint, T-mobile would not be paid. NorV would will last to long, they are ripping customers off. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well AT&T and SBC both rip off customers also; very few telcos have their hands clean on this. But AT&T has been in business more than a century as has SBC and they are not closing down anytime soon at least. But remember the rule: First the payroll, then the utilities. Without meeting obligations to those two, you are out of businessm as I guess Norvrgence is starting to find out. PAT] ------------------------------ From: shinecorp1@aol.com (Alessandra Di Maggio) Subject: Norvergence News: Employees Not Paid ! Date: 1 Jul 2004 06:47:58 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Hello Everyone,. Check out this link: http://www.news12.com/NJ/topstories/article?id=112373# It is a television news report that talks about Norvergence not paying employees and bouncing checks to vendors and suppliers. I am sure glad I 'left' the company along with 500 others in March, 2004 ! BarryB wrote in message news:: > Greetings: > I was informed by Qwest that Norvergence agreed to pay > $8,000,000 today in past due invoices; If they don't pay Qwest will > disconnect all Norvergence T1 and long distance services PERMANENTLY > by the end of the week.. > There is another article today on News 12 NJ discussing > Norvergence paychecks bouncing, and laid off employees not getting > their final paychecks. > I assume the Salzano brothers have their exit plans in place. > Barry Bellin [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Was it the *current* payroll that was missed? I am told they still owe for the one from two week ago as well. I feel sorry for the poor guys who work there, since many guys live from one payday to the next, as I do with my social security disbility checks each month. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Steven J Sobol Subject: Re: Latest Norvergence News Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 00:03:17 -0500 BarryB wrote: > Greetings: > I was informed by Qwest that Norvergence agreed to pay > $8,000,000 today in past due invoices; If they don't pay Qwest will > disconnect all Norvergence T1 and long distance > services PERMANENTLY by the end of the week.. Hm. I'd love to see the Norvergence shills spin this in a positive light. I don't think it's possible to do so, though. JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/ Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED) Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids. ------------------------------ From: Marcus Jervis Subject: Online Directory For Curacao? Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 05:08:37 +0000 Can anyone recommend an online directory of residential listings for Curacao? I've seen www.whitepages.an, but it isn't working at the moment. Is your PC infected? Get a FREE online computer virus scan from McAfee Security. http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/ibuy/campaign.asp?cid=3963 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 06:52:31 -0500 From: Neal McLain Subject: Utility Cuts Short BPL Trial that was Target From ARRL, 6/28/2004: NEWINGTON, CT, Jun 28, 2004--Alliant Energy has called an early end to its broadband over power line (BPL) pilot project in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The "evaluation system" went live March 30, and plans were for it to remain active until August or September. Alliant shut it down June 25. http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2004/06/28/2/?nc=1 ------------------------------ From: Brad Houser Subject: Re: Inet Domain Name, Help Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 13:25:07 -0700 Organization: Intel Corporation Ron Reaugh wrote in message news:telecom23.310.16@telecom-digest.org: > What exactly is a registerable Internet domain name and how does that > relate to subdomains? For instance if one owns or is renting > xyzabc.com then what exactly is jkl.xyzabc.com? I understand that the > jkl is known as a subdomain. But is the complete entity > jkl.xyzabc.com something that is independently registerable from > xzyabc.com? OR if one owns xyzabc.com then does one own automatically > all subdomains off xyzabc.com in Internet domain name space? I guess > the question boils down to whether '.' is a special and > non-registerable character below the TLD level and therefore the > registerable domain name is that entity in the right most portion of > the name including one and only one '.' which preceeds a valid TLD? Not exactly a telecom question, but as I understand it, and I may be wrong, you can choose to register subdomains if you want to. If you choose not to, you will need to provide your own DNS at your main domain server to map the traffic through to the correct IP address. If you register it, you can get the DNS servers on the internet to point to it. I think it is something you can wait and see depending on traffic, or if you don't want to be bothered with the overhead. Brad Houser ------------------------------ From: Keith Subject: Re: Pizza ... Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 16:32:47 -0400 TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to Keith by writing in news:telecom23.310.9@telecom-digest.org: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The reason pizza delivery places got > along fine without caller ID for many years is the same reason police > got along fine without 911 for many years; they had to; there were no > other options. Comparing the need of local emergency responders to the need of the local pizza business with which I choose to do business with doesn't hold water. I would gladly give up my name, phone number, and location on a 911 call. Ordering a pizza, calling the local hardware store, or calling the guy down the street to see how much he wants for his used Mustang is an entirely different idea. I prefer that my calls be anonymous unless I choose to identify myself. And just because this wonderful technology has enabled the automatic violation of my privacy, doesn't mean this is "progress". The ABILITY to transfer whatever information is progress. Advancement in technology does not give a free pass to abuse that technology in whatever methods a company deems appropriate or profitable. > That, and the fact that telco essentially re-invented the phone > network in the late 1960's (with ESS, and its sophistication) which > was necessitated in large part by how severely they were getting > ripped off by an increasingly sophisticated public. I think I could seriously argue that the only people getting ripped off in the 60's through the present is the end user, ie the customer. The various telephone companies of the world have not created multibillion dollar enterprises by keeping prices as low as possible. Of the books I've read (Freeman, Welch, Van Bosse, Thompson, Noll, BSTJ's, etc) which talk about the migration to ESS, although they all mention "fraudalent use" as a contributing factor -- I think that they would hardly consider fraud the large part of the reason. SELLCOM Tech support wrote in message news:telecom23.310.10@telecom-digest.org: > cyberpizzaguy@hotmail.com (JV) posted on that vast internet thingie: > A good first step might be to not insist that your drivers be unarmed, > especially if you live in a concealed carry state. If the criminals > were not assured of easy unarmed marks, they might not have such a > preference for the pizza man. Amen. Keith [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Your one word response to Steve at Sellcom was very good **assuming the drivers have a lot of patience with customers who are otherwise disagreeable and cranky** and assuming the driver's are licensed and have had gun training. In response to your answer to my earlier note, I was not suggesting that pizza telephone clerks are equal to police and other emergency workers, but only that they share at least one problem in common: The general public is sometimes easily confused (at best) and sometimes (at worst) have more evil intentions in mind. You or I might be capable and willing to note that our house was on fire and without a lot of panic call the Fire Department and report same, then begin putting the fire out while waiting for their arrival. In Chicago, for example, during the 1970's -- prior to Caller ID and 911 -- it was not that uncommon for a call to come into Fire Department and a very nervous and upset person on the phone was screaming, "Help! Fire at 5702 Western Avenue!" then slamming down the phone and running off to safety without telling the firemen if it was 5702 *NORTH* Western or 5702 *SOUTH* Western, several miles apart. So the Fire Department would send firemen to each address (north and south) to leave nothing to chance; obviously one crew came back empty handed after a 'dry run'; maybe both crews would come back from a 'dry run' because it was not a citizen 'trying to be helpful' but a malicious and evil prank. The information you would 'gladly' give on a 911 call does not hold water, IMO either, since a large number of citizens are not as sophis- ticated as yourself. Anyway, we have had numerous discussions in this group over the years about whether or not one person has the 'right' to ring another's telephone and remain anonymous while doing do; some of us think no such right exists; it amounts to ringing a person's doorbell then covering up the person's peephole when he looks outside to see who is calling before answering the door. The fact that telco could do nothing about it for technical reasons for most a century has nothing to do with realities now days. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Steven J Sobol Subject: Re: Internet Access With a 800 Number Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 00:02:09 -0500 TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to Kevin : > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Not only are robberies of pizza > delivery guys bad news; so is spam and virii. What would happen to > the amount of spam if every ISP started using 800 numbers on their > dialups and matching those logs with their other traffic logs, so > they could hammer on the !absolute! senders of that crap. After all > it came from YOUR account when YOU were on line to us, etc. The > person could, I suppose, insist he had not been at the computer at > that time, it must have been a virus-bot using my computer, etc. PAT] The only thing 800 numbers buy you is ANI and the ability to let customers call you from anywhere without incurring long distance charges. ANI is available without getting an 800 number if your dialup lines run off PRI circuits or T's. JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/ Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED) Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids. ------------------------------ From: Joseph Subject: Re: WTB: Used Cell Phones Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 08:09:52 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Reply-To: JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.NONOcom On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 14:53:00 -0500, Jerome Haden wrote: > We also have a customer looking for GSM gspr triband chips - or used > phones to remove them from. Used "gspr" (sic) chips aren't worth anything as any information that's relevant goes away as soon as the mobile operator takes down the service associated with the SIM. You evidently don't know a whole lot about GSM technology if you're referring to "gspr triband chips." Triband is determined by what kind of handset you have and if the handset is capable of using more than one frequency band. *GPRS* is a function that the mobile operator sets up in their system for users. There is no GPRS chip. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - remove NONO from .NONOcom to reply ------------------------------ From: John Hines Subject: Re: Internet Access With a 800 Number Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 08:34:12 -0500 Organization: www.jhines.org Reply-To: john@jhines.org > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Not only are robberies of pizza > delivery guys bad news; so is spam and virii. What would happen to > the amount of spam if every ISP started using 800 numbers on their > dialups and matching those logs with their other traffic logs, so > they could hammer on the !absolute! senders of that crap. Won't be but a drop in the bucket, compared to zombie machines on DSL or cable lines, that can send out HUGE volumes. > From http://arstechnica.com/news/posts/20040629-3945.html > After Comcast finally owned up to the massive amounts of spam > coming from their network, they decided to identify spammers and > zombie relays on their network and block port 25 traffic from those IP > addresses. Comcast's efforts are starting to pay off. They announced > the amount of spam from their network has dropped 35 percent since > they began port blocking and traffic estimates from SenderBase seem > to confirm the claims. Spam coming from Comcast subscribers who > were formerly on AT&T networks also seems to have decreased. > Kudos should go out to Comcast for helping put a dent into the spam > problem, but before they run around the web claiming they saved the > Internet from spam, they still have a long ways to go in cleaning up > their networks. SenderBase lists a handful of IP addresses that are > continually pumping out over one million emails a day, and many more > who are sending over 100,000 per day. Comcast attempts to notify > problem users before they begin blocking port 25 traffic and these > users may be caught in the middle of the process. Let's hope they > can speed up the process and stop the spam emanating from these IPs > soon. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 12:28:57 EDT From: Carl Moore Subject: Re: Driver Distraction (and Not Just Cell Phone) Earlier this year, I wrote of a driver reaching down for gloves and (at the same time) drifting into my lane and causing minor sideswipe damage to the left side of a car I was driving. I have just come across a story dated 10 Oct. 2003 from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Although it's from Wisconsin, it's about an accident near South Bend, Indiana where a driver may have been using a laptop computer just before a sideswipe where one person was killed and 2 others (including the driver who was apparently using the laptop) critically injured. The accident apparently took place 9 Oct. (the previous day). The article also quotes a spokesman for AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety: "We've heard of people shucking corn and playing a guitar while driving." ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 11:48:10 -0400 Subject: Tune In, Turn On, Skype Out Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.techcentralstation.com/070104F.html Tune In, Turn On, Skype Out By Kevin Werbach Published 07/01/2004 TCS Somewhere between Sweden, Estonia, and London, a small band of software developers is fomenting a revolution. Their product, Skype, has been downloaded fifteen million times worldwide in less than a year, without any marketing budget. It is provoking consternation among government officials. And it has large incumbents worried. If that sounds like the profile of peer-to-peer (p2p) file-sharing programs like Napster and Kazaa, it should. Not only is Skype a product of the same team that launched Kazaa, the most popular p2p file-sharing application, Skype is a p2p tool itself. Only, with a twist. Instead of sharing files, Skype shares voices. It is a voice over IP application. And in mid-June, with no fanfare, it blew a hole in the Federal Communications Commission's halting efforts to micro-manage the transition to a VOIP world. Skype's great step forward is called SkypeOut. A Skype user can now call any telephone subscriber in more than a hundred countries. Fees throughout the US and most of Europe and Asia are .012 Euros per minute, or about 1.5 cents. And Skype is global. There is no difference between domestic and international service: a call to New York from Japan is the same price as one from Philadelphia. Calls to other Skype users still cost exactly zero. SkypeOut's low rates for global dialing are a boon for users. SkypeOut also shows how quickly a company can innovate when it leverages the open Internet data platform. There is perhaps no clearer proof that voice telephony, which generates hundreds of billions of dollars a year for carriers, will eventually be seen as a feature of the Internet, rather than the reverse. Yet, there's a catch. SkypeOut creates new fissures in the FCC's shaky VOIP regulatory edifice. Full story at: http://www.techcentralstation.com/070104F.html How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 00:05:41 -0400 Subject: "Reverse Calling" - a Feature I Wish More Providers Would Offer Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com I saw a mention tonight on another mailing list of a Canadian company called TalkNet. TalkNet has a fairly unique feature in their service area, that as far as I know is not offered by any of the commercial VoIP providers in the United States. It's described this way on their page at http://www.talknet.ca/resiline.asp "Reverse Calling is a unique feature whereby a caller who is not a subscriber to our service may place a call to a subscriber and not incur a long distance charge. The non-subscriber would call one of our local access numbers and then enter the telephone number of the TalkNet subscriber. Our TalkNet service then processes the call by calling the valid subscriber and connecting the two parties." And they have local access numbers covering most of the non-rural parts of Ontario (see the list at http://www.talknet.ca/accessnumbers.asp In fact, about the only larger city in Ontario that I notice seems to be missing is Thunder Bay, way up in the northwestern part of the province. About the only thing I know of that is an equivalent in the U.S. are the Telesthetic access numbers in Michigan (see http://www.voip-info.org/wiki-Telesthetic ), but those don't work with any of the major commercial VoIP providers. I don't know why commercial VoIP providers don't just set aside one number in each ratecenter they serve, and use them as access numbers to get to their customers, in the same way that TalkNet uses their access numbers. Seems like it would be a worthwhile feature to me! [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: If you could avoid toll by calling a Vonage 'incoming port' number in your own community and then having the call relayed over Vonage (to name an example) network, then what would be the point of purchasing your own Vonage phone? If you want to call a Vonage customer, just dial their number. If you did not have broadband (to use a Vonage phone of your own) I can see where this might be helpful; but what would prevent people from dialing into their local 'port' for Vonage then dialing any number anywhere to save on tolls all over the world? PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of 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. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. 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End of TELECOM Digest V23 #313 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Jul 2 03:03:42 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i6273gS01843; Fri, 2 Jul 2004 03:03:42 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2004 03:03:42 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200407020703.i6273gS01843@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 #314 TELECOM Digest Fri, 2 Jul 2004 03:04:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 314 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson WFMT, WCPE, YUSA Lost Satellite Carriage on G5-T7 (Neal McLain) Re: Interception of E-Mail Raises Questions (Barry Margolin) Re: What Happened to the "2-Way" Craze? (Chris Farrar) Re: Internet Access With a 800 Number (John Levine) Re: Domain Registration Recommendations (Gordon S. Hlavenka) Re: Domain Registration Recommendations (SELLCOM Tech support) Re: Inet Domain Name, Help (J Kelly) Re: Inet Domain Name, Help (Steven J Sobol) Re: New Wrinkle - Nigerian Scam (Carl Moore) 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 are 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: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 23:28:43 -0500 From: Neal McLain Subject: WFMT, WCPE, YUSA Lost Satellite Carriage on G5-T7 In my post of May 24, 2004 (TD 23:255) , I noted that WFMT, WCPE, and YUSA were about to lose carriage on Galaxy 5, Transponder 7. They lost carriage at 6:05 PM EDT on June 30, 2004, when all five aural subcarriers fell silent. The backstory: Back in the late 1970s, when the cable industry began to use satellites to distribute television broadcast stations to cable systems, no broadcast station was permitted to uplink its own signal. Due to a quirk in the FCC policy at the time, only an independent third-party common carrier could do so. The first television station to be uplinked under this rule was Turner's WTCG (subsequently WTBS), carried by Tulsa-based common carrier Southern Satellite Systems. Shortly thereafter, United Video, another Tulsa-based carrier, started carrying WGN-TV. In 1979, United Video added FM radio station WFMT, "piggybacked" (as separate left-and-right aural subcarriers) on the WGN-TV signal. In subsequent years, it added WCPE (Wake Forest) and YUSA (Yesterday USA, a non-broadcast audio service). Since that time: - Tribune Company has split its programming operations into two separate signals: WGN-TV (the Chicago television station) and "WGN Superstation" (the satellite feed for cable TV and DBS companies). Although both WGNs carry a lot of the same programming, "WGN Superstation" is legally not a broadcast station; consequently Tribune can legally uplink the signal itself. - The owners of United Video have sold the company to Gemstar- TV Guide (the same company that publishes TV Guide). As a division within Gemstar, United Video was renamed UVTV. UVTV has continued to uplink WGN Superstation (on G5-T7) even though by now Tribune could opt to do so itself. UVTV also has continued to uplink radio signals WFMT, WCPE and YUSA on subcarriers of the WGN Superstation signal. - Gemstar-TV Guide sold UVTV to EchoStar in April, 2004. EchoStar, of course, owns Dish Network, which makes it one of the cable industry's least-favorite competitors (as in "don't feed the cable pig"). This situation puts Tribune in an awkward position: Tribune sells WGN Superstation to Dish Network as well as to all of Dish's competitors: cable TV companies, DirecTV, and VOOM. Understandably, Tribune probably doesn't want to be EchoStar's customer for uplinking service at the same time it's also selling WGN Superstation to EchoStar's competitors. The net result of all this is that Tribune has discontinued its relationship with UVTV. I believe it has built its own uplink facility, although it may have contracted with somebody else. In the process, it's providing two versions of WGN Superstation's signal: one digital and one analog. The two signals are transmitted over a single transponder (still G5-T7); these signals occupy the entire bandwidth, with no room for subcarriers. And that means there's no room for WFMT, WCPE, or YUSA. Furthermore, since Tribune is not a common carrier, it doesn't have any reason to carry any other signals anyway. For its part, UVTV, now that it's part of EchoStar, certainly isn't about to do anything that would benefit the cable TV industry! Furthermore, without the WGN Superstation signal, it may not have anything to piggyback aural subcarriers on anyway. So WFMT, WCPE, and YUSA have been forced to make other arrangements. As of July 2: WFMT has not arranged for any form of alternate satellite carriage, and it apparently doesn't intend to. It has announced informally (in e-mails and phone calls to distressed listeners) that it intends to resume internet streaming as a subscription service (it had discontinued streaming in October 2002 for cost reasons. ). But it still hasn't made any official announcement about its streaming plans or the proposed subscription fee. Its website is silent on the issue. WCPE has moved to Galaxy 5 Transponder 15 (HBO East), at the same subcarrier frequencies (5.58 and 6.12 MHz) . WCPE's internet stream remains unchanged (and free) at . YUSA (Yesterday USA) has moved to AMC-4 satellite, Transponder 6 (Ku-band) as an SCPC signal at 11.807 GHz . Neal McLain nmclain@annsgarden.com ------------------------------ From: Barry Margolin Subject: Re: Interception of E-Mail Raises Questions Organization: Looking for work Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 22:56:16 -0400 In article , Monty Solomon wrote: > An advocacy group said Tuesday's ruling by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court > of Appeals opens the door to further interpretations of the federal > Wiretap Act that could erode personal privacy rights. What I don't understand is why they prosecuted the company under the Wiretap Act. The court ruled that this wasn't wiretapping, because they analyzed the messages while they were stored on the server, not in transit. OK, but what about the Electronic Communication Privacy Act? I thought it protected the privacy of email. The provider is only allowed to read the mail as necessary to provide the service (e.g. for troubleshooting, or spam/virus filtering that the customer authorizes). Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu Arlington, MA *** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me *** [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But I thought that those rules did not apply to a company monitoring its own servers and its own employees activities. ? PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 21:19:52 -0400 From: Chris Farrar Reply-To: cfarrar@spamcop.net, cfarrar@attglobal.net Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2-Way" Craze? > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Am I correct that the 'walkie-talkie > two way feature' was not a Walkie-Talkie in the 'traditional' sense of > using a two-way radio as such (RF or radio frequency) signals but was > actually a speed dial type thing for one number on the cell phone > which in addition to being speed dialed was put on a handsfree type > 'loudspeaker' type thing? How did that Nextel feature actually work? PAT] Not really Pat. Nextel in the US, and Telus Mobility (Mike) in Canada operate iDEN networks. The Popular Science magazine did a "How does it work" story about Nextel's system a few issues ago. Basically, Nextel (or Telus/Mike) give you the hand held phone. To interface with the phone system, it has a dialable number in the North American Numbering Plan in the NXX-NXX-XXXX format. It also has a "private" number, in the form of AREA*NETWORK*UNIT. For instance, the company I work for has Mike "phones" in every vehicle. They have a dialable telephone number like any other phone. But to chat vehicle to vehicle, you only punch in the 4 digit vehicle number and push the PTT (push to talk) button on the side of the phone, just as you would with a traditional walkie-talkie or CB radio mike. To use the phone mode you dial a number and hit the send (not PTT) key, and to hang up you hit the end button (again, not the PTT key). Every time you release the PTT the call "drops" so if you are unit 1, and talking to unit 2, if 2 doesn't key the PTT to speak to you fast enough, unit 3 could talk to you while unit 2 gets a message along the lines of "User is busy in private" on his phone LCD. It is essentially a traditional walkie-talkie, but goes through a cellular switch and is half duplex (if the other party is talking, you can't, and vice versa) rather than a full duplex telephone connection. Otherwise it acts like a fancy Family Radio Service (FRS) walkie-talkie with much longer range. Also you can establish talkgroups, so instead of 1 to 1 communication, you can do 1 to as many as needed, like a conventional 2 way radio, and even set it up so a base or dispatch can do 1 to many, but all others can only do 1 to 1. Also selectable when you set up your plan is whether or not you want other groups to be able to call your units. For instance, if my "home" is Buffalo NY my phone number could be 716-555-1257 and my private number is 716*12345*1257. Anyone in my network group (12345) can call my unit by simply punching 1257 and hitting the PTT. But Jose's Widgets which has 716*54321*3456 can only reach my walkie talkie feature with my permission. If I allowed "interconnect" Joe would have to enter the entire sequence, including the stars (ie 716*12345*1257) and he could talk to me, not just the last 4 digits. He could save that in the directory on his phone, and cut out having to punch it in all the time, but if he as a different network group, you have to "dial" all the digits. He could still reach me as a telephone by dialing 716-555-1257, and I can't block that while I can block the walkie talkie feature. The last 4 digits of the private number don't have to be related to the phone number, ie 716-555-1257 could have a private number of 716*12345*1151, or 716*12345*1 On an aside, Nextel, Telus, and a few other companies recently signed a roaming agreement for the walkie talkie feature. Until early April 2004 if you had a Nextel phone and were in Canada, only the telephone part would work, the walkie talkie (Direct Connect) feature wouldn't. Likewise a Telus Mike unit would only Direct Connect in Canada and only operate in telephone mode in the USA. As of the middle of April 2004, users can Direct Connect to each other in different countries (Ie a Nextel user in Charleston South Carolina can Direct Connect to another Nextel user in Toronto Canada, or a Nextel user could Direct Connect from Vancouver BC to Toronto ON, or Mike from Montreal PQ to Los Angeles CA). I believe the other 2 countries involved are Argentina and Chile, but not positive. ------------------------------ Date: 1 Jul 2004 23:11:33 -0000 From: John Levine Subject: Re: Internet Access With a 800 Number Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA > The only thing 800 numbers buy you is ANI and the ability to let > customers call you from anywhere without incurring long distance > charges. ANI is available without getting an 800 number if your dialup > lines run off PRI circuits or T's. ANI can also give you the ANI II digits that tells you what kind of line the call is from: http://www.nanpa.com/number_resource_info/ani_ii_assignments.html As others have noted, lots of people make entirely legitimate pizza orders from mobile or coin phones, but at least it gives you a hint that you need a different callback number. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, Primary Perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies", Information Superhighwayman wanna-be, http://www.johnlevine.com, Mayor "A book is a sneeze." - E.B. White, on the writing of Charlotte's Web ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 20:47:56 -0500 From: Gordon S. Hlavenka Reply-To: nospam@crashelex.com Organization: Crash Electronics Subject: Re: Domain Registration Recommendations Richard Gozinia wrote: > 1) Use a quality hosting company, where Spam Assassin or similar, > possibly in combination with Real Time Block Listing, is incorporated > into their mail server. No, no, no, NO! I recently had a problem where my email provider blackholed a mailserver from which I receive a large amount of legitimate email. It took a week to get the block removed, and during that time email sent to me through the blackholed server was irretrievably lost. A couple of years ago email I sent to my father was dropped for about two weeks when my father's ISP blackholed my ISP's mailserver. I prefer to receive ALL my email -- spam included -- and filter it locally. That way, if a filter becomes "overly aggressive" for some reason it's under _my_ control, not that of some faceless dweeb who is only reachable when it suits him. The pipe that brings me email should be just that: a pipe. No filters, no blacklists, no tampering of any kind. Gordon S. Hlavenka http://www.crashelectronics.com "If we imagined he could _find_ the car, we could pretend it might be fixed." - Calvin ------------------------------ From: SELLCOM Tech support Subject: Re: Domain Registration Recommendations Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 23:26:57 GMT Richard Gozinia posted on that vast internet thingie: > 3) Use Javascript to obscure e-mail addresses displayed on your web > pages. I just went to your site and I see that "support@sellcom.com" is > placed on the home page in the clear (and you posted it in this group). > I hope you're not blaming your registrar for spam you receive at that > address, because I bet you're getting tons of it. That's because the > spammers' robots will continue to harvest it as long as it's posted in > the clear, as it is now. This is plainly unnecessary. Use simple > Javascript techniques to prevent this, since spammers' harvesting robots > can't (yet?) cope with Javascript. Check out these URLs for more info on > obfuscating your addresses: I publish my email address and run filters etc and etc and when I have time just report the scum that manage to get through. The problem here was that buydomains had a scheme that involved publishing a temp email addy in the whois but auto-forwarding it on to me. Because of that I could not block the IP without blocking them (my registrar, not good to block, eh). Spammers just started harvesting and spamming the "temp" addys which were then auto-forwarded to the real email address. To their credit and honor buydomains has now modified their system to either not publish any email address for the domain or require manual web intervention in order to email the "temp" whois address. They, once they figured out what was going on acted extremely fast to fix the problem. This was far more complicated than I initially realized or said. Steve at SELLCOM http://www.sellcom.com Discount multihandset cordless phones by Siemens, AT&T, Panasonic, Motorola Vtech 5.8Ghz; TMC ET4000 4line Epic phone, OnHoldPlus, Beamer, Watchguard! Brick wall "non MOV" surge protection. Mini-Splitter log splitter! If you sit at a desk www.ergochair.biz you owe it to yourself. ------------------------------ From: J Kelly Subject: Re: Inet Domain Name, Help. Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 20:49:19 -0500 Organization: http://newsguy.com Reply-To: jkelly@newsguy.com If you own xyzabc.com then you automatically own all subdomains for that domain as well. The subdomains do not have to point to the same IP address, it all depends on how you set up the records in the DNS zone for the domain. On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 20:40:43 GMT, Ron Reaugh wrote: > What exactly is a registerable Internet domain name and how does that > relate to subdomains? For instance if one owns or is renting > xyzabc.com then what exactly is jkl.xyzabc.com? I understand that the > jkl is known as a subdomain. But is the complete entity > jkl.xyzabc.com something that is independently registerable from > xzyabc.com? OR if one owns xyzabc.com then does one own automatically > all subdomains off xyzabc.com in Internet domain name space? I guess > the question boils down to whether '.' is a special and > non-registerable character below the TLD level and therefore the > registerable domain name is that entity in the right most portion of > the name including one and only one '.' which preceeds a valid TLD? ------------------------------ From: Steven J Sobol Subject: Re: Inet Domain Name, Help Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2004 19:15:56 -0500 Brad Houser wrote: >> What exactly is a registerable Internet domain name and how does that >> relate to subdomains? For instance if one owns or is renting >> xyzabc.com then what exactly is jkl.xyzabc.com? A subdomain of xyzabc.com. :) When you register a domain, "glue" records are placed in the root nameservers (a group of servers that handle top-level references for domains like .com, etc.) saying "if you're looking for xyzabc.com, this is where to look." "This" normally refers to nameservers you or your ISP run, and if you wanted to set up, for example, www.xyzabc.com, whoever maintained those nameservers would have to set up a record ... normally that'd be you, or your ISP (one or the other, depending on who maintains the domain). Several domain registrars also provide other services like email accounts and web space. They generally also offer the use of their nameservers if you don't want to run your own or use your ISP's. >> jkl is known as a subdomain. But is the complete entity >> jkl.xyzabc.com something that is independently registerable from >> xzyabc.com? No ... >> OR if one owns xyzabc.com then does one own automatically >> all subdomains off xyzabc.com in Internet domain name space? Yes. >> I guess the question boils down to whether '.' is a special and >> non-registerable character below the TLD level and therefore the >> registerable domain name is that entity in the right most portion >> of the name including one and only one '.' which preceeds a valid >> TLD? Any given part of a domain name must not use the dot. Dots are only used to separate the top level from the second level, etc. (top level being "com" in this example, second being "xyzabc", third being "jkl") JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/ Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED) Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 1 Jul 2004 16:56:31 EDT From: Carl Moore Subject: Re: New Wrinkle - Nigerian Scam Try going to the web site for the Netherlands embassy (at least in the U.S.). Among "headlines" is an entry for June 2, 2004 (only about a month ago) which answers inquiries received in the U.S. by the Netherlands embassy and consulates about those "Netherlands / lottery" emails. It points out some of what we call "red flags", and one of those is the use of a cell phone number to reach the supposed "official". In the case of the Netherlands, it's pointed out that such numbers start with "+31 6". Do you remember there being noise in opposition to use of special area codes in +1 for cell phones? Yes, I saw Paul Cook's message, and a "last laugh" response which pointed out the use of 31 September as a date in one of those "Netherlands / lottery" emails. Do any of those emails have a fax number in area code 413 in western Massachusetts? ------------------------------ 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. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! URL information: http://telecom-digest.org Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/ (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) Email <==> FTP: telecom-archives@telecom-digest.org Send a simple, one line note to that automated address for a help file on how to use the automatic retrieval system for archives files. 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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 #314 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Jul 2 13:44:55 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i62HitG07868; Fri, 2 Jul 2004 13:44:55 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2004 13:44:55 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200407021744.i62HitG07868@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 #315 TELECOM Digest Fri, 2 Jul 2004 13:44:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 315 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Norvergence Shut Down (William Van Hefner) Norvergence Fires Everyone, Closes Doors (Barry B) Re: What Happened to the "2-Way" Craze? (DevilsPGD) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (Keith) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (Scott Dorsey) Re: Pizza; Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID? (Keith) Re: Pizza; Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID? (S Dorsey) Re: Domain Registration Recommendations (John Schmerold) Re: WFMT, WCPE, YUSA Lost Satellite Carriage on G5-T7 (Jim Haynes) Covad to Offer VoIP Service on Front Range (Jack Decker) 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 are 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: William Van Hefner Subject: Norvergence Shut Down Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2004 00:19:48 -0700 Newark, NJ, July 2, 2004 (TheDigest.Com) - Operations at Norvergence have come to a halt. Employees at Norvergence's headquarters in Newark, NJ were reportedly told by the CEO on Thursday that the company's investors had abandoned them and that the company's assets had been frozen. They were also told that they would not be receiving their paychecks and that the company would be filing for bankruptcy. The move comes after the carrier came under investigation earlier this week by the New Jersey Labor Department for allegedly bouncing employee paychecks. Over 1,300 employees at the company's Newark, NJ office were told that they must leave immediately, and were escorted out of the building by security. Newark police were called in to keep the peace, as employees poured out onto the streets with their belongings. If and when the company's bankruptcy petition is filed, we will make it available for free download via our website. William Van Hefner Editor - www.TheDigest.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I feel very sorry for the employees who worked there and wound up not getting paid their two final paychecks (mid-June and end-of-June.) I also feel sorry for the several customers who are now stuck with limited or no phone service and will be stuck in much litigation with the finance companies which bought the worthless paper from Norvergence. Its a bad scene all the way around. PAT] ------------------------------ From: BarryB Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2004 10:55 PM Subject: Norvergence Fires Everyone; Closes Doors Sorry for the news: This afternoon Norvergence fired every last employee, and told them no final pay, and no replacement for bounced checks. Your service will be terminated shortly since they did not pay their bill with QWEST or any of their cell phone providers. I can restore you long distance and toll free SAME DAY directly with QWEST - no contract - no minimum, no deposit, no activation or startup fees. Attached find disclosure and my card and brochure. Barry Bellin 201 833 4091 ---- have less - be more | blame less - forgive more ---- The world's greatest opportunities always come disguised as a problem with no solution. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: However, Barry's disclosure along with his business card and brochure were not enclosed in the mail I received. PAT] ------------------------------ From: DevilsPGD Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2-Way" Craze? Reply-To: bond-jamesbond@crazyhat.net Organization: EasyNews, UseNet made Easy! Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 08:15:44 GMT In message Chris Farrar wrote: > On an aside, Nextel, Telus, and a few other companies recently signed > a roaming agreement for the walkie talkie feature. Until early April > 2004 if you had a Nextel phone and were in Canada, only the telephone > part would work, the walkie talkie (Direct Connect) feature wouldn't. > Likewise a Telus Mike unit would only Direct Connect in Canada and > only operate in telephone mode in the USA. As of the middle of April > 2004, users can Direct Connect to each other in different countries > (Ie a Nextel user in Charleston South Carolina can Direct Connect to > another Nextel user in Toronto Canada, or a Nextel user could Direct > Connect from Vancouver BC to Toronto ON, or Mike from Montreal PQ to > Los Angeles CA). I believe the other 2 countries involved are > Argentina and Chile, but not positive. It's also worth noting that although not officially advertised, TELUS and Nextel customers can DC each other too. I'm in Canada, on TELUS, and I was able to have a conversation with a Nextel subscriber in TX. Next on FOX, all new REALITY SHOW promises to be a hit: "STOP A BULLET WITH YOUR HEAD" ------------------------------ From: Keith Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2004 09:55:29 -0400 Ron Chapman wrote in message news:telecom23.312.9@telecom-digest.org: >> As soon as I heard the conversation, I of course realized this was >> illegal, > Is it? > You're thinking of cell phone conversations. I haven't read the law > word for word, so my immediate question here would be, is it in fact > illegal for you to listen in on a Nextel "Direct Connect" conversation? > Especially if it's as you describe above, and not using any part of > the cellular system? > One wonders if there isn't a loophole there whereby the Nextel stuff > doesn't fit into the law ... Good point. I was actually being a little facetious regarding the situation. I've seen the law before but I'm no lawyer. If you think about cordless phone calls, which are protected by a different law, they operate in a point to point manner(phone to base, analog FM, no repeaters, towers, etc), similar to Nextel's system, and they are protected. I suppose it depends if the judge considers Nextel's direct-connect to be a phone call or not. If the cordless phone and cell phone industries would have encrypted the conversations instead of lobbying congress to pass laws that make it illegal to listen to conversations, everyone would have been better served. Especially with unenforcable laws like these. I can sit at home and monitor cordless and cell phone calls all day long with zero threat of being caught. Then again, anyone who considers a cellphone anything BUT a radio transmitter that transmits on the open airwaves needs to reexamine how their stuff works. I would never say anything on a cellphone that I wouldn't say on a CB radio. Things have gotten better with digital cellphones, at least a $50 scanner from radio shack wouldn't help a would-be eavesdropper. Although I haven't looked, it wouldn't surprise me that someone has hacked together a way of decoding digital calls. Some of this is covered under the Electronics Communication Privacy Act (of 1986 IIRC) at: http://floridalawfirm.com/privacy.html The guys over at rec.radio.scanner have this discussion like three days a week. :) Keith ------------------------------ From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Date: 2 Jul 2004 10:42:25 -0400 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) Ron Chapman wrote: >Is it? > You're thinking of cell phone conversations. I haven't read the law > word for word, so my immediate question here would be, is it in fact > illegal for you to listen in on a Nextel "Direct Connect" conversation? > Especially if it's as you describe above, and not using any part of > the cellular system? Yes. Check out the ECPA, which makes it illegal to listen to damn near anything. Interpreted literally, it makes it illegal to listen to anything on a broadcast subcarrier, including FM stereo. --scott "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." ------------------------------ From: Keith Subject: Re: Pizza ... Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2004 09:18:53 -0400 Scott Dorsey wrote in message news:telecom23.312.15@telecom-digest.org: > If you call a pizza shop through an 800 number with your blocked cell > phone, they will not reject your call but get complete information > about the source in spite of the blocking. Blocking caller ID does > NOT DO ANYTHING about ANI. I'm trying really hard here not to just say, "Duh", but, I'll say "of course not." instead. That's why I suggested the pizza shop OP in question get an 800 number in an earlier post. No one answered my earlier question though: Is it possible to get ANI information from an 800 number delivered to a standard analog POTS line via CallerID by the telco? This wouldn't require a PBX (even a small one), and would keep the entire setup pretty simple. Keith ------------------------------ From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) Subject: Re: Pizza ... Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? Date: 2 Jul 2004 10:48:38 -0400 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) Keith wrote: > I would gladly give up my name, phone number, and location on a 911 > call. Ordering a pizza, calling the local hardware store, or calling > the guy down the street to see how much he wants for his used Mustang > is an entirely different idea. I prefer that my calls be anonymous > unless I choose to identify myself. And just because this wonderful > technology has enabled the automatic violation of my privacy, doesn't > mean this is "progress". The ABILITY to transfer whatever information > is progress. Advancement in technology does not give a free pass to > abuse that technology in whatever methods a company deems appropriate > or profitable. That's fine. But if you don't give the pizza company your address and name, how can they know where to deliver the pizza? --scott "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 10:39:42 -0500 From: John Schmerold Subject: Re: Domain Registration Recommendations Anybody but Network Solutions. I've had a couple of domains with them since near the beginning (it's hard to believe 1993 is near the beginning of anything as pervasive as the Internet). Everytime I have to deal with them, my blood boils, I have to exercise great restraint and remind myself the the girl on the other end is being paid minimum wage to deal with very very frustrated clients. Most recently, we had a client want to move their hosting to us, the old contact made me Technical contact, but I couldn't change the DNS records, I phoned Network Solutions, they said I'm the Technical Contact in Whois, but not a technical contact for management of the account. Good luck explaining that one to anyone, myself included. We've registered as a reseller with GoDaddy & have used Joker.com. I like Joker.com, but they moved to Switzerland from Germany and I worry a little bit about the stability of my domains, probably nothing to worry about, but I do ... Biggest hassle with GoDaddy is you can't just register a domain, you have to click thru a bunch of ads for web hosting etc, as a dealer we were able to disable all that junk and have. ------------------------------ Subject: Re: WFMT, WCPE, YUSA Lost Satellite Carriage on G5-T7 Reply-To: jhaynes@alumni.uark.edu Organization: University of Arkansas Alumni From: haynes@alumni.uark.edu (Jim Haynes) Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 16:27:14 GMT Rats! I was within days of getting a satellite dish set up so I could receive WFMT. jhhaynes at earthlink dot net ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 11:24:10 -0400 Subject: Covad to Offer VoIP Service on Front Range Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/technology/article/0,1299,DRMN_49_3006509,00.html By Roger Fillion, Rocky Mountain News Another provider of Internet-based telephone calling is coming to the Front Range. Covad Communications Group Inc. plans to offer voice-over-Internet- protocol service next month to small- and medium-sized businesses from Boulder to Colorado Springs. Full story at: http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/technology/article/0,1299,DRMN_49_3006509,00.html VoIP Watch blog comments on this story: http://andyabramson.blogs.com/voipwatch/ How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ ------------------------------ 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. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! 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End of TELECOM Digest V23 #315 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Jul 4 00:23:37 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i644Nbe21933; Sun, 4 Jul 2004 00:23:37 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2004 00:23:37 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200407040423.i644Nbe21933@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 #316 TELECOM Digest Sun, 4 Jul 2004 00:23:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 316 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Norvergence Offices Raided by FBI (Alessandra Di Maggio) Cash For Former Norvergence Customer Referrals (Christine Collins) Re: Norvergence Shut Down (Steven J Sobol) Norvergence and Employee Insurance (EXECUTIVE2@aol.com) ANI->CNID, was Re: Pizza; Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone (Danny Burstein) Re: WFMT, WCPE, YUSA Lost Satellite Carriage on G5-T7 (Robert Bonomi) Re: WFMT, WCPE, YUSA Lost Satellite Carriage on G5-T7 (Neal McLain) Buy With A Wave Of A Phone (Eric Friedebach) Re: Pizza; Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID (R Greenberg) Re: Pizza; Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID (John D Galt) Re: Pizza; Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID (Novosielski) Re: What Happens to Expired Wireless Numbers (John Mayson) Re: What Happens to Expired Wireless Numbers (John David Galt) Re: Domain Registration Recommendations (Richard Gozinia) Re: Interception of E-Mail Raises Questions (jmeissen@aracnet.com) Re: Inet Domain Name, Help. (delete the 'z' to get my real address) Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? (Joseph) United States: Communications Law Bulletin-June 2004 (VOIP News) DSL Prime for July 3, 2004 (VOIP News) 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 are 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: shinecorp1@aol.com (Alessandra Di Maggio) Subject: Norbergence Offics Raided by FBI Date: 2 Jul 2004 11:24:43 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com I have spoken again to friends I know at Norvergence. Officially they are closed down. The offices in Newark were raided by the FBI on July 1, 2004 with allegations by the FBI of fraud and embezzlement. No one received any pay for four weeks. (One month, two paydays). When employees were notified they were all fired and not getting paid after the fourth week in a row, they began destroying office equipment and computers, and police were called. All Norvergence customers are totally cut off, unless they have made arrangements elswhere. Shinecorp1@aol.com Alessandra [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: This scene reminds me the fiasco at the Diner's Club Credit Card office in 1962 when they were still owned by Alfred Bloomingdale's corporation and were located in New York City. The office had been getting increasingly more difficult to manage for a few years as the staff of about two thousand employees became increasingly diverse racially. Diners, in those days, had just come out of an all-manual system into the first year or two of computeriza- tion. Like Norvergence, Diners had a large number of ex-cons and/or parolees on the payroll; I guess the city and state of New York gave them a lot of tax breaks for doing so, etc. But there were problems, so severe in fact that Diners Club verged on bankruptcy more than once. Diner's management decided to make a sneaky move out of town, and (in general) get all new employees, trained in the new computerized system. And since 'everyone' knows that white poople in semi-rural areas work harder and cheaper than racially diverse people in an 'inner city area' like New York City, they decided the office would be relocated in Denver, Colorado, at the time, 40 years ago, still very much a 'country type' of small town, in an area outside of town called 'Tech Center'. It would be a whole new start for the company, and they really were hot to get out of New York City. In essence, *none*. of the employees were told about it, except a snall handful of supervisors and middle management people they intended to take along, and they were sworn to total secrecy. Diner's certainly did not intend to take along the vast assortment of riff-raff they had collected over the years in the form of posting/ledger clerks/bookeepers, etc; the vast majority of whom were either racially diverse or quite sympathetic to all the 'anti-everything' attitude of the Vietnam years. Comes the day before Thanksgiving that year (Wednesday) with the usual four day holiday (Thu/Fri/Sat/Sun) many USA workers get, and Diners management lined up everyone, handed out the turkeys, wished them all a happy Thanksgiving holiday and said, "Oh by the way, don't come back on Monday, cause we won't be here." Unlike Norvergence, Diners did give out final paychecks and a reasonable severence check to everyone, but still, the place went up for grabs. Some employees went around smashing stuff up, and several went two or three floors up to the 'computer center' (all *those* employees had been invited to relocate, and most of them did), broke the door down, took two computer workers *hostage*, took two big reels of tape, shredded it all into confetti and tossed it out the window from the 15th floor of the building there on Columbus Circle. The shredded confetti-like tapes consisted of invoices merchants had been paid for, but had not yet been billed to Diner's customers **and they had not yet been microfilmed (or backed up).** After the riot was over, police had arrested several hundred employees, freed the hostages, and cleared the place out. Very shocked management of Diner's Club wound up having to write off about three *million* dollars in recievables they could not reconstruct or bill for, even though Al Bloomingdale and others went out on Columbus Circle and picked up scraps of magnetic tape trying to put it all together again. It was close to a year later, located in Denver that Diner's finally realized the extent of the damage done by employees on the final day in New York City. And when the reality of the final write off that would have to be done hit them smack in the face, and many of Diners' *own creditors* were beginning to turn the screws on them for payment and many merchants had quit dealing with Diners because of how ineffecient they had become a year earlier in New York, Diners did decide to file bankruptcy. To their rescue came CNA Insurance, who bought into the action, and Amoco Oil who also bought a piece of the action and handed Diners a great deal: a list of a few million Amoco card holders who had been in 'phase 1' for a year or better, with no delinquencies in their oil company accounts. But because they are (or at least then were) not fools, Amoco said *we* will administer the whole thing and refer to it as 'Torch Club', and Diners, all you have to do is get your merchants (what there was left of them) to go along with it and accept 'Torch Club' cards like they would any Diner's Club card. It wouldn't surprise me to see the Solzano people come out of all this bright and shiny. They'll file bankruptcy, then Solzano will go sit down with his friends at Qwest and elsewhere, and start cutting some new deals. PAT] ------------------------------ From: christine.collins@atx.com (Christine Collins) Subject: Cash for Norvergence Customer Referrals Date: 2 Jul 2004 11:49:17 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com ATTENTION ANYONE WHO HAS BEEN INVOLVED WITH NORVERGENCE:: WE ARE OFFERING COMMISSION TO ANYONE WHO CAN REFER BUSINESS CUSTOMERS THAT HAVE BEEN SCAMMED BY NORVERGENCE. PLEASE EMAIL ASAP: christine.collins@atx.com ------------------------------ From: Steven J Sobol Subject: Re: Norvergence Shut Down Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 17:10:34 -0500 William Van Hefner wrote: > The move comes after the carrier came under investigation earlier this > week by the New Jersey Labor Department for allegedly bouncing > employee paychecks. Over 1,300 employees at the company's Newark, NJ > office were told that they must leave immediately, and were escorted > out of the building by security. Newark police were called in to keep > the peace, as employees poured out onto the streets with their > belongings. > If and when the company's bankruptcy petition is filed, we will make > it available for free download via our website. Hey, Black Ninja. Any comments? This is all the customers' fault, right? JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/ Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED) Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids. ------------------------------ From: EXECUTIVE2@aol.com Date: Sat, 3 Jul 2004 18:17:45 EDT Subject: Norvergence and Insurance Pat, Please post so that other former employees are aware that they will have problems collecting on their insurance claims. According to Kelly at Comprehensive Benefits, they are only a TPA, Third Party Administrator. Qualcare is also a TPA, who submitted, the adjusted claims to Comprehnsive Benefits to mail checks to Doctor's. What you will soon discover is that Norvergence was self insured and is not an insurance company. Neither is Qualcare or Comprehensive Benefits. For all those that may seek further information under the Federal Law here is a link that me be beneficial: http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/ go to the sub heading: Employer Bankruptcy: How Will It Affect Your Benefits? Comprehensive Benefits: http://www.comprehensive-benefit.com/ This information was supplied to me by the New Jersey Department of Insurance. Thank You and Good Luck to All. ------------------------------ From: Danny Burstein Subject: ANI->CNID, was Re: Pizza ... Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call Date: Fri, 2 Jul 2004 18:31:42 +0000 (UTC) Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC In Keith writes: > Is it possible to get ANI information from an 800 number delivered to > a standard analog POTS line via CallerID by the telco? This wouldn't > require a PBX (even a small one), and would keep the entire setup > pretty simple. Eyup. I get it, as we speak, courtesy of a tollfree number using KALL8 that's routed to my cellphone. Every single call coming to me shows the originating phone number. (I'm not 100% certain whether it's kicking me ANI or unblocked CNID. All the folk who've called me recently have been from places where the two are identical, or where I couldn't check back. The tollfree mechanism, though, makes it much more likely it's ANI). Kall8 info in at http://www.kall8.com. They're not the absolute cheapest, but their rates are competitive for moderate use. And they have a superb web interface which lets you change the destination number at the drop of a Kerry flip flop. Or a Bush six-pack. So you can route to the office until 5:45 pm, then kick it to your cellphone, (No connection to them except as a satisfied customer). _____________________________________________________ Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] ------------------------------ Organization: Robert Bonomi Consulting Subject: Re: WFMT, WCPE, YUSA Lost Satellite Carriage on G5-T7 From: bonomi@host122.r-bonomi.com (Robert Bonomi) Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 18:45:34 +0000 In article , Neal McLain wrote: > In my post of May 24, 2004 (TD 23:255) , I > noted that WFMT, WCPE, and YUSA were about to lose carriage on Galaxy > 5, Transponder 7. They lost carriage at 6:05 PM EDT on June 30, 2004, > when all five aural subcarriers fell silent. > As of July 2: > WFMT has not arranged for any form of alternate satellite carriage, > and it apparently doesn't intend to. It has announced informally (in > e-mails and phone calls to distressed listeners) that it intends to > resume internet streaming as a subscription service (it had > discontinued streaming in October 2002 for cost reasons. > ). But it still hasn't > made any official announcement about its streaming plans or the > proposed subscription fee. Its website is silent on > the issue. WFMT has made official 'on-air' announcements that it will be offering an internet-based streaming subscription service. "Send an e-mail to 'streaming' AT 'wfmt.com'" and they'll send messages when more information is available. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 15:18:44 -0500 From: Neal McLain Subject: Re: WFMT, WCPE, YUSA Lost Satellite Carriage on G5-T7 Jim Haynes (haynes@alumni.uark.edu) wrote: > Rats! I was within days of getting a satellite dish set up so I > could receive WFMT. Hey, check out WCPE. It's 100% classical with no advertising. It's also 100% listener-supported, but its fundraisers are relatively low-key. You'll be able to get it with your new dish: Galaxy 5, Transponder 15, subcarriers 5.58 and 6.12 MHz. . Disclosure (and rant): I have no connection with either WCPE or WFMT. I'm just a retired cable guy who spent his entire cable-TV career trying to convince marketing types that classical music is a salable product for a cable company. It's always amazed me that marketing pros who spend their careers trying to "position" video services don't apply the same logic to audio services. "Thirty channels of stereo music" is about as informative as "Thirty channels of color television." Now I keep hearing about how phone companies are building FTTH networks because "there's pent-up demand for an alternative to cable." Ok, fine. Am I supposed to believe that telco marketing guys know anything about classical music? Neal McLain [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: When CableOne took over our service here in Independence more than a year ago, one thing they did was add classical music to their line up. We can get it three ways: Channel 938 on the cable box gets 24/7 classical music with a blank screen on the television set. Or with the cable plug in on my Bose radio I can tune in KRPS 89.9 FM from Pittsburg/Joplin or the station in Tulsa on 89.5 FMl both these are PBS stations with mostly classical music stuff. The lady in the office said to me "You won't need those two, since you can get it on channel 938." I suggested to her please leave it alone, I sort of preferred KPRS myself. A question to those of you who know about FM radio carried on cable: The tower is over on Oak Street, rather high. Exactly *how* to they get in FM radio stations? The man told me they have a crystal for 89.9 in a reciever there in the tower. Can they only get what they have crystals for or is *any* station on FM radio available over the cable (as far as improving its reception is concerned, etc?) PAT] ------------------------------ From: friedebach@yahoo.com (Eric Friedebach) Subject: Buy With A Wave Of A Phone Date: 3 Jul 2004 13:45:20 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Arik Hesseldahl, 07.01.04, Forbes.com NEW YORK - Somewhere in that long list of things that mobile phones were one day "supposed to become" was a replacement for the credit card. Sure, they're great for talking, storing personal calendars and address books. But their go-everywhere nature and ability to store data and communicate over the wireless networks, plus the ever-increasing smarts of the chips inside them, were also going to make them smart enough to handle the kinds of transactions usually classified as "impulse purchases." Sour Chhor wants to make it happen, and he's closer than you might expect. He's general manager of a group at Philips Electronics focused on developing a technology called near field communications (NFC) that is based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology and could within a year start turning common mobile phones into the spendthrift's best friend. http://www.forbes.com/2004/07/01/cx_ah_0701rfid.html Eric Friedebach /Hey kids, never use a cigarette to light fireworks! Use a cigar - it stays lit longer./ ------------------------------ From: richgr@panix.com (Rich Greenberg) Subject: Re: Pizza ... Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? Date: 2 Jul 2004 15:01:04 -0400 Organization: Organized? Me? In article , Keith wrote: > No one answered my earlier question though: > Is it possible to get ANI information from an 800 number delivered to > a standard analog POTS line via CallerID by the telco? This wouldn't > require a PBX (even a small one), and would keep the entire setup > pretty simple. Yes, its possible and some IXCs do this (or used to). Rich Greenberg N6LRT Marietta, GA, USA 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, Red & Shasta (RIP),Red, husky Owner:Chinook-L Atlanta Siberian Husky Rescue. www.panix.com/~richgr/ Asst Owner:Sibernet-L ------------------------------ From: John David Galt Subject: Re: Pizza ... Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 17:12:54 -0700 Organization: Diogenes the Cynic Hot-Tubbing Society Barry Margolin wrote: >> BTW, Pizza Hut for a long time had one of the most comprehensive >> reverse-lookup phone number databases in the world. They correlated >> information from a number of public sources, past customer calls, etc. I've run into a lot of businesses that do this, but find it a very mixed blessing. A lot of businesses -- including some that are in the business of selling lists of names to telemarketers -- still have my number listed in the name of a homeowner who had it before I moved here in 1997. Businesses I want to do business with, such as the local pizza place, are pretty good about changing their listings when I order from them (though I do have to remember to tell them, because they now assume by default that they already know, from my phone number, who and where I am; in my view this practice is a bug and not a feature). On the other hand, for six years I regularly got junk phone calls asking for that former homeowner, and usually the callers weren't inclined to tell me where they got his name/number so that I could contact the list seller and set its records straight. The do-not-call list, though, has finally put a stop to this nuisance, except for the charities. ------------------------------ From: Gary Novosielski Subject: Re: Pizza ... Can I Tell a Cell or Pay Phone Call From CallerID info? Date: Sat, 03 Jul 2004 04:50:00 GMT Keith wrote: > No one answered my earlier question though: > Is it possible to get ANI information from an 800 number delivered to > a standard analog POTS line via CallerID by the telco? This wouldn't > require a PBX (even a small one), and would keep the entire setup > pretty simple. Yes, it sure is. I have an 800 number with my LD carrier that rings to my regular POTS line. If someone calls the 800 number, it delivers complete CallerID Name and Number information to my phone, whether or not the caller dials *67 first. The same call dialed directly to the POTS number will show PRIVATE. Inbound rates are pretty standard, I think it's like 5.4¢/minute, but you will get bit for the extra quarter or so, if someone calls you from a pay phone. (If you're interested, e-mail me privately and I'll give you a referral code. If you sign up I get a few cents.) In any case, if you are dialing an 800 number, you pretty much can't block your identity. ------------------------------ From: John Mayson Subject: Re: What Happens to Expired Wireless Numbers Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 22:53:13 GMT Organization: Road Runner High Speed Online http://www.rr.com > I was just curious to know what happens to the phone numbers once a > wireless plan expires or a customer terminates the contract. Are those > assigned to some other customers later? And most importantly how much > time does it take? This information will be useful to me as number > portability act doesn't work with the same carrier. If my plan with > Sprint expires and I have bought phones and numbers from another private > company for the same carrier (needs new activation); can I let the > current numbers expire and then maybe request them back? My company had issued me a cell phone, but took it away as part of cost cutting. Soon afterward (maybe 2 or 3 weeks) people told me when they called the number they got someone else who was quite irrate about receiving yet another call for me. It appeared they recycled the number fairly quickly. John Mayson Austin, Texas, USA ------------------------------ From: John David Galt Subject: Re: What Happens to Expired Wireless Numbers Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 17:27:04 -0700 Organization: Diogenes the Cynic Hot-Tubbing Society Joseph wrote: > Then again it may make a difference *how* valuable the old customer > was. Do they do over $100 a month in charges or are they a $20 a > month customer. That may make a difference. This selectivity based on the "value of the customer" goes both ways. After a bad experience with AT&T (who changed my contract terms in nasty ways, raised the price, and insisted on an annual contract for continued service) I cancelled my cellular service with them. I'm looking for a cell provider that offers all or most of these: - Low or no per-month charges (say $10 or less); the provider should make most of its money from a high per-minute rate instead. (I had the phone for a few, important calls, and never used as much as one tenth of the 2000 minutes/month that I had to pay for as part of AT&T's plan); - No insistence that I accept services I don't want (paging, text messaging, video, or Custom Calling type features); - Per-line caller-ID blocking and a promise that the number won't be included in cellular directories or sold to marketers; - No commitment longer than 90 days (especially if the provider is unwilling to commit in return that its plan and rates won't change); I have no problem with paying for the phone up front; and - No locking the phone so that I can't use it with multiple providers. (AT&T's is a pain to use in many locations because they program the handset so it will always insist on using an AT&T cell tower if it detects one, even if the signal is really horrible and a better signal is available from another provider.) I would like to see a good comparison site for cellular services similar to abelltolls.com for long distance services. ------------------------------ From: Richard Gozinia Subject: Re: Domain Registration Recommendations Date: 2 Jul 2004 13:52:07 -0500 Reply-To: No Address On Thu, 01 Jul 2004 20:47:56 -0500, Gordon S. Hlavenka wrote: > Richard Gozinia wrote: >> 1) Use a quality hosting company, where Spam Assassin or similar, >> possibly in combination with Real Time Block Listing, is incorporated >> into their mail server. > No, no, no, NO! > I recently had a problem where my email provider blackholed a > mailserver from which I receive a large amount of legitimate email. > It took a week to get the block removed, and during that time email > sent to me through the blackholed server was irretrievably lost. A > couple of years ago email I sent to my father was dropped for about > two weeks when my father's ISP blackholed my ISP's mailserver. Horror stories notwithstanding, it's all in the implementation. I'll concede that most hosting companies don't do it right. Having said that, I have complete control over my mail. I lose no valid mail, I have maximum flexibility and I have almost no spam. > I prefer to receive ALL my email -- spam included -- and filter it > locally. That way, if a filter becomes "overly aggressive" for some > reason it's under _my_ control, not that of some faceless dweeb who is > only reachable when it suits him. Yes, many RTBL operators are defectives and malcontents. That's why the best service providers won't have anything to do with them. If your provider is good, you'll have none of these problems. The occasional borderline stuff can be tagged and processed by the client, if you wish. > The pipe that brings me email should be just that: a pipe. No > filters, no blacklists, no tampering of any kind. There's no reason to handle known spam locally. You seem to think that what I'm talking about is impossible. Keep thinking that, and enjoy swimming in your spam. DG ------------------------------ From: jmeissen@aracnet.com Subject: Re: Interception of E-Mail Raises Questions Date: 2 Jul 2004 20:01:20 GMT Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But I thought that those rules did not > apply to a company monitoring its own servers and its own employees > activities. ? PAT] Apparently in this case the email belonged to subscribers, not employees. John Meissen jmeissen@aracnet.com ------------------------------ From: Walter Dnes (delete the 'z' my real address) Subject: Re: Inet Domain Name, Help. Date: 3 Jul 2004 00:00:05 GMT Reply-To: see_my_sig_at_bottom_of_message@waltdnes.org On Tue, 29 Jun 2004 20:40:43 GMT, Ron Reaugh, wrote: > What exactly is a registerable Internet domain name and how does that > relate to subdomains? For instance if one owns or is renting > xyzabc.com then what exactly is jkl.xyzabc.com? I understand that the > jkl is known as a subdomain. But is the complete entity > jkl.xyzabc.com something that is independently registerable from > xzyabc.com? OR if one owns xyzabc.com then does one own automatically > all subdomains off xyzabc.com in Internet domain name space? I guess > the question boils down to whether '.' is a special and > non-registerable character below the TLD level and therefore the > registerable domain name is that entity in the right most portion of > the name including one and only one '.' which preceeds a valid TLD? I hate to say this, but "it depends". In the old com/net/org/edu name space, the "owner" of abc.tld usually "owns" *.abc.tld. "Owns" may not be a 100% correct way to say it, which is why the quotes. Other TLDs (Top Level Domains) do things differently. In the UK, there are many 3rd-level domains. E.g. ".ac.uk" is the UK equivalant of the American ".edu", so you'll find British universities there. ".co.uk" is corporate (like ".com") in the UK. So the British Broadcasting Corporation is "bbc.co.uk". To further complicate matters, demon.co.uk sells *FOURTH LEVEL* domains. So "jane_smith.demon.co.uk" and "john_doe.demon.co.uk" could be totally different domains with their own separate nameservers and MX's. Walter Dnes; my email address is *ALMOST* like wzaltdnes@waltdnes.org Delete the "z" to get my real address. If that gets blocked, follow the instructions at the end of the 550 message. ------------------------------ From: Joseph Subject: Re: What Happened to the "2 Way" Craze? Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 18:05:23 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Reply-To: JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.NONOcom On Fri, 2 Jul 2004 09:55:29 -0400, Keith wrote: > If the cordless phone and cell phone industries would have encrypted > the conversations instead of lobbying congress to pass laws that make > it illegal to listen to conversations, everyone would have been better > served. And just what do you mean if? All digital mobile systems now have encryption. remove NONO from .NONOcom to reply ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Fri, 02 Jul 2004 16:49:19 -0400 Subject: United States: Communications Law Bulletin-June 2004 Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.mondaq.com/i_article.asp_Q_articleid_E_27039 The FCC, States, and the European Commission Further Consider the Regulation of VOIP Services As we reported in our March, 2004 edition, the FCC has initiated a comprehensive investigation into the appropriate regulatory framework for so-called IP-enabled services, including Voice-over-Internet- Protocol ("VOIP") services that offer an alternative to the traditional voice telephone call. That FCC rulemaking continues, with reply comments due to be filed on July 14. In the meantime, however, federal, state and international developments in VOIP regulations have not stood still. Federal Developments One of the regulatory issues facing many VOIP providers is their inability to obtain telephone numbers directly from the North American Numbering Plan Administrator ("NANPA"). Telecommunications carriers must have a state operating certificate in order to obtain numbering resources directly from the Pooling Administration ("PA") or the NANPA. Because VOIP providers typically are not state-certified, they have to acquire telephone numbers from local exchange carriers. Full article (VoIP related material begins about six paragraphs from the top) at: http://www.mondaq.com/i_article.asp_Q_articleid_E_27039 (Free registration required) How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Sat, 03 Jul 2004 15:55:10 -0400 Subject: DSL Prime for July 3, 2004 Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.dslprime.com/News_Articles/news_articles.htm [Excerpt - read down to the last paragraph to find out why this is significant VoIP news:] Verizon says go, SBC says no. Verizon is dead serious about the million homes passed with fiber this year, and two million more next. Keiko Harvey made that clear in an extraordinary press conference in Chicago, flanked by Mark Wegleitner, her senior technical peer, Tom Tauke, their VP for policy, and her network lead. There's no fudge in the numbers, either. They are only counting homes with everything in place except the terminal and actual drop to the house. Verizon's current gear has 860 megahertz for video, and 19 meg for data, but they have active plans to raise that to the 100 meg symmetric of a true fiber build. (See Anton Wahlman's latest report.) SBC will not be running fiber, except to a very limited number of new developments. Instead, they are betting ADSL2+ (15/2) will, per Chris Rice "'future-proof' our network and meet customers bandwidth needs for decades to come." Whitacre believes "In short, our network will be faster and more capable than any other," (quoted by Telephony's Donny Jackson.) Essentially, SBC is betting that Comcast will not deliver for a decade a fraction of the capabilities Brian Roberts is promising, or that consumers won't care about higher speeds. 30 megabit cable modems are working well in Japan, and Roberts projects 70% video on demand/unicast/timeshift. DOCSIS 2.0, going into service already, outclasses SBC's future network, DOCSIS 3.0 is 200 meg down, 100 meg up. Cisco has sold cable equipment with that speed for delivery in 2005 to Korea and probably a trial in Comcast. Verizon instead is meeting the cable challenge with $billions of fiber to the home. Wegleitner explains, "I respect the people making other decisions, but I don't think the ADSL2+ video will be competitive with cable. It just doesn't have enough margin." Video Compression for 15 Meg Service Since HDTV is nominally 19 megabits, compression is crucial. 40-60% of American homes will have HD-TV in a few years, including the most profitable customers. SBC's release claims "The Microsoft TV IPTV platform would make it possible to deliver standard-and high-definition TV programming to multiple TV sets in the home over an FTTN network while leaving ample bandwidth available for super high-speed broadband and Voice over IP (VoIP) services." That's making some very aggressive assumptions, including HDTV at 5 or 6 meg and SDTV at well under 2 meg. However, today's state of the art MPEG4 .264 or Windows Media Player requires 8-10 meg for full HDTV, live. That means you can't get two, much less three or four, signals across. I spoke directly with the folks designing industry-leading encoders, and they are far from their eventual goal of 6 meg with only a small sacrifice in quality. I've also looked at 6 meg WMP pre-encoded. To my uneducated eye, it looks great - but not nearly as good as the full HDTV NHK was showing a few feet away. I don't know whether someone watching a football championship will care about the difference between "very good" and "even better," but I'd hate to be competing selling video whose quality doesn't match. Only six million have HD-TV today, but the forecasts of forty to sixty million before SBC finishes the 5,000 foot build are likely correct. Costs are plummeting, and programming becoming common. Intel and TI are happy to project how their chips will drive prices lower, fast. Not many will have two or three HD sets initially, however, and Microsoft and Scientific Atlanta are working on some multiplexing tricks that may help at the 15 meg level. That said, if the bandwidth is reserved for video QOS for SBC's chosen content, other programming won't be able to get through. That's definitely not "super high-speed broadband" - and a direct attack on Powell's Four Freedoms and the End to End Principle that has built the internet. Think of the political impact if Vonage suddenly stopped working on SBC DSL lines. Nobody's talking, but that's a side effect of some of the current means to squeeze through selected video channels. Full DSL Prime issue at: http://www.dslprime.com/News_Articles/news_articles.htm ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. 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End of TELECOM Digest V23 #316 ****************************** From editor@telecom-digest.org Sun Jul 4 19:07:26 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.3) id i64N7Pr00608; Sun, 4 Jul 2004 19:07:26 -0400 (EDT) Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2004 19:07:26 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200407042307.i64N7Pr00608@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 #317 TELECOM Digest Sun, 4 Jul 2004 19:07:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 317 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Coca-Cola Cans as Security Threat (momo) Cable FM (was WFMT, WCPE, YUSA Lose Satellite Carriage) (Neil Mmclain) E-Time System is Solutions Provider For Prepaid Wireless E-PIN (B Burke) Re: MOS Calculation From Objective Data (Hank Karl) Re: Norbergence Offics Raided by FBI (Lisa Hancock) Re: Norbergence Offics Raided by FBI (Billy Bob) Re: Norbergence Offics Raided by FBI (Black Ninja) General Observation re: Norvergence (Mark Crispin) 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 are 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Momo Subject: Coca-Cola Cans as Security Threat Date: Sun, 04 Jul 2004 15:55:04 GMT Organization: Road Runner High Speed Online http://www.rr.com I clipped this from comp.risks and thought it might be worth discussion. Mo Date: Wed, 30 Jun 2004 08:48:23 -0400 From: "Dominey, Jack M, NEO" Subject: Coca-Cola Cans as Security Threat Following message forwarded by my boss. I wonder what they think of this at Coca Cola HQ? Subject: SCIF Security Advisory Security Managers: The Coca Cola Company has a summer game promotion running from 5/17 - 7/12/04 in all 50 states and the District of Columbia that has the capability to compromise classified information. The company has intermixed approximately 120 Coca-Cola cans that actually contain GPS locators equipped with a SIM card, keypad and GPS chip transponder so it functions as a cell phone and GPS locator. The cans are concealed in specially marked 12, 18, 20, or 24 can multi-packs of Coca-Cola Classic, Vanilla Coke, Cherry Coke and Caffeine Free Coke. The hi-tech Coke "Unexpected Summer" promotion can has a button, microphone, and a tiny speaker on the outside of the can. Pressing the larger red button starts the game in process, thus activating the GPS signal and a cell phone used by the customer to call a special hotline. Consumers who find these cans, activate the technology, and call the hot line must agree to allow Coke "search teams" using the GPS tracker (accurate to within 50 feet), to surprise them anyplace, anytime within three weeks to deliver a valuable prize. In accordance with DIA, no specific policy for this promotion will be issued. However, DISA employees with access to SCIFs should take a common sense approach and if one of these cans are found inside a SCIF, they should treat it as they would any two-way electronic device in a SCIF and remove it immediately. Until such time as this sales promotion ends and all 120 cans are accounted for, Coca-Cola packages should be opened and inspected before taking them into any area marked as a" Restricted Area" or classified meetings/discussions, etc. are in progress or have the potential to occur at any time. Scott Addis, Chief, SSO, Defense Information Systems Agency RISKS submission from Jack Dominey, AT&T Network Disaster Recovery ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 4 Jul 2004 08:10:21 -0600 From: nmclain@annsgarden.com Subject: Cable FM (was WFMT, WCPE, YUSA Lose Satellite Carriage) Pat wrote: > A question to those of you who know about FM radio carried on > cable: The tower is over on Oak Street, rather high. Exactly > *how* to they get in FM radio stations? The man told me they > have a crystal for 89.9 in a reciever there in the tower. Can > they only get what they have crystals for or is *any* station > on FM radio available over the cable (as far as improving its > reception is concerned, etc?) PAT] Apparently, CableOne uses "individually-processed" cable FM rather than "allband FM," so they have a separate FM processor for each station. They can only get what they have processors for. See