Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 14:13:55 -0500 (EST) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (Patrick A. Townson) Subject: March 1996 Industry Numbering Committee Meeting Here for your review over the weekend is a special report on the March, 1996 Industry Numbering Committee meeting which was held in New Orleans March 4 through 8. Digest participant Mark Cuccia attended the sessions and has prepared this report for the Digest. PAT Date: Thu, 14 Mar 1996 12:50:00 -0600 (CST) From: Mark J Cuccia Subject: March 1996 "INC" Meeting The monthly meeting of the Industry Numbering Committee (INC), one of the many industry forums, held its March 1996 meeting here in New Orleans. I was able to attend the sessions for all five days from Monday 4 March through Friday 8 March. The INC forum meets approximately once a month, each meeting being held in a different city in the NANP area (US, Canada or Caribbean). Most of the work done by the INC is to develop standards and guidelines regarding the telecommunications numbering plan and code assignments to be applied to the various telecommunications players in the NANP, and holds the discussions in a consensus process. Each day's meeting consisted of a morning session from 8:00 AM to 12:00 Noon with a one-hour break for Lunch, followed by an afternoon session from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. There were also breaks in the middle of each morning/afternoon session lasting approximately twenty minutes. Friday's meetings are always just a half-day session in the morning, beginning at 7:30 AM, and is basically a wrap-up of the previous four days. On Monday, both the morning and afternoon sessions dealt with drafting guidelines as to how to expand the ten-digit telephone number of the NANP into a longer length number, as the NANP is anticipated to exhaust its supply of three-digit area codes sometime in the second quarter of the 21st Century. The morning session primarily dealt with drafting the text of the guidelines document, such as definitions and preliminary language. The afternoon session looked at several options as to how to expand the length of a telephone number. However, these discussions only scratched the surface of studying these plans. More work on this will continue at forthcoming INC meetings. Tuesday morning's session regarded "Resource Management" which included the issue of the sale, warehousing and brokering of telephone numbers and codes. One frequent issue that comes up is the time period from when Bellcore NANPA assigns a number/code resource (such as a 10-XXX/101-XXXX/950-XXXX code, a 500-NXX code or a 555-XXXX line-number) to a carrier or entity and when that carrier actually implements the resource. Another issue is the reclaimation process by Bellcore when a carrier or entity doesn't ever use the code that they requested and were assigned. Tuesday afternoon's session regarded "Public Data". It has been proposed that there be a Special Area Code (SAC) reserved for SMDS and ATM packet data services. The "Central Office" NXX codes within this SAC would be assigned to packet data carriers, and six-digit translation would be performed by the originating end's local telco to determine which data carrier to route to/through, and even which switch of the data carrier. There was concern that an SMDS switch, which can only handle 1000 line-numbers, would leave 9000 line-numbers unassigned in a particular NXX c/o code. The NXX c/o codes would be dedicated exclusively to ATM or SMDS of a particular data carrier, although there wouldn't be a particular assignment pattern of key digits in the NXX code to determine automatically that the NXX code is SMDS or ATM. Wednesday morning's session was about CIC Assignments (10-XXX/101-XXXX and 950-XXXX codes). While there already are guidelines for such assignments, there is always some fine-tuning to be done, particularly in these changing times, i.e. the recently signed Telecommunications Bill, now Law. The afternoon session on Wednesday dealt with Local Number Portability. In my February INC mailing, there was a *draft* document on portability, and this session dealt with further fine-tuning of that document, as well as some discussion on the various options and proposals as to how the local (and other) telco networks will handle numbering and routing/switching in a competitive and portable environment. On Thursday, both the morning and afternoon sessions were entitled "NPA Workshop". I found this to be the most informative session of the week. There are several handouts for each day's sessions, and one of the handouts came from the NPA Code Administrator of Bellcore's NANPA. This was a "master-list" of *all* possible codes from 200 through 999 and as to how that area code has been assigned or reserved. More on that later! One of the issues discussed in the morning was the codes flagged as not available for assignment. I inquired as to why 976 wasn't removed from future assignment as an area code, as there could be customer confusion or hesitation to call a possible future 976 NPA. The basic response was that most likely no local telco would even want to request 976 as one of their new geographic POTS area codes in a future split/overlay, probably due to the stigma that 976 has carried as a pay-per-call special local c/o NXX code. By the way, 976 is not reseved at this time for a forthcoming specific geographic assignment, but rather reserved as a "general purpose" type area code, which could be assigned to one of several functions. Another issue on Thursday morning was that of the 88X codes being assigned to manual/ringdown non-dialable toll points for rating and billing purposes. Nothing was finalized here, although locations which have used 881-XXX and 888-XXX codes are being shuffled into other 88X code ranges, due to 888's use as the new additional toll-free area code, and 881's use as a "caller-pays" replace code to call area code 888 where the 888 holder didn't buy toll-free coverage from the caller's location. One suggestion was that all of these 1500+ such locations be placed in 886 and 887. The representative from Stentor in Canada also requested that 889 also continue to be used as the bulk of 889 locations are in Canada. Another suggestion was that these locations use 89X codes, as the N9X ranges of area codes are reserved for future expansion of a longer-than-ten-digit NANP number, and these codes won't be needed until around the middle of the next century. The INC will have to liason with the OBF (Ordering and Billing Forum) on this issue, as the OBF is concerned about identifying these non-dial locations in the billing/rating database. I mentioned that the 89X codes might present a problem to the OBF, as the international calling card number format begins "89", and that presently no "Bellcore/Stentor/LEC/AT&T" fourteen-digit standardized/inter-operable calling cards begin with 88X or 89X in the domestic format card number. I also mentioned that the OBF might want to consider using 0XX and/or 1XX codes as the initial digits to identify these non-dial points, since only the billing and rating database will use them as such, use of these codes shouldn't present a problem to customer dialing patterns or internal network automated switching/routing patterns. Of couse, those RAO (Revenue Accounting Office) codes which begin 0XX and 1XX would need to be changed to 6XX and 7XX respectively. RAO-based special account calling cards have already been using this mapping since as early as at least 1982. One other OBF concern is that of how identify Mexico in the billing/rating database. Presently there are no area codes in the 521 through 529 range. Mexico is *not* a part of the NANP, however Mexico's network interfaces with most of the NANP area on a "direct" or "domestic" basis rather than through an International Record Carrier. Calls to Mexico are usually based on mileage, and just about every dialable and non-dial point in Mexico is treated as a ratecenter and assigned a distinct and unique V&H co-ordinate. Mexico presently uses an eight-digit national number. Its internal city/area codes begin with any digit from 1 through 9. Its ITU/CCITT assigned country code is +52. The *billing/rating* database treats 521 through 529 as "pseudo" area codes for Mexico and the *full* telephone number as if it were a ten-digit NANP number. But the customer in the NANP dials Mexico on an international basis (011/01+52+). Mexico does have plans to modify their own numbering plan (I *don't* yet have any details), and the OBF and INC are trying to resolve as to how to identify Mexico's ratecenters without continuing to "hold-up" NANP assignment of area codes 521 through 529. Thursday's afternoon session was about the possibility of assigning a distinct area code for CMRS (Commercial Mobile Radio Service). This seems to be unlikely, as the opposing view was that future number portability might be compromised if there were a distinct NPA for wireless services. And didn't the FCC declare that forced wireless overlays were discrimination based on class-of-service? While Friday's half-day session was mostly wrapping-up what happened during the week and planning the agenda for future INC meetings, one issue discussed was about a verification number for determining one's primary (PIC'd) inTRA-LATA carrier for those areas where such primary choice ballotting is allowed. The most popular number is (HNPA)-700-4141. HNPA means "Home" NPA. The only problem is that some of these areas have had a local 700 prefix for regular service for some years. If 700 is to be used as a "special" local exchange, there *should* be widespread industry notification of its reservation as such. There were probably about fifty people who attended one or more sessions throughout the week. There were representatives from Bellcore, NECA (National Exchange Carriers' Association), USTA (formerly US *Independent* Telephone Association), ATIS (Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions) the "umbrella" organization for these industry forums, AT&T, MCI, Sprint (Long Distance Division), Stentor, Industry Canada, Nortel, AT&T Wireless, Lucent, Bell South, GTE Local, NYNEX, US West, Pac*Bell, Southwestern Bell, Bell Atlantic, and various cellular/paging/mobile entities. Also attending were representatives from the Governors' Offices of Telecommunications for Guam and the CNMI. There was also a representative from Cable & Wireless in the Cayman Islands. Some people represented various consulting and research organizations. There was even a representative from Judith Oppenheimer's ICB/Callbrand. We all sat at long cafeteria tables draped in table cloths, arranged in a long "U" shape. Many attendees had lap-tops to take notes. At the "open" end of the "U" was another table with an overhead transparency projector as well as the INC secretary and moderators taking notes. I had a chance to meet with various people during the breaks. I knew the names of many of these attendees since they are mentioned in the various INC mailings I receive. Some people I knew from previous telephone conversations. There were a few people who I'd never before spoken with on the phone although I knew their names from the INC mailings, but they knew me from my postings to this Digest over the past year! I asked some people about the 456 Special Area Code for International Inbound. Its main intended use is for switched 56 Kbps data on an inbound basis, although it *can* be used for other international inbound functions. I spoke with the Canadian attendees about the satellite mobile telephone service and was informed that Bell Canada and TMI (Telesat Mobile Inc) are going to provide the service. The eventual plan is for these phones to use the special Canadian 600 area code. Presently, the US cannot dial 600, and I doubt that Canadian POTS lines are able to dial 600 at this time. According to Dave Leibold's webpage, in the 600-NXX assignments (dated late 1994) provided by the Canadian Numbering Administrator of Industry Canada, TMI has 600-700, 600-701, 600-702. There are also codes 600-703 through 600-709 listed as "request pending". I would assume that Bellcore NANPA would issue an IL and that the ITU Operations Bulletin would make mention of 600 as a valid *dialable* area code before the time comes when these satellite mobile phones begin using NPA 600 for their inbound number. I also inquired about Yukon and the Northwest Territories. They will *probably* be assigned their own NPA code (splitting from parts of 403 and 819) before the end of the year. There are presently *NO* plans to split Prince Edward Island from its shared use of NPA 902 with Nova Scotia. I also had a chance to speak with the C&W Cayman Islands representative. He mentioned that they had originally requested 229 (CAY) for their own new NPA, but that it couldn't be assigned as it was already reserved for a forthcoming *specific* geographic split or overlay in the US or Canada, so the Caymans will *probably* be assigned 345 for its own NPA code. One of the handouts from Bellcore NANPA mentioned that the Cayman Islands, Dominica, Montserrat, and Trinidad & Tobago have all requested their *own* new area codes. One *particular* country has *not* made any move to split from 809. Most of us suspect that this is the Dominican Republic. There are five additional Caribbean countries or territories which have obtained NPA reservations but have not requested any particular assignment. Seven codes have been reserved so far for Caribbean assignment: 340, 345, 649, 664, 784, 868, 876. As for the US Pacific, 670 is reserved for the CNMI, 671 is reserved for Guam, and 684 is reserved for American Samoa. These possible future NPA's within the NANP (Country Code +1) are presently their ITU/CCITT Country Codes. There was no one representing American Samoa at the INC meeting. I asked the CNMI representative about American Samoa, and was informed that while American Samoa *should* become a part of the NANP (the US State Department has expressed a desire as such), American Samoa hasn't yet really followed through on their own. Most of the traffic to and from these three US Pacific areas is both amongst themselves and with the NANP, particularly the US mainland. The rates for these calls are presently billed as "international" but will probably become billed as "domestic" in the near future. These US Pacific territories are already using a seven-digit local number of the standard NXX-XXXX format, along with NANP/Bellcore format V&H co-ordinates, CLLI codes and RAO codes. These rating and routing types of codes were actually developed by AT&T Long-Lines many decades ago, prior to divestiture. Many of the participants have been involved with the telephone industry for several decades, and during the breaks I very much enjoyed discussing various historic and nostalgic aspects of telephony as it was prior to divestiture, such as exchange names, step-by-step trunkings, panel and crossbar switching, card-translator boxes for toll routings, three-slot payphones, TWX, old WECo/NE rotary dial telephones (models 202, 302, 500), etc. All-in-all, I had a *very* enjoyable and informative week, being in the presence of representatives of the various North American telecommunications entities and observing these now competing companies discussing telecom standards issues. It was at times a slow moving process, but I did get a chance to learn about some new developments in the NANP. And now, here are some details of how the future/new area codes are being categorized. Please remember that these lists *are* subject-to- changes! NPA FORMATS (as of February 1996): -Geographic Relief Codes- (179 codes) Codes reserved for assignment for *specific* geographic splits/overlays in the US or Canada, over the next ten to twenty years. -General Purpose Codes- (247 codes) Codes available for... Caribbean countries requesting their own NPA codes. Territories, etc. whose parent country is in the NANP. Countries not yet part of the NANP but desire to be a part. Special purposes/functions not requiring an Easy-to-Recognize code. Additional geographic splits/overlays in the US/Canada not requiring a *specific* geographic relief code. -Easy to Recognize Codes- (61 codes) Codes which may require a public marketing purpose and which are for a service that is national or NANP-wide in scope. These codes have an identical numerical in both the `B' and `C' digits. These codes are of the form: N00, N22, N33, N44, N55, N66, N77, N88. The codes 555 (unavailable for assignment) and 377 & 966 (reserved in the 37X and 96X blocks) are not included in this format. -Reserved for NANP Expansion- (80 codes) Codes of the form N9X are reserved for the purposes of expanding the NANP into a `longer-than-ten-digit' format, as the NANP ten-digit format will eventually exhaust, anticipated to occur sometime in the 2nd Quarter of the 21st Century. -Not Available for Assignment- (10 codes) These are held from assignment due to confusion with `special local central office codes' or local three-digit service codes. N11, 555, 950 -Reserved for future special use- (20 codes) Two blocks of ten *consecutive* codes are being reserved if some future need requires assignment of a *block* of ten *consecutive* codes. The 37X and 96X blocks have been reserved for such. -Mexico- (7 codes) Due to billing and cellular roaming concerns, the 521 thru 529 block are being held back from assignment. At this time, Mexico is not a part of the NANP. It has ITU Country Code +52, and uses a full internal national number of eight digits. Its internal area codes begin with any possible digit 1 thru 9. However, 523 is reserved by Bellcore as a geographic relief code for the US or Canada, and 522 is expected to be eventually used for an additional PCS Special Area Code. -Manual/Ringdown Non-Dial Toll Points- (NDTP) (5 codes) There are some 1500+ locations in the US, Canada, Alaska and the Caribbean as well as Mexico which are in remote or isolated rural areas. Calls to and from these locations *must* still be placed thru the Operator. For billing purposes, each location is assigned its own V & H co-ordinates, as each location is a unique ratecenter. The billing system needs a unique code to identify each one of these ratecenter locations. Traditionally, codes of the format 88X-XXX have been used. The codes *had* been used as follows: 881, 882, 883, 885 - Mexico 886, 887, 888, 889 - US, Alaska, Canada, Caribbean (880 and 884 have not been used for identifying such points) When 888 became the second toll-free area code, NDTP's which were identified with 888-XXX have had to be relocated to *other* 88X codes ranges. And those Mexican NDTP's which used 881-XXX likewise have had to be relocated to *other* 88X code ranges, since 881 has been assigned to "Caller-Pays" when calling toll-free 888 numbers not available from the caller's location. The present NANPA "Status of NPA" lists 883, 885, 886, 887 and 889 as "Hold for NDTP". 880 has been assigned as "Caller-Pays" when calling toll-free 800 number not available from the caller's location. 882 as a "General Purpose Code", and 884 as a "Geographic Relief Code". The INC's short-term consenus solution is to move the NDTP's into 886 and 887, and *possibly* even 889. It is presently unclear if there will be dedicated 88X codes for Mexico and others for US/Canada/Caribbean. -US Pacific Islands- (3 codes) The following locations presently have their own ITU country codes, but they are requesting admission into the NANP. If they do become a part, they are to return their existing country code assignment back to the ITU, as they will become a part of the NANP, Country Code +1. Their old country codes will then become their area codes within the NANP. 670 Commonwealth of the Northern Marianna Islands (CNMI) 671 Guam 684 American Samoa -Caribbean- (7 codes) At this point in time, the following are being reserved for assignment to *specific* Caribbean locations which are splitting from 809. There are no *specific/official* geographic Caribbean assignments announced yet, however. 340, 345, 649, 664, 784, 868, 876 GEOGRAPHIC RELIEF NPA CODES (as of February 1996): (179 Codes total) The following NXX combinations have been reserved for NPA purposes to be assigned to *specific* geographic NPA splits/overlays anticipated to occurr in the US and Canada over the next ten to twenty years. There are no specific geographic assignments indicated here, however, although the following NPA codes on Steve Grandi's list (grandi@noao.edu) but yet to be "officially" announced by Bellcore NANPA (either by IL or on their webpage) do come from this list of codes- 626 splitting 818 in CA 760 splitting 619 in CA 781 splitting/overlaying 617 in MA 843 splitting 803 in SC 978 splitting/overlaying 508 in MA And 850 which was originally supposed to split 904 in FL is part of this list. The actual code which split 904 in December 1995 was 352. We have also seen the announcement of the forthcoming split of 513 in Ohio with 937 being assigned to the Dayton OH area. 937 is indicated here as a "Geographic Relief Code". These codes were *CAREFULLY* selected and co-ordinated by the NPA code administrator of Bellcore NANPA and the various local Central Office NXX code administrators from around the US and Canada, as well as the annual COCUS (Central Office Code Utilization Survey), While we don't yet know *where* each actual code will be assigned, these codes were selected so that a forthcoming split/overlay won't have the new NPA code using the same numericals of an existing Central Office NXX code in the old or new NPA. (Of course, if overlays and mandatory ten-digit local dialing were enforced, this wouldn't be a problem!) *THIS LISTING IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE* 223 323 420 523 620 720 820 920 228 424 621 724 828 921 229 332 425 530 626 727 923 335 531 627 830 925 230 337 430 535 628 730 831 928 231 431 537 732 832 235 341 432 636 734 835 930 237 347 435 545 638 736 839 931 239 437 932 350 439 550 640 740 840 936 240 351 551 641 742 842 937 249 354 440 552 647 749 843 443 557 648 845 940 251 361 445 559 750 848 942 252 369 448 650 751 945 253 560 651 752 850 946 254 383 457 563 654 856 949 256 458 567 760 258 660 761 861 951 460 570 661 765 865 952 260 461 571 669 953 261 464 572 779 870 956 265 469 578 676 957 267 579 678 780 884 958 470 679 781 959 270 474 580 783 271 475 583 686 785 971 981 478 584 789 973 983 280 589 974 984 285 481 975 986 482 978 989 484 979 GENERAL PURPOSE NPA CODES (as of February 1996): (247 Codes total) The following NXX combinations have been set aside for assignment to such: - Caribbean countries requesting their own area codes; - Territories, etc. which desire to join the NANP if their parent country is a part; - Countries not presently a part of the NANP but request admission; - Special purposes/functions which do not require an "Easy-to-Recognize" form code; - Additional splits/overlays in the US or Canada which don't require *specific* geographic relief codes. *THIS LISTING IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE* 220 321 421 532 623 721 821 924 221 324 426 534 624 723 823 926 224 325 427 536 625 725 824 927 225 326 428 538 629 726 825 929 226 327 429 539 728 826 227 328 631 729 827 934 329 434 542 632 829 935 232 436 543 634 731 938 234 331 438 546 635 735 834 939 236 336 547 637 737 836 238 338 442 548 639 738 837 943 339 446 549 739 838 947 241 447 642 948 243 342 449 553 643 741 841 245 343 554 645 743 846 976 247 346 450 556 646 745 849 248 348 451 558 746 980 349 452 652 747 851 982 257 453 564 653 748 852 985 259 353 454 565 656 853 987 356 459 568 657 753 854 262 357 569 658 754 857 263 358 462 659 756 858 264 359 463 574 759 859 269 465 575 662 362 467 576 663 762 862 272 363 468 665 763 863 273 364 581 667 764 867 274 365 471 582 668 767 275 367 472 585 768 871 276 368 476 586 672 769 872 278 479 587 673 873 279 380 674 771 874 381 480 675 772 875 282 382 483 774 878 283 384 485 680 775 879 286 385 486 681 776 287 386 487 682 778 882 289 387 489 683 389 685 782 687 786 689 Anyone wishing to receive mailings of the minutes notes of the INC's monthly meetings can contact: INC - Secretary c/o Bellcore 3 Corporate Place Piscataway NJ 08854 (USA) or fax: 908-336-3640 MARK J. CUCCIA PHONE/WRITE/WIRE: HOME: (USA) Tel: CHestnut 1-2497 WORK: mcuccia@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu |4710 Wright Road| (+1-504-241-2497) Tel:UNiversity 5-5954(+1-504-865-5954)|New Orleans 28 |fwds on no-answr to Fax:UNiversity 5-5917(+1-504-865-5917)|Louisiana(70128)|cellular/voicemail