Telecom/1996-04-telecom-walnutcreek.iso/back.issues/1995.volume.15/vol15.iss151-200

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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
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To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #151

TELECOM Digest     Thu, 16 Mar 95 19:52:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 151

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Delrina Primes Communications Software Market With Free Products (J Bzoza)
    Help Needed on Toll-Fraud/Hacking (Rick J. Dosky)
    Communications Software Help Needed (Arthur Anderson)
    AT&T Consent Decree Information Wanted (K. Camel)
    Telecom Professional Organizations and Magazines (Brian Smith)
    Magnet in Cell Phone Dangerous to Laptop? (Jeffrey A. Porten)
    Recommendations For Good Primer on Telecom Technologies (Jim Renzas)
    Telecom Analyst/Administrator Job Description (Robert Bleiler)
    Newstream Pager Information Wanted (Huang Zhengqian)
    Impact of Satellite on Indonesian Society (Olivier Vandeloo)
    Bandwidth Question (Martha Marin)
    GE Phone + SWBT = No Caller ID? (William E. Hope)
    Useful Community Service (Jerry Leichter)
    Telecommunication in China (Tom Dedecker)
    Looking For "Help Desk" System (Mark J. Sullivan)
    Caller ID Signaling in Europe (John W. Pan)
    Telephony Demand Estimates - Any Clues? (John Bachmann)
    Help with inverted phone book cd-rom (Carmen Oveissi)
    Information Wanted on Datacom Technologies Inc. (John Dearing)
    Optical Wave Analyzer (Bruce Roberts)
    Re: Last Laugh! Technology Notes (John J. Butz)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Jack Bzoza <[e-mail]>
Subject: Delrina Primes Communications Software Market With Free Products
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 95 10:06:00 PST


Plans Distribution of WinComm LITE<tm> and Full-Featured FreeComm<tm> for
DOS through 50,000 Bulletin Boards

SAN JOSE, CA and TORONTO, ONT -- March 16, 1995 -- Delrina Corporation
(NASDAQ:DENAF, TSE:DC), today announced a campaign to prime the market
with free versions of its award winning on-line communications
software for Windows<tm> and DOS.  Delrina will distribute free
versions of WinComm LITE for Windows and the full-featured FreeComm,
an on-line communications package for DOS that competes with
Datastorm+s Procomm Plus<tm> for DOS, to more than 50,000 bulletin
boards (BBS) in North America.  The product license grants users free
unrestricted use of the software to introduce them to Delrina+s
full-featured products: WinComm PRO<tm> and Communications Suite<tm>.
Delrina is offering special upgrade pricing from either FreeComm or
WinComm LITE to WinComm PRO for only $49.95 ($65.95 Cdn) or to
Communications Suite for $89.95 ($119.95 Cdn).

Both WinComm LITE and FreeComm are on-line communications software
packages that enable users to connect to on-line services (such as
CompuServe and MCI Mail) and bulletin board systems.  They provide
users with the facility to upload and download files using Xmodem,
Ymodem, Zmodem, and CompuServe B+ protocols, and include support for
the most common terminal emulations (VT52/100, ANSI, TTY and
CompuServe).  While WinComm LITE does not include all the features and
capabilities of the retail product, WinComm PRO, it sports the same
icon based graphical user interface that has set the standard for
ease-of-use in Windows communications packages.  FreeComm for DOS, on
the other hand, is the full-featured product akin to WinComm PRO,
which Delrina is licensing to users for free.

"We are very enthusiastic about the products we have developed and we
believe that users will share in that excitement once they try our
software," said Marc Camm, general manager, Desktop Communications
business unit at Delrina.  "This promotion is designed to give the
on-line community a risk-free sample of what we+re doing with our
communications software, and to raise the level of awareness that
Delrina is a serious long term player committed to this market.  We+re
confident that users will find these products extremely useful, and
will feel encouraged to upgrade to our full-featured Windows
communications product WinComm PRO," added Camm.

WinComm LITE and FreeComm will both be immediately available for
download through CRS Online at [phone] or [phone].
Delrina recently acquired CRS Online, and the launch of WinComm LITE
and FreeComm is the first promotion it is doing through the bulletin
board service.  Over the next few days Delrina will also place copies
of the programs on its technical support BBS at [phone], and
its forum on CompuServe (GO DELRINA).  Through the CRS Online
connection, however, Delrina expects copies of the software to reach
thousands of other BBS+s within several days.

Since both WinComm LITE and FreeComm will be distributed freely
through the on-line community -- a fairly sophisticated and computer
literate group -- Delrina will not provide free technical support, but
will encourage users to upgrade to one of the Windows products
(WinComm PRO or Communications Suite) for which free technical support
is provided.  Delrina does not plan to upgrade FreeComm for DOS with
further DOS versions.

Delrina Corporation designs, develops, markets and supports innovative
PC software products and services in the fax, data and voice communica-
tions, electronic forms, and consumer software markets.  Founded in
1988, the Company is ranked in sales among the top fifteen software
publishers in North America and is recognized as the worldwide leader
in PC fax and forms.

Delrina employs more than 600 people with offices in Toronto and Ottawa,
Canada; San Jose, CA; Kirkland, WA; Washington, DC; Lexington, MA; the
United Kingdom; France; and Germany.

Press Contact:
Shelly Sofer, Delrina Corp. [phone]
Internet: [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Rick J. Dosky)
Subject: Help Needed on Toll-Fraud/Hacking
Date: 16 Mar 1995 17:39:17 GMT
Organization: Wisconsin Internet Services


I have recently been given the task of discovering ways to prevent
toll-fraud/hacking. I need as much information as possible. I know
that there are several different approaches. I am interestid in
hearing about all of them.

If any one can offer some helpful hints they will be appreciated!


Thanks!

Rick Dosky ([e-mail])    The Limited, Columbus, OH


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: This is an awfully large order. It can
go on and on and on ... and has here in these columns many times in
the past. In order to zero in intelligently on this, why not give us
an idea of your particular application; *what kind* of system or network
are you going to attempt to protect?   Since we cannot save the whole
world, however desirable that may or may not be, let's concentrate on
protecting a part of it. Now you tell us what's needed. Are there any
specifics, or are we just talking theories here?     PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Arthur Anderson)
Subject: Communications Software Help Wanted
Date: 16 Mar 1995 17:39:18 GMT
Organization: Philadlephia's Complete Internet Provider


To help a friend make the leap into computers and internet, I recently
dragged my old 8088 PC out of the closet and pluged in an old 2400
baud modem i had lying arround. The hardware is fine, but this
prehistoric configuration doesn't have a hard drive and i cant find
any communications software which works off the 5 1/4 inch floppy
drives.

If anyone knows of some no-frills communications software that might
work in this environment, please-please-please e-mail me at
[e-mail] (any help would be greatly appreciated).


Thanks,

Arthur

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (KCamel)
Subject: AT&T Consent Decree
Date: 16 Mar 1995 09:43:42 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (KCamel)


I am looking for Internet access to the 1982 AT&T Consent Decree which
divested MaBell and created the RBOCs.  Please e-mail information to
[e-mail].

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Brian Smith)
Subject: Telecom Professional Organizations and Magazines
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 1995 17:05:27 -0500
Organization: NSC Technologies


Hello,

I am new to the InterNet. I am looking for suggestions of professional
telecommunication groups to join, newsgroups on the Net, and professional
journals or magazines. I am a consultant working with AT&T PBX systems.
Any help or suggestions would be great!


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Welcome to the net. You seem to have
stumbled into the right place for telecom discussions, and I expect if
you hang around you'll meet many telecom professionals here.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jeffrey A. Porten)
Subject: Magnet in Cell Phone Dangerous to Laptop?
Date: 16 Mar 1995 01:11:30 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania


First, thanks to all who answered my scanner question. Now, for number
two:

I finally broke down and got that cell phone today, a Motorola Microtac
550.  The idea is to throw it into the shoulder bag and have it when I
need it; it's a walk-around phone, since I don't have a car.

So, having signed the contract, I read in the manual, "there's a magnet
in the phone, so don't expose for long periods of time to magnetic
media."  Off I go to the 800 number, to ask how strong the magnet is.

Their first response: "duhhhh..."

Second response: "I talked to the tech people.  It's a small magnet,
about a quarter inch long.  It's there to close the flip.  The width of
the phone and battery is enough to block the field, but of course we
can't be sure."

So ... I'm assuming that I'm not the first person in the world to
throw the MicroTac into a laptop bag.  I'm wondering if anyone has any
information about whether this is dangerous in practice?  I'll be
keeping the phone in a pocket on the other side from the laptop, of
course.


Thanks again,

Jeff

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 15 Mar 1995 17:23:12 -0800
From: [e-mail] (Jim Renzas)
Subject: Recommendations For Good Primer on Telecom Technologies


I need to get a copy of a good primer on emerging telecom technologies,
so that I can get a basic explanation of what each telecom technology
does and how it is used.  I work in the real estate industry and often
have to work with companies that are seeking access to specific
technologies as a pre-requisite to the selection of a new location.
If you or one of your correspondents could recommend a soure, I would
appreciate it.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Robert Bleiler)
Subject: Telecom Analyst/Administrator Job Description
Date: 16 Mar 1995 11:08:00 GMT
Organization: Netcom


A new job responsibility requires that I develop a description for a
position that is presently filled, but needs the kind of direction that
would be provided by an official job description.

The job title is Telecom Administrator and involves, primarily, the
design and implementation of Call Control Tables for our company-owned
ACD (Aspect). Duties range from the previously mentioned responsibility
for CCT's and general call routing to interfacing with the human element
of the system (various project managers at one end and system users at
the other) and satisfying, using the system's many capabilities, their
communication needs.

I am in the process of capturing, on paper, the duties presently
performed by the individual filling the position, but could definately
benefit from the help of any kind souls who have already accomplished
the task. It sure would help to be able to compare what I come up with -
a description of our reality - to other (accepted) realities!

Any help, suggestions, or examples would be greatly appreciated!


Bob Bleiler

[e-mail]    206 728-1883 (FAX)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (HUANG Zhengqian)
Subject: Newstream Pager Information Wanted
Organization: Department of Computer Science, The University of Hong Kong
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 1995 13:27:04 GMT


Hi,

Does anybody know what is "Newstream Advanced Information Receiver"
(pager)? Is it connected to computer? RS-232?


HUANG Zhengqian

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (VANDELOO OLIVIER)
Subject: Impact of Satellite on Indonesian Society
Date: 16 Mar 1995 13:42:50 GMT
Organization: Brussels Free Universities (VUB/ULB), Belgium


Hello,

I'm looking for information about the impact of satellite technology
on Indonesian society. Is the use of the Indonesian Satellite system
(Palapa) a step forward for the rural development of Indonesia? If you
have articles about this subject or other useful information, please
let me know.


Thank You!

[e-mail] (VANDELOO OLIVIER)
Student Communicatiewetenschappen
Vrije Universiteit Brussel

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (MARTHA MARIN)
Subject: Bandwidth Question
Date: 16 Mar 1995 14:21:19 GMT
Organization: Netcom


Advice, suggestions and contacts most gratefully received.

We are looking for the best option that would allow us to lease a
specific bandwidth from a long distance carrier and increase it any
time as needed for video conferencing in intermitent periods. We are
looking for good performance at modic prices.


Thanks and greetings,

[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (William E. Hope)
Subject: GE Phone + SWBT = No Caller ID?
Date: 16 Mar 1995 14:39:20 GMT
Organization: Texas Instruments, Inc.  Dallas, TX
Reply-To: [e-mail]


Thanks to those who replied.  I called the SWBT Service folks again
and this time I got someone who was interested in helping me.  She
patiently listened to the whole story and decided to run a line test.
After a few minutes she called back and told me that my line was
crossed with another line and that the Caller Id was susceptible to
line noise and problems.

I suspect that my line was damaged by a lightning strike across the street
a few years back that took out a couple of pieces of my equipment.  Since
the phone still worked, I didn't think to get it checked then.


Thanks again.

Bill Hope      DSEG Software Automation
Texas Instruments, Inc.    email: [e-mail]
voice: 214.995.5618

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 15 Mar 95 08:27:19 EDT
From: Jerry Leichter <[e-mail]>
Subject: Useful Community Service


An article in the {New York Times} a couple of weeks back contained an
interesting story.  MFS, an alternate dial-tone provider in New York
City, has started a charitable program in which they provide voice
mailboxes for homeless people.  Quotes from some of the recipients
indicate that they have found this an extremely valuable service: If
you are looking for a job, not being able to give a phone number where
you can be reached is a killer.  Giving the phone number of the
shelter where you are staying sounds great, but a call answered with
"XYZ Shelter" pretty much kills your job prospects.  At least for the
people interviewed, the voice mailbox led to a job.

[Given the atmosphere on the net: No one so far, least of all me, is
suggesting that providing "lifeline voice mailboxes" should be a
government program or a legal requirement.  What MFS is doing is
old-fashioned charity, and deserves nothing but praise.]


Jerry

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (DEDECKER TOM)
Subject: Information Wanted About Telecommunications in China
Date: 15 Mar 1995 14:32:50 GMT
Organization: Brussels Free Universities (VUB/ULB), Belgium


Hello, I am a student at the Free University of Brussels and I am writing
a paper about telecommunication development in China. I need information
about the Chinese policy and why it is important for them. If you know
something about it please mail it to me.


Thank you,

[e-mail]
(DEDECKER TOM) Student Communicatiewetenschappen Vrije Universiteit
Brussel

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mark J. Sullivan)
Subject: Looking For "Help Desk" System
Date: 15 Mar 1995 15:12:09 GMT
Organization: DePaul University, Chicago Il.


I am interested in a computer-based phone help-desk system to assist
in the selling of a product.  In general, I would like to support five
phone attendants with voice mail and fax back capability.  I would
also like it to be expandable.  I would like to deal with an integrator
in the Chicago area or, alternatively, I would like to be able to observe
the operations of a satisfied customer with a similar system in the Chicago
area.  I have more details on desired system features that I would be
happy to email to anyone who thinks they may have a package that would
meet my needs.  I am currently preparing the budget.  I won't be in a
position to buy until June.


Thank you,

Mark Sullivan  [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (JohnWPan)
Subject: Caller ID Signaling in Europe
Date: 15 Mar 1995 11:02:19 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (JohnWPan)


>> Alexis Kasperavicius <[e-mail]> wrote:

>> Caller ID is not sent as a DTMF string.

>> In article <3jbuu3$[e-mail]>,
>> Yes, it is, in Sweden.

> [e-mail] (Hendrik Rood)
> In article <3jnf17$[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Goran Edvardsson)
> wrote:
> And also in the Netherlands :=)

And also in Germany.

At least some European countries choose DTMF as means to send Caller
ID, rather than the U.S. standard of 1200 baud FSK.  The advantage is
that the DTMF coded Caller ID can be sent BEFORE the first ring.  Thus
the called party in those countries, unlike us, need not wait four
more seconds for the Caller ID.  The disadvantage is of course slower
signaling speed, adequate for now but constraining if you want name
and number.

I have seen pizza parlor operators in the U.S. frustrated over having
to wait for Caller ID before answering the phone or deal with crank
calls.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (JOBACHMANN)
Subject: Telephony Demand Estimates - Any Clues?
Date: 15 Mar 1995 13:24:57 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (JOBACHMANN)


I am getting confused by the various demand estimates and suggestions
I am reading.

Take mobile/cellular/GSM services in high GDP counties:  is the current
Swedish statistic of 98 GSM subscribers per 1000 population the saturation
point?  Or is a full 80%, as BIS has suggested, which "is interested in
wireless communication"?

In lesser developed counties, both mobile and lines compete for the
same market.  China is generally described as a huge market, which
over 15 companies/consortiums are currently addressing, so that the
1993 (e.g.  Shanghai) penetration of 11 per 100 has gone to 25-plus
per 100 now.  The point that many future market estimate reports seem
to miss is that the Asian targets 1) are currently being addressed and
2) will have competition from Beijing Marine Communications, Indosat,
Inmarsat-P, etc etc, 3) are unstable, i.e. China and Indonesia could
forbid certain foreign companies to operate within their borders.
With this in mind, what will the real demand, both fulfilled and
unfulfilled, will be like in 1998?

I appreciate any thoughts, references or discussion on this.


Regards,

John Bachmann   NY, NY    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Carmen  Oveissi <[e-mail]>
Subject: Help With Inverted Phone Book CD-Rom
Organization: uva
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 1995 20:01:58 GMT


Hi, if you happen to have this CD-rom for residential numbers, please
mail me.  I need some help with something.

Thanks a million for any input!!!!


Carmen Oveissi * [e-mail]
(v) 982-5440 * (f) 982-5473

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (John Dearing)
Subject: Information Wanted on Datacom Technologies Inc.
Date: 15 Mar 1995 20:55:55 GMT
Organization: Philadlephia's Complete Internet Provider


I'm looking for the address or phone number (or E-mail address) of a
company called:

Datacom Technologies Inc.

They manufacture data communications test equipment and I'm interested
in one of their BERT sets. The only info I have is from a catalog and
they won't give me the address or phone number of the manufacturer. 8-(

E-mail or followups greatly appreciated.


John Dearing  [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bruce Roberts)
Subject: Optical Wave Analyzer
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 1995 18:15:00 GMT
Organization: The Great Escape - Gardena, CA - [phone]


For some unknown reason our test equipment folks have decided that we
need an optical wave analyzer as part of our field service kit.  We
don't think we need one and would appreciate comments, pro or con, to
help resolve this.  Thanks in advance,


TTFN -br-

Bruce Roberts, [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 16 Mar 95 09:45:25 EST
From: [e-mail] (John J Butz)
Subject: Re: Last Laugh! Technology Notes


[e-mail] writes:

> I keep wondering how my children will be affected by these changes.
> Then my six year old nephew visited my parents.  He found an old
> typewriter, pulled it out and began typing...
>    LOAD "GAMES", 8,1

Wait a minute ... isn't this the syntax for the commodore "VIC 20"
command line interpreter, circa 1981?  Where device type=8 (cassette
player) and device number = 1 (cassette number 1).

I still have my Apple IIe (aka "Mr Chips").  It's amazing the magic
accomplished by software developers of that era with only 64K of
memory and the whopping horse power provided by the Motorola 6502.  My
207 Meg drive has been rendered obsolete by MS Office, while ten years
ago, AppleWorks provided a mouse driven, integrated word processor,
database and spreadsheet using only 10 Megs.  Does anyone remember
"disk cracker," guaranteed to copy a disk in ten seconds or less?


J Butz    AT&T-GCCS Service SW Development    [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Sure I remember the VIC-20! We owners of
OSI (Ohio Scientific, Inc) models C-1-P used to laugh at the VIC-20
guys. Then when I got my Apple ][+ I would laugh at the guys with the
Radio Shack TRS-80 machines. And none of us had the vaguest notion
where all this would get us ... <sad smile> ... the first BBS in the
*world* was here in Chicago in 1979, operated by Randy Seuss and Ward
Christianson. I used it a lot, as did all of the few people who had a
modem. 110 baud ... <grin> ... that modem cost me a couple hundred
dollars. Then Hayes came out with their 300 baud Smart Modem. I still
have it around here somewhere. About the same time Bill Blue was putting
together a BBS called "People's Message System" for Apple computers. I
was the 'sysop' for the Chicago Public Library BBS, a book/movie review
and social commentary system for about a year, and in the process developed
a BBS of my own called Lakeshore Modem Magazine which was a social commentary/
discussion system with calendars of events for classical music programs in
the area.

I first had a membership in Compuserve in 1980 *before* they had the
'CB Simulator' program, let alone three different machines for it to
handle the overflow on weekends ... <giggling> ... in those days CIS
actually thought people would pay $9 per hour to read the news and
weather reports and use the Grolier's Encyclopedia on line. Then a guy
working for CIS said how about let's experiment with a product where
users can chat on line with other users. Everyone laughed at him;
thought him quite the fool.  They said no one would be interested in
anything like that; they call in here to do research in the encyclopedia
and to get the latest news and market updates, and to send email to
our other subscribers (what few of them there were). But he persisted,
and they decided to try 'CB Simulator' on a trial basis for a few
months, if only so they could prove him wrong.  Remember, we were just
coming out of the 'real' Citizens Band rage, and they thought the name
would be fitting.

In a few months they had 50-75 people on there at a time on weekends, and
the software bugs were aplenty:  a backup machine was available and when
'CB would crash' and dump the whole congregation rudely off line and
back their local nodes, within seconds you'd see the mob come back in
and go to the standby machine. Then anywhere from a minute to thirty minutes
later someone would announce 'CB is back up' and everyone would vanish from
the overflow machine. One night -- I guess 1983 or so -- I was on the
overflow machine (it was a lot quieter there all the time, none of the
constant paging and the 'are you m/f how old?' questions on the other side.
Just three or four of us sitting there chatting ... all of a sudden all
kinds of people writing messages we see flowing past on the screen; a
look at the user log shows ten people where there had been just three a
couple minutes earlier. Another pass of the user log, seconds later showed
about twenty people there ... what's going on, one of us asked; where are
all these people coming from?  "Oh," says one of the newcomers, "CB crashed
again; the third time today; everyone is probably logging on over here
until it gets back up."  In those days the main CB machine was divided into
channels like now, but as it got more crowded all the 'adult' channels
eventually were moved to the standby machine and yet a third machine was
put in for standby purposes. Now the standby machine is actually used as
an adult overflow: last weekend at one point there were over a *thousand*
people in chat all at one time on the three machines, with the teens having
about 60 users on their 'channel' and the gay people with about 70 users
on their channel. Routinely the adult machine reaches its maximum capacity
early on Friday night and stays maxed out until Sunday night, with the
late-comers going to the overflow machine. From Compuserve CB came all the
imitators, the America OnLine Chat Rooms, IRC and all the others.

We thought we were really hot stuff back in 1980 ... with our Apples and
our VIC-20s and our TRS-80's from Radio Shack, aka 'Trash 80'. Who could
have imagined all this?   So when was the last time *you* logged into
Compuserve to use the encyclopedia?    <g>      PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #151
******************************


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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #152

TELECOM Digest     Fri, 17 Mar 95 09:05:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 152

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    UCLA Short Course: "Fuzzy Logic, Chaos, and Neural Networks" (W. R. Goodin)
    GTE (GTD-5) ISDN is Coming (Lauren Weinstein)
    Wireless, Extra Phone Outlets (Morten Haugen)
    RFP for Telephone Switch Maintenance (Paul Sharp)
    Looking For Information on Automated Teller Machines (wwarshowsk1@vaxa)
    Conformance Testing of IS-54 IS-41 (Liqun Yang)
    Information Wanted on ITI/Oncor ([e-mail])
    Re: Wanted: International Phone Directories (Ray Normandeau)
    Re: PBS Rumors and Innuendo: Any Truth? (Jim Vishoot)
    Re: PBS Rumors and Innuendo: Any Truth? (David Ofsevit)
    Re: Citizens in Support of Public Broadcasting (Matt Noah)
    Re: Number Assignment Psychology (Stan Schwartz)
    Re: Jake Baker Released on Bond Pending Trial (Atri Indiresan)
    Re: New NPA for Houston TX (Kyle Rhorer)
    Re: More on Hong Kong's Internet Debacle ([e-mail])
    Re: More on Hong Kong (Henry Leininger)
    Re: Help: E Telco Step-by-Step Switch (Patton M. Turner)
    Re: Pair Gain Line Problem (Patton M. Turner)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (William R. Goodin)
Subject: UCLA Short Course: "Fuzzy Logic, Chaos, and Neural Networks"
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 1995 19:01:43
Organization: UCLA Extension


On May 22-24, 1995, UCLA Extension will present the short course,
"Fuzzy Logic, Chaos, and Neural Networks: Principles and Applications",
on the UCLA campus in Los Angeles.

The instructor is Harold Szu, PhD, Research Physicist, Washington,
DC., and Past President of International Neural Network Society (INNS).

This course presents the principles and applications of several
different but related disciplines -- neural networks, fuzzy logic,
chaos -- in the context of pattern recognition, control of engineering
tolerance imprecision, and the prediction of fluctuating time series.
Since research into these areas has contributed to the understanding
of human intelligence, researchers have dramatically enhanced their
understanding of fuzzy neural systems and in fact may have discovered
the "Rosetta stone" to decipher and unify these intelligence functions.
For example, complex neurodynamic patterns may be understood and
modelled by Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) governed by fixed-point
attractor dynamics in terms of a Hebbian learning matrix among bifurcated
neurons.  Each node generates a low-dimensional bifurcation cascade towards
the chaos but together they form collective ambiguous outputs; e.g., a
fuzzy set called the Fuzzy Membership Function (FMF).  This feature
becomes particularly powerful for real-world applications in signal
processing, pattern recognition and/or prediction/control.

The course delineates the difference between the classical sigmoidal
squash function of the typical neuron threshold logic and the new
N-shaped sigmoidal function having a "piecewise negative logic" that
can generate a Feigenbaum cascade of bifurcation outputs of which the
overall envelope is postulated to be the triangle FMF.  The course
also discusses applications of chaos and collective chaos for
spatio-temporal information processing that has been embedded through
an ANN bifurcation cascade of those collective chaotic outputs
generated from piecewise negative logic neurons.  These chaotic
outputs learn the FMF triangle-shape with a different degree of
fuzziness as defined by the scaling function of the multiresolution
analysis (MRA) used often in wavelet transforms.  Another advantage of
this methodology is information processing in a synthetic nonlinear
dynamical environment.  For example, nonlinear ocean waves can be
efficiently analyzed by nonlinear soliton dynamics, rather than
traditional Fourier series.  Implementation techniques in chaos ANN
chips are given.

The course covers essential ANN learning theory and the elementary
mathematics of chaos such as the bifurcation cascade route to chaos
and the rudimentary Fuzzy Logic (FL) for those interdisciplinary
participants with only basic knowledge of the subject areas.  Various
applications in chaos, fuzzy logic, and neural net learning are
illustrated in terms of spatiotemporal information processing, such
as:

 --Signal/image de-noise
 --Control device/machine chaos
 --Communication coding
 --Chaotic heart and biomedical applications.

For additional information and a complete course description,
please contact Marcus Hennessy at:
[phone]
[phone]  fax
[e-mail]

or Dr. Harold Szu directly for questions regarding course content:
[phone]
[phone]  fax
[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 16 Mar 95 18:52 PST
From: [e-mail] (Lauren Weinstein)
Subject: GTE (GTD-5) ISDN is Coming


Greetings.  To my considerable surprise given previously available
information, I've learned from the data folks at GTE California that
widespread ISDN implementation in their GTD-5 service areas will be
rolling out this year.  This is surprising since previously I had been
led to believe that not only would ISDN service not be supported
directly through GTD-5 switches, but that no plans for backhauling
ISDN into those areas had been made.

Apparently, this has all changed.  For example, parts of the West Los
Angeles area served by GTD-5 switches are slated for ISDN on 9/1,
including remote RSUs served by those switches.  There seems to be a
general (no pun intended) plan to widely provide ISDN in those areas
through what GTE is calling "overlays".

I also obtained the rate information.  While I don't have the numbers
here with me, it appears that ISDN will be between two and three times
more expensive per month (though a similar cost to install) for GTE
customers than for area Pacific Bell customers.  *Roughly*, the
monthly charges would seem to be in the $40-$50 range if the customer
is within 14K feet of the CO, plus another $22/mo or so if past that
distance (for additional equipment).  I'm not sure if the interstate
line access charge is included in those numbers or not.  There is a
small differential (about $5/mo) between residential and business ISDN
monthly rates.  Business ISDN calls would be charged at conventional
rates for local calls (all are measured), while residential ISDN
(apparently) will incur no charge for local calls.

All this is based on what I learned from GTE over the last few days,
and of course may be subject to change.  Interested L.A. area GTE
customers should call the main business office number and ask for the
"Huntington Beach Data Desk".  Asking the front line people about ISDN
is likely to not be particularly fruitful, to say the least.


 --Lauren--

------------------------------

From: Morten Haugen <[e-mail]>
Subject: Wireless, Extra Phone Outlets
Date: 17 Mar 1995 08:38:51 GMT
Organization: WM-data Communication A/S


I saw an advertisement in CompuServe magazine for General Electric,
which described some equipment (a sender and a receiever) for
wireless, extra phone outlets. In fact, the in-house AC power
sockets/wiring was used as transmission medium.  Do similar
solutions exist for European (Norwegian) specifications?


Morten Haugen    Lier, Norway

------------------------------

From: PAUL SHARP <[e-mail]>
Organization:  Univ of Northern Colo
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 1995 11:42:14 MST
Subject: RFP For Telephone Switch Maintenance


We are in the process of trying to write an RFP for yearly maintenance
on our Northern Telecom SL1XT telephone switch.  If anyone can help us
or knows of anyone who has recently done this please contact me
directly.


Thanks in advance.

Paul Sharp   Information Services
University of Northern Colorado
Greeley, Colorado 80639
[phone]   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Looking For Information on Automated Teller Machines
Date: 16 Mar 95 21:43:38 EST
Organization: Hofstra University


I am looking for some research material or advice on the current usage
and future trends of Automated Teller Machines for a possible MBA
thesis topic.  I would appreciate any advice or comments.


Thank you.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Liqun Yang)
Subject: Conformance Testing of IS-54 IS-41
Date: 16 Mar 1995 20:00:49 GMT
Organization: University of Ottawa


Could anyone there talk about the conformance testing about IS-54 or
IS-41 please?

Activities, practices, theories, comments?


Thanks,

Liqun Yang                      e-mail: [e-mail]
Department of Computer Sci
University of Ottawa            phone : [phone]
Ottawa, Canada K1N 6N5

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (MDesmon)
Subject: Information Wanted on ITI/Oncor
Date: 16 Mar 1995 22:31:44 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (MDesmon)


Does anybody know anything about a company called ITI/Oncor?  Is it
out of business?  The last I heard, the company was in trouble and was
being run by the same guy who ran Telesphere.

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Wanted: International Phone Directories
From: [e-mail] (Ray Normandeau)
Date: 17 Mar 95 18:04:00 GMT
Organization: Invention Factory's BBS - New York NY - 212-274-8110
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Ray Normandeau)


> Therefore I am asking the readers here if they would be interested in
> helping me to increase my collection of phone directories. I collect
> also yellow pages. Of course I will pay for the surface mail.

I once worked for an advertising agency in New York City that ONLY
handled Yellow Pages advertising.

In our library was the Yellow Pages for everyplace in the USA. The
library was about 20 feet by 20 feet and the four walls from floor to
about six-seven feet high was yellow pages with whites when they were
combined directories.

Anyhow when the new books came in the old ones were thrown out.

I recommend that you track down in your city an ad agency that handles
yellow pages advertising and ask for their old books.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jim Vishoot)
Subject: Re: PBS Rumors and Innuendo: Any Truth?
Date: 16 Mar 1995 22:04:16 GMT
Organization: Telematics Intl. Inc., Ft. Lauderdale, FL.


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Steve
Cogorno) writes:

> Barney and Big Bird would obviously have a life if Federal PBS funding
> were axed.  I'm not sure about the "for a fee, of course" phrase,
> since we *already* pay a fee through our tax dollars.  I, myself,
> enjoy listening to Click & Clack on NPR's "Car Talk," but I would have
> no problems cutting funding for left-leaning shows such as "Morning
> Edition."  There is *much* more to PBS than Sesame Street, boys and
> girls.

> "Your tax dollars" amounts to about $0.75 for PBS.  THe federal
> government only gives PBS $147 million a year.  Did you know that
> military marching bands cost over $250 million a year?  Which would
> you rather support?

Congress gives the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) $300
million per year, not the relatively paltry $147 million cited
above. And that probably measures only the direct subsidy. There's
indirect subsidies and grants that go to local stations and other
organizations, for example, and some of these funds end up back in
CPB's pocket; the real number could be as high as $500 million per
year. There's also the license fees from sales of program-related
merchandise (e.g., $200 million per year for Sesame Street and $500
million per year for Barney). The CPB has just decided to demand a
percentage of those fees (I wonder what made them do that?).

The problem with public broadcasting really isn't so much *content* as
it is *attitude*. Much of its entertainment and education programming
would have little trouble finding sponsors in the private sector. Even
some of its better propaganda, umm, opinion, programs would do okay.
However, most of the public broadcasting money is controlled by a
small elitist clique with narrow interests. These are the people who
gave $20 million to one station in New York where the executives draw
salaries of $200-400 thousand per year. You know the type, they wrap
themselves in a cloak of public service while collecting taxpayer
money and begging the public for contributions. And then there's the
Children's Television Workshop (home of Big Bird et al.) who pays
salaries of $400-600 thousand per year. Considering the fact that 75%
of public broadcasting money is spent on overhead, not content, is it
such a good deal?

There are, and will increasingly be, all kinds of alternatives to public
broadcasting. It's an industrial age solution to an information age
problem.

I'll let someone else address Steve's apparent dislike for military
marching bands, although I wonder: is it the "military" part or the
"marching band" part he dislikes so much? Judging by the fact that he
doesn't think Morning Edition is "left-leaning" (see below), I think I
know the answer.

Have a Good Day.


Jim Vishoot     Telematics International, Inc.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 10 Mar 1995 10:01:44 -0500
From: [e-mail] (David, TCP/IP Consulting, 508 486-7210)
Subject: Re: PBS Rumors and Innuendo: Any Truth?


TELECOM Digest Editor noted:

> On a related note, did you see the report in the papers a couple days
> ago where some little kid goes in the kitchen to get his mother? He
> has been watching television and is crying. He says, "mama, Barney
> says he has to go away and I won't be able to see him any more unless
> you send him some money."  I thought to myself, those #$$%# !!
> Appealing to the little kids like that ... but the station which aired
> that said later it was only coincidental that the plea to 'help save
> public broacasting' went over the air at the time it did; they say
> they are trying to keep the kids out of it. Sure they are ... they
> know the success the commercial advertisers have each week on Saturday
> morning advertising during the children's programs.  The little brats
> see the products advertised, then harrass their parents until they get
> their way and have one (of whatever) of their own.    PAT]

    You miss the point.  Yes, given their current enormous
popularity, the bird and the dinosaur would certainly survive in some
form. BUT, without the seed money provided by the government's
subsidy, would they ever have come to exist in the first place?  Would
Ken Burns have been able to make the Civil War series?  Etc.?

    Also, you miss the difference between commercial TV using
programming to hook kids into wanting products, vs. PBS using appeals
during programming to insure continuation of that programming, as well
as being able to product new programming.  It's a sad indicatin of our
cynicism that many people can't imagine anything but a pure profit
motive, that they can't imagine doing something (and paying for it)
because it's a good thing for other people and the society they live
in.

    Does that make me a socialist?  :-) :-)


David Ofsevit

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Matt Noah)
Subject: Re: Citizens in Support of Public Broadcasting
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 95 23:43:48 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] ([Citizens'
Committee for Public Broadcasting]) wrote:

> National Citizens Organization forms in response to the threat of
> drastic funding cuts to public broadcasting.

> The Citizens Committee for Public Broadcasting is a nationwide
> coalition of viewers, listeners, and organizations dedicated to
> preserving the independence, integrity, and quality of America s
> public broadcasting system.

No, you want tax money to pay for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
(CPB) which is PBS and NPR.  You want the money because most of the
liberal shows on PBS and NPR could not make it on their own if they
had to solicit advertising.

> CCPB is fighting efforts to eliminate the federal subsidies that
> ensure the quality, diversity and availability of public broadcasting
> for the American people. Annual subsidies -- which cost each American
> about $1.09 each year -- provide funds for both programming and
> station operating expenses, and are critical to the system s survival.

The CPB budget is over $1 Billion per year.  Counting everyone with a
pulse shows that we, as individuals, pay about $4/person/year.  For a
family of four that is $16/year.

> The House of Representatives has already proposed substantial cuts to
> fiscal year 1996 and 1997.  In order to preserve funding and quality
> programming for 1998 we must act now. The committee is encouraging
> additional local organizers and community groups to add their voice to the
> campaign. CCPB can provide background information on public broadcasting,
> congressional updates, and grassroots organizing expertise.

If you think you could spend your money better than PBS and NPR,
contact your local congressman and ask him to cut tax money to CPB.
With over 150 channels to choose from, anything worthwhile on PBS or
NPR will find a home elsewhere.  It is called "free enterprise".

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Stan Schwartz)
Subject: Re: Number Assignment Psychology
Date: 16 Mar 1995 23:01:49 -0500
Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC


MSTRANDREW ([e-mail]) wrote:

> Considering the recent events with NPA assignment in Chicago, is anyone
> familiar with any psychological studies regarding number assignment upon
> individuals or communities?

> Examples of interesting behaviors that I have found include:

> --- a desire to have a prefix which has existed for some time or a prefix
> that can be linked to historical use, e.g. current use of 873 and
> historical use of TRinity 3 (which is the case in my family and the small
> town where I grew up).

There was a large uproar a few years ago when East Hampton Long Island
(home of the beautiful people) introduced a new exchange.  I believe
the old one was 267 and the new ones are 324 and 329 (in the 516 NPA).
(I may have that reversed).  The point is, though, that people who for
some reason had to be moved to the new exchange were demanding to
retain their old numbers so that they wouldn't be looked down upon as
'newbies'.  There were those people that DEMANDED to be in the old
exchange for the same reason (even though there are only 10,000
possible slots available and East Enders tend to have more than one
number assigned for a variety of reasons.


Stan


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I am reminded of the staff announcer
on radio station WFMT, a local joke here which refers to itself as
Chicago's Fine Arts Station who for *years* after the switch to all
number dialing refused to go along with it and continued to give out
phone numbers by their original exchange name. Advertising copy from
sponsors would include a seven digit phone number and he would read
it as exchange name plus five digits. Given that most people have
long since forgotten about the exchange names, many listeners did not
know what phone number to call, and the sponsors beefed about it. He
kept on doing it anyway. Now and again a telephone number has to be
recited over the air which is a 'new' exchange and has no 'old name'
translation. I suspect it annoys him greatly.    PAT]

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Jake Baker Released on Bond Pending Trial
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 00:56:12 -0500
From: Atri Indiresan <[e-mail]>


> The University of Michigan student arrested a month or so ago
> accused of sending threatening communications over the
> Internet as a result of his story in alt.sex dealing with the
> torture rape of a classmate has been released on bond pending
> trial.

> 4) Regards the victim of his alleged actions, he must keep
> his distance.  No communications, telephone, written or
> otherwise with the victim.  Quite obviously, no threats, no
> harassment, no contact. Whether or not he can write about it
> on the Internet is a sort of grey area. The court did not
> comment on this. Baker cannot be denied the right to speak
> about his predicament and attempt to gather public sympathy
> and assistance for his defense.

According to The Michigan Daily (TMD) (Monday, March 13):

Jake Baker released in $10K bond

TMD> ...  [Federal Judge Avery] Cohn ordered Baker's mother,
TMD> Vilma, to take third-party custody of her son, and told Baker
TMD> to report to Pretrial Services once or twice each week. Cohn
TMD> also forbade Baker from entering Ann Arbor.

TMD>     "Mr. Baker should avoid Ann Arbor except to meet with his
TMD> lawyer," Cohn said. "And he is not allowed to meet with any
TMD> student of the University of Michigan or anyone else while in
TMD> Ann Arbor.

TMD>     "He is also not allowed to upload any information to the
TMD> Internet, but may (download) information as he wishes."

This seems to answer your question. If the report is accurate, clearly,
he is NOT allowed to either post to any newsgroup, or send e-mail,
though he may read news and receive e-mail.

PAT> Although the government continued to argue against Baker's
PAT> release on bond, the court stated its opinion that justice
PAT> would be best served by permitting Baker to be released so
PAT> that he might continue his school work, and be in a better
PAT> position to cooperate with his attorney in preparing his
PAT> defense. He is not to leave the jurisdiction of the court or
PAT> the immediate vicinity of the university, etc without the
PAT> permission of his probation officer.

This seems to contradict the second paragraph I have quoted. It seems
like he is not allowed to visit Ann Arbor except under very restricted
circumstances. It really looks like it will be a while before he gets
back to academics at the U. of Michigan, if at all. Further:

TMD> Cohn also asked Vilma Baker to report "any unusual activities"
TMD> and that Baker "keep regular hours at night in his home in
TMD> Boardman, Ohio."

I know that the Fifth Amendment protects a person from being compelled
to be witness against themselves, but can a mother be forced to
testify against her son?


Atri


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: There seems to be a conflict here. The
version I got was originally he was told to stay out of Ann Arbor but
an objection was raised because he wanted to go to school and the
court took that under consideration. Since getting your message I have
tried to verify this further and apparently you and the {Michigan
Daily} are correct.

Only husbands and wives are constitutionally protected against being
required to testify against each other, and of course we do not have to
testify against ourselves. We may remain silent if we wish to do so.
There is no such provision for parents and children, or one relative
versus another relative, etc.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Kyle Rhorer)
Subject: Re: New NPA for Houston TX
Date: 16 Mar 1995 19:54:06 GMT
Organization: Phoenix Data Systems
Reply-To: [e-mail]


Jeff Brielmaier ([e-mail]) wrote:

> 281 is an overlay on top of the 713 area code.  Until 03/01/96, SWBell
> will assign "wireless" (pager, cellular, etc) callers to the new area
> code.  After 03/01/96, SWBell will begin assigning "normal" (wired)
> users to the new area code.

> Until 03/01/96, local calls w/i the 713 area code can be dialed as
> seven-digits while all calls to the 281 AC will be 1 + 10D.  After
> 03/01/96, all calls will have to be dialed as 1 + 10D.

That's how it's supposed to work in theory, but in practice things don't go
quite so smoothly.  I can pick up the phone in my Southwestern Bell service
area and dial 713NXXXXXX and be connected, as long as the number being
dialed is also in SWB's service area.  Notice no "1+".  When I try
713-534-0212 (the local time and temperature number, provided by GTE in
their service area) I get a GTE intercept recording that my call could
not be completed as dialed.  If I dial it as seven digits, it goes
through.  If I dial 1-713-534-0212, I get SWB's intercept recording that
it is not necessary to dial 1 or 0.  If I go to my office in GTE's
service area and try to dial 713-NXXXXXX I get an intercept, as with
1-713-NXXXXXX.  Not that it surprises me (given GTE's track record) but
it seems they are ignoring SWB and preventing their (GTE's) customers
from calling legitimate numbers.

For many, many years they had SWB's business office and repair numbers
blocked (until SWB changed the numbers!) so I couldn't call from my
office in GTEland to check on the status of my SWB orders and/or
repairs.  As if that will somehow convince me to give up SWB and move
exclusively to GTE's area!  It truly amazes me that GTE buys the
latest in digital switches, has fiber running all over the place, etc.
but chooses to have the lousiest customer service in the world.  Maybe
they are spending too much on good equipment and not enough on executives
to run the company?

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: More on Hong Kong's Internet Debacle
Date: 16 Mar 1995 17:05:59 GMT
Organization: Escape Internet Access (212-888-8780).
Reply-To: [e-mail]


In <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] writes:

> From the March 8, 1995 {South China Morning Post}:

> Police blame Internet raids on expansion
> ========================================

What would be the appropriate form of public outcry in instances like
these?  Would an international outcry be helpful?  There were
insufficient facts presented to get a real feel for what exactly the
problem or issue is.


ray


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The 'real problem' seems to be the
businesses in particular did not obtain the appropriate licenses to
do business there. If you feel that's worth a public outcry, then
go ahead and cry. Me, I'll cry later, I am busy with other stuff
today. I am not a big fan of business licenses, and fees to pay for
same, but its the law over there, and since they are there they should
have obeyed the law in that country.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Henry Leininger)
Subject: Re: More on Hong Kong
Date: 16 Mar 1995 23:18:42 GMT
Organization: Florida State University


Rich Greenberg ([e-mail]) wrote:

> still some confusion on why the police bothered to raid them over the
> lack of a $96 (750 Hong Kong Dollars) license.

> We have it easy in the States; SuperNet charges about $25/hour for
> daytime use and about $12.50/hr. off-peak.  The grounded competitors
> offered services at a cheaper prices ranging from about $6-$8/hr.

It should be noted that the above prices ($25/hour peak and $12.50/hour
off-peak) are in Hong Kong dollars, roughly 1/8 of a USD.  $3/hr peak
and $1.50/hr nonpeak is still not cheap, but it's far less exorbitant
than this makes it sound.


Hank Leininger  [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Patton M Turner)
Subject: Re: Help: E Telco Step-by-Step Switch
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 1995 18:59:39 GMT


[e-mail] (John Lundgren) writes:

> Often the old equipment had a 'KS' or 'KSS' on it, and this meant that
> the equipment maker was Kellogg Switch and Signal, I think the name
> was.  Just something that I remembered from my military days long ago.
> I hope I'm not too far off. If so, there will probably be someone
> correcting me in a followup.

KS usually means a Bell System part number.  Many manufacturers put
the KS number on the all of the products on the Bell contract since
the Bell System was such a large customer.


Patton Turner  KB4GRZ  FAA Telecommunications  [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Patton M Turner)
Subject: Re: Pair Gain Line Problem
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 1995 19:05:02 GMT


[e-mail] (ssatchell on BIX) writes:

> The problem is that most "pair-gain" systems use some form of ADPCM
> (Adaptive Differential Pulse-Code Modulation) which reduces the
> bitstream rate from the standard 64 kilobits/s to something smaller.

I haven't found this to be true.  DAMLs use the same PCM encoding as
do CO switches.  The same can be said for digital loop carrier (ie
SLC-96, SLC-5), but ADPCM cards are available, just rarely used.
Between fiber and HDSL, it's just not worth the agrivation to compress
the audio.

Analog pair-gain can cause problems, but nothing to do with ADPCM.


Patton Turner  KB4GRZ  FAA Telecommunications  [e-mail]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #152
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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
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Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #153

TELECOM Digest     Fri, 17 Mar 95 15:41:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 153

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    800 "Trademark" Rights (Jerry Leichter)
    U.S. 800 Users Alert  (Judith Oppenheimer)
    Request For Bandwidth/Apps Info For Research Report (Hank H. Lim)
    Re: Pac Bell, Cal. PUC, and "Reasonable Level of Service" (John Higdon)
    Re: NYNEX: Idiocy in Pricing (Russell Blau)
    Re: T1 -> Modems ([e-mail])
    Re: Last Laugh! Technology Notes (Tom Blog)

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----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 17 Mar 95 10:30:35 EDT
From: Jerry Leichter <[e-mail]>
Subject: 800 "Trademark" Rights


Judith Oppenheimer recently posted another in her series of messages
trying to convince readers here -- as she and other professionals
working for various large corporations are trying to convince various
government agencies -- that those large corporations should be entitled
to very broad rights in the 800 numbers they are using.

I'd like to urge readers to think carefully before accepting her
propaganda.  What we have here is an attempt by some of the big
players to get the government to help them do their marketing -- and,
as is often the case, they are using reasonable-sounding arguments to
try to get "grass roots" support.

The law has traditionally recognized three kinds of property: real
property (originally, just land), "tangible" property (most physical
things), and "created" property (often called "intellectual
property").  Of the three, tangible property is the easiest to
understand.  We all know what it means to own, say, a chair.  The
extent of the owner's rights in that chair are pretty clear to all of
us.  The government simply provides mechanisms for protecting those
rights; the rights are inherent.

Real property is more complex.  For example, mineral rights can be
separated off from the underlying property; zoning regulations may
limit what you can do with land you own; and so on.  But that's not
relevent here.

Intellectual property is the most subtle.  Unlike the other kinds or
property, it can exist only to the degree that government protects it.
You can, at worst, arm yourself and keep people from walking off with
your tangible property; but as a practical matter, you can't
personally prevent someone from copying your copyrighted material.
The US Constitution explicitly gives Congress the power "To promote
the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times
to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective
writings and discoveries", a power it has exercised through the
creation of patents and copyright.  Congress isn't given the power to
protect tangible or real property -- it doesn't have to be, since
ownership of such property was and is viewed as an inherent right.
Trademarks are a separate example, with a distinct history that
probably goes back to European guilds (and come into US law mainly
through state laws).

In all cases, the government creates intellectual property rights for
the common good of the citizenry, not exclusively for the individual
who might claim that right.  Because of this, the rights are carefully
defined and deliberately limited.  The Constitution itself says that
patents and copyrights should be for a limited time, for example; the
recent Lamachia case centered on the issue of whether copyright
violation was theft in the legal sense (it isn't).

Trademarks are also restricted.  You can only create a trademark by
using it in trade, for example -- you can't tie up a possibly-useful
trademark for years in the US (though recent changes in the law have
allowed some short-term reservations), as you can in some other legal
systems.  You can't prevent someone from using your trademark except
"in trade": Lawyers for Coca Cola periodically write to magazine
editors complaining about articles that refer to "Coke" generically.
Coca Cola would prefer that the magazines indicate that this is a
trademark, but there is nothing, legally, they can do to require it.

As a general rule, the more "meaningful" a trademark is, the weaker
the trademark's holders rights are.  No one can trademark the work
"book" to refer to printed matter -- though Microsoft, a very
aggressive litigator which is pushing the law in this area, has
asserted a claim on "Bookshelf" to refer to CD-ROM's containing
collections of printed matter.  While Microsoft may be able to control
the word "Bookshelf" for CD-ROM's, they can't prevent Radio Shack from
selling "bookshelf" speaker systems.  "Exxon", on the other hand, is a
term with no meaning, and Exxon can control it for essentially all
uses in trade.

Now consider our favorite example, 1-800-FLOWERS.  Ms. Oppenheimer
would first have us believe whoever is using that has a property right
in it because they've spent money on advertising.  Wrong.  The Supreme
Court not long ago rejected the "sweat of the brow" theory -- if I
worked hard on it, the government must protect my rights -- in the one
area of law where many had claimed it existed, copyright law.  (This
was the case that rejected copyright protection for white pages
listings.)  Will Ms. Oppenheimer claim a right to make a profit on
1-800-FLOWERS because she's spent money advertising the concept of
ordering flowers by telephone?  Sorry, anyone can enter the
competition for that market; such "concepts" can't be protected.

Ms. Oppenheimer of course would like to protect customers from
"confusion".  That's the most common excuse given for getting the
government to kill your competitors.  If a restaurant moves out of a
location, does Ms. Oppenheimer believe no other restaurant should be
allowed to move in there because customers might be "confused" and go
to the new one based on advertising for the old?

Bet let's even grant Ms. Oppenheimer the right to protect "1-800-FLOWERS".
Is she happy?  No; she wants more.  She wants "011-800-FLOWERS" as
well.  And, when the new toll-free number space opens up, "1-888-FLOWERS" -
and, later, "1-877-FLOWERS" and all the rest of the proposed expansion
spaces.  Where the legal tradition construes created property rights
narrowly, she wants her rights construed as broadly as possible.  How
would she feel is some local store in a small town somewhere, which
has had local number "FLOWERS" for the last fifty years, asserted earlier
rights to "1-800-FLOWERS" and all the rest?  This kind of thing has
happened -- NBC, after spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on its
new stylized "N" symbol, found to its chagrin that a PBS station in
the midwest had been using the same symbol for years.  (NBC bought the
rights.)  Or perhaps there's WERS radio has been advertising "356-WERS"
as their dial-in number for years.  How about their claim?  What if
they want "1-888-356WERS" to capitalize on the recognition *they've*
built up over the years?

I can see the argument for allowing the *full* "1-800-FLOWERS" as a
trademark.  It uniquely identifies a particular number across a whole
national market; it can be used in trade; it's only partially
meaningful.  I reject the attempt on Ms. Oppenheimer's part to broaden
the claim to cover every variant she sees being proposed.  If she
wants "011-800-FLOWERS", or "1-888-FLOWERS" as well, let her apply for
and use those -- along with "1-800-FLOWARS" for those who can't spell.
I see no reason why we as citizens should give her any special rights
to those variations.

By the way, precedent being formed today is against her arguments.
MCI owns 1-800-ATTCALL, and directs callers who dial it in place of
1-800-CALLATT to MCI.  ATT has cut a deal with a small business who's
800 number is a minor variation of 1-800-COLLECT to add a prompt that
directs callers to ATT if it's a collect call they are interested in
making.  As I recall, someone else has 1-800-KOLLECT.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Ms. Oppenheimer is with us again this
weekend, with another message on this topic, and hers follows next.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: Judith Oppenheimer <[e-mail]>
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 13:49:29 -0500
Subject: U.S. 800 Users Alert


Reprinted from {Digital Future Digest}, with permission from the
author.

This articles references a March 7th meeting; the next meeting is
March 24th.  Earl Barberly at the State Department can be faxed at 202
647-7407.


Judith

                  -----------------------


By John Hart

Airlines, banks, car rental agencies, and other businesses in the
toll-freephone business, would like one, worldwide toll-free number
assigned to their companies. It would eliminate the myriad of numbers
one has to maintain and advertise in Europe, for example, due to the
complexity of the freephone service overseas.

It seems a new proposal has been put forth to the International
Telecommunications Union (ITU) called the Universal International
Freephone Service (UIFS), which simply put, means a business can
specify that when a freephone number is dialed in Europe, it rings in
an office in the U.S.

On the surface, this sounds like additional revenue for U.S. businesses,
right? You're in Paris, and you want to re-book your flight, so you
call 00-800-123-4567, and bingo, you've got your airline reservation
desk in Tooele, Utah.

It sounds like a good plan. Then why is Ben Levitan, who represents
Aeronautical Radio, Inc. (ARINC), acting as the technical rep for the
airline industry, an unhappy man?

It seems, according to Mr. Levitan, that protecting existing U.S.
freephone numbers is being ignored, and the idea that some company in
Europe could easily grab the same digits as one of the airlines, is
causing him headaches. Sure the Europeans must dial 00-800 plus seven
digits, but the next seven digits may be the same as an existing
airline, or a car rental agency, or any business with freephone
service, or it may not.

Of course, if you don't sign up for UIFS service, you're kissing off
any possibility of ever getting your seven digits protected in Europe.
But then, if you do sign up for UIFS service, you stand a good chance
of not getting the same seven digits.  The ITU says there is no
guarantee even if you do sign up, you will get the same 800 number
outside the U.S. The ITU has in mind a quick 30-day window where
everyone faxes an application.

Get real. Do the math.

If every one of the four to five million U.S. businesses that want to
keep their valuable toll-free numbers protected from ambitious
European businesses, starts faxing, 24-hours a day, for 30-days,
that's only 30,000 faxes in a month!

And you'd better read the fine print before you file an application
for UIFS. It clearly states in paragraph (g) "subscribers have no
legal or proprietary claim to any UIFS number." In other words, your
friendly common carrier will want you to declare that you have no
claim whatsoever to the number. Never mind the thousands of dollars
invested in marketing, not to mention trademarks.

ARINC has been working hard on behalf of all U.S. 800 number users -- for
example, they gathered the impressive ranks of such users as American
Express, EDS and the Ford Motor Company to draft and present the
"Users' Statement of Principles Regarding Universal International
Freephone Service -- but according to Mr. Levitan, the Chairman
conducting the ITU Study Group II meeting last December wouldn't even
allow the introduction of any new proposal, let alone a discussion.

"The clear answer is two country codes," Mr. Levitan told me.  "But
the comeback from the common carriers is 'we have a scarcity of
numbers'. If that is the case, then our proposal is a new seven-digit
code, but they're in a big hurry and want this UIFS service online
now," he said. "The assignor of country codes is the ITU in Geneva,
and they just don't seem interested in the two country code idea,
either."

What's the reason for pushing this UIFS deal down your throats?
Profit, plain and simple. The U.S. common carriers stand to make a ton
of money on all UIFS calls. That's an increase of a ton they aren't
making now. And they want to power this paperwork through without you
raising your telephone receiver to question their motives and objectives.

Hello? Anybody out there?

There's a public open meeting this March 7 and 8, in the Bellcore
offices, Washington, DC, to discuss the status of the U.S. part of the
UIFS proposal. Then, the ITU Study Group II meets in April, Tokyo, to
decide if the present baseline document -- the one all U.S. common
carriers love -- is acceptable and should be blessed with what they
refer to as "accelerated procedures."

163 ITU member countries must approve the document. Only one U.S.
representative has the power to stop it. His name is Earl Barberly,
U.S. State Department. He can vote "yes," "no," or "six weeks delay,"
come April. Your 800 toll-free business is in his hands. His phone
number, along with some other folks who should hear from you, is
listed below. Good luck.

State Department:
Dick Beaird  202-647-5832 (Head of International)
Earl Barberly  202-647-0197 (Head of International - Telecom)

FCC:
Payton Wynn (Common Carrier Complaints)  202-418-0942
Tom Walsh (International)  202-418-0420

Fred Geachter, Bellcore,
The North American numbering plan administrator
[phone], Chairman of ITU Q.2

Steve Engleman [phone]
MCI Chairman of International Freephone Service;
Michele Zelazny, MCI product manager 800 service:  [phone].

                    ----------------------

J. Oppenheimer, [e-mail]
Interactive CallBrand(TM)
The Brand:          Awareness -> Image
The CallBrand(TM):  Awareness -> Interaction -> Revenue


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: See a response from Jerry Leichter to the
efforts of Ms. Oppenheimer earlier, as the first message in this issue.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Hank H. Lim)
Subject: Request For Bandwidth/Apps Info For Research Report
Date: 17 Mar 1995 15:36:48 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)


Hi Gang,

As per the subject line, I was wondering if someone could refer me to
tabulated data on the bandwidth requirements for the different kinds
of electronic media, i.e. text-1.2kb to ?, voice-?, ... multimedia-?,
virtual reality-? anything more creative and less obvious? And also
the bandwidth capability of the various physical media: air, twisted
pair, shielded coax, optical fiber, etc.I tried Partridge's "Gigabit
Networks" but had no luck and some other sources.  on-line would be
great but a journal or text reference would be fine (I think I still
know how to use a library at this point).

Thanks in advance,

Hank Lim                 Tel: [phone]
[e-mail]  Fax: [phone]

------------------------------

Organization: Green Hills and Cows
Date: Thu, 16 Mar 1995 21:33:29 -0800
From: [e-mail] (John Higdon)
Subject: Re: Pac Bell, Cal. PUC, and "Reasonable Level of Service"


TELECOM Digest Editor noted:

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, I am no big fan of T-1. That is, I
> can take it or leave it, I worked in this business for so many years before
> T-1 came around that to me, thousands of 'those tiny little wires' is
> where its at.

As someone who has been in this business for just about the same
amount of time, I have to differ somewhat with that view. For
high-volume applications, T1 is the answer to prayers. Besides being
able to carry twenty-four conversations on two copper pairs, it does
so with perfect transmission quality. One mile or ten, if the circuit
is functioning, the audio quality is identical either way.
Additionally, splits can be made so that high speed data can be
carried on the bandwidth unoccupied by DS0 channels.

> In some cases also, the many thousands of 'tiny little wires' are
> easier for the person on location to repair and maintain. Lose a T-1
> for whatever reason and bunches of lines go out; lose a single wire
> and its not that big of a hassle to start tracing the problem and fix
> it.

Because of its alarm reporting systems and loopback capability, it is
frequently unnecessary to even send someone out, unless physical
equipment needs replacement. Yes, the loss of a T1 takes twenty-four
lines out of service. Because of that, telco responds accordingly.
Response committments are in minutes, not hours or days. Rather than
have a trunk with an annoying ground or some crackling sounds linger
for a couple of days, restoration of the T1 span is usually
accomplished in an hour or so.  Sophisticated equipment can pinpoint
T1 trouble in seconds.

> Even if your demarc is a mess -- and I have seen some *messy* ones
> with nothing tagged, wires in a jumble, etc, you can still put your
> sounder or noise maker on the wire where it terminates (at the modem,
> or phone or whatever) then 'ring out the line' back to the demarc,
> find it there by listening and repair, replace or remove it or
> whatever. Ten lines or ten thousand lines, no matter.

T1 requires none of this. Also, digitally delivered service is free from
inadvertant difficulty from sloppy cable splicers. There is no worry about
half-taps, bridge-taps, crossed connections, or even installers "borrowing"
your dial tone. There is something very reassuring to know that your 1.54
MBS circuit goes directly to a digital port on the serving 5ESS.

If there is a fault on a T1 circuit, it is instantly detected and alarms
are issued. More and more service is going to be delivered digitally in the
future, if not by the RBOCs, then by their competitors in the dial tone
market. In the SF Bay Area, Pac*Bell falls all over itself to deliver dial
tone via T1. One of my spans currently has only four active channels.
Digital "last mile" transport is neater, cleaner, and superior in every way
to the method developed in the 1800s.

As a side note, Netcom's headquarters are in the building in which I have a
client. Every last bit of service is delivered digitally from the AXminster
office in Santa Clara. The last of the analog service was just turned off
this month. Naturally, the line quality is perfect. This is to be
contrasted with my client's analog circuits in the same building that
actually required MTM buildout. They squeal just before dial tone
acquisition, sound hollow, and are otherwise substandard. Without
conditioning, the level is unusably low.

Needless to say, we are seriously discussing digital entrance facilities.


John Higdon  |    P.O. Box 7648   |   [phone]     |       FAX:
[e-mail] | San Jose, CA 95150 |   +1 500 FOR-A-MOO    | [phone]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, as always, John raises some very
valid points. I suppose my main objection -- if you can call it that --
is being 'set in my ways'.  You do things a certain way for a long time
and often feel most comfortable simply continuing it. I have no real
gripes with T-1; its time has come and as John points out in many instances
it is a lot easier to maintain. Really, I guess it would be an applications
thing and if I were working with someone who wanted to go that way on
a large installation I'd be hard-pressed to find any valid technical obj-
ection.   PAT]

------------------------------

Subject: Re: NYNEX: Idiocy in Pricing
From: [e-mail] (RUSSELL BLAU)
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 95 10:02:00 -0500
Organization: Online Technologies, Inc. - 301-738-0001
Reply-To: [e-mail] (RUSSELL BLAU)


In a recent article, Chris Labatt-Simon ([e-mail]) wrote:

> Can anyone tell me the rationale in the following?

> Two "FlexPath" T1s composed of 48 DIDs total cost ~$3500/month
> (FlexPath is based on mileage and the location is ~2 miles from the
> closest switch).

> 48 standard individual business lines will cost about $1,200/month.

> Now, I'd like to know (sarcastically speaking of course) which is more
> difficult to install and maintain??  2 Ts or 48 individual jacks/lines?

Personally, I never thought I would find myself in the position of
defending anything that NYNEX does ... however, look at what you are
comparing.  Flexpath is a DID trunk service.  Therefore, you should compare
it to the price of 48 analog DID trunks, not 48 individual measured
business lines.


Russell Blau     Swidler & Berlin, Chtd.   Washington, D.C.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (ScottPCS)
Subject: Re: T1 -> Modems
Date: 17 Mar 1995 10:42:13 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (ScottPCS)


I originally wrote:

>> I need to bring in a T1 line to 24 1200 baud modems for my company.
>> It seems like an inefficient solution to run the T1 into a channel
>> bank to end up with 24 phone lines and then plug in 24 modems plugged
>> into 24 serial ports.  Is there any type of hardware that can handle
>> this T1 / modem problem better?  Preferrably something PC based
>> (Windows NT) and cheap <g>.

Bill Grenoble responded:

> I have seen a T1 rack mount modem (V.Fast I think), but it cost more
> than a channel bank and a rackmount modem. Try Penril in Rockville MD
> (I think) or Racal/Vadic. What type modems? 212? And why sooo s l o w?
> My 2400 modem cost $19 and came with FAX software! And it is s l o w!

Unfortunately the originator is a Verifone credit card terminal and
only has a 1200 baud modem.  It is not possible at this time to get a
2400 or faster.  But the call length is only a few seconds and a
faster speed would not significantly shorten the call.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Tom Blog)
Subject: Re: Last Laugh! Technology Notes
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 04:56:15 GMT


[e-mail] writes:

> I keep wondering how my children will be affected by these changes.
> Then my six year old nephew visited my parents.  He found an old
> typewriter, pulled it out and began typing...
>       LOAD "GAMES", 8,1


TELECOM Digest Editor donated two cent's worth:

> We thought we were really hot stuff back in 1980 ... with our Apples and
> our VIC-20s and our TRS-80's from Radio Shack, aka 'Trash 80'. Who could
> have imagined all this?   So when was the last time *you* logged into
> Compuserve to use the encyclopedia?    <g>      PAT]

I was in high school when "Electronics" ?? magazine ran the
"TV-TYPWRITER" project. I salivated. Then, I think a few months later,
an advertisement for the ALTAIR computer was run. Damned if the
address of the company wasn't in my major home town of Albuquerque, NM.
I took the bus to their office, a small dump near the fairgrounds off
Central Avenue (RT66). They (both of them) were friendly, and pointed
to a box with toggle switches, an 8008 (the 8080 was an upgrade!) and
yes, 256 bytes (the K was NOT left out!). It was playing a crude rendition
of "Fool on the Hill" into a nearby radio by using RF generated by the
clocking of diferent instructions!

Bill Gates had not yet flown in from Boston with his Basic on paper tape!

I later met the former financial officer of the company (MITS) - he
had quit a few months before the advertisement had run because "they
had no money and he was tired of lying to suppliers".  Their local
bank (ANB) was going to shut them down, but the founders begged enough
money to run the advertisement (very risky for the bank -- New Mexico
was (is) not noted for Venture Capital!). They said the Post Office
brought $100K (the K is correct, in this case) in orders in one day!

They (the founders) cashed out later (I forget who bought them). The fin-
ancial guy who quit early is still working 9-5 ...


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Ah yes, the Altair. I never had one myself
but read about them. My first machine was the OSI-C1P. It had 4K (yes 4000,
or more correctly 4096) bytes of memory. The 'Basic in RAM' took up about
700 bytes, leaving about 3300 bytes to program with, using Microsoft BASIC,
aka "<B>eginner's <A>ll-purpose <S>ymbolic <I>nstruction <C>ode" is what
that meant. And you know what?  You could run a whole bookkeeping system
on it. That's how I first learned any programming at all. With such limited
space of course, you crammed all those instructions in there as many to
a line as you could get, remembering not to get trapped in the middle of
a line with an 'if/then' thing that might keep you from getting to the
end of the line ...

Then one day the company announced a major improvement: they had a new
chip which had 8K (yes, 8192) bytes of RAM. Wow ... what were we gonna do
with all that extra space?  Not only that, by installing this chip you
could now use both UPPER and lower case; both would work. I sent away for
the chip and spent a couple hours one evening removing the old one and
soldering in the new one.

My Apple ][+ had 48K, with slots where you could install various things
including a 'language card', or an additional 16K of RAM if desired. I had
that thing loaded -- every slot taken -- with the language card, a printer
card, modem card, two disk controller cards to operate four floppy disk
drives, and a clock card from the Thunderclock Company (remember them?)
My thing was writing programs to do rather elegant art on the screen and
music, which played through the speaker in the Apple which I replaced
with a much larger speaker. I had all kinds of hardware mods on that
thing also including a 'lower case adapter'. If you opened it up and
looked in back by the slots, the bus had all these solder traces that had
been cut and re-jumpered and whatever. Those machines were *so much fun*.
Apple used Microsoft BASIC with a few minor changes and they sold their
package under the name Applesoft BASIC. Along the way, I picked up a
couple of the 'black apples'. Most were in cream/white colored cases, but
at one point Apple had a special run they manufactured for the Bell and
Howell Company, and those were in black cases with the Bell and Howell
logo on the front along with the Apple logo; thus the nickname for them
of 'black apples'.

One day I had been invited to give a demonstration of my artwork to a
computer class at the Lawson YMCA. I showed them a little program I had
written called 'Bach Squares'; it drew boxes on the screen in various
colors which would explode into larger and smaller boxes, etc, while the
speaker played (or rather honked, in a nasal sounding way) portions of
the Gigue Fugue of Johann Sebastian Bach. All the folks in this computer
class had books on 'Basic Programming Style'; you know, the books that
told you how to indent your loops, add a liberal quantity of REM statements
and put each instruction on its own line, etc.  "How did you make it
draw those colorful boxes and play that music," they wanted to know.
I told them, the first thing you do, you take all those books on BASIC
programming style and dump 'em all in the trash!  You can't program in
the space of 4 or 8K and neatly indent all your loops and if/then's and
document it all besides.  You take that code and you cram it and shove
it and squeeze it in. Not only that, I told them, (looking them squarely
in the eye in a stern way) *real men know how to program in machine
(6502) code* ... <g> ... have you mastered the op-codes and operands yet?
The book's author was also there that night, apparently trying to hawk
his books on programming style and I thought he was going to hit me
over the head with one of them.  Such great little machines, the Apples.
I ran my BBS on one for about three years.

They named today 'St. Patrick's Day' in honor of me; I'm the one who
drove all the snakes out of Usenet.  Have a nice weekend, all.  PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #153
******************************


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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
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To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #154

TELECOM Digest     Sat, 18 Mar 95 08:06:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 154

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    MTP; Ericsson, Northern, or Other (Steve Bunning)
    AT&T 500 Service Outside the USA ([e-mail])
    Help Needed With PBX at Remote Location (Carol Garbacik)
    Apartment Entry System (Charles Gimon)
    Trying to Locate Recommendation E.123 (Christopher Wolf)
    Summary: Interface Computer Audio to Phone Line (Jeff C. Glover)
    DS-3 Inverse Mux (Chris Radicke)
    Information Wanted on SuiteTalker Voicemail ([e-mail])
    Help on Wireless LAN Products (Robert Mark Prudhomme)
    Re: T1 -> Modems (Steve Cogorno)
    Re: Using Live Radio With Automated Attendant (Gerald Serviss)
    Re: Using Live Radio With Automated Attendant (Gary Breuckman)
    Re: Using Live Radio With Automated Attendant (Patton M Turner)
    Re: Using Live Radio With Automa ([e-mail])
    Re: Pac Bell, Cal. PUC, and etc. (Peter Lamasney)
    Re: Help: E Telco Step-by-Step Switch (Richard Kevin)
    Re: Optical Wave Analyzer (Wally Ritchie)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, 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 twenty dollars per
year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.

All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 16:49:39 -0500
From: [e-mail] (Steve Bunning)
Subject: MTP; Ericsson, Northern, or Other


Both Ericsson and Northern Telecom switches allow the transfer of call
detail records over X.25 networks.  The higher layer used for this
transfer is MTP or Message Transfer Protocol.  As these two different
switch manufacturers use the identical protocol for transferring CDRs,
it's my conjecture that the protocol originated somewhere else.

Does anyone know the origin of the Message Transfer Protocol?  Is it a
mainframe protocol or was it developed by one switch manufacturer and
copied by others?


Steve Bunning     | American Computer and Elec. Corp.| [phone] (voice)
Product Manager   | 209 Perry Parkway                | [phone] (fax)
TEL*COMM Division | Gathersburg, MD 20877            |  [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 17:51:49 -0500
From: Phydeaux's PC <[e-mail]>
Subject: AT&T 500 Service Outside the USA


Hi!

I was interested in AT&T's 500 service.  It is advertised as something
that lets your calls follow you wherever you go. But, after some
research, I wonder about that.  AT&T boasts that you can have your
calls follow you to any most any phone on the planet, and that a 500
number is useful because it is portable.  My problem is that I need to
be able to receive calls from outside the USA and have the calls find
me or my cellphone or my office wherever I am. 500 service sounded
like it was the thing to get.

So, I had a friend in the UK call another friend's 500 number to see
what would happen outside of the USA.  Unfortunately, the call would
not go through.  This led me to wonder how the 500 database is set up.
After numerous calls, someone at AT&T was finally able to tell me that
overseas callers should use USA Direct.  That is not exactly the most
convenient way to have people reach you, nor is it the most cost
effective for my customers.

Any thoughts on 500 service and how it is being implemented would be
welcomed.


reb     [e-mail]

PS: Call forwarding my cellphone is not an option.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I got a call via my 500 number the other
day from someone at British Telecom who was experimenting with the service
trying to get it to work from the UK. Then the next day I got a call from
someone at AT&T who had been working with that person at BT. They did not
tell me what they had decided, or what action was taken, if any.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 15:51:05 PST
From: Carol Garbacik <[e-mail]>
Subject: Help Needed With PBX at Remote Location


I'm a relative neophyte at telephony (other job duties as may become
required), working for a Federal Gov't agency.  A couple of years ago
we were forced to install our own PABX (Mitel SX200 Digital).  Our
location includes several buildings relatively close to each other,
and one remote location (about 5 miles away).  At this time I am
facing armed insurrection (not really, just a flurry of really nasty
memos) from the folks at the remote location.  The situation is this:

*We are colocated on a University campus.

*The University is the POP for telecom services, therefore:
our lines are dropped off at the University's phone room, and shipped out
to us via unconditioned house cable.  Calls then run out over our
house cable to our buildings.  The quality is adequate.

*The remote location's calls are processed by our PABX then sent out
(again via University cable) to the local Telco via OPX lines to the
remote location.  At the remote location they have an old 1A2 system
with six button phones.

There is a lot of line loss on the lines to the remote location.  We
have added amplifiers which help to some degree, but have also
resulted in 'clipping'.  The local Telco (since we are Gov't) won't
provide any advice.  The folks are so upset out at the remote location
that every time the system burps (like all are CO lines are busy),
they throw a hissy fit.

Can we do anything to improve the service to the remote location?
What? Help! Please!


E-mail address:[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Charles Gimon)
Subject: Apartment Entry System
Date: 18 Mar 1995 03:45:12 GMT
Organization: SkyPoint Communications, Inc.


A couple of months ago the landlord in my building installed a DOOR KING
brand apartment entry system.

You dial in a code, the outside box rings the apartment you want. Inside
that apartment, the phone rings, or there's a "call-waiting" style beep.
We're supposed to hit "9" then to open the door.

My problem is that there's no way to suppress the "call-waiting" beep.
Apparently the thing is wired directly into my private phone line, and
doesn't go through the central phone company switch. This is extremely
annoying, as it causes my modem to hang up on a connection like this one.
I've been learning a lot about the unix kill command, getting rid
of those wayward processes after I log back on.

Anyway, because this apartment entry box was wired directly into my
private phone line, I've been told by various people that this is a
violation of the law. Is this so? I never gave permission for anybody
to do anything to my phone line -- certainly nothing disruptive like
this.

I'd appreciate serious replies. Thanks.


[e-mail]     Minneapolis MN USA
Last Call Junior >>> 612-861-7094 <<< A cyber-rumpus-room


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It was attached directly to the 'house
pairs' on the apartment building side of the telco demarc. This means
you can change your phone number -- or not have phone service at all from
telco -- and as long as there is a phone instrument in your apartment
the front door system will cause the phone to ring (or give the call
waiting tone). If you are on a call when someone comes to the front
door, then the system tests the line for a busy condition, puts the
central office call on hold and lets you talk to the caller at the front
door.  They're not bad deals; I have been set up that way in the past
at a place where I lived a few years ago. Our version was actually from
Illinois Bell called Enterphone. It is not against the law for the simple
reason the landlord owns the wiring inside your building. About the only
way around this is to see whether or not you have a *second pair* coming
to your apartment. In most newer constrcution, there will be two or three
pairs to each apartment. If there is a second pair, then either ask
telco to move your actual phone line to the second pair, or ask the
person maintaining the front door system to move your front door intercom
service to the second pair. In either event you will then need a second
actual phone instrument (or a two line phone) to handle front door calls.

I don't think when Enterphone (and its variants by whatever trade name)
was developed, anyone gave any thought to ways of suspending the call
waiting tone for lines handling modem communications. Using *70 will of
course suspend call waiting from the telco; it won't do a thing where
the front door is concerned.  Sorry about that.    PAT]

------------------------------

From: Wolf <[e-mail]>
Subject: Trying to Locate Recommendation E.123
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 17:06:52 EST
Reply-To: [e-mail]


It was mentioned in TELECOM Digest that one "might wish to access the
PostScript format files available from the ITU" for the E.123
recommendation.

How does one access ITU?  I searched the Digest header, but there was
no mention of ITU's location, and the only other reference I can find
is to itu.edu, which does not have direct ftp access.

Any suggestions?


Christopher Wolf, consumer of time, occupier of space.
     http://www.cs.mtu.edu/grads/Wolf/Home.html

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 17 Mar 95 18:27:48 -0800
From: [e-mail] (Jeff C. Glover)
Subject: Summary: Interface Computer Audio to Phone Line


In a previous edition of the telecom digest I asked about hardware to
interface a computer's audio ports to a phone line with RS-232 control
over things like hook, touch-tones, etc.

Here's a summary of the responses:

=====================================================================
    Digital Storefront, a Macintosh-based voice mail system, uses a
    custom built phone interface.  The box is has a serial din-8
    interface for status, ring detect, control, dtmf equivalents (etc),
    and audio in/out (along with mic and speaker pass thrus) ports to
    hook into a unix box with mic and speaker.

    Full-duplex audio available thru the hardware, sampling
    done by the host platform.

    No unix software or driver.

    Product information available at 800-73-STARS.
=====================================================================
    The device you described is the model T311 manufactured by Teltone.
    It is a DTMF/RS-232C interface, and is a reliable unit. It's fairly
    cheap, at $399 retail. Unfortunately, I don't have the phone #, but
    you could try an old NAB directory, or the Bill Daniels guide. AMX
    also has the AXC-DTMF interface card, but unless you already have
    an AXCESS system, the T311 is the path of least resistance, from a
    hardware/software/greenware standpoint.

    Teltone, Electronic Equipment & Supplies, Kirkland, WA 800 426-3926
=====================================================================
    The best device that I have seen/used that does this is a device
    called the Computerphone III made by Suncoast Systems, Inc.  It is
    about the size of a standard external modem.  It has exactly the
    the things you listed in your email.  Plus it has its own
    programming language in 'C' (and maybe other languages) that lets
    you program it via application control.  I used to use one as an
    answering machine for my Unix computer, messages where stored on my
    hard disk.  Apparently the product has been around for a while.  I
    understand J.C. Penney used to use them in their catalog department
    for computer controlling and accounting their phone calls.
    Suncoast Systems can be reached at:

                Suncoast Systems, Inc.
                3100 McCormick St., Box 22
                Pensacola, FL  32514
                [phone]
=====================================================================

I went with the Digital Storefront; it has some problems that I'm
working through.  Essentially it's audio connection to the computer is
a microphone level and it is incompatible with my computer's microphone
port.  Since I have a line-level input, I'll simply buy a microphone to
line-level black-box and use that.

Right now my "software" consists of a shell script that echos
characters to the serial port.  Works great.

I decided on the Digital Storefront since they were the only vendor to
answer technical questions.


Jeff    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Chris Radicke)
Subject: DS-3 Inverse Mux
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 19:14:24 MST
Organization: Primenet


Anybody used any Digital Link inverse mux units??  I have a DL-3000
and it apears to have some problems looking for some info on problems
incounter if you have one..  Also I've been told some Telco's are
using them. Any information would be good.


Thanks in advance,

Chris Radicke   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Information Wanted on SuiteTalker Voicemail
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 17:28:12 GMT
Organization: Midland Internet Limited Networks, Hamilton, NZ


Anybody out there had experiences either good or bad with a Voicemail
product called Suitetalker?  It comes from a company called
Demosource.

Please email me at [e-mail].


Thanks.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 10:43:58 MST
From: PRUDHOMME  ROBERT MARK <[e-mail]>
Subject: Help on Wireless LAN Products


I am a graduate student writing my thesis on Wireless LANs, and I am
looking for any information on Wireless LAN products that support
telephony applications.  Most of my research so far as only uncovered
products which essentially serve as a wireless extension to the wired
LAN.  I am interested to find out if anyone knows of any products that
will support the IEEE 802.9 ISLAN standard, or proprietary developments
that will support voice.  Any leads would be greatly appreciated.
Please respond directly to my email address.


Sincerely,

Robert M. Prudhomme
University of Colorado, Boulder
[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve Cogorno)
Subject: Re: T1 -> Modems
Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 18:14:23 PST


ScottPCS ([e-mail]) wrote:

> I need to bring in a T1 line to 24 1200 baud modems for my company.
> It seems like an inefficient solution to run the T1 into a channel
> bank to end up with 24 phone lines and then plug in 24 modems plugged
> into 24 serial ports.  Is there any type of hardware that can handle
> this T1 / modem problem better?  Preferrably something PC based
> (Windows NT) and cheap <g>.

Scott,

What are you going to be using the lines for? It sounds like this
might be a very good application for a packet-switched network.  ISDN
may handle thisE nicely for much less than a T-1.  This is from
PacBell's ISDN User's Guide:

"A signle B channel of ISDN can support hundreds of user X.25
connections to a bulliten board, information service, database, or
transaction host system.  And while user transmissions can originate
through either dialed modem links or through permanent ISDN D-channel
connections, a host system's permanent, fully digital B-channel link
to the packet network totally eliminates the need for modems at the
host site."

You might also want to keep in mind that D-Channel packets have under
1 second setup time, whereas a modem takes upto 30 seconds to
negotiate.  Most ISDN phones have PAD (packet assembler-disassembler)
built in.

Rates in the Pacific Bell Service area for data packets are:
    .05 CENTS for transaction setup
    .005 CENTS per octet of data


Steve    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gerald Serviss)
Subject: Re: Using Live Radio With Automated Attendant
Date: 17 Mar 1995 15:21:48 GMT
Organization: Cellular Infrastructure Group, Motorola


Ward Larkin <[e-mail]> wrote:

> It's not that big a deal to use audio CD, or a tape deck, I simply
> want to know what specific FCC regulations (if any) prohibit use of
> live radio on telephony systems.

I don't know about the FCC rules but, I am aware of the fact that ASCP
(American Society of Composers & Publishers - I think) sues people who
play the radio in public places like restaurants, stores elevators.

The rational behind this is that they (the artists) are not receiving
the royalty payment that they are due for use of a copyrighted work.


Jerry Serviss      Motorola Inc    [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 18:16:24 PST
From: Gary Breuckman <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Using Live Radio With Automated Attendant


On Tue, 14 Mar 1995, Ward Larkin wrote:

> I'm fairly new to telephony, but I have installed a couple smaller
> automated attendant, fax-on-demand, voice mail systems.  I was
> recently told that it is technically against FCC regulations to use
> live radio broadcasts for when people are placed on hold (or choose to
> be placed on hold).

A number of places that I call, where there is radio on hold, seem to
pick the news-radio or all-talk stations.  I understood that the
reason behind this was that if they picked a station with music, they
would then owe royalties to the copyright holders of the music.

> It's not that big a deal to use audio CD, or a tape deck, I simply
> want to know what specific FCC regulations (if any) prohibit use of
> live radio on telephony systems.

I'm sure you would run into the same situation with CD or tape, unless
you purchase something that includes the rights for this type of use.
There are hold devices that play random musical tunes while on hold,
boring.  Have you heard that these music license folks have been going
into places that play a radio in the background and demanding license
fees?  I believe in fairly compensating the artists but this seems a
bit overboard.


[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Patton M Turner)
Subject: Re: Using Live Radio With Automated Attendant
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 1995 03:29:12 GMT


[e-mail] (Ward Larkin) writes:

> I'm fairly new to telephony, but I have installed a couple smaller
> automated attendant, fax-on-demand, voice mail systems.  I was
> recently told that it is technically against FCC regulations to use
> live radio broadcasts for when people are placed on hold (or choose to
> be placed on hold).

Never heard of this, but you may not retransmit audio w/o the radio
stations OK.  A payment to ASCAP/MBI may be required as well.  Most
everybody does it anyway.  I got caught once and had to stop.

> It's not that big a deal to use audio CD, or a tape deck, I simply
> want to know what specific FCC regulations (if any) prohibit use of
> live radio on telephony systems.

Copyrighted material may not be publicly used w/o paying ASCAP or BMI.
Public domain recordings are OK.


Patton Turner KB4GRZ  [e-mail]  FAA Telecommunications

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 02:58:05 -0500
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Using Live Radio With Automa


I was faced with the same problem. We were able to negotiate a "Site
License" with a local recording company. They were so happy to get our
money up front that they allowed us to use the music at all of our
sites. We saved the company a ton of money, made ourselves legal, and
improoved the quality of our music on hold.

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 18 Mar 1995 00:31:58 CST
From: Peter Lamasney <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Pac Bell, Cal. PUC, and "Reasonable Level of Service"


[e-mail] (Jon Tara) wrote:

> The provider claims that they are trying to provide good service, but
> that Pac Bell and the PUC block them at every step. I'm wondering how
> true these claims may be, and how others manage to get this many lines

They manage to get the lines by ordering them!

Remembering my experiences in Pac Bell land, when we had 100+ lines
coming in and growing, it seemed that T1s would be a better route.  So
I called them to chat about it, and they got all excited -- thought it
was a great idea, sent over a couple of tech types to look around,
talk the idea up and all.  When I explored the cost "savings," it
turned out that the cost for the T1 was *in addition to* the normal
cost for 24 POTS lines!  It went: "Let's see, the monthly cost for T1
is (I forget), plus each T1 carries 24 POTS lines at $21.80" (or so; I
still forget, but it was the same as POTS via the tiny wires we both
were trying to avoid).

The bottom line was that I should write them a *much* larger check
each month for the privilege of saving them money.

When I pointed out that this didn't make any sense, they played
the tape that goes "Our hands are tied ... PUC Tariff ... there's
nothing we can do."  It did no good to play my tape that goes
"Let's see if I understand this: Your salaried employees craft
a tariff, type it using machines you own, submit it for approval.
Instead of saying there's nothing you can do, why don't you type
it differently?"

I'd expect your provider has walked this path also.  If the pipe in
from the street is full, it takes time (if not, it just takes an
order).

Here in GTE-land, we moved into a building that would was almost maxed
out after we installed a bunch of lines.  One day they showed up (we
hadn't asked them; they hadn't asked us), dug a 180 foot trench, and
installed 200 more pair in the building.  "Just in case."  (It's still
lousy service)

> (I keep urging them to co-locate, both for better avilability of lines
> and for better quality on modem connections.)

I don't believe this is something that you can force on them.  It
implies that they rent space to you, and that you have physical access
to your equipment (within their boundaries).  Neither is something
that they are anxious to do.


Pete   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Richard Kevin)
Subject: Re: Help: E Telco Step-by-Step Switch
Organization: Internet Direct, indirect.com
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 1995 12:41:54 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Patton
M Turner) writes:

> [e-mail] (John Lundgren) writes:

>> Often the old equipment had a 'KS' or 'KSS' on it, and this meant that
>> the equipment maker was Kellogg Switch and Signal, I think the name
>> was.  Just something that I remembered from my military days long ago.
>> I hope I'm not too far off. If so, there will probably be someone
>> correcting me in a followup.

> KS usually means a Bell System part number.  Many manufacturers put
> the KS number on the all of the products on the Bell contract since
> the Bell System was such a large customer.

Regarding the "KS" designation, someone told me a long time ago that
it stood for "Kearny Standard", in reference to the Western Electric
facility in New Jersey.


Richard Kevin   U S WEST Communications    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Optical Wave Analyzer
Date: 17 Mar 1995 06:21:21 GMT
Reply-To: [e-mail]


In <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Bruce
Roberts) writes:

> For some unknown reason our test equipment folks have decided that we
> need an optical wave analyzer as part of our field service kit.  We
> don't think we need one and would appreciate comments, pro or con, to
> help resolve this.  Thanks in advance,

If you fix cars you don't need one.  If you swap boards you don't need
one.  If you're a Maytag repairman you don't need one.  But if you
work with FO cable ...    ;-)


Wally Ritchie     Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #154
******************************


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Date: Mon, 20 Mar 95 10:44:15 CST
From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #155

TELECOM Digest     Mon, 20 Mar 95 10:44:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 155

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    ESS'95 1st Call for Papers (Philippe Geril)
    Book Review: "Internet Anywhere" by MKS/Gardner (Rob Slade)
    Re: PCS Auction Results and Analysis (Bob Keller)
    The ITU in Gopherspace (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh)
    X.25/ISDN Prices; Global Information Wanted (Again) (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh)
    New Bell Atlantic Service (Washington Post via Chris J. Cartwright)
    Cellular Fraud in the News Again (TELECOM Digest Editor)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, 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 twenty dollars per
year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.

All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Philippe Geril)
Subject: ESS'95 1st Call For Papers
Date: 20 Mar 1995 12:39:49 GMT
Organization: University of Ghent, Belgium


7th EUROPEAN SIMULATION SYMPOSIUM ESS 95 Erlangen - Nuremberg
October 26 - 28, 1995  Hosted by Friedrich-Alexander-University

CALL FOR PAPERS

TOPICS
SIMULATION METHODOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS
COMPUTER AND TELECOMMUNICATION SYSTEMS
DEPENDABILITY EVALUATION
ANALYTICAL AND NUMERICAL MODELLING TECHNIQUES
SIMULATION IN AUTOMATION
SIMULATION IN BUSINESS
SYMPOSIUM: MISSION EARTH

Organized and Sponsored by :
SCSI The Society for Computer Simulation International
SiE Simulation In Europe

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

Conference Chairmen

Mario DalCin
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Department of Computer Science Chair of Computer Architecture
Martensstrasse 3
91058 Erlangen, Germany
Tel.: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
e-mail: [e-mail]

Ulrich Herzog
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Department of Computer Science
Chair of Computer Architecture and Performance Evaluation
Martensstrasse 3
91058 Erlangen, Germany
Tel.: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
e-mail: [e-mail]

Conference Program Chairmen
Gunter Bolch
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Department  Computer Science
Chair of Operating Systems
Martensstrasse 1
91058 Erlangen, Germany
Tel.: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
e-mail: [e-mail]


Ali Riza Kaylan
Bogazici University
Department of Industry-Engineering
80815 Bebek
Istanbul,Turkey
Tel.: [phone] / 2072
Fax: [phone]
e-mail:[e-mail]

Finance Chairman and Conference - Coordination
Rainer Rimane
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg
Department of Computer Science
Chair of Operating Systems
Martensstrasse 1
91058 Erlangen, Germany
Tel.: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
e-mail: [e-mail]

Local Organizing Committee
Juerg Dittrich, Wolfgang Hohl, Walter Henning, Elke Stief, Roya Ulrich
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg

IPC - International Program Committee:
Amborski, K. (PL)
Balbo, G. (I)
Beilner, H. (D)
Biethahn J. (D)
BoHuLi (Tj)
Borutzky, W (D)
Boxma, O. (NL)
Breitenecker, F. (A)
Courtois, P.-J. (B)
Crosbie, R. (USA)
Eschenbacher, P. (D)
Forster, H. (D)
Giambiasi, N. (F)
Guasch, A. (E)
Hahn, W. (D)
Halin, J. (CH)
Hanschke, T. (D)
Haring, G. (A)
Houbak, N. (DK)
Huntsinger, R. (USA)
Iazeolla, I. (D)
Irmscher, K. (D)
Iyer, R. (USA)
Jones, A. (USA)
Kerckhoffs, E. (NL)
Kleijnen, J. (NL)
Krug, W. (D)
Kuehn, P. (D)
Lehmann, A. (D)
Lehmann, F. (D)
Lehnert, R. (D)
Marie, R. (F)
Meisinger, R. (D)
Meisen, P. (USA)
Merkuryev, Y. (LV)
Molnar, I. (H)
Mosekilde, E. (DK)
Vren, T. (CAN)
Pataricza, A. (H)
Schmidt, B. (D)
Strunz, H. (D)
Szczerbicka, H. (D)
Tanir, O. (CAN)
Tripathi, S. (USA)
Trivedi, K. (USA)
Tucci, S. (I)
van As, H. (CH)
Verbraeck, A. (NL)
Walke, B. (D)
Witte, Th. (D)
Wittmann, J. (D)
Zobel, R. (GB)


Scientific Program:

The 1995 SCSI European Simulation Symposium is structured around the
following major themes. A track will be devoted to each of the topics
in parallel. The Conference Language is English.


Simulation  Methodology and Application

Coordination: Prof. Dr. Andras Javor, Hungary

   -Simulation Languages,
   -Engineering Applications,
   -Knowledge Based Simulation Tools,
   -Distributed and Parallel System Simulation,
   -Graphical Model Editors

Computer and Telecommunications Systems

Coordination:  Winfried Dulz, Germany

    -Electronic Circuits and Components,
   - Parallel and Distributed Systems,
   -High Speed Networks
    ISDN and ATM Communications,
   -Multimedia Systems


Dependability Evaluation

Coordination: G. Horton, United Kingdom

   -Reliability and Availability Assurance,
   -Fault Forecasting,
   -Safety and Security,
   -Fault Tolerance

Analytical and Numerical Modelling Techniques

Coordination:  Hermann de Meer, The Netherlands

   -Queuing Networks,
   -Stochastic Petri Nets,
   -Markov Models,
   -Optimization

Simulation in Automation

Coordination:  Klaus Feldmann, Germany

   -Scheduling,
   -Manufacturing,
   -System Optimization,
   -Applications


Simulation in Business

Coordination:  Peter Mertens, Germany

   -Production Planning
   -Logistics,
   -Risk-Analysis,
   -Combination of Simulation and AI-Techniques

SYMPOSIUM:  MISSION EARTH
Coordination:  Alfred Jones, USA

Mission Earth is an Activity of the Society for Computer Simulation
International. Its purpose is the identification and dissemination of
the unique benefits of World Simulation as the prime tool for use in
planning and monitoring a sustainable future for the World System.

Keynote Speakers:

A. Alan B. Pritsker, Ph.D.
Pritsker Corporation, President and CEO
New Roles for Simulation in Industry

Prof. Dr. Hansjoerg Fromm
IBM Deutschland Produktion GmbH
Workflow Management and the Simulation of Business Processes

Invited Speakers

Focusing on the main tracks of the Conference, invited speakers will
give special in-depth presentations in plenary sessions, which will be
included in the Proceedings of the Conference.

Best Paper Awards

The 1995 European Simulation Symposium will award the best papers, one
in each track. From these papers the best overall paper will be
chosen. The awarded papers will be published in an International
Journal, if necessary after incorporating modifications to the paper.

Deadlines and Requirements:

Extended Abstracts (two or three pages for full, one page for short
papers typewritten without drawings and tables) are due to arrive in
quadruplicate at the European Simulation Office.

Philippe Geril
The Society for Computer Simulation International
European Simulation Office
University of Ghent, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
Tel. (Office) : +32.9.2337790
Tel.+Fax (Private): +32.59.800.804
Fax: [phone]
e-mail: philippe.geril@
rug.ac.be

before April 26, 1995

Only original papers, written in English, which have not previously
been published elsewhere will be accepted. In case you want to
organize a panel discussion, please contact the Program Chairmen.

Authors are expected to register early (at a reduced fee) and to
attend the Conference at their own expense to present the accepted
papers. If early registration and payment are not made, the paper will
not be published in the Conference Proceedings. In the case of
multiple authors, one author should be identified as the person who
will act as the correspondent for the paper.

Abstracts will be reviewed by three members of the International
Program Committee for full papers and one member for short papers.
Notification of acceptance or rejection will be sent by June 1, 1995.

An author kit with complete instructions for preparing a camera-ready
copy for the Proceedings will be sent to authors of accepted
abstracts. The camera-ready copy of the papers must be in by August
31, 1995. Only the full papers, which are expected to be five pages
long, will be published in the Conference Proceedings. In order to
guarantee a high-quality Conference, the full papers will be reviewed
as well, to check whether the suggestions of the program committee
have been incorporated. The nominees for the best paper awards will
be selected as well.

Submission Deadline: April 28, 1995
Acceptance Notification: June 1, 1995
Camera-Ready Copies: August 31, 1995

Conference Information

The ESS series (organized by SCSI, the Society for Computer Simulation
International) is now in its seventh year. SCSI is an International
non-profit organization founded in 1952. On a yearly basis SCSI
organizes six Simulation Conferences worldwide, cooperates in two
others, and publishes the monthly magazine "Simulation", a quarterly
"Transactions", and books. For more information, please tick the
appropriate box on the reply-card

Exhibits

An exhibition will be held in the area, where the participants are
having coffee during the breaks. There will be a special exhibition
section for universities and non-profit organizations, and a special
section for publishers and commercial stands. If you would like to
participate in the exhibition, please contact the European Office.

Venue

Erlangen is a city with 100.000 inhabitants 10 miles away from
Nuremberg. Erlangen hosts the SIEMENS Research Center and a well known
university with ca. 36.000 students. The Symposium will be held at the
university in one of the buildings directly in the center of the city.
The International airport of Nuremberg is only 6 miles away from the
center of Erlangen.

Registration before August 31, 1995
Author       SCSI - members and members
Other participants of the sponsoring societies
BF 16000     BF 16000        ECU 450
ECU 400    ECU 400        BF 18000

Registration after August 31,1995
Preregistration    BF 18000    BF 20000
required        ECU 450    ECU 500

The registration fee includes, one copy of the Conference Proceedings,
three Lunches, Refreshments during the breaks, a Welcome Cocktail and
the Conference Dinner.

Correspondence Address:

Philippe Geril
The Society for Computer Simulation International
European Simulation Office
University of Ghent, Coupure Links 653, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium
Tel. (Office) : +32.9.2337790
Fax (Office): +32.9.2234941
Tel.+Fax (Private): +32.59.800.804
e-mail: [e-mail]

Further information on the 1995 ESS Symposium can be found on WWW at:
http://faui30t.informatik.uni-erlangen.de:1200/Misc/ESS95.html



Philippe Geril                     SCS European Simulation Office
                                   University of Gent
phone : [phone]          Department for Applied Mathematics
fax   : [phone]          Biometrics and Process Control
e-mail: [e-mail]   Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent
                                   Belgium
                             Carpe Diem !

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 18 Mar 1995 20:33:25 EST
From: Rob Slade <[e-mail]>
Subject: Book Review: "Internet Anywhere" by MKS/Gardner


BKINTANW.RVW   950209

%A   James Gardner
%C   113 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ   07632
%D   1995
%G   0-13-185612-X
%I   Prentice Hall PTR
%O   U$29.95/C$39.95 [phone] FAX [phone] [e-mail]
%P   430
%T   "Internet Anywhere"
"Internet Anywhere", MKS Inc., 1995, 0-13-185612-X, U$29.95/C$39.95

This is *not* the Internet anywhere.  This is a 30 day test kit for
email (maybe) and news, in the US and Canada, under Windows.

What is really included here is a crippleware demo version of the MKS
mail and newsreader software for Windows.  Arrangements have been made
with The Rabbit Network Inc. for thirty days' free access through an
"800" number.  At the end of thirty days, the demo will stop working,
but you can contact MKS and get an "upgrade" for fifty bucks more
(sixty, in Canada), and contact Rabbit for a proper account.
(Alternate arrangements have been made with Portal.  This "30 days
free" is valid for only the first five hours, and requires a credit
card number for validation.)

The book is basically documentation of the MKS software, although about a
quarter of it is taken up with an extensive Internet provider list.

For those who want a taste of email and news, this might be a handy
start.  I'll have to review the software to comment further on it.


copyright Robert M. Slade, 1995   BKINTANW.RVW   950209. Distribution
permitted in TELECOM Digest and associated publications. Rob Slade's
book reviews are a regular feature in the Digest.


DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security group newsletters
Editor and/or reviewer [e-mail], [e-mail], Rob Slade at 1:153/733
Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" 0-387-94311-0/3-540-94311-0

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 19 Mar 1995 01:41:03 EST
From: Bob Keller <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: PCS Auction Results and Analysis


The ranking of the comparative value of the MTAs (which was part of
the PCS Auction analysis that I posted last week) had one rather
significant error.  In aggregating the block A and B winning bids for
each market, New Orleans was somehow skipped, with the result that it
was listed twice, but both times at an extremely understated value.
Below is a revised version of the list which corrects this error and
makes some other changes:

 ==========================================================================
 Comparative Value of the MTAs
 ==========================================================================

The following tabulation shows the comparative value of each MTA,
calculated and ranked on the basis of dollars bid per pop. The winning
bids on each of the two licenses in each MTA were combined, except in
Washington, Los Angeles, and New York where only one license was
auctioned due to the previous pioneer's preference grants.  Each of
those three markets is shown twice in the tabulation below, once
including only the winning bid for the Block B (w/o pp), and once
including both the Block B winning bid plus the Block A pioneer's
preference revenue (w/pp).

    MTA# Market Name                        Population $/Pop  High Bid
    ---- ---------------------------------- ---------- ------ ------------
 01 M010 Washington-Baltimore (w/o pp)Rank   7,777,875 $54.45 $211,771,000
 02 M002 Los Angeles-San Diego (w/o pp)     19,145,232 $51.55 $493,500,000
  * M010 Washington-Baltimore (w/ pp)        7,777,875 $40.39 $314,114,539
  * M002 Los Angeles-San Diego (w/ pp)      19,145,232 $38.93 $745,418,526
 03 M017 New Orleans-Baton Rouge             4,925,269 $37.24 $183,424,485
 04 M001 New York (w/o pp)                  26,410,597 $33.53 $442,712,000
 05 M003 Chicago                            12,069,700 $30.88 $372,750,000
  * M001 New York (w/ pp)                   26,410,597 $29.92 $790,230,309
 06 M011 Atlanta                             6,942,084 $28.58 $198,411,000
 07 M024 Seattle (Excluding Alaska)          3,827,175 $27.79 $106,355,002
 08 M015 Miami-Fort Lauderdale               5,136,581 $25.64 $131,723,000
 09 M019 St. Louis                           4,663,926 $25.48 $118,836,000
 10 M031 Indianapolis                        3,017,475 $23.34  $70,433,000
 11 M027 Phoenix                             3,510,140 $22.32  $78,347,000
 12 M037 Jacksonville                        2,274,933 $20.22  $46,000,000
 13 M047 Honolulu                            1,108,229 $20.18  $22,361,030
 14 M020 Milwaukee                           4,541,432 $18.73  $85,043,289
 15 M033 San Antonio                         2,986,524 $18.21  $54,394,123
 16 M036 Salt Lake City                      2,573,372 $17.82  $45,847,030
 17 M016 Cleveland                           4,945,749 $17.59  $87,000,000
 18 M004 San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose     11,891,177 $17.37 $206,500,000
 19 M022 Denver                              3,880,637 $16.60  $64,436,000
 20 M013 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Orlando        5,417,788 $16.57  $89,786,837
 21 M014 Houston                             5,190,849 $16.16  $83,888,837
 22 M048 Tulsa                               1,096,396 $16.02  $17,562,369
 23 M025 Puerto Rico-U.S. Virgin Islands     3,623,846 $15.70  $56,899,000
 24 M026 Louisville-Lexington-Evansville     3,556,648 $13.85  $49,262,000
 25 M008 Boston-Providence                   9,452,712 $12.87 $121,660,000
 26 M028 Memphis-Jackson                     3,465,226 $12.46  $43,169,000
 27 M030 Portland                            3,059,948 $11.16  $34,155,030
 28 M029 Birmingham                          3,244,076 $10.97  $35,597,000
 29 M038 Columbus                            2,145,561 $10.39  $22,290,000
 30 M043 Nashville                           1,767,391  $9.26  $16,374,000
 31 M009 Philadelphia                        8,927,748  $9.07  $80,951,000
 32 M007 Dallas-Fort Worth                   9,694,157  $9.03  $87,500,578
 33 M018 Cincinnati-Dayton                   4,716,665  $8.89  $41,932,000
 34 M023 Richmond-Norfolk                    3,846,210  $8.75  $33,652,000
 35 M005 Detroit                            10,001,009  $8.12  $81,177,000
 36 M034 Kansas City                         2,913,304  $8.11  $23,619,168
 37 M032 Des Moines-Quad Cities              3,006,139  $7.35  $22,100,031
 38 M021 Pittsburgh                          4,102,766  $7.00  $28,719,362
 39 M006 Charlotte-Greensboro-Greenville-Ral 9,752,317  $6.83  $66,616,000
 40 M035 Buffalo-Rochester                   2,777,046  $6.80  $18,893,000
 41 M012 Minneapolis-St. Paul                5,986,039  $6.63  $39,674,673
 42 M040 Little Rock                         2,051,667  $6.21  $12,732,501
 43 M044 Knoxville                           1,721,911  $6.18  $10,635,000
 44 M041 Oklahoma City                       1,877,478  $5.92  $11,111,111
 45 M051 American Samoa                         47,000  $4.57     $214,555
 46 M039 El Paso-Albuquerque                 2,113,890  $4.08   $8,634,030
 47 M046 Wichita                             1,124,174  $3.91   $4,393,000
 48 M042 Spokane-Billings                    1,863,335  $3.05   $5,688,000
 49 M045 Omaha                               1,659,273  $2.80   $4,647,000
 50 M049 Alaska                                550,043  $1.82   $1,000,000
 51 M050 Guam-Northern Mariana Islands         176,000  $0.61     $107,000


Bob Keller (KY3R)            Email: [e-mail]
Law Office of Robert J. Keller, P.C.   Telephone:  [phone]
Federal Telecommunications Law       Facsimile:  301.229.6875

------------------------------

Subject: The ITU in Gopherspace
From: [e-mail] (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh)
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 95 23:38:22 IST
Organization: Deus X Machina


Someone asked for info on the ITU's net.location.

Try gopher info.itu.ch.


Rishab Aiyer Ghosh                   For Electric Dreams subscriptions
[e-mail]                    and back issues, send a mail to
[e-mail]                           [e-mail] with
Vox [phone] Voxmail 3760335       'help' in lower case, without
H 34C Saket, New Delhi 110017, INDIA       the quotes, as the Subject.

------------------------------

Subject: X.25/ISDN prices; Global Information Wanted (Again)
From: [e-mail] (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh)
Date: Sat, 18 Mar 95 23:44:53 IST
Organization: Deus X Machina


Someone wrote: [on X.25 over ISDN]:

> Rates in the Pacific Bell Service area for data packets are:
> .05 CENTS for transaction setup
> .005 CENTS per octet of data

That works out to about $52 per Mb - is that _cheap_?

BTW I posted last week a request for telecom/datacom rates and
licences in various countries, similar to the info I provided on
India. Though I asked specifically for info on Asian/developing
countries, I only got replies from the US, UK and Malaysia. I intend
to collate this data and repost to the Digest, so stop being lazy and
help!

In case you missed my table on India, and volunteer to provide similar
data for your country, ask me for a copy of that post.


Rishab Aiyer Ghosh                   For Electric Dreams subscriptions
[e-mail]                    and back issues, send a mail to
[e-mail]                           [e-mail] with
Vox [phone] Voxmail 3760335       'help' in lower case, without
H 34C Saket, New Delhi 110017, INDIA       the quotes, as the Subject.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 09:52:29 EST
From: Chris J. Cartwright - ELF <[e-mail]>
Subject: New Bell Atlantic Service


 From the {Washington Post} Friday, March 17, 1995: (all typos are mine)

             ***** Montgomery to Get Phone Message Service *****
    Bell Atlantic's Residential 'T-Mail' Experiment is First in Country

                --------------------------------------------
                 By Mike Mills / Washington Post Staff Writer
                 --------------------------------------------

   Beginning next week, Montogomery County residents may notice
something different when they pick up their telephones: three quick
beeps before they hear a dial tone.  It will mean that they have a
"T-Mail" message waiting.

   "T-Mail" is a new service that Bell Atlantic Corp. is trying out
among its 400,000 customers in the county, with plans to expand the
service area-wide if it's popular.

   The first such residential service in the country, it is designed
to let a community group distribute messages to members, or a daughter
to get information to a parent who isn't home.

   Unlike Bell Atlantic's Answer Call voice mail service, T-mail does not
take messages when people don't answer their phones.

   It's more like the voice mail that many offices now have.  Callers
in Montgomery County will be able to pick up their phones and dictate
messages that Bell Atlantic computers will record and then send on to
the phones of an individual or group of people who have the service.

   The phones will not ring to alert the recipient.  Instead they will
hear the beeps before the dial tone when the phone is picked up, or a
light will blink (of the customers own newer models of telephones
equipped with message lights).  To retrieve messages, customers will
dial a special number and enter their private passcode, and then
listen to, delete or forward messages to others who have the service.

   T-mail will allow customers to leave a message for someone who's
not home and doesn't have an answering machine.  Or, the same message
could go to a large number of people: A soccer coach could update team
members on practice schedules or a teacher could notify parents about
homework assignments.

   T-mail will be free from next Monday until May 30, after which
customers will pay 25 cents for each message they send or copy.
Listening to messages will remain free of charge.  Customers who
subscribe to Answer Call will pay 15 cents per message.

   The service is part of larger efforts by Bell Atlantic and other
local phone companies to increase their revenue by making their
networks "intelligent".  They see services such as this as prime
opportunities for new revenue from basic residential phone service,
which is only marginally profitable.

   Bell Atlantic is also trying to enhance the value of it's own offerings
as new competitors threaten to offer competing local phone service.

   Bell Atlantic officials say the service won't be a new opening for
telemarketers.  Junk-mail callers will be dissuaded from stuffing mail
boxes with messages, they predict, because of per message cost and
because mass messages can only be sent to as many as three groups of
25 recipients each.

   People who don't want the service can call 1-800-870-0000 to have it
disconnected.

   The service also will further Bell Atlantics's efforts to take
business away from the answering machine industry.  Answer Call voice
mail service already reaches 1.4 million residential customers,
according to Bell Atlantic, more than any other U.S. local phone
company.

   But nationwide, about 54 percent of U.S. telephone users still have
an answering machine, or more than 125 million people, according to
the Electronic Industries Association.

                         -------------------------------

I posted this because in addition to being a "new" service, it hits on
several topics discussed here of late. One is phones that detect
stutter tone or some other message waiting data that lets the phone
know there is a message (any bets only the RBOC's sell this little
gem).  And "Junk-mail callers will be dissuaded...", would you pay
$60,000 dollars to reach 400,000 people?  Not to mention that its
**FREE** for the next ten weeks to the everyone including
telemarketers!  I grant you that it make take some doing but I'll bet
some replacement window company, or credit card insurance marketer has
already paid the overtime to cash in on the free advertising to all of
Montgomery County.  Plus I thought any phone number with seven zero's
in it was worth mention.  I'll try to keep you posted.  If I'm not too
busy listening to all my new T-Mail ...


Chris Cartwright, Technical Engineer
Mail  [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Please let us know your early experiences
with this new service ... or is it a disservice?   <g>    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest Editor)
Subject: Cellular Fraud in the News Again
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 10:30:00 CST


Over the weekend in the {Chicago Tribune} writer Kathy O'Malley offered
an interesting article on cellular fraud, primarily discussing how
phones are cloned and then abused.

The thing which caught my eye, and which I discussed with her briefly on
the phone Monday morning was her tossing around of the figures given to
her by some industry people:   $1.3 million per day in fraud; and that
this represented four percent of the industry's annual traffic. By my
calculations, 1.3 million per day comes to about $454 million per year,
and that figure is four percent of what astronomical amount?

I know we have had discussions on this here before and many of you contend
losses due to fraud -- while a significant problem -- are substantially
less that the dollar amounts quoted on a routine basis in the media and
by industry representatives.

Ms. O'Malley asked me, if $1.3 million per day is *not* correct, then
what amount is correct or more realistic?  I'd like to forward her some
more accurate data if that is possible. Can anyone provide anything?

She said to me she was prompted to write the article based on her own
unfortunate experiences of being cloned twice in the past year. I told
her I could easily see and understand her feelings, but that overstating
the amount in question did not benefit anyone ... some of you here explained
that to me the last time this topic came up.

She is at the {Chicago Tribune}, 435 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago 60611
if you care to provide rebuttal, although it might be best if you send
it to me and I will pass it along.


Thanks,

Patrick Townson

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #155
******************************


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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
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To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #156

TELECOM Digest     Mon, 20 Mar 95 19:19:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 156

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Book Review: "The Downloader's Companion for Windows" (Rob Slade)
    Consuming Ourselves Into Oblivion (Kevin Martin)
    French "MCI Friends and Family" System (Romain Fournols)
    T3 Framing and Connection (Phillip Schuman)
    PABX Signalling Protocols (Ronald A. Smit)
    Research on Dual Mode Terminals (Joerg Kuehne)
    Why Doesn't Zmodem Work? (David Burns)
    Looking For Small, Used, CHEAP, PBX/Key System (Seng-Poh Lee)
    Re: Looking For "Help Desk" System (Jim Wenzel)
    Re: 800 "Trademark" Rights (Jim Wenzel)
    Telephone Cost Research (Rafael Rivera)
    Re: Caller ID in CA (John Navas)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
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                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
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  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

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* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, 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 twenty dollars per
year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.

All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 17:16:39 EST
From: Rob Slade <[e-mail]>
Subject: Book Review: "The Downloader's Companion for Windows"


BKDNLCMP.RVW   950208

"The Downloader's Companion for Windows", Scott Meyers/Catherine Pinch, 1995,
0-13-342254-2, U$19.95/C$26.95
%A   Scott Meyers [e-mail]
%A   Catherine Pinch [e-mail]
%C   113 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ   07632
%D   1995
%G   0-13-342254-2
%I   Prentice Hall PTR
%O   U$19.95/C$26.95 [phone] FAX [phone] [e-mail]
%P   178
%T   "The Downloader's Companion for Windows"

Those who are promoting the advantages of the online world often cite
the enormous volume of programs, utilities, graphics, sound bytes and
other files available on BBSes, commercial services, and the net.
They seldom mention the necessity for learning cryptic one- to
three-letter codes that indicate which of a bewildering variety of
archival, compression, encoding, viewing, and other programs need to
be brought to bear on a given file, in order to make it yield up its
secrets.  The promoters often stress that much of this stuff is free
(or ridiculously cheap), but don't stress the fact that, for that very
reason, most of what you need simply cannot be found at the local
"Computers-R-Us".

This slim volume is an excellent starter for newbies who want to begin
downloading.  The network cognoscenti will find nothing fresh here,
but it is pitched exactly right for the newcomer.  It covers the
concepts of freeware and shareware (though not, interestingly, public
domain); the basics of downloading; compression, archiving and
encoding; media files; and some resources and filename explanations.
The material is not exhaustive, but does cover the important
points--including how to read version numbers.  An included disk
provides the basic archiving, compression, encoding and viewing tools
that the Windows user will need to get started.

There are a few points one might want to argue.  (There is also a
script font, used for headers, which is very difficult to read.)  By
and large, however, there is nothing to block the value of this work
for the new user.

For such a small book, the price might seem excessive.  However, the
fact that this book, and an hour or two of study, can get a neophyte
online, would make it well worth the cost.


copyright Robert M. Slade, 1995   BKDNLCMP.RVW   950208. Distribution
permitted in TELECOM Digest and associated publications. Rob Slade's
book reviews are a regular feature in the Digest.


Vancouver      [e-mail]
Institute for  [e-mail]
Research into  [e-mail]
User           [e-mail]
Security       Canada V7K 2G6

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 16:31:50 -0600
From: [e-mail] (Kevin Martin)
Subject: Consuming Ourselves Into Oblivion


         In the 1600's monks slaved over reprinting letter by letter
then famous works like the Bible. When Guttenberg "revolutionized"
communication with the printing press an understanding emerged that
things would be different. New communication would forever alter human
interaction.

        When Marconi and radio transmission came along the same
"revolutionary" mindset emerged. Finally and ultimately national
governments would be held accountable for all their actions.

        Television, the last media/communication "revolution"
re-inspired, albeit only fleetingly, the human belief in control of
their personal intellectual destinies and re-invigorated the
government watchdog mentality.

        We surf, now, on the most recent technologically induced media
revolution but, nevertheless, allow it, even in its relative youth to
go the path of humanities other communication "revolutions."

    Neil Postman talks of, Americans in particular, informing ourselves
to death. Coinciding with that concept is the consuming ourselves into
oblivion argument that I wish to describe.

        Often unbeknownst to ourselves we are constantly, both subtly
and blatantly, force fed consumerism. In its dramatic form, television
commercials are now as hyped, constructed, debated and created as
detail oriented and cost (un) effective as feature films. TV commercial
consumption and viewing is, personally, dramatically more entertaining/
dumbing than the actual programs they interrupt. One need only mention
particular campaigns to fathom the country's familiarity with thirty
second "buy something" commands that now pass as pure entertainment.
The IBM nuns, the AT&T/MCI wars, "Where's the Beef," etc.

        Although the shows are by no means free from this consumptive
mindset. Whether its the mind-boggling, seemingly constant cross
promotion of television shows (In particular on the upstart Fox
network programs) or the nonchalant product placement within your
favorite show's star's apartment or hand, or the subtle programming
differences that slide you from one program to another commercial
free; We constantly have the "consume" command brow beaten into our
minds.

        Every television millisecond is a command to buy something.
Intertwined in PBS programs, live sports coverage, even Presidential
address' complete with network logo in bottom right corner and
pre/post, book-selling, anchor persons and analyst response is the
"run out and charge something" message.

        So avoid your television. Kill your television! The escape and
"freedom" is only minimal. Movie product placement, action figure
sales, sequel contracts etc. promote constant consumption within the
movie industry. The entertainment conglomerates, in general, have a
strangle hold on all of our often unearned dollars.

        Freedom and the great communications "revolution" of the
Internet is relative mini-seconds away from the same mind-numbing,
content-guiding path of the almighty advertising dollar.

        Much needs to be said both in support of and against the
publishing industries role in guiding the Internet. The atomized
publishing industry of books, periodicals and newspapers seems to be
"getting back at" or "standing tall in light of" the digital/digitized
hype surrounding technological innovations such as the Internet which,
often self-described, spell the decline and fall of the traditional
written word and its format.

        One need only look at the shelf-space dedicated to computer
how-to manuals in their favorite bookstore to get a grasp on the
publishing industries success. Even Nicholas Negroponte's book "Being
Digital" has entered the best sellers list.

        A new non-fiction is emerging from the computer how-to
publishing market and it indicates a course for the Internet itself
that needs addressing. In promoting the further stupefaction and
status quoness of the race to digitize the planet, the infrastructure
ownership, mainstreaming, non-technical understanding, user-friendly
access learning usage curve and the ever growing plethora of related
literature is focused on privatized, commercialized, consumer based
and driven stupefacation.

        "How to make a million on the Internet," "Winning cyber-friends
and influencing the non-cyber to buy your goods," the list of real and
shockingly possible concepts for usage of the Internet in the public
domain promoted by the atom publishing industry show nothing other
than the same social ills that plague all current mediums.

        The Hacker, the one true friend of the common good on the Internet,
is being lambasted, tracked down, arrested and eliminated from access in
the name of some cyber justice that helps clear the way for the great
revolution of key-stroke credit card purchases envisioned by the well
funded, government supported, retail industry.

        Where the WWW and Internet could take human connectedness and
communication is unimaginable. The course seems well laid out to take this
revolution down the same path the worlds other technological driven
communications revolts have gone: Into our consumer washed brain and
out our overstrectched personal and national credit line.


Thanks for your consideration and peace,

Kevin Martin


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thank you for your comments today. Perhaps
they will the root of an interesting discussion thread. The address by
Neil Postman to which you refer was printed here in the Digest some time
ago; perhaps a reprint for our newer readers would be a good idea.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: 19 Mar 95 17:22:52 EST
From: ROMAIN FOURNOLS <[e-mail]>
Subject: French "MCI Friends and Family" System


Starting last week, France Telecom proposed a new service (the same as
the MCI F&F system):

For 15FF per month fee, you choose three favorite numbers and you get
a 15% discount on your phone bill only on those three numbers communications.

This service is called "PRIMALISTE"


Romain FOURNOLS     Compuserve : 100431,1672
Email : [e-mail]
Fax : [phone]

------------------------------

From: Phillip Schuman <[e-mail]>
Subject: T3 Framing and Connection
Date: 19 Mar 1995 05:36:24 GMT
Organization: via CompuServe Information Service


I'm looking for some brief explanation of the two kinds of framing
on T3 - M13 and C-parity. I'm pretty familiar with D4/SF and ESF.

Also -- on a picture of the Digital Link T3 mux -- there are two BNC
connectors; are both used, or in/out or what? How does this work in
connecting to a fiber based system like T3 -- is there another
interface box between the telco and the CPE?

------------------------------

From: Ronald A. Smit <[e-mail]>
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 14:21:53 MET
Subject: PABX Signalling Protocols


Please can anyone tell me were I can get technical specifications and
the facilities of the following PABX signalling protocols:

        - CAILHO
        - CEPT L1
        - R2
        - E&M
        - DPNSS (Digital Private Network Signalling System)
        - APNSS (Analogue Private Network Signalling System)
        - Q.sig


Thanks,

Ronald A. Smit

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Joerg Kuehne)
Subject: Research on Dual Mode Terminals
Date: 20 Mar 1995 15:34:20 +0100
Organization: Dept. of Electrical Engineering, TU Dresden, Germany


Hi,

I'm a research assistant at the endowed chair for mobile communications
systems at Dresden University of Technology and I'm looking for useful books
or other information about the american mobile communications standards:
AMPS, IS 54/136 and IS 95. Please send any info/hints to me at:

   [e-mail]


Thanks,

Joerg Kuehne
Endowed Chair for Mobile Communications Systems
Department of Electrical Engineering
Dresden University of Technology

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David Burns)
Subject: Why Doesn't Zmodem Work?
Date: 20 Mar 1995 16:17:09 GMT
Organization: Msen, Inc. -- Ann Arbor, MI (account info: [phone])


I am using a shell account to access the Internet, and most of the time I
get there via MichNet, which is a local call. The trouble is that none of
the fast protocols, e.g., Zmodem, work when I'm dialed in this way. Kermit
works, but it is slow and not absolutely trustworthy.

    If I dial in via direct line, bypassing MichNet, Zmodem works
fine, but then I am paying a toll call.

    Can anyone supply any answers/solutions/confirmations?


David J. Burns    [e-mail]
Technical Services Librarian    [phone]
Spring Arbor College

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Seng-Poh Lee)
Subject: Looking For Small, Used, CHEAP, PBX/Key System
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 14:06:46 EST
Organization: General DataComm Ind. Inc., Middlebury, CT


Can anyone point me towards a source of used and inexpensive PBXs and
key systems?  I'm looking for one for my home, and it only needs to
support two lines and no more than ten extensions.  It doesn't have to be
state of the art, but needs to be low cost.

If anyone has just upgraded their old PBX/Key system and wants to get
rid of it, drop me a line! I'm in Connecticut.


Seng-Poh Lee                  |  Internet:  Work: [e-mail]
Technology Center,            |             Alt : [e-mail]
General DataComm Ind. Inc.    |  URL:       http://www.sandbox.org/
Middlebury, CT, USA           |  Finger [e-mail] for PGP Pub Key

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 19 Mar 1995 12:43:00 -0500
From: [e-mail] (Jim Wenzel)
Subject: Re: Looking For "Help Desk" System
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Jim Wenzel)
Organization: Ferret BBS *** N. Little Rock, AR *** [phone]


> I am interested in a computer-based phone help-desk system to assist
> in the selling of a product.  In general, I would like to support fi
> phone attendants with voice mail and fax back capability.  I would
> also like it to be expandable.  I would like to deal with an integra
> in the Chicago area or, alternatively, I would like to be able to ob
> the operations of a satisfied customer with a similar system in the
> area.  I have more details on desired system features that I would b
> happy to email to anyone who thinks they may have a package that wou
> meet my needs.  I am currently preparing the budget.  I won't be in
> position to buy until June.

I don't represent anybody but me.

I researched help desk software not to long ago. I suggest you contact
the Help Desk Institute (a users group for Help Desk sites). They can
provide you with all the resources that you need. Particularly along
the area of vendors.

IBM has a nice product out that I heard was demonstrated out in
California at the recent convention. No phone is actually at the desk
but, the attendant plugs directly into the PC. All routing is done via
software controls. This particular product may fit your needs. There
are over a 100 vendors in the Help Desk software market right now.
(Buyer Beware).

I don't have the phone number handy (It's at work) but, would be glad to
get it if your interested.

A common problem for new help desks is that most folks don't realize
the resource potential they will eventually become. The data our
helpdesk collects is used in a variety of ways that were not even
conceived when first put into place. The database has become so
important to the daily operations that we are currently working to
mirror it on the mainframe.  This is to allow greater access to our
250+ sites.

Email me privately if you would like. This is an area I know a little
bit about <grin>. However discussion kind of falls outside the scope of
the Digest.  (at Pat's discretion.)


[e-mail] *  Sometimes, you just have to dust  *
                               *     yourself off, and start again  *
The Ferret Bulletin Board System  [phone]
North Little Rock, Arkansas   Carrying RIME, Throbnet, UN'I, and Usenet

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 19 Mar 1995 12:43:00 -0500
From: [e-mail] (Jim Wenzel)
Subject: Re: 800 "Trademark" Rights
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Jim Wenzel)
Organization: Ferret BBS *** N. Little Rock, AR *** [phone]


> Airlines, banks, car rental agencies, and other businesses in the
> toll-freephone business, would like one, worldwide toll-free number
> assigned to their companies. It would eliminate the myriad of number
> one has to maintain and advertise in Europe, for example, due to the
> complexity of the freephone service overseas.

A thought, with the world of business getting smaller, it seems to me a
simple solution of providing a 'international country code' which could
be used exclusively for world-based businesses. Written guarantees
outlining the use of this new country code could be put into place that
would/could satisfy both the telco's and customers. I've always felt (in
concept) that the 800 number is a national business exchange. To try to
place international restrictions against it interferes with national
business interests. I do not necessarily apply this to US business
interests but, the investments of businesses who have toll free numbers
in any country. A 'toll-free' country code would open a new market for
the telco's and provide a elegant solution to the corporations that have
the need for these services.

Surely, I'm not the only person who has thought of this.


[e-mail]
The Ferret Bulletin Board System  [phone]
North Little Rock, Arkansas   Carrying RIME, Throbnet, UN'I, and Usenet

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Rafael Rivera)
Subject: Telephone Cost Research
Date: 20 Mar 1995 03:10:43 GMT
Organization: SERCOFIN


I am doing a research on the cost/benefit of telecommunications with
special focus on telephony. I will appreciate all the help you could
give me, telling me about books and articles on this topic.

Does anyone could tell me how can I get the book:
The telephone Cost Reduction Encyclopedia,  by Jordan. Alan H.
I know is out of print, It is possible to get a copy?  Where? How?


Thanks from Mexico City,

Rfael Rivera

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (John Navas)
Subject: Re: Caller ID in CA
Organization: The Navas Group, Dublin, CA
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 18:53:08 GMT


Drew McEachern ([e-mail]) wrote:

> Does anyone out there have the latest info on Caller ID in CA? It's my
> understanding that it's any week now. Is this true? I'd love to have it.

For those interested in the real thing rather than second-hand annecdotal
reports, it is available on the 'net at:


http://fcc.gov:70/0/News_Releases/Common_Carrier/nrcc4002.txt
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Report No. DC-2571   ACTION IN DOCKET CASE  March 8, 1994  (CC DOCKET 91-281)
CALLER ID TO BE AVAILABLE NATIONWIDE; FCC ADOPTS FEDERAL POLICIES FOR
REGULATION

More importantly, the proposed new rules (contrary to some claims it isn't
all over but the shouting) are available at:


http://fcc.gov:70/0/Orders/Common_Carrier/orcc4001.txt

IN THE MATTER OF                      )
Rules and Policies Regarding          )      CC Docket No. 91-281
Calling Number Identification         )
Service - Caller ID                   )
REPORT AND ORDER AND FURTHER NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING
Comments due:  May 18, 1994
Replies due:   June 21, 1994
Adopted: March 8, 1994              Released: March 29, 1994


If you object (as I do) to the proposed prohibition on per-line
blocking that you will find in the proposed rules as another
unwarranted and unconstitutional intrusion of the fedreal government
into our private lives, be sure to register your objection in the
appropriate manner, as spelled out in this excerpt:

           ---cut-here---

     76.  Comment Dates

     Pursuant to applicable procedures set forth in Sections 1.415 and
1.419 of the Commission's rules, 47 C.F.R. '' 1.415 and 1.419,
interested parties may file comments on or before May 18, 1994 and
reply comments on or before June 21, 1994. To file formally in this
proceeding, interested parties must file an original and four copies
of all comments, reply comments, and supporting documents with the
reference number "CC Docket 91-281" on each document.  If interested
parties want each Commissioner to receive a personal copy of comments,
interested parties must file an original plus nine copies.  Interested
parties should send comments and reply comments to the Office of the
Secretary, Federal Communications Commission, Washington, DC 20554.
Comments and reply comments will be available for public inspection
during regular business hours in the FCC Reference Center, Room 239,
Federal Communications Commission, 1919 M Street, N.W., Washington,
DC.  Copies of comments and reply comments are available through the
Commission's duplicating contractor: International Transcription
Service, Inc. (ITS, Inc.), 2100 M Street, N.W., Suite 140, Washington,
DC 20037, [phone].

     ---cut-here---

Otherwise we'll all just have to pray for the Contract with America's
freeze on new regulations.

David Sternlight ([e-mail]) wrote:

> In article <[e-mail]>, John Navas <[e-mail]>
> wrote:

>> What is at issue here is per line blocking.  Per call blocking is too
>> annoying to be practical, which is why industry supports it over per line
>> blocking.

> Relax, John. You can't keep a good technologist down, and according to
> another post here, Hello Direct is already selling a little box that will
> provide you with per-line blocking. It seems to be the ideal solution, since
> it is unfair to impose the costs of per-line blocking on every other phone
> user. Per-line blockers should pay the costs of that, just as Caller ID
> readers should pay the costs of that. Letting the costs fall on the user of
> each capability is correct public policy in such matters.

Any such device would undoubtedly be unduly expensive and problematic.

No thanks.

Regardless, there are no such carrier costs.  The FCC "found" that
per-call blocking has "no significant additional SS7 costs" and should be
free.  Per-line blocking is clearly less expensive for the telco.

The argument against per-line blocking is that it reduces the "value" of
Caller ID to the callee, and therefore would reduce callee revenue to the
telco.  In other words, the concern is that people might actually use it.
Which is my point.  Needless to say, I am not impressed by this argument.

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #156
******************************


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Date: Mon, 20 Mar 95 23:10:12 CST
From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #157

TELECOM Digest     Mon, 20 Mar 95 23:10:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 157

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Globalstar, Odyssey, Aries (John Bachmann)
    Re: Credit Checking on Cellular Customers (Alan Dahl)
    Re: Magnet in Cell Phone Dangerous to Laptop? (Michael Berlant)
    Re: Denver International Airport (Emerson Schwartzkopf)
    Re: Wireless Modems? (now FreeWave Tech Modems) (John Foust)
    Re: Trying to Locate Recommendation E.123 (Roy A. Mccrory)
    Re: GTE (GTD-5) ISDN is Coming (Matt Holdrege)
    Re: T1->10BaseT: How? (Mike Harpe)
    Re: T1 -> Modems (Mike Stump)
    Re: NYNEX: Idiocy in Pricing (Russell Blau)
    Re: Callback System Hardware and Software? (Douglas Frank)
    Call Screen, aka *60 (Chris Farrar)
    Gray Associates WEB Site Up and Running (Mike Rehmus)
    Re: Reinvention Team Dials in on U.S. Federal Phone Improvements (Levenson)
    Re: AT&T 500 Service Outside the USA (Richard Cox)
    Telecommunications on Demand Reseller Package (Sharon Ziebert)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
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  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
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information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, 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 twenty dollars per
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All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (JOBACHMANN)
Subject: Re: Globalstar, Odyssey, Aries
Date: 20 Mar 1995 10:10:51 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (JOBACHMANN)


> I would appreciate if someone tells me where to get information on
> Globalstar, Odyssey, Aries.

To answer your general question, I found a good overview in:
                Eastern European & Former Soviet Telecom Report
                                  July 1, 1994
SECTION: No. 7, Vol. 5; ISSN: 1054-6499
LENGTH: 2937 words
HEADLINE: SPECIAL REPORT: Big LEO Systems - Global Voice and Data Service
Providers

What are you interested in?  More detailed articles are available -- I
have been finding fair info in Dialog and Lexus/Nexus.

I am currently doing research myself on this all, and am particularly
interested in market demand forecasts for PCSS / GSM-type services.  Do
you have any references for me?


Regards

John Bachmann
NY, NY  [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Alan Dahl <[e-mail]>
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 95 16:06:39 -0800
Subject: Re: Credit Checking on Cellular Customers


Mfrere <[e-mail]> writes:

>> When I applied with RochesterTel Mobile, they wanted a $250 deposit.
>> Since I am a college student, I don't usually have that much money
>> lining my wallet, anxious to sit in someone else's pocket. :) It seems
>> that since I haven't had residential telephone service for three
>> continuous years (time on the campus CBX doesn't count), they think
>> I'm a risk.

> The Cellular carrier I work for, on average, was writing off at least
> 10% of it's revenue due to bad credit!  With tighter credit checks,
> it's down below 3%.

> This might give you something to think about.

> Cellular is a business, not a right.

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You are correct it is a business, and not
> a 'right'; in the sense that landline telco is regulated and must accept
> all customers, and even the landline telco has the right to require a
> deposit or advance payment from customers it thinks will default on the
> bill.

> One thing cellular companies might do however to decrease their risks
> while encouraging new customers with credit which is not the best to
> subscribe is make adaptations in their switches so that credit limits
> could be set and honored. For example, John Doe has poor credit, but
> wants a cell phone. Why can't the carrier turn on his account and set
> it up so that he has a fifty dollar per month (as an example) limit then
> cut him off at that point?  Why require a thousand dollar deposit that
> John Doe cannot raise?  The callback services all do this. The customer
> and the company mutually agree on a credit limit; at that point the
> service gets turned off until payment is received. Would that be so
> hard for a cellular carrier to accomplish?    PAT]

Cellular companies _are_ working on systems like that and in fact there are
several already out there, most notably one called _Hotwatch_ by a former
employeer of mine, Cellular Techinal Services of Seattle, Washington.
However, this sort of usage-level monitoring requires real-time rating of
calls and remote call delivery of roaming calls (this is important since most
cloners are roamers), neither of which is trival or inexpensive. Believe it
or not most calls are rated via batch tapes and not as they happen. This
technology is available in some of the high-fraud markets now and will be
available everywhere in the next few years but it's going to take a while.

IMHO, I think it's funny that people with poor credit won't complain about
failing to qualify for a new car loan but will complain because a cellular
carrier won't take a risk that they'll skip after generating tens of
thousands of dollars (retail, let's not start that argument again) worth of
cellular service. A cell phone is no different than having a Visa card with a
$10,000 limit so it's not surprising that they won't give them to just
anyone.

No insult intended towards college students but they should know how hard it
is to get credit for anything.


Alan Dahl                    | [e-mail]
Analysts International Co.   | (NeXTMail OK) -or-
10655 N.E. 4th St. Suite 804 | [e-mail]
Bellevue, WA 98004           |  PH:  [phone]
http://www.eskimo.com/~adahl/personal.html    | FAX:  [phone]



[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note:  Well Alan, your mention of 'after the
fact billing' and credit limits, and how hard it is to enforce credit
limits without some input right at the time of the transaction reminds
me of the bad joke that 'credit limits' used to be in the very early
days of credit cards as we know them today. Throughout the 1960's as
BankAmericard (now it is known as VISA) first got established, and
member banks signed up to offer it, they had to write off huge amounts
of bad debt -- many millions of dollars annually -- due to poorly
planned administration of their program and the virtual impossibility
of holding users to pre-established limits. Credit limits in those days
basically relied on the customer being on the 'honor system' although
the customers were never told that for good reason. Everything was done
on manual, paper tickets where the merchants were concerned, and these
paper tickets would flood into the credit card processing office by the
hundreds of thousands daily. It was only at either the 'cycle billing'
(what went in the mail to the customer) or the 'interim billing' (an
in-house report used by the collectors) that the credit card office got
wise to someone over their limit. If you knew you were getting close to
your limit and you went on a *big* one day shopping spree for instance,
all those charge tickets would come crashing in at the same time, and
if they missed the billing cutoff by even a day they'd sit in the vault
until the next billing. 'Smart shoppers' <grin> knew just what day to
shop if it was their intention to abuse that VISA, American Express or
Diner's Club card.

Naturally the office would see it and the card would be blacklisted in
the next (weekly) issue of their 'bad cards list' that went out to the
merchants. By then, the customer was way past any reasonable amount of
debt. The credit card people finally got the idea of doing 'sales author-
ization' where the merchants had to call in and get approval for the sale.
There had to be a happy medium somewhere so the merchant was not inconven-
ienced (they were still trying to sign up merchants to accept BankAmericard)
and they did not want to annoy the card holders too much either, so they
set 'floor limits' for sales. Amounts over that had to be called in for
approval and sales under that did not have to be called in. Exceptions
were restaurants which seldom had floor limits, and electronics stores or
jewelry stores which always had to call everything in. If a merchant was
suspected of being friendly to fraud users, the credit card office would
make him call in every sale.

Since there was no such thing as online terminals at every desk, the people
who did the sales authorizations worked from ledger cards printed out
showing the customer's last billed balance, and they had to pencil in the
new sales on that card. Another authorizer the next day would see the
hand written notation in the book that the customer had been approved for
a hundred dollar sale the day before and he would not allow any more sales
on that card. Since in the early days VISA (BankAmericard) had 'only' about
a million customers (Diner's Club on the other hand had about three million
as did American Express in the 1960's) that required about 150 people to
staff the phones in a large room. Rack after rack and row after row of
customer ledger cards; the authorizers wearing headsets with very long
cords on them; walking around the room looking for the customer's ledger
card to jot down the latest purchase. On any given day several thousand
cards would be missing because the bookkeepers had come and taken them
away to do the billing for that cycle, so if no card could be found for
the customer then the authorizer just automatically approved the sale unless
he saw the card listed in the 'hot card bulletin'.

Since the bookkeepers *always* had priority over anything/everything
else in the office, the authorizer could walk up to one of the stacks,
start to pull the drawer out to get that customer's card and a bookkeeper
with a push cart would come along, yank the drawer with a couple thousand
customer ledger cards out right in front of him, set it on the push
cart and walk away with the whole thing while he was still looking for
the desired ledger card.  Other times the phones would get so incredibly
clogged and backed up with calls the supervisor of the authorizers
would 'raise the floor limit' (typically in those days I think it was
anything above twenty dollars) to thirty or forty dollars. To clear
the backlogged phone queue, the authorizers were told to approve
anything and everything up to forty dollars without bothering to look
at anything or write anything down; just give an approval code number
and disconnect, move on to the next call. Once they got the phones under
control again, the floor limit would be reduced to what the merchants
and customers expected it to be. Diner's and American Express went from
*completely manual* billing on credit cards to semi-computerized systems
in the early 1960's. VISA started out semi-computerized; all of them had
gotten almost totally automated by 1980. My experience was with the Diner's/
Amoco Credit Card Office in Chicago during the period 1967-74; the sales
authorizers finally got 'on line' about 1973 with terminals to look at
rather than cabinets full of ledger cards but customer bills were printed
by computer beginning about 1965.

Now, everything is done at 'point of sale' terminals; your card is swiped
and the transaction posted to your account; you reach your limit and that
is that. Even though the cellular companies still do 'billing by the batch'
after the fact, you'd think there would be a way the towers could transmit
some sort of 'memo billing' information to the carrier. It wouldn't be
perfect, but it would give the carriers a good idea of what any given
customer's bill was going to be like that month. That, plus interim reports
to the collectors at the mid-way point in the billing cycle with what
had been posted to that date would allow some rather good controls. The
collector would then, based on the customer's history, decide to either
pull the plug, or contact the customer by phone to ask for money, or what-
ever.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Michael Berlant)
Subject: Re: Magnet in Cell Phone Dangerous to Laptop?
Date: 20 Mar 1995 06:06:31 GMT
Organization: EDS Japan


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
says...

> I read in the manual, "there's a magnet in the phone, so don't
> expose for long periods of time to magnetic media."

Well, it doesn't exactly "close the flip".  It is indeed about a quarter
inch long, located in the flip approximately below the END button at
the right edge, and it activates a reed switch which is your secondary
SND/END key which automatically answers the ringing phone and ends a
conversation when you open or close the flip.

Is it dangerous?  Not likely, but who knows.  I guess you ought to get
your galvanometer out of retirement and check it out!

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Emerson Schwartzkopf)
Subject: Re: Denver International Airport
Date: 20 Mar 1995 15:07:36 GMT
Organization: Colorado Supernet


Another amusing tidbit: While the airport opened a year-and-a-half late,
there still isn't full looping of all the concourses for cellular service.
Cell phones will work in the main Jeppesen Terminal, but not in the three
concourses. So, if you're flying through Denver and want to use your cell
phone, you need to ride a little subway train back to the main terminal,
out to the non-secured area, and into a fairly noisy building that kinda
looks like a spiffy shopping mall.

One good point on DIA and pay phones -- a bank of eight is placed between
every two gates in the passenger waiting areas.


Emerson Schwartzkopf       Gunnison, Colorado
[e-mail]             A warm spot in a cold place


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Emerson, I am curious: are you related
to either the General or to Elizabeth?   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (John Foust)
Subject: Re: Wireless Modems? (now FreeWave Tech modems)
Date: 20 Mar 1995 20:47:01 GMT
Organization: Syndesis Corporation


In article <3k3m4u$[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Larry
Riedel) says:

> What are my choices for wireless modems with a range of a few km
> and at least 112/128kbps throughput?

Someone told me about:

>> Ah, you're thinking of a FreeWave Technologies wireless, frequency-hopping,
>> spread-spectrum modem, which operates at 115.2 kbps uncompressed throughput.
>> There are links up to 20 miles, the modems are expensive ($1,250), but no
>> license is required.  Call FreeWave at +1.303/444-3862 to get more info.

I'd love to hear from users of this product.  Even at $1250, it sounds
cheaper than an install of switched 56 or frame relay, not to mention
the monthly charge for a haul of 20 miles.  Great for jumping LATAs,
too, or a home-office link.

So what kind of data connection is on the back of this box?

------------------------------

From: Roy A. Mccrory <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Trying to Locate Recommendation E.123
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 1995 20:50:17 MST


Wolf <[e-mail]> wrote:

> It was mentioned in TELECOM Digest that one "might wish to access the
> PostScript format files available from the ITU" for the E.123
> recommendation.

> How does one access ITU?  I searched the Digest header, but there was
> no mention of ITU's location, and the only other reference I can find
> is to itu.edu, which does not have direct ftp access.

I believe that they have a gopher -- gopher://gopher.itu.ch/.  I have
tried their www server without success.  I get the dreaded "cannot
access" message and my mail to Mr. Shaw at itu.ch bounces.


Roy A.& <[e-mail]> URL http://192.149.217.20/

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 16:48:41 EST
Subject: Re: GTE (GTD-5) ISDN is Coming
Organization: Digital Equipment Computer Users Society
From: [e-mail] (Matt Holdrege)


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Lauren
Weinstein) writes ...

> Greetings.  To my considerable surprise given previously available
> information, I've learned from the data folks at GTE California that
> widespread ISDN implementation in their GTD-5 service areas will be
> rolling out this year.  This is surprising since previously I had been
> led to believe that not only would ISDN service not be supported
> directly through GTD-5 switches, but that no plans for backhauling
> ISDN into those areas had been made.

Actually, GTE has been providing ISDN to GTD-5 offices via overlay for
some time now. Additionally, GTE started rolling out PRI on the GTD-5
a few months ago.

> Apparently, this has all changed.  For example, parts of the West Los
> Angeles area served by GTD-5 switches are slated for ISDN on 9/1,
> including remote RSUs served by those switches.  There seems to be a
> general (no pun intended) plan to widely provide ISDN in those areas
> through what GTE is calling "overlays".

Most of the GTD-5's in the LA area now have ISDN served by the overlay
network.


Matt    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mike Harpe)
Subject: Re: T1->10BaseT: How?
Date: 20 Mar 1995 15:34:45 -0500
Organization: University of Louisville, Louisville KY USA


Get the two networks running, buy a Cisco 2501 for each end and
connect them together via a leased T-1 with your favorite SDLC CSU/DSU
on each end.  We do it several places here at U of L.

The other guy was right.  Call your Cisco rep.  They'll tell you all
about it.


Michael Harpe, Communications Analyst III          Information Technology
Internet: [e-mail]               University of Louisville
[phone] (Voice) [phone] (FAX)        Louisville, Ky. 40292

------------------------------

From: Mike Stump <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: T1 -> Modems
Organization: Kithrup Enterprises, Ltd.
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 20:22:00 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, Steve Cogorno <cogorno@netcom.
com> wrote:

> ScottPCS ([e-mail]) wrote:

> Rates in the Pacific Bell Service area for data packets are:
>    .05 CENTS for transaction setup
>    .005 CENTS per octet of data

At $900/minute for a connection, you might seriously consider something
else, anything else.  (Compared to a v.34 modem call, 100% utilization.)

------------------------------

Subject: Re: NYNEX: Idiocy in pricing
From: [e-mail] (RUSSELL BLAU)
Date: Mon, 13 Mar 95 00:18:00 -0500
Organization: Online Technologies, Inc. - 301-738-0001
Reply-To: [e-mail] (RUSSELL BLAU)


In a recent article, Chris Labatt-Simon ([e-mail]) wrote:

> Can anyone tell me the rationale in the following?

> Two "FlexPath" T1s composed of 48 DIDs total cost ~$3500/month
> (FlexPath is based on mileage and the location is ~2 miles from the
> closest switch).

> 48 standard individual business lines will cost about $1,200/month.

> Now, I'd like to know (sarcastically speaking of course) which is more
> difficult to install and maintain??  2 Ts or 48 individual jacks/lines?

Personally, I never thought I would find myself in the position of
defending anything that NYNEX does, however, look at what you are
comparing.  Flexpath is a DID trunk service.  Therefore, you should
compare it to the price of 48 analog DID trunks, not 48 individual
measured business lines.


Russell Blau   Swidler & Berlin, Chtd.   Washington, D.C.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Callback System Hardware and Software?
Date: 20 Mar 1995 09:51:03 GMT
Organization: RAIN Public Access Internet (805) 967-RAIN


Bernardo Lam ([e-mail]) wrote:

> Does anyone know where I can find information about the equipment and
> software required for setting up a callback system?

Try OneCom, at [phone]. They, along with another company called
Powercom, sell turnkey callback solutions, with state-of-the-art
specialized callback switches, made by a company called ICON.


Douglas Frank

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Chris Farrar)
Date: 20 Mar 95 20:38:09 -0500
Subject: Call Screen, aka *60
Organization: FidoNet Nameserver/Gateway


I recently encountered a problem with Call Screen, or whatever you
local telco calls the service under access code *60.

You are supposed to be able to enter a phone number or numbers that
you do not wish to accept calls from, and the caller will be routed to
an intercept stating something politically correct in that you aren't
taking calls at the moment.

Well, here in Bell Canada land, we frequently receive Caller ID from
the US.  Some travel and promotion company in Tampa, FL was calling
several times during the day, and hanging up on the answering machine.
Problem is, that I was generally asleep at the times the calls came
in, due to working midnights.  Attempting to enter the offending
number resulted in a message "the number you have entered can't be
reached by this service."  I tried it several times in two different
ways, 813-915-XXXX and 1-813-915-XXXX.  Each time, I'd get the above
message.  However, if I used #01# to reject the last calling party,
the system would accept the number, and tell me, the "the number you
have entered is 813-915-XXXX.  Please continue..." .

This works great, providing you don't have any subsequent calls
between the time the offending number calls in and the time you go to
block it.  However, if I enter a number in Bell Canada territory, such
as 416-274-XXXX or 1-905-625-XXXX, the system will accept it for
blocking with no problems.

Is there a bug/flaw in the setup of my telco's implementation of Call Screen,
and is there a known fix that I can bring to their attention, as so far they
say they can't find any problem.


Email: [e-mail]
 or    [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 11:12:08 -0800
From: [e-mail] (Mike Rehmus)
Subject: Gray Associates WEB Site Up and Running


Gray Associates is the leading supplier of facsimile engineering
tools. Our site is designed to be your source of information not only
of our company and products, but for all net-borne information on
facsimile.  Please take a look at our expanding tutorial on facsimile
protocol standards and industry practice, and try some of our links to
other FAX resources.

        hppt://www.grayfax.com

Mike Rehmus    [e-mail]
408 251-0263   408 251-0264 facsimile

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dave Levenson)
Subject: Re: Reinvention Team Dials in on U.S. Federal Phone Improvements
Organization: Westmark, Inc.
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 15:01:38 GMT


Pat writes:

> Do any of you old-timers who remember the days of manual telephone
> service remember the Bell System comment that 'if manual service were
> to be continued, within the next several years, if every single woman
> in the USA over the age of 18 was employed as a telephone operator,
> there still wouldn't be any way to keep up with the demand for connections.'
> Yes, Bell made that comment after a study in the 1950's as they were
> beginning to phase in dial service.  Now I have to wonder if by the
> year 2000, and everyone in the USA was employed as a customer service/
> telephone attendant/operator if there would be any way to keep up with
> demand for on the spot, telephone information.  <g> PAT]

The classic rejoinder to the Bell System comment is that if everyone
over the age of 18 were employed as a telephone operator, there would
be nobody left who is not a telephone operator ... and therefore,
nobody to place all of the telephone calls these operators would be
waiting to connect!

The same is true for customer-service personnel.  The number of
providers is, indeed, too small in many companies and in many
government agencies.  But continually increasing the number of servers
will, at some point, diminish the number of clients, and therefore,
the demand for service.


Dave Levenson        Internet: [e-mail]
Westmark, Inc.        UUCP: uunet!westmark!dave
Stirling, NJ, USA    Voice: 908 647 0900  Fax: [phone]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But they would not all be working at the
same instant on the same day or in the same industry. The customer service
clerk at a company may still want to make a personal call on her lunch
or break period to find out about her social security benefits for example.
So she'll need to use the services of both the telephone operator and
the clerk at the government office.  I heard the rejoinder to the Bell
System comment a long time ago; and Bell's rejoinder to the rejoinder (?)
was simply, "Well, we never said they would all be working at the same
time ... two thirds of them would be off duty at any given time and perhaps
wanting to make phone calls." Nor did they ever say 'all the *people* over
the age of 18' ... they said 'all the *women* over the age of 18'.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 19 Mar 1995 10:44:00 -0500
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: AT&T 500 Service Outside the USA


PAT said:

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I got a call via my 500 number the
> other day from someone at British Telecom who was experimenting with
> the service trying to get it to work from the UK.  Then the next day
> I got a call from someone at AT&T who had been working with that
> person at BT.  They did not tell me what they had decided, or what
> action was taken.

Well, when Mercury (a UK competitor of BT) tried to set up links from
the UK into AT&T's 500 service, their calls got rejected by the AT&T
switch.  When they tried to follow this up later with AT&T, the first
representative they spoke to wouldn't help them: and they were called
back by a manager who wanted to know where they had gotten the number
from.  It was, Mercury were told, "a special private network for the
use of the US government only"!

That's what might be expected if they had been trying to get access
to +1-710: but it very definitely was +1-500.  Some people at Mercury
aren't talking to me right now -- they think I had been setting them
up.  Come on, AT&T, tell us (and Mercury) what is going on here.


Richard D G Cox

Mandarin Technology, P.O. Box 111, Penarth, South Glamorgan  CF64 3YG
Voice: 0956 700111;      Fax: [phone];     VoiceMail: 0941 151515
e-mail address: [e-mail];  [PGP2.6 public key on request]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Isn't that precious! A private network
for the US Government ... on 1/0-500.  And a manager saying this yet;
my, my.  Reminds me of the time I called repair service to report some
problem long since forgotten. I got called back by a repair clerk a bit
later but was not here to take her call, however her *seven digit number*
was on my caller-id display. So I punched the button on my box that calls
back the number shown on the display. We talked a couple minutes and she
promised to call me back. Instead of her calling back, maybe ten minutes
later I was called by a very high level person in repair with a complaint
about me: "You are using *unauthorized numbers* to call direct into our
repair department. You are not to do this again and if you do you will
get in big trouble, Mister!"

I told her all I did was return a call to the number displayed on my
caller-id box -- the service they sell to people, remember? -- and maybe
she was the one who needed to get into some Big Trouble, and could I be
of assistance in getting that accomplished? She had *no idea* how caller-id
worked, or that internal numbers at Bell showed up on display boxes just
like all other numbers, but she supervised a bunch of repair clerks, by
golly ... since her number was on my display box also at that point when
we hung up I dialed her back the same way, and she was furious.

Remember, I mentioned here before that the first or second day of my 500
service being in operation and giving out the number -- 500-677-1616 --
I got called at seven in the morning by a guy working for AT&T on the
east coast who hadn't the foggiest idea what he was calling either. I was
so astounded I had to say, 'excuse me, you *do* work for AT&T?' ... Yes
he did, but he had never heard of 500 service. Now wouldn't you think that
when the company introduced this new service they would have gone out of
their way to make sure *every employee* knew about it?  It certainly is
a wonderful service; AT&T is providing a great thing, why did they not
explain it to all their employees and get everyone aware of how it worked
and what a good deal it is?

So ... come one, come all!  Dial me now at <whatever you dial>-500-677-1616
here in the USA. If you can't get through, then advise your telecom admin-
istration that its AT&T's new 'personal number service' and ask them to
intervene and help you place your call.  I want to be able to receive calls
 from my readers and friends all over the world. I want them to be able
to locate me wherever I may be ... that's what I am paying for isn't it?
And when you call, please let me know if you have yet sent in your sub-
scription donation for the Digest. Quite a few of you have responded and
I thank each of you for your financial assistance for the Digest. If you
have not yet done so, please subscribe today. The suggested donation
amount is twenty dollars per reader per year. Write:
TELECOM Digest / 9457-D Niles Center Road / Skokie, IL 60076.  Or phone me
anytime -- 500-677-1616. Thank you!   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Sharon Ziebert)
Subject: Telecommunications on Demand Reseller Package
Date: 20 Mar 1995 16:02:47 GMT
Organization: Exec-PC


TELECOMMUNICATIONS ON DEMAND, INC. (TOD) - and a major west coast
reseller have jointly developed  the best package that TOD has ever
offered.

This program is NOT for 'dabblers'.  We have persuaded the reseller to
make the following concessions by promising them only serious marketers.
The package is superior to what they normally offer.

WILTEL PRODUCT

Commissions will be PAID UPON BILLING. In some instances, commissions
can actually paid UPON SUBMISSION. The following are some examples.

15.5%  COMMISSION:
INTERSTATE    PEAK $.1453    OFF-PEAK $.1308
California          .1069               .1069
Florida        .1448               .1159
New York       .1400               .1120
Texas               .1645               .1316

12.5% COMMISSION:
INTERSTATE     PEAK $.1372    OFF-PEAK $.1236
California          .1010               .1010
Florida        .1368               .1094
New York       .1322               .1058
Texas               .1553               .1243

9.5% COMMISSION:
INTERSTATE RATE    PEAK $.1300    OFF-PEAK $.1171
California          .0957               .0957
Florida        .1296               .1037
New York       .1253               .1002
Texas               .1472               .1178

5.5% COMMISSION:
INTERSTATE RATE    PEAK $.1235    OFF-PEAK $.1112
California          .0909               .0909
Florida        .1231               .0985
New York       .1190               .0952
Texas               .1398               .1119

 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS & INFORMATION

1) You will be contracted directly to the Service-Provider. You  will
also be PAID DIRECTLY by the Service-Provider.
2) A TOD staff person will be available to support (toll-free) your
marketing efforts for this program.
3) You will be offered a substantial discount on qualified leads. If
your production warrants it, you be offered leads at NO cost.
4) You will not be responsible for bad debt.
5) There are NO billing fees (outbound or inbound) to your customers.
6) There are no 'short-fall' penalties. The only volume commitment is
$10K of business within 12 months. This is an easy number to achieve.
In fact, a start-up should be able to produce at this level.
Irregardless, if 10K is not achieved within 12 months, then the Reseller
reserves the right to not accept additional order.  HOWEVER, THEY MUST
CONTINUE TO PAY YOU THE SAME MONTHLY RESIDUAL COMMISSIONS ON YOUR
EXISTING BASE OF BUSINESS.

For more information contact:
Telecommunications On Demand, INC.  (TOD)
Midwest Office
N38 W26876 Glacier Road
Pewaukee, WI53072
[phone]
FAX [phone]
internet: [e-mail]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #157
******************************


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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #158

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 21 Mar 95 00:12:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 158

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Cellular Fraud in the News Again (Bob Compiano)
    Re: Cellular Fraud in the News Again (Phil Ritter)
    Re: Cellular Fraud in the News Again (Mike Frere)
    Re: New Bell Atlantic Service (Michael D. Sullivan)
    Re: Consuming Ourselves Into Oblivion (Chris Hardaker)
    Re: Help: E Telco Step-by-Step Switch (Bob Dunscomb)
    Re: ADCPM and CO's (Les Reeves)
    Re: T1 -> Modems (Rich Greenberg)
    Re: Trying to Locate Recommendation E.123 (Peter M. Weiss)
    Re: Trying to Locate Recommendation E.123 (Wally Ritchie)
    Re: NYNEX: Idiocy in Pricing (Terry Kennedy)
    Last Laugh! Techie SOs Unite! (Shirley Clawson via John Shaver)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
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Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
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The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
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All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
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should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 15:19:04 -0500
From: Bob Compiano <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Cellular Fraud in the News Again
Organization: via CompuServe Information Service


Why don't you work on that figure a bit (my lame excuse is I don't
have a calculator) and see how many minutes a day it would take to
rack up that figure, then divide by the top 35 major cellular markets
and see if it is a reasonable amount of talking per city. If the
numbers are too high you'll see that it is not possible for that much
fraud to go on unless the per minute charge is some high, high figure.
This would just help see if the figures fit in with reality or not.
Doesn't do anything to confirm if the figures are accurate.

Tell her she should do a follow up article on how they uncover the
cloning operations. I don't know for sure, but I suspect they have
equipment to detect receivers tuned to the coordination channel of the
cellular band.  Then they probably sit some place where there are
traffic jams regularly and then scan for people who have receivers
tuned to the coord.  The equipment would have to be very, very
sensitive.

The cloners, on the other hand, may be aware of this and are probably
taking counter-counter measures, including heavy shielding of their
equipment, etc. etc.


Bob

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Phil Ritter)
Subject: Re: Cellular Fraud in the News Again
Organization: AirTouch Cellular, Los Angeles
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 22:16:45 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (TELECOM
Digest Editor) writes:

> Over the weekend in the {Chicago Tribune} writer Kathy O'Malley offered
> an interesting article on cellular fraud, primarily discussing how
> phones are cloned and then abused.

> The thing which caught my eye, and which I discussed with her briefly on
> the phone Monday morning was her tossing around of the figures given to
> her by some industry people:   $1.3 million per day in fraud; and that
> this represented four percent of the industry's annual traffic. By my
> calculations, 1.3 million per day comes to about $454 million per year,
> and that figure is four percent of what astronomical amount?

I don't want to get into the "Hard $$/Soft $$" debate.  It is a
difficult subject, somewhat like a religious argument, that we are
unlikely to come to terms upon.  Besides, I'm much too close to it to
be objective and may have to deal in proprietary information to talk
intelligently (which I am not authorized to do ... [reveal proprietary
info, that is :-)]).

However, the "annual revenue" for the "cellular industry" that is
implied above is not only not astronomical, but probably understates
the the actual industry revenues (well, OK, it is astronomical, but in
the context above Pat also implies that it could not possibly be that
high -- I contend that it is actually higher!).

Here's how I back up that claim:

    Get a copy of "AirTouch Communications Facts & Financials" dated
    February 8, 1995 (order by calling Investor Relations,
    415-658-2040).  I am using this public information so that I do
    not have to deal with anything that might be proprietary (and that
    might get me into trouble ;-).

    Note that AirTouch' "Domestic Cellular Proportionate Results"
    shows domestic cellular revenues $1,149,0000,000, which mostly
    represents Los Angeles, San Diego, Atlanta, Sacramemto, and about
    1/2 each of San Franscisco, Michigan & Ohio.  There are a few
    more minority interests, but they are probably not significant
    for this "back of the envelope" argument. See Page 14 of the
    above reference.

    Assume that all of these markets are highly competetive and that
    that other system in each of these markets have approximately
    equal revenues.  These markets then represent $2,298,000,000 in
    annual revenues.

    The "astronomical" industry revenue represented above is
    $454,000,000/.04 = $11,350,000,000.  AirTouch and their direct
    market to market competetors account for 20.25%.

    Note that this revenue only represents 5.5 markets;

    No stretch of the imagination to see that these are less than 20% of
    total cellular markets and revenue.  Therefore, the baseline
    implied for industry revenues is not inflated.

No, Pat, these figures are probably realistic, not inflated.  Now, the
hard $$/soft $$ debate can continue without assuming that the baseline
figures are inflated.


Phil Ritter  [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I did not get into a 'hard/soft' discussion
with her; I wanted to see mainly if anything could be done with that
'$1.3 million per day which is four percent of annual revenues' comment.
I don't know how far I would get with her on the 'hard/soft' discussion
anyway; her interest in the matter is as a consumer. She said to me her
entire knowledge of cellular phones was that 'she turns it on and expects
it to work ...'. She said she was inspired to write the piece based on
the two instances of cloning which happened to her in the past year.
Basically it was a good article and pretty factual.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: Mfrere <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Cellular Fraud in the News Again
Date: 21 Mar 1995 02:36:32 GMT
Organization: Solect Technology Group


[e-mail] (TELECOM Digest Editor) wrote:

> Over the weekend in the {Chicago Tribune} writer Kathy O'Malley offered
> an interesting article on cellular fraud, primarily discussing how
> phones are cloned and then abused.

> The thing which caught my eye, and which I discussed with her briefly on
> the phone Monday morning was her tossing around of the figures given to
> her by some industry people:   $1.3 million per day in fraud; and that
> this represented four percent of the industry's annual traffic. By my
> calculations, 1.3 million per day comes to about $454 million per year,
> and that figure is four percent of what astronomical amount?

> I know we have had discussions on this here before and many of you contend
> losses due to fraud -- while a significant problem -- are substantially
> less that the dollar amounts quoted on a routine basis in the media and
> by industry representatives.

> Ms. O'Malley asked me, if $1.3 million per day is *not* correct, then
> what amount is correct or more realistic?  I'd like to forward her some
> more accurate data if that is possible. Can anyone provide anything?

> She said to me she was prompted to write the article based on her own
> unfortunate experiences of being cloned twice in the past year. I told
> her I could easily see and understand her feelings, but that overstating
> the amount in question did not benefit anyone ... some of you here explained
> that to me the last time this topic came up.

> She is at the {Chicago Tribune}, 435 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago 60611
> if you care to provide rebuttal, although it might be best if you send
> it to me and I will pass it along.

I think it will be difficult to get that number.  Most companies are
rather reluctant to provide that info, and it's a moving target anyway.

I had a cellular fraud presentation last year, and the amount of overseas
air time a cloned phone can ring up is wild!  Up to $5500 a day per phone!

This company regularly looks at the top ten daily users and cuts off
on average six of them.  They look at each phone's background, calling
patterns, etc.

If Joe Average has no record of calling Red China and is suddenly ringing up
18 hours of calls there, you're pretty sure its fraud!

To fight this they don't give overseas calling privileges automatically.
You need to ask for it.  Also some carriers are now using PIN ID. Every call
or LD call, you need to enter your PIN first.

They also had alot of voice mail fraud.  Alot of people use their last
four numbers as their password.  People can easaly figure out which block of
phone numbers are assigned to cellular and hack in, change the password,
then use the box for automated third party LD approval!

They would change the persons greeting to yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes,yes, ...

Then they would call the automated operator and tell it to bill to that
mailbox number.  The operator would call the box, wait for an acknoledgement,
get 'YES' and put the call through!

The companies have had little help from the overworked police, so they
don't get to prosecute much.  They just try to stay ahead of the game.


Later,

Mike

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Michael D. Sullivan)
Subject: Re: New Bell Atlantic Service
Date: 20 Mar 1995 23:34:11 -0500
Organization: Wilkinson, Barker, Knauer & Quinn (Washington, DC, USA)


Regarding Chris Cartwright's posting on Bell Atlantic's T-Mail:

In the form T-mail will initially be made available, it won't be of much
use to telemarketers.  You can only store 25 numbers in a list, and you
only have three lists.  So you can only do a mass-T-mailing to 75
numbers.  You would have to have the patience of Job (and a staff of
dialing idiot-savants) to enter 400,000 numbers into such a format.  Key
in three lists of 25; record message; send; delete lists; repeat 5333
times.  It would make more sense simply to hire a telemarketing boiler
room (can't use an autodialer and a recorded message due to a law passed
a couple of years ago).

This isn't to say that a more commercial version won't be made available,
however, once the experiment is through.


Michael D. Sullivan | INTERNET E-MAIL TO:  [e-mail]
Bethesda, Md., USA  | also [e-mail], [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Chris Hardaker <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Consuming Ourselves Into Oblivion
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 95 16:54:00 PST


Mr. Martin raised a good point. I do, however, see a 'bright' side to all
this. Humans invented the printed word. Then advertising discovered the
printed word. Humans invented radio,  then advertising discovered radio.
Advertising were getting good at this by now so when humans invented
television, advertising where already there, waiting. Every mass market
attracts advertising. With the media hype, the 'Net' has become another mass
market and advertising are ready to climb aboard.

It's not that advertising follows technological advances, it's more that
every time advertising comes along to 'pervert' the course of a technology,
humans run, hide and invent a new technology just to bug the living hell out
of advertisers. It's classic Tom and Jerry stuff. Cat chases mouse, mouse
can't run as fast so slowly cat catches up. BUT just as the paw is about to
spell the demise of our hero the mouse, there is a small hole in the wall,
just big enough for the mouse to get thru ... WHAM a flat faced cat and all
you hear is a mouse sniggering in the background.

The 'Net' race has begun, the advertising cat is bigger than before and
faster, but I'm running. In a year or two I will need a technological hole
to dive through. So while the humans at the leading edge of technology are
trying to invent the next giant leap for telecommunications, I'm happy to
play cat and mouse and dream of hearing the WHAM as I slip away from
advertising's graps. I only hope my firewall can handle the pressure until
then ...


Your expectantly,

Chris Hardaker    CLEAR Communications
Auckland  New Zealand    [e-mail]
[phone] Voice     [phone] Fax


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I hope your firewall holds up. I can tell
you the amount of advertising I get in a day's time here for the Digest
and comp.dcom.telecom is pretty incredible.  All kinds of messages with
things for sale; personnel recruiting (head-hunting) type messages, etc.
One person at some personnel company sends me a dozen messages at a time
about the kinds of people they are looking for on behalf of their clients.
And the nervy part is, not once do any of these jokers offer to send me
nickle one ... they heard the Internet is 'free' and can't possibly imagine
why they should have to pay to help support it. On three different
occassions this person has sent me a big bunch of messages looking for
people to fill various positions. I wrote back once saying 'you know, you
charge your clients big $$ to fill these positions, how about becoming
a corporate sponsor here in order that I can improve the Digest for all
the readers ... who knows, I might develop a mailing list for the exchange
of human resources information for the readers ...'.  Instead of getting
back an answer to that, instead I get two more big batches of messages
to be run.  :(   Every small business is now setting up a home window
they want you to look at, and they want me to tell you about. I do tell
you about quite a few of them, but I can see where that is going to have
to stop soon also; I've been reluctant to help some in this way while
refusing to help others, or to show favoritism, but it is going to have to
halt soon. None of them bother to read the archives or the back issues;
they don't even want to subscribe presently; they just want a place to
dump their commercial messages. Some days I feel like so much of my time
is wasted doing this stuff.    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dunscomb)
Subject: Re: Help: E Telco Step-by-Step Switch
Date: 20 Mar 1995 08:30:52 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Dunscomb)


When I worked as a Craftsman for AT&T Long Lines (away back in ought-55)
we were told that "KS" stood for "Kearny Specification", and that a KS
number was applied to every part manufactured for the Bell System by
anyone other than Western Electric.

Kearny, NJ, was the location of an enormous Western Electric complex,
so the first part of the story seems plausible.  That the second part
was true was, to quote Thomas Jefferson, "self-evident".


Bob Dunscomb, Maxwell Consulting

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Les Reeves)
Subject: Re: ADCPM and CO's
Date: 19 Mar 1995 07:02:10 -0800
Organization: CR Labs


Steven Bergman ([e-mail]) wrote:

> I was wondering if anyone know of a resource whereby I could determine
> whether a particular CO supported both ISDN and ADPCM.  Also, what
> devices, if any, are out there that currently combine the two of them in
> some way.

For ISDN, call the business office, and when they say they don't know
ask them for someone in data communications marketing.

Regarding ADPCM, in the context of ISDN I would think this is a terminal
adapter issue.


Les     [e-mail]       Atlanta,GA      404.874.7806

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Rich Greenberg)
Subject: Re: T1 -> Modems
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 1995 03:30:11 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (ScottPCS) writes:

>>> I need to bring in a T1 line to 24 1200 baud modems for my company.

> Bill Grenoble responded:

>> I have seen a T1 rack mount modem (V.Fast I think), but it cost more

> Unfortunately the originator is a Verifone credit card terminal and
> only has a 1200 baud modem.  It is not possible at this time to get a
> 2400 or faster.  But the call length is only a few seconds and a
> faster speed would not significantly shorten the call.

For this type of application, 1200 baud is the best speed to use.  The
connection is so short that a faster modem would take longer in training
than the data transmission at 1200 would take.

The newest bells and whisles are not always the appropriate technology.


Rich Greenberg            Work: TBA.  Know anybody needing a VM guru?
N6LRT   TinselTown, USA   Play: [e-mail]       310-649-0238

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 13:07:02 EST
From: Peter M. Weiss <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Trying to Locate Recommendation E.123
Organization: Penn State University


Though I can find a gopher at info.itu.ch, and ITU-T and its submenu
ITU-E series, I can not locate that specific one E.123 (nor does a
gopher search at that site).

--  co-owner INFOSYS, TQM-L, CPARK-L, ERAPPA-L, JANITORS, LDBASE-L, et -L
[e-mail]        "Ready, Aim, Fire, OOPS!"       [phone]
31 Shields Bldg. -- Penn State Univ -- University Park, PA 16802-1202 USA

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Trying to Locate Recommendation E.123
Date: 19 Mar 1995 04:01:55 GMT
Reply-To: [e-mail]


In <[e-mail]>, Wolf <[e-mail]> writes:

> It was mentioned in TELECOM Digest that one "might wish to access the
> PostScript format files available from the ITU" for the E.123
> recommendation.

> How does one access ITU?  I searched the Digest header, but there was
> no mention of ITU's location, and the only other reference I can find
> is to itu.edu, which does not have direct ftp access.

ITU operates a gopher server where you get everything at:

   info.itu.ch


Wally Ritchie     Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Terry Kennedy)
Subject: Re: NYNEX: Idiocy in Pricing
Organization: St. Peter's College, US
Date: Sun, 19 Mar 1995 19:25:17 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (RUSSELL
BLAU) writes:

> Personally, I never thought I would find myself in the position of
> defending anything that NYNEX does ... however, look at what you are
> comparing.  Flexpath is a DID trunk service.  Therefore, you should compare
> it to the price of 48 analog DID trunks, not 48 individual measured
> business lines.

  Unfortunately, if I want 48 numbers delivered on two T1's (perhaps
because I have a US Robotics modem chassis that takes T1's and turns
them into Ethernet packets), I wind up paying the same premium as
the customer who wants DID service. If I have enough lines that NYNEX
would bring me digital entrance facilities anyway, I'd have to pay
them *more* to just leave the T's and not install a SLC/DIS*C/whatever
to turn it back into copper.

  Worse yet, NYNEX's competitors price their service by being a
certain percentage less than NYNEX's rates, without considering
types of services that NYNEX isn't supplying. Until the competition
gets their heads out of the sand, we're not going to see "real
competition" for these services -- being 15% less than an unacceptable
price won't cut it.


Terry Kennedy          Operations Manager, Academic Computing
[e-mail]      St. Peter's College, Jersey City, NJ USA
[phone] (voice)   [phone] (FAX)

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 08 Mar 95 09:08:59 MST
From: John Shaver <[e-mail]>
Subject: Last Laugh! Techie SOs Unite!


SIGNIFICANT OTHERS SPEAK OUT !!!

By:  Shirley Clawson

So you've found yourself attracted to a computer nerd.  (Sorry
techies; that IS what those of us that exist in the real world call
you.)  Spousal units and significant others (collectively referred to
herein as "SO's") who have long endured the idiosyncrasies of their
techie mates have banded together to provide the unsuspecting "future
significant other" a peek at existence with: THE TECHIE.  But first, a
couple of disclaimers: All persons and events portrayed in this
article are real and any resemblance to actual people or incidents is
entirely intentional.  Techies portrayed herein are of the male
variety but male SO's have confirmed that they experience the same
phenomenon in relation to their female techies.

To properly co-exist with a techie, you must first understand three
basic premises on which his view of the world is based:

1.   There is a proper order in the universe.  Computers
     come first; significant others somewhere thereafter.

2.   Programmers, while reluctantly admitting (subsequent
     to intense pressure) that they are not God, are however,
     equal to God.

3.   Computer illiterate people are complete morons.

These three premises result in techies having a drastically different
way of thinking as compared to the average person.  This unique
approach to life will be exhibited on a daily basis in many subtle
ways:

TOPIC           WHAT YOU'RE THINKING      WHAT HE'S THINKING
==============  =======================   ===========================
Ideal Vacation  Tahiti                    Las Vegas -- during Comdex

Shopping Trip   New wardrobe              Computer bookstore

Eating Out      Chez Romantic             Vending machine at the office

Fun Weekend     Picnic in the mountains   Non-stop programming

6 A.M.          Romantic sunrise          Late night of programming

People over for
  Dinner        Friends, Conversation     Victims to view latest
                                          software developments
  Tax Time      Call an accountant        Order a tax package for SO

   Looking at
     Stereo
     Equipment     Casual browsing        Select model, Close deal

   Share
     Housework     50/50                   Refrain from complaining that
                                           Pepsi isn't restocked

   Spending more
     time with
     Children      Interactive Learning    Set up Barbies next to computer

   Reason to cash out
     Investments   Child's Education       This years BMW's look good

It is true that techies rarely subscribe to GQ magazine but, in all
fairness, let's dispense with the slide-rule, taped glasses, white,
button-down shirt stereotype.  They no longer wear slide-rules;
laptops are in.  Taped glasses -- well, ok, sometimes.  White shirts
have been replaced by t-shirts and flowered Hawaiian atrocities.
"Dressing up" for a special occasion entails putting on jeans and a
wrinkled shirt with a collar.  If you happen to be domestically
inclined, don't bother ironing shirts (or if you're not, feeling
guilty about NOT ironing them) because pressed shirts are simply not a
priority in a Techie's life and neither he nor any of his contemporaries
will notice that the shirt he's wearing looks like it's been trapped
between his mattress and box springs for a year.

Material possessions are of vital importance to the techie.  Of
paramount importance is: THE CAR.  The cost of this is directly
proportional to the size of: THE EGO.  There are two types of vehicles
owned by techies: 1966 station wagons with deteriorating wood on the
sides OR the most expensive vehicle income will allow.  (Neither
category would be caught dead, however, driving a car with a Mary Kay
bumper sticker attached.)  Single techies can be identified by their
dumpy apartments, frayed clothing and impeccably maintained Ferraris.

Techies with vehicles in the second category assemble their machines
for the annual Testosterone 500.  Grown men gather at an area race
track, spend 90 percent of the day walking around bragging about their
car to anyone who will listen and devote the balance of the time
tearing around on a track hoping they won't kill themselves.  What we
are witnessing is NOT simply a car race, but rather a battle of the
egos.  This same group of techies has also mastered the art of
maneuvering discussion of THE CAR into every conversation.

The home computer system is another source of competition.  Our family
of four (techie, SO, eight and two year old) is the proud owner of six
computers, seven monitors, three laser printers, two dot matrix
printers, two scanners, two optical disk drives, a CD ROM drive, and
four boxes of cables that "might come in handy someday".  Most
appalling of all is that the two year old is limited to a 286 with an
EGA!  HORRORS!  Special effort is made to explain to visiting techies
that we are in the process of upgrading her system.

Other elaborate electronic devices run a close second to the "home
computer competition".  Techies must always have the latest and the
best of any electronic device on the market and they MUST be the first
in their group to own one.  We have established true superiority with
our home PBX phone system with the capacity to handle ten incoming
lines, conference calls, 45 auto-dial numbers and, best of all, music
on hold.  Oh, and our answering machine has voice mail capabilities,
can receive fax transmissions and makes dinner.

As you've probably already noticed, dating a techie has special
challenges and rewards.  Although your social hours are restricted to
11:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m., you do have the opportunity to meet other SO's
who, like you, are hanging around the office waiting for "just one
more compile".  A techie's estimate of "15 more minutes" generally
means they will appear an hour or two later having absolutely no clue
that more than 15 minutes has passed.

If you do manage to convince your techie to take a vacation, plan on
his inspecting the computer system at every hotel, gas station,
restaurant, car rental agency and airline.  Expect him to make
suggestions for improvements to busboys, valets, maids and waiters,
none of whom have the remotest interest in their establishment's
computer system, much less any influence in this arena.  Keep in mind
also that no matter where you go, techies will find each other.  The
first trip I, my sweetie and his portable computer took together was
to Europe.  I was one of the lucky few to be dating a man who owned
one of the first portable computers manufactured, which of course
automatically entitled us to first class service everywhere.  He no
sooner had placed the computer on the airline tray table than six
fellow techies leaped to his side to discuss the merits of the
computer.  Personal conversation with my traveling companion totalled
ten minutes out of a six hour flight.

Lunching with a group of techies is comparable to being dropped into a
remote village in central Albania, with one major difference: Sign
language is completely useless.  They are speaking a foreign language
and they are completely oblivious to this fact.  My suggestion: Don't
bother going.  No one will notice that you were there anyway, including
your techie.

Parties dominated by techies are truly exciting experiences.  Techies
have never developed the art of smalltalk (their computers don't
require this attribute) so don't expect to see a techie talking to a
non-techie.  If a techie was forced to bring his SO, he will feel
obligated, however, to forego technical discussions for at least the
first ten minutes.

If you are unfortunate enough to be an SO with a "real job", you will
encounter additional difficulties.  The techie cannot fathom anyone
going to work earlier than 10:00 a.m.  He will tell you to simply
inform your boss that you won't be starting until then.

Techies are very well read.  They devour books and articles on such
exciting topics as memory management, VXD's and debugging but give
them a book on relationships and watch the panic spread across their
faces.  Mention a couples workshop you think both of you should attend
and watch those deadlines move up.

At some point in their relationship, the SO must reveal to the
techie that a romantic holiday does not entail bringing along a
portable computer, stacks of computer magazines and a trunkload
of listings.  They will be expected to spend an entire weekend
without their computer!  If you make it through this traumatic
experience, a marriage or move-in-together proposal may be in the
air.  Expect any proposal to be very practical.  Important issues
such as what kind of dog you will get, how much money will be
allotted to ego-related purchases, and how much space will be
allocated for the special, hands-off place for his computers in
your future home must be settled before a techie will even
consider a permanent relationship.   (Critical tip:  This
allotted space will double in size within six months, often
spewing out into other areas of your home if you have not planned
ahead.)  Your wedding date will be arranged around development
conferences, COMDEX and technical crises.

If, at some point in your relationship, you decide to have children,
you will have to fit baby-making in between compiles.  If you do
manage to conceive, take a few photographs of your techie to tape over
the baby's crib so your child will recognize your techie's face as
well as his back.

On a personal level, the techie is very supportive of his significant
other.  When I decided to diet, my techie stood by me and agreed to
diet with me; as long as he didn't have to give up Pepsi and Twinkies.
When I determined that I needed a new look, he promised not to laugh
when I came back with a new hairdo and agreed to unlimited funding for
purchases made at lingerie shops.

The techie is also an accomplished gift-giver.  Just last month, for
my birthday, my techie gave me a Bug Zapper.  (You know, one of those
things that vaporizes the bugs flying around on your patio.)  It seems
he "heard me mention that we should get one."  Guess he missed the
references to the diamond necklace and pearl earrings.  Last Christmas
I was the proud recipient of a portable toolkit -- it's a beaut.

Well, I'd better close now.  I'm due for my 10:43 appointment to
review the 1991 COMDEX floor plan with you-know-who.  Never a dull
moment ...

                    --------------------

   Biography:  The author is married to a techie who denies
   exhibiting any of the aforementioned behavior and feigned
   ignorance when asked if he noticed these characteristics in any
   of his fellow techies.

   (c) Copyright 1991 by Shirley Clawson, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #158
******************************


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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #159

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 21 Mar 95 13:33:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 159

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    500 Service and Federal Telecom System ([e-mail])
    Re: T3 Framing and Connection ([e-mail])
    Re: T3 Framing and Connection (Richard M. Kenshalo)
    Re: Bandwidth Question ([e-mail])
    Downloading Mac Software With a PC (Reid Goldsborough)
    Alarm Reporting Black Box (D.E. Jennings)
    CCIT G.711 PCM Format (also Dialogic 8khz, 8 bit PCM Format) (P. Chehowski)
    100VG AnyLAN (Phil Ho)
    Sources For Telecom Law ([e-mail])
    MicroUnity Contact Wanted (Stewart Fist)
    X25 and TCP/IP (Marios Scottis)
    Motorola Cell Programming Help Needed (Jim Knoll)
    Re: X.25/ISDN Prices; Global Information Wanted (Again) (Steve Cogorno)
    Re: X.25/ISDN Prices; Global Information Wanted (John Combs)
    Re: NYNEX: Idiocy in Pricing (Fred R. Goldstein)
    Re: Credit Checking on Cellular Customers (Jeff Wolfe)
    Re: Looking For "Help Desk" System (Joe Sulmar)
    Re: LAPD and Variants Implementation (Matthew P. Downs)
    Re: Benchmarking Internet Providers (Mike Rehmus)
    Re: Voicemail System Wanted (D.F. Anderson)
    Re: Recommendations For Good Primer on Telecom Technologies (D.F. Anderson)
    Last Laugh! Great Moments in Radio History (Nigel Allen)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
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Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
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                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
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*************************************************************************
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Additionally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such
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All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (MSTRANDREW)
Subject: 500 Service and Federal Telecom System
Date: 21 Mar 1995 11:26:41 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (MSTRANDREW)


I asked a friend recently to call me from his work phone using my new
ATT 500 number.  He indicated that the local phone network accepted
the 500 number, but the call would not process through FTS.  Does any
one know if FTS is going to get the message?

I understand that FTS does not process international calls as well as
calls to Canada.  Since I call program my 500 number to any number in
the world, I wonder if FTS wants to avoid accepting 500 numbers so
that calls can not be forwarded to points outside the FTS system.

On a totally unrelated note, does any one know if thought was given to
assigning new NPAs to Guam (671) and American Samoa (684), so that
they could be treated as "domestic" calls??


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: In both Guam and American Samoa the locals
refer to themselves as 'area code 671' and 'area code 684' when giving
their phone number to persons needing to call them. Strictly speaking this
is not true yet, but a recent chat I had with someone at Bellcore leads
me to believe that soon enough the '011' international prefix will not be
needed to those two points and that their area codes will simply be the
country codes they have been using all along. Speaking of the South Pacific
region, the 808 area code which traditionally has been just Hawaii was
expanded about a year ago to include Midway Island and the United States
Trust Territory collection of islands.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve)
Subject: Re: T3 Framing and Connection
Date: 21 Mar 1995 12:19:17 GMT
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA


The details for the DS3 frame formats are best obtained from the source
(i.e. ANSI document T1.107 or similar) because the frame structure is
subdivided into subframes (it's hard to follow).

C-bits are essentially only to be altered by DS3 sources.  In the M13
arena, M23 mux sections use the C-bit to indicate the presence of
stuffing.  Whereas in C-bit parity applications it may be used for
something else (like performance monitoring on the fly ...)

The two coax connections are needed because each coax is a side of the
channel (i.e. one for transmit, the other for receive).  Fiber systems
have these two coax connections for each DS3 also.  The only thing that
may come in the middle of any DS3 connection is just a manual jack
field (DSX-3) or an electronic cross connect (an automatic version of
a patch panel).

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 09:04:27 -0800
From: RICHARD M KENSHALO <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: T3 Framing and Connection


On 19 Mar 1995, Phillip Schuman <[e-mail]> wrote:

> I'm looking for some brief explanation of the two kinds of framing
> on T3 - M13 and C-parity. I'm pretty familiar with D4/SF and ESF.

Two basic formats are used, each composed of the basic M-Frame
structure.  Both channelized (M13 format) and un-channelized (C-Bit
Parity) service applications are supported.  The various applications of
the basic M-frame structure are distinguished from one another by the
way the 21 C-bits are used.  M13 format uses the 21 C-bits for bit
stuffing.  C-Bit Parity uses the C-bits for maintenance purposes.

M13 Format (Subrated/Channelized DS3) - The M13 format will allow a DS3
signal to be channelized into 28 DS1s.

C-Bit Parity Format (Subrated/Channelized and Non-Subrated/Non-
Channelized DS3) - C-Bit Parity can be used for either channelized or
non-channelized DS3 signals.  It is recommended in all cases for non-
channelized DS3 service because of it's superior maintenance
capabilities over the standard M13 format.  DS1 to DS3 multiplexing
(channelized) using the C-Bit Parity format is the same two-step
multiplexing process used for standard M13 (channelized) format except
that bit stuffing is done at every opportunity during the second step of
multiplexing.  Since stuffing is done 100% of the time, the C-bits are
no longer needed to indicate the presence of stuff bits, and are used
for proprietary maintenance overhead capabilities.

In the C-Bit Parity format, the 21 C-bits are allocated as follows:
AIC = Application Identification Channel:  1 C-bit
NA = Reserved Network Application bit:  1 C-bit
FEA = Far-End Alarm bit:  1 C-bit
DL = Data Link bits:  12 C-bits
CP = C-Bit Parity bits:  3 C-bits
FEBE = Far-End Block Error bits:  3 C-bits

Path Level Monitoring Implications:  M13 vs. C-Bit Parity Formats:

With the M13 format, the only available path level monitoring technique
is to use the P-bit, which is a parity designation for the entire
payload (4704 bits of data).  The problem is that most networking
equipment interfacing at the DS3 level was designed to segment the
network on a point to point basis.  Thus, at intermediate points along
the network, the network equipment corrects the value of the P-bit
before transmitting the signal along the DS3 line.  This results in no
complete monitoring on a path basis.

Path level monitoring using the C-Bit Parity format allows end to end
monitoring of the path level since these bits are not altered anywhere
along the path.  Also, the FEBE allows the far end to indicate to the
near end that a parity error on a block of data has occurred.

> Also -- on a picture of the Digital Link T3 mux -- there are two BNC
> connectors; are both used, or in/out or what? How does this work in
> connecting to a fiber based system like T3 -- is there another
> interface box between the telco and the CPE?

One BNC is DS3 IN and one is DS3 OUT.  No other interface box is
required between the telco and the CPE, as long as the DS3 meets the
following electrical interface requirements:

Electrical Interface

1.  The pulse amplitude shall be between 0.36 volts and 0.85 volts
(peak), measured at the center of the pulse.

2.  The transmission rate of the DS3 signal shall be 44.736 Mbps plus
 or minus 895 bps.

3.  The line codes for the DS3 signal shall be Bipolar with 3 Zero
Substitution (B3ZS).

4.  The test load shall be a pure resistive termination of 75 ohms
at the network interface and shall be used to evaluate signal
characteristics.


Hope this helps.

Richard Kenshalo   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve)
Subject: Re: Bandwidth Question
Date: 21 Mar 1995 12:01:32 GMT
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA


"Switched 56" is a good way of doing an economical bandwidth on demand
thing.  With this you just dial up more 56kbps lines as you need them.
You pay channel termination charges for each possible line; however, the
rest is usage.


Take it easy,

Steve

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Reid Goldsborough)
Subject: Downloading Mac Software With a PC
Date: 21 Mar 1995 17:25:04 GMT
Organization: Philadlephia's Complete Internet Provider


Here's the short version: What do I need to do to download Mac shareware
and commercial bug fixes with a Windows-based PC to make the software
usable on a Mac?

Here's the long version: I have a Windows-based PC that I'm going to use
as a word processor and telecommunications machine and a new Power Mac
that I'm using as a graphics and desktop publishing machine. I'm trying
to figure out, without success so far, how to download Mac software with
the PC and transfer it so it's usable with the Mac. I understand that Mac
software has these resource fork thingies, which complicates things.

What I've done so far is grab from Apple's FTP server four files that
update System 7.5 (they each have the extension .hqx). They're now
sitting on my Windows PC's hard disk, renamed to conform to DOS 8.3
naming conventions (I'll rename them back once they're on the Mac's hard
disk).

One problem is that two of the compressed files are larger than 1.44 MB,
so they can't fit on a floppy as is. The DOS program PKZip could handle
this problem. I've downloaded the Mac PKZip unzip program. I actually
found two program. One has the filename mac-unzip-50p1.hqx, the other is
named unzip-201.hqx.

I believe you need the program StuffIt (or equivalent) to unstuff these
files with extensions .hqx). So I also downloaded UnStuffIt.1.5.bin. I'm
not sure what the extension .bin means. Does it mean it can unstuff
itself by doubleclicking on its icon?

Well, I copied UnStuffIt.1.5.bin from my PC's hard disk to my Mac's hard
disk, but when I doubleclicked on it, I just got a message that Apple
File Exchange didn't recognize it. This is a Mac program so it doesn't
need Apple File Exchange, but my Mac thinks it's a PC program. So this is
where I'm stuck.

One option would be to get a Mac telecom program and move my 14.4
external modem to the Mac whenever I needed to download Mac programs. But
this would be inconvenient. I'd rather try to find a solution where I
could simply use a floppy to transfer Mac programs to the Mac that I
downloaded with the PC.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Mar 95 00:43:46 PST
From: Jennings <[e-mail]>
Subject: Alarm Reporting Black Box


Is there an "off the shelf" black box that will take an alarm output
from a system or subsystem and dial a phone number to report the state
of the alarm output ... the black box should have a modem built in and
would call another modem that would be in the auto answer state, and
after the exchange of handshake, dump the status ... this must be a
common requirement, it seems to me, does anyone have a vendor of this
kind of stuff, a part number?


Thanks,

D. E. Jennings
Spectrum Analysis & Frequency Engineering, Inc.
[e-mail]-voice:301.869.7969-FAX:[phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Paul Chehowski)
Subject: CCIT G.711 PCM Format (also Dialogic 8khz, 8 bit PCM Format)
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 02:47:37 GMT
Organization: Sulis Computing


Is anybody familiar with the actual values behind the PCM telephony
format specified in CCIT Spec G.711?  I'm trying to write a conversion
program that converts between Dialogic PCM VOX files and Microsoft
Windows WAV files, and the good folks at Dialogic told me that no one
in tech support there could help me with their file format specification,
but that it was the same format specified in the CCIT spec.  In the
Microsoft WAV specification for 8 bit PCM WAV files, the minimum value
is 0 and the maximum value is 255 (0xff). As far as I have been able
to decipher so far, some conversions between Dialogic VOX and
Microsoft WAV files are (all values are hex):

  WAV    VOX
  ---    ---

  001    000  (near minimum value for WAV file)

  080    0FA  (near middle value, 0 magnitude for WAV file)
  080    0FB
  080    0FC
  080    0FD
  080    0FE
  080    0FF
  081    0F0
  082    0E0
  083    0D8
  084    0D0

  088    0C0
  090    0B0

  0FE    080  (near maximum value for WAV file)

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


Paul Chehowski        [e-mail]
Sulis Computing       [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Phil Ho)
Subject: 100VG AnyLAN
Date: 21 Mar 1995 05:39:58 GMT
Organization: Netcom


Is anyone familiar with 100VG AnyLAN?  What does it take to upgrade a
existing IPX 10BaseT network to 100VG?  New NICs, new hubs, and what
else?  What about the printers on the network with JetDirect?  There
isn't a 100VG equivalent of a JetDirect, is there?  I understand that
it's 802.3 compatible, but what does this really mean in practical
sense?

I appreciate any comments or suggestions.  Please email to me.


Thanks,

phil

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Sources For Telecom Law
Date: 21 Mar 1995 17:04:15 GMT
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA


To find out more about the state of the telecommunications industry
and telecommunications law, you might want to point a WWW browser to
http://khht.com/huber/ft/ftl.html; http:/huber//geo1/geo1.html; or
khht://huber/geo2/geo2.html, where you can read excerpts from the
books of one of the Nation's leading telecommunications experts, Peter
Huber.

------------------------------

Date: 21 Mar 95 06:03:17 EST
From: Stewart Fist <[e-mail]>
Subject: MicroUnity Contact Wanted


Does anyone know how to contact MicroUnity, the company that is
supposedly making a very high-speed media-processing chip?

Any information about the company, location or the chip developments
would be of help.


Stewart Fist
Technical journalist

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Marios Scottis)
Subject: X25 and TCP/IP
Date: 21 Mar 1995 08:27:11 GMT
Organization: College of Engineering and Mines, University of Arizona


I need to use TCP/IP on top of X25. I am trying to get an internet
access through an X25 connection.

Does anybody know how to do this? What hardware and software is needed?
Also any vendor names will be greatly appreciated.


Thanks,

Marios Scottis     [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jim Knoll)
Subject: Motorola Cell Programming Help Needed
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 10:27:11 CST


Patrick,

I got a copy of your Motorola Programming manual and have been playing
with my brick portable phone.  I picked up the phone used and want to
add it as an "extension" to my mobile phone number.  I seemed to get
everything almost correct and wanted to change another item in the
nam, only to find out that I have a phone with three runs at programming
before you can do no more.  Do you know of any more detailed info on
how to reset the nam so I can continue with my programming effort?
Or, do you know where to get information on the net for creating the
extension phone with my Motorola brick?  I have heard that this
information is available, but don't know where.  Thanks for any and all
help.


Thanks,

Jim    [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: What you have to do is put the phone in
'local mode'; that will give you a lot more programming options including
one to reset the counter which keeps track of how many times the phone
number has been changed.  For many/most cellular phones, putting it into
'local mode' involves shorting a contact on the phone where the battery
is connected.  Notice from schematics that one of the pins on the connector
is chassis ground. One of the other pins has to be held low, meaning shunted
to the ground. One way of doing this is to get one of those connectors
at Radio Shack which allow you to open the case and move the arrangement of
the pins around. Typically they are used to reverse pins 2/3 (or is it
1/2) between a computer and modem, but you can use it just as easily
for this purpose. Drop a teeny tiny bit of solder in there between the
two wires in question causing a short. Then plug the battery into one
end of this and the other end into where the battery would normally be
connected.  What happens is you now have caused the pin in question to
go low -- or to ground -- and when the phone turns on it will be in
programming mode. When done programming just pull this device out of the
line and attach the battery in the normal way.

You can do lots of interesting things in local mode including punching
in whatever channel you want to be on *whether or not it is in use* then
sitting there and listening to the people who are using that channel. You
can boost the power on the phone up a little; this is sometimes called
'burning' a channel. The main thing is you want to reset the register
which keeps track of how often the phone number has been changed back to
zero. I forget which pin needs to be grounded, and it may vary from one
model of Motorola to another. If you have forgotten the lock code and
find yourself locked out of the phone you can also use 'local mode' to
cure that; one programming option lets you zero out everything back to
factory default, giving you a 'phone number' of 000-000-0000 and a
passcode of 0000. Someone who has the programming manual will proabably
write you with specifics, but bear in mind you do need that one very
minor hardware modification in the power supply.

For extra credit in this class, do this: mount a tiny toggle switch on
the side of the phone which allows you to toggle in and out of local
mode as desired. Cut the wire to the chassis ground and send it through
that little switch and out to the desired pin (or not) depending on the
position of the switch. Then when you have used up the three chances they
give you with the phone number, just press that little switch for a few
seconds, punch a couple buttons on the keypad, release the switch and
start over!   :)  I'm sure others will be in touch with you soon.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve Cogorno)
Subject: Re: X.25/ISDN Prices; Global Information Wanted (Again)
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 08:24:49 PST


Rishab Aiyer Ghosh said:

> Someone wrote: [on X.25 over ISDN]:

>> Rates in the Pacific Bell Service area for data packets are:
>> .05 CENTS for transaction setup
>> .005 CENTS per octet of data

> That works out to about $52 per Mb - is that _cheap_?

Where did you get this figure? When I calculate it it works out to $3.27 per
MB.

1 MB = 1024K = 1048576 Bytes = 8388608 bits = 65536 octets (1 octet=128 bits)

65536 octets * .005 cents = 327.68 cents = $3.27

And yes, that is a lot cheaper than the approximately $9.90 that it
would cost to transmit the same amount of information over a 1200bps
modem (what the poster orignally asked for).  What you don't know is
that Scott needed info for credit card authorizations which take less
than 100 bytes to transmit.


Steve     [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 20 Mar 95 22:13 EST
From: Testmark Laboratories <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: X.25/ISDN Prices; Global Information Wanted


In TELECOM Digest<15.155> Rishab Aiyer Ghosh<[e-mail]> wrote:

> Someone wrote: [on X.25 over ISDN]:

>> Rates in the Pacific Bell Service area for data packets are:
>> .05 CENTS for transaction setup
>> .005 CENTS per octet of data

> That works out to about $52 per Mb - is that _cheap_?

Actually, there are 16 bits per two byte octet.  Therefore:

     ((0.005 cents)/16 bits)*(1,048,576 bits/Mbit) = 328 cents/Mbit,
        or $26.21/Mbyte, still rather pricey!

I wonder who would actually pay rates like this for packet data?


John Combs, Project Engineer, TestMark Laboratories, [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Fred R. Goldstein)
Subject: Re: NYNEX: Idiocy in Pricing
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 11:29:11 GMT
Organization: Bolt Beranek & Newman Inc.


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Terry
Kennedy) writes:

> In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (RUSSELL BLAU)
> writes:

>> Personally, I never thought I would find myself in the position of
>> defending anything that NYNEX does ... however, look at what you are
>> comparing.  Flexpath is a DID trunk service.  Therefore, you should compare
>> it to the price of 48 analog DID trunks, not 48 individual measured
>> business lines.

> Unfortunately, if I want 48 numbers delivered on two T1's (perhaps
> because I have a US Robotics modem chassis that takes T1's and turns
> them into Ethernet packets), I wind up paying the same premium as
> the customer who wants DID service. If I have enough lines that NYNEX
> would bring me digital entrance facilities anyway, I'd have to pay
> them *more* to just leave the T's and not install a SLC/DIS*C/whatever
> to turn it back into copper.

NYNEX does "bundle" DID service into Flexpath, and ISDN PRI, so you
only have to pay for the numbers.  If you don't need 100 numbers, you
still pay for DID service.  That's minor.

What's really dumb is the way NYNEX prices both T1-based services.
The idea they use is that T1 is a PREMIUM that adds VALUE to the
service, so you should pay THEM for it.  This made some sense back in
1985 when they introduce it, since they had mostly analog CO switches.
Flexpath was implemented by sticking a big fat D4 channel bank next to
the switch, running 24 wires into the D4, and giving you a T1.
Nowadays, of course, the CO is usually digital, so the economics are
flipped around: Analog lines require the extra hardware.  But the
tariff is unchanged.  This causes NYNEX to waste money.

Another dumbness in their tariff is the pricing for the T1 loop
itself.  For an analog loop, distance is THEIR problem.  If you build
a factory six miles from the CO, then they string fat wire on the
poles, or do whatever they feel like doing, but the price is the same.
(There is no "rural" area in Mass., at least; some states have
surcharges.)  For T1 loops, they charge mileage from the CO, so it's
quite costly if you're even three miles out.  This enocurages the use
of costly separate pairs for the long runs, and cheap T1 muxing for
short runs -- ecoomically counter to NYNEX' best interests, unless
they're really more interested in padding the rate base.


Fred R. Goldstein   k1io    [e-mail]
Bolt Beranek & Newman Inc., Cambridge MA  USA   [phone]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 12:13:44 -0500
From: Jeff Wolfe <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Credit Checking on Cellular Customers
Organization: PSU - Earth & Mineral Sciences


In article <[e-mail]> is written:

> IMHO, I think it's funny that people with poor credit won't complain
> about failing to qualify for a new car loan but will complain because
> a cellular carrier won't take a risk that they'll skip after
> generating tens of thousands of dollars (retail, let's not start that
> argument again) worth of cellular service. A cell phone is no
> different than having a Visa card with a $10,000 limit so it's not
> surprising that they won't give them to just anyone.

> No insult intended towards college students but they should know how
> hard it is to get credit for anything.

I graduated in May of last year with a dual major BS in Computer Sci
and Geography (gis). I've got a car loan and two credit cards. I pay my
full credit card balance monthly, and I have a few thousand left on my
car loan. I travel a lot, and I wanted a phone for my 'peace of mind'.

I walked into the local Cell One "phone store" cash-in-hand. I was
ready to pay up front for the phone. (In this area, One likes to push
expensive phones on payment plans.)  They ran a credit check on me and
decided that I'd need a $250 deposit to open a cell account. I left,
walked down the street to Wireless one, bought the same phone for $70
less, and had service the next day, no deposit required.

As far as I'm concerned, Cell One lost my business. I'll never recommend
them to anyone I know.

I went through the "write the credit agency to see why process" The
response I got was that I had a low income, and an unsecured loan.

Oh well ... I have a cell phone now and I daresay I've been a good
customer.


Jeff

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Joe Sulmar)
Subject: Re: Looking For "Help Desk" System
Date: 21 Mar 1995 03:46:08 GMT
Organization: Telecommunications Consultant


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
(Mark J. Sullivan) says:

> I am interested in a computer-based phone help-desk system to assist
> in the selling of a product.  In general, I would like to support five
> phone attendants with voice mail and fax back capability.  I would
> also like it to be expandable.  I would like to deal with an integrator
> in the Chicago area ...

Mark -- I have worked on a number of help-desk projects, but my
clients are in the Boston area.  If you would consider working with
someone from outside of Chicago, I'd like to learn more about your
requirements.  I'm familiar with many of the packaged help-desk
products, and I'd be happy to talk to you about them.  Recently, I
have employed Lotus Notes to support some help desk applications, and
it provides a nice way to get up and working quickly with good tools
for extending the system later.  It also can provide a fax server
option.

Please email me if you'd like more info.

Regards,

Joseph J. Sulmar  ([e-mail])
Computer-Telephony Consultant    Lexington, MA

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Matthew P. Downs)
Subject: Re: LAPD and Variants Implementation
Date: 15 Mar 1995 13:42:39 GMT
Organization: ADC Telecommunications


[e-mail] (Bhaktha Keshavachar) writes:

> Are there any examples or application notes on the implementation of
> the data link layer of ISDN, LAPD (Q.921). Any information on the
> variants of LAPD like LAPM, LAPDm etc. are most welcome.

Just about any telecommunication product (that is a switch, PBX, etc)
uses LAPD.

> Is it too naive to expect the source code for LAPD on the internet?

Yes since most companies charge thousand of dollars for it.

------------------------------

From: Mike Rehmus <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Benchmarking Internet Providers
Date: 21 Mar 1995 13:52:57 GMT
Organization: Portal Communications (service)


[e-mail] (Marc Shafroth) wrote:

> My employer is working on an RFP for Internet access. SLIP/PPP at
> first and dedicated link later.

Don't think it will work, Marc.  You cannot predict the path of the
packets across the net.  Therefore your timings will be somewhat
random.

The small differences in speed won't be all that apparent anyway.  A
much bigger effect will be the loading of the service provider's
systems which and that is cyclical depending on time of day, etc.


Mike

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (DFAnderson)
Subject: Re: Voicemail System Wanted
Date: 19 Mar 1995 21:14:56 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (DFAnderson)


{Teleconnect Magazine} publishes an annual roundup issue (next month)
providing a summary of most available products.  They can be contacted at
800/LIBRARY.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (DFAnderson)
Subject: Re: Recommendations For Good Primer on Telecom Technologies
Date: 19 Mar 1995 21:31:52 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (DFAnderson)


Two good sources are {Teleconnect Magazine} and {Computer Telephony}
magazine.  Further information available by dialing 800/LIBRARY.  The
publisher, Harry Newton, can be overbearing but this is the best
overall source.  Talk the order taker into giving you a free copy of
their dictionary of telecom terms.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 21:41:20 -0500
From: [e-mail] (Nigel Allen)
Subject: Last Laugh! Great Moments in Radio History


Kenny Pate ([e-mail]) posted the following
note to the Student Media ([e-mail]) mailing list.

February 28, 1990
Transcript:
KLOS-FM, Los Angeles

(Minutes after a 5.5-magnitude earthquake rattles San Gabriel mountains.)

"The telephone company is urging people to please not use their phones
unless it is absolutely necessary ... we'll be right back after this
break to give away a pair of Phil Collins concert tickets to caller
95."


Nigel Allen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada    [e-mail]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #159
******************************


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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #160

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 21 Mar 95 15:28:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 160

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Per Line Blocking Device is Inexpensive, Easy to Use (Mel Beckman)
    Re: U.S. 800 Users Alert (Colin Smale)
    Re: Cellular Fraud in the News Again (Michael P. Deignan)
    Re: Caller ID in CA (Lynne Gregg)
    Re: Consuming Ourselves Into Oblivion (Subroto Mukerjea)
    Re: Gouging at Pay Phones; a War Story (Jim Gooch)
    Re: Using Live Radio With Automated Attendant (Jacques Vidrine)
    Re: Anything Cheaper Than LCI? ([e-mail])
    Re: Anything Cheaper Than LCI? (Barton Fisher)
    Re: Yes, Yung'uns. CNID -is- Logged at Your Local CO. (Carl B. Page)
    Re: Callback System Hardware and Software? ([e-mail])
    Re: What is Loop Start? (Scot M. Desort)
    Re: Ni-Cad Batteries (David Chessler)
    Re: New NPA in Colorado (Bob Compiano)
    Re: Taxing Your Telco Service (Bob Compiano)
    X.25 Level 2 Information Wanted (Popa Madalin)
    Re: Video Dialtone, HFC, HDSL, or ADSL (Matthew P. Downs)

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
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Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
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should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 22:19:20 -0800
From: [e-mail] (Mel Beckman)
Subject: Per Line Blocking Device is Inexpensive, Easy to Use


David Sternlight ([e-mail]) wrote:

>> Relax, John. You can't keep a good technologist down, and according to
>> another post here, Hello Direct is already selling a little box that will
>> provide you with per-line blocking. It seems to be the ideal solution, since
>> it is unfair to impose the costs of per-line blocking on every other phone
>> user. Per-line blockers should pay the costs of that, just as Caller ID
>> readers should pay the costs of that. Letting the costs fall on the user of
>> each capability is correct public policy in such matters.

John Navas <[e-mail]> wrote:

> Any such device would undoubtedly be unduly expensive and problematic.

You don't know what you're talking about. I have one, and have used it
in several states. It works fine.  It simply automatically dials the
per-line blocking code for you before every call. The thing costs
about $75. Hello Direct also has another very clever device that
automatically dials a prefered local-call provider for local calls,
based on dynamically programmed prefixes. It also works great.  The
FCC's per-line blocking block has been blocked.


Mel Beckman                  |   Internet: [e-mail]
Beckman Software Engineering | Compuserve: 75226,2257
Ventura, CA 93004            |  Voice/fax: [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Colin Smale)
Subject: Re: U.S. 800 Users Alert
Date: 21 Mar 95 12:11:32 GMT
Organization: Signify BV, Woerden, Holland


In the discussion about protecting 'special' 800 numbers, don't forget
that letters on dials have just about disappeared in Europe. If you
want someone in Europe to be able to use your number, you will have
to publish the digits. Numbers are not nearly as 'special' as the words
you can make from them with a US telephone.


Colin Smale    [e-mail]
Signify BV    Woerden, Holland

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Michael P. Deignan)
Subject: Re: Cellular Fraud in the News Again
Date: 21 Mar 1995 13:36:04 GMT
Organization: The Ace Tomato Company


In article <[e-mail]>, Bob Compiano <74774.3167@Compu
Serve.COM> writes:

> Tell her she should do a follow up article on how they uncover the
> cloning operations. I don't know for sure, but I suspect they have
> equipment to detect receivers tuned to the coordination channel of the
> cellular band.  Then they probably sit some place where there are
> traffic jams regularly and then scan for people who have receivers
> tuned to the coord.  The equipment would have to be very, very
> sensitive.

The hardest part of cloning a cell phone is having the correct
equipment to program it. Intercepting the necessary data on a control
channel is just a matter of having a few pieces of equipment that can
easily be put together for under $1000, and then get into your dark
panel van and sit under a control tower.

As for detecting someone receiving control channel signals ... I don't
see how, since sitting and listening on the frequency is a passive
activity. There may be some residual noise from a receiver's FM IF
section, but that in of itself doesn't mean anything.


MD

------------------------------

From: Lynne Gregg <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Caller ID in CA
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 95 09:23:00 PST


The post on this subject from [e-mail] (John Navas) doesn't
quite hit on the topic.  John posted excerpts from the FCC Order on
Calling Number Services.  Along those lines, though, the FCC stayed
(indefinitely) the portion of that Order that called for removal of
Per Line Blocking (on March 17).  Per Line Blocking may continue to be
offered by telcos providing Caller ID services.

Can anyone address the original post by Drew McEachern ([e-mail])?

> Does anyone out there have the latest info on Caller ID in CA? It's my
> understanding that it's any week now. Is this true? I'd love to have it.


Thanks!

Lynne

------------------------------

From: Subroto Mukerjea <[e-mail]>
Organization:  E & A Services, Univ. of Maryland
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 12:23:01 EDT
Subject: Re: Consuming ourselves into oblivion


Well said, Mr. Martin.  But I would like an opportunity to reply.  It
is true that television has consumerism built into it as a default
mode, however it is you or I need to accept it blindly.

Despite its faults, television is not an evil.  My wife and I come
from India.  Television is our link with India.  We see India every
weekend.  We also see China, Japan, Russia, France, Germany and
Italy every week.  This is something that only television can
provide.  Television provides information across ideologies, time
zones, and governments.  I am not willing to give this up very easily.

If you wish to consume you can.  I would like to be a willing consumer,
however I cannot afford it, so I am relatively immune to the shrill
consumerism of television.  But neither do I speak ill of consumers,
after all they are the engines of commerce, rightly or wrongly.

May I suggest a bit of advice that an ancient Greek gave us, "Moderation,
in all things, moderation.  Even though Aristotle wasn't speaking
about television, it makes sense.  True, television is a lean, mean,
consuming machine, but it need not be.  It can be a teacher if you
very, very carefully pick and choose.

Similarly so, the Internet.  Like television, I speak to friends in
India and they talk back.  I gather information about telecom, single
malt whiskeys, what others think about investment in Russia and the
latest CD.  I am barraged by advertising, multi-level marketers and
endless e-mails.  I apply the same principle as I do about
television.  Pick and choose, very, very carefully.

Like it or not the Internet has to grow up.  Having fulfilled its
destiny in the 70's and 80's, it needs to have another purpose.
It is up to you and me to define and develop another purpose than
commerce.  Electronic town halls, referendums for states, towns and
municipalities are all good alternatives that need to be developed.

I have developed a use for the Internet.  I am part of a virtual
corporation.  My firm is in Phoenix, Arizona and I sit here in
Maryland, e-mailing, faxing, phoning and gathering information on
the Internet. For me, the hacker is an entity who stands for anarchy
and purposelessness, not connectivity and value.

The future of the Internet is by no means certain or predictable.
This is the first tool that can be shaped and you have that
opportunity.  As a final observation, 90% of television and the
Internet is idiotic and irrational.  So is life.  But you keep
finding value and substance in the oddest circumstances which is what
makes it all interesting.


Subroto Mukerjea

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (jgooch)
Subject: Re: Gouging at Pay Phones; a War Story
Date: 21 Mar 1995 18:14:00 GMT
Organization: Scientific Atlanta


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (JohnWPan) says:

> Being an experienced traveler, I thought I knew all the tricks.  Alas,
> but no.  I was stumped vacationing in FL.

> Finally, I dialed my carrier's human operator, and was able to talk my
> way through a credit card call.  However, the dial pad was still
> disabled so I could not access my voice mail.

> Years ago, I used to carry a DTMF generator with me.  I have to do
> that now, again.  Ah progress.

The RBOCS are buying smartphones from TSG Inc. and others.  They have
fraud prevention that doesn't even allow DTMF from the handset. Don't
be surprised if your hand-held doesn't work either.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Is that what it is going to come to,
that we have to give up our voice mail and our call back services and
whatever so the RBOCs can continue their fight against fraud?  You're
saying even Genuine Bell payphones won't be something we can rely on
much longer?    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jacques Vidrine)
Subject: Re: Using Live Radio With Automated Attendant
Date: 21 Mar 1995 11:47:02 GMT
Organization: Communique, Inc.


In article <[e-mail]>, TELECOM Digest Editor noted in
reply to [e-mail]:

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The thing that bugs me about that help line
> and the DJ is that for what they pay the DJ to put on this show for people
> on hold, they could easily afford to pay one or two more experienced techs
> to be there taking phone calls.

What's one or two more support representatives when you already have hundreds?
As one who has used Microsoft's tech support on several occassions, I _like_
the DJ idea.

> Also, why not recorded Q/A messages to help callers, i.e. 'while you
> wait, you may listen to some pre-recorded messages which may solve
> your problem ...'. Compuserve does this and it weeds out the crowd of
> callers pretty nicely, even though you still can get waits of 10-15
> minutes during their busiest hours.  PAT]

This is definately a good idea.  I've encountered help-line phone
systems that let me peruse the on-line help information (FAQ & A!)
without losing my place in the queue.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: They may have hundreds of techs employed
there; they do *not* have hundreds of techs taking phone calls from the
public. Think about it; if they had 'hundreds' of techs taking phone
calls then they would be taking many hundreds of calls per hour and
still not be able to catch up. This would put them in the league with
the credit card offices, etc in terms of sheer volume of inbound traffic,
and Microsoft does NOT have a phone room that size. Yes, they get plenty
of calls; its that the typical call cannot be handled in thirty seconds
or a minute. They've probably got at any given time a dozen or so
people taking calls; that is just my estimate. Maybe they need to have
a couple more, and some method of dealing with the most repetitive questions
and answers which probably take up a large percentage of their time. To
do that, you ask each of the regular phone people to list the two or three
questions which come up over and over the most in a day's time.  You then
look at all the results and pick those things which every phone person
said happens frequently. You take ten or twelve of those things the phone
people voted 'most common' and you make recorded messages about them or
you hire someone to manage just those calls. A person answering on the
front end says 'what do you want to talk about?' and parks your call in
one queue or another.     PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (JosephH888)
Subject: Re: Anything Cheaper Than LCI?
Date: 20 Mar 1995 21:07:52 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (JosephH888)


Are you seeking a six second minimum call as well as six second increments
thereafter?

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Anything Cheaper Than LCI?
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 95 20:07:11 -0500
Organization: Delphi ([e-mail] email, 800-695-4005 voice)


I also use LCI. But my rates are at 10.5 cpm. But they do have the 18
second duration.  Maybe you should give them a call.

If they won't give in, leave me a Email. I'll get you a name to call.


Bart

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Carl B. Page)
Subject: Re: Yes, Yung'uns. CNID -is- Logged at Your Local CO.
Date: 20 Mar 1995 17:56:28 -0800
Organization: Teleport - Portland's Public Access [phone]


With regard to:

>> Also, I assume everyone agrees that the privacy of the caller should
>> not be a consideration if a residential customer claims to be
>> receiving obnoxious calls. The privacy of the callee is certainly more
>> important than that of the caller in this case, and arguably so in all
>> cases.

> Carter assumes too much.

> I, for one, would not be willing to toss the privacy rights of the
> caller on the trash heap merely on the strength of a "claim" by any
> given residential customer that they found the call "obnoxious."

This is already implemented -- has been for years.

Ever hear of the new Call Trace feature?  The telco's don't advertise
it because they lose (small amounts of) money on it.

They should because it is one of the few positive developments to come
out of the CLASS services, which include Caller ID.

Caller ID blocking options can be provided while protecting the called
party from abusive/threatening callers.  Most states provide for the
new "Call Trace" feature which provides the caller-id information to
the telephone companies nuisnance bureau and potentially to the police
(in a form that will stand up in court).  The privacy of the caller is
NOT violated because their number is not provided to the called party.
It is provided only to the nuisnance bureau and the police.

Just dial *57 after the abusive call, in a supported area. And pay $1.00
for the pleasure, in Oregon.


(arl

[e-mail]
Public Access UNIX and Internet in OR & WA at [phone] (2400-14400, N81)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (JosephH888)
Subject: Re: Callback System Hardware and Software?
Date: 20 Mar 1995 21:10:21 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (JosephH888)


Call Robin Gamble of The Satcom Group
908-846-6272

Their full business is CallBack equipment. Robin's the boss.

Tell him I sent you, if you'd like.


Joe Horton

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 00:50:06 -0500
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: What is Loop Start?


[e-mail] wrote:

> Is there a reliable way for local telephone equipment to determine
> that the remote caller has disconnected?

> In other words, when someone hangs up after recording a message on my
> answering machine, is there a way for the answering machine DAA to
> detect that this caller has hung up, apart from detecting silence for
> some time?

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Sure there is. I think CPC -- Called
> Party Control -- does that. I've had answering machines and voicemail
> equipment at various times that did that. As soon as the calling party
> disconnected, my equipment did the same immediatly. In fact I have a
> Big Mouth card here now which operates that way.   PAT]

In technical terms, I think the CPC equipment detects an 'open switch
interval' or OSI, where the CO drops battery momentarily or something
like that. I think all digital CO switches today provide OSI (if you
have a phone with a line powered dial pad light, you can check for
this -- wait for someone who has called you to hang up, and watch the
dial pad. The light on the dial pad will go out for about half a
second then come back on. That is the OSI).  When you are the calling
party and *you* hang up, the switch disconnects the call immediately.
If you are the *called* party and hang-up, the switch gives you a
grace period of 15-30 seconds where you can pick up the phone again
and re-establish your conversation (if the calling party hasn't
already hung-up), before it disconnects the circuit and provides an
OSI to the calling party. Of course, this may be different in your
exchange. I don't know if you can buy an add-on device that will
monitor OSI and disconnect the call for a non CPC-complaint device.
But most decent answering machines from Panasonic, AT&T and others
support CPC.


Scot M. Desort      Garden State Micro, Inc.
[phone]     [phone] Fax
[e-mail]

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Ni-Cad Batteries
From: [e-mail] (DAVID CHESSLER)
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 95 03:18:00 -0500
Organization: Online Technologies, Inc. - 301-738-0001
Reply-To: [e-mail] (DAVID CHESSLER)


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] wrote:

>> With a cellular battery of peculiar voltage and conformation, just
>> build a small battery-drainer on a scrap of pegboard, using a
>> flashlight bulb of appropriate size.

> Doing this is a good way for the first cell to hit zero to be pushed
> negative as the other cells continue to discharge.  This is about the
> worst thing you can do to the cell, and will ensure its shorter life.

> The phone knows how low to take the battery.  Trust it.

> If you don't want to do that, use the intellicharger and don't leave
> it on trickle.  Not overcharging the battery will be the best move
> towards keeping the battery away from voltage depression, and get good
> service.

I do not believe this is a problem.  What happens is you take all
cells down to zero, and then recharge together.  If imbalances
were a problem they would occur at any level.

In the event, the problem is that repeated discharges that are less
than complete slowly lower the capacity of the battery.  This occurs
because of memory -- crystalization in the battery -- and occurs
because, as a practical matter, we do not discharge a battery fully.
Toward the end of its capacity, the battery cannot supply adequate
voltage, and the radio or other appliance does not perform properly
(it may have distortion, loss of sensitivity, drift off frequency,
have low volume, etc.).  So one discharges to this point, which
becomes the memory point -- effective zero -- and then the next time one
discharges "not quite" to this point, and so it goes.

The only solution is do discharge the battery completely.  Since we
cannot do this in the appliance (cellular radio, or whatever) without
tying up the appliance in some way, we must do it in the charger -- if
the charger has a discharge cycle.  If the charger does not have a
discharge cycle (that is, discharge into a resistance to take the
battery to real zero (which discharges into a load), then the obvious
solution is to discharge the battery the rest of the way into a
home-built dummy load.

My suggestion is a flashlight bulb appropriate for the voltage.
However, a resistor might be used.

The following message which appeared on another network suggests that
the problem you suggest is also solved when the battery is fully
discharged into a dummy load.

 >This message was from JAMES MC SHANE to SCOTT SEAB,
 >originally in conference R-Phones
 >and was forwarded to you by DAVID CHESSLER.

 >SS> -=> Quoting Lou Ramsay to All <=-

 >SS> LR> A while back, someone posted a method of "rejuvenating" NI-CAD
 >SS> LR> phone battteries.  It involved putting a resistor across the battery
 >SS> LR> terminals for a period of time.  Does anyone recall the value of the
 >SS> LR> resistor and the length of time?

 >        The NI-CAD battery packs have multiple individual cells {the
 >        original meaning of the word "battery", as in artillery} and in
 >        repeated discharging and recharging, sometimes one weak cell
 >        will reverse its polarity [they are in +___-,+___-,+-___-,+___-
 >        order and one cell will become -___+]. The solution is to
 >        totally discharge all the cells of the battery, then start over
 >        to charge all the cells, which ussually gets the polarities back
 >        in order.


[e-mail]
[e-mail] [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Once someone asked me to define the term
'dummy load'. I said to them, in your application, it would be that
round thing which sits on top of your shoulders. <g>  PAT]

------------------------------

From: Bob Compiano <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: New NPA in Colorado
Date: 20 Mar 1995 09:37:05 GMT
Organization: via CompuServe Information Service


Southwestern Bell swears on a stack of phone books that the only way,
the only sensible way, to maintain phone growth in Dallas is to
overlay a 972 area code over the existing 214 area code.  Anybody have
any thoughts on this? It means that ANY new number requested will come
with a 972. I don't understand why they didn't restrict the area code
geographically and also to all new data/pager/cellular services and
cut over all existing cellular service to 972 (for that matter,
existing pagers, too).  Wouldn't that free up tens of thousands or
more numbers? The plan they have now will probably result in scads of
wrong numbers being dialed.  What if you have a business number of 361
5000.  That number could exist in both area codes and it will probably
get dialed constantly by parties looking for one of two different
subscribers. I don't know about this plan ...


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The decision was finally formalized on
northern Illinois and 630 on Monday. The south/southwestern suburbs of
Chicago will keep 708. The western suburbs will get 630. The northern
suburbs will get a new code not yet announced. Chicago will remain 312
by itself. 815 will remain as is; there will be no need for any split
there for several years, if ever according to Ameritech.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: Bob Compiano <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Taxing Your Telco Service
Date: 20 Mar 1995 09:46:19 GMT
Organization: via CompuServe Information Service


There is a suburb in Minneapolis, I think it is Roseville, but I could
be wrong, which is passing a law to tax cellular phone service in the
city limits based on the airtime used. Imagine the nightmare for the
cell phone company if every little 'burb is able to tax their airtime
on a cell-by-cell basis. Any comments?

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Popa Madalin)
Subject: X.25 Level 2 Information Wanted
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 12:47:52 EST


    My name is Popa Madalin and I am a student in the last year at
Departament of Computers Science at Politechnical University of Bucharest
in Romania.

    If you could help me I need some sources of Data Link Level (LAPB)
for my own implementation of TCP/IP over X.25 .

        I really need this sources for my final exam at this Departament.
(It isn't for commercial use !)


Thank you very much,

Popa Madalin    ([e-mail])

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Matthew P. Downs)
Subject: Re: Video Dialtone, HFC, HDSL, or ADSL
Date: 20 Mar 1995 14:09:49 GMT
Organization: ADC Telecommunications


[e-mail] (John Lundgren) writes:

> Timothy Kreps ([e-mail]) wrote:

>> Where can I find info or discussions on:

>>         - video dialtone,
>>         - Hybrid Fiber/Coax (HFC),

> We were talking in a meeting with our Pac Bell service reps last week
> and we brought up the subject of ISDN and pair gain, and one of the
> reps said that if we get the SLICs, they might be connected to the CO
> by fiber.  And PacBell is looking into installing fiber into
> neighborhoods, and there will be some coax going from the fiber 'hub'
> (I don't know what they will be calling it), to the individual
> subscribers.  I guess this is what is being talked about among others
> besides the telcos because it involves competition for the cable TV
> companies' customers.

Well, not really.  Most of the telco's are looking at HFC which delivers
telephony via coax cable.  This is due mainly to the cost of fiber-to-the-
curb and fiber-to-the-house.  HFC has been seen as the most cost effective
way to get every one up on higher speed networks.  BTTC is great for new
places, but what about in existing neighborhoods?  Most are already wired
with coax.

ADC Telecommunications (for whom I work) annouced a large contract
with Australia last week for just such a system.  We are also
producing a version for the US.  Others are also working on such
systems...such as AT&T, Scientific Atlanta, Fujitsu, DSC ...(at least
most of that list any way).  It appears right now that the HFC system
is the system of choice.

Most of the current field trails are with FTTC ot FTTH systems, but it
is the understanding of most people that this is not direction that
most of the companies wish to pursue.


Matt

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #160
******************************


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Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 09:25:19 CST
From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #161

TELECOM Digest     Wed, 22 Mar 95 09:25:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 161

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    IEEE Benelux Workshop 1995 (Thierry Pollet)
    Committee Suggests Break-up of India's Dept. of Telecom (Rishab A. Ghosh)
    How Do I Create a TelCo ? (Chris Mentzel)
    Defective Caller ID (Roberta Kay Splieth)
    Routing Inbound FAX Using DID (Don Wegeng)
    LD Marketers Association (Sharon Ziebert)
    White Pages on the Internet? (Karen Brady)
    Fax, 1895 Style (Jim Haynes)
    Interesting Telemarketing, Sad Actually (Perry Engle)
    Looking For Excel Corp (Phil Kehr)
    Voice Mail Research Project (Gary Smith)
    Re: Is ISDN Equipment Limited by Switch? (Chip Sharp)
    Re: ISDN, ADPCM and COs (Eric Paulak)
    Re: Long Distance Rate Tables (Eric Paulak)
    Re: Call Waiting Purgatory (Ken Stox)
    Re: PHS Doesn't Work in Moving Vehicles? (Jack Quinn)
    Re: U.S. 800 Users Alert (Judith Oppenheimer)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
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* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, 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 twenty dollars per
year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.

All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------


From: [e-mail] (Thierry Pollet)
Subject: IEEE Benelux Workshop 1995
Date: 22 Mar 1995 10:48:02 GMT
Organization: University of Ghent, Belgium


                           organized by the
                  IEEE Joint Chapter on Communications
                and Vehicular Technology, Benelux Section

                            supported by the
             Human Capital and Mobility Program ERBCHRXCT930405

                               May 11, 1995
                                  Gent
                                 Belgium


                             IEEE WORKSHOP ON
                     SYNCHRONIZATION AND EQUALIZATION
                        IN DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS


Date : May 11, 1995
Venue : 'Het Pand', Onderbergen 1, 9000 GENT, BELGIUM

General Workshop Chairman : Prof. Marc Moeneclaey
                            Communications Engineering Lab.
                            Universiteit Gent

Programme :

9.00 - 12.00  : Registration

9.30 - 9.40   : Welcome;
                M. Moeneclaey, Univ. Gent
9.40 - 10.25  : Synchronization algorithms and receiver
                implementation issues; H. Meyr, RWTH Aachen
10.25 - 10.55 : Coffee break
10.55 - 11.40 : Carrier Frequency estimation algorithms;
                M. Moeneclaey, Univ. Gent
11.40 - 12.25 : Synchronization for CDMA
                M. Luise, Univ. Pisa

12.25 - 14.00 : Lunch

14.00 - 14.45 : Equalization for Coded Modulation on
                fading channels; S. Fechtel, RWTH Aachen
14.45 - 15.15 : Coffee Break
15.15 - 16.00 : Synchronization and Equalization issues in single-
                carrier and multi-carrier systems; H. Sari, SAT Paris
16.00 - 16.45 : Equalization and interference cancellation for
                single-carrier and multi-carrier CDMA;
                L. Vandendorpe, Cath. Univ. Louvain-la-Neuve
16.45 - 16.55 : Closure;
        Chapter chairman R. Prasad, TU Delft

=====================================================================
                        Registration form

                        IEEE WORKSHOP ON
               SYNCHRONIZATION AND EQUALIZATION
                   IN DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS

                        May 11, 1995
                       Gent, Belgium

Name :      .............................................

Organization :    .............................................

Address :      .............................................

        .............................................

        .............................................

Telephone :    .............................................

Fax :        .............................................

E-mail :    .............................................


I have transferred/will pay the Fee as indicated below

Registration Fee (without lunch)

- IEEE Member            1 000 BEF    yes / no
  (member no. .............)
- non-IEEE member        1 500 BEF    yes / no

- undergraduate student          300 BEF     yes / no

Lunch at 'Het Pand'        1 000 BEF    yes / no

        TOTAL :        ..... BEF

Payment should be made to the following bank account
(bank transfer costs are to be charged to the attendees) :

    IEEE Workshop'95
    001-2568144-48
    ASLK Bank, B-9840 DE PINTE

or the fee should be payed at the registration desk on May 11, 1995.

Completed registration forms together with the payment transfer
should be received before April 20, 1995

Return the form to :

Prof. Marc Moeneclaey
Universiteit Gent, Communications Engineering Lab.
Sint-Pietersnieuwstraat 41
B-9000 GENT, BELGIUM
Fax : [phone]  E-mail : [e-mail]

==========================================================================


Hotel accomodation

Attendees can make reservations (single/double room : 2678 BEF/2925 BEF
per night) at the following hotels (with parking facilities), located
within walking distance from the Workshop venue :

Hotel IBIS (cathedral)            Hotel IBIS (opera)
Limburgstraat 2                Nederkouter 24
B-9000 GENT                B-9000 GENT
Tel. [phone]            Tel. [phone]
Fax  [phone]            Fax  [phone]


How to reach Gent and the Workshop venue :

- Train : The train station Gent Sint-Pieters can be easily reached from
Antwerp, Brussels, Kortrijk or Oostende (one train each half hour). At
Gent Sint-Pieters, take a tram (no. 1, 10 or 12) to Korenmarkt, which is
within walking distance from the Workshop venue.

- Car : Gent can be reached by car via the highways E17 (when coming from
Antwerp or Kortrijk) or E40 (when coming from Brussels or Oostende).
E17 : Take exit Gent Centrum
E40 : At the crossing with E17, select direction Gent-Antwerp and take
      exit Gent Centrum
Parking in the immediate vicinity of the conference venue is very limited.
We suggest to use the parking garage at Korte Meer (near Kouter), which
is within walking distance from the Workshop venue.


Workshop information and a detailed plan of Gent will be made available
on Internet :

    http://iris.elis.rug.ac.be/~thierry/Announcements

------------------------------

Subject: Committee Suggests Break-up of India's Dept. of Telecom
From: [e-mail] (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh)
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 95 03:32:27 IST
Organization: Deus X Machina


--==(C) Copyright 1995 Rishab Aiyer Ghosh ([e-mail])

Committee suggests break-up of India's Dept of Telecom

A report by an official committee headed by former member of India's
Telecom Commission, Mr D K Gupta, recommended on Sunday (19th March
1995) that the Commission be separated from the Indian Government's
Department of Telecommunications (DoT), which is also the monopoly
service provider.

The Minister for Communications, Mr Sukh Ram, is to consider the Gupta
committee recommendations this week. The committee suggested the
creation of an autonomous organization, India Telecom, as a service
provider replacing the DoT. This would be subject to the regulatory
control of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), which is
in the process of being set up. While the TRAI would be analogous to
the US FCC, the Telecom Commission would continue to formulate
national policy, which may include the regulations to be enforced by
the TRAI. The Commission would continue to supervise the operation of
the autonomous Centre for the Development of Telematics (C-DOT), an
effort at creating indigenous equipment that has proved extremely
successful especially in rural telecom.  A member of the Commission
would also hold the ex-officio post of CEO, India Telecom.

The government is good at funding committees and studying reports. One
last year, led by Mr. M.B. Athreya, which suggested the break-up of
the DoT's operations into four regional companies, was not welcomed by
its half million or more permanent employees. The Gupta recommendations,
which suggest independently profitable telecom 'circles' (regions)
within India Telecom, may not be more popular.  This committee is the
latest in the government's attempts at fostering fair competition
between the public- versus private- sector duopoly in telecom services
that will be in operation by next year.


--==(C) Copyright 1995 Rishab Aiyer Ghosh ([e-mail])
--==May be distributed electronically provided that only compilation or
--==transmission charges are applied. Other uses require written permission.


Rishab Aiyer Ghosh                   For Electric Dreams subscriptions
[e-mail]                    and back issues, send a mail to
[e-mail]                           [e-mail] with
Vox [phone] Voxmail 3760335       'help' in lower case, without
H 34C Saket, New Delhi 110017, INDIA       the quotes, as the Subject.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Chris Mentzel)
Subject: How Do I Create a TelCo?
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 01:19:57 -1000
Organization: Hawaii OnLine - Honolulu, HI


Does anybody know what is involved in the creation of a telephone
company -- let's say a switchless reseller? Are there information
sources on that?


Thank you!
Aloha from Maui!

Chris


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: As long as we are not going to bother
with any formalities such as purchasing a switch, stringing wires or
otherwise having massive amounts of cash outlay and outside plant, etc.,
then I guess you become a telco when you say you are one. If you have
made arrangements with a company to resell their services and are
actively doing so, then I guess you are a telco. Having seen your
message on here, I suspect at least a few folks will send you email
with their latest propositions for independent long distance sales
agents, call back services, etc. Good luck in your new business!  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Roberta Kay Splieth)
Subject: Defective Caller ID
Date: 21 Mar 1995 22:12:25 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway


Does anyone know of the following happening to caller ID subscribers
and/or have an explanation as to why it occurs?

A business associate who subscribes to caller ID finds that when
certain parties call him from within his caller ID service area, their
telephone numbers do not display on his caller ID unit the first time.
The screen on his display unit is blank.

However, when he has the same parties call back a second time, their
telephone numbers and names will display.  The display unit has been
replaced three times in the past month so we don't think the problem
is in the equipment or because of a low battery.  Also, the local
telephone company has checked the line for trouble and come up with
nothing.

Any ideas on this?  Please post or email me if you do.

Thanks,

Roberta Splieth


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You say the first time the screen is
'blank'. Do you mean literally nothing shows up at all, not even just
a few dashes, or some garbled characters? Most caller id boxes will
respond to the ringing of a telephone with *something*, even if just
dashes across the screen to indicate nothing was sent.  I would begin
by doing this: since you have already tried three different boxes on
the same line and gotten the same results, try taking the box to some
other line independent of the one it is on now and trying it there.
See if the results on that (caller id equipped) line are the same. If
so then maybe it is the box. If possible, install a caller-id box from
some other vendor on the line where you are having the trouble and see
if the problem persists with a display box *from a different vendor*.
Let's try to isolate the problem as to display box or line and proceed
 from there.  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 13:11:18 PST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Routing Inbound FAX Using DID


I`m curious about LAN FAX servers that route inbound FAX messages to
e-mail addresses using Direct Inward Dialing (DID) lines.  I`m not
familiar with DID, and would like to learn more.

How, technically, does DID work?  How is information about the phone
number that was dialed delivered to the FAX server?  What special
hardware is required?  How much do DID numbers cost on top of regular
business phone rates?

Since I`m not ready to purchase a system, I would prefer not to talk
to vendors at this time.  Surely this information is documented
somewhere in the public literature (handcopy/electronic).  Can anyone
provide a pointer?


Thanks,

Don Wegeng- Xerox   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Sharon Ziebert)
Subject: LD Marketers Association
Date: 21 Mar 1995 21:58:08 GMT
Organization: Exec-PC


TELECOMMUNICATIONS ON DEMAND, INC- (TOD) is looking into sponsoring a
"Long Distance Marketers Association" (LMA). Its purpose would be
similar to TRA's function with service-Providers (carriers and resellers.

The LMA's mission would be to standardize and stabilize the marketing
aspect of our industry as well as to reward and protect its members.
In addition, a certification/competency process would be initiated to
benefit LMA members who wish to stand out from those who merely
"dabble" in the marketplace.

The following are some ideas that are being considered:

(1) LMA members who are "certified," would be offered higher
    commissions from the leading industry service-Providers.

(2) LMA members will be offered 10 cent long distance rates for
    their own personal use.

(3) The LMA will offer training and sponsor conferences.

(4) The LMA will publish a newsletter/magazine specifically geared
    to long distance. currently, there are no long distance
    publications.

(5) The LMA will track and report to its members unreliable
    service-Providers who fail to live up to their commitments to
    their marketers and to their end-users. The LMA will work with
    the TRA to "clean up" the industry. TOD has already broached
    this subject with Ernie Kelly, Executive Director of the TRA.

(6) Qualified end-user leads and other discount business services
    will be offered to LMA members.

If you are interested or have more ideas and/or wish to take a
proactive role, Email TOD Vice President, Sharon Ziebert your request
for more information.


Thank you,

[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Brady, Karen M <[e-mail]>
Subject: White Pages on the Internet?
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 09:52:00 EST


Dear Pat,

I am interested in getting information about the publication of
telephone White Pages on the Internet.  I have heard that some telcos
do publish their directories on the Internet and I need to know the
following.

1. Which companies publish their directories on the Internet?

2. What does it cost people to look up numbers?

3.  Do people use it ? How many searches per day?

4. How easy is it to verify bulk lists of directory telephone numbers?

5. Are there any Australian telephone directory information currently
available?

Please reply directly to my internet address, as I do not have a
subscription to TELECOM Digest.


Regards,

Karen Brady
[phone]   [phone]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I am not familiar with any telco white
pages on the Internet. Readers, are there any?     PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jim Haynes)
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 16:47:39 -0800
Subject: Fax, 1895 Style


The current (April) issue of {Scientific American}, page 12, the 100
years ago section, has pictures of the "electro-artograph" which
transmits copies of photographs to any distance and reproduces them in
line engraving, ready for press printing.

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 14:29:07 -0500
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Interesting Telemarketing, Sad Actually


I was settling down to watch the Frontline about Rush Limbaugh, when the
phone rang:

[ I am NOT making this up ]

Them:      Hello - Is Mr. or Mrs. Engle there?:

Me:       I'm Mr. Engle.

Them:       [Blah Blah they are from NYNEX and would like to know how many
other people share the phone with me, a wife or a girlfriend perhaps?]

Me:       I AM married, two of us.

Them:       Has anyone ever told you that they had problems reaching either of
you when the phone was busy? etc. etc

Me:       ( interrupting )  Are you talking about call waiting?

Them:       Well, Yes.

Me:       No Thank you, I don't like call waiting.   [Sometimes I don't even
answer the phone]

Them:      Are you interested in any of our other services?

Me:       Yes, ISDN.   [ My town is one of the first in NH to offer it ]

Them:      Could you spell that please?

Me:       I - S - D - N   Integrated Services Digital Network.

Them:     I don't know anything about that, it might be one of our business
services. What is it?

Me:       It's a high speed digital phone line for accessing computers or the
Internet.

Them:       What is that?  Is that a service your company sells?

Me:       Nynex is the only company in NH that is allowed to sell ISDN.  Have
you heard of Compuserve, America Online, Prodigy?

Them:      No.

Me:      They've been in all the papers, national magazines, you haven't
heard of any of these things?

Them:      You sound really smart, and I sound so stupid.

[ I wasn't wasting both of our time on purpose, really ]


Perry Engle    Engineering Services
Liberty Mutual Insurance Conpany
[e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Very sad, and very true. Truer than it
should be. A lot of folks have still never heard of those services;
they know nothing about computers and very little about phones except
that when they pick them up they work or don't work. Telco probably
sent those telemarketers to a class -- or series of classes -- to give
them enough knowledge to do the limited job they do. The classes prob-
ably taught them a few basic -- very basic! -- details about the phone
industry and products such as custom calling features. They got passing
grades in that class and were offered jobs selling telco services by
phone. They probably went home thrilled and told their families they
had gotten a job working 'for the phone company'. That's why I wish
people would not be so harsh with telemarketers; many of them are doing
the best they can do in life. You can courteously say yes or no and
hang up the phone and they can move along to the next name on their
list to be called.

Computer illiteracy *is* a major thing in the USA; despite the
incredible growth experienced by the Internet and services such as
Compuserve or America On Line, the overwhelming majority of Americans
know little or nothing about them. They think its busy and overloaded
with traffic now; wait until even as little as ten percent of America
gets on line! I feel very oppressed when I realize how much needs to
be done to educate people in (as an example) the inner city areas of
Chicago. If I were to win the Illinois State Lottery today and pick up
a few million dollars I would see to it that every public library in
Chicago had an online terminal to the Internet, and a full time
instructor to show people how to use it and how to participate. Do you
understand where I am coming from?  And as we hurl forward with our
technological advances, a very distinct and definable 'underclass' of
citizens -- people who will never join us in our new world -- is
growing. The writer/poet John Bunyan once remarked that, "I am
oppressed by things undone; oh! that my dreams and deeds could be one ..." .
When I stop and realize how much *I* don't know about this industry in
the past couple decades, and how much *I* need to learn to keep up
what I said above becomes all the more painfully apparent.  What the
heck! I can barely keep this Digest going some days, let alone cure
the rest of the ills I see around me.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Phil Kehr)
Subject: Looking for Excel Corp
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 13:47:54 GMT
Organization: Interpath -- Providing Internet access to North Carolina


I'm looking for information on the Dallas, Texas based Excel Corporation.
Does anyone have any knowledge?

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gary Smith)
Subject: Voice Mail Research Project
Date: 21 Mar 1995 22:53:59 GMT
Organization: Minnesota OnLine
Reply-To: [e-mail]


In doing research  on the usage of voice mail technology, I have
reduced all calls to the following three classifications:

    Urgent call:      Those calls requiring your immediate attention
            and response or call to action.

    Non-urgent calls:Calls that are requests for information that
            do not require your immediate response.

    Personal calls:    Calls that are from your family, friend, or
            colleagues; these also include calls that are
                 made during business hours for personal reasons
            (broker, banker, daycare, etc.).


Question is, is this the only way, or the best way, to classify calls
vis-`-vis voice mail?

Thanks for your assistance.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Mar 95 08:56:47 EST
From: [e-mail] (Chip Sharp)
Subject: Re: Is ISDN Equipment Limited by Switch?


[e-mail] (Howard M. Weiner) wrote:

> In early implementations, AT&T and NTI went different ways, in access
> protocol as well as architecture.  They, of course, also felt the need
> to come up with unique features to distinguish themselves.

This is very true.  In the earlier days the switches were much
different.

> Because of these issues, the major stakeholders got together and
> eventually hammered out something called "National ISDN" (NI), as
> documented by Bellcore.
 ...stuff deleted...
> So, your NI-1 compliant CPE will still work (all the NI-1 supported
> features) after the switch has been upgraded to NI-2.
 ...stuff deleted...
> PacBell is in the process of retrofitting their 5e`s and DMS100`s with
> NI-1 software.  How far along in the process this conversion is, I
> longer have contact with.

All the above is true, but it leaves the impression that after NI-1 is
deployed that there will be no more differences between the AT&T and
the NTI switches.  The different architectures developed by the
different vendors, described by Mr. Weiner, have carried over into the
NI-1 implementations.  Therefore, there are still differences in the
two switches, even under NI-1.  For example, if you want to use both
B-channels for data, you will need two Directory Numbers, two SPIDs
and two TEIs, whereas AT&T requires only one.  Hopefully, these
differences will go away in the migration to NI-2,3, ... ;-)


Good Luck!

Hascall H. ("Chip") Sharp    Teleos Communications, Inc.
Sr. Systems Engineer        2 Meridian Road
                Eatontown, NJ  07724  USA
voice:  [phone]         fax:    [phone]
email:   [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Mar 1995 05:53:32 -0500
From: [e-mail] (Eric Paulak)
Subject: Re: ISDN, ADPCM and COs


> I was wondering if anyone know of a resource whereby I could determine
> whether a particular CO supported both ISDN and ADPCM.  Also, what
> devices, if any, are out there that currently combine the two of them in
> some way.

I don't know where you can find ADPCM availability listed on a CO
basis, but CCMI is currently compiling a database of ISDN and Switched
56 Kbps availability and pricing by CO for the Switched Digital
Services Applications Forum (SDSAF). If you would like some more
information on it, please give George David a call at CCMI. His number
is [phone], ext. 240.  Hope this helps.


Eric Paulak -- [e-mail]
The Center for Communications Management Information
 -- the largest provider of rate and tariff information
in North America and publisher of specialty telecom
newsletters and on-line services
[phone], ext. 327
11300 Rockville Pike, Suite 1100, Rockville, MD 20852
gopher://earth.usa.net:70/11/News%20and%20Information/uni
tedcom

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 21 Mar 1995 16:02:49 -0500
From: [e-mail] (Eric Paulak)
Subject: Re: Long Distance Rate Tables


> I am looking for long distance rate tables from all the long
> distance carriers. Anyone know where I can get this information?

CCMI provides a product called the Guide to Networking services that
compares telecommunication rates -- both local and long distance. It's
a monthly update service that breaks telecommunications down into five
volumes: interLATA switched, intraLATA switched, interLATA private
line, intraLATA private line and U.S.-based private line services.
CCMI can be reached at [phone], ext. 835.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ken Stox)
Subject: Re: Call Waiting Purgatory
Date: 21 Mar 1995 15:54:37 -0600
Organization: FERMILAB, Batavia, IL


In article <[e-mail]>, Robohn Scott <robohns@bah.
com> writes:

> I had an interesting experience with call waiting last night.  During
> a conversation with Mike, he received another call and put me on
> "wait" (I guess it's not really on "hold" since it's call _waiting_).
> Mike's fairly gregarious and eventually forgot about me, but I was
> patient and caught a short piece on Dustin Hoffman being interviewed
> by Bob Costas while I waited.

> After at least five minutes, I received a call from James, which I
> took and put Mike's call on wait.  Well, James received another call
> within 30 seconds of our call, so we just said we'd talk later, but he
> actually put me on wait also.  So I was in deadlock: Mike and James
> both had me on wait.  "I'm connected, but I can't hang up."  I stayed
> that way for probably another 10 minutes, switching back and forth
> between both waiting calls.  I tried several times to go on-hook for
> an extended period of time (approximately 15 seconds), but each time

If memory serves correct, just three more seconds, and the line would
have been dropped. You are a victim of what is a nice feature of the
network. A called party may hangup for up to 18 seconds before the
line is disconnected. The purpose of this is feature is to allow the
called party to hangup the phone and move to a more comfortable phone.
To bad they don't document this to the public very well, I only found
out about it after working on the 5ESS switch.


Ken Stox         Fermilab
[e-mail]    Batavia, Illinois

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jack Quinn)
Subject: Re: PHS Doesn't Work in Moving Vehicles?
Date: 21 Mar 1995 22:37:46 GMT
Organization: Micrologic Research
Reply-To: [e-mail]


In article <[e-mail]>, Steve Samler <steve@individual.
com> says:

> I read in {Kyodo} today that the Japanese PHS phones do not work in
> moving vehicles.  Is this due to the Doppler effect?

As I understand it, it's due to the speed that handoffs can be
performmed.  PHS users much smaller cell sizes than standard cellular,
and handoffs speed is adequate when the telephone moves from cell to
cell at a walking pace. A vehicle zooms through a series of these
small cells very rapidly, and the system is not designed to perform
the rapid handoffs that would be required.


Jack Quinn     Email: [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Judith Oppenheimer)
Subject: Re: U.S. 800 Users Alert
Date: 21 Mar 1995 19:17:25 -0500
Organization: Interactive CallBrand(TM)


Just a brief reminder -- a new global phone pad standard was approved
just a few months ago.  It includes the same letter/number
configuration as the U.S. telephones, with the addition of Q and Z,
which new U.S. phone will add as well.


Judith
J. Oppenheimer, [e-mail]
Interactive CallBrand(TM)

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #161
******************************


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Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 19:47:02 CST
From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #162

TELECOM Digest     Wed, 22 Mar 95 19:47:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 162

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Book Review: "How to Manage Your Network Using SNMP" (Rob Slade)
    FCC Delays CLID Availability (Andrew Robson)
    Testing Computer Telephony Applications (Tim Burchell)
    Planning Cellular and PCS Systems (Mario Castano)
    ATT Merlin 2 vs Toshiba DK Systems (Michael Sendrowicz)
    Primer Required on Cell Phones and Radio Paging (Akhila Ganapathy)
    Help on T1 and Leasing Line Needed (Min Wang)
    500 Number Not Working (Chris Michael)
    500-FINGERS (Carl Moore)
    Keypad Letter Pattern (was Re: U.S. 800 Users Alert) (Carl Moore)
    Call-Back Companies Information Request (Rogier van Kreveld)
    EDI Sources Please (Paul Hutmacher)
    MCI Now Using 1-900-GET-INFO (Carl Moore)
    Re: Credit Checking on Cellular Customers (Robert Levandowski)
    Re: Why Doesn't Zmodem Work? (Robert Levandowski)
    Re: Downloading Mac Software With a PC (Robert Levandowski)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such
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is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per
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All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 18:21:51 EST
From: Rob Slade <[e-mail]>
Subject: Book Review: "How to Manage Your Network Using SNMP"


BKNTMGPR.RVW   950220

"How to Manage Your Network Using SNMP: The Network Management Practicum",
Marshall Rose/Keith McCloghrie, 1995, 0-13-141517-4
%A   Marshall Rose
%A   Keith McGloghrie
%C   113 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ   07632
%D   1995
%G   0-13-141517-4
%I   Prentice Hall
%O   [phone] FAX [phone] [e-mail]
%P   549
%T   "How to Manage Your Network Using SNMP: The Network Management Practicum"

There seems to be some disagreement between the authors and the
publisher as to which is the title, and which is the subtitle, of this
work.  Nevertheless, both title and subtitle imply a useful guide.  To
this end, each chapter contains tutorial material, discussion of the
available tools, and examination of some specific problems.  The
authors have produced an application programming interface in Tcl and
Tk, for both practical and tutorial purposes, which is available on
the Internet.

While the material in the book does a good job of explanation, the
appearance it presents is *not* for the technically faint of heart.
The overview of SMNP, itself, for example, is not filled with C
sources, but a language much more frightening--that of protocols and
standards committees.  The perseverant can follow the text, but it
does take some dedication.


copyright Robert M. Slade, 1995   BKNTMGPR.RVW   950220. Distribution
permitted in TELECOM Digest and associated publications. Rob Slade's
book reviews are a regular feature in the Digest.


Vancouver      [e-mail]         | "My son, beware ... of the
Institute for  [e-mail]      |  making of books there is
Research into  [e-mail]         |  no end, and much study is
User           [e-mail]         |  a weariness of the flesh."
Security       Canada V7K 2G6           |          Ecclesiastes 12:12

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Andrew Robson)
Subject: FCC Delays CLID Availability
Date: 22 Mar 1995 23:13:02 GMT
Organization: U S WEST NewVector Group, Inc.


The following item appeared in the 3/17/95 "Daily_Summary" on the FCC's
server at fcc.gov:

    CALLER ID. Effective March 17, stayed effectiveness of
    Sections 64.1601 and 64.1603 of the Commission's rules in
    the matter of  Rules and  Policies Regarding Calling
    Number identification Service -- Caller ID. (CC Docket 91-
    281 by Order [FCC 95-119] adopted March 17 by the
    Commission)

It would appear that they are backing away from their agressive
positions on transport and blocking of Calling Line IDentification
information.


Andy

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Tim Burchell)
Subject: Testing Computer Telephony Applications
Date: 22 Mar 1995 16:10:26 GMT
Organization: Bolt, Beranek, & Newman, Inc.


I am researching testing tools for testing computer telephony
applications.

    I have found several products:


The Hammer      from Hammer Technologies
Vscript            from Natural Microsystems
ProVIDE         from Telephone Response Technologies

    The Hammer seems to be the most complete system. It offers a script
langauge to create tests. It can drive up to 48 ports. It has extensive
scheduling and reporting capabilites. It comes in an installed 486 PC SCO box.
It uses Dialogic boards. It can run with analog and T1 boards.

    Vscript runs on OS/2. It uses NMS boards. It can run with analog
and T1 boards. It has a larger script language tham Hammer but no reporting
tools for diagnostics.

    ProVIDE is used to develop an application and test it.

    Has anyone used any the above tools? If you have used them, what
is your opinion of the tool? Do you know of any other tools on the market?


    Thanks in advance,


Tim Burchell                   voice: [phone]
BBN HARK Systems Corporation   fax:   [phone]
70 Fawcett St.                 email:  [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Mario Castano <[e-mail]>
Subject: Planning Cellular and PCS Systems
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 11:15:50 GMT


Hello all:

Is there any good source that address the economic and technology
aspects of cellular and PCS systems planning?

Any help would be appreciated.


Mario Castano
ITEC/Telecom

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Michael Sendrowicz)
Subject: ATT Merlin 2 vs Toshiba DK Systems
Date: 22 Mar 1995 14:23:38 GMT
Organization: Netcom


Just curious to know how these two systems are thought of in the field.

The scenario for application includes 8-12 incoming lines, with 20-30
stations.

Is one system hands-down superior to the other?  Or do they each excel
in different areas?

I have installed Toshiba systems, and find them easy to install, and
quite dependable.

I have had no experience with the Merlin system, but have heard some
positive feedback from users.

Currently, I have a customer who is looking at both systems.

Additionally, I may have an opportunity to pick up the Merlin system
used.  (in an 8x16 configuration ...)  Any range you would consider
'fair' for that type of system in the aftermarket?


Thanks in advance,

[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Akhila Ganapathy <[e-mail]>
Subject: Primer Required on Cell Phones and Radio Paging
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 19:56:21 IST


Hello!

I am looking for some beginner's material on cellular phone
technology/radio paging. Could anybody out there guide me?


Thanks,

Akila     e-mail:[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Min Wang)
Subject: Help on T1 and Leasing Line Needed
Date: 22 Mar 1995 09:37:09 -0500
Organization: Rutgers University


If anyone knows where I can get information on T1 and leasing lines,
please tell me.


Thanks a lot!

E-mail:  [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Have you asked your local telco about
this? They'll be glad to tell you everything you need to know. If you
would like a perhaps somewhat more impartial response from our group
of reader/advisers here, perhaps you could write again and be a bit
more explicit about your requirements and plans.    PAT]


------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Chris Michael)
Subject: 500 Number Not Working
Date: 22 Mar 95 16:45:40 GMT
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, US
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Chris Michael)


Sorry if you've already covered all this, but I'm wondering if I have
bad 500 number karma or if it really doesn't work too well.  I've had
three people try to call me for a record of zero getting through.

Then, of course, ATT tells me that *no* cellular phones can call 500
numbers because "the cellular carriers don't have any way to bill for
the calls".

Is this going to fly or not?


christopher michael, george s. may international, 708-825-8806 x 395


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 500 numbers are a new enough concept
that most cellular carriers have not yet made any arrangements for
handling such traffic. You can forward your 500 number to a cellular
phone, its just that you can't call *from* a cellular phone to a 500
number. At least not yet. Back in the days when there was but one
telephone company, and that telephone company saw to it that everything
meshed together nicely and that all the parts could talk to and deal
with all the other parts this would not have been a problem. Now that
all the individual companies do their own thing with only a casual
thought given to the customer -- and then, usually in the context of
the customer being an interupption to their work rather than the
purpose of it -- lots of the parts don't merge well with the other
parts.  Of course a rejoinder to this is that if there were still
just the one Mother Company would we even have cellular service and 500
number service at all .... <g>

What happens when your associates attempt to call your 500 number from
'regular' or landline phones of the non-payphone, non-hotel switchboard
variety, i.e. the phones in their home?  Are they unable to get through
on those lines either?    PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 12:29:42 EST
From: Carl Moore <[e-mail]>
Subject: 500-FINGERS


I got a newsletter in which I noticed someone in Akron, Ohio grabbed
500-FINGERS, apparently as a vanity number.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 13:25:56 EST
From: Carl Moore <[e-mail]>
Subject: Keypad Letter Pattern (was Re: U.S. 800 Users Alert)


I guess I skimmed right past the original notice, including WHAT
KEYS Q AND Z GO ON.  Perhaps the U.S. dialpad (with the newly-
added Q and Z) could be put into frequently-asked questions.

To rehash notes about the Q/Z problem:

1. somebody (a radio station?) ran a vice-presidential poll in 1988
regarding Dan Quayle (Republican) and Lloyd Bentsen (Democrat), with
instructions to press Q or B as the case may be.  The poll was rendered
invalid due to the keypad having no Q.

2. some voice menu involving movie titles had special instructions
for Q and Z; I believe it was to use 1 for those letters.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Rogier van Kreveld)
Subject: Call-Back Companies Information Request
Date: 22 Mar 1995 06:23:36 GMT
Organization: De Digitale Stad (020-6225222)


Does anybody have e-mail addresses and/or fax numbers of so called
call-back companies?

These are companies that give you a US or UK dialtone after you
dial a trigger number in the US or UK.  After that you can make
your international phone call usually with a substantial savings
compared with what the Dutch phone company charges.

I am especially interested in companies that do not charge the typical
$25 monthly minimum usage.

In case you want to respond via e-mail please direct your response
to [e-mail].

Any help would be appreciated.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Paul Hutmacher)
Subject: EDI Sources Please
Date: 22 Mar 1995 13:33:14 GMT
Organization: My Personal Soapbox (tm)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Paul Hutmacher)


I am interested in finding newsgroups or other sources dealing with
EDI.  If someone would point me in the proper direction I would greatly
appreciate it.

Thanks in advance.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 16:47:29 EST
From: Carl Moore <[e-mail]>
Subject: 1-900-GET-INFO


This arrived today from: 1-900-GET-INFO, P.O. BOX 30004, PENSACOLA, FL
32503 (first class, U.S. Postage Paid, Permit No. 293, Merrifield,
VA).  I made some changes to accommodate my terminal:

1. due to no "cents" sign, blank followed by "cents" used instead.

2. long lines of text have been split; continuation is signalled by
a single blank at the start of a line.

3. SM (does that mean "service mark"?) has been enclosed in parentheses
instead of being superscripted.

1-900-GET-INFO (SM)
America's Long Distance Directory Assistance (SM)

Thank you for using our nationwide long distance directory assistance
 service.
Thousands of callers like you found it convenient and simple-to-use.

Now we have a new number for long distance information--
       1-900-GET-INFO

It's the same great service at the same price of 75 cents.

Just dial this one, easy-to-remember number anytime you need long distance
directory assistance.  The operator will give you the listing and even
 offer to put the
call through at no extra charge.  If you wish to be connected, the call
 itself will be billed at MCI's
already-low long distance rates.  Need someone's zip code?  1-900-GET-INFO
 can also be used to
find zip codes anywhere in the U.S.

1-900-GET-INFO...Just 75 cents
* No need to know the area code
* Call connection at no extra charge
* Zip codes
* Friendly operators
* 24 hour a day service
* Listings for business, residential or government--
  anywhere nationwide and in many locations around the world

It cost just 75 cents for up to two listings in the U.S. -- that's the
 same price most people
pay today for interstate long distance directory assistance.  The cost
 for one international listing is only $1.99.

1-900-GET-INFO offers the convenience of billing long distance directory
assistance to your home phone.  And if you're calling from a phone where
900 access is not available, such as a payphone, you can use 1-800-GET-
 INFO (SM)
and charge the service to a major credit card.

1-900-GET-INFO, it's as simple as it sounds.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Robert Levandowski)
Subject: Re: Credit Checking on Cellular Customers
Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 95 21:54:56 GMT


In <[e-mail]> Alan Dahl <[e-mail]> writes:

> No insult intended towards college students but they should know how
> hard it is to get credit for anything.

The thing is, I have good credit.  Perhaps I can't buy a house, but
neither do alarms go off when I pull out my credit card. :) I have two
lines with RochTel, and a good payment history with them ... so I was a
bit surprised that they were looking for a rather large amount of
available credit on my line before they'd waive the deposit.  This, in
itself, isn't too objectionable ... but when they turn around and waive
the deposit anyway when I balk, and instead just take my MasterCard
number, it seems a bit sleazy.

If I were a person walking in off the street with no references, I'd
understand the need for protection.  However, as someone who has kept
a household for two years, and paid phone and long distance bills to
the company in question without complaint for that time ... and someone
who can afford $25k a year to go to the University ... it just makes me
a bit uncomfortable.  If it were really to cover their ass in event of
fraud, why do they treat it like a used-car salesman treats the "dealer
prep fee"?  It's there until it looks like it'll lose the sale, and
then it vanishes.  My credit check through Equifax isn't good enough
for them ... but my MasterCard, which at the time had $70 left on it,
being Christmastime, was sufficient.  This just doesn't seem to make
sense!


Rob Levandowski
Computer Interest Floor associate / University of Rochester
[e-mail]     [Opinions expressed are mine, not UR's.]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The ridiculous part of it all is that
literally *anyone* can get VISA or Mastercard, regardless of how bad
their credit is. Both of those cards have lending institutions associated
with them which offer 'secured' VISA or MC. That is, you deposit some
sum of money in their bank which you are unable to touch ever again and
they in turn issue you a VISA/MC with a credit line equal to whatever
amount of money you had put in the bank. Having a VISA/MC is *not* a
sign that one has good credit, particularly if you are in the industry
and you can look at the first four digits on the card (which identify
the bank issuing the card) then look the cardholder in the face and
say, "but sir, this is a *secured* VISA ..."

A few years ago all the major retailers were running a promotion where
if you came in their store(s) and presented a VISA/MC as payment, they
would give you 'instant credit' in the form of one of their own credit
cards without bothering to do a credit check. After all, credit checks
cost them money, and VISA had already done one, right?  So people with
lousy credit would tear off one of those coupons on the bus advertising
sign saying 'regardless of bad credit you can have a VISA/MC' and send
it in with a hundred dollars. They'd get back a VISA with a 'credit limit'
of one hundred dollars, then take this card and go shopping at Neiman
Marcus or Marshall Fields. The store clerk gets some small premium for
each new credit card customer (s)he signs up that the credit office
approves, so when the customer whacked his plastic on the counter, the
clerk would say how would you like to have a Neiman Marcus credit card?.

The savings for the store were obvious. Instead of having to factor that
paper through their bank and lose a few points, they'd carry the paper
themselves. The credit risk can't be too bad, they'd think ... after
all the customer did have a pocket full of VISA/MC's ... Montgomery Ward
got burned badly on 'instant credit' a few years ago, as did Rosendorf
and a couple other chains. To make matters worse, unlike VISA, where
its no skin off their nose if the merchant makes the sale or not and
credit limits are pretty closely watched, the merchants were *really,
really hungry* two years ago at Christmas time. Credit limits be damned!
they said, letting customers with their in-house cards go way over limit
lots of times in order to get a good sale. Their rationale was if we
do not approve this sale on our card, the customer will simply use his
VISA card to pay for it, and we lose the fee. If it had been me, I would
have said "VISA will approve this sale?  Good!!! Let them eat it ..."

The catch in credit granting is to enhance the possibility of making the
sale while at the same time keeping the costs involved with the extension
of credit as low as possible. Fine tune the process to where creditors
can make some reasonably sophisticated decisions regards who to give credit
to and who not to give it to; how much credit to extend, and what to charge
for it. Someone -- probably the same outfit which devised the worthless
'point scoring' tests the creditors use as a shortcut to *real* (and very
costly) investigation of prospective customers -- put a bug in the creditors'
ear that as long as some VISA/MC affiliate had approved the customer, you
can do the same. So the merchants gleefully glutted the market with their
own in-house cards only to have the bad debt get higher than ever. A very
cynical person would say it must have been a scheme devised by collection
agencies, many of whom have been laughing all the way to the bank because
of their increased caseload in the past couple years due to 'instant credit'
given by your friendly local branch of Wards.    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Robert Levandowski)
Subject: Re: Why Doesn't Zmodem Work?
Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 95 22:14:36 GMT


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (David Burns)
writes:

> I am using a shell account to access the Internet, and most of the time I
> get there via MichNet, which is a local call. The trouble is that none of
> the fast protocols, e.g., Zmodem, work when I'm dialed in this way. Kermit
> works, but it is slow and not absolutely trustworthy.

> If I dial in via direct line, bypassing MichNet, Zmodem works
> fine, but then I am paying a toll call.

> Can anyone supply any answers/solutions/confirmations?

ZMODEM needs an 8-bit, clean data path.  If you're using telnet,
that's often a 7-bit protocol.  Also, some systems eat important
characters like XON/XOFF, which ZMODEM wants to use.  Our Xyplex
terminal servers were notorious for eating control characters that
ZMODEM wanted to use.

You can try using the "escape control characters" mode of ZMODEM, but
this may signifigantly decrease ZMODEM's speed.

At UR, we recommend the use of Kermit because it's very difficult to
make default Kermit fail completely.  Yes, it's slow as molasses by
default.  However, if you change the packet size from 94 bytes to
something more reasonable -- 5000 to 9024 bytes -- you'll see Kermit's
performance leap right up into ZMODEM's ballpark.  You can get further
increases by using sliding windows (3 - 5 windows seems to work well)
and the least necessary control prefixing.  Kermit takes a bit of
optimizing; you might try and get a copy of "Kermit News" No. 5 (July
1993) from Columbia University.  That issue has an article on
optimizing Kermit, and documents Kermit transferring a MS-DOS binary
file via a v.42bis modem at 569% efficiency (8192 cps).  The issue
gives an Ordering Information phone number: [phone].


Rob Levandowski
Computer Interest Floor associate / University of Rochester
[e-mail]     [Opinions expressed are mine, not UR's.]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Robert Levandowski)
Subject: Re: Downloading Mac Software With a PC
Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 01:10:20 GMT


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Reid Goldsborough)
writes:

> Here's the short version: What do I need to do to download Mac shareware
> and commercial bug fixes with a Windows-based PC to make the software
> usable on a Mac?

> I believe you need the program StuffIt (or equivalent) to unstuff these
> files with extensions .hqx). So I also downloaded UnStuffIt.1.5.bin. I'm
> not sure what the extension .bin means. Does it mean it can unstuff
> itself by doubleclicking on its icon?

".bin" means it's in MacBinary format, a way of formatting a Mac
two-forked file so that it can be transferred to a one-forked file
system like MS-DOS or UNIX.  You will need to decode this file before
you can use it.  Most Mac telecom programs do this automatically when
you download.  StuffIt will also decode MacBinary, but that would put
the cart before the horse.  You might want to check with a local Mac
guru about getting a copy of StuffIt.

Self-extracting files (which can be decompressed by double-clicking on
their icon) usually have the suffix ".sea".

Also, UnStuffIt 1.5 is hideously out of date.  You should get a copy
of StuffIt Expander 3.5 or later, and a copy of DropStuff with Expander
Enhancer, which will let you decode PKZIP files with Expander. Expander is
freeware and DropStuff is shareware.

> Well, I copied UnStuffIt.1.5.bin from my PC's hard disk to my Mac's hard
> disk, but when I doubleclicked on it, I just got a message that Apple
> File Exchange didn't recognize it. This is a Mac program so it doesn't
> need Apple File Exchange, but my Mac thinks it's a PC program. So this is
> where I'm stuck.

It's a file transferred from a PC, so the Mac assumes it's a PC
program and sets its type accordingly.  (It's a binary file, but it's
not a Macintosh two-forked binary file, so it's "unknown".)

> this would be inconvenient. I'd rather try to find a solution where I
> could simply use a floppy to transfer Mac programs to the Mac that I
> downloaded with the PC.

To do this most easily, you'll need to get a copy of a program that
can decode BinHex files.  StuffIt Expander will do this.  A local user
group, or any computer dealer worth doing business with, can give you
a copy.  You can then download the BinHex (.hqx) files as ASCII text
to your PC, copy the files to the Mac, and drag them to the Expander
icon to decode and decompress them.

There are programs out there that can convert .hqx files to MacBinary
format and back, but until you have a Mac program that can convert
.hqx or MacBinary back to the native Macintosh two-forked file format,
you won't be able to use any downloaded applications.  Any conversions
before the Mac will wipe out part of the file when you save it to the
DOS machine's one-forked file format.


Rob Levandowski
Computer Interest Floor associate / University of Rochester
[e-mail]     [Opinions expressed are mine, not UR's.]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #162
******************************


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Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 21:07:13 CST
From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #163

TELECOM Digest     Wed, 22 Mar 95 21:07:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 163

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Microsoft Techs and Phone Calls (TELECOM Digest Editor)
    Re: Defective Caller ID (Howard M. Weiner)
    Re: Defective Caller ID (Ronell Elkayam)
    Re: X.25/ISDN Prices; Global Information Wanted (Matthew P. Downs)
    Re: X.25/ISDN Prices; Global Information Wanted (Tony Harminc)
    Re: X.25/ISDN Prices; Global Information Wanted (Steve Cogorno)
    Re: Caller ID in CA ([e-mail])
    Re: Cellular Fraud in the News Again (Robert Virzi)
    Re: Telecom Professional Organizations and Magazines (Mike Patterson)
    Re: Ni-Cad Batteries (Charles Marks)
    Re: How Do I Create a TelCo? ([e-mail])

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, 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 twenty dollars per
year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.

All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 20:32:51 CST
From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest Editor)
Subject: Microsoft Techs and Phone Calls


A couple days ago we were discussing here the management of telephone
queues for help lines and information services, etc. Mention was made of
Microsoft and their disk jockey who plays music and gives announcements
about queue holding times.

I ridiculed this idea, saying instead of having a disk jockey play music,
it would be better to hire a couple more people to take phone calls
instead and move the queue a little faster.

Someone responded saying 'if you already have hundreds of technicians
taking calls, what good would one or two more do?'. I expressed some
amazement at this and suggested that Microsoft might hire hundreds of
tech people, but I was certain they did not have them all there to sit
and take phone calls from the public eight hours per day. I suggested
that perhaps a much smaller number of employees actually took phone
calls.

I got a phone call Wednesday afternoon from someone I had not talked to
in years -- since a previous lifetime actually! -- by the name of Shawn
Goodwin. Back in the early 1980's, he lived in (I think) Downers Grove,
Illinois and operated the 'Suburban Round Table BBS'; it was an Apple ][
BBS running Bill Blue's software. The purpose of his call was to put
me in touch with a woman who formerly worked for Microsoft as a supervisor
of the techs who answered all those phone calls.

I spoke with the woman for about twenty minutes in a conference call with
Shawn, and it was very enlightning for me to say the least. It showed
me the way different people, doing a lot of the same work, but from much
different directions can have vastly different perspectives.

I've been involved with big phone rooms at one time or another; a dozen
or more people on each shift handling in total thousands of calls daily
in a bang! bang! bang! kind of environment, with very sophisticated record
keeping and telecom equipment. As a result, I assume I know something
about phone rooms and long holding queues and how to manage the callers
waiting, etc.

The woman told me a much different account of things. It seems Microsoft
does indeed have *hundreds* of people, whom they call technicians taking
calls at three locations in the USA. This woman was responsible for super-
vising quite a few of them when she worked for Microsoft. I asked her
if you had hundreds of people taking calls seven or eight hours per day,
how many thousands of calls must you have received, with people waiting
in line for upwards of twenty minutes yet to get through, and a DJ who
tells you there are eighteen calls ahead of yours, etc.

It was not that there was such a huge volume of calls in terms of the
number of calls as it was that *each call lasted an average of nine
minutes*. Many calls took quite a bit longer. Many times, she said, the
technicians had to literally start from the beginning with a customer
and go from the initial installation of the software forward. They might
have to get into things like the customer's config.sys file and almost
re-write it all. Naturally there were the customers who read in the book
to press 'any key' who called to say there was no such button on their
keyboard marked 'any'.  Seriously.

She said a relatively small handful -- one hundred perhaps, or maybe two
hundred -- of customers always called them repeatedly, over and over. These
poor souls had to be walked through everything, everytime.  This was the
reason the queue was so sluggish, despite *hundreds* of people taking
calls.

The average nine minute call is what shocked me. I found that incredible
and still do. This illustrates well the different directions people travel
to get to the same place. In the phone rooms I worked in, a nine minute
call would have been outrageous, and if holding time in the queue got
to more than one or two minutes -- perhaps eight to ten calls holding --
the supervisors got frantic. And we handled perhaps ten times the number
of calls daily that Microsoft gets.

So I asked the lady, if Microsoft had to spend that much time and effort
and personnell -- with the inherent payroll costs involved -- in providing
customer support, where is the profit in developing software?

Well, she said, that was the hangup; there wasn't much profit, not as the
system was configured. Yes, there was some, and she said customer support
was never intended to be a profit center for the company, but it got
ridiculous. She mentioned a couple of products Microsoft had put out that
(as she put it) customer support got hit very hard on. She said they had
the same people working nine hours per day taking calls, never getting
to the end of the queue. They could have stayed open 24 hours per day and
maybe the queue would have gotten skimpy around five in the morning.

Thus they decided to begin PAID customer support. Customers get a certain
amount of free support in the beginning and pay for it after that. She
said it was a relatively small number of customers who forced them to
do that, but the way it had been going, customer support was a drain on
the whole company.

I was reminded of telco's decision to begin charging for directory assist-
ance after how many ever years of free service. It was much the same
thing, with a handful of big corporate subscribers who were very heavy
users of directory assistance (credit departments, collection agencies,
etc) banging away at them so much that they could no longer give it away
for free.

Anyway, I stand corrected, at least in Microsoft's case. As to the DJ,
I still don't know what I think of that idea. The woman said using the
DJ was not all that successful since predicting the holding times in the
queue was next to impossible. The customer ahead of you in the queue
might be gone in thirty seconds or he might be there for thirty minutes.

Thanks very much Shawn for putting together the conference. It was quite
interesting and informative to say the least.


PAT

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Howard M. Weiner)
Subject: Re: Defective Caller ID
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 12:03:26 -0800
Organization: Pacific Bell Strategic Systems Architecture


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Roberta
Kay Splieth) wrote:

> A business associate who subscribes to caller ID finds that when
> certain parties call him from within his caller ID service area, their
> telephone numbers do not display on his caller ID unit the first time.
> The screen on his display unit is blank.

> However, when he has the same parties call back a second time, their
> telephone numbers and names will display.  The display unit has been
> replaced three times in the past month so we don't think the problem
> is in the equipment or because of a low battery.  Also, the local
> telephone company has checked the line for trouble and come up with
> nothing.

Just a thought ... how quickly is he answering the call the first
time.  If I remember right, the data is sent between the first and
second ring (this may even differ from switch type to switch type).
Could he be answering too soon?


Howard M. Weiner    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (ronell elkayam)
Subject: Re: Defective Caller ID
Date: 22 Mar 1995 21:34:38 GMT
Organization: Florida International University


I know exactly what is happening.  I experienced the same thing before
they upgraded the equipment in the telco.  (Oh, this happened to me
when the telco offered _only_ CID number delivery, once they upgraded
to name and number, the problem stopped.)  But as I was saying, I had
the same problem of some calls not delivering _any_ information to the
caller ID device, and I _did_ pinpoint the roots: If someone calls you
on his three way (meaning, he is already on the line with someone, and
then flashes and calls you -- the person with the CID) then the caller
ID would not receive ANYTHING from the telco (the equivalent of
hooking a caller ID device to a line that is not subscribed to Caller
ID service).

Now that is not entirely true ... let me re-say more accurately:

If I speak to someone, and then flash, call another person on my
three-way and then flash right back BEFORE it rings on that other
person (meaning the first person I was talking to can hear the ringing
of the new call), then the Caller ID does not receive the information.
However, if I talk to someone, and then flash, call another person on
my three-way and WAIT for two rings (or until he picks up) and only then
click back to the original call, then the caller ID will show the
information.

They fixed the bug in the upgraded system, but now there is a new cute
bug. Now, when I call my caller ID modem, using three way, and click
over to the original call AFTER I see the Caller ID information has been
transmitted, it will send the information a second time, so on my
screen I will see the same exact call showing up twice ...

There is another bug I realized they have, which nobody will probably
believe me they have (as it will make many people kinda sweaty), but
that is another story.  Just to give you a hint: _don't_ give out your
credit card number/information if you happen to make a call that goes
through my local phone company main office. (And no, it absolutely takes
no special rewiring or even a device to do, as I said -- it's a bug in
the system...)

Don't forget to tell me if the problem really was the three-way deal!

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You say the first time the screen is
> 'blank'. Do you mean literally nothing shows up at all, not even just
> a few dashes, or some garbled characters? Most caller id boxes will
> respond to the ringing of a telephone with *something*, even if just
> dashes across the screen to indicate nothing was sent.

What are you talking about? No they won't! Try hooking any caller ID
box to a line which does not subscibe to Caller Id service, it will show
a blank screen (and perhaps a flashing "No Data Sent" which will not
stay in the memory with the usual time/date stamp).

> Since you have already tried three different boxes on
> the same line and gotten the same results, try taking the box to some
> other line independent of the one it is on now and trying it there.
> See if the results on that (caller id equipped) line are the same. If
> so then maybe it is the box. If possible, install a caller-id box from
> some other vendor on the line where you are having the trouble and see
> if the problem persists with a display box *from a different vendor*.
> Let's try to isolate the problem as to display box or line and proceed
> from there.  PAT]

It's not the box, Pat.  There are too many bugs in the phone system.
If only I lived in Washington DC, I could have made MILLIONS selling
overheard conversations of corrupt congressman (without even leaving
home OR using _anything_ but a phone line, a phone and my finger).
But I value my life too much for that.  I rather just overhear funny
people talking discretely, believing in the good ol' Ma' Bell to
provide them privacy ...

Laugh if you want, it matters not to me.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: That's amazing. I imagine a lot of the
readers are testing it out as they read this ... do you mean to say
that I could dial a silent termination number, flash for three way and
then dial your number, flash quickly without you getting the ID and
then converse with you (and the silent termination line as our third
part of it) ... and you'd never see my ID, let alone the privacy indicator
or anything else ... hmmm.  Please write back again soon and explain the
other quirk you found with credit card numbers, won't you? I'm sure a
number of readers will want to investigate and repair that problem also.
I'm not laughing ... I beleive you.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Matthew P. Downs)
Subject: Re: X.25/ISDN Prices; Global Information Wanted
Date: 21 Mar 1995 20:47:50 GMT
Organization: ADC Telecommunications


[e-mail] (Steve Cogorno) writes:

> Rishab Aiyer Ghosh said:

>> Someone wrote: [on X.25 over ISDN]:

>>> Rates in the Pacific Bell Service area for data packets are:
>>> .05 CENTS for transaction setup
>>> .005 CENTS per octet of data

>> That works out to about $52 per Mb - is that _cheap_?

> Where did you get this figure? When I calculate it it works out to $3.27 per
> MB.

> 1 MB = 1024K = 1048576 Bytes=8388608 bits=65536 octets (1 octet=128 bits)

When did an octet become 128 bits? In everything I read an octet is 8
bits.


Matt

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 21 Mar 95 18:18:02 EST
From: Tony Harminc <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: X.25/ISDN Prices; Global Information Wanted


[e-mail] (Steve Cogorno) wrote:

>>> Rates in the Pacific Bell Service area for data packets are:
>>> .05 CENTS for transaction setup
>>> .005 CENTS per octet of data

>> That works out to about $52 per Mb - is that _cheap_?

> Where did you get this figure? When I calculate it it works out to $3.27 per
> MB.

> 1 MB = 1024K = 1048576 Bytes=8388608 bits=65536 octets (1 octet=128 bits)

> 65536 octets * .005 cents = 327.68 cents = $3.27

An octet is a byte.  Oct = 8.  Octopus: 8 legs, octagon: 8 sides,
octothorpe: # character, octet: 8 bits.  Perhaps the rate you quoted
was per packet.  Typical X.25 packet sizes are 128 and 256 bytes/octets.


Tony Harminc

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve Cogorno)
Subject: Re: X.25/ISDN Prices; Global Information Wanted
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 17:08:10 PST


Tony Harminc said:

> From: [e-mail] (Steve Cogorno)

>>>> Rates in the Pacific Bell Service area for data packets are:
>>>> .05 CENTS for transaction setup
>>>> .005 CENTS per octet of data

>>> That works out to about $52 per Mb - is that _cheap_?

>> Where did you get this figure? When I calculate it it works out to $3.27 per
>> MB.

>> 1 MB = 1024K = 1048576 Bytes=8388608 bits=65536 octets (1 octet=128 bits)

>> 65536 octets * .005 cents = 327.68 cents = $3.27

> An octet is a byte.  Oct = 8.  Octopus: 8 legs, octagon: 8 sides, octothorpe:
> # character, octet: 8 bits.   Perhaps the rate you quoted was per packet.
> Typical X.25 packet sizes are 128 and 256 bytes/octets.

Yes, I know an octet is a byte, but the PacBell people call 128 bytes
an octet (I don't know why).  I was erroneously told last week that
the packets are 128 bits, but I thought that was too small.  I called
again, and they said it is 128 bytes.  I still don't know why they
call it an octet though.


Steve    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (HiHoSteveo)
Subject: Re: Caller ID in CA
Date: 21 Mar 1995 17:13:49 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (HiHoSteveo)


Don't expect Caller ID in CA in the forseeable future. 61 parties appealed
the FCC order on interstate. State of California wants blocking of origin-
ating party to prevail, PacBell wants no blocking. Pet for Recon was
supposed to be out last year but is in limbo. CA is the only state not
offering or with pending offering. Both parties said they would appeal
the FCC Recon if it went against them. Appeals of FCC go the Wash District,
allow two years.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Robert Virzi)
Subject: Re: Cellular Fraud in the News Again
Date: 22 Mar 1995 18:49:05 GMT
Organization: GTE Laboratories, Waltham, MA


PAT wrote:

>> The thing which caught my eye, and which I discussed with her briefly on
>> the phone Monday morning was her tossing around of the figures given to
>> her by some industry people:   $1.3 million per day in fraud; and that
>> this represented four percent of the industry's annual traffic. By my
>> calculations, 1.3 million per day comes to about $454 million per year,
>> and that figure is four percent of what astronomical amount?

Phil Ritter <[e-mail]> responded:

> However, the "annual revenue" for the "cellular industry" that is
> implied above is not only not astronomical, but probably understates
> the the actual industry revenues (well, OK, it is astronomical, but in
> the context above Pat also implies that it could not possibly be that
> high -- I contend that it is actually higher!).

I came late to this discussion, but I think I might have something to
add, related to the size of the cellular industry.

Let's see, if I did this right, the total cellular industry was
estimated to be $11.35 Billion.  That's from $454M = 4%.

Here are some numbers from my companies annual report, so they must
be public info:

2.3 million cellular customers

$1.6 Billion (yes folks, with a 'B') revenues

That comes to about $700 per year per cellular subscriber.  Dividing
the $11B total revenue by the estimate of revenue per subscriber I get
just over 16M subscribers.  We're the second largest cellular provider,
and these figures suggest we'd have about 1/7th of the overall market.
Since there are nine majors (seven regionals, GTE, and ATT) this makes
sense, and confirms the figure somewhat.


Bob Virzi     [e-mail]    [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mike Patterson)
Subject: Re: Telecom Professional Organizations and Magazines
Date: 22 Mar 95 19:47:43 GMT
Organization: Chevron Information Technology Co.


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(Brian Smith) writes:

> I am new to the InterNet. I am looking for suggestions of professional
> telecommunication groups to join, newsgroups on the Net, and professional
> journals or magazines. I am a consultant working with AT&T PBX systems.
> Any help or suggestions would be great!

Join the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), the
largest engineering organization in the world.  They have a wide
variety of services, including numerous technical societies.  One of
them is the Communications Society, which very possibly has local
chapter meetings in your area.  Another is the Computer Society.  They
also have excellent periodicals and journals on a wide variety of
topics, some dedicated to telecommunications, and a large inventory of
books from their own press and other publishers.

As a bonus, they further provide access to several personal and
professional services, such as job and career databases and
information, inexpensive term life and other insurance, various loans
(including mortgages), credit cards, mutual funds, discounts at
Kinkos, rental car agencies and hotels and several other services.
You can save the cost of your annual membership fee on the life
insurance alone.

Contact them at [e-mail] or 800/678-4333.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Marks)
Subject: Re: Ni-Cad Batteries
Date: 22 Mar 1995 21:46:50 GMT
Organization: Alpha.net -- Milwaukee, WI
Reply-To: [e-mail]


>> Doing this is a good way for the first cell to hit zero to be pushed
>> negative as the other cells continue to discharge.  This is about the
>> worst thing you can do to the cell, and will ensure its shorter life.

> I do not believe this is a problem.  What happens is you take all
> cells down to zero, and then recharge together.  If imbalances
> were a problem they would occur at any level.

This is a problem and it is called reversal.  It is caused by the fact
that manufacturers cannot economically match cell capacities in a
series string.  If you have a cell that is low in capacity relative to
the others in the string (only 1% low is enough to do it) only at the
end of discharge, due to the Ni-Cads flat discharge profile, will
reversal occur and be a problem.  It *will not* occur "at any level".

>> If you don't want to do that, use the intellicharger and don't leave
>> it on trickle.  Not overcharging the battery will be the best move
>> towards keeping the battery away from voltage depression, and get good
>> service.

False.  Modern Ni-cad batteries have a very efficient overcharge
mechanism and can be left on charge indefinately without a problem
(unless the charger fails).  The only time this is not true is if you
have the very rapid recharge batteries and charger.  Extended
overcharge (if even possible with the charger) will damage this type
of battery.


Charles Marks    Quantum Energy Consulting
Consultant to the Battery Industry   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (HiHoSteveo)
Subject: Re: How Do I Create a TelCo?
Date: 22 Mar 1995 16:57:42 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (HiHoSteveo)


Call the Telephone Resellers Association (TRA), find them in your librarry
Encylopedia of Associations; I think they are in Arlington.

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #163
******************************


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Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 22:46:09 CST
From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #164

TELECOM Digest     Wed, 22 Mar 95 22:46:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 164

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Request For Information on ADSI Standard (Grant D. Cooper)
    Looking For X.25 Cards (Cedric Perret)
    Re: Info Wanted About Comstar (Kenneth E. Gray)
    Can Anyone Recommend a Good T1 Text (David M. Meyer)
    Library Technology and Telecommunications (Theresa Arenholz via FAX)
    Re: Who's the B Cell Carrier in Ithaca NY? (Robert Levandowski)
    Re: Who's the B Cell Carrier in Ithaca NY? (Peter A. Morenus, Jr.)
    Fax Evaluation Criteria ([e-mail])
    European WAN - How?? (Steve Alburty)
    Router Connection via T1 (Frank M. Koerber)
    Re: Denver International Airport (Buchanan Natalia)
    Re: Looking for Excel Corp (Mike Rehmus)
    Re: Looking for Excel Corp (Gerry Gollwitzer)
    Wanted: Used Business Telephone Systems (Integrity Telecommunications)
    800 Numbers, and FLOWERS Again (Mel Beckman)
    Re: This Newsgroup Demo'ed on PBS's "Internet Show" (Bruce McGuffin)
    Caller ID Specs Wanted (Gordon Jacobson)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
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* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such
as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help
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All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 13 Mar 1995 08:52:57 -0500
From: [e-mail] (G.D.Cooper)
Subject: Request For Information on ADSI Standard


Hi,

I am about to embark on a project involving the ADSI standard. For
those not familiar, this is a handset that allows the customer the
ability to dial the Telco and download information to the phone. This
download activates or deactivates services based on the customers
requirements. 'nough said 'bout that.

I would like to ask for any related information regarding the ADSI CPE
technology. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


Sincerely,

Grant Cooper
Global Project Manager
Architel Systems Corp.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Perret Cedric)
Subject: Looking For X.25 Cards
Organization: E.I.G
Date: Thu, 23 Mar 1995 01:18:38 GMT


Hello,

Landis & Gyr is looking for an X.25 Card.  They use the card from
Gateway Communications, Ref G/X.25 Gateway.  Sadly, this society don't
sell this card anymore.

It can be new card for a retailer (please give some addresses).  Or
even some old cards that are unused.

They need 10-20 cards.

Please E-mail answer.


Thanks,

[e-mail]   Perret Cidric

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Kenneth E Gray)
Subject: Re: Info Wanted About Comstar
Date: 22 Mar 1995 07:40:29 GMT
Organization: Yale University - New Haven, CT USA


Mr. Sanders,

    Please let me know what information you would like on Comstar.
I spent this past summer in Moscow and did research in the Russian
telecommunications industry, so I know a lot about Comstar from both
the technical and business sides.  Basically, they are a joint-venture
of a British firm (I don't have the name in front of me) and the
Moscow City TElephone Network (MGTS).  They provide international,
national and local phone service at ridiculous rates (though, as their
sales pitch goes, the call goes through "first time, every time" a big
improvement on the Russian system).

They have a sister company in Petersburg called Peterstar, who did a
lot of the communications for the Good Will Games.  comstar operates
two digital switches in Moscow, with a connection to Eutelsat for
international traffic.  Rates are crazy and support the addage, when
there are bodies in the desert, the vultures circle.  Installation
runs from $250 to $800 with a minimum of $150 per month (not too hard
to do considering calls to the US are $3.25 per minute).  They operate
a payphone service in Russia where for $12 per minute (yes, that is
twelve dollars) you can call the USA.  The phones take prepay cards or
credit cards.  Their service is reliable and state of the art,
something difficult to find when it comes to Russian phones.

There are other similar providers in Moscow, Combellga is Belgian and
Sovintel is the American one.  I believe Itallian telecomm recently
opened Astelit as well.  None of them are cheap, they are all
joint-ventures with Russian companies (well, the Russian state
anyways), but they provide reliable communications that wouldn't be
there otherwise.

That's a summary; if you have any specific questions, I'll be happy to try
to answer.  You can call Comstar themselves at [phone].


Kenneth Gray
[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David M. Meyer)
Subject: Can Anyone Recommend a Good T1 Text
Date: 22 Mar 1995 20:46:24 GMT
Organization: University Network Services, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR


Can anyone recommend a good textbook on T1?

Thanks,


David M. Meyer                  Voice:     +1.503.346.1747
Senior Network Engineer         Pager:     +1.503.342.9458
Office of University Computing  Cellular:  +1.503.954.1103
Computing Center                FAX:       [phone]
University of Oregon            Internet:  [e-mail]
1225 Kincaid             Eugene, OR 97403

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 21:53:20 CST
From: [e-mail] (Theresa Arenholz via FAX)
Subject: Library Technology and Telecommunications


Dear Pat,

I enjoy reading your journal each day in Grouptalk, which is on the
mainframe where I work. I very much look forward to a personal sub-
scription within the year when I buy my PC for graduate school.

Although I am not the most technologically competent person among
the readers to your journal, I do manage to comprehend enough to keep
me interested in telecommunications. Reading your Digest each day has
helped me become aware of the many very exciting developments in tele-
communications.

Since I have read-only access to Grouptalk, and because I do not have
a home computer or access to the Internet itself, I would appreciate
it if you could post this question for me:

I am working on an undergraduate research paper in Library Technology
and I would appreciate any assistance you or other readers can give
me. Some theorists have postulated that the library of the future will
be a virtual library, i.e. a library without walls, from which patrons
wil have full access to materials from their home computers.

Is this a plausible scenario? What telecommunications technology will
support this?

I can read anything posted in response, but if your readers would
prefer to send me a personal response they can do that also. Please
send responses by snail-mail (my apologies for not being wired):

   Theresa Arenholz
   15 Sgt. Morgan Lane
   Haddam Neck, CT  06424

All replies will be greatly appreciated and acknowledged, and if there
is sufficient interest and responses sent to me by snail-mail I will
forward same to you.

                    --------------------

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Theresa, here is your note, and I hope
it generates some responses to you. I'd like to receive the replies
here if possible so we all can share in the discussion. I think your
scenario sounds quite plausible. I can't ever see physical libraries
as such disappearing, but we are in fact seeing more and more libraries
'on line', with all sorts of services ranging from simple BBS programs
to more sophisticated catalog services, etc. The first library in
the world, so far as I know, to have a BBS was here in Chicago at the
North-Pulaski branch of the Chicago Public Library. It was 1981, and
a simple, very humble beginning. I was grateful to be part of it for
a year or so.    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Robert Levandowski)
Subject: Re: Who's the B Cell Carrier in Ithaca NY?
Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 06:37:21 GMT


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (John Levine) writes:

> I find that I'm spending enough time in Ithaca NY that I'm thinking of
> getting a cell phone.  Oddly, there seems only to be an A carrier
> here, and no B carrier.  This is the only part of New York with no B
> carrier, and it's nowhere near as rural as areas farther north and
> east.

> So can anyone tell me who has the B franchise for the NY-4 RSA?  It
> consists of Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Schuyler, Seneca, Tompkins,
> and Yates counties.  NYNEX/NYT is the dominant wireline carrier with
> some Contel and several tiny independents with one or two exchanges.

I have your definitive answer in my cellular documentation! :)

The Ithaca area is in the middle of a large blob around the Finger
Lakes listed as "1995 Projected Roaming Area" for The Upstate Cellular
Network, operated by RochesterTel Mobile Communications.  RochTel
Mobile is partners with NYNEX Mobile and Advantage Cellular on the
B-side throughout New England; you'll be able to get their Q-Plan
service plans.  You can get a choice of packages with various amounts
of prepaid on/off peak time built in and discounted overage; and as
long as you are in NY, VT, NH, ME, MA, RI, or CT, you'll pay $0.65
after taxes for roaming with no daily fee.  They have excellent
coverage out here and along the NY Thruway, and according to their
maps, the Ithaca/Finger Lakes region is the only major dead spot left
in their NY system.  I'm happy with their service; they're happy to
adjust your bill if you find charges you didn't expect or that don't
look right.  Oh, Call Waiting, Enhanced Call Forwarding, Conference
Calling, and ACD are free of charge.

RochTel Mobile [phone]

(The map I have implies RochTel will be the actual carrier, but it might be
NYNEX or Advantage.  RochTel serves Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Watertown,
Massena, Jamestown, Corning, and points inbetween.)

And no, I don't work for them; I just like 'em. :)


Rob Levandowski
Computer Interest Floor associate / University of Rochester
[e-mail]     [Opinions expressed are mine, not UR's.]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Peter A. Morenus, Jr.)
Subject: Re: Who's the B Cell Carrier in Ithaca NY?
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 11:37:24 -0500
Organization: Cornell University Photography


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (John Levine)
wrote:

> So can anyone tell me who has the B franchise for the NY-4 RSA?  It
> consists of Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Schuyler, Seneca, Tompkins,
> and Yates counties.  NYNEX/NYT is the dominant wireline carrier with
> some Contel and several tiny independents with one or two exchanges.

As of the last time I called the FCC -- perhaps six months ago -- the
wireline franchise still hadn't been awarded.

If I remember correctly NYNEX, The Trumansburg Home Telephone Company, and
an area Indian group were involved in some legal dispute over the licence.


Peter Morenus    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (IDESTEVE)
Subject: Fax Evaluation Criteria
Date: 22 Mar 1995 13:33:00 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (IDESTEVE)


A fairly comprehensive nine page white paper which takes much of the
mystery out of evaluating high end fax products is currently available
from Brooktrout Technology.

Written by Dave Duehren, chief scientist at BTI, available on fax on
demand. Call 800 333 5274 and request document number 56.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve Alburty)
Subject: European WAN - How??
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 20:57:48 -0500
Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC


My company just bought a chain of companies in Europe which will give
us about 24 offices throughout the world.  And now management wants
them all connected, every employee in every office, via electronic
mail.  They all use a hodge-podge of Macs and Windows machines.  Does
anybody out there have any idea of how you even get STARTED building a
wide-area-network in Europe??  I would imagine that having dedicated
lines between all of those offices, some of which are in Eastern
Europe, in order that people can do both mail and have file server
access, is prohibitively expensive.  Does anybody know anybody who has
figured out how to at least connect a bunch of European offices via
e-mail?


Steve Alburty


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well you know what you *might* do to
get started: All the major email services will lease you resources
on their systems. MCI Mail, ATT Mail, Compuserve, etc ... they'll
all set you up with facilities which for all intents and purposes
appear to be your own; it will not be obvious at all to your end
users. And considering, as you pointed out, the costs of doing it
yourself from almost scratch, it might be a lot better to let an
established service do it and negotiate for the best terms you can
get. Get a short term contract for starters so you can buy some
time while you investigate starting your own. I suspect with the
proper coordination, you could have something on line in a couple
months via one of the established email vendors with which your
managment would be quite pleased, and at much less cost -- especially
start up cost -- than you could ever swing on your own.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 19:11:37 -0500
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Router Connection via T1
Organization: GTE Northwest


I am trying to improve the throughput between two Cisco 7000 routers
which are in separate buildings about 10 miles apart.  The highest
bandwidth facilities available between the locations are T1.

At the present time the routers are connected together with four
T1s but the throughput is inadequate.

Is there a device I could put at each end which would allow me to
inverse mux several T1s into a DS-3 or higher speed link?  Can the
Cisco router accept DS-3 (or faster) interface?

Is VSAT an option?  Roughly how much would VSAT connectivity cost
for DS-3?

Any other suggestions / solutions would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks,

Frank M. Koerber   Everett, Wa.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Buchanan Natalia)
Subject: Re: Denver International Airport
Date: 23 Mar 1995 02:23:20 GMT
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder


In article <[e-mail]>, Greg Monti <[e-mail]>
wrote:

> The prefix on the pay phones is 303-342-XXXX.  342 spells DIA on a
> telephone dial.  Cute.

Especially cute considering that the new airport never was DIA and
never will be. The identifier while under construction was DVX; the
identifier now is DEN, same as Stapleton was.


Timothy

------------------------------

From: Mike Rehmus <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Looking for Excel Corp
Date: 23 Mar 1995 01:43:31 GMT
Organization: Portal Communications (service)


[e-mail] (Phil Kehr) wrote:

> I'm looking for information on the Dallas, Texas based Excel Corporation.
> Does anyone have any knowledge?

There are nine companies with Excel in their name listed in Dallas according
to the eleven million business phone book CD-ROM.

There are 97 in Texas.

You need to be a bit more specific, I think.


Best,

Mike Rehmus     Gray Associates


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well I dunno about that. *Someone* seems
to know who he is trying to contact. A representative from the company
has also responded in the next message.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gerry Gollwitzer)
Subject: Re: Looking for Excel Corp
Date: 22 Mar 1995 16:26:37 GMT
Organization: Exec-PC


Phil Kehr ([e-mail]) wrote:

> I'm looking for information on the Dallas, Texas based Excel Corporation.
> Does anyone have any knowledge?


Phil,

I am a rep with Excel.  What information can I provide?

Gerry


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Npte: Are you sure you are a rep with the *right*
'Excel'?     <g>    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Integrity Telecommunications)
Subject: Wanted: Used Business Telephone Systems
Date: 22 Mar 1995 20:56:19 GMT
Organization: Integrity Telecommunications


We are currently purchasing all manufacturer's key and PABX systems.
Also T1 channel banks and multiplexers.

Please fax or email an itemized inventory to us and we will respond
quickly!


Integrity Telecommunications            "The name says IT all!"
2970 Blystone Lane, Ste. 102            Voice:  214-357-7484
Dallas, TX  75220-1515                  FAX:    [phone]
                        email:  [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 15:33:11 -0800
From: [e-mail] (Mel Beckman)
Subject: 800 Numbers, and FLOWERS Again


Jerry Leichter writes:

> I can see the argument for allowing the *full* "1-800-FLOWERS" as a
> trademark.  It uniquely identifies a particular number across a whole
> national market; it can be used in trade; it's only partially
> meaningful.

And here is where we see the true folly of ideas like Oppenheimer's:
in the case of 1-800-FLOWERS, a trademark is entirely unnecessary,
because there can be only one owner of that number in the U.S. phone
system.

What's really alarming about Oppenheimer's logic, though, is that it
would presumably entitle the owner of 800-FLOWERS to also own
FLOWERS.COM, "FLOWERS" on America Online, and the use of the word
FLOWERS in any other electronic addressing scheme. After all, if prior
ownership of an address-name in the U.S. provides for ownership in a
completely new domain -- the international telephone market -- then
surely a business would be silly not to press for similar reasoning in
any other domain (e.g. Internet addresses).

And that's not even considering the arrogance of U.S. companies
presuming to have priority over non-U.S. enterprises in the worldwide
telephone arena.


Mel Beckman                  |   Internet: [e-mail]
Beckman Software Engineering | Compuserve: 75226,2257
Ventura, CA 93004            |  Voice/fax: [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bruce McGuffin)
Subject: Re: This Newsgroup Demo'ed on PBS's "Internet Show"
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 95 09:48:03 -0500
Organization: MIT Lincoln Laboratory


Boy, those left-wingers at PBS will stoop to anything. Imagine
actually discussing net use, when they could have been exposing kiddie
porn. I'll bet they're in favor of kiddie porn. They're probably
trying to lure children onto the net, where they will be exposed to
unwholesome ideas. I hope Newt cuts off all their funding, so I don't
have to risk exposing my children to any of these left wing polemics.
I say if its not lurid enough for wholesome commercial broadcasting
like 60 minutes, its not journalism.


Bruce McGuffin

(Who thinks Newt Gingrich hates PBS because it encourages thinking,
and Newt wants to do all of our thinking for us.)

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 16:45:19 -0500
From: Gordon Jacobson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Caller ID Specs Wanted


Pat -

        I need to find the tech specs on Caller ID in the US -- how it
originates, how it is transmitted and how it is received.

        I note from discussions on the alt.dcom.telecom, that messages
posted on this or a similar topic have appeared, but the original
thread has long since disappeared from my provider's server.

        Could you point me in the right direction for such information --
do you have any of the thread info that is relevent and accurate?

        Many thanks -


Regards, - GAJ

Home Page: http://www.seas.upenn.edu/~gaj1/home.html


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I am sure it can be found in the Telecom
Archives; a lot of technical data on Caller-ID is there. Perhaps some
readers will also drop you quick notes with the references you need.  PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #164
******************************


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Date: Thu, 23 Mar 95 11:37:14 CST
From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #165

TELECOM Digest     Thu, 23 Mar 95 11:37:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 165

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    CFP: Call for Abstracts for IS&N 95 - Deadline April 10 (Pat McLaughlin)
    Re: T3 Framing and Connection (Wally Ritchie)
    Re: Callback Providers (Paul Jonathan E. Go)
    Re: Keypad Letter Pattern (was Re: U.S. 800 Users Alert) (Robert Virzi)
    Re: U.S. 800 Users Alert (Stuart McRae)
    Re: New Bell Atlantic Service (Sam Drake)
    Re: New NPA in Colorado (Peter Laws)
    Re: New NPA in Colorado (Robert Geradts)
    Re: Switch Architectures Literature (Jack Warner)
    Northern Telecom Meridian: How Much? ([e-mail])
    Backlighted Caller ID Box Wanted (Bill Halvorsen)
    Recommendations on Voice Mail Systems Wanted (Mark P. Braee)
    Help Wanted With Qmodem Version 4.2F (Gary Michael Brinkman)
    Re: T1 -> Modems (Dale Dhillon)
    T1 Test Equipment Available (Michael Glaser)
    International Country Codes Wanted (Henry Valentino)
    Telecom Archives Email Information Service (TELECOM Digest Editor)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, 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 twenty dollars per
year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.

All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Patrick McLaughlin <[e-mail]>
Subject: CFP: Call for Abstracts for IS&N 95 - Deadline April 10
Date: 23 Mar 1995 12:38:51 -0000
Organization: Broadcom Eireann Research Ltd, Dublin, Ireland.


            IS&N 95 - 16-20 Oct. 1995
            Call for Abstracts
            Deadline: April 10th
            Conference Location: Crete

New network technologies and de-regulation of the telecommunications
market offers the opportunity to offer communication services to
people at unprecedented levels.Justification of the required
investment will, however, be determined by the uptake of services by
potential users of these services.  This conference is concerned with
the necessary infrastr ucture to cost-effectively develop, deploy, and
manage new and innovative communication services; addressing
definition of these services, architectures, engineering processes,
methods, tools and techniques. The conference is organised by
participants in the RACE (Research into Advanced Communications in
Europe) Programme.

Aims and Audience:

The provision of advanced communication services will have to take
place in an environment where a number of technological service and
network strands (IN, TMN, mobility, etc.)  will have to interwork and,
eventually, converge.  How and where the advanced services would be
delivered in such a diverse environment is a major area of study ---
the subject of "Intelligence in Services and Networks (IS&N)".

The Conference provides a forum for the dissemination of knowledge and
experience in activities relating to the realisation of IS&N systems.
It provides an excellent opportunity to submit technological
developments to the critical scrutiny of a broad community of systems
professionals, managers and users with a view to eventual market
development.  The Conference programme includes presentations,
discussions and workshops, plus keynote addresses by internationally
recognised speakers, and is relevant to a broad range of people with
an interest in, or responsibility for, the planning, development,
engineering, management, provision, and operation of advanced
communication services

Issues and Scope:

The Conference programme addresses issues such as:

 -IS&N Applications and Required Advanced Services
 -Usability Factors for Advanced Services
 -Service Architectures
 -Communications Management Architectures
 -Service Management and Quality of Service Management
 -Security of Services and Networks.
 -Software Infrastructures
 -Strategies, Policies and Standards for IS&N Implementations

The following questions are to be posed and answered in presentations,
discussions and workshops:

 -What requirements will users place on Advanced Communications Services?
 -What type of intelligence is required for current and future
  services and networks and where should it be placed?
 -Which security concepts and functions are crucial for advanced services
 -Which emerging technologies are required to achieve integrated IS&N
  systems, embracing service creation, management and execution?
 -Will these technologies prove themselves in practice and will they
  be cost-effective?
 -What standards need to be defined for IS&N, and do the appropriate
  mechanisms exist to ensure their timely preparation?
 -How should the IS&N marketplace be tested to establish service
  viability?
 -How can services be configured to meet the needs of particular users
  and applications?

Contributions:

Those intending to present papers should submit, by e-mail, an extended
abstract (approx.  1000 words) in "flat" ASCII format to the Programme
Committee at addresses:

[e-mail]
    AND
[e-mail]

The abstract should include the main points of the paper and, where
possible, indications of supporting diagrams and references.  If
desired, additional formatted and printed material (e.g.  diagrams)
may be sent to the Conference Secretariat.

The selection will be made according to the recommendations of a
review panel.  Those authors whose abstracts are selected will be
invited to develop their papers and provide a full typescript of
approximatly ten pages of text.  The consolidated conference
proceedings will be published as a book.

Contributors should note the following key dates:

Abstracts received by:             10 April 1995
Notification of acceptance:        22 May 1995
Final papers available:          3 July 1995
Camera ready paper received :    30 July 1995


Conference Secretariat:
  Despina Haralambidou
  Alpha Systems SA
  Xanthou Str
  78 Tavros, Athens, Greece
  Tel:      [phone]
  Fax:      [phone]
  e-mail:   [e-mail]

 Organising Committee Chairman:
 Nikos Karatzas (e-mail: [e-mail])

 Programme Committee Chairman:
 Anne Clarke (e-mail:[e-mail])

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: T3 Framing and Connection
Date: 23 Mar 1995 06:21:35 GMT
Reply-To: [e-mail]


In <[e-mail]>, Phillip Schuman <72510.1164@CompuServe.
COM> writes:

> I'm looking for some brief explanation of the two kinds of framing
> on T3 - M13 and C-parity. I'm pretty familiar with D4/SF and ESF.

> Also -- on a picture of the Digital Link T3 mux -- there are two BNC
> connectors; are both used, or in/out or what? How does this work in
> connecting to a fiber based system like T3 -- is there another
> interface box between the telco and the CPE?

DS-3 framing is a bit more complicated than DS-1 due mainly to the
need to control the insertion of stuffing bits on the DS-2 streams. I
posted the format a few months ago in this group. A DS-3 frame format
includes redundant parity over the data bits in the previous frame
which is widely used for performance monitoring.

The BNC's are normally DSX-3 level signals with a separate connector
for each direction. Most fiber equipment provides DSX-3 signals. There
are, however, some types of equipment with direct fiber connectors
which are internally demultiplexed to the DS3 level inside the box.
DSX-3 equipment is often protected 1:1


Hope this helps.

Wally Ritchie   Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Paul Jonathan E. Go)
Subject: Re: Callback Providers
Date: 23 Mar 1995 08:35:20 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA


 From {Telephony} 3/20/95:

"The following 15 firms are players in the international callback
market:"

European Telecom    Walnut Creek, CA
Gateway USA        San Luis Obispo, CA
Justice Technologies    El Segundo, CA
Intl Discount Telecom    Hackensack, NJ
Intl Long Distance    Los Angeles, CA
Kall Back        Seattle, WA
LA Technologies        Ft. Lauderdale, FL
MTC            Petaluma, CA
Prarie Systems        Omaha, Nebraska
Technology Resources    Denver, CO
Telegroup        Fairfield, IA
USA Global Link        Fairfield, IA
USFI            NY, NY
Viatel            NY, NY
World Pass        Miami, FL

Ironically, {Telephony} does not provide telephone numbers for the
callback providers :)


Paul Jonathan E. Go
363 Glenullen Drive    213 344 7275
Pasadena CA 91105-2155    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Robert Virzi)
Subject: Re: Keypad Letter Pattern (was Re: U.S. 800 Users Alert)
Date: 23 Mar 1995 15:55:00 GMT
Organization: GTE Laboratories, Waltham, MA


In article <[e-mail]>, Carl Moore <[e-mail]>
wrote:

> I guess I skimmed right past the original notice, including WHAT
> KEYS Q AND Z GO ON.  Perhaps the U.S. dialpad (with the newly-
> added Q and Z) could be put into frequently-asked questions.
   and
> 2. some voice menu involving movie titles had special instructions
> for Q and Z; I believe it was to use 1 for those letters.

Where to put Q and Z is a matter of some debate.  The financial
services industry had a de facto standard of putting Q and Z on the 1.
Most cellular phones I have seen follow(ed) this standard.  It works
well, and supports two-stroke key entry better (e.g., 71 for p, 72 for
r, and 73 for s).  Next time you're at your ATM, try to find the Q and
Z.  Bet you they're on the 1.

PBX manufacturers and voice mail folks wanted a standard they could
call their own, so they started putting Q on 7 and Z on 9, where they
belonged!  ;-) I think all ATT phones now sport these letters in these
locations.  This configuration makes the most sense for when you don't
need a to identify a specific letter, the program just tries to figure
out which one of the three you meant.  However, it does make life
difficult for anyone trying to enter a specific letter.

So now things are really confused.  Do you assume your callers on a
cellular phone (QZ=1), an ATT phone (Q=7, Z=9), or a phone without Q
and Z anywhere on the keypad?  Additional stickler, assume you are
building a financial application, and people will also be using the
service on an ATM.


Bob Virzi     [e-mail]   [phone]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I bet they'd like to get ahold of the
fellow who originally designed the telephone dial and give him a piece
of their mind.   <g>   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: 23 Mar 1995 09:45:09 EDT
Reply-To: [e-mail]
From: McRae, Stuart <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: U.S. 800 Users Alert


> In the discussion about protecting 'special' 800 numbers, don't forget
> that letters on dials have just about disappeared in Europe. If you
> want someone in Europe to be able to use your number, you will have
> to publish the digits. Numbers are not nearly as 'special' as the words
> you can make from them with a US telephone.

Incidentally, the letters had completely disappeared in the UK until a
year or so ago, when BT started putting them back on their phones. The
obviously they now understand the marketing potential of providing
easier access to network services. I bet someone wishes they had never
taken them off :-)


Stuart

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Sam Drake)
Subject: Re: New Bell Atlantic Service
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
Date: Thu, 23 Mar 1995 06:53:05 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, Chris J. Cartwright - ELF
<[e-mail]> wrote:

> The phones will not ring to alert the recipient.  Instead they will
> hear the beeps before the dial tone when the phone is picked up, or a
> light will blink (of the customers own newer models of telephones
> equipped with message lights).

I'd really like such a phone.  Has anyone got a recommendation?  I've
never actually seen such a phone, and was hoping they existed.


Thanks,

Sam


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You'll find them in hotel rooms many
times, and some companies have them also. Or, you can build your own.
It isn't that hard. We've discussed it here a few times in the past
and the schematics are somewhere in the Telecom Archives, available
using anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu. When connected, 'cd telecom-archives'.
Perhaps someone will send you the schematics.    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Peter Laws)
Subject: Re: New NPA in Colorado
Date: 23 Mar 1995 15:18:06 GMT
Organization: University of Arkansas


[e-mail] (Stan Schwartz) writes:

> Yes, it was announced in September that the 303 NPA was splitting, leaving
> 303 for Denver and 970 for everywhere else that is not already 719.

I assume that the switches can differentiate between 970 (the NPA) and 970
(the chat line) ... or is that no longer used?


Peter Laws<[e-mail]>|"Suppose you were a politician. Now suppose you
n5uwy@ka5bml.#nwar.ar.usa.noam |were an idiot. Ah, but I repeat myself."-Twain
                 The Fourth Amendment - 1791-1995 - R.I.P.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Robert Geradts)
Subject: Re: New NPA in Colorado
Date: 23 Mar 1995 07:06:24 GMT
Organization: Pacifier Internet Server [phone]


In article <[e-mail]>, THE PILOT <[e-mail]>
says:

> Does anyone have any information concerning the addition of a new NPA
> in Colorado?  Supposedly (from a USWest CSB guy) metro Denver will get
> the new area code in April of '96.

> Anyone able to confirm this and/or tell us what the new NPA might be?

The new NPA will be 970 and will cover most of the RURAL areas of
Colorado.  The greater metropolitan area of Denver will remain 303.


Rob


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: When someone provides me with a list of
exactly which communities and prefixes will be in each area code, I'll
post it in the Archives.    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jackeagle)
Subject: Re: Switch Architectures Literature
Date: 22 Mar 1995 22:52:12 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Jackeagle)


Check a good engineering reference library for a series of books by
Amos Joel and some other authors. Amos is a world expert in telephone
switching. Covers the history of switching to modern times with good
architecture diagrams. Published two to four years ago.


Jack Warner     Kan-Caryl Ranch, Colorado

Soaring over a sea of information; seeking Wisdom

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (The Manager)
Subject: Northern Telecom Meridian: How Much?
Date: 22 Mar 1995 15:17:12 GMT
Organization: Head Office


Can somebody please tell me by mail how much a eight line, eight
extension system would cost in the real world (as opposed to list
prices that have no nexus to reality).


Thanks in advance,

Geoff

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bill Halvorsen)
Subject: Backlit Caller ID Box Wanted
Date: 23 Mar 1995 05:12:26 GMT
Organization: Capital Area Internet Service


A few years ago I bought some excellent CIDCO Caller ID units; the
best feature is that the displays are the usual LCD's but are brightly
lit by red LED's behind the panel; very easy reading under any
lighting condition.

Now that we have name and number (and soon Caller ID with call waiting)
I'm wondering if anyone makes a unit that is backlit anymore.  I've
seen some CIDCO units sold under other names that have a "new call"
light (until you review your list) but can't find any actually backlit.
I really dislike trying to read LCD's in poor light (or turning on a
light just to see it if I'm awakened in the night by the phone).

Also would appreciate recommendations of good quality two-line sets
with "really good" speakerphones (anything better than the AT&T 732 or
its ilk)??


Thanks!


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: One of my caller-id boxes is from CIDCO
(although with the Ameritech logo on the front) and it has the 'new call'
red light in the corner which blinks off and on until you begin to
review the entries. I've never seen any that were backlighted.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (MP BRAEE)
Subject: Recommendations Wanted on Voice Mail Systems
Date: 23 Mar 1995 14:41:42 GMT
Organization: Netcom


Thank you for taking the time to read this posting!

We are interested in establishing a voice mail system for a private
club.  Presently we are looking at a system called "Vicki", we have also
considered a program by "Technically Speaking".

We would be interested in all comments and recommendations on programs
of this nature.

System requirements: 3000+ mail boxes; full featured reporting on
mailbox use, line use, etc.  4/8 line boards.  Easy of use and good
tech support is a must.

Thank you for your attention.


Mark

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gary Michael Brinkman)
Subject: Help Wanted With Qmodem Version 4.2F
Organization: Ohio University CS Dept,. Athens
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 15:36:51 GMT


I have this really old version of Qmodem, and I want to be able to use
the cursor keys to navigate on a UNIX host, but the cursor keys are
apprently not sending the correct escape sequence for the host to
understand what I want to do.  Does anyone know how to make Qmodem
send the correct escape sequences for VT100 emulation?

I could probably find out the correct codes for VT100 cursor movement,
but I don't know how to tell Qmodem to use them when I press those
keys.

Thanks for any help.  Please e-mail any tips.


Gary M. Brinkman
Computer Science Dept., Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
mailto:[e-mail]
http://ace.cs.ohiou.edu/personal/gbrinkma.html

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] ([Dale Dhillon])
Subject: Re: T1 -> Modems
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Wed, 22 Mar 1995 13:54:44 GMT


ScottPCS ([e-mail]) wrote:

> I need to bring in a T1 line to 24 1200 baud modems for my company.
> It seems like an inefficient solution to run the T1 into a channel
> bank to end up with 24 phone lines and then plug in 24 modems plugged
> into 24 serial ports.  Is there any type of hardware that can handle
> this T1 / modem problem better?  Preferrably something PC based
> (Windows NT) and cheap <g>.

My company offers T1 interface boards that will link up to T1 csu/dsu.
We also have a board that will be available soon, that has an
integrated csu/dsu. If you would like more information please mail me.


Rubin

SDL Communications Inc.

------------------------------

From: Michael Glaser <[e-mail]>
Subject: T1 Test Equipment Available
Date: 23 Mar 1995 03:45:36 GMT
Organization: LI Net (Long Island Network)


I have a bunch of:

T1 test equipment;
EAPBX;
and Central Office equipment for sale --  let's talk!!


Mike  516-447-1041

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 22 Mar 95 21:32 EST
From: [e-mail] (Henry Valentino)
Subject: International Country Codes Wanted


How can I get a media version of a listing of international country
codes and the corresponding countries?


Thanks,

[e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: A very complete, very comprehensive list
of country codes and the city codes within them is available at the
Telecom Archives, accessible using anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu. When you
login in, then 'cd telecom-archives', then 'cd country-codes' to examine
these files. Or if you prefer, you can use the Telecom Archives Email
Information Service, a method of retrieving anything in the archives,
including back issues of this Digest by email.  The final message in
this issue today documents the email service.    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest Editor)
Subject: Telecom Archives Email Information Service
Date: Wed, 23 Mar 1995 11:30:00 CST


The Telecom Archives is available for your use. It is located at MIT
and is available at least a few ways:

If you have a real-time Internet connection and are allowed to go
off your local net, then you can use FTP as well as possibly gopher
and web services.

You would issue the command:   ftp lcs.mit.edu
                               login anonymous   (use name@site as password)
                               cd telecom-archives

Once connected, you will see the main directory and the several sub-
directories with files on various topics. All the back issues of
TELECOM Digest since 1981 are filed in the back.issues sub-directory
beginning with years such as '1987' at the top.

For gopher and web services, consult the instructions for those programs.

If you prefer, you are welcome to use the Telecom Archives Email Infor-
mation Service instead. Return mail to Internet addresses is usually
accomplished within a minute or two. Sites using UUCP/other networks
will get their responses back by email in due course, as mail is deliv-
ered at their site.

To use the Telecom Archives Email Service:

             send email to:  [e-mail]

The subject does not matter.

In the text of the message, enter these commands on your first use
of the system so you will get help by return mail:

REPLY yourname@site      **This must be the first command**
HELP
INFO
INDEX
END                      **This must be the last command**

You will get back three items in the mail: a help file, an information
file, and an index to the files in the Telecom Archives. You can then
order additional items as desired, as well as search the master index
to Telecom Digest for authors and subject titles since 1989.

The help and info files will explain how to use the Archives Email
Service to its fullest advantage.

Also, check out the interactive commands in the email server which
provide lookup services such as AREACODE, GLOSSARY, and SEARCH.

Happy hunting and exploring!  Fourteen year's worth of stuff will be a
lot for you to go through. (All issues of the Digest since 1981 are
in the archives; that's several thousand issues.)


Patrick Townson

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #165
******************************


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Date: Fri, 24 Mar 95 00:11:08 CST
From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #166

TELECOM Digest     Fri, 24 Mar 95 00:11:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 166

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Book Review: "Mosaic Quick Tour for Windows" by Branwyn (Rob Slade)
    Your 500 Number and International Access (Serge Burjak)
    Re: CDPD vs Ckt Cell Data UPDATE (Terrence McArdle)
    Re: European WAN - How?? (Bob Elliot)
    Re: 500 Number Not Working (Chris Michael)
    Re: Downloading Mac Software With a PC (Brad Hicks)
    Re: Is Caller ID to be Mandantory Nationally, April 1995? (Lynne Gregg)
    Re: X.25/ISDN Prices; Global Information Wanted (Steve McKinty)
    Re: X.25/ISDN Prices; Global Information Wanted (Michael Shields)
    Seeking Inexpensive 800 Services (Clara Mass)
    Re: Northern Telecom Meridian: How Much? (Jean Tkacik)
    Help! Sim. of Burst Transmission (Pubate Satienpoch)
    Information Wanted on Sites For Technical Help (Timothy Brown)
    Mitel(200sx) Phone number request (John E. Brissenden)
    Tech Information Wanted on Old Brick Cell Phone (Michael Umansky)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, 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 twenty dollars per
year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.

All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 23 Mar 1995 14:38:42 EST
From: Rob Slade <[e-mail]>
Subject: Book Review: "Mosaic Quick Tour for Windows" by Branwyn


BKMSQTWN.RVW   950217

"Mosaic Quick Tour For Windows", Gareth Branwyn, 1994, 1-56604-194-5, U$12.00
%A   Gareth Branwyn [e-mail]
%C   PO Box 2468, Chapel Hill, NC   27515
%D   1994
%G   1-56604-194-5
%I   Ventana Press
%O   U$12.00 800-743-5369 919-942-0220 fax: [phone] [e-mail]
%P   192
%T   "Mosaic Quick Tour For Windows"

This is a very solid documenting of Mosaic, much like "Using Mosaic
for Windows" (cf BKUMOSWN.RVW).  It has particularly strong coverage
of the menus and MOSAIC.INI.

Branwyn's coverage of installation is reasonably thorough, covering
sites for Mosaic, itself; Trumpet, WinSock, Win32s, and even PKZip.
I'm beginning to believe that none of the Mosaic writers have actually
installed it, themselves, though since, in common with all the others,
it jams out on the actual setup and connection of SLIP or PPP.

A good guide to the operation of Mosaic.


copyright Robert M. Slade, 1995   BKMSQTWN.RVW   950217. Distribution
permitted in TELECOM Digest and associated publications. Rob Slade's
book reviews are a regular feature in the Digest.


Vancouver      [e-mail]
Institute for  [e-mail]
Research into  [e-mail]
User           [e-mail]
Security       Canada V7K 2G6

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 10:40:24 GMT
From: Serge Burjak <[e-mail]>
Subject: Your 500 Number and International Access


After reading your note I thought I give you call for old times sake
(dialback days for you).

Lo and behold I could not do it from Australia. I, being a resoureful
guy tried AT&T's USA Direct, "I am sorry you cannot make calls to 700
or 500 numbers on this service." She put me through to an AT&T Business
Office for free. The guy there said "I have never heard of a 500 service".

Tried talking to OPTUS (the second long distance carrier here. Owned
50% by Bell South) and they said they would investigate it. They rang
back and said quoting "an AT&T source" that "service is restricted to
US only". I tried again later in the day asking for a supervisor and
got the same story.

I cannot dial this number via Telstra, (the old government owned
monopoly). The jury is still out on this one. They take a few days to
come up with excuses usually.

My question to you is, do you have any AT&T document that acutally
states the service is acessible outside the US? It is not for me. I
know it can; I would like to shove this up the relevant phone
companies' noses.


Regards,

Serge Burjak


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I decided to call the 500 people now and
find this out once and for all. The woman immediatly answered me saying
it can *always* be done through USA Direct; whether or not it can be
dialed direct otherwise (as an international call) from other countries
depends on the country and the telecom admininstration. But she did
emphasize it can ALWAYS be done through USA Direct. So I read her your
email. She was quite familiar with OPTUS and Telstra; she recognized
the names immediatly and said she did not know their specific policies
but that either *should have* referred you to USA Direct even if they
could do nothing else. We got back to USA Direct and I quoted your
email to her about getting connected to the business office and the
man telling you he never heard of 500 service ... she also found a
note on my account saying that you had called and reported the problem
yesterday and a specialist had gotten involved.

Then she said, "I want to try something ...". She put me on hold and
used another line to call USA Direct herself and asked to be connected
to my number. The operator told HER it could not be done. !!  She talked
to a supervisor at USA Direct who said the same thing ... and then to
a manager at USA Direct who said 'well you are supposed to be able to
do it ...'.  She came back to me and said "those people are confused."
She said the marketing department at AT&T specifically planned 500 service
for use from anywhere in the world to anywhere in the world, albiet via
USA Direct when international direct dial was unavailable.

I told her about getting the call at 7 AM my time from the guy in New
York with AT&T 'international' who had never heard of 500 service, and
the (now) three other calls I have received from an AT&T employee (a
woman who called one day and said she had been given 500-677-1616 as a
'test number'), a Bell South service representative who was trying to
help a customer, and someone from British Telecom who reached me on my
708 number to ask some questions. Regards the ignorance of AT&T people
about 500 service, she said, "that's incredible ...".

I asked her why in the world all AT&T employees had not been made aware
of this new program; after all, it is a very good service. She said that
all employees got written notice. How did she know?  Because it was
printed on their paycheck, and they all get paychecks, and they all look
at what the paycheck says ... <g> ... not only that, she said, it was offered
to all employees under special terms and many employees had called to sign
up. It was mentioned on company internal 'newsline' messages. She said
she still had her own paycheck stub with the announcement offering 500
service to employees. Even if all employees did not know that much about
the offering, you'd think affected employees (i.e. traffic department
people, service reps, etc) would know, wouldn't you?  Yes, she said,
you'd think so ...

After finishing with her I tried another experiment of my own from this
end. I dialed the double zero operator (in the USA, zero alone defaults
to the local operator, and zero zero alone defaults to the operator for
the long distance carrier, in this case AT&T) to see what she had to say.
"Assist in dialing please on a no ring, no answer, 500-677-1616 ..." meaning
I had dialed it and could get no response from the network. Her reply,
"There is no such area code as 500, that's why your call would not go
through."   Uh-huh ... tired at this point and wanting to get back to
sending out this issue of the Digest I thanked the operator for her court-
eous and thoughtful response and disconnected.  We'll see what happens
in a few days. I'm told 'marketing' will get my case history as an example
for their use.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Terrence McArdle)
Subject: Re: CDPD vs Ckt Cell Data UPDATE
Date: Thu, 23 Mar 1995 17:40:38 -0500
Organization: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (AIRCOM1)
wrote:

>   Subject: CDPD vs Ckt Cell Data UPDATE

> A bit is a single 1 or 0, and a baud is the "raw" number of bits that can
> be sent per second. For instance, a 1200 baud modem can send up to 1200
> raw bits per second. We use the term "raw" here to not include error
> correction or compression, as these will change the users perceived number
> of bits per second transferred.

Just a note, perhaps a nit -- my understanding of the term baud is
that it refers to the rate of modulations or signal changes per
second, rather than the number of bits per second.  In other words,
the baud rate is always equal to or less than the bit per second rate.
Using common standards, the 300 baud modem transmits and receives data
at 300 bits per second; however, a 14,400 bit per second modem
operates only at 2400 baud. (it might be a different baud rate - the
point is that there is no such device as a 14,400 baud modem)

Someone with more technical expertise can field this issue better than
I, but I am quite sure that "baud" is one of the more misused and
misunderstood terms in telecommunications.


Terry McArdle                         email    [e-mail]
Mgr, Information Systems              work     [phone]
Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bob Elliot)
Subject: Re: European WAN - How??
Date: 24 Mar 1995 02:15:39 GMT
Organization: NeoSoft Internet Services   [phone]


Steve Alburty ([e-mail]) wrote:

> My company just bought a chain of companies in Europe which will give
> us about 24 offices throughout the world.  And now management wants
> them all connected, every employee in every office, via electronic
> mail.  They all use a hodge-podge of Macs and Windows machines.  Does
> anybody out there have any idea of how you even get STARTED building a
> wide-area-network in Europe??  I would imagine that having dedicated
> lines between all of those offices, some of which are in Eastern
> Europe, in order that people can do both mail and have file server
> access, is prohibitively expensive.  Does anybody know anybody who has
> figured out how to at least connect a bunch of European offices via
> e-mail?

I would suggest that you invest a lot of time into putting each of the
companies on the Internet and that you use the Internet commercially
as the vehicle to for inter-office communications.  What with the
advent of the Internet Phone and Video Conferencing plus the fact that
security problems are being overcome, why pay for leased lines.  I
can't think of anywhere you might not be able to interconnect.

Depends upon the geographical locations of each office but I probably
have already been there and done the same thing.

BTW, you will probably immediately reduce total comms cost by 80%
at the start.

Hope this is helpful,


Bob Elliott - Global Internetworks [e-mail] +1.713.495.6116

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Chris Michael)
Subject: Re: 500 Number Not Working
Date: 23 Mar 1995 19:57:00 GMT
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, US
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Chris Michael)


> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 500 numbers are a new enough concept

<snip>

> What happens when your associates attempt to call your 500 number from
> 'regular' or landline phones of the non-payphone, non-hotel switchboard
> variety, i.e. the phones in their home?  Are they unable to get through
> on those lines either?    PAT]

Well ... it works fine from *my* home <g>.  From my work, I can dial
1-500, but not 0-500 (I'm in Centel land).  From my wife's office you
get a recording that says the call can't go through and an operator
won't be able to place it either.  The one outside person I've given
it to so far wasn't able to dial it from his work, called information --
they'd never heard of it -- talked to an operator, who talked to a
supervisor who thought maybe it was an ATT thing and finally was told
to dial ATT and was able to get through to me.  All in all this doesn't
seem like a big labor saving device.


Chris
christopher michael, george s. may international, 708-825-8806 x 395


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You have my permission to use my 500
number (500-677-1616) for testing purposes. You might want to make sure
your inability to reach 0-500 from Centel territory is a problem of
Centel and *not* something to do with the switchboard at your company.
If you can use a nearby payphone also on Centel and get through then
your switchboard is blocking 0-500 for some reason. If the payphone
or some private phone in Centel territory won't let you through either
then call their business office and ask why not. 1-500 won't get out
through a Centel payphone anymore than it will from an Ameritech pay
phone simply because there is no number to bill, and they are not
accepting coins as payment. You did not mention if your wife was on
the Centel or Ameritech side of the northwest suburbs; if she is on
the Ameritech side, then that's one more central office where the
translations were loaded incorrectly. When I finally got someone in
repair to listen to me, they fixed our office here in Skokie the
same day, several hours later. Regards your friend at his office, try
to eliminate his company switchboard as the source of the problem. If
it is blocking the calls, there is really nothing telco or AT&T can
do. If he has access to a payphone and/or private line *in the same
immediate vicinity preferably out of the same central office* and
still cannot get through at all, then there is another telco problem.
If he can get through under those circumstances, its his company lines
that are blocked.

And remember, you need to get through to 500-677-1616 in order to let
the Moderator know that your Love Offering; your tithes; your Token of
Sincerity; your annual subscription payment for this Digest is in the
mail. <g>  PAT]

------------------------------

From: /G=Brad/S=Hicks/OU1=[e-mail]
Date: Thu, 23 Mar 1995 13:57:55 -0600
Subject: Re: Downloading Mac Software With a PC


Apple divides all files into up to two "forks" or byte streams, one of
which, the "resource fork" holds specially formatted data, including all
of the code segments for a program.  They also have different directory
attributes, including longer file names and attributes called the "type
code" and "creator code" which tell the operating system what application
to launch and what icon to display. There are three competing standards
(and some proprietary solutions) for representing this information on a
non-Macintosh computer; the most common of which is MacBinary II, which
originated on CompuServe's MacDev forum.

Another common work-around is to compress the files using any of the
standard compression packages; the result is a plain, data fork only,
file.  You then have to hope that your decompression software is smart
enough to ignore the missing type and creator codes, but increasingly,
they are.

As somebody already wrote in, the =easy= solution is for you to =somehow=
obtain a copy of StuffIt Expander 3.5.2.  You can buy StuffIt Deluxe at
any software shop; that way you get both StuffIt Expander and DropStuff.
You can pick up StuffIt Expander and the annoyanceware version of
DropStuff for $2 or so at any Mac user group meeting, I suspect.  Or you
can download it from just about any bulletin board or online service ...
to your Mac.

If you're determined to =only= use the modem on your PC, you can get
baroque and then use a null-modem cable to connect your PC to your Mac,
and use =terminal software= on both ends to transfer the file; the Mac
will recognize an incoming MacBinary file and decode it.  But by the time
you screw around with the cables, you might as well move the modem this
once.

Once you get StuffIt Expander installed on your Mac, if you have System
7.x you can drag and drop just about anything, or even whole folders of
anything, onto StuffIt Expander's icon and it will figure out what archive
format was used on each file and unpack it all for you.

Oh, and you'd rather get StuffIt Deluxe or put up with the shareware
notices in the shareware version of DropStuff, by the same company; once
it's installed, StuffIt Expander will not only unpack StuffIt (*.SIT,
*.SDT) archives, MacBinary (*.BIN) files, and BinHex (*.HEX and *.HQX)
files, but also almost everything else including Arc (*.ARC), PackIt
(*.PIT), PKZip (*.ZIP), Compactor Pro (*.CPT), UUEncode (*.UU), Tar
(*.TAR) and just about everything else I've run across.  In fact, if
somebody compressed a MacBinary and then uuencoded it, it'll do all three
passes in one step.

I have no connection to Aladdin Systems or to Ray Lau except as a
satisfied customer.


J. Brad Hicks     Internet: mc![e-mail]
X.400: c=US admd=ATTMail prmd=MasterCard sn=Hicks gn=Brad

------------------------------

From: Lynne Gregg <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Is Caller ID to be Mandantory Nationally, April 1995?
Date: Thu, 23 Mar 95 12:49:00 PST


Original post from [e-mail] (Jim Warren)

> "Mark your calendar.  In April, 1995, Caller ID will be a 'done deal,'
> nationwide.  You may or may not have Caller ID service from the phone
> company today.  But in April, every telephone company coast-to-coast
> will be required to offer it, by law.

This is an interesting "interpretation" of the FCC Order.  But, NO,
the FCC did NOT mandate that Caller ID services be made available
everywhere effective 4/12/95.  The FCC DID state in their Order on
Calling Number Services that if a telco is "SS7-capable", they must
transport Calling Party Number (CPN).  With SS7 installed, this alone
does not make a telco capable of CPN transport.

The Order as originally written (3/94), made other assumptions that
were not correct or technologically feasible.  As a result, the FCC
stayed the portion of their Order related to blocking.  The original
Order specified that on interstate calls, the telco could NOT offer
Per Line Blocking.  However, most states require Per Line Blocking as
well as Per Call Blocking.  The FCC only wanted consumers to have Per
Call Blocking (using *67).  The problem the telcos faced was that they
were unable to process interstate calls in a different manner than
intrastate, and as a result, would be either violating state or
federal regulations (they were contrary in most states).  The problem
was exaggerated in the cellular environment, where a "local service
area" can span multiple states.

Recently, McCaw deployed the first true Caller ID service on a cellular
network in its Oregon operation (Cellular One).  In Oregon, digital
(TDMA) subscribers are enjoying this service and both Per Line and Per
Call blocking options are supported.


Regards,

Lynne

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve McKinty - SunSoft ICNC Grenoble)
Subject: Re: X.25/ISDN prices; Global Information Wanted (Ag
Date: 23 Mar 1995 19:03:58 GMT
Organization: SunConnect


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Steve
Cogorno) writes:

> Rishab Aiyer Ghosh said:

>> Someone wrote: [on X.25 over ISDN]:

>>> Rates in the Pacific Bell Service area for data packets are:
>>> .05 CENTS for transaction setup
>>> .005 CENTS per octet of data

>> That works out to about $52 per Mb - is that _cheap_?

> Where did you get this figure? When I calculate it it works out to $3.27 per
> MB.

> 1 MB = 1024K = 1048576 Bytes = 8388608 bits = 65536 octets (1 octet=128 bits)

Nope. In the X.25 world 1 octet = 8 bits (nominally 1 byte, but not
                    all bytes are 8-bit bytes)

> 65536 octets * .005 cents = 327.68 cents = $3.27

x 16 = $52.32


Steve McKinty          Sun Microsystems ICNC
38240 Meylan, France   email: [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Michael Shields)
Subject: Re: X.25/ISDN Prices
Date: 23 Mar 1995 19:18:35 -0000
Organization: Tembel's Hedonic Commune


In article <[e-mail]>,

Testmark Laboratories  <[e-mail]> wrote:

> Actually, there are 16 bits per two byte octet.

Then why is it called an `octet'?


Shields

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Clara Mass)
Subject: Seeking Inexpensive 800 Services
Date: 23 Mar 1995 19:34:39 GMT
Organization: Tallahassee Free-Net


I recently called my local 800 (AT&T) service provider and had a
little chat with them about 800 services.  They gave me a typical
rundown of thier services. $10 setup, $4 a month, $.21 per minute
non-peak, $.28 on peak.  This is fine and dandy.  They also informed
me that it would not be a problem that the 800 number points to my
local rotary service.  Cool.

What is happening is, I am running a Internet Service provider, and
naturely, it would be of great benefit if I could expand out to areas
that don't have internet services (but still deliver good rates).  With
the rates I described above, I will have to charge about $16.00 bucks
a hour just to break even on the call, not to mention the service
fees.  That's a little much; I was hoping from something around the
$3-5 dollars hour.

I have heard that there are third party 800 suppliers, and would like to
look into them.  Does anyone have any comments on these third party
services?  How about some good services to look into?

With the demand that we will carry, it would seem that we could find a
cheaper method, which I could pass on to my users.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, you can get 800 service alot cheaper
than 20-25 cents per minute -- even from the big three -- but generally
you need to commit to purchasing *a lot* of it each month. If you can
produce big time traffic for the carrier, I've seen 800 service priced
as little as $6-7 per hour (10-12 cents per minute with six second billing,
etc) delivered on T-1. Maybe you can get it even cheaper than that, but the
literature I've seen always talked in terms of $10,000 - $30,000 worth
of traffic per month with a commitment for at least a year, sometimes
longer. The price is a bit higher than above, but then once you cross a
certain threshold -- and make prompt payment each month -- discounts kick
in which bring it down to the above range. The so-called third-party
people I've seen all talk in terms of 20-25 cents per minute; they are
getting it cheap enough but want their cut of the action also. You did
not mention the volume of traffic you anticipate, or how far out you
want to stick your own neck waiting for the traffic to materialize -- if
it does -- or how much cash you want to have tied up each month after
you pay the carrier and wait for your customers to pay you, but if you
pull it off right, yeah, I would say you could get 800 very cheaply
and on good terms such as six second billing.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jean Tkacik)
Subject: Re: Northern Telecom Meridian: How Much?
Date: 23 Mar 1995 21:50:55 GMT
Organization: The MathWorks Inc.


Please contact Tac Centre. They are located in Reading, MA. They are
remarketers of Northern Telecom products and will be glad to quote a system
for you.  Please call 617-944-5709 and ask for Jeff Cail, Stephen Saia or
Dave Flannagan. Good Luck.

------------------------------

From: Pubate Satienpoch <[e-mail]>
Subject: Help! Simualation of Burst Transmission
Date: Thu, 23 Mar 1995 13:57:42 -0500
Organization: The George Washington University, Washington DC


Hello,

    I'm Pubate, a graduate student in EE at GWU.  I need some help
about my term project.I take the course Simulation of Communications
System and my professor give me the topic:

    " timing synchronization for burst transmission "

I really have no idea about it, what it means by burst transmission
and what is the purpose for the synchronization of it . I try to
figure out by looking in the library but I can't find any topic
related to this one. Could you give me an idea about that. I think I
might change the topic if I can't  do anything about this one. Would you
please suggest another interesting topic in communications that I can
simulate by the software (either SystemView or SPW) . Or if you have
any experience about this kind of simulation, please give me some
suggestion.

Thank you very much for your help.


Sincerely,

Pubate  Satienpoch

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Timothy Brown)
Subject: Information Wanted on Sites For Technical Help
Date: 23 Mar 1995 20:55:18 GMT
Organization: [MO.NET] Network Ops


Does anyone have a few sites that I can look up technical information on
T1, 56k leased line, etc?  Bandwidth, etc.  Thanks!


Timothy Brown <[e-mail]> | Finger for PGP Key/Resume
Network Operations Team   | -------------------------
User/Systems Support      | Interface Consulting, Inc.
[[phone] Fax]     | 2733 McClay Valley Blvd
[[phone] Pager]   | St. Peters, MO, 63376
P-Net, Inc.               | [http://www.mo.net/~tb]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You can always try the Telecom Archives
accessible using anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu. Everything ever written in
this Digest -- and a lot more -- is there.    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (John E. Brissenden)
Subject: Mitel (200sx) Phone Number Request
Date: 23 Mar 1995 19:48:20 GMT
Organization: Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff AZ, USA


Could some kind soul email me Mitel's phone number.  I need to get the
format of the SMDR output.


Many thanks,

john

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Michael Umansky)
Subject: Tech Information Wanted on Old Brick Cell Phone
Date: 23 Mar 1995 14:50:38 -0600
Organization: Engineering, Convex Computer Corporation, Richardson, Tx USA


Hi,

I have acquired (very cheaply) couple of old broken Motorola brick
cellular phones, one says 'classic' and is very thick (about three
inches), the other says 'ultra classic' and is about 1.5 inches.
Neither has battery but I did get one battery eliminator.  Neither
even powers up.  I took them apart but I think I am way over my head
since everything is (almost) surface mounted and the IC chips have
codes which don't correspond to anything I have seen, except for the
27c512 prom and some 8Kx8 static ram.

Does anyone know what CPU is used in these phones?

Is there a way to get a service manual or schematics for these phones?


Thanks,

Michael Umansky ([e-mail])
Convex Computer Corp; 3000 Waterview Parkway;  Richardson, TX  75080
10541 Sandpiper Lane; Dallas, TX  75230
214-497-4717 (work) 214-739-2461 (home)

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #166
******************************


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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
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To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #167

TELECOM Digest     Fri, 24 Mar 95 09:02:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 167

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    "Communications Decency Act" Update (ACLU Information)
    ISDN Showcase at USC (Cherie Shore)
    BLV Flaw ([e-mail])
    Looking at Data Gate (Gateway) Software ([e-mail])
    T-1 Link (Ryan Khoo)
    Re: Gouging at Pay Phones ([e-mail])
    Re: Can Anyone Recommend a Good T1 Text (Gerald Serviss)
    Re: New NPA in Colorado (Stan Schwartz)
    Re: New NPA in Colorado (Bob Goudreau)
    Re: New NPA in Colorado (Carl Moore)
    Re: Current Status of Caller-ID in CA ([e-mail])
    Re: Telephony Demand Estimates - Any Clues? (Bick Truet)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

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Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
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*************************************************************************
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All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: ACLU Information <[e-mail]>
Date: Thu, 23 Mar 1995 14:45:05 -0500
Subject: "Communications Decency Act" Update


March 23, 1995     A Cyber Liberties Alert from the ACLU

Senate Committee Backs Cyber Censorship, and Imposes Criminal Penalties

WHAT JUST HAPPENED:

    The Senate Commerce Committee adopted late Thursday morning a
modified version of the Exon bill, the so-called "Communications
Decency Act" (originally introduced as Senate Bill 314).  Senator
Slade Gorton (R-WA), who had cosponsored S. 314 with Senator James
Exon (D-NE), proposed the amendment in Exon's absence.  It was adopted
on voice vote as an amendment to the Telecommunications Competition
and Deregulation Act of 1995.

    The amendment would subject on-line users to scrutiny and
criminal penalties if their messages were deemed to be indecent, lewd,
lascivious or filthy -- all communications that are protected by the
Free Speech Guarantees of the First Amendment to the United States
Constitution.  Although protecting children from pornography is its
most often cited rationale, this is really a "bait and switch" with
your rights at stake.  Note that the amendment in fact goes way beyond
child pornorgaphy. It's like the opponents of TV violence who first
said children should be protected and then made "Murder She Wrote"
with Angela Landsbury their number one target.  Or like the censors
who banned "Huckleberry Finn," "Where's Waldo?" and even Webster's
Dictionary (it has "bad" words in it, after all).  The Exon/Gorton
Amendment would invite active interference in the basic speech of
everyone using any telecommunication device -- simply because some
government bureaucrat somewhere thought the speech was indecent or
lascivious.

    All senators on the committee had been informed that the
Exon/Gorton amendment would violate the Constitution, assault the
liberties of net users, stifle development of new technologies (many
of which offer greater choice and control by all users -- including
parents), and spawn expensive litigation -- while not succeeding at
reducing access by children to pornography.  A coalition of civil
liberties organizations -- including the ACLU -- and numerous
commercial companies warned against adopting the Exon/Gorton
amendment, which originally would also have made all online service
providers (in fact, anyone transmitting an offensive message)
criminally liable.

    Some commercial companies offered Exon and Gorton language
exempting themselves from liability while still letting their
subscribers be prosecuted.  Today Senator Gorton said that the
amendment had been modified to exempt those merely "transmitting" the
message.  The amendment would, however, still cover anyone who
originates a message deemed indecent, lascivious etc.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

    1. Contact the senators from your state, and all senators on
the Commerce Commitee expressing your disappointment with Thursday
morning's action.  Thank Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Larry
Pressler (R-SD) for not including the Exon/Gorton amendment in his
proposed bill, and urge him to support action on the Senate floor to
remove the anti-cyber amendment.

    2. Contact your online service providers and ask them what
they have been doing about this Exon/Gorton assault on your liberties.
Some providers are still standing up for your rights; others may not
have.Urge them, not to support any legislation that protects them, but
violates your free speech rights.  Urge them to oppose the modified
Exon/Gorton amendment.

    3.  Contact all the other senators and urge them to support
deletion of the Exon/Gorton amendment when the bill comes to the
Senate floor.

    4.  Stay tuned for further information and action items for
both House and Senate.

    The American Civil Liberties Union is a nationwide,
nonpartisan organization of over 275,000 members.  Now in its 75th
year, the ACLU is devoted exclusively to protecting the civil
liberties guaranteed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights,
whereever these liberties are at risk -- in a bookstore, in school, on
the street, in cyberspace, wherever.  The ACLU does this through
legislative action, public education and litigation.

                   ----------------------

Send your letter by e-mail, fax, or snail mail to:

Senator Larry Pressler, S.D.
Chairman, Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
SR-254 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-6125
[phone] (phone)
[phone] (fax of Commerce Committee)
e-mail: [e-mail]

To maximize the impact of your letter, you should also write to the
members of the Senate Commerce Committee and to your own Senators.

Majority Members of the Senate Commerce Committee:

Senator Bob Packwood, Ore.
SR-259 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-3702
[phone] (phone)
[phone] (fax)

Senator Ted Stevens, Alaska
SH-522 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-0201
[phone] (phone)
[phone] (fax)

Senator John McCain, Ariz.
SR-111 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-0303
[phone] (phone)
[phone] (fax)

Senator Conrad Burns, Mont.
SD-183 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-2603
[phone] (phone)
[phone] (fax)

Senator Slade Gorton, Wash.
SH-730 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-4701
[phone] (phone)
[phone] (fax)
e-mail:  [e-mail]

Senator Trent Lott, Miss.
SR-487 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-2403
[phone] (phone)
[phone] (fax)

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Tex.
SH-703 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-4303
[phone] (phone)
[phone] (fax)
e-mail:  [e-mail]

Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Maine
SR-174 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-1903
[phone] (phone)
[phone] (fax)

Senator John Ashcroft, Mo.
SH-705 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-2504
[phone] (phone)
[phone]

Minority Members of the Senate Commerce Committee
-------------------------------------------------
Senator Ernest F. Hollings, S.C.
SR-125 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-4002
[phone] (phone)
[phone] (fax)

Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Hawaii
SH-772 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-1102
[phone] (phone)
[phone] (fax)

Senator Wendell H. Ford, Ky.
SR-173A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-1701
[phone] (phone)
[phone] (fax)
e-mail:  [e-mail]

Senator J. James Exon, Neb.
SH-528 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-2702
[phone] (phone)
[phone] (fax)

Senator John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, W. Va.
SH-109 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-4802
[phone] (phone)
[phone] (fax)

Senator John F. Kerry, Mass.
SR-421 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-2102
[phone] (phone)
[phone] (fax)

Senator John B. Breaux, La
SH-516 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-1803
[phone] (phone)
[phone] (fax)

Senator Richard H. Bryan, Nev.
SR-364 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-2804
[phone] (phone)
[phone] (fax)

Senator Byron L. Dorgan, N.D.
SH-713 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC  20510-3405
[phone] (phone)
[phone] (fax)

You can also write or fax your own Senator at:

The Honorable ______________________
U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510

Senate directories including fax numbers may be found at:

gopher://ftp.senate.gov:70
gopher://una.hh.lib.umich.edu:70/0/socsci/polscilaw/uslegi


Additional information about the ACLU's position on this issue and others
affecting civil liberties online and elsewhere may be found at:

gopher:\\aclu.org:6601
OR request our FAQ at [e-mail]


ACLU Free Reading Room  |  American Civil Liberties Union
gopher://aclu.org:6601  | 132 W. 43rd Street, NY, NY 10036
mailto:[e-mail]|    "Eternal vigilance is the
ftp://ftp.pipeline.com  |         price of liberty"

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Cherie Shore)
Subject: ISDN Showcase at USC
Date: 24 Mar 1995 06:01:35 GMT
Organization: Pacific Bell


We are pleased to invite you to an ISDN Showcase sponsored by USC
Telecommunication Services, to be held on April 13.  We will show the
broad range of ISDN's capabilities, including:

Desktop videoconferencing
Remote LAN access
Internet access
Telecommuting solutions
Remote Image Telemedicine

The following vendors of ISDN products and services will participate
in this event, designed to present you with a wide range of ISDN
options.  Each vendor will demonstrate their ISDN technology, in
an environment which invites informative comparisons.  This list
includes local and long distance ISDN carriers, hardware
manufacturers, system integrators and Internet service providers:

AT&T
Ascend
ACE
ADAK
Adtran
Combinet
ComNet
Data General
Digiboard
Digilink Gandalf
Graybar Electronics
GTE
Helfrich Co.
IBM
IMA
Intel
ISDN*tek
MCI
Motorola
Network Express
Northern Telecom
OSI
Pacific Bell
PictureTel
Sun Microsystems
3COM
Vivo Software
YasCo

The ISDN Showcase will be held on the USC campus, at the Davidson
Conference Center, which is located at 3415 S. Figueroa St (the corner
of Jefferson and Figueroa) in Los Angeles.  Ample parking is available
at the Shrine Auditorium.  Exhibits will be open from 10am until 4pm.
This event is in trade show format; no reservations required.

For more information, please call (213) 743-ISDN.


Cherie Shore    [e-mail]
ISDN Technology Manager, PacBell

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Hoffman)
Subject: BLV Flaw
Date: 23 Mar 1995 22:52:19 -0500
Organization: LI Net (Long Island Network)


Forgive my ignorance perhaps in asking this question. I am but a mere
amateur in the study of telephones, and its sort of a hobby of mine, so
I can't always verify the accuracy of the information that I read.

My question is I've read of the BLV (Busy Line Verification) flaw in
the past, and supposedly it could theoretically allow someone to drop
the trunk into somebody's conversation quite discreetly. Supposedly
according to an old telecom newsletter that I have, phone phreaks
could possibly be able to access this fuction. Is their any validity
to this?  What version of ESS was effected by this?  What would be the
exact steps involved in exposing this flaw?  When was it fixed?

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dreamer)
Subject: Looking Into Data Gate (Gateway) Software
Date: 24 Mar 1995 05:25:07 GMT


I am in the market for a software which has following functionality:

1. standard comm. clients (drivers), such as driver for LU6.2
   driver for 3270
2. standard data translation: translate data from one protocol to another.
3. transaction log
4. real time
5. priority queuing
6. status monitoring
7. audit log
8. SNMP alert generation
9. backup (fault tolerance)
10. response time monitoring

This software connects to different LAN and computers which using
different protocols. It routes and track transactions between LAN and
computers.  If you have any similar product, please let me know.


Dreamer, [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ryan Khoo)
Subject: T-1 Link
Date: 24 Mar 1995 10:05:16 GMT
Organization: The University of Western Australia


I would like to obtain prices for T-1 links from the USA to Australia.

Could any telecomuter help me?

One, three and five years terms ...

Popsite is in LA 305253 or Chicago 312248.

Please email to me the terms and pricing.  The Australian end will be
in the central business district.


Regards,


Ryan


------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 13:20:04 UTC
Subject: Re: Gouging at Pay Phones


[e-mail] (jgooch) wrote:

> In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (JohnWPan)
> says:

>> Being an experienced traveler, I thought I knew all the tricks.  Alas,
>> but no.  I was stumped vacationing in FL.

>> Finally, I dialed my carrier's human operator, and was able to talk my
>> way through a credit card call.  However, the dial pad was still
>> disabled so I could not access my voice mail.

>> Years ago, I used to carry a DTMF generator with me.  I have to do
>> that now, again.  Ah progress.

> The RBOCS are buying smartphones from TSG Inc. and others.  They have
> fraud prevention that doesn't even allow DTMF from the handset. Don't
> be surprised if your hand-held doesn't work either.


> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Is that what it is going to come to,
> that we have to give up our voice mail and our call back services and
> whatever so the RBOCs can continue their fight against fraud?  You're
> saying even Genuine Bell payphones won't be something we can rely on
> much longer?    PAT]

Any phone that won't transmit DTMF from the handset is clearly defective.
Defective phones can be fixed with a bit of epoxy.  It may take a few
treatments, but eventually the equipment starts working as God and
Alexander Graham Bell intended.

I guess one won't be able to use a modem with these phones either.

I guess you can see why I'm posting this anonymously!


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Yeah, I guess I can see why you are posting
it anonymously. Either the equipment starts working correctly or else its
owners take it out entirely, eh?  So the ninety percent of the American
public who has never heard of voicemail, and the ninety-five percent or so
who don't have it or need to retrieve anything from it get punished as
well by having the one payphone in their neighborhood which formerly had
been operated by Bell replaced by a COCOT. I can see your point though.
It does make you kind of angry.    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gerald Serviss)
Subject: Re: Can Anyone Recommend a Good T1 Text
Date: 24 Mar 1995 14:07:19 GMT
Organization: Cellular Infrastructure Group, Motorola


In article <[e-mail]>, David M. Meyer <meyer@frostbite-
falls.uoregon.edu> wrote:

> Can anyone recommend a good textbook on T1?

I have found the text:

    "The Guide to T-1 Networking"
    William A. Flanagan
    4th edition, copy 1990
    ISBN 0-936648-26-0

I have found it to be a useful and very readable introduction to the subject.
It has answered most if not all of my questions.

It is published by Telecom Library Inc.
1-800-999-0345


Jerry Serviss      Motorola Inc    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Stan Schwartz)
Subject: Re: New NPA in Colorado
Date: 23 Mar 1995 22:47:47 -0500
Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC


Peter Laws ([e-mail]) wrote:

> [e-mail] (Stan Schwartz) writes:

>> Yes, it was announced in September that the 303 NPA was splitting, leaving
>> 303 for Denver and 970 for everywhere else that is not already 719.

> I assume that the switches can differentiate between 970 (the NPA) and 970
> (the chat line) ... or is that no longer used?

The 970 lines are still used in the NY Metro area.  However, dialing
970-XXXX from within the 516 NPA as opposed to dialing 1-970-NXX-XXXX
is the same as the difference between dialing 334-XXXX and 1-334-NXX-XXXX.
It's not so much that the switches need to be re-programmed as the PBX's that
now block 970 calls.

Does anyone know if there is a method to the madness in selecting the
new NPA's?  Originally it was based on the number of 'pulls' and the
last few in the N10/N1X series were whatever was left.  It almost
seems random.  You would think that they would stay away from 97X and
5XX, given the number of premium-charged services with similarly
numbered prefixes.  Sheesh!


Stan


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: *Is there* any method to the madness now?
Does anyone know of any formula pr process used to select the numbers
being assigned as the new area codes?  We all know how 212, 213, 312, 313
and others in that range came to be selected: in the rotary dial era
those were the ones with the shortest number of 'pulls' and they were
assigned to the major cities on the assumption most calls would go to
those places. What about now?  Is it just random, or do telcos request
certain codes in the same way subscribers request vanity numbers?  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 23 Mar 1995 15:48:53 -0500
From: [e-mail] (Bob Goudreau)
Subject: Re: New NPA in Colorado


[e-mail] (Peter Laws) writes:

> I assume that the switches can differentiate between 970 (the NPA)
> and 970 (the chat line) ... or is that no longer used?

I assume you mean the premium 970 exchange present in some NPAs, where
it is similar in function to the 976 exchange.  There's nothing
preventing any NPA from continuing to use 970 as an exchange.
Eight-digit dialing (e.g., 1-970-XXXX) went away earlier this year in
those places that required it, so local 970 numbers now have to be
dialed as either 970-XXXX or as 1-NPA-970-XXXX.  Ask your local telco
to find out which dialing plan applies to your area.


Bob Goudreau            Data General Corporation
[e-mail]        62 Alexander Drive
[phone]            Research Triangle Park, NC  27709, USA

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 23 Mar 95 14:18:54 EST
From: Carl Moore <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: New NPA in Colorado


[e-mail] writes about a 970 chat line.  So where is it and
how is it dialed?

There should NOT be any ambiguity.  For one thing, the history file,
which I have continued to update, has dealt with changes in dialing
instructions which were made necessary by the coming of these
generalized area codes.  Long distance to points in the new 970 area
would be 1-970-xxx-xxxx, even within that area code.

Non-telephone-company equipment could be troublesome in this regard,
however.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (HiHoSteveo)
Subject: Current Status of Caller-ID in CA
Date: 23 Mar 1995 13:31:11 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (HiHoSteveo)


For those of you who may have endured my prior note(s) on the subject,
I said the FCC interstate order was being reconsidered. A ruling was
expected last Fall. Last Friday 3-17, the FCC formally suspended the
meaningless "effective date" of 4-12 (since it is rapidly approaching),
and stayed a decision indefinitely -- didn't even try to set a date.

Adios CLID in CA.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (BickTRG)
Subject: Re: Telephony Demand Estimates - Any Clues?
Date: 24 Mar 1995 09:38:45 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (BickTRG)


When looking at demand estimates, keep the following issues in mind:

1.  Can the technology (in this case available bandwidth) support the
demand?  In some US markets, we've seen that -- without further
multiplexing -- PCS (GSM) can support 20% of the POPs (200/1,000).  There
should be a ceiling there (at least near term).

2.  The "80% interesteds" are just that ... interested.  But, adoption
is another story.  Take into account TALC (Technology Adoption Life
Cycle) which suggests a 1-2% share initially (innovators), another 10%
subsequently (early adopters) and then, with a herculean effort,
migration into mainstream markets (at best...another 30-40%).  Prior
to migration into mainstream markets there will be a big consolidation
of carriers (just to garner the resources & bucks necessary to
successfully stimulate adoption among mainstreamers which are
classically "attacked" one market segment at a time).

3.  I think the Swedish statistic (9.8%), without seeing how
collected/analyzed, etc.  but from a structural perspective, is the
most realistic.  9.8% would assume 100% share of innovators and most
early adopters.  Mainstreamers are always a gamble but will jump in at
some point.  They are risk averse, however, and while the time line
moves fwd, innovators and early adopters may have already jumped into
a newer technology.

4.  In the U.S., our "rule of thumb" for PCS is a 10-15% adoption rate
near term (eg., three years).  After that, god only knows.

I hope this information helps.  Please feel free to message me if you
have any questions or comments.


Bick Truet     New Technologies Productization
Technologies Research Group, Inc.
44 Old Route 22    Clinton, NJ  08809
[e-mail]    908.730.9050

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #167
******************************


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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
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Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #168

TELECOM Digest     Fri, 24 Mar 95 13:11:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 168

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    PBX Managers in NANP Denial (Greg Monti)
    SC Internet Real Estate Guide (Brian Moura)
    Internet GURU Needed! ([e-mail])
    Data Communication With GSM ([e-mail])
    Cell Fraud Hotline Established (Greg Monti)
    Guilty Plea in Computer Pornography Case (TELECOM Digest Editor)
    Re: Why Doesn't Zmodem Work? (Chuck A. Forsberg)
    Re: Tech Information Wanted on Old Brick Cell Phone (Richard L. Barnaby)
    Re: Can Anyone Recommend a Good T1 Text (Brian Brown)
    Re: Caller-ID Specs (David Goessling)
    Re: CDPD vs Ckt Cell Data UPDATE (Richard Kenshalo)
    Song: The Day the Bell System Died (Lauren Weinstein/Telecom Archives)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
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                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
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  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

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*************************************************************************
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*************************************************************************

Additionally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such
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All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 12:01:37 EST
From: Greg Monti <[e-mail]>
Subject: PBX Managers in NANP Denial


The newsletter {Communications Daily} reported in its March 24,
1995, issue that Bellcore officials are taking PBX managers to
task for failing to keep up with the new style of area codes in
North America.

Ron Conners, director of the numbering plan, said at the Supercomm '95
conference in California that many PBXs have not been upgraded to
allow the new Alabama 334, Washington 360 and Arizona 520 area codes
to be reached.  In most cases, users have complained to the serving
local operating company when they should be complaining to their PBX
managers.  Apparently, switches manufactured before 1993 are the ones
that largely don't support the new area codes without upgrades.

PBX managers are resisting upgrading their switches, the story says,
because they don't want to spend the money and because they feel that
the new area codes are in remote areas of the country that their users
would not call much anyway.

"People are in denial," said Conners.

The story notes that customers in Alabama and Washington caused an
"avalanche" of complaint calls because their "phones suddenly went
silent."  I can't explain this since we are still in the permissive
dialing period for these places.

US West, which serves most of Washington, announced that it would
begin assigning duplicate prefixes in the 206 and 360 area codes TWO
WEEKS after permissive dilaing ends because the shortage of numbers is
acute.

The story reviews upcoming or in-progress area code additions:
Colorado, existing code 303, new code 970
Texas, 713, 281
Florida, 813, 941
Connecticut, 203, 860
Illinois 708, 630
Virginia, 703, 540
Tennessee, 615, 423
Georgia, 404, 770
South Carolina, 803, new code not given, but we know it's 864
Missouri, existing code not given, but I'll bet it's 314
Oregon, 503, new code not given
Florida, 904, new code not given

For the remainder of the century, Bellcore predicts new area
codes in:

Ohio, existing code not given, but I'll bet it's 216
Minnestoa, existing code not given, but I'll bet it's 612
California, 619
Texas, 817
Texas, 210
California, 213
Louisiana, 318
British Columbia, 604
Missouri, 816
plus ten more splits beyond these before December 31, 2000.


Greg Monti, Tech Mgr, FISPO, Distribution Division
National Public Radio          Phone:    [phone]
635 Massachusetts Av NW        Fax:      [phone]
Washington, DC  20001-3753     Internet: [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Greg, it was the same thing years ago
when telcos first started using prefixes of the form X0/1X or XX0
or X00. The PBX guys denied it, refused to deal with it as long as
they could, and made service very difficult for many users. I recall
a case of a large store in downtown Chicago for whom I did some
part time work on a contract basis for quite a few years. I reported
the inability to get calls out to such an exchange. I reported it
various times. The guy who took care of the PBX would do nothing about
it ... said there was 'no reason to call that exchange, anyway'. I had
voicemail at the time on that exchange, so my answer was to delete
any and all references to my home phone number from the records of
those who needed it, and leave my voicemail/pager number instead as my
contact instead. I guessed it would be just a matter of time ... sure
enough about a month later they wanted to call me one day to ask for
something. Three different people in the department spent the better
part of two hours trying to reach me. They finally gave up and went to
a payphone nearby.  The next day the PBX had been adjusted.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: 24 Mar 95 11:06:24 EST
From: Brian Moura <[e-mail]>
Subject: SC Internet Real Estate Guide


            CITY OF SAN CARLOS
               Press Release


For More Information, Contact:

Brian Moura, Assistant City Manager [phone]
Internet e-mail: [e-mail]
Internet web server: http://www.abag.ca.gov/abag/
local_gov/city/san_carlos/schome.html.

For Release 9:00 A.M.
March 10, 1995

        SAN CARLOS ANNOUNCES INTERNET REAL ESTATE GUIDE
             On Line Restaurant Guide Also Enhanced

    SAN CARLOS, CA -- March 10, 1995 -- The City of San Carlos
announced today a new service on its Internet server called "The San
Carlos Real Estate Guide."  This is an area on the Citys "San Carlos
On Internet" service that provides information on housing projects
being built by the San Carlos Redevelopment Agency, property available
for lease in the San Carlos portion of Redwood Shores for two
restaurants, a point and click guide to houses for sale in San Carlos
and information on real estate agents in San Carlos.

    The information in the San Carlos Real Estate Guide on City
housing projects has been compiled by the San Carlos Redevelopment
Agency.  The other information has been taken from material placed on
the Internet by local realtors from Coldwell Banker, Cornish & Carey
and Re/Max.

    By combining the information in an easy index, San Carlos
residents and firms and potential San Carlos residents and businesses
can quickly find out about housing and commercial properties in San
Carlos.

    Mayor Kevin Kelly said that "San Carlos has received many
calls and letters complimenting us on our vision to be one of the
first cities in the country to use the Internet to keep the public
informed about City services.  The next step in this process is to use
our presence on the Internet to make businesses in San Carlos more
successful. The new San Carlos Real Estate Guide on the Internet is a
great step in this direction."

    City Manager Michael Garvey noted that "We have been offering
businesses in San Carlos who are on the Internets 'World Wide Web' a
free listing on the City Internet Web area.  To date, four San Carlos
businesses -- Bay Area Model Mugging (womens self defense training),
Friendly Software Store, Library Solutions Press and Salvatores
Restaurant -- have taken us up on this free offer.  Opening the San
Carlos Real Estate Guide provides a similar opportunity for realtors
and property owners in San Carlos.  Im looking forward to seeing how
this program helps stimulate the business and real estate markets in
San Carlos."

    Assistant City Manager Brian Moura added that "Our San Carlos
on Internet project is now attracting over 1,000 users and over 3,000
document requests per month.  With that much activity, adding
information about firms doing business in San Carlos is a natural
extension of our Internet project and we trust that San Carlos
citizens and other users of the Internet will find these new services
of interest."


San Carlos Restaurant Guide on Internet Enhanced
================================================

    The City also announced that it has enhanced it's on line
guide to San Carlos Restaurants.  The guide now includes reviews of
eight San Carlos restaurants, an index to the on-line edition of
Salvatores Restaurant (this features the lunch and dinner menu at
Salvatores) and the new Internet ordering service at Cafe LaTosca
where users of the Internet can now order authentic Italian dishes
from this popular restaurant in downtown San Carlos simply by calling
up an on-line menu and filling out their selections.

    Note: The City of San Carlos on Internet information is
available on the Internets World Wide Web service.  This information
can be accessed through any Internet service provider or through the
Prodigy dial-up service (using the Jump words "WWW" or "Web").  The
San Carlos On Internet address is:
http://www.abag.ca.gov/abag/local_gov/city/san_carlos/schome.html.
The City Hall mail box on the Internet is at [e-mail].

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (ATLANTIC12)
Subject: Internet GURU needed!
Date: 24 Mar 1995 10:59:03 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (ATLANTIC12)


Telecommunications provider seeks part-time researcher/representative
with extensive INTERNET experience and familiarity.  A working
knowledge of the TELECOM industry and issues is required.

*  Flexible hours;

*  Salary commensurate with experience;

*  Excellent INTERNET skills and creativity a must;

*  Knowledge of the TELECOM industry is needed;

*  Experience in telecommunications and international trade issues a
definite plus.

For more information, please respond by e-mail including a brief
background.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (PRAC)
Subject: Data Communication With GSM
Date: 24 Mar 1995 16:07:13 GMT
Organization: Universitat de les Illes Balears


Hallo!

I am a student girl. I am from Spain and I study computer science in
University of Balearic Islands (Spain).  Please, please.... help me. I
need information about GSM (Global System for Mobile Communication).
I will be very pleased, and I will be very happy.

My E-mail is     [e-mail]


Carmen

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 11:58:15 EST
From: Greg Monti <[e-mail]>
Subject: Cell Fraud Hotline Established


The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association's Fraud Task
Force has established a hot line mailbox on the Internet for
reporting illegal wireless phone activity.

Drop a dime on your favorite cellular hacker at:

     [e-mail].


Greg Monti, Tech Mgr, FISPO, Distribution Division
National Public Radio          Phone:    [phone]
635 Massachusetts Av NW        Fax:      [phone]
Washington, DC  20001-3753     Internet: [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I assume the mailbox itself along with
twm.com are well protected against intrusions and hacking ... one of
the telcos once started a voicemail thing where people could leave
anonymous messages about phone phreaks. Before long, that voicemail
box was defaced, and telco itself got hacked and phreaked for a
bundle via some hole in the voicemail they forgot to plug up. Maybe
the cellular folks will have better luck with theirs.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest Editor)
Subject: Guilty Plea in Computer Pornography Case
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 12:10:00 CST


The net has been saved once again from the pornographers.

In the first computer pornography case in Illinois, Raymond F.
Netupski, 32 of Des Plaines pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges.
Netupski was charged after a woman complained that her son got
sexually explicit graphics from a computer bulletin board. Prosecutors
alleged Neptuski posted the sex pictures on the bulletin board to
which the boy had access.

Based on his plea of guilty, the court found Netupski guilty, and
he was sentenced on Wednesday to two year's probation, 200 hours
of community service, and psychiatric treatment.  Ummm .. that should
do him a world of good, I'm sure.


PAT

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Why Doesn't Zmodem Work?
Organization: Omen Technology INC, Portland Rain Forest
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 15:44:23 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(Robert Levandowski) writes:

> optimizing; you might try and get a copy of "Kermit News" No. 5 (July
> 1993) from Columbia University.  That issue has an article on
> optimizing Kermit, and documents Kermit transferring a MS-DOS binary
> file via a v.42bis modem at 569% efficiency (8192 cps).  The issue
> gives an Ordering Information phone number: [phone].

There they go again.

The "True Life Benchmarks" in that issue of Kermit News leave much to
be desired in reproducibility or even logical plausibility.  For a
second opinion please download and read knewstru.zip from ftp:
ftp.cs.pdx.edu pub/zmodem or TeleGodzilla.


Chuck Forsberg WA7KGX [e-mail]      503-621-3406 FAX:-3735
   Omen Technology Inc      "The High Reliability Software"
Author of YMODEM, ZMODEM, Professional-YAM, ZCOMM, GSZ and DSZ
TeleGodzilla BBS: 503-621-3746  FTP: ftp.cs.pdx.edu pub/zmodem

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Richard L Barnaby)
Subject: Re: Tech Information Wanted on Old Brick Cell Phone
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 16:21:53 GMT


[e-mail] (Michael Umansky) writes:

> I have acquired (very cheaply) couple of old broken Motorola brick
> cellular phones, one says 'classic' and is very thick (about three
> Is there a way to get a service manual or schematics for these phones?

Michael,

Have you tried calling Motorola?  Although the phones are "old" I
believe they are still sold and maintained.  I own one, and was able
to get parts from a regular Motorola Dealer.

Just so you know, there are those of us who *prefer* "the brick"
because it is rugged, and don't mind the extra weight.  Both phones are
quite good.  If you got them cheaply you got a real "Classic" or
"Ultra Classic" as the case might be :-)


[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Brian Brown)
Subject: Re: Can Anyone Recommend a Good T1 Text
Date: 24 Mar 1995 16:31:10 GMT
Organization: Colorado SuperNet, Inc.


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail].
edu (David M. Meyer) writes:

> Can anyone recommend a good textbook on T1?

Flanagan, William A.: _The Guide to T-1 Networking_, 1990 (the copy
I have), Telecom Library, Inc. NY,NY - 1-800-999-0345.

I am in no way affiliated with them.  Not a bad book though.


BB

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Organization: Strategic Services of KPMG Peat Marwick
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 11:38:15 EST
Subject: Re: Caller ID Specs


I think that the following Bellcore specs from the Bellcore Catalog of
Tech Specs should answer most questions on this topic. You can order
them by calling 1-800-521-2673. You can also search them yourself at
the Bellcore internet Web site: bellcore.com.

TR-NWT-000031 CLASS Feature: Calling Number Delivery FSD 01-02-1051 ($28.00)

TR-NWT-001273 Generic Requirements for an SPCS to Customer Premises
Equipment Data Interface for Analog Display Services ($70.00)

SR-NWT-002024 Customer Premises Equipment Compatibility Considerations for the
SPCS-to-CPE Transmission Interface ($23.00)

SR-INS-002461 Customer Premises Equipment Compatibility Guidelines for the
Analog Display Services Interface ($64.00)

TR-TSY-000030 SPCS Customer Premises Equipment Data Interface

SR-NWT-002495 Guidelines for Writing Applications WHich Use the Analog
Display Services Interface (ADSI) for Data Communications ($75.00)

SR-TSV-002697 An Encryption Capability for the Analog Display Service
Interface ($46.00)

There are also numerous BOC specs listed in the Bellcore Catalog of Tech Specs
including:

AM TR-NIS-000099 Ameritech's Caller ID, CAller ID with Name and Visual Messgae
Waiting Indicator ($6.00)


DMG

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 09:08:38 -0800
From: RICHARD M KENSHALO <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: CDPD vs Ckt Cell Data UPDATE


> Just a note, perhaps a nit -- my understanding of the term baud is
> that it refers to the rate of modulations or signal changes per
> second, rather than the number of bits per second.  In other words,
> the baud rate is always equal to or less than the bit per second rate.

Modulation protocols use phase and amplitude modulation to encode
a certain number of bits (i.e. two, four, six, etc.) per baud symbol.

A CCITT V.22bis (2400 bps International Standard) modem sends four bits
per symbol and 600 symbols per second to achieve its speed of 2400 bits
per second.  The V.32 modem sends four bits per symbol and 2400 symbols
per second to reach its speed of 9600 bits per second.  The V.32bis
modem sends six bits per symbol and 2400 symbols per second to achieve
14.4K bits per second.  Thus, higher digital computer speeds use
increasingly complex modulation protocols for the same symbol rate.
Loop symbol rate is the baud rate that occurs on the physical loop,
analog side, of the Public Switched Telephone Network.


Richard Kenshalo     [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: TELECOM Digest Editor <[e-mail]>
Subject: Song: The Day the Bell System Died
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 12:45:00 CST


Now and again a request comes along to reprint one of the classics we
have had here over the years, and one such example is "The Day the
Bell System Died" by Lauren Weinstein. This originally appeared in
TELECOM Digest almost twelve years ago -- July 12, 1983 to be exact --
about six months after AT&T and the various Bell Companies parted
company.

I know the thousand plus new people on the mailing list in the past
year have probably not seen this, so here it is.  Lauren is a 'charter
subscriber' to the Digest; he is one of the original names on the
mailing list from August, 1981. Since we do not hear from him nearly
enough these days, now and then I re-run his song. *DO NOT* write to
Lauren at the address shown; it has been out of service for years.


PAT


  From: Lauren Weinstein <vortex!lauren@LBL-CSAM>
  Subject: "The Day Bell System Died"
  Date: Tuesday 12-Jul-83 01:18:19-PDT
  To: TELECOM@ECLB

Greetings.  With the massive changes now taking place in the
telecommunications industry, we're all being inundated with
seemingly endless news items and points of information regarding
the various effects now beginning to take place.  However, one
important element has been missing: a song!  Since the great
Tom Lehrer has retired from the composing world, I will now
attempt to fill this void with my own light-hearted, non-serious
look at a possible future of telecommunications.  This work is
entirely satirical, and none of its lyrics are meant to be
interpreted in a non-satirical manner.  The song should be sung
to the tune of Don Mclean's classic "American Pie".
I call my version "The Day Bell System Died"...

 --Lauren--

**************************************************************************

           *==================================*
           * Notice: This is a satirical work *
           *==================================*


                    "The Day Bell System Died"


              Lyrics Copyright (C) 1983 by Lauren Weinstein

                      (To the tune of "American Pie")

             (With apologies to Don McLean)


  ARPA: vortex!lauren@LBL-CSAM
  UUCP: {decvax, ihnp4, harpo, ucbvax!lbl-csam, randvax}!vortex!lauren

**************************************************************************

Long, long, time ago,
I can still remember,
When the local calls were "free".
And I knew if I paid my bill,
And never wished them any ill,
That the phone company would let me be...

But Uncle Sam said he knew better,
Split 'em up, for all and ever!
We'll foster competition:
It's good capital-ism!

I can't remember if I cried,
When my phone bill first tripled in size.
But something touched me deep inside,
The day... Bell System... died.

And we were singing...

Bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die?
We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI,
"Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry.
Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die?
Ma Bell why did you have to die?

Is your office Step by Step,
Or have you gotten some Crossbar yet?
Everybody used to ask...
Oh, is TSPS coming soon?
IDDD will be a boon!
And, I hope to get a Touch-Tone phone, real soon...

The color phones are really neat,
And direct dialing can't be beat!
My area code is "low":
The prestige way to go!

Oh, they just raised phone booths to a dime!
Well, I suppose it's about time.
I remember how the payphones chimed,
The day... Bell System... died.

And we were singing...

Bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die?
We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI,
"Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry.
Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die?
Ma Bell why did you have to die?

Back then we were all at one rate,
Phone installs didn't cause debate,
About who'd put which wire where...
Installers came right out to you,
No "phone stores" with their ballyhoo,
And 411 was free, seemed very fair!

But FCC wanted it seems,
To let others skim long-distance creams,
No matter 'bout the locals,
They're mostly all just yokels!

And so one day it came to pass,
That the great Bell System did collapse,
In rubble now, we all do mass,
The day... Bell System... died.

So bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die?
We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI,
"Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry.
Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die?
Ma Bell why did you have to die?

I drove on out to Murray Hill,
To see Bell Labs, some time to kill,
But the sign there said the Labs were gone.
I went back to my old CO,
Where I'd had my phone lines, years ago,
But it was empty, dark, and ever so forlorn...

No relays pulsed,
No data crooned,
No MF tones did play their tunes,
There wasn't a word spoken,
All carrier paths were broken...

And so that's how it all occurred,
Microwave horns just nests for birds,
Everything became so absurd,
The day... Bell System... died.

So bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die?
We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI,
"Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry.
Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die?
Ma Bell why did you have to die?

We were singing:

Bye, bye, Ma Bell, why did you die?
We get static from Sprint and echo from MCI,
"Our local calls have us in hock!" we all cry.
Oh Ma Bell why did you have to die?

<End>

                   --------------------------

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: As always, thank you Lauren. This Digest
began in the summer of 1981; when there was a "Bell System", and when
most people had never heard of MCI or Sprint -- not even some of our
very early readers here. There was no such thing as custom calling or
ESS; issues of the Digest in the early to middle 1980's talk about things
like the beginning of cellular phone service in 1983, the beginning of
new long distance competitors like MCI and Sprint, and how Electronic
Switching -- still a rarity in the early 1980's -- was the phone service
of the future, with such amazing things as call waiting, three way calling
and call forwarding. Debates here in those days covered topics like whether
or not there was such a thing as caller-id or if it was just the figment
of some people's imagination.  TELECOM Digest is the oldest continuing
e-journal on the Internet, and those of you who have been here since the
beginning know we have covered a lot of ground over the years. In those
days it was easy; today it is a lot harder, which is what makes your
support all the more appreciated. You know what needs to be done, and
as always I thank you.   Do have a great weekend!      PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #168
******************************


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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #169

TELECOM Digest     Fri, 24 Mar 95 23:16:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 169

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Book Review: "The Information Superhighway: Beyond the Internet" (R Slade)
    800 Numbers, and FLOWERS Again (Judith Oppenheimer)
    Outsourcing of International Telecom Services (Victor Prochnik)
    Re: Your 500 Number and International Access (Tony Harminc)
    Re: X.25/ISDN Prices: Global Information Wanted (Andy Lochridge)
    Re: Interesting Telemarketing, Sad Actually (William Wood)
    Re: Keypad Letter Pattern (was Re: U.S. 800 Users Alert) (Mark Brader)
    Re: Recommendations Wanted on Voice Mail Systems (Paul Hanson)
    New Area Code Assignments (Neal McLain)
    800 Service Costs and ISDN Rates (Arthur Greenwald)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

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*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such
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All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 13:31:44 EST
From: Rob Slade <[e-mail]>
Subject: Book Review: "The Information Superhighway: Beyond the Internet"


BKINFSUP.RVW   950224

"The Information Superhighway: Beyond the Internet", Peter Otte, 1994, 1-56529-
825-X, U$19.99/C$26.99
%A   Peter Otte
%C   201 W. 103rd Street, Indianapolis, IN   46290
%D   1994
%G   1-56529-825-X
%I   Que Corporation
%O   U$19.99/C$26.99 800-858-7674 [e-mail] 317-581-3743
%P   241
%T   "The Information Superhighway: Beyond the Internet"

The "Information Superhighway" is a political and promotional catch
phrase.  The reality behind it is the National Information
Infrastructure, the intent of which is to promote advantages to
American business through advanced technology.  A number of actions,
promotions, bills, and proposals are said to be related to the NII;
the most frequently cited is "The High-Performance Computing Act of
1991".  (It is one of the ironies of this work that the author has
chosen to make his home in Amsterdam.)

This book is an opinion piece, told by a professional "gee-whizzer",
full of verbiage and vendor promotions, signifying nothing.  The
author introduces the book by suggesting that it is best read as nine
magazine articles.  It certainly doesn't have enough structure for a
book: even the individual chapters are undisciplined and disorganized.
In common with most of those who rhapsodize over the Information
Superhighway, Otte has very little idea of what he wants it to
be -- just exciting, and high tech, seems to be enough.

For those who have any professional background in the broader field of
information technology, there will be nothing of any interest here.
Ah, but what of the poor "struggling masses"?  There isn't much for
them, here, either.  Chapter four, on "Computing Tools", is an
extremely simplistic introduction to PCs and peripherals.  "Multimedia
Online Services" is a flat-out advertisement for CompuServe, America
OnLine and Prodigy.  Errors abound, and it is *quite* clear that this
author does *not* have a solid grasp of technology.  The need for
"repeaters" on long distance phone lines would be eliminated if they
would just use EtherNet (maximum run length, five hundred metres).
PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) are predicted to be shipping "in
volume" by the time the book sees print.  XCOPY is a backup program.
Multimedia is hyped for eighteen pages -- and then Mosaic is dismissed
in half a paragraph, as a "front end" for the Internet, much like
WinCIM for CompuServe.  I could, very easily, go on.

No, I can't even recommend it for newbies.  This presents a barely informed,
distorted, and "blue sky" view of future technology.


copyright Robert M. Slade, 1995   BKINFSUP.RVW   950224. Distribution
permitted in TELECOM Digest and associated publications. Rob Slade's book
reviews are a regular feature in the Digest.


Vancouver      [e-mail]
Institute for  [e-mail]
Research into  [e-mail]
User           [e-mail]
Security       Canada V7K 2G6

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Judith Oppenheimer)
Subject: 800 Numbers, and FLOWERS Again
Date: 24 Mar 1995 13:57:10 -0500
Organization: Interactive CallBrand(TM)


In comp.dcom.telecom [e-mail] (Mel Beckman) said:

> Jerry Leichter writes:

>> I can see the argument for allowing the *full* "1-800-FLOWERS" as a
>> trademark.  It uniquely identifies a particular number across a whole
>> national market; it can be used in trade; it's only partially
>> meaningful.

> And here is where we see the true folly of ideas like Oppenheimer's:
> in the case of 1-800-FLOWERS, a trademark is entirely unnecessary,
> because there can be only one owner of that number in the U.S. phone
> system.

The trademark is *unnecessary*?  Is that a legal opinion?

Regarding the U.S. phone system, if we are discussing a cyber-distinction
in the United States, you help make my very point.  011 800 FLOWERS and 1
888 FLOWERS are both designed to co-exist in the United States with 1 800
FLOWERS.

Now, I'm not familiar with your hometown of Ventura, California.  But I can
tell you that if there were more than one Fifth Avenue, or Madison Avenue,
or Park Avenue, in Manhattan, or duplicated addresses on those avenues,
their real estate value would be in a shambles.

That value is not a *false* or arbitrary value, but rather is based on real
market activity.  They are prime magnets for business activity.

So is 1 800 FLOWERS.  To say it's not is folly.

> What's really alarming about Oppenheimer's logic, though, is that it would

> presumably entitle the owner of 800-FLOWERS to also own FLOWERS.COM,
> "FLOWERS" on America Online, and the use of the word FLOWERS in any
> other electronic addressing scheme. After all, if prior ownership of
> an address-name in the U.S.  provides for ownership in a completely
> new domain -- the international telephone market -- then surely a
> business would be silly not to press for similar reasoning in any other
> domain (e.g. Internet addresses).

These very issues are being addressed right now, as there *are* proprietary
and other rights to be considered in adopting standards and distributing
these properties.

> And that's not even considering the arrogance of U.S. companies
> presuming to have priority over non-U.S. enterprises in the worldwide
> telephone arena.

I've said it before -- I'll say it again.

1.  U.S. companies own U.S. brands.  European companies own their brands.
There is no arrogance there.

2.  The vast majority of the direct marketing business - the very
behavior of direct phone response - is a U.S. cultural behavior.
That's why there are 4 mil + 800 numbers in the U.S., and barely
150,000 throughout the rest of the world.  It is appropriation of this
existing-behavior, dollar-spending, comparatively "wealthy"
marketplace that makes U.S.  marketing numbers and brands desirable to
non-U.S. companies at all.

Otherwise, grandfathering of U.S. 800's would be a non-issue -- a
practical request to be granted with no fuss or debate.  They wouldn't
want 'em if they wasn't worth something.  Get it?


Judith
J. Oppenheimer, [e-mail]
Interactive CallBrand(TM)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Victor Prochnik)
Subject: Outsourcing of International Telecom Services
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 19:14:19 GMT


We have just started a research project (30 man/month) on the demand
of large Brazilian and multinational firms for global
telecommunication services and their interest in outsourcing this
services.

Suggestions of publications, unpublished dissertations, case studies or
market studies on this theme are most welcome.

We are also interested in mantaining contact with people working in
this or similar areas.

The research project is the following.


                        RESEARCH PROJECT
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES DIFFUSION IN BRAZIL


Victor Prochnik
Industrial Economics Institute
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

E-mail: [e-mail]


    The aims of this project are in the first place to identify
the demand perspectives for global telecommunication services in large
enterprises operating in Brazil and in the second place to access the
degree of interest of these corporations in outsourcing its
international telecom networks.

    In this project, a greater demand for global telecommunication
services is not strictly seen as a result of international commerce
growth and greater intensity of financial flows between Brazil and the
rest of the world. Our preliminary hypothesis is that another
important determinant of demand can be found in the process of
organizational change toward new models of network structuring within
an expanding globalization process.

    The adoption of new corporate internal structuring and
external relations (industrial automation, groupwork, quick response
etc.)  requires an increased use of new telecommunication services. In
fact, the lines of causality are bi-directional as the introduction of
new services also demands organizational change.

    It is also often observed that such an interplay between
corporate change and telecommunications has unexpected consequences.
Devised applications not before imagined become intensively used,
provoking unplanned changes in corporation organisation.

    In order to follow this line of investigation, the research
team will try to associate new organizational forms or technologies
and their requirements in terms of telecommunications services.
Following this interdependence scheme between entrepreneurial
activities and the respective use of telecommunication services and,
at the same time, having collected information on the firms
modernization plans, it will be possible to discuss the demand
evolution in telecommunication services.

    In this respect, one of the major worldwide discussed trends
is the outsourcing of these global services. No one knows for sure,
however, the extent to which large corporations are willing to
outsource their international telecom operations. Managerial decisions
may depend not only on price and availability of services but also on
strategic considerations, stage of firm modernization, economic sector
of activity etc.

    To discuss this matter is the second objective of the project.
The research team wil try to discover which applications and services
are more prone to be outsourced and why.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 24 Mar 95 17:32:50 EST
From: Tony Harminc <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Your 500 Number and International Access


> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I decided to call the 500 people now and
> find this out once and for all. The woman immediatly answered me saying
> it can *always* be done through USA Direct; whether or not it can be
> dialed direct otherwise (as an international call) from other countries
> depends on the country and the telecom admininstration. But she did
> emphasize it can ALWAYS be done through USA Direct.

Sigh.  One of these days is it possible that AT&T will wake up to the
fact that the largest volume of US telecom traffic with any foreign
country by far is with Canada?  There is no AT&T direct service in
Canada.  (Who would want such a thing is another question -- generally
the Bell Canada operators seem at least as helpful and friendly as the
AT&T ones.)  AT&T has been advertising that 800 CALL ATT works in
Canada, however (again, I have no idea who wants it).  So just now I
tried it:

1 800 CALL ATT

1 Ring

<mbtfbbtf>  (definitely was not 'AT&T How May I Help You?')
Me: Hello ?
Operator: AT&T - How May I help You?
M: I'm having trouble reaching a 500 number and I understand you can connect me
O: No - we don't do 500 calls.
M: The owner of the number I was trying to reach was just talking with an
   AT&T manager and was told that you *do* connect to 500 numbers.
O: Just a moment - I'll connect you to mbftmmbf ..
Ring Ring , <for 8 minutes!>
O: AT&T - How May I help You?
M: I was talking to another operator who was going to find out if you
   can put my 500 call through.
O: Sure - we do 500 calls - what number?
M: 500 677-1616  <click! then instantly>:
<Ridiculously bass-boosted music> AAAA TTTT and TTTTTT!
If you have a TrueConnections PIN, enter it now...
To charge your call to a calling card, press 0 then pound (sic).

I press 0 then # and AT&T immediately hangs up on me. (No this was not my
end hanging up - I use the # key all the time on 800 and other calls.)

So the bottom line is: even if they educate their operators, speed up
the 8 minutes of ringing at some unknown place, and avoid hanging up
on the customer, it seems that to reach a US 500 number I am going to
have to dial an AT&T operator, ask for the number I want, charge it to
some kind of calling card (will they take my Bell Canada card?), pay
some unknown rate that certainly will not take into account my LD
discount plan with the carrier I use and will probably include a
calling card surcharge.

In other words, just about the speed and convenience of placing a call
from Toronto to Chicago in 1950.  PAT, if you or other business people
or individuals are seriously interested in any sort of international
business, I advise you to avoid this service like the plague.  Why on
earth does AT&T have to use a bizarre, undialable area code instead of
simply implementing a local prefix for this kind of remotely variable
call forwarding, as Bell has done here ?  They would just assign you a
312 (or 708 or whatever number) and pipe it to the variable call
forwarder menu.  This is the way it's done here - all 416 410- numbers
are part of such a service.  This way I would know from the area code
whether I am paying for a call to Chicago or Hawaii, would have my
usual discounts, and be able to dial it direct.  Yeah, I know: local
politics probably prevent AT&T from using such a prefix.


Tony Harminc

------------------------------

From: Andy Lochridge <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: X.25/ISDN Prices: Global Information Wanted
Date: 23 Mar 1995 19:03:58 GMT
Organization: SunConnect


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Steve
Cogorno) writes:

> Rishab Aiyer Ghosh said:

>> Someone wrote: [on X.25 over ISDN]:

>>> Rates in the Pacific Bell Service area for data packets are:
>>> .05 CENTS for transaction setup
>>> .005 CENTS per octet of data

>> That works out to about $52 per Mb - is that _cheap_?

> Where did you get this figure? When I calculate it it works out to $3.27 per
> MB.

> 1 MB = 1024K = 1048576 Bytes = 8388608 bits = 65536 octets (1 octet=128 bits)

> 65536 octets * .005 cents = 327.68 cents = $3.27

Well here's my two cents worth:

An X.25 data packet consists of a three octet (one octet = eight bits)
header followed by a data packet of up 128 octets in size.  If you
divide 1MB by 128 you should get 8192. Multiply that by 0.005 and you
get around 41 cents per MB.  This is how it should work out if the
CCITT Recommendation X.25 is followed.  Pac Bell on the other hand
appears to have chosen their own definitions.


Andy Lochridge    Computer Telephony Services
Rapid City, SD    605.341.1683

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 14:13:22 -0800
From: [e-mail] (William Wood)
Subject: Re: Interesting Telemarketing, Sad Actually


In regards to the TELECOM Digest Editor's note in telecom 15.161.9
(Interesting Telemarketing, Sad Actually); if more people were of the
disposition shown by the editor, the on-line and off-line world would be
a much better place. Pat is absolutely right about the average telecom
telemarketer and their base of knowledge. Very few  'hone company' rreps
have any technical understanding of their products because they
generally receive only the most minimal training. This does not make
them inferior creatures.

I've done my little tech overview classes for reps all the way from
London to Los Angeles and have consistently found them to be
enthusiastic to learn and appreciative of the chance to do it. The
common problem they face (in my opinion) is lack of commitment and
support from the higher levels of management to provide the necessary
training. I cannot tell you how many times I've had managers tell me
that their people do not need fundamental understanding of technical
products in order to sell them. Others who have not said this, instead
tell me their people already know the fundamentals. I have not found
this to be true even in the most 'bleeding edge' telcos. It's the
density of the management that creates most of the problems that the
reps display when talking to their customers. Unprepared, the reps then
attempt to make a living at selling what they don't understand.

I too try to cut these folks a little slack. I've looked many of them in
the eye and seen myself looking back. Do not muddy the waters around
you, you will need to drink it later.


WE Wood    Technotranslater

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mark Brader)
Subject: Re: Keypad Letter Pattern (was Re: U.S. 800 Users Alert)
Organization: SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, Canada
Date: Sat, 25 Mar 95 01:39:28 GMT


Robert Virzi ([e-mail]) writes:

> So now things are really confused.  Do you assume your callers on a
> cellular phone (QZ=1), an ATT phone (Q=7, Z=9), or a phone without Q
> and Z anywhere on the keypad?

Just to complete the set -- at least as far as *this* continent is
concerned -- the telephone on my desk is different from *all* these
possibilities.  A while back some people here at SoftQuad were talking
about the company getting another 800-number which would be based on
our name or the initials SQ.

I made a smartass remark along the lines of "Please look for the letter
Q on your phone", and someone promptly noted that it was on the 0 key!
And so is the Z.  These are Meridian phones, made by Northern Telecom.
Now if I'd said it *before* we got our new phone system ...

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I bet they'd like to get ahold of the
> fellow who originally designed the telephone dial and give him a piece
> of their mind.   <g>   PAT]

Now, would you be talking about the Swedish telephone dial (0123456789),
the New Zealand and city of Oslo telephone dial (9876543210), or the
Everywhere Else telephone dial (1234567890)?  :-)


Mark Brader, [e-mail]   SoftQuad Inc., Toronto

------------------------------

From: Paul Hanson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Recommendations Wanted on Voice Mail Systems
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 95 16:37:12 PDT
Organization: On-Ramp; Individual Internet Connections; Houston, TX USA


> We are interested in establishing a voice mail system for a private
> club.  Presently we are looking at a system called "Vicki", we have also
> considered a program by "Technically Speaking".

> We would be interested in all comments and recommendations on programs
> of this nature.

> System requirements: 3000+ mail boxes; full featured reporting on
> mailbox use, line use, etc.  4/8 line boards.  Easy of use and good
> tech support is a must.

Vicki is a good product line.  It is actually oemed from various other
companies.  The software has been around awhile.  The system is in
it's eigth revision and has been used for more than five years.  The
product will support I believe 10,000 mail boxes and use 2/4/12/24
line cards.  The software will support 32 lines of simultanuous usage.
It contains all the features of call Paging, Message Notification.
Since the system is in wide use the manual and tech support must be
good.  If you need a demo of this product you might want to call
214-250-4115.  This is a bbs number.  The file is in the demo
directory and is called TES 8.0.  This software is identical to VIcki
and Verbatim.  If you have any question you also might want to try
Alliance Systems, Inc.  I was at a trade show and they billed
themselves as the Largest Computer Telephony Distrubuters.  Their 800
number is 1800-977-1010.


Paul Hanson    <[e-mail]>

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 24 Mar 95 22:30 CST
From: Neal McLain <[e-mail]>
Subject: New Area Code Assignments


A recent issue of TELECOM Digest raised a question about how "new" (since
1/1/95) area codes are assigned.

A partial answer certainly has to be this: an area code and a central
office code can't be the same.  And, if at all possible, an area code
shouldn't be the same as any nearby central office code in any adjacent
area code.

Consider how these requirements affect the selection of the new area
code when an existing area code is split:

 -  Avoiding a conflict with any existing central office code means that the
    new area code must be selected from the list of presently-unused central
    office codes.  That list is likely to be fairly short: if an area code
    needs to be split, it's already running out of central office codes.

 -  Avoiding a conflict with any existing central office code in any nearby
    community in adjacent area codes makes that short list even shorter.

A case in point: the 205/334 split in Alabama:

 -  334 is not used as a central office code anywhere in Alabama.  Thus,
    there will be no 205-334 or 334-334.

 -  With one exception, 334 is not used as a central office code in any
    nearby city in any adjacent area code: 404-334 doesn't exist;
    601-334 is in Greenville; 615-334 is in Decatur; 706-334 is in
    Ranger; and 904-334 is in Tallahassee.

 -  The one exception which proves the rule: 912-334 is in Georgetown,
    Georgia, right across the Chattahoochee River from Eufaula,
    Alabama.  This will no doubt cause some confusion for the 900 or
    so residents of Georgetown.

That confusion notwithstanding, it seems obvious that Bellcore and the
local telephone companies went to considerable effort to select the
code which would cause the least amount of confusion.


Neal McLain     [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Arthur Greenwald <[e-mail]>
Subject: 800 Service Costs and ISDN Rates
Date: 25 Mar 1995 03:35:30 GMT
Organization: State Street


Hi,

I am evaluating some information on a product, which will require 800
service.  Does anyone know what the typical rate for an 800 number is
on peak and off-peak?  Does anyone know where I could find the costs
for ISDN service per minute?


Art Greenwald      [e-mail]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #169
******************************


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Date: Mon, 27 Mar 95 18:39:03 CST
From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #170

TELECOM Digest     Mon, 27 Mar 95 18:39:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 170

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Country Dialing Rules (Toby Nixon)
    Book Rwview: "Internet Insider" by Prevost (Rob Slade)
    ISO Keynote Speaker on Internet (David Kirsch)
    March 1995 NYNEX Bill Insert - PulseNet Service (Jonathan Welch)
    Second GSM Network in Belgium ([e-mail])
    Nine-Pin Null Modem Cables (Gary Breuckman)
    T1 on a PCMCIA card? (John Combs)
    The MATHLINE Project (Kevin Jessup)
    Software Product Marketing Course in S5Cwan Francisco ([e-mail])
    For Sale: Combinet Bridges & Shiva NetModem (Cheryl Van Winkle)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, 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 twenty dollars per
year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.

All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Toby Nixon <[e-mail]>
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 95 10:50:07 PST
Subject: Country Dialing Rules


As you know, Windows 95 is now in its final beta release. An important
part of the telecommunications features of Windows 95 is the inclusion
of a database of telephone dialing procedures for all countries in the
world, to make it easier for applications to dial calls without each
application needing to prompt the user for such information. We'd like
for this database to be as accurate as possible at the time the
product ships.

I've attached a condensation of the database below. The first column
is the country code. The second column is the "long distance prefix",
or what you dial before a city code or area code if you're dialing
between cities in that country (a dash means that country has an
integrated nationwide dialing plan that doesn't use city codes). The
third column is the "international prefix", or what you dial before a
country code when dialing to another country.

I'd appreciate it very much if you would check this information for
consistency with what you know is currently being used in your
country and other countries with which you are familiar. Also, if you
know of planned future changes in this information, it would be great
if you'd pass that along as well.

Please send any necessary corrections to "[e-mail]" or
70271,404 on CompuServe.

Thanks very much!

   -- Toby Nixon, Program Manager - Windows Telephony, Microsoft Corporation


 CC    LD    INTL  Country Name

 93    0     00    Afghanistan
 355   0     00    Albania
 213   -     00    Algeria
 684   0     00    American Samoa
 376   16    19    Andorra
 244   0     01    Angola
 1     1     1     Anguilla
 1     1     011   Antigua
 54    0     00    Argentina
 374   8     810   Armenia
 297   -     00    Aruba
 247   -     01    Ascension Island
 61    0     0011  Australia
 672   0     00    Australian Antarctic Territory
 43    0     00    Austria
 994   8     810   Azerbaijan
 1     1     0011  Bahamas
 973   -     0     Bahrain
 880   0     00    Bangladesh
 1     1     011   Barbados
 1     1     011   Barbuda
 375   8     810   Belarus
 32    0     00    Belgium
 501   0     00    Belize
 229   -     00    Benin
 1     1     011   Bermuda
 975   -     117   Bhutan
 591   0     00    Bolivia
 387   0     00    Bosnia and Herzegovina
 267   0     00    Botswana
 55    0     00    Brazil
 1     1     011   British Virgin Islands
 673   0     00    Brunei
 359   0     00    Bulgaria
 226   -     00    Burkina Faso
 257   -     90    Burundi
 855   0     00    Cambodia
 237   -     00    Cameroon
 1     1     011   Canada
 238   -     0     Cape Verde Islands
 1     1     011   Cayman Islands
 236   -     19    Central African Republic
 235   -     15    Chad
 56    0     00    Chile
 86    0     00    China
 672   0     00    Christmas Island
 61    0     00    Cocos-Keeling Islands
 57    9     90    Colombia
 269   -     10    Comoros
 242   -     00    Congo
 682   -     00    Cook Islands
 506   -     00    Costa Rica
 385   0     00    Croatia
 53    0     00    Cuba
 357   0     00    Cyprus
 42    0     00    Czech Republic
 45    -     00    Denmark
 246   -     00    Diego Garcia
 253   -     00    Djibouti
 1     1     011   Dominica
 1     1     011   Dominican Republic
 593   0     00    Ecuador
 20    0     00    Egypt
 503   -     0     El Salvador
 240   -     00    Equatorial Guinea
 291   0     00    Eritrea
 372   8     810   Estonia
 251   -     00    Ethiopia
 389   0     00    F.Y.R.O.M. (Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia)
 298   -     009   Faeroe Islands
 500   -     01    Falkland Islands
 679   -     05    Fiji Islands
 358   9     990   Finland
 33    16    19    France
 590   -     19    French Antilles
 594   -     19    French Guiana
 689   -     19    French Polynesia
 241   -     00    Gabon
 220   -     00    Gambia
 995   8     810   Georgia
 49    0     00    Germany
 233   -     00    Ghana
 350   -     00    Gibraltar
 30    0     00    Greece
 299   -     009   Greenland
 1     1     011   Grenada
 590   -     19    Guadeloupe
 671   -     011   Guam
 5399  0     00    Guantanamo Bay
 502   0     00    Guatemala
 224   -     00    Guinea
 245   -     114   Guinea-Bissau
 592   -     19    Guyana
 509   0     00    Haiti
 504   -     00    Honduras
 852   -     001   Hong Kong
 36    06    00    Hungary
 354   -     00    Iceland
 91    0     00    India
 62    0     00    Indonesia
 871   -     -     INMARSAT (Atlantic-East)
 874   -     -     INMARSAT (Atlantic-West)
 873   -     -     INMARSAT (Indian)
 872   -     -     INMARSAT (Pacific)
 98    -     00    Iran
 964   -     00    Iraq
 353   0     00    Ireland
 972   0     00    Israel
 39    0     00    Italy
 225   -     00    Ivory Coast
 1     0     00    Jamaica
 81    0     001   Japan
 962   -     00    Jordan
 7     8     810   Kazakhstan
 254   -     01    Kenya
 686   -     09    Kiribati Republic
 850   -     99    Korea (North)
 82    0     001   Korea (South)
 965   -     00    Kuwait
 7     8     810   Kyrgyzstan
 856   -     14    Laos
 371   8     810   Latvia
 961   -     00    Lebanon
 266   -     00    Lesotho
 231   -     00    Liberia
 218   -     00    Libya
 41    0     00    Liechtenstein
 370   8     810   Lithuania
 352   -     00    Luxembourg
 853   -     00    Macao
 261   -     16    Madagascar
 265   -     101   Malawi
 60    0     007   Malaysia
 960   -     00    Maldives
 223   -     00    Mali
 356   -     00    Malta
 692   0     00    Marshall Islands
 596   -     19    Martinique
 222   -     00    Mauritania
 230   -     00    Mauritius
 269   -     10    Mayotte Island
 52    91    98    Mexico
 691   0     00    Micronesia
 373   8     810   Moldova
 33    16    19    Monaco
 976   0     00    Mongolia
 1     1     011   Montserrat
 212   0     00    Morocco
 258   -     00    Mozambique
 95    -     0     Myanmar
 264   -     09    Namibia
 674   -     115   Nauru
 977   -     00    Nepal
 31    0     00    Netherlands
 599   0     00    Netherlands Antilles
 687   -     1900  New Caledonia
 64    0     00    New Zealand
 505   0     00    Nicaragua
 227   -     00    Niger
 234   -     009   Nigeria
 683   0     00    Niue
 672   -     0101  Norfolk Island
 47    -     095   Norway
 968   -     00    Oman
 92    0     00    Pakistan
 680   0     00    Palau
 507   -     00    Panama
 675   -     05    Papua New Guinea
 595   0     00    Paraguay
 51    0     00    Peru
 63    0     00    Philippines
 48    0     00    Poland
 351   0     00    Portugal
 1     1     011   Puerto Rico
 974   -     0     Qatar
 262   -     19    Reunion Island
 40    0     00    Romania
 670   1     011   Rota Island
 7     8     810   Russia
 250   -     00    Rwanda
 1     1     011   Saint Lucia
 670   1     011   Saipan Island
 378   0     00    San Marino
 239   -     00    Sao Tome and Principe
 966   0     00    Saudi Arabia
 221   0     00    Senegal Republic
 248   -     00    Seychelle Islands
 232   0     00    Sierra Leone
 65    -     005   Singapore
 42    0     00    Slovak Republic
 386   0     00    Slovenia
 677   0     00    Solomon Islands
 252   -     19    Somalia
 27    0     09    South Africa
 34    9     07    Spain
 94    0     00    Sri Lanka
 290   -     0     St. Helena
 1     1     011   St. Kitts and Nevis
 508   -     19    St. Pierre and Miquelon
 1     1     0     St. Vincent and the Grenadines
 249   -     00    Sudan
 597   -     002   Suriname
 268   -     0     Swaziland
 46    0     009   Sweden
 41    0     00    Switzerland
 963   -     00    Syria
 886   0     002   Taiwan Republic of China
 7     8     810   Tajikistan
 255   -     0900  Tanzania
 66    0     001   Thailand
 670   1     011   Tinian Island
 228   -     00    Togo
 690   0     00    Tokelau
 676   -     09    Tonga
 1     1     01    Trinidad and Tobago
 216   0     00    Tunisia
 90    9     99    Turkey
 7     8     810   Turkmenistan
 1     1     0     Turks and Caicos Islands
 688   0     00    Tuvalu
 256   -     00    Uganda
 380   8     810   Ukraine
 971   0     00    United Arab Emirates
 44    0     00    United Kingdom
 1     1     011   United States of America
 1     1     011   United States Virgin Islands
 598   0     00    Uruguay
 7     8     810   Uzbekistan
 678   -     00    Vanuatu
 379   0     00    Vatican City
 58    0     00    Venezuela
 84    0     00    Vietnam
 681   -     19    Wallis and Futuna Islands
 685   -     0     Western Samoa
 967   -     00    Yemen
 381   0     99    Yugoslavia
 243   -     00    Zaire
 260   -     00    Zambia
 263   -     09    Zimbabwe

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 17:48:02 EST
From: Rob Slade <[e-mail]>
Subject: Book Review: "Internet Insider" by Prevost


BKINTINS.RVW   940302

"Internet Insider", Ruffin Prevost, 1995, 0-07-882084-7, U$14.95
%A   Ruffin Prevost [e-mail]
%C   2600 Tenth St., Berkeley, CA   94710
%D   1995
%G   0-07-882084-7
%I   Osborne McGraw-Hill
%O   U$14.95 510-548-2805 800-227-0900 [e-mail]
%P   284
%T   "Internet Insider"

Going strictly by the title, one might think this is a collection of
PR puff pieces, or the enthusiasms of "instant experts".  It's a
collection, but not that kind.  Going by the cover, evocative of the
more lurid of the checkout-stand tabloids, one might think this is a
send-up of the net.  There is a lot of send-up here, but that is not
all.

As Prevost, himself, says in the introduction (labelled "read.me.first"),
where it is impossible for a phalanx of academicians to give a fair,
accurate and complete picture of the Internet, it *is* possible for a
"single smartass" to offer a personal view that's nearly as enlightening,
and probably a bit more fun.  He has succeeded, in my view, admirably.

It isn't complete.  (What could be?)  You won't learn a lot about the
"how" of the information.  The book is disorganized.  (So is the net.)
You may find a preponderance of items from "minor" sources (in this
case, Nerdnosh, the Oracularities and White House Press conference
transcripts to do with Socks), but that tends to be what you remember
from net surfing, anyway.  (Did you know, by the way, that the
"whitehouse.gov" machine is named "socks"?)

You won't learn about the shareware archives, computer or professional
support resources, or the other computers to which you can connect.
You *will* learn about the net community: ragged, disjointed, funny,
cruel, arrogant, helpful, spiteful and sensitive.  No, that
description is not neat.  Neither is the book.  Neither is the net.

Netizens will likely find fun and fond memories in these pages.  Those
who have not yet explored the net, and who would like a taste, should
read this.  If you dislike the book, you will probably dislike the
net.


copyright Robert M. Slade, 1995   BKINTINS.RVW   950302. Distribution
permitted in TELECOM Digest and associated publications. Rob Slade's
book reviews are a regular feature in the Digest.

Vancouver      [e-mail]
Institute for  [e-mail]
Research into  [e-mail]
User           [e-mail]
Security       Canada V7K 2G6

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David Kirsch - SunNetworks Manager)
Subject: ISO Keynote Speaker on Internet
Date: 27 Mar 1995 20:39:42 GMT
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Reply-To: [e-mail]


Folks,

I'm looking for recommendations for Keynote speakers for Networks Expo
'95 Dallas to be held this coming September 12-14. This is the show
formerly know of as NetWorld Dallas before this last year's shuffling
of shows! What I'm looking for are suggestions for a keynote on the
Internet and related issues/subjects. Who would you want to see? Who
do you think would be able to present a good Keynote that would have
the recognition and/or credentials to draw a crowd?

Please respond to me directly via email so we can keep everyone else
from suffering though what I hope to be many responses. <grin>


Cheers,

David Kirsch
Steering Committee Board Member - Networks Expo '95 Dallas

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 15:45:45 -0500
From: Jonathan_Welch <[e-mail]>
Subject: March 1995 NYNEX Bill Insert - PulseNet Service


This was on the last page of my bill insert this month:

Your Alarm System Protects Your Home and NYNEX PulseNet Service Helps
Protect Your Alarm System

You rely on your alarm system to protect your family and your home.
But to do its job, the system must remain connected to your alarm
company through the phone line.  If your line is cut, you'd lose that
measure of protection against burglary and fire.  Let NYNEX PulseNet
Service secure your security system.

NYNEX PulseNet Alert Transport Service continuously monitors the
connection between your home and alarm company.  If your phone line is
cut, a signal alerts your alarm company.  And NYNEX PulseNet Service
works even during power disruptions.

NYNEX PulseNet Service is easily installed by the alarm monitoring
company, and works with most alarm systems over your existing phone
lines.

So if you have a security system in your home or are considering
having one installed, find out how little it costs to make your
security complete with NYNEX PulseNet Service.  For more information
and a listing of authorized NYNEX PulseNet dealers, call 1 800
PULSENET Monday through Friday 9am to 5pm.


Jonathan Welch  VAX Systems Manager  Umass/Amherst  [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Second GSM Network in Belgium
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 16:49:24 GMT
Organization: Eindhoven University of Technology


Since I am living in the Netherlands, I'm asking anybody having
knowledge about a planned second operator for a GSM network in Belgium
send an Email to "[e-mail]".

Other special information about GSM operators and suppliers is very
welcome.


Best Regards,

Rene van Workum

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 07:14:22 PST
From: Gary Breuckman <[e-mail]>
Subject: Nine-Pin Null Modem Cables


> Please could somebody give me the pin connections for a Null Modem
> cable (I'm interested in a F/F 9pin 'D' cable).

The easiest solution, if you don't need status lines, is:
    Receive    2 <-- 3    Transmit
    Trans    3 --> 2    Receive
    Gnd    5 --- 5    Gnd

If you want to tie the status lines high on each end, and not use any
more wires in the cable. Do the same as above and then on each end
connect:

    DTR (term ready) 4 --> 1 Carrier detect DCD
                 & 6 Dataset ready  DSR

    RTS (req to snd) 7 --> 8 Clr to send    CTS

These connections are within the connector on BOTH ends, and do not go
end-to-end.


If you want to actually pass the status lines end-to-end, do the same
but from one end to the other, like so:

        2 <-- 3        RX TX
        3 --> 2        TX RX
        5 --- 5        G  G
        4 --> 1 & 6    DTR - DCD & DSR
            1 & 6 <-- 4        DCD & DSR - DTR
        7 --> 8        RTS CTS
        8 <-- 7        CTR RTS

This is how most commercial null modem cables are made.  It takes into
account all the pins except 9 which is "ring indicate" and isn't
needed for this.


[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 26 Mar 95 20:22 EST
From: TestMark Laboratories <[e-mail]>
Subject: T1 on a PCMCIA Card?


I have a collegue who is looking for a PCMCIA card that does T1.  (I
assume DSX-1.)  While I have seen Ethernet and GP-IB 488 on PCMCIA, I
think T1 is a little ambitious at this point.  Anyone know anything?


John Combs, Project Engineer, TestMark Laboratories, [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Kevin Jessup)
Subject: The MATHLINE Project
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 10:32:39 GMT
Organization: Marquette Electronics, Inc


I just read a small, two-paragraph article on the MATHLINE Project in
the March, 1995 issue of {Microwave Journal} magazine (page 47).

It states that MATHLINE is an interactive telecommunications project
which will be implemented with the help of the Cellular Telephone
Industry Association, PBS, the nations PUBLIC schools, and other
unnamed wireless organizations and providers.

The article went into little detail on the "WHYS" of the MATHLINE
project.  The "HOWS" include laptop computers, wireless modems and
satellite systems.  All used to implement, and I quote, an "interactive
computer-based mathematics program to improve math teaching in the
nations's public schools."

Fine.  I'm all in favor of improving mathematics literacy (and
science, and education in general).  I am also aware that many (most?)
public schools are not wired to the internet.  I enjoy math, the
internet and telecommunications both at work (I write software for
medical electronic equipment) and as a hobby at home.  I also have a
smart and curious 5-yr-old son who can find his way around Microsoft
Windows pretty well.  I question, however, the costs vs benefits of
the MATHLINE Program and am requesting further details on it's
implementation.

Will the students in the program be provided a wireless laptop, or
only the instructors?  Why the need for interactive access to the net?
Is there some problem with current software used for mathematics
instruction?  How about a "simple" interactive multimedia solution
based on CD-ROM and a relatively inexpensive computer?  WHY the need
for real-time interactive satellite access??  Will the instructor DO
anything or just plug the system in and watch?

How about a graphic calculator from TI or HP and an instructor who
loves teaching as much as she loves math itself?  Forgive my naivete,
but I have never taught in the public school system.  Perhaps nothing
else works (still, I wonder how I learned anything ;-).  Regardless of
the method, is parental initiative and encouragement not the most
important factor in getting a student motivated?  Lacking that, can
ANY program really work?

I know I got political there, but it sounds like a big expense, and I
feel it should be well justified.  To the credit of the MATHLINE
"administrators", the article DID mention that a trial run would be
held this year in just 25 schools.  Hopefully, these schools and the
students targeted will represent an honest sample of the nation's
public school system.  I'm anxious to read the final report.

If you have any further knowledge of the MATHLINE program, I'd appreciate
your comments and/or flames.


Kevin Peter Jessup, Software Engineer  Marquette Electronics, Inc
http://www.mei.com                     [e-mail]
I prefer PGP encrypted mail.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Software Product Marketing Course in San Francisco
Date: 27 Mar 1995 22:45:24 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley


UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA,BERKELEY, Extension announces an
intensive short course primarily for SOFTWARE PRODUCT MANAGERS:

"SOFTWARE PRODUCT MARKETING"

April 25-27, 1995 at the Airport, San Francisco, California

Instructor: CYNTHIA TYPALDOS, an experienced and much sought-after
specialist in software product marketing and standards consulting
affiliated with Typaldos, Patterman and Associates, Saratoga,
California.  Her consulting clients include mainframe, workstation and
PC software companies as well as system manufacturers and end users.

Her corporate experience includes positions as Director of Standards,
Director of Software Marketing and Product Line Manager for Desktop
Workstations at Sun Microsystems, Group Marketing Manager, Systems and
Communications Products, at Data General, and Senior Systems
Programmer at Bank of America.

TOPICS INCLUDE: software industry overview, introduction to software
product marketing, software product lifecycle, structuring the market
plan, developing the market/product/customer requirements document
(MRD), performing competitive analysis and positioning, setting
software standards, executing market research, creating a licensing
scheme, pricing,discounting, bundling, announcing the product,
performing day-to-day functions, organizing and managing a software
product marketing department, finding a software product.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

Send your name and POSTAL ADDRESS to [e-mail].

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Cheryl Van Winkle)
Subject: For Sale: Combinet Bridges & Shiva NetModemE
Date: Sun, 26 Mar 1995 11:50:17 -0700
Organization: Stadium Flowers


Like new used only for less then a year.  Networking bridges and modems.
Make offer must sell!  Manuals included.  Bankcards welcomed.  Will ship
FedEx.

Qty. Item                                     Ethernet Connector  $ or OBO
===  ======================================   =================   ========
 2   Combinet Switched 56K Bridge (2 channel) 10BaseT & 10Base2   $ 2,000(all)
 2   Combinet ISDN Bridge                     10BaseT & 10Base2   $ 2,000(all)
 5   Shiva 14.4K NetModem/E                   10BaseT             $ 3,000(all)
 1   Shiva 14.4K NetModem/E                   10Base2             $   600


Cheryl    Stadium Flowers

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #170
******************************


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Date: Mon, 27 Mar 95 23:36:08 CST
From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #171

TELECOM Digest     Mon, 27 Mar 95 23:36:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 171

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Phreaks Get Prison Time in Phone Fraud Case (TELECOM Digest Editor)
    SPIE Conference Call For PCS Papers (James Madsen)
    internetMCI Now in Operation (Stephen Goodman)
    MCI's New Thing (TELECOM Digest Editor)
    Debit-Cellular Service (Len Jackson)
    Continuing Education in DSP and Speech Coding (Andreas Spanias)
    Book Review: "Love Online" by Phlegar (Rob Slade)
    Drivers for Dialogic D41/ESC Wanted (Brad Hale)
    Forcing CCITT V25 1300Hz Tone (Martin Golding)

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
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On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
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Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

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The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest Editor)
Subject: Phreaks Get Prison Time in Phone Fraud Case
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 23:00:00 CST


Two hackerphreaks have been sentenced to prison for a scheme that
defrauded telephone companies generally and MCI in particular of
more than $28 million. Ivey James Lay, 29, and Frank Ronald Stanton, 22,
both from the Winston-Salem, NC area were part of a ring that stole
calling cards from MCI, where Lay was employed. The stolen calling
cards were used to charge long-distance calls to computer bulletin board
systems and computer chat lines. Mr. Lay used his position at MCI to
illicitly obtain the calling card numbers which were processed in the
switching equipment in the office where he worked. Approximatly 50,000
MCI calling cards were 'siphoned off' the switch over a two year period
beginning in 1992 through the summer of 1994.

The government successfully alleged that Lay and Stanton then supplied
the calling card numbers to others in the ring. On Friday, March 24, 1995
in the federal court in Winston-Salem Mr. Lay was placed in the custody
of the United States Attorney General or his authorized representative
for a period of three years and two months.  Mr. Stanton was placed in
the custody of the United States Attorney General or his authorized
representative for a period of one year. In Mr. Lay's case, because he
willfully violated the trust placed in him by his employer MCI, the
government successfully argued for a longer term of incarceration. The
court noted Mr. Lay's willful behavior at the imposition of punishment
hearing last Friday. Plans by the two hackerphreaks to appeal the court's
ruling and punishment have not been announced.


PAT

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 17:27:20 -0800
From: [e-mail] (James Madsen)
Subject: SPIE Conference Call For PCS Papers


Please note that the paper abstract deadline for PCS papers has been
extended to April 14, 1995.  Product-oriented papers which focus on
PCS applications and uses are welcome as well.  Please submit papers
to SPIE as noted below.


Jim Madsen     Director, PCS
QUALCOMM, Inc  [e-mail]

Conference on Personal Communication Services

Conference Chairs: Michael L. Gulledge, Glenayre Electronics;
James Madsen, QUALCOMM, Inc.

The wireless communication industry is evolving into Personal
Communication Services (PCS). These services are designed to allow
more efficient communications with a person instead of a location.
Technologies and applications that drive these services have received
much publication and attention. What will these services be? What
technology will drive these services? What are the components of an
intelligent network? How will the data be handled? What kind of
regulations are the potential PCS companies are facing? How will the
proposed technologies function together and interact with current
wireless technologies? How will the service providers bill for these
services, and who will generate revenues?

Because 1995 is the year of the PCS auction in the US, this timely
conference will address the various PCS technologies and the needs to
turn a PCS license into an opportunity for achieving profitable
communications services. The objective of this conference is to bring
together key industry representatives, infrastructure manufacturers,
PCS carriers, system designers, system network integrators, and PCS
regulators and researchers who are concerned about emerging PCS
applications and the next generation of PCS technologies and
applications.

The conference will focus on present and future wireless technologies
and forces that will drive the PCS industry.  Presentations will be
made on PCS technologies that will be used in the narrowband and
broadband PCS, and signaling techniques used in the intelligent
network. What kind of air interface standards will PCS introduce?
Today there are at least seven recommendations, namely, PACS, TADMA,
DCT-based TDMA, composite CDMA/TDMA, DCS-based TDMA, IS-54-based TDMA,
IS-95 based CDMA and wideband CDMA. Is there going to be an agreement
for handling data, SS-7 networks, IS-41 interoperability, E911, and
the various data base issues? What will be the difference between
cellular vs. PCS vs. wireless local loop? Will voice be a commodity
service, and data become the key application for PCS?  How can PCS use
ATM networks? Will we see fiberless video with PCS? What are the
billing implications: number of subscribers vs.  minutes of use?

Technical papers will address such topics so that we can better
prepare ourselves to undertake the major challenges in the development
of the PCS technologies, data applications, regulatory standards, and
economics and financing issues.

We are soliciting papers on the following and related topics:

-   narrowband PCS technologies and air interface standards
-   broadband PCS technologies and air interface standards
-   multimedia/wireless video applications and intelligent network technologies
-   regulatory issues, IS-41 interoperability, and E911
-   service creation environment and billing
-   handset technology


This conference is a part of SPIE's International Symposium on

INFORMATION, COMMUNICATIONS, & COMPUTER TECHNOLOGIES,
APPLICATIONS, & SYSTEMS

To be held as part of Photonics East '95 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania USA
22-27 October 1995

Symposium Programs

WIRELESS GLOBAL COMMUNICATIONS

Cellular Technologies & Services
Enhanced Special Mobile Radio
>>>>Personal Communication Services<<<<(conference above)
Wireless Data Communications

MULTIMEDIA SYSTEMS

Creating Content for the Information Highway
Indexing, Accessing & Processing Real Time Media Integration
Issues in Large Commercial Media Delivery Systems

FULL SERVICE RESIDENTIAL NETWORKS

Hybrid Fiber-Coax Systems
Multimedia, Full Service, Broadband Subscriber Networks
New Loop Architectures & Applications for Carriers & Providers
Software Infrastructure for Multi-Service Network Applications
Impact of Interactive Multimedia on Education & the Home

ENTERPRISE SERVICES

Health Care Information Infrastructure
BB Technology & Services for Business & Institutional Users
Video Conferencing & Desktop Video Communications

COMMUNICATIONS INTERFACING

Emerging High Speed LANs

Workstation & PC Interfacing
Information Protection & Network Security
Standards & Common Interfaces for Information Systems
Using Reconfigurable Technology for Solving the Computational
Signal Processing Bottleneck

INFORMATION STORAGE AND MANAGEMENT

Devices & Architectures for High Capacity Rapid Access Storage
Coding & Signal Processing for Data Storage & Retrieval
Error Correction & Modulations Techniques for Magnetic Storage
Digital Image Storage & Archiving Systems
High Density Recording System Technologies

 TELECOMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT ENGINEERING

Optical Network Engineering & Integrity
Laser Diode Technology for Fiber Optic Communications
Photonic Packaging for Light Source-to-Fiber Coupling
Emerging Components & System Technologies for All-Optical
   Photonic Systems

All Optical Communications Systems: Architecture, Control, and
   Network Issues

SONET Equipment & Applications in Broadband Networks
Fast Packet Technologies:  Frame Relay, SMDS, ATM


TO OBTAIN ALL CALLS FOR PAPERS ELECTRONICALLY

The calls for papers for all conferences in the Photonics East
symposium are available on SPIE Web
(http://www.spie.org/web/meetings/calls/), by anonymous FTP
(ftp://spie.org/meetings/calls/pe95*), or by e-mail file
retrieval (Send a message to [e-mail] with
the following in the message body:  send
[meetings.calls]pe95_conf*

For a printed call for papers or other information:

E-mail: [e-mail]
Fax: [phone]
Phone: [phone]

PHOTONICS EAST DEADLINES

Paper Abstracts Due from Authors: March 27, 1995
Advance Programs due from Chairs: April 24, 1995
Course Descriptions due from Instructors: April 30, 1995
Manuscripts Due from Authors:
     August 1, 1995 (on-site books)
     September 25, 1995 (post-meeting books)

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 95 13:10 EST
From: Stephen Goodman <[e-mail]>
Subject: internetMCI Now in Operation


Contact:        Mark Pettit
                Interop + Networld Booth 2432
                Frank J. Walter
                MCI Business Markets
                1-800-644-NEWS
                [e-mail]

        MCI UNVEILS internetMCI:  NEW MCI-BRANDED SOFTWARE,

         NATIONWIDE ACCESS, CONTENT AND SHOPPING SERVICES

   -- marketplaceMCI opens with first "storefronts" for secure online shopping

        LAS VEGAS -- March 27, 1995 -- MCI today became the first
company to offer consumers and businesses a full range of Internet
offerings from easy-to- use software, nationwide dial-up access to the
Internet, a dynamic and content- rich site on the World Wide Web
(www.internetMCI.com) and with marketplaceMCI, the first brand-name
secure electronic shopping area.

        "Twenty five years ago, MCI changed the long distance world,"
said Scott Ross, president of MCI Business Markets.  "Today we're
helping to change the Internet world.  Now with internetMCI, there is
a brand name online that consumers and businesses can trust for
quality service and reliability."

        MCI today became the largest company to open a secure
electronic shopping area.  MCI selected 14 leading consumer and
business marketing companies to open the first storefronts in the new
marketplaceMCI.  They are: Dun & Bradstreet Information Services,
Hammacher Schlemmer & Company, OfficeMax, Intercontinental Florist,
Damark International, PC Zone and Mac Zone, Reiter's Scientific &
Professional Books, QUALCOMM Incorporated, Proxima, Inc., Reveal
Computer Products, Covey, Doneckers, FTP Software, Inc., and National
Wildlife Galleries, Inc. (Art Access).

        "From the day we announced marketplaceMCI, small and large
businesses have been beating down our doors to open their doors on the
Internet," added Ross.  "These organizations are true Cyber Marketing
Pioneers.  They have recognized the tremendous marketing opportunities
of the Internet and are taking advantage of MCI's expertise in
creating a web site that will open their business to millions of
potential customers worldwide."

        MCI said it will open the second wave of storefronts later
this spring as part of its grand opening.  Some of the storefronts for
the grand opening include: Aetna, Amtrak, Borders Books and Music,
Inc., Healthrider, Sara Lee (L'eggs and Superior Coffee), Tiger
Direct, and Timberland.

        MCI has implemented Netscape Communications' client and
browser software and Netsite servers along with FTP Software's
Internet software to construct marketplaceMCI services.  Through
internetMCI's inclusion of industry-proven RSA Data Security's
encryption technology, users can make secure online credit card
shopping transactions in MCI's developing marketplace.

        MCI also announced today this it has begun shipping its
internetMCI software, an easy-to-use Windows package for full Internet
access.  MCI will offer, at no additional charge, internetMCI to
existing networkMCI BUSINESS owners.  By offering users with a
comprehensive suite of communications software, networkMCI BUSINESS
provides desktop e-mail, faxing, videoconferencing, whiteboard
conferencing, information retrieval and complete Internet access.  In
addition, internetMCI is sold separately for $39.95 (plus access
charges).

        "MCI's goal is to make traveling the Internet easy, economical
and effective," said Vinton G. Cerf, MCI senior vice president of data
architecture and head of MCI's Internet initiatives.  "Millions of
people around the world have already taken the exciting journey on the
Internet but even more are still waiting to get on board.  With
internetMCI, we are opening a new site on the Internet that will
evolve into a major attraction for information and shopping.  In
short, when people think Internet, we want them to think MCI."

                    Easy to Start and Loaded with Content

        In addition to internetMCI software's quick and easy
installation, internetMCI provides a unique registration method that
allows users to sign onto the Internet in just a few minutes.  Once
users have filled in their individual information and have had their
credit cards verified for billing purposes, MCI's Home Page is
automatically loaded where users can point and click on internetMCI's
power buttons for: What's New, Directories, marketplaceMCI, Info Desk
and NewsGroups.  To encourage repeat visits to its Web site, MCI is
frequently changing the Web site graphics.

        "The Internet today is similar to the early days of television
where most broadcasters were merely 'putting radio' on television with
little creativity and innovation," said Ross.  "MCI is in a unique
position because we're helping to define the medium through our
marketing message."

        MCI's Power Buttons are tools that assist Internet users in
accessing the information located in MCI's web site and other web
sites as well:

What's New: A variety of free information can be accessed in this
section including daily-changing news stories on a variety of
interesting topics (automobiles, entertainment, sports, etc.) along
with weekly summaries prepared by MCI editors.  Also included is a
weekly-changing list of "fresh sites" on the Internet and
unique-to-MCI weekly industry expert editorial columns regarding the
Internet and personal computing.

Directories: A wealth of free information, including national Internet
directories along with Yellow and Blue Pages (government directories),
can be found in this section.  By simply entering in a key word, the
search engines will search for items of interest to the user.

marketplaceMCI: Quickloading graphics and security means that users
have a new and innovative way to shop online.  Users can browse
various merchants for product information, graphic images and pricing.
Any browser software can access MCI's Home Page at "www.internetMCI.com"
However, in order to ensure secure transactions, users must have
internetMCI, Netscape, or any other software that is compatible with
Netscape's "Secure Socket Layer" encryption protocol.  Any Internet
user may download the secure browser portion of internetMCI at no
charge from MCI's Home Page before making purchases in marketplaceMCI.

Info Desk: This part of MCI's Home Page is designed to answer users'
most frequently asked questions as well as a vehicle for MCI to
provide users with an enhanced level of support.  At no charge, users
can download advanced software drivers for viewing images and using
sound on the Internet.

Newsgroups: In this section, also at no charge, users can view an
alphabetical listing of Internet Newsgroups to find their favorite
topics among thousands of Newsgroups.

                  Consultancy, E-mail and Dial-up Access

        MCI also announced today that it is providing assistance to
organizations who wish to have a presence within marketplaceMCI.  This
MCI consultancy service helps organizations set up their own
storefronts in marketplaceMCI in order to market their goods and
services to Internet users.

        For sending and receiving e-mail on the Internet, internetMCI
customers can purchase e-mailMCI separately for $24.95 through MCI.
Based on E-mail Connection, this e-mailMCI multiprotocol component
allows users to create their Internet POP3 and MCI Mail messages
off-line along with managing those messages through folders, key word
searches and both "easy" and "power" user modes. Also, e-mailMCI users
can exchange messages with any e-mail system attached to the Internet,
including CompuServe, Prodigy and America Online.  By automatically
dialing into the Internet, e-mailMCI quickly downloads and uploads
messages.

        Along with internetMCI software, MCI is providing a full range
of Internet dial-up access services at speeds up to 28.8 Kbps.
Nationwide 800 dial-up service is immediately available, and local
dial-up service will be available in 64 US cities by late April.  For
business users, MCI already offers an extensive range of dedicated
access options from 56 Kbps to 45 Mbs that connects directly into
MCI's national Internet Protocol (IP) network.

        As a promotion, between now and June 30, 1995, internetMCI
customers can have unlimited dial-up (local or 800) access to the
Internet for only $19.95 per month.  After June 30, users will pay
$9.95 per month for the first five hours of local access and $2.50 for
each additional hour.  Users who wish to dial in via MCI's 800 service
will pay $6.50 for each hour of access.  As with all MCI Business
Markets products, MCI's "24 by 7" customer service is available.
Customers who would like more information on internetMCI should
contact MCI at 1-800-955-5210.

        MCI, headquartered in Washington, D.C., has expanded from its
core long distance business to become the world's third largest
carrier of international calling and a premier provider of data
communications over the vast Internet computer network.  With annual
revenue of more than $13.3 billion, the company today provides a wide
array of consumer and business long distance and local services, data
and video communications, online information, electronic mail, network
management services and communications software.

                                  # # #

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest Editor)
Subject: MCI's New Thing
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 22:10:00 CST


So, from reading the press release issued today by MCI we see that
MCI plans to hand out the Usenet newsgroups to their customers at the
aforementioned prices. I hope Mr. Cerf and others at MCI decide to
voluntarily compensate the moderators of the various e-zines, journals
and newsgroups on the Internet. I am sure if they carried news from
the Associated Press or columnists from King Features they'd expect
to pay, and probably dearly ... let's see how they respond to the
little guys; the moderators and e-zine publishers of Internet.    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Len Jackson)
Subject: Debit-Cellular Service
Date: Sun, 26 Mar 1995 21:11:26
Organization: InterAccess,Chicagoland's Full Service Internet Provider


Car Tel Inc. Rolling Meadows, Il. is now working with some of the
RBOC's on providing a pre-paid cellular realtime debit service. It
will allow anyone to buy airtime in 30,50,100,500 minute packages and
repurchase when minutes run out. If your cellular provider does not
offer this service at the present time CarTel would like to talk to
them. You can tell your carrier to call CarTel at 708-577-2222 and ask
for Mr. S. Spector or you can call him yourself and he will contact
your carrier and see if they would like CarTel to provide this service
for them.  Note: This service can work on all cellular switches
Erickson,ATT,Mot, etc.


Len Jackson     Email: [e-mail]
Chief Executive Officer

Cellular service and wireless products in fifteen states marketing
under the name of CarTel Inc. 1-800-CAR-TEL1 or !-800-227-8351

             We Make It Easy To Communicate.
[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Andreas Spanias)
Subject: Continuing Education in DSP and Speech Coding
Organization: Arizona State University
Date: Sat, 25 Mar 1995 00:24:10 GMT


Two Short Courses in DSP and Signal Processing

1) Digital Signal Processing Fundamentals, June 5-7, 1995
   includes lab and lecture

2) Speech Coding for Mobile and Multimedia Applications, June 8-9, 1995
   Participants get MATLAB-based software of speech coding algorithms

At Phoenix, Arizona.

For a complete brochure contact:

Andreas Spanias, Associate Professor, ASU    [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 19:49:21 EST
From: Rob Slade <[e-mail]>
Subject: Book Review: "Love Online" by Phlegar


BKLOVONL.RVW   950228

"Love Online", Phyllis Phlegar, 1995, 0-201-40965-8, U$9.95/C$12.95
%A   Phyllis Phlegar 71562,407 [e-mail] [e-mail]
%C   1 Jacob Way, Reading, MA   01867-9984
%D   1995
%G   0-201-40965-8
%I   Addison-Wesley Publishing Company
%O   U$9.95/C$12.95 800-822-6339 617-944-3700 Fax: [phone]
%P   184
%T   "Love Online"

I find communications technology interesting, but it has always been
the social aspect of computer-mediated communications that grabbed my
attention.  (My first major article on an Internet list was an
analysis of the fact that messaging systems seem almost predisposed to
generate misunderstandings.)  So, I am very pleased to see a study of
romance online.

I am not quite as pleased with the almost total preoccupation with
"cybersex".  I agree that an insistence on purely platonic
relationships in the digital medium is both silly and futile.  Nor do
I dispute the assertion that "typing dirty" to someone else can be
stimulating.  (At the same time, I am reminded of Bill Cosby's comment
on erotica, that, if you are hungry, you don't go and watch your
neighbour eat a steak.)  Primarily, however, I think it belies the
subtitle to the book, "A Practical Guide to Digital Dating".

Some of material is quite practical.  Chapters four to six provide a
reasonable, if very basic, guide to bulletin board systems (BBSes),
commercial online services, and the Internet.  Chapter two also
provides some helpful tips for the online novice.  Lurk before you
leap.  Make friends, first, in the topical areas: the "Hot Tub" chat
area devotees are not great conversationalists.  Be honest, but
careful, and don't believe everything you read.

However, with "computer sex" popping up repeatedly, it's easy to see
that this work started life as a series of magazine articles.  Dating
gets fairly short shrift here, although the material is nowhere
prurient.  You can develop friendships, and even romance, online.  The
net is *not* just one enormous singles bar.

copyright Robert M. Slade, 1995   BKLOVONL.RVW   950228   Distribution
permitted in TELECOM Digest and associated publications. Rob Slade's
book reviews are a regular feature in the Digest.


Vancouver      [e-mail]
Institute for  [e-mail]
Research into  [e-mail]
User           [e-mail]
Security       Canada V7K 2G6

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Drivers For Dialogic D41/ESC Wanted
Date: 27 Mar 1995 02:14:31 GMT


I just purchased a D41/ESC (4 port dialogic voice card with SCSA Bus
capability) and the installation disks seem to be an older system
version (4.13 vs.  4.14) and seem to by default attempt a PEB
installation. Unfortunately I wasn't shipped a terminator with the
board so my only hope for getting the board up this weekend is to try
to find a newer driver.

If anyone knows of an ftp site or anywhere else I can get the
appropriate drivers please e-mail me.


Thanks,

Brad Hale [e-mail]  213-565-1125 Voicemail
Brad R. Hale O.A.S.I.S. [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Martin Golding <[e-mail]>
Subject: Forcing CCITT V25 1300Hz Tone
Date: 27 Mar 1995 04:36:29 GMT
Organization: Gulfnet Kuwait


I'm using an Andest MSL7700 switch box in order to share a telephone
line between MS-Mail EXTERNAL and a PC/FAX. The documentation with
this unit states that incoming calls with a CCITT V25 1300Hz calling
tone will be directed to the modem line.  However, when one of our
other offices calls in to exchange mail they do not produce this tone.
So, the question is, does anybody know if it is possible to force
MS-Mail EXTERNAL to produce this tone? Or is it a modem configuration?
setting? Any ideas at all?


Thanks,

Martin Golding                           Postal address
mailto:[e-mail]     Al-Falak SPD,
Tel.:[phone]                    PO Box 27598,
FAX :[phone]                 Safat 13136
                                         Kuwait


------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #171
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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #172

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 28 Mar 95 00:47:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 172

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Video Dialtone, HFC, HDSL, or ADSL (Sam Churchill)
    Re: Is Caller ID to be Mandatory Nationally? ([e-mail])
    Re: New NPA in Colorado (Tony Harminc)
    Re: 800 Service Costs and ISDN Rates (Joe Scotti)
    Re: 800 Service Costs and ISDN Rates ([e-mail])
    Re: Why Doesn't Zmodem Work? (Melvin Klassen)
    Re: Busying Out a Line ([e-mail])
    Re: Microsoft Techs and Phone Calls (Brandon Allbery)
    Re: X25 and TCP/IP (Ed Goldgehn)
    Re: Cellular Fraud in the News Again (Ed Ellers)
    Re: FCC Delays CLID Availability (Ed Ellers)
    Re: Mitel (200sx) Phone Number Request (Darryl Kipps)
    Re: Keypad Letter Pattern (was Re: U.S. 800 Users Alert) (Benjamin Carter)
    Re: Cellular Fraud in the News Again (K. L. Sajini)
    Re: X.25/ISDN Prices; Global Information Wanted (Sam Spens Clason)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
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                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
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  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

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----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Sam Churchill)
Subject: Re: Video Dialtone, HFC, HDSL, or ADSL
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 15:32:20 -0800
Organization: Teleport - Portland's Public Access [phone]


You're barking up the wrong tree. Analog video on coax is the only way to
get movies to the home but is that what people want? Look at Rochester!

Go where the growth is ... access to data networks!!

It's cheaper for phone companies to deliver high speed digital signals
to the home via ADSL or ISDN than hybrid fiber/coax. Not to mention
content expense. Sure, people couldn't plug ADSL or ISDN directly into
their TV sets but that's where the growth is ... and it's far cheaper!


Sam Churchill    Portland OR

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (ERDAR)
Subject: Re: Is Caller ID to be Mandatory Nationally?
Date: 27 Mar 1995 21:49:01 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (ERDAR)


On 3/17 the FCC stayed its March 1994 Order which would have made
passage of CPN (which enable Caller ID) mandatory for interconnected
local and long distance carriers.  This means that Caller will not be
national this April.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 95 23:54:39 EST
From: Tony Harminc <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: New NPA in Colorado


> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: *Is there* any method to the madness now?
> Does anyone know of any formula pr process used to select the numbers
> being assigned as the new area codes?  We all know how 212, 213, 312, 313
> and others in that range came to be selected: in the rotary dial era
> those were the ones with the shortest number of 'pulls' and they were
> assigned to the major cities on the assumption most calls would go to
> those places. What about now?  Is it just random, or do telcos request
> certain codes in the same way subscribers request vanity numbers?  PAT]

I have no idea what scheme is being used now, but some of the history
of expanding the NANP numbering space is covered in an old Bell System
publication _Notes on Distance Dialing_.  (I believe NODD has been
reincarnated as Notes on the Network.)  I'd love to quote a lot of
this; it's fascinating stuff, but doubtless someone still holds
copyright, so I will review a few fragments.

This is from the 1974 edition:

"It has been apparent for many years that additional code relief [beyond
moving from 2-letters+5-digits to 7-digits] would be required to extend
the life of the [NANP] to the end of the twentieth century.  The relief
plan adopted requires that codes previously reserved for only NPA code
assignment be used as CO codes also, and vice versa.  This arrangement,
called "Interchangeable codes" necessitates certain special equipment
arrangements and dialing procedures that are discussed in this section."

[discussion of the NANP, NPAs, SACs, WATS, and TWX(!)]

"Some time after 1995, it is estimated that the 21 NPA codes still
unassigned (end of 1974) will have been used and that it will be
necessary to start using NNX type codes as NPA codes.  In the interest
of minimizing ambiguity, it is planned to assign the NN0 codes first
in accordance with the sequence shown in Chart 5. ..."

"Chart 5" lists the 63 available NN0 codes (with a footnote to the
effect that code 950 is reserved for a future network-wide service :-) )
and says that they should be assigned as CO codes starting at number 1,
and as NPAs starting at number 63 and working backward.  The beginning
and end of the chart are:

1  530       55  660
2  420       56  490
3  870       57  250
4  780       58  220
5  440       59  650
6  360       60  590
7  920       61  520
8  830       62  480
9  620       63  260

So the first non-NYX NPAs should have been 260, 480, etc.  Why they
didn't stick to this very sensible sounding plan I have no idea.

This also shows that the claims of outrage by PBX makers and
administrators that they had no idea this change was coming are
nonsense.  AT&T knew it was coming twenty years ago, and predicted the
date correctly to within a year. (Actual growth was somewhat faster
than they expected, but they didn't plan on using the N10 codes as
NPAs in the 1974 document, which is what saved everyone's bacon.)
This book was no great secret; I was able to get it on interlibrary
loan from the Bell Canada library in Toronto to my local public
library in 1975.


Tony Harminc

------------------------------

From: Joe Scotti <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: 800 Service Costs and ISDN Rates
Organization: MV Communications, Inc.
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 12:30:21 GMT


Arthur Greenwald <[e-mail]> wrote:

> I am evaluating some information on a product, which will require 800
> service.  Does anyone know what the typical rate for an 800 number is
> on peak and off-peak?  Does anyone know where I could find the costs
> for ISDN service per minute?

Through resellers expect to pay a flat rate per minute for 800.  The
range to expect would be .139 - .165.

There two types of calls over ISDN.  Switched and Packet.  This is
determined on how your ISDN is configured.  Switched calls are your
toll rate X 2.  A packet is much more difficult to cost!!

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (AndrewM486)
Subject: Re: 800 Service Costs and ISDN Rates
Date: 27 Mar 1995 03:54:52 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (AndrewM486)


You should be able to get rates in the range of .10 off peak; .13 peak
for 800 service; I can't help with ISDN.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Won't he need a lot of traffic to find
a carrier willing to give him rates like this?  Most carriers won't even
start talking terms like that to the 'average' customer.    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Melvin Klassen)
Subject: Re: Why Doesn't Zmodem Work?
Organization: University of Victoria, Victoria B.C. CANADA
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 95 00:31:29 GMT


[e-mail] (David Burns) writes:

> I am using a shell account to access the Internet, and most of the time I
> get there via MichNet, which is a local call. The trouble is that none of
> the fast protocols, e.g., Zmodem, work when I'm dialed in this way.
> Kermit works, but it is slow and not absolutely trustworthy.
> Can anyone supply any answers/solutions/confirmations?

The "solution" is to "tune" KERMIT, after getting an up-to-date
version of the software, via anonymous-FTP to 'KERMIT.COLUMBIA.EDU'.

Kermit promotional material follows:

We (Kermit developers) don't mind responding to queries about new
stuff, items that aren't clear from the documentation, etc, but yes,
people who use Kermit software a lot are heartily encouraged to
purchase the documentation because:

 1. It's not that expensive.

 2. It will answer most of your questions -- we put a lot of work into
    it -- hundreds of examples, step-by-step instructions, illustrations,
    tables, appendices, tutorials, glossaries, a comprehensive index.

 3. It relieves the load on the network.

 4. It frees up time of Kermit developers and tech support people to do
    more development and tech support.

 5. Most important of all, income from the sales of Kermit manuals is
    the primary source of income that funds the Kermit effort.

                           KERMIT BOOK LIST

MS-DOS Kermit, full-featured communications software for IBM and
compatible PCs with DOS or Windows, is documented in:

    Christine M. Gianone, Using MS-DOS Kermit, Second Edition, Digital
    Press / Butterworth-Heinemann, Woburn, MA, 1992, 345 pages, ISBN
    1-55558-082-3.  Packaged with version 3.13 of MS-DOS Kermit for the
    IBM PC, PS/2, and compatibles on a 3.5-inch diskette.  In computer
    and book stores, or order direct from Columbia University or from
    Digital Press.

A German-language edition is also available:

    Christine M. Gianone, MS-DOS Kermit, das universelle
    Kommunikationsprogramm, Verlag Heinz Heise, Hannover, Germany
    (1991), 414 pages.  Packaged with version 3.12 of MS-DOS Kermit for
    the IBM PC, PS/2, and compatibles on a 5.25-inch diskette,
    including German- language help files.  Deutsch von Gisbert W.
    Selke.  ISBN 3-88229-006-4.

And a French-language edition:

    Christine M. Gianone, Kermit MS-DOS mode d'emploi, Deuxieme
    edition, Heinz Schiefer & Cie., Versailles (1993), 406 pages.
    Packaged with version 3.11 of MS-DOS Kermit for the IBM PC, PS/2,
    and compatibles on a 5.25-inch diskette.  Adaption francaise: Jean
    Dutertre.  ISBN 2-901143-20-2.

There is also a Japanese book about MS-DOS Kermit, concentrating on the
NEC PC9801:

    Hirofumi Fujii and Fukuko Yuasa, MS-Kermit Nyumon, Computer Today
    Library 6, Saiensu-Sha Co., Ltd., publishers (1993), 160 pages.
    ISBN 4-7819-0669-9 C3355 P1854E.


C-Kermit 5A, full-function communication software for UNIX, VMS, OS/2,
AOS/VS, OS-9, Apollo Aegis, the Commodore Amiga, and the Atari ST is
documented in:

    Frank da Cruz and Christine M. Gianone, "Using C-Kermit", Digital
    Press / Butterworth-Heinemann, Woburn, MA, 1993, 514 pages, ISBN
    1-55558-108-0.  In computer and book stores, or order direct from
    Columbia University or from Digital Press.

A German-language edition is also available:

    Frank da Cruz und Christine M. Gianone, C-Kermit--Einfuhrung und
    Referenz, Verlag Heinz Heise, Hannover, Germany (1994).  ISBN
    3-88229-023-4.  Deutsch von Gisbert W. Selke.


The Kermit File transfer protocol is specified in the following book,
which also includes tutorials on computers, file systems, data
communications, and using Kermit:

    Frank da Cruz, Kermit, A File Transfer Protocol, Digital Press /
    Butterworth-Heinemann, Worburn, MA, 1987, 379 pages, ISBN
    0-932376-88-6.  In computer and book stores, or order direct from
    Columbia University or from Digital Press.


Kermit software for more than 400 different computers and operating
systems is available from Columbia University.  Contact Columbia for a
free Kermit software catalog.


                                 HOW TO ORDER

ENGLISH-LANGUAGE KERMIT BOOKS:

   1. In computer and book stores, or order direct from the publisher,
      Digital Press / Butterworth-Heinemann with MasterCard, Visa, or
      American Express:

          [phone]     (Woburn, MA office for USA & Canada)
          [phone]       (Rushden, England office for Europe)
          [phone]     (Chatswood, NSW office for Australia & NZ)
          [phone]        (Singapore office for Asia)

   2. From Columbia University:

          Kermit Development and Distribution
          Columbia University Academic Information Systems
          612 West 115th Street
          New York, NY  10025  USA
          Tel.  [phone]
          Fax.  [phone]
          E-Mail: [e-mail]

      Domestic and overseas orders accepted.  Add $5 US for shipping
      outside of North America.  Orders may be paid by MasterCard or
      Visa, or prepaid by check in US dollars.  Add $35 bank fee for
      checks not drawn on a US bank.  Price includes shipping.  Do not
      include sales tax.  Quantity discounts are available.
      Single-copy US prices (in US dollars):

          Using MS-DOS Kermit  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ 34.95
          Using C-Kermit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ 34.95
          Kermit, A File Transfer Protocol . . . . . . . . . . .$ 29.95
          All three  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ 79.95


GERMAN-LANGUAGE KERMIT BOOKS:

        MS-DOS Kermit, das universelle Kommunikationsprogramm: DM 69,00
        C-Kermit--Einfuhrung und Referenz: . . . . . . . . . . DM 90,00

        Verlag Heinz Heise GmbH & Co. KG
        Helstorfer Strasse 7
        D-30625 Hannover, GERMANY
        Tel.  [phone]
        Fax.  [phone]


FRENCH:  Kermit MS-DOS Mode d'Emploi:  . . . . . . . . . . .  FF 495,00

        Heinz Schiefer & Cie.
        45 rue Henri de Regnier
        F-78000 Versailles, FRANCE
        Tel.  [phone]
        Fax.  [phone]


JAPANESE:  MS-Kermit Nyumon: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1,800 Y

        Saiensu-Sha Co., Ltd.
        Abe-toku Building
        2-4 Kanda-suda cho, Chiyoda-ku
        Tokyo 101, JAPAN
        Tel.  [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (HerraghtyJ)
Subject: Re: Busying Out a Line
Date: 27 Mar 1995 21:23:56 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (HerraghtyJ)


If the calls are outbound from your private phone system to the local
dial tone provider, you can probably busy out the line in system
software or by throwing a dipswitch somewhere.  This will take the
line out of the hunt group.  If it is a matter of the calls coming in
to you and they are analog trunks, first, disconnect them from the
phone system.  If the inbound trunk is a DID trunk, this will kill it
immediately.  If not, place a phone on it, leave it off hook, then
call your local provider for service.

     Sometimes you can get the phone number of trouble desk in the
Central office and they might busy the phone line out for you.  Good
luck.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 13:03:02 -0500
From: allbery <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Microsoft Techs and Phone Calls
Reply-To: [e-mail] (allbery)
Organization: Akademia Pana Kleksa, Public Access Uni* Site


In article <[e-mail]> TELECOM Digest Editor said:

> She said a relatively small handful -- one hundred perhaps, or maybe two
> hundred -- of customers always called them repeatedly, over and over. These
> poor souls had to be walked through everything, everytime.  This was the
> reason the queue was so sluggish, despite *hundreds* of people taking
> calls.

I could have told you that; I work with such people.  So does my
mother.  (Worse yet, the one my mother works with is in charge of
Information Services for her company ...)

Hard as it is for me to feel sorry for Microsoft, in this case I do.


Brandon


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I guess the reason they went to paid
customer support (that is, a small amount of free support upon purchase
of the software then the customer is required to pay for additional
support) was because -- as this lady explained to me -- a couple products
of Microsoft in the last few years caused the company to take such a
bad hit on customer support -- that is, it was so extremely expensive --
that the profit on those two products was virtually nil. When I talked
to her she mentioned the hundreds of phone people all of whom spend seven
hours per day just with customer support. I asked her, since payroll is
about 80 percent of the expense in any company, if that many people were
doing that one limited task for all that time each day, where, exactly
was the profit for the company?  Her answer: well ... there wasn't any
on product 'x' and product 'y' ... yeah, a little, but not at all what
was commeasurate with the development and marketing expenses.  Where the
majority of customers did in fact read the documentation, figure it out
and manage nicely, maybe making one or two calls lasting a few minutes
each and that was it, there were those relatively few -- a couple hundred
or so -- that just pesterd the techs to death day after day, hour after
hour. They never read documentation, were unable to (or refused to) follow
simple instructions, and (as the woman said to me) some would tell lies
to the techs. I asked her why would the customers lie?  She said, "because
they did not know what to do and they were embarassed to admit it and
they would 'make up stories' about messages on their screen or the way
the display on the screen looked; things we knew they could not *possibly*
be getting as results. We'd tell them to do one thing, they would argue
about it, refuse to do it and then lie and say they did do it."  Some were
angry they could not call in on an 800 number and sit in the queue for 45
minutes on Microsoft's nickle instead of their own. She noted that paid
customer support is not intended to be a profit center for the company
but merely to take some of the burden away. The initial free support is
geared for the 'average' customer; enough free time is allotted that the
'average' customer still essentially gets totally free support.    PAT

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ed Goldgehn)
Subject: Re: X25 and TCP/IP
Date: 27 Mar 1995 18:07:44 GMT
Organization: The INTERNET Connection, LLC


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
says:

> I need to use TCP/IP on top of X25. I am trying to get an internet
> access through an X25 connection.

> Does anybody know how to do this? What hardware and software is needed?
> Also any vendor names will be greatly appreciated.

Some routers support X.25 as a WAN protocol.  Or you can use SL/IP or
Async PPP connections into a packet switch.

IMHO, however, I wouldn't want to be a user at the other end of this
type of connection if it's going through a public network with a lot
of potential hops unless all you want to do are telnet sessions or
S-L-O-W file transfers.


Ed Goldgehn, Sr Vice President/CTO              E-Mail: [e-mail]
Open Communication Networks, Inc.               Voice:  [phone]
Co-Chair - Mass Markets Ind. Group / North American ISDN Users Forum (NIUF)
For more info on about the Mass Markets Group or NIUF, e-mail [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Ed Ellers <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Cellular Fraud in the News Again
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 95 16:42:31 -0500
Organization: Delphi ([e-mail] email, 800-695-4005 voice)


Bob Compiano <[e-mail]> writes:

> Tell her she should do a follow up article on how they uncover the
> cloning operations. I don't know for sure, but I suspect they have
> equipment to detect receivers tuned to the coordination channel of the
> cellular band.  Then they probably sit some place where there are
> traffic jams regularly and then scan for people who have receivers
> tuned to the coord.  The equipment would have to be very, very
> sensitive.

The problem is that the signal being emitted by a receiver is on a
different frequency -- and what frequency that is is determined by (1)
its IF frequency, (2) the tuned frequency in question and (3) whether
the local oscillator is on the high or low side of the tuned frequency.

If you knew that your target was using Brand X, Model Y -- as British
intelligence officers knew when they used that trick against Nazi
spies, having found out what makes and models of gear were in use
inside the German embassy before the war -- you could monitor a
specific frequency to find that local oscillator.  If not, you're not
going to get anywhere.

------------------------------

From: Ed Ellers <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: FCC Delays CLID Availability
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 95 16:48:03 -0500
Organization: Delphi ([e-mail] email, 800-695-4005 voice)


Andrew Robson <[e-mail]> writes:

> It would appear that they are backing away from their agressive
> positions on transport and blocking of Calling Line IDentification
> information.

I would hope so.  There is no reason -- repeat, *no reason at all* --
to ban per-line blocking, because Caller ID users can see that a call
has been ID blocked and can act accordingly.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Darryl Kipps)
Subject: Re: Mitel (200sx) Phone Number Request
Date: 27 Mar 1995 22:02:16 GMT
Organization: GlobalCom


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] says:

> Could some kind soul email me Mitel's phone number.  I need to get the
> format of the SMDR output.

If you'd let me know the generic, I'll Email it to you. It is pretty
straightforward stuff.


Darryl

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Benjamin P. Carter)
Subject: Re: Keypad Letter Pattern (was Re: U.S. 800 Users Alert)
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 04:21:49 GMT


Carl Moore <[e-mail]> writes:

> I guess I skimmed right past the original notice, including WHAT
> KEYS Q AND Z GO ON.  Perhaps the U.S. dialpad (with the newly-
> added Q and Z) could be put into frequently-asked questions.

My fax machine lumps Q and Z with the numeral zero.  Thus every
numeral corresponds to either two or three letters.  There is
a way to input alphanumeric information using this keypad.


Ben Carter   internet address: [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: *Every* numeral?  What about '1'? You
did not mention anything about that.    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (K. L. Sajini)
Subject: Re: Cellular Fraud in the News Again
Date: 27 Mar 1995 13:49:33 -0600
Organization: UTexas Mail-to-News Gateway


In my opinion, telecom fraud such as cellular fraud can be easily
controlled by keeping user profiles for his calling patterns. When
these patterns change suddenly and the volume of calls increases
heavily, these high fraud certainty calls are redirectd to an
operator.

In fact we have developed such a system for SS7 network.  This system
is virtually invisible to the network as it induces less than a milli
second delay. This system will redirect the fraud calls to an
operator. We have succesfully tested this device in some SS7 networks
and found it to be effective.  I am sure this type of system could be
used for preventing cellular fraud too.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Sam Spens Clason)
Subject: Re: X.25/ISDN Prices; Global Information Wanted
Date: 27 Mar 1995 10:29:18 GMT


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(Steve McKinty - SunSoft ICNC Grenoble) writes:

> In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Steve
> Cogorno) writes:

>> Rishab Aiyer Ghosh said:
>> 1 MB = 1024K = 1048576 Bytes=8388608 bits=65536 octets (1 octet=128 bits)

> Nope. In the X.25 world 1 octet = 8 bits (nominally 1 byte, but not
> all bytes are 8-bit bytes)

A byte is normaly 8 bits, but one can't always be sure. That's why
there is a term "octet" which *always* means 8 bits -- X.25 or not.

I can't remember if there have been two postings in this topic where
the $/Mb was the same :-)


<A HREF="http://www.nada.kth.se/~d92-sam/">Sam Spens Clason</A>


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Nope ... every single posting in this
thread has come up with a different dollar amount. In a way, its been
just like the LD carriers when they begin comparing each other's rates
to their own. The number of answers you receive depends on the number
of people you ask.  :)     PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #172
******************************


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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
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Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #173

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 28 Mar 95 02:03:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 173

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Informing Ourselves to Death (George Gilder)
    Re: European WAN - How?? (John Combs)
    Re: Gouging at Pay Phones ([e-mail])
    Re: March 1995 NYNEX Bill Insert - PulseNet Service (Carl Oppedahl)
    Re: Routing Inbound FAX Using DID (Steve Elias)
    Re: Pac Bell, Cal. PUC, and "Reasonable Service" ([e-mail]>
    Re: 800 Service and FLOWERS (Mel Beckman)
    Re: AT&T 500 Service Outside the USA (Tom Limoncelli)
    Re: Backlit Caller ID Box Wanted (Mike Pollock)
    Re: New Area Code Assignments (Jeffrey William McKeough)
    Re: New Area Code Assignments (Carl Moore)
    Re: Help Needed With PBX at Remote Location ([e-mail])
    Re: Looking For X.25 Cards ([e-mail])

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
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* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such
as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help
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All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 95 21:34:00 EST
From: George Gilder <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Informing Ourselves to Death


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: This time around, I decided to save the
best for first ... I *knew* there would be at least one good, thoughtful
reply to the special issue "Informing Ourselves" which I sent out over
the weekend; and in fact it arrived shortly after that issue was circulated.
I'm pleased to count George Gilder among our reader/participants here in
the Digest; I know the rest of you feel the same way.   PAT]

                   ------------------------

I'm sorry but I am in the midst of a deadline crunch at ForbesASAP,
explaining why computer technology will enhance all our lives, why its
manifest destiny to usurp the telephone industry will lead to an
efflorescence of global mobile communications, why the learning curve
for mobile telephony will be at least ten times faster than the curve
for wired telephones and why the assertion by a development VP at
BellSouth that the price elasticity of telephony is negative -- the
lower the price the less the revenue -- is preposterous.

Thus I am too busy contributing to the information glut to explain to
Neil Postman that the computer is the epitome of current technology,
that made in the image of our Creator, to create, human beings can no
more forgo new technology than they can relinquish food and drink.
Academics take wealth and comfort for granted and imagine that the
world would be better if all of us wrote philosophy or pursued
contemporary art.  But contemporary philosophy is mostly barren
because it is divorced from the process by which humans create wealth
and thus perpetuate life and extend it to areas of the world where the
average lifespan is about 28.

I do not think that life is ever easy.  I think the effort to master
the human predicament entails constant work and struggle.  The heart
of this work and struggle is the creation of new technology, new
machines, which allow people like Neil Postman to worry about absurd
non-problems like the information glut, to which the computer is a
solution more than a cause, and to imagine that technology is
unnecessary to relieve the distresses he discusses, such as famine,
plague, joblessness, and war.  We give it up and we will be ruled by
monsters like Saddam, who Postman imagined in 1990 posed a huge threat
of an extended war.

Thank you for sending me that eloquent though misguided paper.


Best,

gg


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: And *thank you* for your eloquent response.
I'd like to remind all readers that the wonderful series of essays by
George Gilder as part of his book -- and being serialized in {Forbes} --
are available in the Telecom Archives at lcs.mit.edu. We've got them all
in a permanent archives display. Use anonymous ftp lcs.mit.edu to get
there or the Telecom Archives Email Information Service. If using ftp then
when connected 'cd telecom-archives' followed by 'cd george.gilder'. And
a final comment for GG: should you decide to add still a bit more to your
book, an excellent choice of subjects might be, 'what do you do about the
Postman people?', i.e. getting over that hump; working around the all too
common assumption by people who think that *you think* that the computer
is going to solve all the world's problems and then proceed to answer the
statements they arbitrarily put in your mouth with answers of their own.
Yes indeed, I'd certainly be interested in seeing a much more detailed
treatment given by yourself to the questions Postman raised.  PAT]




------------------------------

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 95 21:18 EST
From: TestMark Laboratories <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: European WAN - How??


In TELECOM Digest Volume 15 Issue 164, Steve Alburty <[e-mail]>
asked about setting up a global email network.

Our laboratory was recently purchased by Inchcape Testing Services, a
British company with branches in dozens of world locations.  We have a
good email system that is also simple: Microsoft Mail with dial-up
gateways.  This is quick and easy to implement, while you decide if
you can later afford a WAN with leased lines.  Here in North America,
all Inchcape sites forward/receive mail via a dial-up hub in the home
office of Cortland, NY, and then Cortland feeds into the world hub in
London, England.  It is just as easy to send email to our Hong Kong
lab as it is our lab in Belmont, CA, and has proven to be just as
reliable.


John Combs, Project Engineer, TestMark Laboratories, [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Organization: Anonymous contact service
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 10:29:02 UTC
Subject: Re: Gouging at Pay Phones


[e-mail] (jgooch) wrote:

> In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (JohnWPan)
> says:

>> Being an experienced traveler, I thought I knew all the tricks.  Alas,
>> but no.  I was stumped vacationing in FL.

>> Finally, I dialed my carrier's human operator, and was able to talk my
>> way through a credit card call.  However, the dial pad was still
>> disabled so I could not access my voice mail.

>> Years ago, I used to carry a DTMF generator with me.  I have to do
>> that now, again.  Ah progress.

> The RBOCS are buying smartphones from TSG Inc. and others.  They have
> fraud prevention that doesn't even allow DTMF from the handset. Don't
> be surprised if your hand-held doesn't work either.

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Is that what it is going to come to,
> that we have to give up our voice mail and our call back services and
> whatever so the RBOCs can continue their fight against fraud?  You're
> saying even Genuine Bell payphones won't be something we can rely on
> much longer?    PAT]

> Any phone that won't transmit DTMF from the handset is clearly defective.
> Defective phones can be fixed with a bit of epoxy.  It may take a few
> treatments, but eventually the equipment starts working as God and
> Alexander Graham Bell intended.

> I guess one won't be able to use a modem with these phones either.

> I guess you can see why I'm posting this anonymously!


> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Yeah, I guess I can see why you are posting
> it anonymously. Either the equipment starts working correctly or else its
> owners take it out entirely, eh?  So the ninety percent of the American

It's probably moot.  Many coin phones have been converted back to
rotary dialing for this reason, and the drug dealers have not been
reported to be carrying DTMF pads.

If there's money in the location, the phone will start working
correctly.  And if there's no money in the location, no one is using
it, and there's no loss.  After all, coin telephones remain in the
busy locations where they are best known as "junkies' piggy banks."

> public who has never heard of voicemail, and the ninety-five percent or so
> who don't have it or need to retrieve anything from it get punished as
> well by having the one payphone in their neighborhood which formerly had
> been operated by Bell replaced by a COCOT. I can see your point though.
> It does make you kind of angry.    PAT]

Actually, most problems of this nature occur with COCOTs, which refuse
to allow you to access preferred interexchange carriers (regulations
be damned).

The typical COCOT provider will be much more sensitive than the LEC to
customers' needs to use the DTMF pad when it is brought to his attention --
especially when the alternative involves attempted repairs with epoxy.
The LEC will weigh the political pressure to disable the DTMF more
heavily than will a private owner, who is more concerned with the
revenues he loses by frustrating people who need the DTMF pad.  (For
the LEC, it all gets added to the revenue requirement, and recovered
from the residual customer.)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Carl Oppedahl)
Subject: Re: March 1995 NYNEX Bill Insert - PulseNet Service
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 03:58:16 GMT
Organization: Oppedahl & Larson


In article <[e-mail]> Jonathan_Welch <[e-mail].
edu> writes:

> This was on the last page of my bill insert this month:

> Your Alarm System Protects Your Home and NYNEX PulseNet Service Helps
> Protect Your Alarm System

> You rely on your alarm system to protect your family and your home.
> But to do its job, the system must remain connected to your alarm
> company through the phone line.  If your line is cut, you'd lose that
> measure of protection against burglary and fire.  Let NYNEX PulseNet
> Service secure your security system.

> NYNEX PulseNet Alert Transport Service continuously monitors the
> connection between your home and alarm company.  If your phone line is
> cut, a signal alerts your alarm company.  And NYNEX PulseNet Service
> works even during power disruptions.

Well, thank you for posting this -- it is interesting.

What I find annoying about the insert is:

It does nothing to tell you whether the service is new or not.  As far
as I can tell, the service has been around for at least ten years.

It is an insert that exploits the monopoly position of the local telco,
forcing you to read their ads and drawing on their mailing list, which is a
customer list, that was developed at ratepayers' expense.  Essentially, all
the poor old grandmothers who have phone service are subsidizing this mailing,
and the profits from the mailing probably mostly get routed to dividends, not
used to reduce cost of local phone service.

------------------------------

From: Steve Elias <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Routing Inbound FAX Using DID
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 95 22:55:04 PST


> I`m curious about LAN FAX servers that route inbound FAX messages to
> e-mail addresses using Direct Inward Dialing (DID) lines.  I`m not
> familiar with DID, and would like to learn more.

> How, technically, does DID work?  How is information about the

(note that there are newer DID schemes -- I am describing the "lowest
common denominator" DID here, as far as I know it.)

DID:

1 - the telco announces the call via battery reversal.
2 - CPE accepts call by reversing battery again.
3 - dtmfs down the last N dialed digits.
4 - CPE takes call after last dtmf digit and supplies ringback,
busy, fax tone, voice, whatever.

> number that was dialed delivered to the FAX server?  What special

Some fax servers get the info direct from the fax card, which decodes
the dtmf and handles the battery reversals.  DIDfax is patented, for
what that is worth.  Other fax servers get the info via an external
DID-RS232 box.

> hardware is required?  How much do DID numbers cost on top of regular

a DID capable computerfax card or DID-RS232 thingamajig.

> business phone rates?

Varies greatly by state.  As little as $20 a month for 100 numbers!

> Since I`m not ready to purchase a system, I would prefer not to talk
> to vendors at this time.  Surely this information is documented
> somewhere in the public literature (handcopy/electronic).  Can anyone
> provide a pointer?

I have not read the Brooktrout DIDfax patent, nor do i have the number
handy, but it might provide some answers to your questions.  or at
least some nice block diagrams!

> Thanks,

You're welcome, Don.  Feel free to write back with more questions or
comments.


/e

steve elias   computerfax afficionado

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 02:37:49 -0600
From: Matt <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Pac Bell, Cal. PUC, and "Reasonable Level of Service"


On a related matter:

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, I am no big fan of T-1. That is, I
> can take it or leave it, I worked in this business for so many years before
> T-1 came around that to me, thousands of 'those tiny little wires' is
> ...
> tracing the problem and fix it. Even if your demarc is a mess -- and I
> have seen some *messy* ones with nothing tagged, wires in a jumble, etc,
> you can still put your sounder or noise maker on the wire where it
> terminates (at the modem, or phone  or whatever) then 'ring out the line'
> back to the demarc, find it there by listening and repair, replace or
> remove it or whatever. Ten lines or ten thousand lines, no matter.

I am considering starting a BBS, and installing a dozen lines (maybe
two).  I would like to learn about good wiring practices -- I know what
a 66-block is and I know how to punch down wires.  However, I am just a
ham / electronics hobbyist, not an ex-phone company wiring whiz.  I
don't know the difference between "good" and "bad" practices, really,
beyond common sense, and have _no_ idea on where to get information on
color codes, etc (How does one wire a 25-pair cable to a 66-block?  Guessing
is not fun).

I figure that telecom managers at larger companies probably have obtained
this knowledge somehow -- besides having worked for the phone company -
and would appreciate any pointers to any such resources that you may
be aware of.  I'm sorry if this is covered in a FAQ somewhere, but I have
been watching for a few weeks and haven't seen anything obvious.  :-(


Thank you for any help,

Zarko

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 19:22:35 -0800
From: [e-mail] (Mel Beckman)
Subject: Re: 800 Service and FLOWERS


[e-mail] (Judith Oppenheimer) writes:

> In comp.dcom.telecom [e-mail] (Mel Beckman) said:

>> And here is where we see the true folly of ideas like Oppenheimer's:
>> in the case of 1-800-FLOWERS, a trademark is entirely unnecessary,
>> because there can be only one owner of that number in the U.S. phone
>> system.

> The trademark is *unnecessary*?  Is that a legal opinion?

> Regarding the U.S. phone system, if we are discussing a cyber-distinction
> in the United States, you help make my very point.  011 800 FLOWERS and 1
> 888 FLOWERS are both designed to co-exist in the United States with 1 800
> FLOWERS.

Judith,

   Please explain to me how, if I currently have assigned the number
1-800-FLOWERS (i.e., 1-800-356-9377) anybody else in the U.S. can use
that number in advertising. If they did, they'd be advising their
customers to call *my* company!  There is no need to trademark this
number, just as there is no need to trademark a memorable numerical
number such as 800-222-2222, or a mailing address such as 123 CocaCola
Road, Atlanta, GA.

   That is what I mean when I say a trademark is unnecessary. No, it's
not a legal opinion. It's a fact: trademarking 800-FLOWERS buys you
absolutely no protection.

   So the only thing you can be hoping for is protection of a U.S.
trademark outside the U.S., something no U.S.-registered trademark --
telephone number or not -- enjoys today. Trademarks must be individually
registered in the countries where one does business, and priority is
applied on a country-by-country basis.  If I trademark "OppieCom" in
the U.S., and later discover that a German company exists with the
same name, I'm not going to be allowed to do business in Germany as
OppieCom.

  That the U.S. has more 800 numbers than the rest of the world means
not a whit to the rest of the world. Quantity is not priority.  If
you're proposing that the U.S. strong-arm others into submission by
refusing to route international 800 calls that collide with U.S.
numbers, then I'm certain the world will be happy to live with that
situation. It's no skin off their nose. The losers will be U.S.
callers, not overseas companies.

  On another note, do you also contend that the owner of 1-800-356-9377
(FLOWERS) owns the phone number 356-9377 in every other area code?  If
a local flower shop in Ventura, CA wants to advertise their *805*-356-9377
number as "Just dial FLOWERS", are you saying they would infringe on
800-FLOWERS?  I think you have a logical conundrum here. If you say
"yes, they're infringing", then you have to contend with giving every
alphabetic 800 number priority over local numbers.  This hardly seems
fair to the 50-year-old mom-and-pop flower shop, and flies in the face
of existing trademark law.  On the other hand, if you say "no, they're
not infringing", then you must explain why these numbers don't infringe
but international numbers do.


Mel beckman                  |   Internet: [e-mail]
Beckman Software Engineering | Compuserve: 75226,2257
Ventura, CA 93004            |  Voice/fax: [phone]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 17:51:19 -0500
From: Tom Limoncelli <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: AT&T 500 Service Outside the USA


> Remember, I mentioned here before that the first or second day of my 500
> service being in operation and giving out the number -- 500-677-1616 --
> I got called at seven in the morning by a guy working for AT&T on the
> east coast who hadn't the foggiest idea what he was calling either. I was
> so astounded I had to say, 'excuse me, you *do* work for AT&T?' ... Yes

Sorry to butt in, but you are intermixing stories about AT&T and your
local LEC, which I'm sure is confusing to readers.

> he did, but he had never heard of 500 service. Now wouldn't you think that
> when the company introduced this new service they would have gone out of
> their way to make sure *every employee* knew about it?  It certainly is

AT&T employees over 300,000 people (I think that's just in New Jersey,
but it may be the national number).  How can you expect all 300,000 of
them to know about a new service.  They do have a daily bulletin to all
employees that is sent out electronicly, but not everyone reads it.

As a side note: I've seen a lot of AT&T employees putting their personal
500 number on the title slide when they make presentations inside and
outside of the company.  I think this is a good trend.


Tom Limoncelli

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mike Pollock)
Subject: Re: Backlit Caller ID Box Wanted
Date: 26 Mar 1995 17:28:57 -0500
Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC


Bill Halvorsen ([e-mail]) wrote:

> Now that we have name and number (and soon Caller ID with call waiting)
> I'm wondering if anyone makes a unit that is backlit anymore.  I've
> seen some CIDCO units sold under other names that have a "new call"
> light (until you review your list) but can't find any actually backlit.
> I really dislike trying to read LCD's in poor light (or turning on a
> light just to see it if I'm awakened in the night by the phone).

CIDCO'S model SA-8522 reportedly features 85 name/number display with
backlighting and English or Spanish for $79.95.  And the SL-64 has 64
name/number with backlight (no Spanish) for $89.95

Call them for more information at 1 800 929-8246.  That's the number for
ID-Direct, their mail order division.


Mike

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 21:45:29 -0500
From: [e-mail] (Jeffrey William McKeough)
Subject: Re: New Area Code Assignments
Organization: Beet Cabal, New England Regional HQ


Speaking of new area codes, I had said that Connecticut's would be
890.  However, according to two Connecticut television stations, it
will be 860.


Jeffrey McKeough  [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 95 10:49:15 EST
From: Carl Moore <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: New Area Code Assignments


OK, so you list 912-334 in Georgetown, GA, next door to area 334 in
Alabama.  Do you know if any points in the Georgetown calling area
have local service to Alabama, and if so, how are such local calls
dialed?  Georgia points in the Georgetown calling area would have:
334-xxxx for local calls to Georgetown 1-334-xxx-xxxx for long
distance to area code 334.

I do have 1 + NPA + 7D method listed for long distance within a Georgia
area code, so local calls to Alabama could very well have stayed at
7D.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (HerraghtyJ)
Subject: Re: Help Needed With PBX at Remote Location
Date: 27 Mar 1995 21:58:17 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (HerraghtyJ)


Interesting problem.

The first precedent to establish is that the phone company is
engineering the circuits all the way to your Mitel Location.  That
must be true for your trunks as well as OPX's. Also, please ensure
that your OPX's are terminating onto OPX Ckt cards at the PBX.  It is
otherwise very easy for all concerned to test all circuits only to the
established POP which could easily be a mile away from your Mitel.
There is much precedent already existing to have the phone company
Engineer the circuits over somebody elses copper cable plant.

       If Telc or University has a problem with that, ask them what
they would do if you ordered your trunking in on a T1.  The Local
provider would have to provide the smart jack within a hundred or so
feet of your Mitel.  Or, if you ordered a leased data line from off
campus, that too would have to be engineered all the way to its final
destination, and not just to the University POP.  There are multiple
instances of Universities 'giving' copper to local Telco's to service
to end user's whose business happens to be on the campus.  For
instance, students Union with McDonalds, Arbys, etc.  Or, do you have
an ATM/Money Machine on campus, how does that data line get there.
You can bet your last buck that it doesn't get repeated through the
campus phone system.  It is very carefully engineered from the banks
computers to the final destination ATM.

        It is always a great temptation for a tech head to apply
bandaids with repeaters, amplifiers, boosters, line conditioners, gain
circuitry etc.  However, in this instance, a Fed with a good head for
sorting out silly administrative shirkers might just win the battle by
making parties live up to their responsibilities and provide some good
service.


Good luck!

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (HerraghtyJ)
Subject: Re: Looking For X.25 Cards
Date: 27 Mar 1995 22:30:05 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (HerraghtyJ)


There is an outfit called "The Software Group" (TSG) in Ontario
Canada.  They make X.25 cards and supply the cards with Unix Drivers.
I bought one about a year ago form them.  I can't remember the exact
area of Ontario or their phone number.  But they are still in
business.


Good luck!

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #173
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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
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Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #174

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 28 Mar 95 10:17:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 174

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Update on FCC ISDN "Tax" (Ed Goldgehn)
    Beware! Telecom "Reform" Now Under Way (GovAccess.113 via Monty Solomon)
    Caller ID Answering Machines (Bob Izenberg)
    GSM Information on the Web etc (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh)
    New NPA in SC Scheduled For December (Mike King)
    Need Information on Wiltel's Dedicated Internet Access (Scott Hayes)
    Serial Comm to Unix (Christos Patrinos)
    Digital Cellular and Encryption / Fraud Prevention (John Diamant)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
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Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ed Goldgehn)
Subject: Update on FCC ISDN "Tax"
Date: 28 Mar 1995 15:21:43 GMT
Organization: The INTERNET Connection, LLC
Reply-To: [e-mail]


In article <[e-mail]>, pphalen@crl.
com says:

> The FCC has been regulating phone service since 1934. The increased tax
> you refer to is actually a tariff, not a tax. And it WILL be imposed by
> the FCC, unless enough public and political pressure is brought to bear in
> the right places. PacBell estimates the resulting cost increase for Home
> BRI service to be up to 50% and up to 60% for PRI service.

As the original poster of this thread, I believe it is time to clear up the
us use of the word "tax" and provide an update to the group from what I've
heard (not confirmed).

First, I apologize for the dramatics by using the word tax in this thread.
It was intended to draw the attention of readers that do not spend their
days reading tariffs or understanding the nuances in telephony terminology.
 From that standpoint, and in my own behalf, I believe it served its purpose.

It is my understanding that, indeed, the original proposal by the FCC was to
increase the line fees associated with ISDN through a tariff.  It has been
brought to my attention that -- possibly due to a combination of both RBOC
and end-user attention to this issue -- the FCC is now opting for presenting
a ruling on this matter.  This opens the issue up to greater public comment.

In discussion with "someone in the know" at one of the RBOC's recently, it
was related to me that the CALC is viewed as a franchise fee that the FCC
imposes on the telco's. We further discussed the impact of the FCC ruling on
the cost of an RBOC to institute the fee accounting and how that can affect
user pricing.

There are still many unresolved concerns about the entire FCC proposal for
increased fees. The most predominant are:

--  With the EPA placing such an emphasis on reducing pollution by requiring
work-at-home policies on employers in "hot spots" in the country, the FCC
proposal is only going to increase the cost of implementing those plans
because ISDN is a critical component in most work-at-home applications.  The
leaves the basic question of "Where is the continuity from the government on
this issue?"

--  With the advent of Multi-Rate ISDN (Single Call - Nx64 channels from the
telco switch provided to the subscriber) right around the corner, it is
obvious to some of us that the CALC method is outdated for the technology
and is being forced to fit where it does not belong.

--  In nearly every existing state tariff, residential service is provided
only on a 2B+D basis thereby requiring residential subscribers to pay a CALC
regardless of their willingness to get both B channels. (I'd say every state
where a residential tariff exists, but I've not done the necessary homework
to make that definitive a statement).

--  With all the discussion of deregulation, video dial-tone, etc, it is
logical to conclude that the CALC itself might disappear or be completely
revamped to accomodate the growth of the telecommunications industry soon
after the proposed increase is put into effect (BTW, soon in the
telecommunications industry is defined in years).  It seems illogical to
impose this structure with the left hand while the right hand is potentially
doing something entirely different.

I have not been made aware of when the FCC hearings are to be held on this
issue.  Anyone that has that information, please post or e-mail me with that
information.

On a positive note, it does appear that we, the average citizens, have
already had some impact on what the FCC is intending to do.  It is important
that we continue down that path.  Therefore, to provide your comments to the
Mass Markets Industries Group of the North American ISDN Users Forum (NIUF),
please reply to this post or send e-mail to:

        [e-mail]

Please include the words FOR INCREASE or AGAINST INCREASE in the body of
your message and any additional comments you would like made public in
response to this issue.


Ed Goldgehn, Sr Vice President/CTO              E-Mail: [e-mail]
Open Communication Networks, Inc.               Voice:  [phone]
Co-Chair - Mass Markets Ind. Group / North American ISDN Users Forum (NIUF)

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 04:35:48 -0500
From: Monty Solomon <[e-mail]>
Subject: Beware! Telecom "Reform" Now Under Way
Reply-To: [e-mail]


Forewarded to the Digest, FYI:

   Date: Sat, 25 Mar 1995 20:11:17 -0800
   From: Jim Warren <[e-mail]>
   Subject: GovAccess.113: BEWARE! Telecom "Reform" now under way

WATCH OUT!  Our online future can be turned into a digital wasteland as bad
as the TV wasteland that followed that technology's great hope of the '50s.

This GovAccess concerns only one issue -- the "Telecommunications
'Reform' Act of 1995."  It has already cleared its first Senate
committee hearing.  As a comparably trivial gargoyle, it already
includes Sen. Exon's "Communications Decency Act of 1995," amended
into the bill in that hearing.

No one knows how this "reform" legislation will finally turn out --
especially not when it eventually comes out of a House-Senate conference
committee that will coyly meet behind closed doors, probably to be
steam-rollered through a fast-track enactment by Congress.

As an example of the dangers, here are "reliable rumors" that one of
the nation's leading network experts chose to report in mid-January.
Farber does not thus place his reputation on the line lightly.

 --jim

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Reforming" Government-Granted Multi-Decade Monopolies (uh huh!)

   Date: Mon, 16 Jan 1995 06:44:54 -0500
   From: [e-mail] (David Farber)
   Subject: The planned Communications Act Re-write of the New(t) Congress

I have paraphrased a message from a source who claims that this has been
substantiated by at least two other sources.

PLEASE note that I can neither personally confirm or deny this information
at this time, so ... [just like most important political information --jim]

Some may call this another of the "hysterical ravings" heard out of DC. Who
knows but there have been such in the past that came true. I suggest
watching events and see if you see any sign of this happening. If you do,
come back and carefully re-read this message.

Dave

I paraphase:

For what it's worth, my impeccable source in DC just called to tell me how
the Communications Act Re-write will appear when a carefully orchestrated
scenario runs its course.

 ... All the deals have all been made over the holidays with the
critical opposition that stopped last year's bill: the IXCs
[long-distance carriers], cable, etc. It will be a very complex bill,
packaged with the right deregulation words (get the government off our
backs), universal service, and futuristic "3d Wave" stuff from Toffler
and Gilder. The media blitz is being planned for maximum effect.
Clinton won't oppose it because if he does it will appear that he is
reneging on Information Highway promises. There is no stopping the
steamroller now, and there won't be any time for major forces (other
potential players in the NII -- the Microsofts, Hughes, etc. -- to do
a decent analysis without looking like they are naysayers).

The details -- as usual -- are what counts.

The bill will turn residential, small town, suburban, and rural _local
access_ into a permanent natural monopoly with a single gateway for
services TO the home. The BOCs don't think there are any services FROM the
home business worth considering, other than voice and low-speed return data
for games. The RBOCs, have given up on medium to large customers. They
realize that they already lost that market to AT&T and the niche players,
MCI & Sprint. But by controlling access to the home, they figure they can
control everything else, and have a chance at getting a few large users by
packaging the residences for them. This way they might actually gain market
share in the IXC business. AT&T knows they can't fight this Congress
without looking like the spoiler, so they will take their chances on radio
access, manufacturing, and the more lucrative businesses.

It looks like the RBOCs will pull this off, because the separate
interests are now stronger than the mutual conflicts among the biggest
boys in town.  Cable knows they are finished if they have to compete
with the LEC's cash flow and new, and better, coax networks are
constructed; so they might as well settle for what they can get now.

The bill will have the right incentives for the major MSOs to
lease-back their coax for the LECs to run. Malone already said so. One
"Uniwire" into the home discourages future competition, especially
with complicated lease-back arrangements. Any competitor will think
twice about trying to breach that monopoly. They are simply following
the successful strategy that AT&T used to play W.U. off of 3d parties,
like RCA, for decades; W.U.  used to get sweetheart deals for circuits
with the FCC blessing. No one else even bothered to think about
competing until MCI discovered microwaves. These lease-back
arrangements will look clean to the uninitiated. Uniwire will be
reinforced by control of the settop box interfaces. A barrage of
economists will be engaged to argue that natural monopoly, under some
new name, is best for everyone because it broadens opportunity. If you
think crystals are screwy, wait till you hear the new mantras.

The BOCs don't know what to do about radio, but don't believe the
technology for broadband radio is here anyway, and have come up with a
legalistic strategy that empowers the FCC to slow down any competitive
forces using alternative carriage. This will take three steps:

1) Federal pre-emption of States' rights in ALL communications fields --
wire, radio, switching, rates, whatever. But State's rights are a Republica
mantra. To prevent this looking like more centralized government (which it
is):

2) An "ombuds panel" will be set up under the FCC, but with extraordinary
powers to bypass the Administrative Procedures Act and expedite the CFRs
without 11 months of notice, etc., to settle all disputes between the
States and the Federal government on communications matters. This will be
presented as State oversight to protect universal, vaguely defined,
services and the like.

Everyone who thinks they matter are hustling to get on this panel, for then
they will be more powerful than the Commissioners themselves. It will look
balanced, with even one FCC Commissioner or two on two panel, somebody
representing consumers, labor, etc., but since the GOP expects to win the
next Presidential election, within 2-3 years it will be totally stacked. Of
course, if the Democrats should ever win anything again, and the BOCs get
into financial trouble, which is very likely given that the residential
business has always been a dog, all the mechanisms for nationalisation of
local carriage will be in place. So why should a good Democrat oppose this?
Power swings back and forth in Washington.

And to make sure none of this unravels too early:

3) the Justice Dept. will be cut out of all antitrust matters related to
communications.

All this will be called cutting down centralized government!!

The message is that too much money has been spend on this deal for anyone
to back out now.

What can kill it is the State pre-emption clause. The Governors of the
five, so-called "seed" states in telecom (FL, NY, CA, IL and CO) are going
to want something big in return for blessing pre-emption. They are in
terrible financial shape. So expect weird pork barrel monies flowing for
totally unrelated things: releasing FEMA funds for disaster relief in
Florida, California, and who knows what else. This is a very large country
with a very large economy -- it is easier to move money around than the
average citizen thinks. A small portion of a large number is still a large
number.

So much for capping Federal spending.

The other wild card is the broadcasters, who last year stuck in a provision
to use the so-called HDTV UHF channels for anything but. However, the
networks would love to drop foreign ownership provisions and they might
relent on data over former video channels -- which they really don't
understand anyway -- for a chance to make better deals with foreign
entities.

The Republicans are counting on cable & telcos to behave themselves and not
raise rates until after the next Presidential election.

There is nothing to stop the steamroller now but if they can't get the bill
signed into law by Feb 15th, the deals are all off, I am told.

end of paraphase


&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&


Three Key Telecomm "Reform" Questions (Among Many)

1.  Would the communications giants that zealously seek to become
information/content and value-added services providers assure a level
playing field and full and equal access to small entrepreneurs seeking to
provide innovative services at lowest cost - if they are not forced to do
so by the same statute that will force them to provide such a level playing
field and equal access to each other?

2.  Will we have "universal access" or only "universal service"?  Universal
*service* will guarantee only that we can be obedient couch potatoes,
emitting digital cash to consume whatever trivia the giant corporations
deign to dribble out to us.  Universal *access* will assure information and
service providers competitive access to the wired and wireless
communications channels that have been government-granted corporate
monopolies for so many decades.

Adequately-structured universal *access* could allow *real* competition
with the giants, competing with - and often beating - them in providing
maximum innovation at minimum cost to the user.  And I don't mean some
idiotic delusion of competition - like the arrogant fantesy that mandating
two cellular-phone providers in a given market provides adequate
"competition."

Universal *access* can allow all of us to become information and service
entrepreneurs - even from "the privacy of our own homes."  However,
functional channel monopolies will kill that dream.

3.  Where the hell are the newspaper publishers?  Why aren't they screaming
bloody murder?  Don't they realize that they can become minor throw-aways
within a decade or two, if they are shut out of competitive access to these
communications channels by the giants that own the channels?

 --jim

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

"Behind all the hype shaping the electronic highway are corporate
interests. These huge companies are doing the most natural thing in the
world to them; following their own corporate interest."
 -- Herber Schiller, "Information Superhighway: Paving Over the Public",
   Z Magazine, March 1994


Mo' as it Is.
 --jim

GovAccess is a list distributing irregular info & advocacy, maintained by
Jim Warren, columnist, MicroTimes, Government Technology, BoardWatch, etc.
 345 Swett Rd., Woodside CA 94062; voice/415-851-7075; fax/<# upon request>
  [e-mail] (well.com = well.sf.ca.us; also at [e-mail])

&     To add or drop the GovAccess list, email to  [e-mail] .    &
& Past postings are at  ftp.cpsr.org: /cpsr/states/california/govaccess  &
&  and by WWW at  http://www.cpsr.org/cpsr/states/california/govaccess . &

               ------------------------------------

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well readers, what do you think? Is the
above scenario a little extreme, or does it seem realistic to you?  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bob Izenberg)
Subject: Caller ID Answering Machines?
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1995 21:01:13 CST
Reply-To: [e-mail]


    I had cause to speak to my local telco customer service folks
the other day, and they finished with a caller ID pitch.  It seems to
me that recording caller ID information along with, or without, an
incoming phone message, would be an obvious combination.  Has anyone
brought an answering machine combining these features to market?


Bob Izenberg    THERE: [e-mail]
HERE: [e-mail]    512-442-0614
Finger me HERE for my pubic PGP key.

------------------------------

Subject: GSM Information on the Web, etc
From: [e-mail] (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh)
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 95 02:39:36 IST
Organization: Deus X Machina


In response to Carmen's request for GSM info ...

GSM is an (originally French) standard for secure, digital, cellular
communications, mainly voice.  Most information is not available
electronically, as the European Technical Standards Institute (ETSI)
makes a lot of money charging for the paper versions. While some info
is available on-line, the detailed recommendations have to be purchased:

ETSI Publications Office
06921 Sophia Antipolis Cedex
France
Fax: [phone]
Tel.: [phone]
There are many documents, each priced at about 3000 ECU!

A postscript version of the basic technical specifications from ETSI is
available by FTP at ftp.dfv.rwth-aachen.de in directory
/pub/doc/cellular/cn/gsm_rec.ps.gz

This is the FTP archive for the Cellular Digest, and much useful (but usually
very technical) material can be found in the pub/doc/cellular/digest direc-
tory.

Various related standards are available at the ITU server, Gopher to
info.itu.ch or http://info.itu.ch and look under Telecommunications
standards / recommendations / Series M [for Mobile] recommendations.
You can also search for keywords, though you won't find much under
'GSM'.

Some discussion of the cryptography and security used in GSM (A5/1)
can be found at the Cypherpunks web archive, http://www.hks.net/cpunks/
index.html, where you can try a keyword search for 'GSM'.

Source code of an implementation of the European GSM 06.10 provisional
standard is available by FTP:
tub.cs.tu-berlin.de/pub/tubmik/gsm-1.0.tar.Z
with gsm-1.0-patch1 and gsm-1.0-patch2 in the same directory.

Another (apparently faster) version is at liasun3.epfl.ch in
/pub/audio/gsm-1.0pl2.tar.Z


Rishab Aiyer Ghosh   [e-mail]
[e-mail]  Vox [phone] Voxmail 3760335
H 34C Saket, New Delhi 110017, INDIA

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mike King)
Subject: New NPA in SC Scheduled For December
Date: Mon, 28 Mar 1995 16:58:55 PST


I received the latest Bellcore letter, and South Carolina will undergo
a split.  The Greenville LATA will get the new NPA 864, while the rest
of the state (including Columbia, Florence, and Charleston) will
retain 803.

The split will occur on Sun., December 3, 1995, and the permissive
period will end on Wed., May 1, 1996.


Mike King    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (SPHboise)
Subject: Need Information on Wiltel's Dedicated Internet Access
Date: 24 Mar 1995 13:36:03 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (SPHboise)


Can anyone give me info on Wiltel's dedicated internet acces?. Do they have
a DS3 backbone, how many naps do they access, is that access redudent etc...?


Thanks in advance,

Scott Hayes     [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Christos Patrinos <[e-mail]>
Subject: Serial Comm to Unix
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 95 14:29:01 -0500
Organization: Delphi ([e-mail] email, 800-695-4005 voice)


Hello,

I am, naively, trying to connect a dial-up modem directly to a Equinox
serial server into a Unix box on an NCR.  The modemkwell chipset 14.4
and I have all the signals I need, execpt of course the DTR.  Is this
just a deficency of the modem, or can I custom wire an adapter and
simulat the DTR.

I have RD, CTS, DSR, CD matched exactly pin for pin polarity for
polarity with what a breakout box put on the serial serial shows.  The
serial server wants a DTR negative voltage.  On the modem signals I
also have a TC,tranmitter clock and RC, receiver clock.

Any edification would be much appreciated.


Thanks,

Christos

------------------------------

Subject: Digital Cellular and Encryption / Fraud Prevention
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 95 15:39:45 -0700
From: John Diamant <[e-mail]>


How secure is digital cellular with encryption enabled?  I understand
that digital cellular without encryption isn't secure (except that
less people have scanning equipment capable of decoding a digital
signal).

How good is the encryption which will be available with an
encrytion-capable digital cellular phone and encryption enabled by the
cellular carrier?  What sort of encryption algorithm is used and how
are encryption keys handled (programmed once into the phone and known
by the carrier, or regularly updated by some secure password
transmission algorithm?)?

Does digital encryption significantly reduce the threat of cellular
fraud such as cloning?  What about other types of cellular fraud?

Do any of the encryption-capable digital cellular phones indicate to
you whether encryption is enabled for a particular call?  I understand
some of them will tell you when they're operating in digital mode, but
that's not the same thing.

I also have a few questions about digital cellular in general:

1) Do people on this forum believe digital cellular will eventually replace
   analog cellular?  How soon?

2) Currently, analog cellular phones are often available free with one
   year service contracts, but digital cellular phones are expensive.  Do
   people on this forum believe that digital cellular phones will eventually
   be available near free once the digital conversion is much further along?
   It appears that digital cellular is being pushed by service providers
   because they can squeeze three times the number of calls on the same
   bandwidth and charge only 10%-20% less.


Thanks in advance,

John Diamant    Software Engineering Systems Division
Hewlett Packard Co.  Internet: [e-mail]
Fort Collins, CO

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #174
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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
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To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #175

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 28 Mar 95 11:30:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 175

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Client/Server Mobile Computing (Peter Chandler)
    Inexpensive 56k+ Connectivity Between U.S. and Europe (Mike O'Connor)
    Re: The MATHLINE Project (Bradley J. Bittorf)
    Cell Programming For Motorola 7200 (Jurgen Morhofer)
    NPA Splits and Bell System Ideals (Mark C. Baker)
    Help Me With Technophone PC215 ([e-mail])
    SS7 References Wanted ([e-mail])
    Re: What is Loop Start? (Jay Davis III)
    Re: What is Loop Start? (Fran S. Menzel)
    Re: Cellular Fraud in the News Again (Jason Edmiston)
    Re: CDPD vs Ckt Cell Data UPDATE (Sam Spens Clason)
    Re: Telecom Professional Organizations (Jack Warner)
    Re: Looking For X.25 Cards (Patrick Linstruth)
    Re: Yes, Yung'uns. CNID -is- Logged at Your Local CO (Gary Novosielski)
    Re: NYNEX: Idiocy in Pricing (Joe Scotti)
    Re: Why Doesn't Z-MODEM Work? (Antonio Sousa)

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
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Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Peter Chandler)
Subject: Client/Server Mobile Computing
Date: 28 Mar 1995 16:30:06 GMT
Organization: Progress Software Corp.


Help!

I am trying to find an off-the-shelf proven solution for the following
configuration:

Client                                 Server
-------                                -------
PC - running  MS-windows               HP - running AUX
winSocket (TCP/IP)                     BSDSockets (TCP/IP)
(???)                                       (???)
  |                                          |
  |                                          |
  ------------- RAM Mobile Data --------------


Has anyone implemented a wireless mobile client/server solution?  What
did your configuration look like?


Thanks,

Peter Chandler

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 11:28:43 EST
Subject: Inexpensive 56k+ Connectivity Between U.S. and Europe
From: Mike O'Connor <[e-mail]>
Reply-To: Mike O'Connor <[e-mail]>


I have a dream.  I want to start planning and implementing better WAN
connectivity than what I have currently -- FedExing tapes, sporadic
ISDN and/or costly dialup UUCP and SLIP/PPP.  Of course, with such
ventures, the issues involved are telco-oriented as much as anything.

Given: A few-hundred-person company homed in the U.S. with an inhouse
       TCP/IP network and little else, data-network-wise.

Given: A couple of small offices -- 20-30 people -- in various parts
       of western Europe, with a couple more on the way.

Given: We're not afraid to spend a little money, just not a fortune.
       These offices DO make money, after all.  :)

I want to establish a dedicated 56k+ circuit between these offices and
my U.S. office.  I don't care about latency too badly (though shipping
tapes back and forth is a little too high in the latency department
for my tastes :) ).  Most of the circuit would be used to move data,
but ideally, I'd like to be able to establish a voice channel riding
along the data channel if possible, so I could cut down on LD charges
between offices.  Ideally, I'd like a single network pipe to somewhere
as opposed to a solution which requires me to build a whole lot of
infrastructure every time I add an office.

At this point, I'm in the preliminary planning stages, but it seems
like satellite connectivity would be my best bet.  However, I'm sure I
don't know all the connectivity options that might be available, and
I'd be very interested in how people are doing this sort of thing.  I
come more from the LAN management side than the telco side of life, so
please be gentle with me if I'm asking something outrageously stupid.


Michael J. O'Connor   Internet: [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bradley J. Bittorf)
Subject: Re: The MATHLINE Project
Date: 28 Mar 1995 16:23:05 GMT
Organization: Allen-Bradley Company, Inc.


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Kevin
Jessup) writes:

> It states that MATHLINE is an interactive telecommunications project
> which will be implemented with the help of the Cellular Telephone
> Industry Association, PBS, the nations PUBLIC schools, and other
> unnamed wireless organizations and providers.

Due to my role as liaison between our local PBS station here in Cleveland
(WVIZ), and my company's charitable contributions team, I have some exposure
to the MATHLINE project.  I'm trying to get someone more closely associated
with the program to respond here too.

WVIZ was one of the first stations to try MATHLINE and my company
donated a little seed money last year.  We also persuaded one of our
partner schools to enroll a math teacher in the program; he reports he
is quite satisfied with MATHLINE.

> The article went into little detail on the "WHYS" of the MATHLINE
> project.

My understanding of the program is that it provides math teacher
training, using satellite instruction to a number of remote sites.
Teachers receive lesson plan guidelines, videotape teaching episodes,
and computer bulletin board numbers/passwords they can use to pose
questions directly to the MATHLINE instruction team.  Teachers can
receive assistance in understanding how to apply the video tapes,
example exercises, or teaching methods.

> Will the students in the program be provided a wireless laptop, or
> only the instructors?

This is the first I'd heard about wireless laptops.  This year the
only requirement was a computer and modem that could access a local
MATHLINE access number.

> Why the need for interactive access to the net?

Primarly to access samples, optional portions of the exercises, and to
have application questions and teaching questions answered.  I don't
think students have this access (at least they aren't supposed to),
only the teachers.

> WHY the need for real-time interactive satellite access??

Satellite access is used during presentation of the course materials
to the math instructors.  I don't think it is used at any other times.

> Will the instructor DO anything or just plug the system in and watch?

The instructor will facilitate the videos, and break away from them
frequently.  There are many places during the tapes where the procedure
is to stop the tape and do things with the class.  The lesson guidelines
provided also include sample exercises in addition to what is on the tape.

> Forgive my naivete, but I have never taught in the public school
> system.  Perhaps nothing else works.

I can't speak to this point other than to say that your five-year old
who is tooling around in Windows now will probably expect a multi-media
presentation to keep him interested.

Interestingly (to me, anyway), one of the largest expenses for our
local implementation of Mathline is "teacher release," i.e., paying
for substitute teachers to permit the math teacher to attend these
sessions.  Many local schools no longer include personnel development
in their budget, I guess.  Or at least they can't afford to do it
during the school year.  So the program pays for the substitute while
the teacher is being trained.

Another note: MATHLINE is designed such that the teacher who
participates in the satellite sessions becomes the local trainer for
other teachers in her or his own school (or whatever consortia she/he
is affiliated with).  Thus, we are hoping for a good fan-out effect
of the materials, which can be re-used by multiple classes, etc.
One of the tenets of our company's charitable funding is to maximize
the impact of our contributions; this program appeared to meet our
criteria.  We will be re-evaluating its success this year to determine
whether we will continue funding.

Please note: I am only one member of our contributions team and I do
not officially speak for Rockwell Automation/Allen-Bradley Company.


Bradley J. Bittorf                           | Phone:  [phone]
Allen-Bradley Company/Rockwell Automation    | FAX:    [phone]
747 Alpha Drive, Highland Heights, OH  44143 | e-mail: [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 14:41:07 +0100
From: [e-mail] (Jurgen Morhofer)
Subject: Cell Programming For Motorola 7200


Hi Pat,

I've just read your reply about Motorola phone programming in the
Digest #159. Do you have any idea wether this feature works even with
a Motorola 7200 GSM phone? I tried shortening pin 2/3 with a small
piece of aluminium paper but nothing seems to have happened after that
when I switched on the phone again.  Is this because there probably is no
local mode on GSM phones, as all the information is stored in the SIM
module?

Thanks for any idea,


Jurgen


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I really don't know the answer. I know
what you did (assuming pins 2/3 are ground and the pin to be sent to
ground) works with lots of other Motorola cell phones. The other thing
you *must* be careful of with this experiment is keeping that connector
(aluminim foil, or a tiny little bare wire or whatever) *away from where
it does not belong*. Get it in the wrong place accidentally (or it
slips and falls in the wrong place in the process of reinserting the
battery) and you might just short out the battery or worse yet damage
the phone. Be very careful working in such a small space if your fingers
are not very nimble. Does anyone have some schematics for Jurgen's phone
they can share?   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 09:20:21 +0600
From: [e-mail]
Subject: NPA Splits and Bell System Ideals


Since someone was nice enough to quote an old Bell System Notes
on the Network, I got my 1980 copy out to read.  It has a statement
that is very interesting to those of us in NPA 708 which was just
created five years ago and is about to split again.

  "(g) Any customer affected by a boundary realignment should not be
       affected by any subsequent realignment for at least 10 years."

This statement is still in Bellcore's "BOC Notes on the LEC Networks -
1990"  (SR-TSV-002275)

In all fairness, with that statement in mind, I'm not sure how they could
have handled the 312 split several years ago other than creating a new
NPA for cellular/pager numbers in addition to 708.


Mark Baker - AT&T Network Systems

------------------------------

From: Rubber <[e-mail]>
Subject: Help Me With Technophone PC215
Date: 28 Mar 1995 10:20:55 GMT


I have a Technophone PC215 and can get it in to programming mode, to
change the phone number. Can anyone help; what pins do I short if any?
What do I type? I am stuck.


Many thanks,

Ocean Wave Rider

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: SS7 References Wanted
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 10:22:17 CST


I am interested in find some technical references on "SS7 programming".

I am working with Dialogic hardware and (separately) have just done
a SMDI link to a Northern Telecom switch via a serial interface.  I'd
like to see what kind of features I can add to various voice/fax/data
software with SS7 and would like to be able to turn on message waiting/
stutter dial-tone on any arbitrary phone via SS7.

So, if there exists a good text that explains SS7 such that I could
string bits together in the right order, I'd like to know about it.

Thanks.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (TOPCAT35)
Subject: Re: What is Loop Start?
Date: 28 Mar 1995 01:59:45 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (TOPCAT35)


This feature is also called forward disconnect. The feature must be
programmed into the line.It is left out sometimes in the initial setup. In
5ESS switches another option to help out with forward disconnect is the
GroundRef option,especially if you are on a SLC carrier system.


Jay Davis III
Bell Atlantic of MD

------------------------------

From: f.s.menzel <[e-mail]>
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 13:35:32 -0500
Subject: Re: What is Loop Start?


I've been watching the discussion of what we call 'reliable
disconnect' around here with a good bit of dismay.  You should be
aware, that despite the discussion that's been going on here, in most
cases you won't get a reliable disconnect signal when the other end
hangs up.  Most home answering machines will decide that the far end
has hung up after a period of silence.  I've been burned by this one
when I took some "think time" and had the answering machine hang up on
me.  If you want to know whether your device is really detecting
disconnect, I suggest you do an experiment where you call it, chat it
up a bit, then go silent.

Ground start trunks definitely do provide signalling on disconnect;
some loop start trunks may, but don't bet on it.

As I was typing this, I tried an experiment with my home answering
machine.  It hung up on me after about 15 seconds of silence (Yes, I'm
sure; I have ground start trunks with reliable disconnect here at the
office).


Fran Menzel    AT&T Global Business Communications Systems

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jason Edmiston)
Subject: Re: Cellular Fraud in the News Again
Date: 28 Mar 1995 00:17:36 -0800
Organization: Oregon Public Networking


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Michael P.
Deignan) writes:

> In article <[e-mail]>, Bob Compiano <74774.3167@Compu
> Serve.COM> writes:

>> Tell her she should do a follow up article on how they uncover the
>> cloning operations. I don't know for sure, but I suspect they have
>> equipment to detect receivers tuned to the coordination channel of the
>> cellular band.  Then they probably sit some place where there are
>> traffic jams regularly and then scan for people who have receivers
>> tuned to the coord.  The equipment would have to be very, very
>> sensitive.

> The hardest part of cloning a cell phone is having the correct
> equipment to program it. Intercepting the necessary data on a control
> channel is just a matter of having a few pieces of equipment that can
> easily be put together for under $1000, and then get into your dark
> panel van and sit under a control tower.

> As for detecting someone receiving control channel signals ... I don't
> see how, since sitting and listening on the frequency is a passive
> activity. There may be some residual noise from a receiver's FM IF
> section, but that in of itself doesn't mean anything.

  This is how they do it: The people they are after are the people who
clone telephones and sell "phone calls" to people on the street. These
phone calls are usually to other countries. For $5 or so buy a 20 min
phone conversation that would normally cost much more. This is real
popular in the city in poor areas that a lot of immigrants live in.
The criminals provide the locals with an affordable way to call "home".

This is big business in cities like New York. They catch these guys
with spectrum analizers. An unmarked police car drives through an area
where the phone brokers are known to operate and when they see a spike
in the 825-840Mhz range coming from a van parked on the side of the
road with tinted glass, they say "a-hah!". An undercover cop then buys
a phone call from the van in question, then arrests are made.  This is
how most of the cell phone cloners get caught.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Sam Spens Clason)
Subject: Re: CDPD vs Ckt Cell Data UPDATE
Date: 28 Mar 1995 10:37:46 GMT


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Terrence McArdle)
writes:

> In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (AIRCOM1)
> wrote:

>> A bit is a single 1 or 0, and a baud is the "raw" number of bits that can
>> be sent per second. For instance, a 1200 baud modem can send up to 1200
>> raw bits per second. We use the term "raw" here to not include error
>> correction or compression, as these will change the users perceived number
>> of bits per second transferred.

Baud is change of signal state per second.  If the signal can be in
more than two states (i.e. negative, 0, positive) then one state
change can represent more informaiton than just one bit.

> Just a note, perhaps a nit -- my understanding of the term baud is
> that it refers to the rate of modulations or signal changes per
> second, rather than the number of bits per second.  In other words,
> the baud rate is always equal to or less than the bit per second rate.
> Using common standards, the 300 baud modem transmits and receives data
> at 300 bits per second; however, a 14,400 bit per second modem
> operates only at 2400 baud. (it might be a different baud rate - the
> point is that there is no such device as a 14,400 baud modem)

Something like that, yes.


Sam
<A HREF="http://www.nada.kth.se/~d92-sam/">Sam Spens Clason</A>

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jackeagle)
Subject: Re: Telecom Professional Organizations
Date: 28 Mar 1995 09:09:18 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Jackeagle)


I agree with the thread comment about the IEEE Communications Society.
I also recommend a subscription to America's Network a very good
overall coverage of the telecom/wireless/ and recently cable industry
at a moderate technical level. It is free if you are in the field.
Call 800-346-0085 ext. 477. A good idea is to attend a telecom trade
show.  Public networking, cellular, PCS, and Cable all have seperate
shows. A great technical event at considerable detail is the annual
IEEE Communications Society Meetings: ICC and GLOBECOM. ICC will be in
Seattle in June.


Jack Warner     AT&T Bell Labs   Denver

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Patrick Linstruth)
Subject: Re: Looking For X.25 Cards
Date: 28 Mar 1995 15:18:00 GMT
Organization: Quantum Networking Solutions, Inc.


Quadron Service Corporation, located an Santa Barbara, offer X.25
solutions for DOS, OS/2, and I believe UNIX and AIX.  The support the
IBM ARTIC Co-Processor and Emulex DCP-286 (and possibly others by
now).

They can be reached at 805-966-6424


Patrick Linstruth - [e-mail]
Quantum Networking Solutions, Inc
[phone]

Local Access Numbers - Log in as "guest":
Palmdale, CA     [phone]
Woodbridge, VA   [phone]
Alexandria, VA   [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Organization: Small Business Administration
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 95 01:25:59 -0400
Subject: Re: Yes, Yung'uns. CNID -is- Logged at Your Local CO


In response to my:

>> I, for one, would not be willing to toss the privacy rights of the
>> caller on the trash heap merely on the strength of a "claim" by any
>> given residential customer that they found the call "obnoxious."

Carl B. Page <[e-mail]> writes:

> This is already implemented -- has been for years.

> Ever hear of the new Call Trace feature?  The telco's don't advertise
> it because they lose (small amounts of) money on it.

> They should because it is one of the few positive developments to come
> out of the CLASS services, which include Caller ID.

Yes, I've heard of it. I was familiar with it long before I wrote my
earlier comment. But the two are not equivalent. The person I was
responding to (Carter) had proposed that the number of anyone deemed
"obnoxious" by the complaining party should be revealed on request,
without regard to the caller's privacy. Call Trace, as Page admits,
does nothing of the sort.

With Call Trace, telco reveals the number only to the "proper authorities,"
the exact definition of which which seems to vary from region to
region. The typical price, in the range of $1 to $1.50, is charged for
each "successful trace," regardless of whether those authorities
actually take any remedial action based on the information supplied.

I question whether telco really loses money on this service. If so,
the question is, relative to what? Considering that they do not now
charge for (nor widely publicize) the services of the Annoyance Call
Bureau, the $1-and-change revenue from each Call Trace would seem to
be pure gravy.

Far from viewing this as a "positive development," I would also
question the implications and precedents set by providing this service
for a price, however nominal. Suppose you or I were in possession of
information relating to the commission of a crime. (Harassing phone
calls are usually only a misdemeanor, but threatening ones can be a
felony.) What would our neighbors think of us if we refused to provide
that information to the authorities unless we had received a price for
revealing it? We might refuse to cooperate, on some principle or another
(unless subpoenaed). Or we might agree to cooperate and provide the
information freely. But to make our cooperation conditional on the
payment of some sort of blood-money would be, in my view, unseemly at
best -- and more so when you consider that in this case we're billing
the victim.

Finally I question how effective the service actually is. Sources have
reported that the police in these parts (suburban New Jersey portion of the
New York metropolitan area) routinely ignore transmittals of Call-Trace
information until several reports, in some cases up to ten, have been
received.


GaryN   [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Like yourself, I have always questioned
why telco charges for traces handled via *57 when the older, and still
functioning Annoyance Call Bureau at telco does the same thing for free.
My feeling is they *have* to do it free on demand if you know enough to
demand it. Legally, you have the right to peaceful and uninteruppted use
of the phone. Telco has a legal obligation to provide that to you. To
the best of my knowledge however, Ameritech -- our local company here --
does not charge for *57 either.     PAT]

------------------------------

From: Joe Scotti <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: NYNEX: Idiocy in pricing
Organization: MV Communications, Inc.
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 12:25:39 GMT


[e-mail] (RUSSELL BLAU) wrote:

>> Two "FlexPath" T1s composed of 48 DIDs total cost ~$3500/month
>> (FlexPath is based on mileage and the location is ~2 miles from the
>> closest switch).

>> 48 standard individual business lines will cost about $1,200/month.

> Personally, I never thought I would find myself in the position of
> defending anything that NYNEX does, however, look at what you are
> comparing.  Flexpath is a DID trunk service.  Therefore, you should
> compare it to the price of 48 analog DID trunks, not 48 individual
> measured business lines.

Bad comparision, DID's analog trunks are overpriced too.

------------------------------

From: Sousa_Antonio_B/[e-mail]
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 95 14:05:42 +0100
Subject: Re: Why doesn't Z-MODEM work?


Hi,

> I am using a shell account to access the Internet, and most of the time I
> get there via MichNet, which is a local call. The trouble is that none of
> the fast protocols, e.g., Zmodem, work when I'm dialed in this way. Kermit
> works, but it is slow and not absolutely trustworthy. Can anyone supply any
> answers/solutions/confirmations?

I've had the same problem in the past. I noticed that some of the files got
through but others did not. I found out that the problem were the escape
characters used in the Z-MODEM protocol. With the program I was using, I
started working with the -e parameter (escape control characters) and had no
problems since then.


Antonio Sousa    [e-mail]
Instituto das Comunicacoes de Portugal
Portugal

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #175
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Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #176

TELECOM Digest     Wed, 29 Mar 95 06:33:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 176

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Outrageous ISDN Overcharges - They Aren't FCC's Doing (Fred R. Goldstein)
    Sesquuicentennial of Digital Communications? (Donald E. Kimberlin)
    203/860 Line Determined (Scott D. Fybush)
    Source of International Telecom Distributors (E.M. Sullivan)
    Dytel Company and Equipment (Ry Jones)
    Conduit - To Use or Not to Use (David Thaggard)
    Bay Area Rapid Transit and MFS Fiber Installation ([e-mail])
    Wireless Telephone Systems Seminar (Alexander Resources)
    Conference: Managing Internet For The Enterprise (Eric Paulak)
    Book Review: "Internet Roadside Attractions" by Branwyn et al (Rob Slade)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
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information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such
as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help
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All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
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should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Fred R. Goldstein)
Subject: Outrageous ISDN Overcharges - They Aren't FCC's Doing
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 95 03:42:54 GMT
Organization: BBN Planet Corp.


The actual cost of ISDN in many, or most, areas of the United States is
high enough to discourage the sort of mass deployment that it needs to be
viewed as truly successful.  In the past month, a lot of attention has
been paid to an FCC proposed rules clarification that would have raised
the price of some ISDN lines by as much as $6 per month.  From the hue and
cry raised, this was made to sound like a huge problem.  In fact, there
are many huge problems in ISDN pricing, and the FCC's Customer Access Line
Charge is a pittance by comparison.

What should ISDN cost?  It's a general principle of rate-making that the
_price_ for a regulated monopoly service -- and that's what ISDN is --
should reflect the underlying _cost_ to the provider.  That's what happens
in a competitive market by the natural forces of economics, what Adam
Smith called the "invisible hand".  ISDN is, after all, a telephone line.
It's just like any other phone line except that it's digital instead of
analog.

While analog telephone line rates today are not generally cost-based,
it's quite possible to separate out the _difference in cost_ between ISDN
and analog.  This was done in considerable detail during the Massachusetts
ISDN tariffing process in 1992.  NYNEX/New England Telephone had to file
exact cost deltas for ISDN services, unbundled, and the ISDN tariff is a
set of deltas to POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service).  That's a sensible
approach.  There are problems with the tariff but the cost studies are
very useful.

Compared to POTS, and based upon certain demand estimates that I suspect
weren't quite met, ISDN costs about $7/month more than POTS.  That's for a
1B+D line, speech bearer only, and it only is concerned with the
Non-Traffic Sensitive (NTS) rate components.  Usage is in different
tariffs.  Based on the cost, the MA tariff for ISDN 1B+D is $8/mo over
POTS.  The cost of a second B channel is well below the tariff price;
they make a nice margin charging $5/month. This makes sense:  There's
almost no NTS cost incurred by turning on the second B channel, unless
it's foreign-served.  (That's also in a different part of the tariff.)
I do suspect that NYNEX loses money on the $75 installation charge
differential, but then they seem to do a Keystone Kops routine every time
an order is placed.  (To be sure, they're getting better at it.  New
services, such as 500 numbers, tend to be tricky to get going.)

So what do telcos charge for ISDN?  In the case of PacBell, it's pretty
reasonable:  2B+D residential is around $24/month plus CALC.  The only
gotcha is that ISDN is measured service during the daytime, while
residential POTS can be flat rate.  That's bizarre, and makes POTS more
appealing for heavy daytime telecommuters.  It has been shown in separate
studies that peak-hour local usage costs much, much less than the penny a
minute that PacBell charges for both speech and data bearers.  On the
bright side, speech and data are at parity.  And PacBell's installation
charge is in part waived at 1/24 per month.

Now we turn to, say, Bell Atlantic.  Some BA jurisdictions don't even have
residential ISDN!  Business usage is all measured.  Clearly, their
priority in deploying ISDN so widely has been to sell Centrex to large
business.  (Intra-Centrex usage is, of course, free.)  They do sell bulk
usage plans, but they are all very costly. Again, it's a good incentive
for the typical residential netsurfer to stick with POTS.

Bell South takes a different approach.  They have lots of flat-rate
territories.  Atlanta's a wonder:  Even businesses can get flat-rate lines
with a local call extending clear across the metro area!  This is one Bell
company that must have cried all the way to the bank when their regulators
told them to stick with flat rates.  (Bell South is very profitable.)
So what's their ISDN rate?  Roughly double the POTS rate.  The POTS rate
is quite high because it's flat rate over a wide area, so residential
ISDN is over $50/month.  Sure it lets you make a 128 kbps call, but if you
only want 64k, it's quite a premium over residential POTS!  The so-called
"value of service" for 2B+D is considered to be double POTS (a common
European tariff, btw, where ISDN BRI is priced at 2x POTS), but in reality
the rate is there to cover assumed heavy dual B channel usage.  Use only 1
B channel and you're not getting your money's worth.  I think of the
second B channel for many (not all) users as as a "pack", a high-profit
item like the unwanted gimmicks the car dealers make their profits on.

Southwestern Bell's monthly rates aren't the outrage, but with Texas
residential installs running over $500, who wants to pay?  A three-year
buydown helps a little.

And then you have the cases where data bearer usage is priced way above
speech.  This is the case in most NYNEX land, and I think Ameritech.
It encourages the Data Over Speech Bearer Service hack, to be sure, which
a handful of vendors are scared to support.  Since hardly anybody
knows about DOSBS and telco sure isn't going to tell you, potential ISDN
customers are scared away by outrageously high usage charges.  Here in
Boston, for instance, a LOCAL call of 8-16 miles costs 5.5c/minute under
the measured service tariff that applies to all ISDN data bearer.  But
a 75 mile intra-LATA toll call at night is only 3.6 cents a minute!
Within 8 miles, it's only 1.6c/minute, but residential modem usage is
free.  Encouraging, no?

I won't tell you how much it costs in NYNEX or some other places if you
happen to live between 18 and 34 kilofeet from their widely-scattered
central offices.  My computer cost less than just the install charge.
Again, kudos to PacBell for realizing it's their problem and averaging the
cost.  This really discourages a lot of potential users from getting ISDN.

Those are the sorts of tariff problems that give ISDN a black eye in the
United States.  These are the sorts of prices that invite cable TV
companies to try to get into the act.  These are all decisions made by
state regulators, in cahoots with the monopoly telephone companies.
Next to this, the FCC's <=$6/month CALC charge is a drop in the bucket.
Let's focus our attention where the real problem is and not get distracted
by minor-league details.


Fred R. Goldstein    k1io   [e-mail]   [phone]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 95 19:49 EST
From: Donald E. Kimberlin <[e-mail]>
Subject: Sesquuicentennial of Digital Communications?


           SESQUICENTENNIAL OF DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS?

     This year seems to mark the 150th anniversary of electrical
digital communications without fanfare.

     Traffic on the "Information Highway" multiplies at an astonishng
rate as a myriad of methods to deliver wideband communications are
deployed.  But few practitioners have a solid reference point from
which it all began.

     That date could well be argued as April 1, 1845 when Morse's
telegraph was opened for public message conveyance between Baltimore
and Washington.  For the British part, the date of January 1, 1845
could be argued.  That was the date on which, after a lackluster
period since installation in 1838 along the Great Western Railway, the
Cook & Wheatstone telegraph was used to alert London police to the
arrival of a wanted criminal on a inbound train.

     While examples of earlier telegraphs abound, Morse's system first
combined use of direct current, electromagnetism and serial
transmission.  Further, the "Morse code" developed by Alfred Vail for
use in Morse's system contained the rudiments of today's "information
theory," with its principle of using the shortest sequence to send the
most frequently occuring characters.

     For a century thereafter, the principles upon which today's
modern digital binary transmission developed, first with
electromagnets, mechanical commutators and electromechanical relays,
then after development of vacuum tubes, by electronic means.

        The "break signal" or "reverse interrupt" of basic data
communications arose in the beginnings of telegraph operations.
Formatting of paper telegrams with an address header, routing
instructions, message body and error check included in the message
has evolutionary descendants in today's packet protocols.

    Early on, telegraphers discovered further compression of data
could be had by sending short numeric sequences in place of common
phrases in messages.  The well-known "73" of amateur radio has roots
in wireline telegraphy, while an entire numeric code called the
Philips Code saw common use in press transmissions.  The principle of
Time Division Multiplexing saw its first practical use in Baudot's
multiplexed telegraph several years before Bell's telephone.

    So-called "ARQ" automatic error correction came about when
telegraphy was applied to HF radio between nations.  Even multilevel
phase modulation schemes were used by telegraphers before the era of
"modems." About fifty years ago, the era of semiconductor electronics
burst forth, making microminiaturization possible. Still, every
digital pulse we send down a transmission channel operates in the same
fundamental way as did the original electromechanical telegraph of a
century and a half ago.

     If not 1845, when did practical everyday digital eletrical
communications begin?

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Scott D Fybush)
Subject: 203/860 Line Determined
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 1995 03:52:51 GMT


Connecticut's regulatory officials have drawn the final line for
the 203/860 split, and it will look like this:

In general, New Haven and Fairfield counties will stay in 203, while
the rest of the state (including Hartford) will become 860.

The two exceptions are:

The town of Sherman CT, which forms a wedge at the NW corner of
Fairfield County, across the state line from Pawling NY, will go into
860.  I don't know what NXX that is, as I can't find Sherman on a
1990-91 list of 203 NXX's.  It may be that Sherman is served out of
the exchange in neighboring New Milford, which is in Litchfield County
and will become 860.

And Woodbury Telephone Company's territory, which straddles the
Litchfield-New Haven county line, will go 860, even the part in New
Haven County (Southbury, I believe).

Permissive dialing starts in August 1996, mandatory in October 1996.


Scott Fybush - [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: EM Sullivan <[e-mail]>
Subject: Source of International Telecom Distributors
Date: 29 Mar 1995 04:40:31 GMT
Organization: Capital Area Internet Service [e-mail] 703-448-4470


Does anyone have suggestions on how to find a list of international
telecommunication distributors that sell telecom equipment. Locations
on the net would be great, or publications that you are aware of that
may have some information would be helpful. I've thought of the US
Dept. of Commerce and the Telecommunications Industry Association as
starting points.  I'm trying to help a US telecom test equipment
manufacturer locate distributors of their equipment.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ry Jones)
Subject: Dytel Company and Equipment
Date: 29 Mar 1995 07:26:10 GMT
Organization: The SenseMedia Network, http://sensemedia.net/


All,

I am seeking your assitance in locating the Dytel company. I bought
one of their AAX 048's (Automated Attendant Exchange) at a scrap shop
for $100... and it works! But it has no manuals. I hooked my linux box
up to the serial port, and at 1200 N81 captured this when I rebooted
it.

DYTEL AAX RLS 4.34 B 01/18/89
03/29/95  01:51:53  xxxx xxxx
xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
RESET
>

The 'xxxx'stuff represents a hex dump that seems to change about every
time I boot it. The stuff not X'd out seems to be stable.

Then, no matter what I type, I get the > and the character I just
typed. So if I typed "help" and the prompt, I'd get

>h
>e
>l
>p
>

No characters seem to catch it. I dumped the entire ASCII character
set into it, and never got anything ... other than ESC seems to hold it
for one char, and ^X and ^Z hang the box.

It has 17 cards and a CPU card. The keypad has a wire broke off, but I
can type stuff and have it error out. The keypad is in hex, like this:

1 2 3 F
4 5 6 E
7 8 9 D
A 0 B C

and the LCD is a ten character dot matrix display. There are no markers
other than the word Dytel on the outside, and the words "Automated
Attendant Exchange AAX048" on a smoked plastic cover. The screen
displays "FN?" on boot up. The keypad command "4E" makes it say "TDDY".

The cards are like this:
LNI1 LNI2 ... LNI12 SWX REG1 REG2 MAC1 MAC2 CPU

The only open slots are for SPARE (cpu I guess), MAC3, and MAC4.

If you have any information on this box ... help. Even the city and
state that DYTEL is located in would be a help ... I can call DA as
well as you, but I need a city and state.

Thanks for your help in restoring this piece of telephonic history ...
all the dates on the cards seem to be pre-1989. And the ROM date is
certainly in  1989, so ...


Ry      Finest handcrafted code since 1987.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (DavidT4044)
Subject: Conduit - To Use or Not to Use
Date: 28 Mar 1995 20:40:27 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (DavidT4044)


Several of us in my office have been discussing the virtues of using
various kinds of conduit when installing cabling supporting our
network. Some feel it's needed to avoid accidental outages or service
degradation due to user or maintainence actions.  Others think good
planning before installation will help avoid mistakes.  We know
conduit will help cut down on RFI and EMI, but use of shielded cable
(installed correctly) should take care of most interference.  Do the
benefits of using conduit out weigh the costs?  Can anyone point to
test results, engineering specs, or other definitive documentation
that would help out?


Thanks,

Dave Thaggard    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (MMILLERBPA)
Subject: Bay Area Rapid Trans and MFS Fiber Install
Date: 28 Mar 1995 23:01:44 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (MMILLERBPA)


I am interested in learning about the fiber optics based communications
system that is being designed, installed and (excess capacity)
marketed under contract with MFS Network Technologies for the Bay Area
Rapid Transit Authority.

My understanding is MFS designed and built the communications system and
then had an agreement with BART to market excess capacity on a commission
basis.  Is it public record what the percentage commission was on the sale
of excess capacity?  What was the split?

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Alexander Resources)
Subject: Wireless Telephone Systems Seminar
Date: 28 Mar 1995 18:58:26 GMT
Organization: Prodigy Services Company  1-800-PRODIGY


WIRELESS BUSINESS TELEPHONE SYSTEMS SEMINAR

An in-depth, educational seminar for telecommunications professionals who
need to understand the applications, benefits and limitations of: On-
premises PCS, Wireless PBXs and In-Building Cellular systems.

Topics Include:

Why these new systems will usher in the era of Personal Communications
Services;

How these systems can:

Increase productivity, revenue, customer and employee satisfaction;
Improve access to existing communications systems and networks;
Reduce wiring costs and problems;

What barriers exist to meeting the needs of 65 million desk-top business
telephones users;

How quickly the market for these systems will grow and how quickly price per
user will decline;

What strategies PBX, Centrex, Cellular and PCS suppliers will use to
capture this market;

How to use traffic engineering principles to select and plan a system;

What are the differences, advantages and limitations of:

Host and Network controlled operation;
Part 15 ISM, Cellular and Unlicensed PCS spectrum;
Single Cell/Single User, Single Cell/Multi User, and Multi Cell/Multi
User architectures;
Adjunct and integrated implementations;

Why leading end-user business organizations have purchased these systems;

How they use them;

How they have benefited from them.

Seminar locations: Anaheim, Atlanta, Bellevue, Boca Raton, Boston,
Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Kansas
City, Minneapolis, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Diego, San
Francisco, Scottsdale, St. Louis, Vancouver and Washington, DC.

For complete details call 800-948-8225 now!  (Fax [phone])
Seating is limited!

Presented by Alexander Resources, the leader in wireless communications
research, analysis, consulting, seminars and conferences.

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 17:57:36 -0500
From: [e-mail] (Eric Paulak)
Subject: Conference: Managing Internet For The Enterprise


             *Conference Announcement*

      MANAGING INTERNET FOR THE ENTERPRISE...
        INFORMATION SYSTEMS STRATEGIES FOR
            ACCESS, SECURITY AND SUPPORT

                  June 8-9, 1995
              Chicago O'Hare Marriott
                    Chicago, IL

Sponsored by the publishers of I/S Analyzer, A/S400 Client/Server
Advisor, Insider Weekly for AS/400 Managers, Unix Workstation
Advisor, National Report on Computers and Health, Telecommunications
Alert, 411, CCMI, National Exchange Bulletin and Guide to Network
Services.

For more information, 800/929-4824 ext.684 (phone)
301/816-8945 (fax)
[e-mail] (email)

About the conference:

The conference is for IS managers responsible for providing and
managing Internet access for their organizations. Sessions will
emphasize security, user access and return on investment strategies and
applications for enterprise networks.

Agenda and Speakers:

*Internet for large companies: opportunities and pitfalls
-Stephen Franco, Yankee Group

*Hacker update: How to uncover your security weak spots
-Fred Rica, Price Waterhouse

*Network security: Defensive tactics to secure your enterprise
-Simson Garfinkel, author of books on Internet security

*A buyer's guide to Internet access
-Joel Maloff, consultant and author of "The Internet as a Strategic
Business Tool"

*Lock in a bigger productivity payoff
-Michael Goulde, The Patricia Seybold Group

*How to craft a sound corporate Internet policy
-Michael Patrick, Fenwick and West
-Barry Weiss, Gordon & Glickson

*Save money by using the Internet as your WAN
-Ed Reynolds, EDS technology consultant

*Connecting with customers... How to secure transactions
-Michael Granfield, CommerceNet

*Connecting with customers ... How to profit from support
-Robert Gold, CEO of Transaction Information Systems

*Plan Smart: See the future of the Internet
-Daniel Dern, Internet analyst and author


For a conference brochure or more information:

Cynthia Slater/Robin Mustich
United Communications
800/929-4824 ext.684 (phone)
301/816-8945 (fax)
[e-mail] (email)

For online registration form, send email to:
[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 14:08:00 EST
From: Rob Slade <[e-mail]>
Subject: Book Review: "Internet Roadside Attractions" by Branwyn et al.


BKINTRDAT.RVW   950307

"Internet Roadside Attractions", Branwyn et al, 1995, 1-56604-193-7, U$29.95
%A   Gareth Branwyn [e-mail]
%A   Sean Carton
%A   Luke Duncan
%A   Tom Lichty [e-mail]
%A   Donald Rose [e-mail]
%A   Shannon Turlington [e-mail]
%A   Jan Weingarten
%C   PO Box 2468, Chapel Hill, NC   27515
%D   1995
%G   1-56604-193-7
%I   Ventana Press
%O   U$29.95 800-743-5369 919-942-0220 fax: [phone] [e-mail]
%P   320
%T   "Internet Roadside Attractions"

This is, as the name suggests, a miscellany of information, resources
and trivia accessible over the Internet.  The number of entries is
less than the size of the book would suggest, since many items appear
more than once, in different topic sections.  The material is thus
very far from being complete, while certain areas contain items that
are only very loosely related.  (Travel, for example, has entries on
history and government resources.)  The "multiple listings" are a good
idea, since neither the table of contents nor the index may help, at
times.  (The Internet Coffee Machine, for example, is not listed in
the index, nor does it appear under "Food and Drink", although an
image from it does.  The actual entry is listed under "Cyberculture".)

All are "reviewed" at some point in the book.  These comments are
generally only a short paragraph, but are worth looking at.  The
multiple listings point to the one review.  (Project Gutenberg
actually gets two separate reviews: the later one does point to the
earlier.)

The entries are mostly standardized on URLs (Universal Resource
Locators).  There is an explanation at the beginning of the book, and
an explanatory "Unraveling the URL" sidebar which recurs throughout
the book.  The emphasis is on World Wide Web and Gopher entries:
others are not given unless there is no WWW or Gopher pointer.


copyright Robert M. Slade, 1995   BKINTRDAT.RVW   950307  Distribution
permitted in TELECOM Digest and associated publications. Rob Slade's
book reviews are a regular feature in the Digest.


Vancouver      [e-mail]
Institute for  [e-mail]
Research into  [e-mail]
User           [e-mail]
Security       Canada V7K 2G6

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #176
******************************


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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #177

TELECOM Digest     Wed, 29 Mar 95 09:36:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 177

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Looking For an ISP in Interlaken, Switzerland (Kelly Breit)
    Utilities Climb on the Telecom Bandwagon (Cybernautics Digest via J. Shaw)
    Regulation and The Resellers (Jerry A. Okoko)
    Tower Sites in Poland (Jennings)
    Fraud Question (Amit Jain)
    InternetMCI in Operation? Where? Speed? ([e-mail])
    Who is SS7? (Bill Engel)
    Allnet Financial Stability (Bill Engel)
    E1/T1 Tutorial (Nobutaka Okuyama)
    Ultrasonic Fox and Hound (Gordon Mitchell)
    Need Help Finding a Company (Tom D. Fellrath)
    Re: Why Doesn't Z-MODEM Work? (Lorence Mlodzinski)
    Re: Downloading Mac Software With a PC (Lars Poulsen)
    Re: March 1995 NYNEX Bill Insert - PulseNet Service (Mike McKinney)
    Re: CDPD vs Ckt Cell Data UPDATE (Alan Larson)
    602 / 520 Area Code Problems (John Shaver)
    Re: NPA Splits and Bell System Ideals (Carl Moore)
    Re: Client/Server Mobile Computing ([e-mail])
    I Keep My Key *Where*? (Bob Izenberg)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

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----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 17:38:12 -0600
From: [e-mail] (Kelly Breit)
Subject: Looking For a ISP in Interlaken, Switzerland


If you are an ISP or Internet Site near Interlaken, Switzerland and willing
to establish a temporary connection, we have a very specific need as
detailed below.

We will be presenting at a trade conference from May 24 to 28, 1995 at the
Grand Hotel Victoria Jungfrau in Interlaken, Switzerland. I am trying to
locate someone who can provide us with Internet access during that time.
Our requirements are as follows:

- Handle all necessary arrangements with various organizations;
- 64K/56K or equivalent minimum access;
- CPE equipment necessary for the Swiss telecommunications network
  connection (I presume our U.S.A. POTS equipment is incompatible);
- assistance of a technical nature in confiuring equipment (We will be
  presenting with Apple Macintosh Computers and related A-V equipment);
- On-site support for the first day or two to ensure everything works
  properly;
- English speaking or willingness to work with a translator.

I would also appreciate an estimate of the cost to establish such a
connection and provide the necessary equipment and staff. In the near
future we will be needing similar assistance in LONDON, and several
other european cities.

If you are interested in assisting us or know someone that can, please
contact me directly.


Sincerely,

Kelly Breit     President and CEO
ITE/Netalliance, Inc.
6009 Wayzata Blvd., Suite 103
Minneapolis, MN 55416-1623
612-542-9440   612-542-9341 Fax

------------------------------

From: John Shaw <[e-mail]>
Subject: Utilities Climb on the Telecom Bandwagon
Date: 28 Mar 1995 15:00:19 -0800
Organization: Computer Users Information Exchange


The following abstract appeared in a recent issue of Cybernautics
Digest.

**********************************************
Utilities Climb On the Risky Telecom Bandwagon
**********************************************

    Around the world, utility companies and railways are jumping
into the telecommunications market, hoping to use the truck loads of
cash reaped from their respective monopolies to expand into the
glamorous (and, they hope, profitable) world of multimedia
entertainment. The Economist chronicles this peculiar technological
feeding frenzy in its Jan. 28, 1995, issue ("The Third Wire," pp.
62-63) but questions whether these companies have what it takes to
compete with the likes of Microsoft and AT&T.

    Aside from money, railroads and utility companies have
rights of way but lack much else that is necessary to survive in an
increasingly competitive market, the magazine explains. Many
overcome their shortcomings by forging alliances with telecom
companies. But will this be enough in the end?

    "Fortunately for the utility companies, however, telecoms
alliances remain all the rage," the magazine concludes. "An alliance
with a firm such as Sprint or Bell Atlantic can bring a utility
expert knowledge of the technology and the market, as well as
someone to share the cost of new networks. All the same, utility
shareholders would be wise to watch their wallets as their company
managers enter the multimedia snakepit."

    A sidebar to the main story lists utility companies around
the world that are entering the telecom market.

                 -----------------------------------------

This story is republished with permission from the April 1995
Cybernautics Digest, a monthly summary of reports about converging
information technologies.

(Contact: Terry Hansen, Cybernautics Digest, c/o KFH Publications
Inc., 3530 Bagley Ave. N., Seattle, WA 98103; 206-547-4950; Fax:
206-547-5355; E-mail: [e-mail]. U.S. subscription
rate: $24; $2 sample issue. Or visit us on the World Wide Web
at http://www.pscu.com)

------------------------------

From: Jerry A Okoko <[e-mail]>
Subject: Regulation and The Resellers
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 15:53:45 -0500
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA


Hi to all out there,

I have a question regarding the "Equal Access " requirement regulation
that is currently being discussed by the FCC.

My understanding is that it would allow end users to chose their
carriers without having to dial extra digits.

Could someone elaborate and define it to me more clearly?

Also, if it provides the end user more choice, why is it being opposed
by wireless resellers like Nationwide Cellular Services, Inc.?;

Additiotionally I would like to find out a thing or two about the
business of "reselling" airtime (wireless and wired) that has been
purchased wholesale from a primary carrier:

a) What are the mechanics of the business?;
b) Who maintains customer accounts after a "resale" has beenm consumated?;
c) What are the margins like (from those who are/ have been in the business)?

Any and all replies will be greatly appreciated.


Jerry      [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I do not know where you got your data from,
but equal access has been the law in this last for several years. I do
not know of any of the OCCs (other common carriers, meaning all of them
other than AT&T) who objected to equal access. When I first read your
message I thought somehow it had gotten recycled from sometime back in
the 1980's. Are you thinking of something different than me?  Regards some
of the cellular carriers, they force their users to call out on certain
long distance carriers they have cut deals with. I guess legally they have
that right.  When equal access was debated in the USA several years ago
the other carriers not only did not resist it, they demanded it!     PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 95 16:38:47 PST
From: Jennings <[e-mail]>
Subject: Tower Sites in Poland


We are looking for a contact in Poland who can help us get space on
the best towers in the top ten cities in Poland. Please provide proof
of ability, history, etc.

This will lead to major involvement in a large telecom project.


Omar Jennings
Spectrum Analysis & Frequency Engineering, Inc.
[e-mail]  Tel: [phone]  FAX: [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Amit Jain)
Subject: Fraud Question
Date: 28 Mar 1995 17:11:13 GMT
Organization: Connix - The Connecticut Internet Exchange


Supposing I have telephone service, and somebody else fraudulently
obtains the information needed to use it. Then he/she makes a number
of phone calls on it. Am I legally liable for the payment of these
fraudulent phone calls, after they have been determined fraudulent?
Please reply quickly as I am in an urgent situation.

Reply to e-mail if possible.


Thanks,

amit


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: If you had nothing to do with participating
in or facilitating the fraud by the other parties apparently unknown, then
no, you are not responsible. On the other hand, if you know who committed
the fraud, or did not act in a reasonable way to mitigate the losses due
to the fraud, then you might very well be responsible. It is difficult to
intelligently answer questions like yours without all the details, so
please write back with a bill of particulars; we will go from there.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Pat & Hilde)
Subject: InternetMCI in Operation? Where? Speed?
Date: 28 Mar 1995 23:17:24 GMT
Organization: Netcom


The internetMCI availability news announcement on 3/27 had a quote
about the software.  I am a NetworkMCI Business user and am supposed
to receive this software.  However, I have been told it has been
delayed for several months.  Now that it is supposed to be available
(I'm waiting for the software still), does anyone know where the local
access sites are located?  I have been told that there will only be
about 20 sites up in April with about three cities in each area that
have local access per site.

Also, MCI's support staff just says that it will be included with the
software.  Also 28.8 kbps access is new information.  They only
announced 14.4 kbps access earlier.  Does anyone know if this is true
in the local access sites or just the expensive 800 access location?

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bill & Susan Engel)
Subject: Who is SS7?
Date: 29 Mar 1995 00:03:52 GMT
Organization: Netcom


Could anyone tell me which long distance carriers utilize the SS7
technology throughout their system?

Of special interest are:

AT&T
MCI
Sprint
Allnet
WilTel (which is, I believe)
Call America

Others?

Thanks for your help.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bill & Susan Engel)
Subject: Allnet Financial Stability
Date: 29 Mar 1995 00:08:21 GMT
Organization: Netcom


I have read postings regarding the financial stability of Allnet.  This
has been especially noted regarding the departure of Excell (which is
installing its own switches).

What is the stability of Allnet?

Thanks for any information.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Nobutaka Okuyama)
Subject: E1/T1 Tutorial
Date: 28 Mar 1995 21:59:32 GMT
Organization: LSI Logic, Inc.
Reply-To: [e-mail]


Hi All,

I would like to study E1/T1 specifications. Does anyone know what
textbook to read to understand framing format and so forth?

Thank you and kind regards,


Nobutaka Okuyama

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gordon Mitchell)
Subject: Ultrasonic Fox and Hound
Date: 28 Mar 1995 22:18:01 GMT
Organization: University of Washington


Do any manufacturers make a line tracing device that uses >20 kHz
tones?  The typical ones use tones that are audible and interrupt a
conversation that might be on the line.


Gordon Mitchell   [phone]    [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 19:17:22 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Need Help Finding a Company


I have been looking to contact a long-distance provider named
Cyberlink and have been unable to do so.  I have no idea where they
are located and tried to obtain an 800 number through 800 information,
but to no avail.  Can anyone assist me in obtaining a telephone number
(preferably an 800), mailing address, or even basic information on
this firm?

Please reply direct by email.


Tom Fellrath    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Lorence Mlodzinski)
Subject: Re: Why Doesn't Z-MODEM Work?
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 20:36:05 -0500
Organization: The University of Manitoba


In <[e-mail]> Sousa_Antonio_B/[e-mail]
writes:

>> I am using a shell account to access the Internet, and most of the time I
>> get there via MichNet, which is a local call. The trouble is that none of
>> the fast protocols, e.g., Zmodem, work when I'm dialed in this way. Kermit
>> works, but it is slow and not absolutely trustworthy. Can anyone supply any
>> answers/solutions/confirmations?

I ran into a similar situation dialing into a UNIX host through an
SL-1 modem pool. The modem pool (Hayes 14.4's) worked perfectly on a
local BBS ie. Zmodem Y, X, etc. but would not allow Z/Xmodem downloads
at all from the UNIX host. Logon and text worked fine on the UNIX. The
problem was solved by disabling flow control in the modems (&K regester
I believe).

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 95 23:31:55 PST
From: [e-mail] (Lars Poulsen)
Subject: Re: Downloading Mac Software With a PC
Organization: Rockwell International - CMC Network Products


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:

> Here's the short version: What do I need to do to download Mac shareware
> and commercial bug fixes with a Windows-based PC to make the software
> usable on a Mac?  ...                 ...  I understand that Mac
> software has these resource fork thingies, which complicates things.

As you hint, the exact format of a Mac file cannot be represented on a
PC or UNIX file system. A Mac file has actually three constituents:
The data fork, the resource fork, and the desktop information segment.

There are three conventional approaches to this dilemma:

1) "Appledouble": Represent the file by three different files
   in the Unix or PC file system, with coordinated names. The
   data fork goes in "xxfilename", the resource fork goes in
   ./.resource/xxfilename and the desktop part goes in
   ./.desktop/xxfilename .

   This approach is used by some AFP file servers and some MacIntosh
   system emulators.

   It suffers from several weaknesses:

      - the filenames are subject to the host file system's restrictions
    which is visible to the application on top. This may be
    mitigated by adding the "real filename" to the desktop info.
      - everyone has chosen different conventions for naming the
    components. (i.e. the resouce fork might be in xxfilename.rsrc
    in some systems, or the hidden directory might have another
    name)
      - it is very easy to get the components separated (rename the
    file, forget to rename the hidden pieces or accidentally
    renaming them differently)

2) "Applesingle" - combine all three pieces in a single file with a
   header describing at which offset each part begins.

   Apple has defined the complete file format.

   Used by several network backup systems (The Fetch netork file
   transfer utility will pack/unpack so that Mac files are stored in
   this format on a networked Unix/DOS host)

      - not suitable for access in-place via NFS etc; cannot
    rewrite/exand the resouce fork or desktop segment without
    destroying the whole file or requiring a re-pack of it.)
      - I am not aware of any Mac-resident program to unpack one of
    these if you have it on a Mac disk in a binary data-fork-only
    file.

3) "BinHex" will pack a Mac file into a single, fully
   printable/e-mail-able file and unpack this as well.
      -  same disadvantages as Applesingle.

> I believe you need the program StuffIt (or equivalent) to unstuff these
> files with extensions .hqx). So I also downloaded UnStuffIt.1.5.bin. I'm
> not sure what the extension .bin means. Does it mean it can unstuff
> itself by doubleclicking on its icon?

The correct program to unpack "HQX" files is BinHex. Stuffit will do
it as well. If the unpacked file has a name ending in .sit, then it is
a a Stuffit archive. It might also be a .sea file: Self-extracting
archive. (Usually packed with Stuffit.)

The .bin file is probably an Applesingle file. If you were FTP-ing it
to the MacIntosh using the "Fetch" FTP client, then it would be
unpacked and stores in the unpacked form on the Mac's disk.

> One option would be to get a Mac telecom program and move my 14.4
> external modem to the Mac whenever I needed to download Mac programs. But
> this would be inconvenient. I'd rather try to find a solution where I
> could simply use a floppy to transfer Mac programs to the Mac that I
> downloaded with the PC.

Not all Mac's can even read a PC floppy.

The best solution is to put Internet software on the Mac and use that
software to pull the files into the Mac.


Lars Poulsen            Internet E-mail: [e-mail]
Rockwell Network Systems    Phone:        [phone]
7402 Hollister Avenue         Telefax:      [phone]
Santa Barbara, CA 93105    Internets: designed and built while you wait

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 22:07:36 -0600
From: [e-mail] (Mike McKinney)
Subject: Re: March 1995 NYNEX Bill Insert - PulseNet Service


> It is an insert that exploits the monopoly position of the local telco,
> forcing you to read their ads and drawing on their mailing list, which is a
> customer list, that was developed at ratepayers' expense.  Essentially, all
> the poor old grandmothers who have phone service are subsidizing this
> mailing, and the profits from the mailing probably mostly get routed
> to dividends, not used to reduce cost of local phone service.

   Why is an RBOC's inclusion of a bill insert or it's use of it's
customer list for advertising worse than the ads included in the bills
of almost every company in America?

Why is it worse than the coupons (thinly disguised ads, really) on the back
of grocery store register reciepts. Aren't those poor old grandmothers
subsidizing that too? And gasoline bills, cable bills, etc., etc ...
Does anybody know of any company that NEVER uses their revenue to try
to generate more revenue? The game is called BUSINESS.

   Does anybody really believe the hype that residential phone service
is this monstrous revenue generator that supports all the other
projects of the LECs?? Does anybody really think that ATT et al want
to get into the local phone service business because there's so much
money in it? Does any one want to provide JUST telephone service? The
IEC's only interest in local service is as a means to avoid access
charges to the LECs. The cable industry's interest is in getting a
share of the access money and to be able to sell other high value
products that granny couldn't afford and probably wouldn't want
anyway.  Does anybody really think Time-Warner will give away service
to granny because they hope to make money off her kids?

   Revenue always comes from somewhere, so imagine this scenario: MCI
is allowed to provide local service. Figuring that selling local
service at a lower rate will encourage people to use their service,
and hopefully their LD service as well, they price it signifacantly
below the old LECs rate, maybe even below their actual cost. Sprint
decides not to get into local service and instead prices it's services
very aggresively. MCI's local customers decide Sprint's LD rates are
better and start shifting. MCI starts to lose money. Will they try to
survive by cutting prices on one product or raising prices on another?
Cut back on maintenance or hold the line by laying people off?

   My point is that every entity is in the business for the money. And
like car dealers, they'll make their money on one side of a deal or
the other.  The general public will not be thrilled to have their
local service phone bill becoming a ping pong ball, going up or down
as suits the needs of a provider whose main interest is in some other
part of the package.


Mike McKinney,
SW Bell     Austin,TX

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 95 16:16:01 PST
From: [e-mail] (Alan Larson)
Subject: Re: CDPD vs Ckt Cell Data UPDATE


In article <[e-mail]> is written:

> In late 1994, a cellular-side-only protocol was introduced as AirTrue
> from Air Communications. This was the first protocol to allow complete
> interoperability since it is fully compatible with (and is optimized to
> work with) industry standard V.42 on the host end, thus requiring no
> special modems or protocols to get the maximum benefit. In addition, the
> technology was the first to address the transceiver noise/distortion and
> the first to build in (read and interpret) cellular events and system
> messages as part of the modem protocol. This allows AirTrue to operate as
> an extension of the cellular network, rather than an isolated modem.

  We have been evaluating their product for some time.  As the last I
heard, they were out here trying to find out why they could not make a
connection with our 14.4 server modems (Telebit Worldblazers).

  They eventually found out that they had problems in their modems in
setting up the connection, and went away, saying they would be back in
a few weeks.  I have not heard of them being seen here since.

  Yes, they were demoing their product when it could not make
connection to regular, common, modems.  This via wire or cellular.


Alan

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 95 12:09:22 MST
From: John Shaver <[e-mail]>
Subject: 602 / 520 Area Code Problems


I received a call yesterday from a gentleman from California who spent
two hours trying to reach me at 520.  He finally sought the assistance
of an AT&T operator who informed him that "US WEST was having difficulty
with the new area code."  According to him, the AT&T operator got through
only by using the old area code. I personally have made several in-state
calls to the 520 area code and they went through readily.  I suspect
that systems outside the state are having trouble.  It may be more
than just the PBXs.

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 95 15:33:25 EST
From: Carl Moore <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: NPA Splits and Bell System Ideals


Another big BUT ...

In 1989, area codes were limited to N0X/N1X form and were getting to
be in tight supply.  The shortage was relieved only recently with area
codes being allowed of NXX form, and there was a delay in such relief
because of equipment having to be reprogrammed for the generalized
area codes.  Now there are lots of area codes available, so it should
have been rather easy to grab two of them (630 and an unannounced one)
for a split of 708.  The biggest concern now is the people getting the
early NNX area codes (remember hearing about the problems people on
the east coast had when they had to give an N0X or N1X prefix in Los
Angeles area to an operator?).

I don't know what notes ever existed for the UK network, but the
courtesy of "ten year wait" was also not followed for people in London
and suburbs.  01 split into 071 and 081 back in 1990, but now those
areas are becoming 0171 and 0181 respectively.

In the UK, that was just a case of one area becoming two, because 01
ceased to exist.

------------------------------

From: Mfrere <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Client/Server Mobile Computing
Date: 28 Mar 1995 20:43:25 GMT
Organization: Solect Technology Group


[e-mail] (Peter Chandler) wrote:

> I am trying to find an off-the-shelf proven solution for the following
> configuration:

> Client                                 Server
> -------                                -------
> PC - running  MS-windows               HP - running AUX
> winSocket (TCP/IP)                     BSDSockets (TCP/IP)
> (???)                                       (???)
>   |                                          |
>   |                                          |
>   ------------- RAM Mobile Data --------------

> Has anyone implemented a wireless mobile client/server solution?  What
> did your configuration look like?

I guess you're just missing activated Ericsson Mobiden modems with the
applicable software.

My understanding of the Ericssons Mobitex radio packet switching network
(that RAM uses) is that it just wraps your packets inside its own.
Then strips off these bits when leaving the system.

I'm not sure where you can purchase these modems in the US, but a quick
call to RAM should do it.

If both ends are in the same base station coverage area, your turn around
time should be quick as each base station can operate autonomously.
However, if your planning on using it in different metropolitan areas,
be prepared for a delay :-(

If you should need more info, I know a Mobitex Guru who has implemented
many such systems.  Just Email me.


Hope this helps,

Mike

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bob Izenberg)
Subject: I Keep my Key *Where*?
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 15:00:23 CST
Reply-To: [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: To close this issue, this item from the
Printer Deviltries Department.   PAT]

Pat, you found me out!  Lookit:

#  Bob Izenberg    THERE: [e-mail]
#  HERE: [e-mail]    512-442-0614
#  Finger me HERE for my pubic PGP key.
                         ^^^^^

Where I keep my PGP key is my own business.  :-) Needless to say, this
isn't what my signature originally said.  No matter.  The new, more
boring one follows.

Bob

 ============================================================================
   Bob Izenberg   512-442-0614 / 617-722-0091 / 800-946-4646, pager 1109500
   [e-mail] / [e-mail] / [e-mail] / [e-mail]
 ============================================================================

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Yeah, I know it originally said PUBLIC
key ... not the other word. When your message ran here the other day, a
slight problem with the editor caused your signature to get demolished
completely. I went back to reconstruct it manually, and then that stupid
error crept in.  So to correct it, people should finger you at [e-mail]
if they wish to get your err ... PUBLIC key.    Sorry.    PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #177
******************************


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Date: Wed, 29 Mar 95 16:18:40 CST
From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #178

TELECOM Digest     Wed, 29 Mar 95 16:18:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 178

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Digital Cellular Encryption and Fraud  (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh)
    Re: Inexpensive 56k+ Connectivity Between U.S. and Europe (Bob Elliot)
    Re: Caller ID Answering Machines? (Curt Nelson)
    ACD, IVR, CTI Using TAPI (George Porter)
    Re: PacBell and Internet (Bill Schultz)
    Re: Conduit - To Use or Not to Use (Mark Peacock)
    Re: Why Doesn't Z-MODEM Work? (Jon Firor)
    Re: X25 and TCP/IP (Lars Poulsen)
    Re: Digital Cellular and Encryption / Fraud ([e-mail])
    Re: BLV Flaw (Alexis Kasperavicius)
    Re: SS7 References Wanted (Ram Chamarthy)

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
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On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
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Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
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The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
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                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
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All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Re: Digital Cellular Encryption and Fraud
From: [e-mail] (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh)
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 95 02:46:53 IST
Organization: Deus X Machina


John Diamant <[e-mail]>:

> How secure is digital cellular with encryption enabled?  I understand
> that digital cellular without encryption isn't secure (except that

What digital cellular are you talking about? I'll assume GSM, as it's
the one you _should_ be talking about.

> How good is the encryption which will be available with an
> encrytion-capable digital cellular phone and encryption enabled by the
> cellular carrier?  What sort of encryption algorithm is used and how
> are encryption keys handled (programmed once into the phone and known
> by the carrier, or regularly updated by some secure password
> transmission algorithm?)?

GSM uses something called A5 for mobile-to-base encryption (all wireless
traffic). A5 was supposed to be very top secret and known to about 20 people,
till source code reverse engineered from hardware diagrams anonymously posted
in a brown paper envelope was distributed on USENET. A5/1 uses 40 bit keys,
which can be broken easily in a few days. As it is essentially used for
on-the-air traffic only, and is not easy to break in real time, that may
not be a problem.

GSM uses a challenge-response protocol, not an ID query/transmit sequence,
to authenticate the caller. This protocol is implemented on the CPU of the
SIM card, unique to every caller, with a reprogrammable PIN (like an ATM
card). An SIM card can be inserted into any GSM phone, which retains that
caller ID as long as the card is inside. This, together with the
challenge-response protocol, makes it very difficult indeed for anyone
to snarf caller IDs off the air.

Some of your other questions were not relevant to GSM. Other digital
cellular systems are pretty redundant IMHO.

> 1) Do people on this forum believe digital cellular will eventually replace
>    analog cellular?  How soon?

Most countries in Europe and Asia use digital cellular, specifically GSM.
The fact that my cell-phone in India will be GSM means I can be automatically
reached at the same number anywhere in the world where GSM is operational
with only minor administrative, and no technical, hassles.

> 2) Currently, analog cellular phones are often available free with one
>    year service contracts, but digital cellular phones are expensive.  Do
>    people on this forum believe that digital cellular phones will eventually
>    be available near free once the digital conversion is much further along?

A top-of-the-line GSM phone, such as Nokia's 2110, can send short fax messages
and e-mail. No, digital cellular phones are probably going to remain expensive
(or not free) for a long time.


Rishab Aiyer Ghosh    [e-mail]   [e-mail]
Vox [phone] Voxmail 3760335
H 34C Saket, New Delhi 110017, INDIA

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bob Elliot)
Subject: Re: Inexpensive 56k+ Connectivity Between U.S. and Europe
Date: 28 Mar 1995 23:33:01 GMT
Organization: NeoSoft Internet Services   [phone]


Mike O'Connor ([e-mail]) wrote:

> I have a dream.  I want to start planning and implementing better WAN
> connectivity than what I have currently -- FedExing tapes, sporadic
> ISDN and/or costly dialup UUCP and SLIP/PPP.  Of course, with such
> ventures, the issues involved are telco-oriented as much as anything.

> Given: A few-hundred-person company homed in the U.S. with an inhouse
>        TCP/IP network and little else, data-network-wise.

> Given: A couple of small offices -- 20-30 people -- in various parts
>        of western Europe, with a couple more on the way.

> Given: We're not afraid to spend a little money, just not a fortune.
>        These offices DO make money, after all.  :)

> I want to establish a dedicated 56k+ circuit between these offices and
> my U.S. office.  I don't care about latency too badly (though shipping
> tapes back and forth is a little too high in the latency department
> for my tastes :) ).  Most of the circuit would be used to move data,
> but ideally, I'd like to be able to establish a voice channel riding
> along the data channel if possible, so I could cut down on LD charges
> between offices.  Ideally, I'd like a single network pipe to somewhere
> as opposed to a solution which requires me to build a whole lot of
> infrastructure every time I add an office.

> At this point, I'm in the preliminary planning stages, but it seems
> like satellite connectivity would be my best bet.  However, I'm sure I
> don't know all the connectivity options that might be available, and
> I'd be very interested in how people are doing this sort of thing.  I
> come more from the LAN management side than the telco side of life, so
> please be gentle with me if I'm asking something outrageously stupid.


Sounds as if you've a typical LAN/WAN/LAN problem and that a dedicated
DS0 circuit with bridges could be a solution.  Well of course there are
many different scenarios but a suggestion would be:

1) Dedicated 64 kbit/s circuit USA to Europe about 2500 per month for 1/2
circuit of course this depends upon where you land in Europe.  Your US
office pays 1/2 charge and the foreign office pays 1/2 the charge.  Actually
the rates will be much higher on the European side.  To use an example,
say you have an office in New York City and an office in London, you can
get a circuit between MCI and BT for about 6K per month.

2) You purchase a bridge that has both LAN (ethernet) and WAN (64 kbit/s)
connections with two voice modules in each bridge at each end.

3) You can transmit data all day and night and when you want to call
across the pond, just pick up a phone.  Maybe use the other phone module for
fax.  Then you have a phone and a fax and data all multiplexed over your
bridges at 64 kbit/s.

OR

You could have all the offices on the Internet paying local charges for
ISDN 1B channel at 64 kbit/s, use the IPHONE from VocalTec and Email for
faxes, you transmit all the data you want for only your local ISP charges
and talk as well ala conference style.

BUT

The neatest way is to have a Ku-Band VSAT 2.4 meter Earth Station at each
site and do ISDN 2B+D all the way and enjoy voice, data and video as well.


Cheers,

Bob Elliott - Global Internetworks [e-mail] +1.713.495.6116

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 29 Mar 95 10:05:31 CST
From: [e-mail] (Curt Nelson)
Subject: Re: Caller ID Answering Machines?


In TELECOM Digest V15 #174, Bob Izenberg wrote:

> I had cause to speak to my local telco customer service folks
> the other day, and they finished with a caller ID pitch.  It seems to
> me that recording caller ID information along with, or without, an
> incoming phone message, would be an obvious combination.  Has anyone
> brought an answering machine combining these features to market?

Northern Telecom has introduced a new phone called the Meridian 9516.
It features calling name/number display, an integrated digital
answering machine with nine mailboxes to allow personal greetings
based on calling number, and stores the last 75 calls.  It also has a
speakerphone built in, a personal directory for 75 names and numbers,
voice announce of incoming calls, integrated auto attendant, and call
director option for fax and other devices.  I don't know what the
price will be. I saw a demo of one, but haven't had the chance to try
it myself.  Your telco should be able to get you more information.
Northern Telecom's number is 800-667-8437.


Curtis R. Nelson, P.E.       email:    [e-mail]
Lincoln Telephone Company    phone:    [phone]
1440 'M' Street                 fax:    [phone]
Lincoln, NE  68508

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: ACD, IVR, CTI Using TAPI
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 95 12:05:05 PDT
Organization: NB*Net


We have network ACD based on Northern Telecom's DMS platform running
between five call centers across multiple DMS switches.  The IVR is
done via Octel equipment.

On the computer side we are converting from a DEC Vax approach to
client-server.  We will be running Microsoft NT on our servers,
Windows-for-Workgroups on our clients, using TCP/IP across Ethernet
LANs and a frame relay WAN.

We would like to enhance the functionality of our ACD, and IVR as well
as add CTI in order to improve the effectiveness of our call centers.
We are seeking the optimal platform with respect to compatibility in
order to control the complexity of implementing these enhancements.

Is anyone working on call center applications (including ACD, CTI, and IVR)
based on, or at least making some use of, Microsoft's TAPI?


Regards,

George Porter      [e-mail]
Communications Engineer   New Brunswick Power

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bill Schultz)
Subject: Re: PacBell and Internet
Date: 29 Mar 1995 19:07:15 GMT
Organization: Me, Myself, and I
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Bill Schultz)


In <3lc4f1$[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
(Charles) writes:

> PacBell just announced at Interop that it will begin to offer internet
> connections to business users beginning in May and to consumers beginning
> in October.  I wonder what effect this will have on small providers who
> rely in PacBell for their services.

That this is happening is no surprise.  The RBOCs believe they have
the "license" to serve all of the telecommunications needs of local
businesses and consumers.

There is a company down in Atlanta which has been pushing this concept
from the standpoint of the RBOCs will "become" your Internet Service
Provider and all of the existing Internet Service Providers will
become, in effect, "Long Distance Carriers" who are restricted to
carrying Internet Traffic over LATA boundaries.  That company is
selling Internet Service Software that complies with the "equal
access" provisions of the Modified Final Judgment.

If you add that to the fact that, in accordance with a recent posting
from the Electronic Frontier Foundataion, the RBOCs have paid off
enough senators and members of Congress to push through an amendment
to the telecommunications act that says, in effect, if you want to
connect to a larger information provider via the phone lines, you must
do so via an interface provided by the phone company, and if you want
to connect via the cable tv cable, you must do so via your licensed
cable tv supplier.  The only thing it does not prohibit is your
receiving service directly via some radio frequency service, but the
RBOCs and the cable TV guys believe that the lack of frequencies and
the FCC licensing procedures will create a natural barrier to your
getting service via "radio."

So, there is a valid reason to have concern that you might eventually
be prohibited from selecting your Internet Service Provider and
connecting to it by way of anything other than something "approved" by
the local RBOC.

On the other hand, Pac Bell is pushing for full deregulation of the
California telecommunications market "as soon as possible," while GTE
is dragging its feet as much as possible.  One of the ways in which
Pac Bell can convince the California PUC that it should grant full
deregulation is to show that there is "substantial competition" in the
local telecommunications market.  In this view, Pac Bell does not
actually intend to monopolize the market, the way that it does with
local voice calls (withing 12 miles of your central office), but
instead, Pac Bell is trying to enter a market for local
telecommunications traffic for which it would NOT be the "market
leader."  It wants to do this as part of its own deregulation
strategy.

Which actually happens depends on whether the pricing strategy of Pac
Bell is designed to drive the Kaiwans and Deltanets out of business.
The guy from Atlanta hinted that, before long, the "local" Internet
connectivity would be available from your friendly RBOC for $5/month
for home use, similar to what the RBOC charges for voice mail now.
However, because of "equal access" considerations, you would somehow
be required to also have a subscription with a "Long Distance"
Internet Service Provider who would connect at the "back end" of the
Pac Bell system.  Of course, this violates the fundamental price
structure which has evolved for the Internet, which is once you are
connected, communicating is "free" world wide.

What actually is meant by the Pac Bell announcement may not become
apparent for quite some time.

However, to return to your original question, due to tariff considerations,
Pac Bell could NOT simply "cut off" Kaiwan, unless Congress changes
the law, which it is in the process of doing, and the word is that
"the fix is in."

So, this is definitely something to worry over ....


BILL

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 29 Mar 95 14:58:27 CST
From: Peacock, Mark <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Conduit - To Use or Not to Use


[e-mail] (DavidT4044) wrote:

> Several of us in my office have been discussing the virtues of using
> various kinds of conduit when installing cabling supporting our
> network. Some feel it's needed to avoid accidental outages or service
> degradation due to user or maintainence actions.  Others think good
> planning before installation will help avoid mistakes.  We know
> conduit will help cut down on RFI and EMI, but use of shielded cable
> (installed correctly) should take care of most interference.  Do the
> benefits of using conduit out weigh the costs?

In the mid-1980's, I worked for ROLM as a PBX installation manager in
Chicago.  City of Chicago code required all telephone wire to be in
conduits.  Outside of the city, however, we could run plenum wire.  I
never saw a quality difference between conduit and plenum wiring.  We
always thought that the Chicago code was just another part of the
city's full employment plan for the IBEW/CWA membership.


Mark Peacock     [e-mail]
Deloitte & Touche Management Consulting   Detroit, Michigan

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jon Firor)
Subject: Re: Why doesn't Z-MODEM work?
Date: 29 Mar 1995 20:21:34 GMT
Organization: Attachmate Canada


In article <[e-mail]>, Sousa_Antonio_B/ICP_LISBOA_
[e-mail] says:

> I've had the same problem in the past. I noticed that some of the files got
> through but others did not. I found out that the problem were the escape
> characters used in the Z-MODEM protocol. With the program I was using, I
> started working with the -e parameter (escape control characters) and had no
> problems since then.

Sounds like XON/XOFF flow control. You can not use this with ZMODEM!!


Jon Firor    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Lars Poulsen)
Subject: Re: X25 and TCP/IP
Date: 29 Mar 1995 12:37:38 -0800
Organization: Rockwell International - CMC Network Products


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail]
(Marios Scottis) writes:

> I need to use TCP/IP on top of X25. I am trying to get an internet
> access through an X25 connection.

> Does anybody know how to do this? What hardware and software is needed?
> Also any vendor names will be greatly appreciated.

Since most of the military establishment uses X.25 transport as the
undercarriage for their Internet networks (MILNET and its cousins)
many companies have implemented TCP-IP stacks that will use an X.25
network connection as a network interface. Including Sun Microsystems,
TGV, Wollongong, Digital Equipment and others.

This approach has two problems:

1) It is expensive. It is often less expensive to get a 56 Kbps leased
   line between two points than to get two X.25 network access lines
   installed, and then you still have to pay per-packet charges to the X.25
   network.

2) It usually has horribly bad performance. We used to be able to get
   about 1200 bps on a virtual circuit on a 9600 bps access line.
   Makes 14400 bps dial-up look like a dream. ...

Frame Relay was invented to address both of these shortcomings.


Lars Poulsen            Internet E-mail: [e-mail]
Rockwell Network Systems    Phone:        [phone]
7402 Hollister Avenue         Telefax:      [phone]
Santa Barbara, CA 93105    Internets: designed and built while you wait

------------------------------

From: Mfrere <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Digital Cellular and Encryption / Fraud Prevention
Date: 28 Mar 1995 20:28:36 GMT
Organization: Solect Technology Group


John Diamant <[e-mail]> wrote:

> I also have a few questions about digital cellular in general:

> 1) Do people on this forum believe digital cellular will eventually replace
>    analog cellular?  How soon?

The cellular company I work believes that eventually digital will
replace analog but has committed analog service until 2003.  They
believe this because digital will allow more capacity, lower power
consumption (more talk time) eventually better audio and allow a full
range of new features (like CallerID).  They are also looking at the
new PCS market and the possibility of have dualmode phones (i.e.
GSM\TDMA) or having both marketswith one standard capability.

> 2) Currently, analog cellular phones are often available free with one
>    year service contracts, but digital cellular phones are expensive.  Do
>    people on this forum believe that digital cellular phones will eventually
>    be available near free once the digital conversion is much further along?
>    It appears that digital cellular is being pushed by service providers
>    because they can squeeze three times the number of calls on the same
>    bandwidth and charge only 10%-20% less.

They are presently offering free phones for high usage customers.  For
know it makes sense to off load to digital and free up more space for
the predominately analog market.


Hope this helps,

Mike

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Alexis Kasperavicius)
Subject: Re: BLV Flaw
Date: 29 Mar 1995 00:26:38 -0800
Organization: Cinenet Communications,Internet Access,Los Angeles;310-301-4500


BLV is easy to bypass if you have a side tone filter.  When an
operator does a BLV she hears the conversation with added sidetone
garbage that can be rather easily filtered off.  Since no notification
is mad to the conversing parties -- it is, in effect, tapping.

It used to be possible to get into the BLV circuits quite easily - don't
think it's as easy now though -- but there are other, much easier ways,
to tap a phone line off site using phone company "test" systems.

Never trust what you say on the phone.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 29 Mar 95 11:11 EST
From: Ram Chamarthy <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: SS7 References Wanted


[e-mail] wrote:

> I am interested in find some technical references on "SS7 programming".

> I am working with Dialogic hardware and (separately) have just done
> a SMDI link to a Northern Telecom switch via a serial interface.  I'd
> like to see what kind of features I can add to various voice/fax/data
> software with SS7 and would like to be able to turn on message waiting/
> stutter dial-tone on any arbitrary phone via SS7.

> So, if there exists a good text that explains SS7 such that I could
> string bits together in the right order, I'd like to know about it.

Unless there is another concept that is represented by SS7 in
telecommunications (I do not doubt the possibility), :-) SS7 that I
know of stands for Signaling System No. 7. It is a protocol with a
stack similar to that of OSI (although terminology is different and
also currently some layers not defined) that is used in the
telecommuncations signaling network to do out-of-band signaling. ANSI
defines the Standard for North America and ITU-T defines the
Recommendations in the international arena.

I am not aware of any such concept/ capabilities as "SS7 Programming"  to
string bits together in the right order (the way you described) to achieve
what you would like. There may be a different way of achieving what you
wanted, but that's for others to comment.


Ramakrishna     E-mail: [e-mail]
SS7 Planning    MCI Telecommunications, Richardson-TX

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #178
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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #179

TELECOM Digest     Thu, 30 Mar 95 09:27:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 179

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Profitting From ISDN (was Re: Outrageous ISDN Overcharges) (Ed Goldgehn)
    Re: Outrageous ISDN Overcharges - They Aren't FCC's Doing (Sean Donelan)
    Gilder's Reply to Postman (Sandy Kyrish)
    Re: Informing Ourselves to Death (Chris Hardaker)
    Re: Bay Area Rapid Trans and MFS Fiber Install ([e-mail])
    Re: Routing Inbound FAX Using DID (David H. Close)
    Re: Sesquuicentennial of Digital Communications? (Jack Hamilton)
    Re: X25 and TCP/IP (James Knowles)
    Re: 203/860 Line Determined (Gerry Belanger)
    Re: 203/860 Line Determined (Scott D. Fybush)
    Re: Downloading Mac Software With a PC (Peter Campbell Smith)
    Wanted: Information About PACSNET (Sjaak Kaandorp)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
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Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ed Goldgehn)
Subject: Profitting From ISDN (was Re: Outrageous ISDN Overcharges)
Date: 30 Mar 1995 14:32:08 GMT
Organization: The INTERNET Connection, LLC


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] says:

> The actual cost of ISDN in many, or most, areas of the United States is
> high enough to discourage the sort of mass deployment that it needs to be
> viewed as truly successful.

> In fact, there are many huge problems in ISDN pricing, and the FCC's
> Customer Access Line Charge (CALC) is a pittance by comparison.

> What should ISDN cost?  It's a general principle of rate-making that the
> _price_ for a regulated monopoly service -- and that's what ISDN is --
> should reflect the underlying _cost_ to the provider.  That's what happens
> in a competitive market by the natural forces of economics, what Adam
> Smith called the "invisible hand".  ISDN is, after all, a telephone line.
> It's just like any other phone line except that it's digital instead of
> analog.

[A good comparison of RBOC ISDN rates that took a long time to write,
snipped]

Most of you might know that Fred and I don't agree about the FCC's proposed
increase in the CALC for ISDN (Fred is FOR the increase).  However, I do
agree that the proposed increase is not the most substantial issue with
regard to mass marketing of ISDN.

However, I strongly disagree with Fred with continuing this RBOC bashing on
the price of ISDN.  While deregulation and market issues are of importance,
Fred is considerably oversimplifying the situation by focusing on the voice
services component of ISDN -- IMHO, a very significant mistake.

ISDN is, after all, NOT a telephone line.  It's bandwidth.  And it's a
sizable quantity of bandwidth that the user is free to do with in anyway
they see fit (with the exception of the limitations proposed by Senator
Exon's view of the world).

Fred's arguement about the cost of ISDN is relevant ONLY to the voice
portion.  Fred is correct that ISDN voice services are basically the same as
traditional analog telephone service (POTS) becuase it is only migrating the
interface between the Central Office (CO) and the User from an analog to a
digital connection.  And, in this specific model, there are no significant
cost differences.

However, ISDN voice services are not much more ready for a large installed
user base than they were nearly 10 years ago when ISDN was introduced. This
was first due to the complications around establishing and implementating a
set of standards between CO switch manufacturers.  It has become more an
issue of training personnel on how to program those features into each
user's customized configuration, how to educate the public on what features
are available and how to order them.  In fact, the North American ISDN Users
Forum (NIUF) has yet to produce any output related to the Simplication of
Order Codes specifically for ISDN voice services and the rich features that
are available in NI-1 and NI-2 systems.

The reality is that ISDN is being deployed - and ordered by users - for its
DATA NETWORKING capabilities.  For this service to exist, a significant
infrasture on the backend of the CO switch was needed in order to move the
data from Point A to Point B - outside the CO.  If ISDN Voice were the only
issue, then the age old engineering and circuit aggregation methods for
voice could have been used as well.  With ISDN Data, however, there were no
existing engineering or bandwidth aggregation models - or really even an
infrastructure to handle them.

Ameritech and NYNEX's rate structures are really holdouts to the old ISDN
voice pricing structures.  While these RBOC's are probably smart to have
these tariffs in place as preparation to an upsurge in the ISDN Voice
market although no significant tangible market delivery method exists today.
Voice.  In fact, its quite obvious that Ameritech and NYNEX's ISDN customers
are using these tariffs for DATA in order to simply avoid the higher charges
associated with 64K service.

The RBOC's, in general, are still not very interested in ISDN Voice service
deployment.  In fact, ISDN voice is generally viewed as a complication to
the sale of ISDN due to its many complications.  The evidence of this is in
their tariffs.

So, what are you being charged for with ISDN?  BANDWIDTH and the necessary
local backbone that was put in place to carry it - a backbone that is still
being built and that costs a considerable amount of money to engineer and
install.  Not the original backbone for voice services and not a migration
of that voice service backbone to a digital environment.

Consider this:  On every Mother's Day, you expect to get a recording that
says "all circuits are busy" on at least your first attempt at calling dear
old Mom.  We have come to accept this because we know that the local and
long distance telephone companies have not built their networks to handle
the quantity of calls that are placed on that specific day.  But, we also
know (or expect) that these same telephone companies are continuing to add
service capability in order to meet demand.  Thankfully, these companies
have a significant amount of historical data compiled over decades that
allows them to gauge the amount of service that will be necessary.

Where is this history for DATA services?  Does it even exist in any sizable
quantity?  What has really happened is that all previous expectations of
service needs have been exceeded and are continuing to be exceeded at an
outrageous growth rate.  And, unlike voice services, you don't expect to be
told that there isn't enough BANDWIDTH available for you to send Mom an
e-mail message -- that simply isn't acceptable, is it?

IMHO, the best comparison for ISDN is with your local Water and Sewer
Company.  In many parts of the country, water rationing has had to be done
and prices have had to increase. These price increase are due to a lack of
supply and, in many cases, the need to pay for the investments
necessary to build an infrastructure to make additional water available to
the growing poplus.  But, we know that water shortages exist - especially
when there is a lack of rain.  We might complain about the rationing and the
increase in pricing, but we also know that its for the good of the community
as a whole.

ISDN can do for the availability of bandwidth what running your lawn
sprinklers for hours every day can do to a community with a limited water
supply.  Fortunately, the RBOC's have the ability to add more bandwidth to
meet the demand without rationing supply.  And, I seriously doubt that
you're going to hear that you can't use your ISDN line on Mother's Day - or
any other day of the year - because there's just not enough badnwidth
available. But, someone has got to pay for the investments necessary to
provide this bandwidth - and that someone is the users.

Not very long ago, a *reliable* 300 or 1200 bps connection between two sites
in the local area costs several hundred dollars per month.  This was when
copper wire and repeaters were necessary.  Even today, a dedicated 56 or 64K
circuit from one end of town to another costs several hundred dollars per
month.  Part of that cost is in the bandwidth backbone and part of it is in
the cost of allocating and maintaining the copper connection on both ends of
the circuit.  ISDN provides greater capability, is more complicated because
it's a switched service, and uses the same portion of that bandwidth
backbone for each B channel.

While I do agree that many cost related issues remain before ISDN can be
mass marketed throughout the country, simply reducing the cost for the sake
of it is clearly not in the best interest of the users.  Not if you want to
send Mom that e-mail message.  We must allow the RBOC's - or any other
competing service - the ability to continuing to invest in this bandwidth
infrastructure for the good of our country and our new information society.

Market demands will bring pricing down.  But, it is unreasonable to believe
that some 20,000-30,000 users that are currently using ISDN in each of the
RBOC's areas come close to compensating for the investment that was, and
will continue to be, necessary to provide the service -- DO SOME MATH FOLKS!

Make an investment yourself!  Learn about what you can do with the
bandwidth. Start developing information based applications as entrepreneurs
that will provide someone else a reason for getting ISDN because they need
what you've got.  Take the knowledge you've accumulated in your lifetime --
or for that matter good old Mom's recipes -- and put them into electronic
form for distribution at a fee.  In short -- PREPARE FOR ELECTRONIC COMMERCE.

The RBOC's have provided all of us an ability to PROFIT from their
investment and all people seem to want to do is complain about it.  You, the
individual reader, have the ability to make money with ISDN from your home
or business with your computer on a local, national and international basis.
There is a tremendous opportunity in front of each and every one of you -
and if you're reading this you are so close to it, it's silly.

Stop bashing the RBOC's!  Instead, start exercising the freedoms you have in
this society and THINK about how you personally can profit from what they've
accomplished.  Hint -> Quantities of information (DATA) delivered to lots of
people inexpensively for which you're getting paid.

If you want the prices of ISDN to drop, the best thing you can do is help
create the demand for it.  If you happen to profit from that, well I don't
think the RBOC's would mind very much.  :)



Ed Goldgehn, Sr Vice President/CTO              E-Mail: [e-mail]
Open Communication Networks, Inc.               Voice:  [phone]
Co-Chair - Mass Markets Ind. Group / North American ISDN Users Forum (NIUF)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Sean Donelan)
Subject: Re: Outrageous ISDN Overcharges - They Aren't FCC's Doing
Date: 29 Mar 95 23:24:07 CST
Organization: Data Research Associates, St. Louis MO


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Fred R.
Goldstein) writes:

> Southwestern Bell's monthly rates aren't the outrage, but with Texas
> residential installs running over $500, who wants to pay?  A three-year
> buydown helps a little.

When I asked SWBT for residential ISDN rates in St. Louis.  I was told
install was about $500 (order before some date (4/1/95?) and you get a
$400 credit) plus $56 per B channel (or $112 for 2B+D) per month with
unlimited local calling.  For comparison, residential POTS is about
$18/month unlimited local calling.

Someone tell me again, why do we need ISDN?


Sean Donelan, Data Research Associates, Inc, St. Louis, MO

------------------------------

From: Sandy Kyrish <[e-mail]>
Subject: Gilder's Reply to Postman
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 08:54:05 -0500
Organization: Net Access - Philadelphia's Internet Connection


George Gilder's reply to "Informing Ourselves to Death" is dispiriting.
Gilder's ideas have gained ascendance with the new Republican Congress, so
he is in an important position to help shape the next decade of
technological development.  Yet his response to Postman's essay is hastily
dismissive, and this is what is distressing.  His note essentially says,
"Can't stop to ponder the downside of computers because I'm too busy
writing about the upside."  Massive computer proliferation may well be
inevitable, but this is certainly all the more reason to at least soberly
question the applications and implications of the technology.

Both Postman and Gilder are presenting viewpoints from somewhat extreme
poles, mostly to make evocative and interesting points.  Yet if the
computer is not a monster, it is not global salvation either.  My
computer helps me pursue stimulating work based on intellectual output;
someone else's is used by a low-paid data entry clerk whose keystroke
output is monitored.  I can press a key and send Postman's and Gilder's
messages to friends and colleagues around the world for their
consideration and enrichment; someone else can press a key and transmit
messages designed to lure customers in a scam or to propagate hate
mail.  So the issue really, truly isn't the machine; it's the uses for
the machine -- and as with other things we create, it will be used both
for glorious and awful purposes.  It will have both wonderful and
unpleasant consequences.  The downside isn't reason to reject the
technology -- we don't stop driving cars even though they sometimes
kill people -- but, following the car analogy, it is reason to weigh
the dangers and do what we can to minimize them.

It is precisely because academics are somewhat isolated that they can
afford to ponder the philosophical implications of commercial technologies
(but except for the few superstars, most academics will dispute that there
is 'wealth and comfort' to be taken for granted!).  Rather than write off
such thinkers as uninformed pessimists, it is better to consider their
contributions and use them to balance the unending stream of technological
promotion.


Sandy Kyrish  [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Chris Hardaker <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Informing Ourselves to Death
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 95 09:12:00 PST


Mr. Gilder stated..

> The heart of this work and struggle is the creation of new technology, new
> machines, which allow people like Neil Postman to worry about absurd
> non-problems like the information glut, to which the computer is a
> solution more than a cause, and to imagine that technology is
> unnecessary to relieve the distresses he discusses, such as famine,
> plague, joblessness, and war.

I must agree on some points and yet find myself forced to question other's.
It is true that as a race, if human kind is not moving forward, it is really
going backwards. Human nature is to do it bigger better and faster than
before.

I do however support a slightly modified view with Mr. Postman. Where I work,
online access to the InterNet is only a few months old. There is a real
information glut here at the moment. I expect that this problem will pass in
another month or two. The trouble with our InterNet link is it is *new* so I
am receiving messages, images and even some animations on topic I really am
not interested in. These are not coming from my own ramblings through the
'Net, but others wanting to show what they found. (A bit like show and tell
at school?). We had the exact same probelm when the first multimedia capable
machine arrived. There are only so many times you can watch 'Peter Gabriel's
Steam' video.

I myself learned within the first two weeks that I was killing myself with
information, but only because I strayed outside my sphere of interest and
understanding. Now that I focus on my three core interests of Automotive
Electronic, Space Exploration and Telecommunications, I find I am viewing
about the same volume of data as before, but do not feel it is too much. It
seems even information has a phsophometric weighting principle.

Finally, IMHO all technology is a means to an end. If I choose to work hard,
I can design a replacement for the current carburettor using a slide rule
and a piece of paper. I can also do this using a computer. Each has a
different learning curve associated with it. Neither is better at focusing
me on my goal than the other and it is that focus which prevents information
glut (independant of the fact that one will be faster then the other). Here
I do agree with Mr. Postman, the computer can not be the key to Nirvana but I
believe that this is due to the simple fact that once the computer was
invented, Nirvana in the eyes of humans became different. It is also not the
cause of information glut. It is simply the platform from which we *choose*
to become info junkies.

Computers will not cure the world, but the people using them will!

Chris Hardaker
CLEAR Communications
Auckland
New Zealand
Ph   [phone]
Fax  [phone]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I remember a number of years ago when I
first got involved at all with Usenet -- around 1983 or 1984 -- I tried
to read *everything*. I was subscribed to a couple dozen newsgroups. In
those early days I would sometimes spend hours just trying to read it
all. I did that for maybe a month; just with Usenet. Like you, I found
I was killing myself with information, and that was just from active
and detailed participation in several Usenet groups.   PAT]


------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (HiHoSteveo)
Subject: Re: Bay Area Rapid Trans and MFS Fiber Install
Date: 30 Mar 1995 01:22:17 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (HiHoSteveo)


There were some figures in an article in the {Examiner} a while back --
why don't you call BART??

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David H. Close)
Subject: Re: Routing Inbound FAX Using DID
Date: 30 Mar 1995 07:56:03 GMT
Organization: California Institute of Technology, Pasadena


> I`m curious about LAN FAX servers that route inbound FAX messages to
> e-mail addresses using Direct Inward Dialing (DID) lines.  I`m not
> familiar with DID, and would like to learn more.

Today, nearly all calls to business numbers complete. That is, the
called party's equipment answers. If the person is not present, a voice
mail system will answer. Same is true for many residence numbers,
substituting answering machine for voice mail.  A fax board answers
incoming calls and listens for special tones to identify a fax calling
vs a data modem calling.

So, why doesn't a voice mail system listen for fax tones and, if present,
switch the call to a fax board? Better yet, always answer, even before
ringing the person's phone, listen for fax tones, and either ring the
phone or transfer to fax board. If the phone is not answered, switch to
voice mail.

Yes, it means the caller will always pay. But, as mentioned above, that
is nearly always true today, anyway. The benefit is that a subscriber
only needs ONE NUMBER. This makes a business card simpler and might
reduce demand for NPA splits.

Why not?


Dave Close, Compata, Costa Mesa CA    "Politics is the business of getting
[e-mail], [phone]     power and privilege without
[e-mail]         possessing merit." - P. J. O'Rourke

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jack Hamilton)
Subject: Re: Sesquuicentennial of Digital Communications?
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 95 15:13:43 GMT
Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access


Although the text makes clear, as the subject line does not, that
Donald Kimberlin is interested in only electrical communications, his
question did make me think of something:

Are smoke signals considered digital?  I believe they're on/off only.
How much information could be transmitted with them?


In article <[e-mail]>, Donald E. Kimberlin
<[e-mail]> wrote:

>           SESQUICENTENNIAL OF DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS?
>
> This year seems to mark the 150th anniversary of electrical
> digital communications without fanfare.


Jack Hamilton, [e-mail]
Sacramento, California   kd6ttl@w6pw


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Just a reminder to readers that this
weekend marks the 150th anniversary of the invention of the telegraph;
the device with the electrical on/off signals which laid the foundation
for more or less where we are today. See Don Kimberlin's article from
Wednesday in the Digest for more details.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (James Knowles)
Subject: Re: X25 and TCP/IP
Date: 30 Mar 1995 13:08:40 GMT
Organization: Massachvsetts Institvte of Technology


The local telco still gets most of the money my experience has been
more favorable, and the X.25 pushes through errors nicely.  Speed
depends on whether the network has wimpy node links or not.

Just my .02,


jimk

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: 203/860 Line Determined
Date: 29 Mar 95 22:10:41 EST
Organization: Yale University, Department of Computer Science, New Haven, CT


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Scott
D. Fybush) writes:

> In general, New Haven and Fairfield counties will stay in 203, while
> the rest of the state (including Hartford) will become 860.

> The two exceptions are:

> The town of Sherman CT, ... It may be that Sherman is served out of
> the exchange in neighboring New Milford, which is in Litchfield County
> and will become 860.

Correct, Sherman is in the New Milford Exchange.

> And Woodbury Telephone Company's territory, which straddles the
> Litchfield-New Haven county line, will go 860, even the part in New
> Haven County (Southbury, I believe).

Just the opposite.  60% of their 18,000 lines are in Southbury.  So
Woodbury gets to stay in 203.

> Permissive dialing starts in August 1996, mandatory in October 1996.

Incorrect.  Permissive dialing starts Aug 28, 1995.

As is typical, some of the local politicians are up in arms, as this will
split New Milford off from the greater Danbury area.  They claim not
to have known this was coming.  Even the local paper had the nerve to
lash out at the DPUC.

I mention the paper, because they have not said word one on this topic
until the preliminary decision March 20.  This despite repeated press
releases from SNET, beginning last November.  I guess they did not deem
the split newsworthy until it was a done deal.

Oh well.


Gerry Belanger,
On the 203 edge of the split.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Scott D Fybush)
Subject: Re: 203/860 Line Determined
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 00:28:38 EST


I made one error when posting the final 203/860 line.  Apparently
Woodbury Telephone's customers in both New Haven and Litchfield
counties will stay in 203.  So, to recap: The parts of 203 that go to
860 are the entire state except:

Woodbury Telephone territory in Litchfield County;
New Haven County - all of it;
Fairfield County excepting Sherman, which goes into 860.


Scott Fybush - [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Peter Campbell Smith)
Subject: Re: Downloading Mac Software With a PC
Organization: Logica plc
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 12:21:53 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Reid
Goldsborough) wrote:

> Here's the short version: What do I need to do to download Mac shareware
> and commercial bug fixes with a Windows-based PC to make the software
> usable on a Mac?

> One problem is that two of the compressed files are larger than 1.44 MB,
> so they can't fit on a floppy as is.

As well as what everyone else has written, you might like to note that
a .hqx file is a text file (in the same way that a uuencoded file is).
So if it won't fit on a floppy, you can split it on the PC and
recombine the chunks on the Mac.  This does presume however that you
have a utility on each machine that can handle such a large file,
which rules out most text editors.

I regularly do what you want to do -- download on to a PC and then
transfer by floppy to a Mac for decoding and uncompressing -- and have
no real problems with it.  But I've never come across a .hqx file that
wouldn't fit on a single floppy.


Peter Campbell Smith, Logica, London, UK
mailto:[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Sjaak Kaandorp <[e-mail]>
Subject: Wanted: Information About PACSNET
Date: 30 Mar 1995 12:58:17 GMT
Organization: Energyresearch Centre the Netherlands (ECN)


Can someone give information about PACSNET, a wireless packet
switched network. Or information about the manufacturer PACS.

Any help is appreciated.


Sjaak Kaandorp    Netherlands Energy Research Foundation ECN

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #179
******************************


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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
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To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #180

TELECOM Digest     Thu, 30 Mar 95 14:13:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 180

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Local Internets (was Re: PacBell and Internet) (Ed Goldgehn)
    VSAT Options (Padraig Ryan)
    Value Added Network ([e-mail])
    Another Fraud Question (Andrew C. Green)
    Has There Been *Any* Digital Cellular Fraud Yet in US? (Shawn Gordhamer)
    Does Privacy Lose Out in Cellular Fraud Prevention Plans? (Jim Wenzel)
    Software Request For HF Radio Modems (Gerasimos Michalitsis)
    USA Telecom Consultant Needed (David Crane)
    Need Information on ATM and Telemedicine (Philip W. King)
    PBX E911 Database (Stephen J. Mahler)
    Where to Complain About Unsolicited Fax Ad? (Nick Sayer)
    Looking for BX.25 Solutions (Lee Smith)
    Economies of Scale in Telecommunications (Andy Matters)

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
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On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
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Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
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The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ed Goldgehn)
Subject: Local Internets (was Re: PacBell and Internet)
Date: 30 Mar 1995 11:56:10 GMT
Organization: The INTERNET Connection, LLC
Reply-To: [e-mail]


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] says:

> There is a company down in Atlanta which has been pushing this concept
> from the standpoint of the RBOCs will "become" your Internet Service
> Provider and all of the existing Internet Service Providers will
> become, in effect, "Long Distance Carriers" who are restricted to
> carrying Internet Traffic over LATA boundaries.  That company is
> selling Internet Service Software that complies with the "equal
> access" provisions of the Modified Final Judgment.

No, Bill.  That is not at all what I said to you via e-mail during our
off-line discussion nor what our company has been doing for over one year.
And we're not selling any software.  We are a data communications company
that has spent the last year engineering and operating an IP/CO (Internet
Protocol Central Office).

What I TRIED to relate to you is that the LOCAL Internet is a different
pricing and cost model than anything that has to do with carrying bandwidth
out of the area (to a NAP) and back again.  This has nothing to do with our
service here in Atlanta -- which is a LOCAL Internet.

We are compliant with the MFJ but not for the reasons you state.  We are
compliant with the MFJ because it makes the most business sense.  We are the
only company in the US that is *operating* in a manner that provides for
EQUAL ACCESS to any number of independent Internet Backbone Connections.  We
do NOT require the end-user to purchase the Backbone Connection and LOCAL
connectivity in one bundle.  A user may select LOCAL Internet Service only
or LOCAL and WorldWide Internet Service and *then* select the provider of
that WorldWide Internet Service of their choice.

Because we are compliant to the MFJ, we are able to work much more
effectively with the RBOC's - a logical relationship given the current
makeup of the telecommunications industry.

> So, there is a valid reason to have concern that you might eventually
> be prohibited from selecting your Internet Service Provider and
> connecting to it by way of anything other than something "approved" by
> the local RBOC.

More paranoia as a result of ignorance.  What will result is simply a
matter of marketing economics.  Here in Atlanta, the LOCAL internet is
being built to handle at least 500,000 customers over the next two or three
years.  The issues related to handling these customers on a LOCAL Internet
are quite different than trying to determine how much bandwidth is
necessary back to a NAP to serve all these users.  Since NAP bandwidth
is not a component of the LOCAL Internet costs model, the pricing
models of connectivity to the LOCAL Internet are considerably less
than typical (worldwide) internet connectivity.

> The guy from Atlanta hinted that, before long, the "local" Internet
> connectivity would be available from your friendly RBOC for $5/month
> for home use, similar to what the RBOC charges for voice mail now.
> However, because of "equal access" considerations, you would somehow
> be required to also have a subscription with a "Long Distance"
> Internet Service Provider who would connect at the "back end" of the
> Pac Bell system.  Of course, this violates the fundamental price
> structure which has evolved for the Internet, which is once you are
> connected, communicating is "free" world wide.

Here you go again!  To translate, Bill is saying that BANDWIDTH and
CONNECTIVITY to a NAP is FREE.  So, no matter how much bandwidth any user
needs to get the performance they will want in order to be productive, the
fundamental price structure today is FREE BANDWIDTH.  Hogwash!

What pricing structures are in place today by MOST Internet Service
Providers is a formula that says:

"Get as little backbone bandwidth as possible and let as many connections
use it that pay me money without regard to any level of throughput
performance and bandwidth management."

This is not FREE bandwidth, Bill.  It's NO Bandwidth -- or at least no
significant amount of bandwidth.  They incorporate a fee for the least
amount of bandwidth that is necessary into their scheme and then give you a
bundled price that does not break out the components.  The problem is, they
don't tell you how much bandwidth they have committed to each end-user's
connection or at what point they will upgrade their connection speeds to the
backbone. I would also venture a guess that most ISP's have no idea on how
to effectively measure or calculate end-user bandwidth requirements to begin
with.

More to the point, the worldwide Internet is made up of many independent
networks.  Most of the hype is centered around how little bandwidth there
really is to the Internet in general (no more than a T-3 between networks
today).  What is virtually unnoticed is that the "last mile" -- the point of
connectivity for the user -- is the one network that's not really built
today.  It is this network -- the LOCAL internet - that will utimately serve
our daily networking needs.  It's the LOCAL internet that will provide
connectivity between home and (local) work or parent/student and school.
It's the LOCAL internet that we will use to order our groceries, make our
restaurant reservations, and look up our children's homework assignments.

None of these examples NEED bandwidth back to the Worldwide Internet.
Adding -- strike that -- REQUIRING that the end-user PAY for bandwidth that
will not be used in over 80% of data communications places an undue cost --
and in most cases *performance* -- burden on that end-user.

Actually, several splinters of a LOCAL Internet exist today in nearly every
area.  The RBOC's Local Frame Relay Cloud is an internet.  SMDS service
offerings are internets.  Local Fiber Rings providing Native Lan Interfaces
are internets.  ATM -- when deployed -- will be an internet.  However, these
are all singular access methods that are not accessible to each other or to
the users that need only switched (on-demand) connectivity to these
internets via ISDN or traditional analog modems.

Our service, IPConnect (sm), provides a meet point for any or all of these
connectivity methods.  The service, and the IP/CO platform, has been
designed to be licensed, operated, managed and marketed LOCALLY in every
community it serves.  Moreover, IPConnect enhances the services already
available from the LEC's by providing a high volume, low cost shared public
access destination.  This is of significant assistance to the RBOC's (and
other LEC's) as it provides the most flexible and cost effective method of
establishing and maintaining data connectivity in a high volume environment.

Now, when you want to go to Moscow or anywhere else on the Worldwide
Internet, you can.  What you will pay for that destination will be dependent
on the (worldwide) Internet Bandwidth Provider (IBP) you select.  You are
free to select the guy down the street that's got a Factional T-1 connection
who will only charge you $15.00 per month for unlimited usage.  Or, you are
free to select another company that guarantees you throughput performance
through multiple T-1's, T-3 or an OC-48 ATM connection (wouldn't that be
nice).  But whichever IBP you select, your costs for LOCAL Internet
connectivity have not changed.

And, it's not likely to be the RBOC's that will "bring" this to you, Bill.
It's entrepreneurs and other local business people physically in your
community that serve only your community (no ivory towers here).  Since,
however, this only helps the RBOC's significantly increase the installed
base of their digital data services (and therefore reduce cost), you are
likely to find them very supportive and of great assistance in promoting our
service and its capabilities.

I know, at least, that we've found BellSouth to be that way.


(For IPConnect licensing information, send e-mail to [e-mail])
Ed Goldgehn, Sr Vice President/CTO              E-Mail: [e-mail]
Open Communication Networks, Inc.               Voice:  [phone]
Co-Chair - Mass Markets Ind. Group / North American ISDN Users Forum (NIUF)
For more info on about the Mass Markets Group or NIUF, e-mail [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 09:53:41 GMT
Subject: VSAT Options


Dear All,

I'm trying to source current info on VSAT options for communication
within Europe and also from Europe to the States. What would be the
most practical solution for the connection of offices in Ireland,
Greece and Finland by VSAT ?? I want the normal ISDN 2B+D over VSAT.

Anybody got any info on the price of kit at each end, the price per
month for usage etc.

Any help on this matter would be appreciated.


Thanks,

Padraig Ryan            [e-mail]
Technical Manager
Screenphones Ltd.,      Tel : [phone]
Finisklin Ind. Est.,    Fax : [phone]
Sligo, Ireland.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (PRAC)
Subject: Value Added Network
Date: 30 Mar 1995 10:24:23 GMT
Organization: Universitat de les Illes Balears


Hello!

I am a Spanish student. I am studying computer science in Mallorca
(Spain).  Please, help me. I need information about tarification
(rates) of VAN, if you know a VAN and its tarification, please send
me it.  I will be very pleased.


Carmen      [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 29 Mar 1995 16:53:31 CST
From: Andrew C. Green <[e-mail]>
Subject: Another Fraud Question


TELECOM Digest Editor notes, in response to a question on fraud:

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: If you had nothing to do with participating
> or facilitating the fraud by the other parties apparently unknown,
> then no, you are not responsible. On the other hand, if you know who
> committed the fraud, or did not act in a reasonable way to mitigate
> the losses due to the fraud, then you might very well be responsible.

This touches on a subject which I have never seen fully addressed:
In all the cases where fraudulent long-distance calls were made using
stolen card numbers (e.g. via shoulder surfing at airports), there is
no question about _who_ was called; the number dialed by the guilty
party is on the bill.

Certainly a lot of these numbers are in foreign countries, but has
anyone ever attempted to collect from the called parties for the
fraudulent calls? On a single call basis, the effort is probably not
worth the expense, but when so many fraudulent calls are going to
certain countries that access to those countries is being denied by
certain carriers, as I understand it, I have to wonder whether some
international cooperation on this problem might be worthwhile,
especially for numbers called more than once using stolen accounts.
Has this been considered?


Andrew C. Green            [phone]
Frame Advanced Product Services
441 W. Huron               Internet: [e-mail]
Chicago, IL  60610-3498    FAX: [phone]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The trouble with attempting to collect from
the recipient of the call is that it completely goes against the grain of
how the system operates. What are you supposed to do, be afraid to answer
your phone when it rings for fear that later on you might be required to
pay for the call?  Unlike other utility services such as electricity or
the water works or gas works, the telephone is different. Your usage of
water, electricity, etc has no bearing on anything anyone else does. With
the phone on the other hand, it takes two to tango. Your use of the phone
requires a cooperating person willing to do the same thing at the same
time. Since you can control when/who you call, but have no control over
when someone calls you, the system is set up so the one making the active
gesture pays; the passive recipient does not pay unless he agrees to do so.

Now in the past -- maybe still today -- telco does try to trick the
recipient into identifying calls which 'fell out' of the billing system
into unidentified suspense ledgers. It used to be so cute:

(Bell Rep): Hello Mrs. Jones? This is Mrs. Smith at the phone company. Sorry
to bother you but we have a problem.  You got a call last month from someone
in Kansas City. It seems our operator somehow accidentally wrote down the
wrong number to be billed for the call; (forgot to write down any number at
all, etc) ... we were wondering if you could tell us who you spoke with so
we can get the billing corrected.

(Mrs. Jones): Oh, you mean my son Fred! Such a good boy, and so smart with
computers!

(Bell Rep): Thank you, Mrs. Jones. We'll see that the billing gets fixed,
and we will tell our operator to be more careful in the future. <Smiling to
herself as she disconnects, making the web a little tighter around Fred.>

What they attempt to do is prove the recipient of the call had knowledge
of the circumstances. Smart phreaks know you don't ever use a phraud card
to call anyone who knows you personally; you use them to call radio station
request lines, hotel switchboards, recorded announcement lines, etc. Then
when the investigators are calling around, trying to clear the suspense
ledger, they just keep reaching dead ends. Now and then they reach someone
like Mrs. Jones -- a sweet little old lady who runs her mouth off -- and
afterward the investigators chuckle about how 'the old bitch doesn't know
it but she bought her son an indictment by a federal grand jury ...' Such
a good boy! So smart with computers!  Would you want them calling *your
mother* to ask her who she spoke with last week in Chicago, or your employer,
or your non-phreaking friends?  Would you want to explain to your family or
friends why, if they got a call like that from a telco they should not answer
honestly?

About ten years ago when General Motors got hit with fraud up the
kazooey -- a million dollar's worth -- on their dialup WATS extender
lines they took one of the clerks and had her sit there and call every
single recipient; everyone who got called through that WATS extender.
There were thousands of calls since phreaks all over the world had
been advised in bulletin board messages about the GM network and how
to dial into it. Ditto 'Unitel'; the United Air Lines internal phone
network which connects airport facilities all over the USA via
three-digit tie-line codes, then dialout with '9' from the distant
centrex or pbx whose tie-line you grabbed. They did the same thing; sat
there and called everyone who had been called; plenty of people had
lots of things to tell them, mostly unwittingly, but now and then on
purpose and vindictively. When they find someone who over and over and
over again seems to recieve 'this kind' of call, then they start to
squeeze a little harder. Unless they can prove the recipient was in
on it they can't make him pay, but they sure can make life miserable.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Shawn Gordhamer)
Subject: Has There Been *Any* Digital Cellular Fraud Yet in the US?
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 04:12:22 GMT
Organization: SkyPoint Communications, Inc.


Does anyone know of any instances of fraud happening on digital
cellular phones?  I'm just wondering if the criminal element has
reached a sophistication to clone these phones?

If the cellular industry is losing so much money on fraud, and if
criminals cannot defraud people with digital phones, then the cellular
industry should find it worth it in high crime areas to subsidize
digital phones for all customers.  $1 million a day could buy a lot of
digital phones!  Let the companies put their money where their mouth
is if they are so worried about fraud.


Shawn Gordhamer    [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I dunno ... has there been? Does anyone
know yet?  You are forgetting one thing though Shawn. There is what
is sometimes called the politics of cellular fraud; sometimes I think
its more fun to talk about than do anything about. I suspect a few
cell carriers must feel the same way. Those big million dollar a day
losses can be quite helpful during this Holy Season of the Year as we
sacrifice not only for Lent but for the Internal Revenue Service as
well. As we walk the stations of the tax collectors, local, county,
state, and federal, pausing at each to reflect and meditate on our
numerous bogus declarations from the year before and to seek Divine
Guidance from H & R Block on how to obtain a Tax Refund Anticipation
Loan, we need to remember that million dollar per day losses do add
up nicely and come in quite handy as we humbly beseech the tax auditor
to celebrate Passover this year by passing us over for another year.
If a million dollars per day is not enough sacrifice to Her Holieness,
the current IRS (where the S means service!) Commissioner, then next
year we double the rates to our customers so we can have two million
dollars per day losses and see if that satisfies those greedy high
priests.

In other tax news, the Internal Revenue Service processing center in
Martinsburg, WV burned down a few days ago. Seriously. They're not
sure how it happened (arson was ruled out) but it was a big blaze
and the whole building was pretty well destroyed. Employees on duty
at the time had to be evacuated by the Fire Department, the whole works.
The Commissioner noted in a press release that 'this will cause some
administrative problems for us this year ...'.  But they had an emergency
re-location effort and expect to be back in operation in Martinsburg
soon, with minimal disruption to their annual festivities. You readers
who worship at the throne ... err ... file via the Martinsburg center,
needn't be alarmed, or rejoice either for that matter. All Hail the
Power of microfilm and backup tapes stored off premises. Such good
servants! And so smart with computers! They'll be ready to 'serve'
you again soon.  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 18:48:00 -0500
From: [e-mail] (Jim Wenzel)
Subject: Does Privacy Lose Out in Cellular Fraud Prevention Plans?
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Jim Wenzel)
Organization: Ferret BBS *** N. Little Rock, AR *** [phone]


> In my opinion, telecom fraud such as cellular fraud can be easily
> controlled by keeping user profiles for his calling patterns. When
> these patterns change suddenly and the volume of calls increases
> heavily, these high fraud certainty calls are redirectd to an
> operator.

While I realize the need for 'user profiles', I can't help but shudder
everytime I hear about them. Primarily because, I am concerned over
how this information can be used. Does your company share these 'user
profiles'? Or, are they for internal use only? Do your customers know
that you keep their calling patterns? Or do you collect this
information on the sly? If they do know, do they have the option of
subscribing to this service?  Or is it imposed?

So much data is being collected on each and everyone of us that it is
only a matter of time where every action will be tracked, collected, and
dissiminated.

Again, I understand the need. It is valid, fraud hurts us all. My
concern is can (not if) the 'user profiles' be accessed by an outside
party? If so, what steps are taken to protect your consumers? Do you
notify them of inquiries? (such as Transunion, Equifax etc... are
required to do?) I am not directing this at your company in particular.
I know the practice is common with many companies, not just those in the
Telecom field. Just voicing my opinions as they reflect upon the privacy
of us all and curious as to how much consideration companies put into
the issue. I don't think they look at the issue. I know they don't
where I work <sigh>.


[e-mail]
The Ferret Bulletin Board System  [phone]
North Little Rock, Arkansas


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You know Jim, you ask too many questions
for your own good. :)  You make some people get uncomfortable when you
raise issues like that. We don't want that do we?     PAT]

------------------------------

From: Ministry of Defence <[e-mail]>
Subject: Software Request For HF Radio Modems
Date: 29 Mar 1995 23:02:08 +0300
Organization: CompuLink On-Line Services


I have a pair of RF-5710 HF radio modems made by HARRIS.  I'm trying
to make some tests for a radio link between two PCs with the help of
two HF tranceivers which support only half duplex channels.  The
problem that I have is that the modems key the transmiters according to
the state of the RTS pin of the RS232 port of the computers. The
commercial software that I tried so far, set RTS active the moment
they start to run and do not deactivate it when they have nothing to
send. So with all the software that I tried so far I end up with both
the transeivers being keyed and of course no communication link since I
cannot have reception and transmission on different radio channels.  I
wonder if someone could help me find packet-radio software that
overcomes this problem.

Thanking you in advance,


Gerasimos Michalitsis   email: [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David Crane)
Subject: USA Telecom Consultant Needed
Date: 29 Mar 1995 12:25:23 -0800
Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access  [phone]  [Login: guest]


I am searching for a telecommunications consultant to join me in a
large telecom sourcing contract for a major US company. I would
appreciate pointers to consultants, consulting organizations, or
professional organizations that refer members to inquirers.


Dave Crane

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Philip W. King)
Subject: Need Information on ATM and Telemedicine
Organization: State University of New York -- Institute of Technology
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 1995 20:10:49 GMT


I am doing a telecommunications research paper on the applications of
telemedicine and the use of Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) as a
technology.  Answering the following related questions would be helpful
for my paper:

   * Is anyone considering updating there telemedicine network to ATM in the
     future?
   * Would ATM be feasible for your purposes or not?
   * What are the system requirements needed for your current system?
   * Who uses the current telemedicine system and where do they use it?
   * What are the benefits and the disadvantages of telemedicine in your
     opinion?
   * What applications do you use now concering telemedicine?
   * What applications you can't use but would like to use?
   * How might ATM solve or not solve your problems with these applications?
   * What ATM products would be needed for your telemedicine applications?

     Any help relating to ATM and telemedicine would be helpful in my
research.


Thank you,

Philip    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mahler Stephen J)
Subject: PBX E911 Database
Date: 29 Mar 1995 16:12:05 GMT
Organization: Univ. of Southwestern La., Lafayette


Can anyone advise if they have dealt with their RBOC on providing PBX
ALI Information to the E911 database.

The University is trying to work with the local 911 district that is
adding ALI (address information) service to 911 operations.  We are
investigating the various black boxes to tie our G3R switch to the
CAMA lines that will support the operation.  The big problem seems to
be the RBOC (Bell South) database constraints.

The database upload procedure includes fixed format records of 232
characters in length, and synchronous modems.  Really!  We are
attempting to suggest a more modern approach ... ftp, or even mailing
an ascii file on a DOS floppy.  They just don't seem too interested in
making this a simple procedure.

If you have worked this problem, successfully or unsuccessfully, I
would appreciate a note or a call from you with the story of your
effort.  I sure hope someone has been successful in bring their RBOC
into the 80s on this issue.


Thanks,

Steve Mahler, Director     Information Networks
University of Southwestern Louisiana
318-482-6418(w) or [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Nick Sayer)
Subject: Where to Complain About Unsolicited Fax Ad?
Organization: The Duck Pond public unix: [phone], log in as 'guest'.
Date: 29 Mar 1995 16:12:56 UTC


I just received a fax this morning containing a solicitation.  My
reading of the law banning fax advertising leads me to believe that it
covers this instance (no ongoing business relationship concerning the
material, no request that it be sent, etc).  To whom do I give the
details of this occurrance so that the correct legal steps can be
taken?

First I get an e-spam adding me to an unwanted commercial mailing list
(not from the fax-spam outfit), now this. It's been a trying week.


Nick Sayer <[e-mail]>    N6QQQ @ N0ARY.#NORCAL.CA.USA.NOAM
[phone], log in as 'guest'   URL: http://www.kfu.com/~nsayer/


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You poor thing. Its been a trying week,
hasn't it?  You've been put upon, abused and misused, and its only
Thursday. Wait until tomorrow ... maybe you will get a telemarketing
call to add to your woes.  Most people have a wastebasket sitting next
to their fax machine for good reason.    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Lee Smith)
Subject: Looking For BX.25 Solutions
Date: 29 Mar 1995 22:21:15 GMT
Organization: Tekelec, Inc.


An application our company is exploring requires BX.25 interfaces (a
Bellcore "enhancement" to X.25).  Anyone know of a modem supporting
RS-232 to BX.25, or a custom chipset (a la SGS-Thomson) or other
possible solution?

Any help appreciated!


Responses to [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: 30 Mar 1995 10:58:02 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Economies of Scale in Telecommunications


Hi all,

I'm hoping someone may be able to help me with the following information
request:

I have been asked to pull together some work on Economies of Scale in
Telecommunications but have seemingly run into a bit of a wall.

Having scoured our libraries (incl on-line searches), the latest
article I have is a 1992 paper by Shin and Ying.  Can anyone please
help me with ANY later information (preferably, but not necessarily,
empirical)??  I also have particular interest in Australia, but figure
this could be pushing my luck!!  :-)

Any information will be greatly appreciated -- if you email me direct,
I am prepared to compile and repost to this list.


Thanks,

Andy Matters    [[e-mail]]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #180
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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
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To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #181

TELECOM Digest     Thu, 30 Mar 95 23:09:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 181

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Profitting From ISDN (Fred R. Goldstein)
    Re: Globalstar, Odyssey, Aries (Zhihui Huang)
    Re: Who is SS7? (Clifford Baldwin)
    Re: Caller ID Answering Machines? (Steve Cogorno)
    Re: Caller ID Answering Machines? (Lynne Gregg)
    Re: Caller ID Answering Machines? (Scott B. Campbell)
    Re: Caller ID Answering Machines? (Warren Leach)
    Re: Caller ID Answering Machines? ([e-mail])
    Re: MCI's New Thing (Robert Levandowski)
    Re: MCI's New Thing (Tim Dillman)
    Re: New NPA in SC Scheduled For December (Lee Winson)
    Re: Information Wanted About Telecommunications in China (Kevin Gilford)
    Re: Looking For a ISP in Interlaken, Switzerland (Jack Hamilton)
    Callback Service: Sell It For What You Want (Al Niven)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
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Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
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The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
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All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
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should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 10:45:01 -0500
From: Fred R. Goldstein <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Profitting From ISDN


At 09:28 AM 3/30/95 -0500, Ed Goldgehn wrote:

> Most of you might know that Fred and I don't agree about the FCC's proposed
> increase in the CALC for ISDN (Fred is FOR the increase).  However, I do
> agree that the proposed increase is not the most substantial issue with
> regard to mass marketing of ISDN.

> However, I strongly disagree with Fred with continuing this RBOC bashing on
> the price of ISDN.  While deregulation and market issues are of importance,
> Fred is considerably oversimplifying the situation by focusing on the voice
> services component of ISDN - IMHO, a very significant mistake.

I'm tempted to make some sarcastic comments about Ed's inveighing
against the use of non-English languages in America, the merits of SNA
versus DECnet, or something else irrelevant.  After all, he entirely
missed the point of my article.  I was NOT writing about ISDN VOICE
service at all!  I was primarily addressing the fixed costs of getting
the ISDN line installed, plus the cost of making data calls.

Telephone companies try to snow people.  They make it sound as if ISDN
is a "new thang", some kind of high-tech thingamabob requiring tons of
new technology, investment, etc.  This is all high-tech buncombe.

ISDN is nothing more than a patch to the interface to the existing
public switched telephone network.  The original network was analog,
but digital transmission (starting in the 1960s with T1) and digital
switching (starting in the 1970s) were added to it in a backward-compatible
way.  Thus the digital components, being new to an analog world, had
to act analog.  T1 therefore can carry dialed digits via digitized
representations of touch-tone sounds, or via sampled-bit representations
of dial pulses, but these are incredibly inefficient ways to use 64000
bps channels.  That's the sort of problem you get in a backward-compatible
world.

What ISDN adds is "digital glue" at the edge of the network.  The
telcos already use digital glue (SS7) between most switches.  ISDN
replaces the nineteenth-century 90 volt AC ring and 48 volt battery
with a modern bit stream, at the subscriber line, and replaces tone
and voltage signaling with a message-based protocol (DSS1) on a
signaling (D, which no longer officially stands for delta) channel.

When a CO switch adds ISDN, it gets a few extras.  It needs new line
cards, which btw don't cost all that much more than analog cards.  It
needs "packet handler" equipment to route the D channel messages to
the switch CPU, since the old line cards had only a lower-bandwidth
(on-hook/off-hook counter) route.  This is probably most of the
$6.60/month/line that NYNEX measured in its rate case.  And it needs
new software.  As we all know, software pricing is a tricky area.  It
divides a fixed cost among the estimated demand.  In France, for
instance, almost every CO has ISDN -- it's a standard option there the
way touch-tone is in America -- so the switch manufacturers could
divide it among many users. In America, the RBOCs deployed ISDN
slowly, so the CO vendors had to charge more per switch to recover
their investment.  Such false economy ...

> ISDN is, after all, NOT a telephone line.  It's bandwidth.  And it's a
> sizable quantity of bandwidth that the user is free to do with in anyway
> they see fit (with the exception of the limitations proposed by Senator
> Exon's view of the world).

Uh, no.  ISDN IS a telephone line.  An call made across and ISDN line IS
bandwidth.  How much bandwidth?  Well, remember, ISDN is just a digital
access port on the existing digital network.  It uses EXACTLY the same
basic bandwidth (64000 +/- <.0001) bps as any other call!  This applies
equally to voice AND data calls.

When ISDN was developed, separate bearer services were defined for
speech, audio and data.  This wasn't supposed to be for pricing
purposes.  In America, we encode speech using the "mu law" and Europe
uses the "A law", so a speech or audio call across the puddle MUST be
converted.  A data call MUST go clear!  An audio or speech call MAY be
compressed/processed/etc., but that's not ever economical for LOCAL
calls, and rarely economical today for domestic calls (except on
private networks).

So "ISDN is Bandwidth" turns into a kind of metaphysical gibberish
like so much other newage spamming the net these days.  It takes a
simple issue and confuses it.  How is ISDN NOT the same as POTS?  I've
priced out the CO switch components, one by one.  I've priced out PBX
components.  It's just like POTS only more suitable to using modern
silicon components.

> The RBOC's, in general, are still not very interested in ISDN Voice service
> deployment.  In fact, ISDN voice is generally viewed as a complication to
> the sale of ISDN due to its many complications.  The evidence of this is in
> their tariffs.

Half true.  RBOCs want to sell ISDN Centrex voice, to compete with
PBXs that have fancy proprietary phones.  They don't want other ISDN
voice; it would all compete with Centrex.  But let's look elsewhere,
where Centrex hasn't polluted the minds of telcos.  In Germany, and
elsewhere in Europe, if you have a large PBX, you WILL use ISDN PRI to
connect to the CO.  Why?  Because ISDN PRI is easier to maintain than
analog trunks or analog-style signaling over E1.  PRI saves the
customer AND carrier money that way.  And it's just a slightly (!)
different interface, after all.  RBOCs tend to overprice PRI because
they don't want to make life easy for PBX vendors; after all, they
compete with Centrex!

> So, what are you being charged for with ISDN?  BANDWIDTH and the necessary
> local backbone that was put in place to carry it - a backbone that is still
> being built and that costs a considerable amount of money to engineer and
> install.  Not the original backbone for voice services and not a migration
> of that voice service backbone to a digital environment.

Yes, it IS the original backbone.  Exactly the same.  Same fiber optic
pipes.  Telcos may choose to dedicate some T1 channels in the pipes to
"data" bearers and some to "speech" bearers, but that's not a
requirement of ISDN, and it has no real cost differential, except that
the data trunk groups are smaller and thus somewhat less efficient.
The proof is in the pudding: Data Over Speech Bearer Service works
because there is no real difference!  Data bearer connectivity at 64k
(rather than 56k) depends on Signaling System 7, but that's really
deployed for other reasons, including faster call setup, CLASS
service, easier maintenance (well, that's questionable), etc.  The
only time data v. speech really matters is at international gateways.
And yes, some low-price IXCs do play games with voice, but modems
suffer too from it.

> Market demands will bring pricing down.  But, it is unreasonable to believe
> that some 20,000-30,000 users that are currently using ISDN in each of the
> RBOC's areas come close to compensating for the investment that was, and
> will continue to be, necessary to provide the service - DO SOME MATH FOLKS!

Telco prices are based on an odd model: If nobody buys it, raise the
price!  If ISDN were priced and delivered right, there'd be more
users.  ISDN competes with POTS and modems.  There is some price
elasticity, especially for residential data users, potentail
Internet-over-ISDN customers, etc.

> Stop bashing the RBOC's!  Instead, start exercising the freedoms you have in
> this society and THINK about how you personally can profit from what they've
> accomplished.  Hint -> Quantities of information (DATA) delivered to lots of
> people inexpensively for which you're getting paid.

Some potential ISDN customers have jobs, and prefer it that way.  If
ISDN were limited to potential entrepreneurs, it would be as popular
as, say, 1964 Worlds' Fair Picturephone.  Besides those entrepreneurs
need customers.  Should those customers use POTS and modem banks to
reach the info-for-sale,or should they use ISDN?  Hint: POTS provides
about 26 kbps data bandwidth at very competitive prices.

Okay, now that I've pontificated enough, it's plug time.  I'll be
teaching a course on ISDN (EE 5465) at Northeastern University's
State-of-the-Art Program, for ten Thursdays at 5:30-7:30 in Lexington,
MA, starting next week (4/6 Spring semester).  It's almost full up but
local Telecom readers might be interested. Registration by phone is at
[phone].  I promise not to be too objective.


Fred R. Goldstein  k1io   [e-mail]   [phone]
Bolt Beranek & Newman Inc.  Cambridge MA  USA [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Zhihui Huang)
Subject: Re: Globalstar, Odyssey, Aries
Date: 30 Mar 1995 20:03:40 GMT
Organization: University of Michigan


In article <[e-mail]>, JOBACHMANN <[e-mail]>
wrote:

>> I would appreciate if someone tells me where to get information on
>> Globalstar, Odyssey, Aries.

> To answer your general question, I found a good overview in:
>                Eastern European & Former Soviet Telecom Report
>                                  July 1, 1994
> SECTION: No. 7, Vol. 5; ISSN: 1054-6499
> LENGTH: 2937 words
> HEADLINE: SPECIAL REPORT: Big LEO Systems - Global Voice and Data Service

Another place to look is the following article:

 InProceedings{Mangir:futureSatCom,
  author =      "Tulin E. Mangir",
  title =      "The Future of Public Satellite Communications",
  pages =      "395--410",
  volume = "1",
  booktitle = "Proceedings of 1995 IEEE Aerospace Applications Conference",
  year =      "1995",
  address =      "Snomass at Aspen, Colorado",
  month =      feb,
}

It discusses the said systems except Aries. I suspect that you can get
it from the references of the article.


Zhihui

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Clifford Baldwin)
Subject: Re: Who is SS7?
Date: 30 Mar 1995 02:56:16 GMT
Organization: Netcom


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Bill & Susan
Engel) writes:

> Could anyone tell me which long distance carriers utilize the SS7
> technology throughout their system?

> Of special interest are:

> AT&T
> MCI
> Sprint
> Allnet
> WilTel (which is, I believe)
> Call America

> Others?

Of the six listed, it's a sure bet that AT&T, MCI, Sprint and WilTel do.
In fact, I can vouch for MCI (used to work for them). They are major
players with substantial infrastructure. The remaining, to my knowledge,
are resellers, meaning that they buy capacity from the big boys and
pump traffic through it at (supposedly) lower rates. They benefit from
using the network without having to maintain it.

BTW -- the  players offering ISDN will being using SS7. Can't have one
without the other.


Cliff Baldwin    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve Cogorno)
Subject: Re: Caller ID Answering Machines?
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 23:45:01 PST


Bob Izenberg said:


>     I had cause to speak to my local telco customer service folks
> the other day, and they finished with a caller ID pitch.  It seems to
> me that recording caller ID information along with, or without, an
> incoming phone message, would be an obvious combination.  Has anyone
> brought an answering machine combining these features to market?

Yes!  I just saw one yesterday in Hello Direct.  Unfortunately, I didn't
keep the catalog.  I also recall someone requesting a Caller ID Box that
"shouts" the number.  The new HD has that too.


Steve     [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Lynne Gregg <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Caller ID Answering Machines?
Date: Tue, 28 Mar 95 15:27:00 PST


> It seems to me that recording caller ID information along with, or
> without, an incoming phone message, would be an obvious combination.
> Has anyone brought an answering machine combining these features to
> market?

Yes.  Both AT&T Consumer Electronics and Northern Telecom have recent
entries in the market.  NT sells through their terminal distributors
including Sprint.


Regards,

Lynne

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 29 Mar 1995 20:42:15 +0000
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Caller ID Answering Machines?
Organization: Northern Telecom


In article <[e-mail]> Bob Izenberg, [e-mail] writes:

>  Has anyone brought an answering machine combining these features to
> market?

Yes.  Northern Telecom has the Meridian 9516 Caller ID answering
machine.  Call "Call Direct" at 1-800-842-7439 for information and
pricing.  There are on-line reviews and brochures in the TELECOM and
CEGENERAL forums of CompuServe, if you have access.


Scott     Northern Telecom

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Warren Leach)
Subject: Re: Caller ID Answering Machines?
Date: 28 Mar 1995 23:55:26 GMT
Organization: Blue Sky Research - Portland OR


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Bob Izenberg)
writes:

> It seems to me that recording caller ID information along with, or
> without, an incoming phone message, would be an obvious combination.
> Has anyone brought an answering machine combining these features to
> market?

Don't know the model number, but Northern Telecom produces such a
device.  I think Hammacker-Schlemmer (sic?) in New York carries it.


Warren Leach, Cruise Director
Blue Sky Research, Portland, Oregon
[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 15:52:12 -0500
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Caller ID Answering Machines


> I had cause to speak to my local telco customer service folks
> the other day, and they finished with a caller ID pitch.  It seems
> to me that recording caller ID information along with, or without,
> an incoming phone message, would be an obvious combination.
> Has anyone brought an answering machine combining these
> features to market?

Hello Direct has several models of answering machines with caller ID
built-in.  They sell all kinds of telephone equipment with caller ID built
in, such as a cordless phone, PC software, and a call announcer, along with
other frequently asked for telecom equipment.

You can reach Hello Direct on 1-800-444-3556.


Barry Goldberg   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Robert Levandowski)
Subject: Re: MCI's New Thing
Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 95 13:40:46 GMT


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest
Editor) writes:

> So, from reading the press release issued today by MCI we see that
> MCI plans to hand out the Usenet newsgroups to their customers at the
> aforementioned prices. I hope Mr. Cerf and others at MCI decide to
> voluntarily compensate the moderators of the various e-zines, journals
> and newsgroups on the Internet. I am sure if they carried news from
> the Associated Press or columnists from King Features they'd expect
> to pay, and probably dearly ... let's see how they respond to the
> little guys; the moderators and e-zine publishers of Internet.    PAT]

Woah, did I miss something here?

What makes paying MCI for Internet service different from paying
America Online or my local ISP?  Heck, I pay $25k/year for a shell
account at the University of Rochester -- they threw in some classes
or something for free, I guess -- but I wasn't aware UR was compensating
USENET authors.

Although I guess that'd explain the price increases in my bill every year :)


Rob Levandowski
Computer Interest Floor associate / University of Rochester
[e-mail]     [Opinions expressed are mine, not UR's.]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Nothing makes them different than AOL or
Compuserve or any other *strictly commercial, for profit* Internet
service provider. What has occurred however is that AOL and Compuserve
in my case have extended certain courtesies to me -- as an information
provider -- due to the additional work caused me in handling inquiries
and articles for publication sumbitted by their subscriber/participants.
In other words, America OnLine and Compuserve both recognize *my work*
in a way that I deem satisfactory. Let's just say they both take care
of me and in turn I service their subscribers the same as I do anyone
else on the Internet. The University of Rochester -- and similarly
situated institutions -- are not in the business of providing commercial
Internet accounts. Your $25 annual fee would get you one or two sessions
on line with AOL/CIS. Therein is the difference.

For quite some time now I have encouraged the moderators/e-zine editors,
etc here on Internet to reach terms of their own with the big commercial
providers they deem satisfactory or else *simply cut the big guys out
of the feed.*  And if you know the workings of news and how to manipulate
NNTP (network news transfer protocol) like I know how to manipulate it,
then you can cut *any site* out of the newsfeed if you choose to do do.
But it is a moot point with AOL/CIS because they both have been honorable
with me.  It would not occur to the big commercial providers to stiff
the Associated Press or the bigtime IPs out of their fees and their
lawyers would counsel them it was unwise as well. Internet publishers
deserve similar arrangments and consideration.    PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 28 Mar 1995 07:52:43 CST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: MCI's New Thing


Pat,

Just curious here.  Do other users of Usenet newsgroups have to pay?

If not do they pay voluntarily?

If so do the newsgroups have a set pricing structure?


Thanks,

Tim


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: See my comment in the message before
this one. Traditionally Usenet has been 'free'. There is no price
for the newsgroups. But in the past -- I mean several years ago --
Internet accounts were 'free' also. Then the commercial services
started tapping into the feed but they chose to make their subscribers
pay for Usenet the same as anything else they offered. Even that was
okay by me when the traffic was minimal. Now that the commercial
services have come to rely heavily in some cases on the entertainment
value of Usenet for their subscribers, it has occurred to me that they
ought to treat the moderators the same as they do any other information
provider servicing their subscribers. I have a large amount of traffic
in and out of AOL and CIS for example. Both of those services recognize
that I am at least in a small way partially responsible for their
revenue. Most days I mail several *hundred* pieces of mail (i.e. this
Digest) to AOL/CIS addresses, where the subscribers are charged to
receive it, and charged to reply by email if they desire. Both of
those services *like* the amount of traffic I generate. Now I have no
delusions of grandeur, nor should any other moderator/e-zine publisher
on the net. We are not the Associated Press; we are not King Features
Syndicate, but we do provide entertainment and information to the
subscribers of those systems. CIS and AOL both understand that.  I
have been pleased to work with both services for some time now.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Lee Winson)
Subject: Re: New NPA in SC Scheduled For December
Date: 29 Mar 1995 02:32:51 GMT
Organization: PACS IBM SIG BBS


Only a five month permissive period?  When Bell of Pa split 215 with
610, they gave 13 months permissive.

------------------------------

From: Kevin Gilford <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Information Wanted About Telecommunications in China
Date: 30 Mar 1995 00:27:34 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation


Tom,

A recent issue (ie. some time within the last year or so) of
{Telecommunications Policy} is entirely devoted to the subject of
telecommunications in China.  Sorry that I don't have information on
the specific issue date or the publisher.  You may want to check your
local university's computer science/engineering library for this
journal.


Regards,

Kevin Gilford
[e-mail]
Digital Equipment Corporation

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jack Hamilton)
Subject: Re: Looking For a ISP in Interlaken, Switzerland
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 95 05:32:51 GMT
Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Kelly Breit) wrote:

> If you are an ISP or Internet Site near Interlaken, Switzerland and willing
> to establish a temporary connection, we have a very specific need as
> detailed below.

I'm not a Swiss Internet provider, but I do have a suggestion:  look in

   http://heiwww.unige.ch/switzerland/internet_access_providers.html

for a list of providers in various parts of Switzerland.


Jack Hamilton, [e-mail]
Sacramento, California   kd6ttl@w6pw

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Al Niven)
Subject: Callback Service: Sell It For What You Want
Date: 30 Mar 1995 17:34:10 -0500
Organization: The Pipeline


International Discount Callback, Inc. announces its cut-rate
re-sellers "private label" program.  We can Email one of three files
idc.wb1 (quattro pro win), idc.wk1 (123 ver 2) and idc.xls (excel)
with the rates that WE need to get from YOU. YOU can mark these rates
up as much as you want.

We do not:
deal with individual end-users.
market overseas.

You must: prove authorization to do business in your country as a
re-seller and private label it in your name.

In our own name we are only really interested in USA based Fortune
1000 companies that NEED AND INSIST on STAYING WITH AND BEING BILLED
BY ATT, MCI, or Sprint.  We have a "SECRET" way of doing this.  If you
have such a lead, provide the contact name at the company and we will
pay a commission for the referral.

Our switch is central office certified, NEBS compliant, and fully
redundant and fault tolerant.

The mechanics of a callback is that a caller overseas dials one of
thousands of phone numbers assigned specifically to him (DNIS or DID
for you techies out there).  The call rings once and is drops while a
database search confirms that the number belongs to Juan in Mexico
City.  It then dials him back to Mexico City and says "this is the
callback system - enter your PIN and destination number".  Now Juan is
calling from overseas on U.S. dialtone.

In an office environment, the system could say "this is the callback
system -- transfer this call to Juan at extension 123".  In a hotel or
office environment, the return call can come in to an auto attendant
on dedicated trunks, and then outpulse the correct touch tones to get
to the correct extension (even if that country is on rotary!).

"Transparent" callback means that the experience of or actual
necessity for a callback is eliminated.  With "continuous dial" no
callback ever occurs.  Instead, the U.S.  dials an overseas PBX
continously (advance carrier arrangements must be made!!!) on specific
lines which ring continuously on specfic extensions, say extension
124.  When the person on extension 123 wants to call out he uses the
PBX feature to pick up the incoming call on 124 and then hears the
prompt "enter your destination number.  With "transparent callback
boxes" the instant the box hears the international equivalent of 011
it immediately directs the call to the callback switch in the U.S. and
effects the callback.  The caller, who is on a form of "hold" will
listen to music for five seconds maximum and then be prompted to enter
the destination number, or the dialed number can be automatically
stored, bridged, and outpulsed to the incoming call.


Al Niven
International Discount Callback, Inc.
212-714-3531

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #181
******************************


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Date: Tue, 11 Apr 1995 07:37:49 -0500
From: TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson) <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #182


TELECOM Digest     Thu, 30 Mar 95 23:43:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 182

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Microsoft Techs and Phone Calls (Gordon Burditt)
    Re: Conduit - To Use or Not to Use ([e-mail])
    Need Information on Network Management Software (James E. Diskin)
    Re: 800 Service and ISDN Costs (Tom D. Fellrath)
    Re: Why Doesn't Z-MODEM Work? (Christian Weisgerber)
    Re: VSAT Options (Frank Piepiorra)
    Re: Source of International Telecom Distributors (Neil Peretz)
    AT&T TrueConnections 500 Beeper Notification Working (John Shelton)
    PRI Card For PC Supporting V.120? (Charles Enslin)
    ITU Document Formatting (Steve Bunning)
    Cellular Phone Receiver ([e-mail])
    Searching For BISYNC Products (Pete Caccio)
    Difference Between 56K and 56K Restricted? ([e-mail])
    Contact Your Provider on the Communications Decency Act (ACLU Information)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
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* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such
as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help
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All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gordon Burditt)
Subject: Re: Microsoft Techs and Phone Calls
Organization: /usr/lib/news/organi[sz]ation
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 19:04:22 GMT


> It was not that there was such a huge volume of calls in terms of the
> number of calls as it was that *each call lasted an average of nine
> minutes*. Many calls took quite a bit longer. Many times, she said, the

I called once.  I was shocked at the end of the call that it had taken
not nine minutes, but an hour and a half.  The call was free with the
DOS upgrade as far as the tech's time, but the LD charges were mine.

My complaint was simple: MSBACKUP under DOS 6.2 fails its own self-test
procedure.  I had further spent a bit of time and figured out that
this only happened if I included HIMEM.SYS in CONFIG.SYS.  What was
really alarming about it was that the second disk of the backup that
supposedly had a backup written on it appeared empty, and the backup
procedure had given no error messages.  The problem only became
visible on checking it, when MSBACKUP repeatedly asked for the correct
disk but wouldn't accept it.

Of course, the first thing he asked me to do was re-run the test with
different floppies.  I had already done this, and it still failed.

The call involved a repeated sequence of changing something in CONFIG.SYS,
reboot, and try the test procedure again, which took about 4 minutes
to execute.  I was familiar enough with DOS to use the editor, reboot,
and test MSBACKUP, so it only took about 10 seconds to tell me what to
try next.  I wasn't sure during this call whether the tech was also
handling another call at the same time.  I didn't hear any voices but
the tech could have been using a mute button.  After I finished the
test procedure and said it still failed, he responded right away.
He also went away for significant periods of time to look things up,
which might have involved taking another call.

I got the impression he was trying things at random, especially when
he wanted to add things to the EMM386 command line, and I reminded him
I had determined it failed even if I deleted that line.  He wanted to
try it anyway.  Eventually he hit a combination that worked.  I ended
up with two extra parameters on EMM386 (IMHO, redundant but harmless)
and two on HIMEM (which worked, but he couldn't explain what they did).

Overall, I think I executed the test 20 times.  The problem was fixed,
finally.  I hate to think how it would have gone if the problem only
showed up half of the time, rather than consistently.

I later determined that MSBACKUP was absolutely useless to me as it
couldn't be made to restore a crashed and reformatted hard disk partition
while running from floppy.  It just says it should be run from the hard
disk.  I'm glad I kept the DOS 5.0 BACKUP and RESTORE around.


Gordon L. Burditt    sneaky.lonestar.org!gordon

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Conduit - To Use or Not to Use
Date: 31 Mar 1995 02:22:25 GMT
Organization: SkyPoint Communications, Inc.


DavidT4044 ([e-mail]) wrote:

> Several of us in my office have been discussing the virtues of using
> various kinds of conduit when installing cabling supporting our
> network. Some feel it's needed to avoid accidental outages or service
> degradation due to user or maintainence actions.  Others think good
> planning before installation will help avoid mistakes.  We know
> conduit will help cut down on RFI and EMI, but use of shielded cable
> (installed correctly) should take care of most interference.  Do the
> benefits of using conduit out weigh the costs?  Can anyone point to
> test results, engineering specs, or other definitive documentation
> that would help out?

As an electronic techincian, I have some knowledge in this area.

First, local electrical codes.  Places like Rochester MN (home of the
Mayo Clinic/Hospital) have tough codes.  Don't want all those VIPs to
go up in smoke.

Second, lightning.  Though I have not have much in the line of
personal experence, I have had several 'old timers' tell me that
proper grounding of the conduits, and trays/ladders helps reduce some
bleed over EMP from lightning strikes near by.  These guys work with 2
Ghs Mw, and had 300' towers to deal with, allong with 150 Mhz
Radios/et all.

Third, how long are you going to be in the building?  Conduit eases
the job of pulling new stuff through.  Like replacing station wire
with level three, and then when three becomes passe (accent on e)
level five and Fiber.

Foruth, physical plant.  It is much less dificult to maintain a system
that does not look like a mutant drunken spider lives above the
suspended ceiling tiles.  If one run dies, and you need to replace it,
you wind up making a trip across several cubes, and disrupting many
individuals.  Conduit on the other hand is easy, if you are on the
same level, generaly the tray/ladder is in the main hallway, and the
conduits connect there.  simply pull the new run through the
tray/ladder to the conduit position, and run a fish tape up the pipe
and pull.  I don't recomend anyting less than 3/4" conduit.

Fifth, EMI/RFI.  Good conduit (metal not plastic) reduces the level of
external noise.  However, it does make the cross talk level go up.
Given a choice between two evils, I will take cross talk, as trying to
get the local radio station to not put out 100,000 watts is very hard,
but I can always pull shielded runs for the very worst cross talking
runs.


Hope this helps.

Christopher G.  Oxenreider   Electronics Technician Sr.
#include<std_disclaimer.h>   612.297-3150=Work 612.782.9783=Home
[e-mail]        http://www.skypoint.com/members/oxenreid

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (James E. Diskin)
Subject: Need Information on Network Management Software
Date: 30 Mar 1995 20:58:07 GMT
Organization: University of Maryland, College Park


Greetings Kind Readers,

I am a grad student at the University of Maryland.  I am involved in a
group project for a telecommunications class.  We are to evaluate
several network management software packages.  In particular, we are
looking at Novell's "Lanalyzer 2.1" and "NMS 2.0".  I am looking for
technical evaluations, personal experiences, tips, sources of further
information or documentation, other good product, basically any good
information you may have or be able to point me towards.

Thanks for your time and consideration.


Jim Diskin  [e-mail]
Please respond by email rather than post, thanks.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 19:17:54 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: 800 Service and ISDN Costs

[e-mail] (AndrewM486) wrote:

> You should be able to get rates in the range of .10 off peak; .13 peak
> for 800 service; I can't help with ISDN.

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Won't he need a lot of traffic to find
> a carrier willing to give him rates like this?  Most carriers won't even
> start talking terms like that to the 'average' customer.    PAT]

Let's emphasize the "Most" there.  The company I am an agent for
offers unlimited switched 800 usage (both in terms of different 800
numbers and usage of those numbers) for a single $5.00 monthly
subscription fee and $.129/minute flat rate nationwide with NO MINIMUM
USAGE requirements -- even cheaper for dedicated circuits.  While I
don't want to turn this into an ad, I felt that you might want to be
alert to the fact that smaller carriers are getting EXTREMELY
competitive with regards to 800 service.  This is the next big wedge
between the larger and smaller carriers; smaller carriers don't
aribtrarily mark the 800's up and pass the savings along to the
customers.

I am an 'average' customer and have an 800 number ringing into my
home.  I don't necessarily use it a lot, but it's a lot cheaper and
easier than a calling card and I'm not paying any extra monthly fees
as I got my outbound on the bill as well, so why not?  Of course, I'm
contributing to the national shortage of 800's ...


Tom Fellrath  [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 30 Mar 95 21:00 MET
From: [e-mail] (Christian Weisgerber)
Subject: Re: Why Doesn't Z-MODEM Work?


In comp.dcom.telecom is written:

> Sounds like XON/XOFF flow control. You can not use this with ZMODEM!!

Of course you can. Contrary to, say, X/YModem, ZModem is perfectly
XON/XOFF transparent.


Christian 'naddy' Weisgerber, Germany    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Frank Piepiorra)
Subject: Re: VSAT Options
Date: 30 Mar 1995 22:57:19 GMT
Organization: Prodigy Services Company  1-800-PRODIGY


You may use any VSAT offered by any satellite service provider. Ask
them for pricing of a space segment with at least 160 kbps data rate.
They also mostly able to install and lease you the VSAT stations (e.g.
Orion Atlantic). That would allow you to carry full ISDN 2B+D over a
satellite.

If you do not have full usage of the space segments which are required
you may include a DAMA (Demand Assigned Multiple Access) device in
your considerations. These devices allow you to share the same space
segment between different remote locations. As far I know there is
only the DAMA from Satelink who is able to support full ISDN BRI.


FRANK PIEPIORRA  [e-mail]
Data TeleMark, 8201 Greensboro Drive, Suite 1000
McLean, Virginia 22102, USA
Tel: [phone] Fax: [phone]

------------------------------

Date: 30 Mar 95 12:58:34 EST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Source of International Telecom Distributors


> Does anyone have suggestions on how to find a list of
> international telecommunication distributors that sell telecom
> equipment. Locations on the net would be great, or
> publications that you are aware of that may have some
> information would be helpful. I've thought of the US Dept. of
> Commerce and the Telecommunications Industry Association as
> starting points.  I'm trying to help a US telecom test
> equipment manufacturer locate distributors of their equipment.

I recommend you call U.S. Department of Commmerce at 202-482-2000.
John Henry is one of the people in charge of telecom there.  Or call
their Trade Info Center at 1-800-USA-TRADe.

Through the Department of Commerce, you can find market research
reports (ask for the National Trade Data Bank at any Federal
Depositary Library or find it on the Internet somewhere) and lists of
contacts from around the world (all for free), and they also offer
very inexpensive market research services, such as the Agent
Distributor Search (about $250) where they will distribute your
product info around a particular overseas market and write a report
for you on the people who expressed an interest in representing or
distributing the product.  For a slightly higher fee, you can also use
their Gold key Service, where they will actually locate potential
agents and distributors for you, book you a hotel room, find you an
interpreter, and set-up several days of meetings for you in an
overseas market.

I work for the Department of Commerce in Guangzhou, China -- we cover
Hainan, Fujian, Guangxi, and Guangdong Provinces.  Let me know if you
are interested in marketing these products in South China.


Neil Peretz, FCS Guangzhou
[e-mail].
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone].

------------------------------

From: John Shelton <[e-mail]>
Subject: AT&T TrueConnections 500 Beeper Notification Working
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 95 6:12:58 PDT


AT&T's True Connections service (NPA 500) has a voice mail option; if
your calls go unanswered, you can have them routed to a "final stop",
which can be a third party voice mail, or AT&T's own.

Their own voice mail was advertised as having beeper notification, but
when service started, it wasn't working.  It is now.


John

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Charles Enslin)
Subject: PRI Card For PC Supporting V.120?
Date: 29 Mar 1995 14:59:50 GMT
Organization: AT&T Paradyne


I am looking for a CSU/DSU that fits into a slot of a 486.  The board
should have a processor to handle the V.120 protocol that needs to be
supported over the T1 line.  I would prefer E-mail response.  Thank
you.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 29 Mar 1995 10:20:39 -0500
From: [e-mail] (Steve Bunning)
Subject: ITU Document Formatting


If you have ever downloaded ITU (CCITT) standards from the ITU gopher
server, you know that they are in the form of postscript files.  The
documents are formatted, as the original colored books, for A4 sized paper.
Does anyone know an easy modification to the postscript file which will
resize the document to fit on 8.5 X 11 inch paper?

I picked up a copy of the INFOMAGIC "Standards" CD which has a lot of
the ITU standards in MS WORD format in addition to the postscript
format.  Unfortunately, the WORD version of the document doesn't have
the figures embedded, so I can't use WORD to resize the document
without losing the figures.


Thanks,

Steve Bunning     | American Computer and Elec. Corp.| [phone] (voice)
Product Manager   | 209 Perry Parkway                | [phone] (fax)
TEL*COMM Division | Gaithersburg, MD USA 20877       |  [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (IDEA P Fredette)
Subject: Cellular Phone Receiver
Organization: The World Public Access UNIX, Brookline, MA
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 1995 15:31:03 GMT


Does anyone recall seeing a posting describing a method of converting
Motorolla Cellular phones into cellular call receivers? If you know
where I might find this information, please email me.  Thanks.  :>

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Pete Caccio)
Subject: Searching For BISYNC Products
Date: 29 Mar 1995 12:44:58 -0500
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA


56Kbps syncronous line using BISYNC broadcast protocol.  Bisync
broadcast is a protocol in non-interactive simplex mode requiring no
answer back.

Sending host will transmit using standard IBM Bisync format but will
not expect ACK/NAK/WAK from us.

We will appreciate information on any hardware/software products
people have used to achieve this. We presently use Cleo SyncCable+
solution for our low speed lines. Our enviroment is Intel x86 based
servers running SCO Unix SVR3.


Thank You.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (TMonaco1)
Subject: Difference Between 56K and 56K Restricted?
Date: 29 Mar 1995 14:32:18 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (TMonaco1)


Does anyone know the difference between these?  Help would be
appreciated.


[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: ACLU Information <[e-mail]>
Date: Wed, 29 Mar 1995 16:34:34 -0500
Subject: Contact Your Provider on the Communications Decency Act


A Cyber Liberties Alert from the ACLU

Urge Your Online Service Providers to Fight the Modified Exon/Gorton
Amendment!

As you know from our previous Cyber Liberties Alerts, Congress is
moving to dramatically restrict the free speech and privacy rights of
online users.  On March 23, 1995, the Senate Commerce Committee
approved the Exon/Gorton bill (the so-called "Communications Decency
Act", also known as S.314) as an amendment to the Telecommunications
Competition and Deregulation Act of 1995.

While the proposed legislation was modified to include some defenses
from criminal liability for online service providers, users are still
very much at risk of both massive fines and imprisonment.

The ACLU has written an open letter to online providers, copied below,
that urges them to wage a full-scale fight for the rights of online
users.  Some providers are still actively standing up for your rights
while others may not be.  There are still opportunities to fight the
legislation in both House and Senate, but the fight will not succeed
without the concerted efforts of online users, civil libertarians, and
online service providers.  Remember that the Senate Commerce Committee
approved the Exon/Gorton amendment despite opposition letters and
petition signatures from over 100,000 online users.

ACT NOW:

Write to your online service providers and ask them to make a public
declaration against the Exon/Gorton amendment and to push aggressively
for the greatest amount of free speech and privacy for online users.
(A sample letter is attached.)

Please copy your letter to the following e-mail address: [e-mail].

In addition, continue to voice your opposition to the Exon/Gorton
Amendment to members of the Senate Commerce Committee and your own
senators.  See our previous ACLU Cyber Liberties Alerts for
instructions on how to reach the Senate: gopher://aclu.org:6601.

                   ------------------

[COPY]

An Open Letter to Online Providers Regarding the Exon/Gorton Amendment

March 28, 1995

On March 23, 1995, the Senate Commerce Committee voted to violate the
civil liberties of every present and future member of the online
community.  The so-called "Communications Decency Act" was modified to
include some defenses from criminal liability -- but these are
available only to online service providers.  In fact, other
modifications made the legislation worse for users.  The Exon/Gorton
amendment remains a blatant violation of the free speech and privacy
guarantees of the Constitution.

We therefore urge all online providers to continue (or, if necessary, to
begin) a full-scale fight for the rights of online users against the
government interference embodied in the Exon/Gorton amendment.

The Exon/Gorton amendment subjects online users to surveillance and
imposes criminal penalties for messages deemed by some government
official to be "indecent, lewd, lascivious or filthy" -- all
communications protected by the First Amendment.  By criminalizing the
content of private messages, it would invite active interference in
the basic speech of everyone using a telecommunications device.

The amendment was attached to the Telecommunications Competitionand
Deregulation Act of 1995, which was approved by the Commerce Committee
and is being sent for consideration to the Senate floor.  There are
still opportunities to fight the legislation in both House and Senate,
but the fight will not succeed without the concerted efforts of online
users, civil libertarians, and online service providers.

Sexual expression has been a fundamental part of human communication
from the beginning of recorded history.  The online community is no
different.  There is no question that talk about sex and the exchange
of sexual images has contributed to the vibrant quality of online
communications, and an increasing number of online subscribers.  And
Congress need not ban constitutionally protected forms of speech in
order to protect children from sexually explicit materials.

Interactive technologies allow users -- including concerned parents --
to have more control over content than any previous communications
medium.  Many of the traditional arguments for restricting sexually
expressive material, such as radio/TV's assault on unwilling listeners
or the fear that a child will wander into an adult bookstore, simply
do not apply to interactive technologies.

Moreover, the Exon/Gorton amendment's censorial sweep encompasses
content that has nothing to do with sex -- anything deemed "indecent"
or "filthy" -- subjective terms that could apply to any message
outside the mainstream.  The amendment would make the online community
one of the most censored segments of communications media when logic
dictates that it should be the least censored.

The Exon/Gorton amendment also subjects an industry that has blossomed
without government control to an unprecedented amount of interference and
intrusion.

We applaud those online providers who have both publicly declared
their opposition to the Exon/Gorton amendment and who continue to
fight for the constitutional rights of their subscribers.  These
providers recognize that no one in the online community will benefit
from an amendment that seriously threatens the free flow of
information and the diversity of content transmitted over online
networks.

To achieve the liberating potential of the information superhighway,
Congress must ensure that interactive technologies enhance rather than
stifle democratic values like user choice.

We therefore call upon ALL online service providers to join online
users and civil libertarians in the fight against the Exon/Gorton
amendment.  We urge online service providers to make a public
declaration against the amendment and to push aggressively for the
greatest amount of free speech and privacy for online users.


American Civil Liberties Union
"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty"

                    ----------------------

SAMPLE LETTER
Dear [name of each of your online service providers]:

I am writing, as a user of your service, to urge you to make a public
declaration against the Exon/Gorton amendment to the Telecommunications
Competition and Deregulation Act of 1995. While providing defenses
from criminal liability for online providers, the Exon proposal leaves
online users at risk of large fines and imprisonment for constitutionally
protected speech.

I urge you to:

*Make a public declaration against the Exon proposal.

*Aggressively lobby the Senate to vote against the Exon proposal, and
aggressively lobby to prevent similar proposals in the House version of the
telecommunications reform legislation.

*Continue to push for the greatest amount of free speech and privacy for
online users.

Sincerely,

[name]

                       --------------------

The American Civil Liberties Union is a nationwide, nonpartisan
organization of over 275,000 members.  Now in its 75th year, the ACLU
is devoted exclusively to protecting the civil liberties guaranteed by
the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, whereever these liberties are
at risk -- in a bookstore, in school, on the street, in cyberspace,
wherever. The ACLU does this through legislative action, public
education and litigation.


ACLU Free Reading Room  |  American Civil Liberties Union
gopher://aclu.org:6601  | 132 W. 43rd Street, NY, NY 10036
mailto:[e-mail]|    "Eternal vigilance is the
ftp://ftp.pipeline.com  |         price of liberty"

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #182
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From: TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson) <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #183


TELECOM Digest     Fri, 31 Mar 95 09:04:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 183

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    AT&T Unable to Turn Off True Messages (Mustafa Soysal)
    Phone Books no Longer Free (Linc Madison)
    The Complete Answering Machine Voicemail Card ([e-mail])
    Gegaphone by Siemens ([e-mail])
    Telemarketers Ethics Statement (David K. Bryant)
    Information Wanted on RS-485 (Mutaf Pars)
    Good Book Wanted on ATM ([e-mail])
    Fax/Answering Machine Selection Advice Wanted (Henrik Sievers)
    Lower Calling Card Than Flat 17.5 Cents/Min + No Surcharge? (George Wang)
    Cellular Callback Information Wanted (Bill Engel)
    Where to Get Area Code Map? (Dawn Adler)
    Experiences Wanted With internetMCI By News Reporter (Enrique Gonzales)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, 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 twenty dollars per
year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.

All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 30 Mar 95 20:37:22 -0500
From: Mustafa Soysal <[e-mail]>
Subject: AT&T Unable to Turn Off True Messages


I have been trying to have AT&T turn off True Messages Service for
months now.

The problem is that when the other party is busy or keeps ringing, the
voice message that comes up confuses my "high tech" Telebit Modem, and
it will mess up everything holding on to the line for a long time and
eventually will get messed up in its brains as well.

So, I tried to contact AT&T in an attempt to turn the damn voice
prompt off.  In my opinion, they are breaking my phone service by
doing this.  The best resource in navigating AT&T seems to be the AT&T
operator, so I dialed 00 and mentioned the problem and that I wanted
to turn that service off.  The operator said that they think it is a
great service, however, the business office for residential customers
should be able to take care of it.

After talking to the business office it seemed they did not know that I
had that service since it was not showing up in their system.  Somebody
figured out it was a different part of the corporate structure, and they
gave me their phone number.  So, I called there.

The person I talked to tried to pursue me into keeping that service,
but they could make the voice prompts go away by keeping them silent.
Only if I punched #123 I would get the voice menu.  I disagreed out of
instinct and insisted that I wanted it turned off and that it was
breaking my phone service. (Everything worked just fine without the
voice prompts.)

About the same days, I also asked the regular business office to turn on
the accounting system since I wanted to keep track of my calls in how
much they cost for which purposes.  For that, I had to be forwarded to a
zillion different places, and although I was promised that it would be
turned on within ten business days, it was not.  That matter took another
call a month later to ask for the accounting to be activated again. This
time it worked and they turned it on.

In order to use the accounting codes, you have to dial a 0, the area
code and number, and then a combination of numbers when you hear the
AT&T bing tone.. Then the voice comes up again and says thank you, and
I am surprized that none of these prompts is confusing the modem.  It
must be looking for the first ring or busy signal.  (It needs to count
four or five busy signals to decide.)

The accounting codes were really working, but so were the True Messages
prompts.  So I called the True Messages Unit again, and they told me
they have taken it out.  I should talk to long distance repair. So I
did. They told me it was my fault since I was dialing a 0 to start the
call, and therefore activating what nonsubscribers are getting.  They
also wanted to know why I was dialing a 0.  I explained the accounting
codes.

I was assured that they would be trying to exempt my number from that
service, and it had to be done this way since there was no provision for
not wanting the default service options.  OK, I was assured another ten
business days.  Of course, nothing changed.

Now this time, being peeved about the entire matter, I called Sprint,
and got information on how much their service would cost.  I have the
TrueWorld calling plan with AT&T as well as AnyHour.  They seem to have
comparable plans, and the accounting service as well, although for a
small fee.

I also started to keep the names I talked to.  When I called them at
1-800-336-0445 end of February, after being told by the rep that I had
to call another number at AT&T I mentioned that I do not have to
department hunt at AT&T and I am sick and tired of being forwarded
around and given different numbers to call.  I asked to talk to the
supervisor, and got to talk to her.  At first she wasn't sure what the
problem was, but then she assured me that she would contact the
necessary department and let me know about the result.  This was the
first time I was getting service as expected, since she called the next
day, and she said that they can't turn it off.  If I wanted to know why,
I could call the supervisor at the other part of the company, and she
gave me the number.  So I called.

He was very polite and said that they did not have the option in the
computer, but he could put a form thru the process and it would work.
That was March 1st.  Nothing changed.

March 29th, I called the same supervisor and reminded him of our
conversation.  I told him I was following up since nothing seemed to
change and if they would follow up on the request form they filled out.
He said they did, and they found out that they cannot turn it off. (this
sounds familiar by now) - looks like they are struggling with this giant
automata with enough CPU horsepower to match the worlds computers, and
loosing control of it :-)  He offered me to have someone from the
corporate offices call me and talk about why they could not do it.

I gave them my other phone number, and said that I would like to get in
touch with this corporate person in a week, or I will switch to Sprint.
(I am tired of the ten business days equals a month game.)

I am just curious why this cannot be done.  Could I complain to the FCC
because they are breaking my phone service?


Mustafa Soysal     [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: There is an annoying feature on some of
the phones here although its not in every central office so far as I
can tell, and mostly on pay phones. When you dial someone, after the
third ring a recorded announcement comes on superimposed over the ring
which says 'your party is not answering', and it goes on to tell how
you can press certain keys to leave a message (at an additional charge
of course). People have reported that to a modem it sounds like a
voice -- which it is -- so the modem hangs up.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Linc Madison)
Subject: Phone Books no Longer Free
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 00:42:03 PST


Well, as most of you know, on January 1st Pac*Bell restructured its
rates to increase monthly service charges and decrease intra-LATA toll
charges.  At the same time, IXCs were allowed to carry intra-LATA
traffic without sneaking quietly around the rules.

A few other changes happened at the same time.  Some years back, just
after divestiture, you could get any Pacific Bell directory within your
LATA just for the asking.  A few years later, about 1988, I think, they
started charging for yellow-pages-only volumes -- no charge for white
pages or combined white-and-yellow.  They now charge a "nominal" fee of
"$10 to $38, depending on the size of the directory" for *all*
directories you order, including within your own LATA.

At the same time, one of the unpublicized aspects of the change in the
rate structure is that the cost of ZUM (Zone) calls has been changed.
Zone 1/2 calls are now $0.03/0.01 instead of 0.04/0.01, and Zone 3 calls
are now 0.08/0.02 instead of 0.10/0.04.  However, instead of 30% evening
and 60% night discount, they now give 30% and 40% discounts for time of
day.  Thus, off-peak rates have increased almost 50% for local calls.
You can still get unmeasured residential service, but the disparity in
cost has widened with the new rate structure.  (old: $4.45/8.35,
new: $6.00/11.25)

I also checked with Sprint on some of the changes they've made.  They
have been pushing their new $0.10/minute (7pm to 7am) $0.22/minute
(weekdays) plan.  They have also been pushing their new intra-LATA
service.  What they don't tell you is that if you do both, you actually
pay HIGHER rates for the privilege of dialing an extra five digits
(10333 at the front) than if you use Pac*Bell.  Their rates for
intra-LATA tolls are $0.14 weekdays and 0.10 night/weekend.  Even in the
last mileage band, Pacific Bell only charges $0.1470/0.1360 for daytime
rates.

So much for Sprint's claim to be "always" cheaper than Pac*Bell for
intra-LATA calls.

Of course, my interest in that angle of the question is mostly academic,
since almost all of my non-local calls are interstate.


Linc Madison   *   Oakland, California    *   [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 11:49:49 +0200
From: [e-mail] (Alex)
Subject: The Complete Answering Machine Voicemail Card


I am looking for people that are using a Complete Answering Machine
voicemail card. I bought mine second-hand in 1990 from an American via
a BBS. In that same year I have been running a small voicemail BBS
with about 50 users on it.

People who know this card, know that it's possibilities are pretty
limited.  Some of the prompts are in English, and cannot be changed.
Also the software which comes along with the card doesn't offer
anything like a log file, so you can see who called. Besides this, the
card itself is good enough, it's just the software which is very
limited. I managed to write a programm which can show on screen who is
online, when, which prompt is being played etc..  Also I managed to
write a little prog which makes it possible to switch on/off things on
remote via the voicemailcard. With a little immagination it's all
possible.  Perhaps the wheel has already been invented, and someone
already wrote software for the card, or has a better version from the
original software. I am still runing with Answer 2.12, perhaps there
is a update? I heard the compagny who made the card does no longer
exist. I am running with the voicemail card that does NOT have faxing
possibilities (but I fixed that too!).

It's a great card, but the software sucks.


Regards,

Alex     [e-mail], Apeldoorn, The Netherlands

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Gegaphone by Siemens
Date: 31 Mar 1995 08:20:11 -0500
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA


Anybody have information on a wireless phone built by Siemens call
Gigaphone?  Also, on the TDA spec for telephone interconnect ... is it
the same as the US RJ11 standard phone connection?

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David K. Bryant)
Subject: Telemarketers Ethics Statement
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 00:52:42 GMT


Below is the Ethics Statement of the American Telemarketing Association
(dated 2/94).  Use it to your advantage.

                          ETHICS STATEMENT
                  AMERICAN TELEMARKETING ASSOCIATION

DEFINITION

     Telemarketing is the planned, professional use of the telephone
     to advertise, market or provide service functions.  Telemarketing
     may be the only method used by a company to advertise, market or
     provide services, or it may be integrated with other techniques
     such as direct mail, field sales, etc.  Telemarketing programs
     can be "outbound" (seller initiates calls) or "inbound" (buyer
     initiate calls).

PROFESSIONAL GUIDELINES

1.  Telemarketing call recipients can expect that there is reason for
    the call and the call purpose will be accomplished efficiently,
    courteously, and professionally.

2.  The names of both the company and the communicator who makes or
    receives calls will be clearly identified when every call begins.

3.  The communicator will approach each call courteously, and never
    use abusive language or a rude manner.

4.  The communicator will accommodate the business person or consumer's
    time constraints, and if necessary, schedule a future re-call.

5.  All telemarketing offers to the business or consumer public will
    be legal, legitimate, and have recognized value.

6.  Repeated calls with the same offer will not be made to the same
    prospect/customer.  Exceptions are regularly scheduled fund
    raisers, and membership or renewal drives.

7.  Except in cases of public safety, by previous agreement, or calls
    to current customers, the business or consumer public can expect
    a live communicator to introduce the call.  The public's time
    has as much value as ours, the professionals in this industry.

8.  All telemarketing equipment will be carefully monitored to ensure
    proper operation.  Equipment use will be supervised to ensure
    professional application to telemarketing programs.

9.  Telemarketing organizations will follow all federal and state
    telemarketing regulations.

OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES

Hours/Days of Operation:

    Outbound business calls should occur during normal business hours.
    Outbound consumer calls should only occur between 9:00 a.m. and
    9:00 p.m. local time, unless further restricted by local or state
    laws.  Exceptions require prior consumer agreement.  Calls should
    not occur on major national holidays.

    For inbound calls, hours and days of operation should be clearly
    advertised when calls are invited through advertising, catalogs,
    direct mail, media presentations, or other sales methods, to
    avoid caller inconvenience.

Telephone Service Levels:

    Outbound:  Sufficient telephone service should be provided to
    avoid communicator contention for available lines.  With auto-
    matic dialing equipment, sufficient communicators should be
    scheduled to ensure that every telemarketing call recipient will
    speak to a live person immediately.

    Inbound:  The seller must provide sufficient incoming lines to
    accommodate anticipated call volumes.

Personnel:

    Telemarketing managers should follow these standards, as a
    minimum, when selecting and training all telemarketing personnel.

    Selection:

        1.  Mastery of the targeted audience's language.
        2.  Speak clearly and be easily understood.
        3.  Understand the call subject matter and be able to
            respond to most probably questions.     [sic]

    Training:

        1.  Knowledge and understanding of product, service or offer.
        2.  Professional message presentation.
        3.  Understand performance measurements.
        4.  Observe record-keeping procedures.
        5.  Demonstrate appropriate business etiquette and behavior.

    Quality Control:

        Telemarketing center managers should regularly monitor
        communicators' performance by listening to business calls
        being made or received while they are in progress.

        Monitoring of communicators' calls provides a means for
        employers to observe and evaluate employee performance and
        give objective feedback.  Monitoring helps employees by
        identifying performance deficiencies so additional training
        can be received to improve skills and performance.

        This guideline also provides a means to protect consumers/
        customers and the employer against possible unethical practices
        by individual communicators.  It also protects the employer's
        rights to supervise and regulate the quality of work being
        performed in his/her behalf or in behalf of his/her clients.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 27 Mar 1995 22:53:09 +0300
From: [e-mail] (Mutaf Pars)
Subject: Information Wanted on RS-485


Hello,

Do you know anything about the RS-485 standart of EIA (Electronic Industries
Association) or EIA's internet address?

Thanks in advance for any help.


PARS MUTAF  ([e-mail])

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Radhika R)
Subject: Good Book Wanted on ATM
Date: 27 Mar 1995 13:33:49 -0800
Organization: CCnet Communications (510-988-7140 guest)


Can anyone suggest any reading material to get a good understanding
and knowledge of ATM?


Thanks in advance,

radhika     [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Henrik Sievers)
Subject: Fax/Answering Machine Selection Advice
Date: 30 Mar 1995 21:58:37 +0200
Organization: Everyday online


Hello,

I am considering to buy a combined fax/telephone/answering machine.
Now I heard from some people that there may be problems with some
models.

Please let me know your experiences, good or bad, with such units.


Thanks in advance,

Henrik Sievers     2H i Helenelund HB
Tegelhagsv 29      S-191 39  SOLLENTUNA
[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (George Wang)
Subject: Lower Calling Card Than Flat 17.5 Cents/Min + No Surcharge?
Date: 30 Mar 1995 15:18:03 -0800
Organization: Hip-Hop BBS  Sunnyvale, California


A while back someone posted a calling card offered by American Travel
Network (via LDDS comm) that had no surcharge/monthly fees/flat 17.5
cents any time, any where. This seems like a great deal. I sent
in my application today.

However, I think a month ago or so someone else posted info about a
calling card that *might* have been even lower. It also had no
surcharge or minimum usage fees. Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of
that message or the 800 number. It's very possible it was the same ATN
folks above. I just can't remember.

If anyone has any information please email and post.


Thanks,

George C. Wang
Email: [e-mail]        Alternate: [e-mail]
Finger for public encryption key.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bill & Susan Engel)
Subject: Cellular Callback Information Wanted
Date: 31 Mar 1995 02:26:41 GMT
Organization: Netcom


Does anyone have information regarding Cellular Callback?  Similar to
international callback, it allows a cellular user to dial the callback
number, receive a dial tone, and dial out using a "land line" and
being charged regular long distance rates instead of cellular rates?

All information would be much appreciated.


Thanks,

Bill Engel


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I cannot honestly see how this would work
since most cellular companies charge for all air time in or out don't
they?   What do you benefit by making a call to get callback from a
long distance carrier only to pay air time on the incoming call also?
Don't most cellular companies give you at least a few long distance
carriers to pick from anyway, usually including the big three?   PAT

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dawn Adler)
Subject: Where to Get Area Code Map?
Date: 31 Mar 1995 11:33:51 GMT
Organization: Netcom


Hi all,

I wanted to know if anyone knows where I can get a map to see exactly
where an area code boundry is? I've seen yellow or white pages U.S.A.
area code map; what I mean is a close up map that shows exactly where one
area code changes to another, all I know is one area code cannot cross
state lines!

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 05:53:56 EST
From: Cuauhtemoc <[e-mail]>
Subject: Experiences Wanted With InternetMCI by News Reporter
Organization: Netcom


My name is Enrique Gonzales, an editor and reporter for UPI Financial
in D.C. covering telecommunications, information technology and the
Internet. I covered the internetMCI announcement Monday. I'll try to
answer some of your questions. MCI claims to be soon offering local
dial up in 65 cities, but 1800 dialup at $6.50/hour plus regular
access charges of $19.99 until June, then $9/hour for the first few
hours per month. Oh, that's $19.99 a month until June. The software is
$40, email software $30, roughly. They claim they fully support 28.8
without problems of telephone switching systems. Please advise about
problems or frustrations with them.


Enrique Gonzales

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #183
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Date: Fri, 7 Apr 1995 14:30:05 -0500
From: TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson) <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #184


TELECOM Digest     Fri, 31 Mar 95 16:08:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 184

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Where to Complain About Unsolicited Fax Ad? (Nick Sayer)
    Re: Difference Between 56K and 56K Restricted? (Chip Sharp)
    Re: Digital Cellular Encryption and Fraud (Klaus Schniedergers)
    Re: Second GSM Network in Belgium (Jurgen Lison)
    Re: Using Live Radio With Automated Attendant (David K. Leikam)
    Re: Telephone Cost Research ([e-mail])
    Re: Keypad Letter Pattern (was Re: U.S. 800 Users Alert) (Benjamin Carter)
    Re: Digital Cellular Encryption and Fraud (John Diamant)
    Cellular Features Incur DOUBLE Airtime Charge (Lester Hiraki)
    Multiple Audio Channels Over One Phone Line (Rich Osman)
    Internship Wanted (Michael Erichardi)
    What is the Status on Video Telephones? (Joe Konecny)
    Administrivia: Hickory Dickory Dock and Other Notes (TELECOM Digest Editor)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, 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 twenty dollars per
year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.

All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Nick Sayer)
Subject: Re: Where to Complain About Unsolicited Fax Ad?
Organization: The Duck Pond public unix: [phone], log in as 'guest'.
Date: 31 Mar 1995 21:40:20 UTC


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Maybe this could be re-titled "Where to
Complain About Unsolicited Editor Notes?"      PAT]


TELECOM Digest Editor quacked in response to [e-mail] (Nick
Sayer):

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You poor thing. Its been a trying week,
> hasn't it?  You've been put upon, abused and misused, and its only
> Thursday. Wait until tomorrow ... maybe you will get a telemarketing
> call to add to your woes.  Most people have a wastebasket sitting next
> to their fax machine for good reason.    PAT]

Pat, what color is the sky in that little world of yours?  You'll have
to hook me up with your supplier of free fax paper. Clearly you must
get it for free or you'd understand what's at stake here.

The reason unsolicited fax advertisements are illegal/unwanted is that
it costs the typical recipient MONEY (fax paper is not free for most
of us) to receive it. I am not typical, since I have a fax modem and I
didn't even have to empty the wastebasket, but neither do I believe
that I was the only one who got one of these. Add up the cost of all
the fax paper wasted on their fax-spam and it becomes a non-trivial
dollar amount. That is why it is illegal. That is why I object to it.

As for the other things that bothered me last week, let me ask you,
how would _you_ like it if you got a piece of e-mail in your mailbox
saying that "we think you'd be interested in what we have to sell, so
we've put you on our commercial mailing list." _Some_ of us pay for
the mail we receive. So although the legal status is (currently)
somewhat different, the moral principle involved is identical.

I didn't mention the number of telemarketing calls I got last week
primarily because it doesn't cost me anything, even having answered the
phone, to hang up on them.


Nick Sayer <[e-mail]>   N6QQQ @ N0ARY.#NORCAL.CA.USA.NOAM
[phone], log in as 'guest'  URL: http://www.kfu.com/~nsayer/


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: No, I don't get my fax paper for free;
its just that I have so much of it here. You see I am always getting
telemarketing calls from that outfit which sells fax paper over the
phone and then ships it out UPS. You know the ones I mean? A woman
calls real sly ... and says 'hi honey, I need to get the model and
serial number of your fax machine for the inventory records ...' cause
she knows most secretaries or whatever will just automatically go look
at the machine and come back with that information. Then by the
merest coincidence of course -- of course! -- the next day or even
a few hours later another call comes in from someone wanting to
speak with the 'purchasing department'. After putting them on hold
a couple minutes I change my voice and come back on the line as 'Smith
in purchasing, how can I help you?'.

Would you believe 'the warehouse' accidentally got an overstock on
the very kind of fax paper used by the machine in my office ... and
'the boss' told them to get rid of it by making sure everyone with that
model of fax/copier got an extra order at the 'wholesale price', and
how many do we want before the overstock runs out and we get left
behind in our stupidity for not stocking up when we could get it
so cheaply ... Whenever the Nice Young Man calls with that pitch I
always take another box or two, since its 'on sale' to reduce the
inventory in the warehouse after the stupid mistake 'the boss' made
in ordering so much of it. Trouble is, the stupid boss seems to
make that same mistake week after week.  <g>  By the way, the sky
here is blue.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 31 Mar 95 10:56:04 EST
From: [e-mail] (Chip Sharp)
Subject: Re: Difference Between 56K and 56K Restricted?


[e-mail] (TMonaco1) wrote:

> Does anyone know the difference between these?

 From the point of view of the endpoint application there is no
difference between the two.  They both provide 56 kbit/s bandwidth
with no restriction on the data carried in the bearer channel.

Background:

The only time this terminology (56 kbit/s clear versus 56 kbit/s
restricted) comes up is when referring to 56 kbit/s data over
64 kbit/s ISDN B-channels.  Both services use V.110 rate adaptation
(stuff a 1 in the 8th bit) to transport 56 kbit/s data over a 64
kbit/s B-channel.

A clear channel 64 kbit/s connection means that any combination of
bits can be transported over the B-channel without restriction or
modification.

A restricted 64 kbit/s connection means that at least one bit out of
every 15 must be set to a 1 (usually this is simplified to 1 bit in 8
and is called "ones density"). In such networks, provisions are
usually made to enforce this limitation (e.g., when the network gets a
string of 8 zeros it forces the 8th zero to a 1, thereby corrupting the
data path).

When running 56 kbit/s over B-channels, since the 8th bit is always
set to a 1, then it does not matter whether the data traverses a
restricted channel or an unrestricted channel.

Main Issue:

The main problem people run into with these services is in signaling
to the network.  Some of the older switches in the US require the user
to request "64 kbit/s restricted rate adapted to 56 kbit/s" in the
SETUP message to the switch while others require the user to request
"64 kbit/s unrestricted rate adapted to 56 kbit/s".  In NI-1 (and in
Euro-ISDN), the requirement is to use the latter.  There really is no
difference in the service in terms of bandwidth, bits allowed over the
channel, etc.  It is just an artificial difference imposed by two
switch vendors making a different choice as to how to request the
service.  Hopefully, all switches will migrate to the NI-1 encoding.


Hascall H. ("Chip") Sharp    Teleos Communications, Inc.
Sr. Systems Engineer        2 Meridian Road
                Eatontown, NJ  07724  USA
voice:  [phone]        fax:    [phone]
email:   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Klaus Schniedergers)
Subject: Re: Digital Cellular Encryption and Fraud
Date: 31 Mar 1995 08:01:58 GMT
Organization: Ericsson Eurolab Deutschland GmbH
Reply-To: [e-mail]


"Rishab" == Rishab Aiyer Ghosh <[e-mail]> writes:

>> 2) Currently, analog cellular phones are often available free
>> with one year service contracts, but digital cellular phones
>> are expensive.  Do people on this forum believe that digital
>> cellular phones will eventually be available near free once the
>> digital conversion is much further along?

> A top-of-the-line GSM phone, such as Nokia's 2110, can send short
> fax messages and e-mail. No, digital cellular phones are probably
> going to remain expensive (or not free) for a long time.

Just yesterday I saw an ad in a german newspaper, offering a GSM
handheld phone for only ONE mark (around 0.7$). Of course only
together with a subscription ... and it wasn't a state-of-the-art
phone ... but I wouldn't call this far away from 'free'.


Klaus Schniedergers    Ericsson Eurolab Germany
[e-mail], [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jurgen Lison)
Subject: Re: Second GSM Network in Belgium
Date: 31 Mar 1995 14:30:35 +0200
Organization: FREE UNIVERSITY OF BRUSSELS (VUB-INFO-DEPARTMENT)


[e-mail] wrote:

> Since I am living in the Netherlands, I'm asking anybody having
> knowledge about a planned second operator for a GSM network in Belgium
> send an Email to "[e-mail]".

> Other special information about GSM operators and suppliers is very
> welcome.

By my knowledge no decision has be been made yet.  Several groups
have announced to be candidate, but even the real tenders aren't
awaited yet.


Jurgen == [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David K. Leikam)
Subject: Re: Using Live Radio With Automated Attendant
Date: 31 Mar 1995 13:26:15 -0800


John J Butz <[e-mail]> wrote:

> On a similar note.  I once phoned into the Microsoft Word Help Line,
> where I was greeted by a "DJ" who told me how many people were in the
> MS Word queue, the average hold time, and the name of the song she had
> just played.

> I assume this "broadcast" was done live due to the dynamic nature of
> the information presented and the smooth continuity of the speech.
> That is, as queue length, hold time and song title data were "voiced
> back" there was no discontinuity like typical voice response systems
> reading back host information.

> ("There are five callers in the `Excel` queue with a ten minute
> hold time, you just heard Sting perform `Heavy Cloud No Rain`"
>        vs.
> "The next train from"...."Belmar"...."arriving at"...."New York,
> Penn Station"...."departs at"...."4"..."oh"..."1"..."p m")

For whatever it's worth (maybe nothing?), those of us in the VR
industry are very much aware of that syndrome, and work hard to avoid
it. If you're willing to spend enough time at it, and enough effort,
you can get quite life-like voice response. Oh, you have to spend a
little money, too.  (grin)

This could easily be a cutting-edge voice-response system, rather than
a live DJ. Given that it's Microsoft, I'd bet on the former: they can
afford all the latest toys.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (DaniS 668)
Subject: Re: Telephone Cost Research
Date: 31 Mar 1995 11:43:29 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (DaniS 668)


Rafael,

Try Teleconnect Mag. or Computer Telephony Mag. Call 800-Library.


Dani

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Benjamin P. Carter)
Subject: Re: Keypad Letter Pattern (was Re: U.S. 800 Users Alert)
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 02:27:44 GMT


I wrote:

> My fax machine lumps Q and Z with the numeral zero.  Thus every
> numeral corresponds to either two or three letters.  There is
> a way to input alphanumeric information using this keypad.

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: *Every* numeral?  What about '1'? You
> did not mention anything about that.    PAT]

I should have written: ... every numeral other than '1' ...  The '1'
key is used to input punctuation marks in the same way that the other
keys are used to input letters.


Ben Carter   internet address: [e-mail]

------------------------------

Subject: Re: Digital Cellular Encryption and Fraud
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 95 13:13:37 -0700
From: John Diamant <[e-mail]>


[e-mail] (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh) wrote:

> John Diamant <[e-mail]> said:
>> How secure is digital cellular with encryption enabled?  I understand
>> that digital cellular without encryption isn't secure (except that

> What digital cellular are you talking about? I'll assume GSM, as it's
> the one you _should_ be talking about.

Sorry I wasn't specific.  The digital standards I'd be interested in
are the ones that are or will become prevalent in the US.  You mention
GSM, but our local carrier today only offers TDMA, and I hear CDMA may
be used more widely in the future.  From what I've heard so far
(please correct me if I'm wrong), the prevalent digital cellular
standards are:

US:
   TDMA (today)
   CDMA (possibly in the future, replacing TDMA or coexisting)
Europe/Asia:
   GSM

What makes GSM the one I should be talking about?  You indicate that
it's prevalent in Europe and Asia, but what about the US?  I'd prefer
a standard that worked everywhere, of course.

> GSM uses a challenge-response protocol, not an ID query/transmit sequence,
> to authenticate the caller. This protocol is implemented on the CPU of the
> SIM card, unique to every caller, with a reprogrammable PIN (like an ATM
> card). An SIM card can be inserted into any GSM phone, which retains that
> caller ID as long as the card is inside. This, together with the
> challenge-response protocol, makes it very difficult indeed for anyone
> to snarf caller IDs off the air.

That sounds pretty decent from a privacy standpoint.  Someone could
record the communication and possibly decode in the next few days with
a lot of trouble, but that's pretty unlikely for most communications
and they can't reuse the information for decoding new transmissions on
the fly because of the challenge-response.

> Some of your other questions were not relevant to GSM. Other digital
> cellular systems are pretty redundant IMHO.

Do you know if GSM is available anywhere in the US or will be anytime soon?

> Most countries in Europe and Asia use digital cellular, specifically GSM.
> The fact that my cell-phone in India will be GSM means I can be automatically
> reached at the same number anywhere in the world where GSM is operational
> with only minor administrative, and no technical, hassles.

Sounds like this is at least a defacto standard.  Is it an official standard
too?  If so, by what standards body?


Thanks,

John Diamant   Software Engineering Systems Division
Hewlett Packard Co.    Internet: [e-mail]
Fort Collins, CO

------------------------------

Subject: cellular features incur DOUBLE airtime charge
From: [e-mail] (Lester Hiraki)
Date: Thu, 30 Mar 1995 23:01:00 -0500
Organization: CRS Online  (Toronto, Ontario)


Two major Canadian cellular service providers (Cantel and Bell
Mobility) charge "double airtime" for the use of Call Waiting and
Three-Way Conference.

With Call Waiting, if your receive a call while already talking and
you answer the second call, you are charged airtime for the call on
hold as well as for the second call. I don't understand why you
should be charged double airtime as you are still occupying only
one voice channel.

Even in the case of Three-Way Conference, your cellular phone does
not use two radio frequencies to talk to the two other parties;
the conference feature is implemented usually with a conference
circuit in the telephone switch itself.  Thus  I still don't see
the validity of charging "double airtime".

If it makes a difference, both companies sell these features either as
an add-on with a monthly fee or as part of a "rate-package".  (In
either case, they still charge "double airtime" for usage.

Does your cellular provider charge "double airtime" when using Call
Waiting and Three-Way Calling?  What is your cellular provider and
what geographic area does it serve?


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I don't think Ameritech here in the
Chicago area charges double. It never did make any sense to me why
they do that; you are just using one over-the-air channel. What you
do with that should be your business. I wonder if there would be any
market for someone to start a three-way conference calling service for
cellular customers so they could get away from having the cellular
switch perform that function at double the rates? You are not alone;
there have been other reports here of the same thing.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 31 Mar 95 10:58:42 CST
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Multiple Audio Channels Over One Phone Line


I have a project that needs to be able to mux as many as three audio
paths over a single analog POTS line.  It also needs a low data rate
back channel (100 bps or so), So I'll have outbound audio and inbound
data (only).  I realize that this is a tall order, but I'm trying to
figure out what's available that might come close.

Any suggestions for vendors?


[e-mail]     (Rich Osman)
[phone] (w)  [phone] (h;v/msg/fax)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Internship Wanted
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 95 10:59:17 EST
Organization: The American University


Hello,

I am a grad student at The American University working on my Masters
in Information Systems and looking for an internship in the area of
data comm/ network management.  Relevant courses and significant
research: Computer communication and Wireless communication services
respectively.  I will be taking Oracle based database management this
summer.  I work real cheap and have my own transportation.  If you
think you can use extra help, please reply or call me at [phone].


Thanks for being there.

Michael Erichardi

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Joe Konecny)
Subject: What is the Status on Video Telephones?
Date: 31 Mar 1995 15:13:44 GMT
Organization: Bowling Green State University


What is going on with video telephones? We have a person at work who
has to fly in once a month for meetings that could be handled over a
video phone.  Whats available and how well do they work?


Thanks,

Joe Konecny - Computer Science Student, BGSU
Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green Ohio
Internet - [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest Editor)
Administrivia: Hickory Dickory Dock and Other Notes
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 14:55:00 CST


Hickory dickory dock! Its time to set your clock! This is just a reminder
to our USA readers that this weekend commemorates not only the 150th
anniversary of the invention of the telegraph by Samuel Morse on April 1,
1845, but also our semi-annual clock setting. The rule remains the same
this year as before: spring ahead and fall behind. This being spring --
much to the chagrin, I'm sure of our Australian and New Zealand readers
who are now preparing to freeze their butts off for the next few months
while we here in the northern hemisphere turn the tables on them and
get to bask in the sunshine and on the beaches -- we set our clocks ahead
one hour. Officially its at 2:00 a.m. Sunday morning when we commence
Daylight Savings Time, but anytime you happen to think about it on Saturday
you might want to call 202-653-1800 for a good time. If you prefer to pay
for your good time, you can get the identical message from the Master
Talking Clock at 900-410-TIME.  We do this each year -- at least most of
us do, the people in Indiana are different, and remain the same time all
year around, as well as parts of Arizona I understand -- with the rationale
that we won't mind an extra hour of darkness as we sleep in the morning,
but will appreciate the extra hour of sunshine as we frolic in the after-
noon and evening. Anyway, sometime in the next day or so, attend to your
clocks.

Speaking of the time, I've noticed that as this mailing list gets larger
and larger, distribution takes longer and longer. When eecs.nwu.edu is
really busy, I've noticed sendmail running for many hours at a time as
this list is processed. It is not uncommon for me to look at the mailqueue
and find three or four different issues of the Digest all in there getting
processed, anytime I check it 24 hours per day.

I am experimenting now with mailing the digest in multiple parts. Not
one after the other, but simultaneously. That is, I broke the list in
four parts, and start four sendmails with each getting about 25 percent
of what one sendmail had gotten before. This should speed up delivery
a little, especially if you were in the bottom half of the original
list. I would be interested in knowing approximatly how long it takes
the Digest to reach you, based on the dateline given at the top of
each issue versus when it actually reaches your site (NOT when you get
around to reading it.) Of course the four sendmails take time from
each other, and the sysadmin here traps all my stuff and pipes it
through a special script which applies 'nice' values to my outgoing
mail; sort of like a stop-and-go traffic light which restrains me based
on the needs of other users at the site at any given time. So the improve-
ment is not all I would like it to be, but I can't think of anything
better right now. Let me know the results if you see any.  Just general
round figures are good enough.

Under the theory that sendmail goes through the entire list looking for
everything to a given site, I sort the list alphabetically from the '@'
to the right. That means @aardvark.wherever always gets delivery first
and @zygot always comes last. But at least the daemon finds everyone
at a given site in the same cluster, which I assume saves a little time.
Occassionally with two or three issues of the Digest in the queue at the
same time the daemons run past each other, each benefitting from the
lookups done by the other and this causes some of you to get delivery
out of sequence; that is, issue 184 arrives before 183, etc. I don't have
any answer for that. Your suggestions are welcome on how delivery might
be speeded up, bearing in mind I cannot rip off all the cpu's here; nwu
is already extremely gracious and generous with me. <g> ...

Two special mailings will follow immediatly for your weekend reading.
One deals with ISLIP 95 and how to participate; the other tells of
the changes the Internet is undergoing at present as the networks
involved undergo change and expansion.  Have a a nice weekend!


PAT

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #184
******************************

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Date: Fri, 7 Apr 1995 14:32:00 -0500
From: TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson) <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #185


TELECOM Digest     Sat, 1 Apr 95 07:54:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 185

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Local Competition Bill Passes NC Senate (Donald E. Kimberlin)
    Re: March 1995 NYNEX Bill Insert - PulseNet Service (John Levine)
    Re: Regulation and The Resellers (John Levine)
    Re: Where to Complain About Unsolicited Fax Ad? (Mel Beckman)
    Re: SS7 References Wanted (Travis Russell)
    Re: Inexpensive 56k+ Connectivity Between U.S. and Europe (John Faubion)
    Re: Cellular Callback Information Wanted (Gene Retske)
    Re: Cellular Features Incur DOUBLE Airtime Charge (Tony Harminc)
    For Sale: Multiline Analog Phone System (Joe Konecny)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, 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 twenty dollars per
year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.

All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 31 Mar 95 18:18 EST
From: Donald E. Kimberlin <[e-mail]>
Subject: Local Competition Bill Passes NC Senate


        The March 31 <Charlotte Observer> reports state Senate passage
of a telephone competition bill the preceding day, less than three
weeks after passage of a bill in the NC House (parenthetical remarks
are mine):

              Local Phone Rules Changes Clear Senate

        RALEIGH -- Telephone customers, accustomed to long distance
companies battling for their business, soon may find themselves as
popular with providers of local service.

        The state Senate passed a bill Thursday that would allow
competition for 3.3 million local phone customers.  The House, which
approved a similar version (on March 10), is expected to OK the
Senate's changes.

        "The bill sets the timing; sets the standards." said Senator
David Hoyle (D-Gaston).  "Most importantly, this bill protects the
concept of universal service."

        Universal service is the guarantee (which first arose in 1913
as part of the settlement of a Federal antitrust suit against AT&T)
that anyone in any community of the state who wanteed a telephone
would be able to have one.  The bill's language and every discussion
leading up to its passage indicated that lawmakers would not accept
competition and the accompanying drop in prices if it meant some
communities would be left out.

        Lawmakers also put their trust in experts of the state
Utilities Commission to work out technical and legal details.

        The bill is a close cousin of an original version written to
the liking of the four companies affected DD Southern Bell, Carolina
Telephone, Central Telephone and GTE South.

        The companies, which provide service to 90% of the state's
telephones (the 20-odd smaller companies having less than 200,000 dial
access lines each could maintain their monopolies so long as they do
not engage competition outside their monopoly territories), like the
bill because of changes in how the state will regulate them.

        The Utilities Commission now looks at how much it costs to
provide local service and decides how high telephone company profits
may be.  Under the new bill, only the price of service is regulated.
If companies can lower costs through increased efficiency or technological
advances, they keep the amount saved.

        A spokesman for a coalition of long-distance and cable
companies aiming to break into the market said the bill was a fair
compromise.

<end quoted article>

 ... Notes for newcomers: The proposed start date for competitive
operations in NC is July 1, 1996.  There is already limited dial tone
competition in the city centers of New York and Chicago, while about
20 states have some sort of competition legislation underway.  Much of
the activity at the state level has been spurred by an implied threat
of Federal demonopolization.  Worldwide, England and New Zealand have
had local dial tone competition in operation for as much as five years
in some areas.

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 23:15:46 -0500
From: [e-mail] (John Levine)
Subject: Re: March 1995 NYNEX Bill Insert - PulseNet Service


> Why is an RBOC's inclusion of a bill insert or it's use of it's
> customer list for advertising worse than the ads included in the bills
> of almost every company in America?

Because the RBOC is a regulated utility with its rate of return set by
the government.  (You work for an RBOC, so I suppose you can be
excused for swallowing the usual RBOC agitprop that says "we're just
like any other business in the country unless we happen to be wearing
our Sacred Public Trust hat.")

In this case, the insert in the bill sent out to regulated customers
advertises what appears to be an unregulated service.  The mailing is
paid for by regulated customers.  It's yet another sneaky subsidy to
the unregulated side of the business.

> Does anybody really believe the hype that residential phone service
> is this monstrous revenue generator that supports all the other
> projects of the LECs??

Only people who read RBOC balance sheets and annual reports.  (Well,
not just residential, but certainly residential and business POTS.)
Read your employer's financial statements.  I do, I'm a stockholder.
You've made a lot of money for me over the years, largely off the
backs of your regulated ratepayers.

> Does anybody really think that ATT et al want to get into the local
> phone service business because there's so much money in it?

Look at the overall return on the RBOCs vs. that of AT&T since 1984.

> Does any one want to provide JUST telephone service? The IEC's only
> interest in local service is as a means to avoid access charges to the
> LECs.

Could it be that they believe that they can provide a superior service
at a competitive price?  Naah.  Oh, sorry, didn't see the Sacred
Public Trust hat.

In a lot of places such as California and New York, the RBOC is doing
a really lousy job of providing phone service.  People are willing to
consider seriously getting local phone service from the cable company
and outfits like MFS not because they're a lot cheaper (they're not)
but because they can provide the service that customers need in a
timely and reliable manner, and the RBOCs don't.

SBC (SWB's holding company) is to be commended for sticking closer to
its telephonic knitting than have the other RBOCs such as NYNEX,
USWest, and PacTel, and seems still to provide quality service in most
places.  But even SWB does its share of inane and predatory things.
Try pricing an ISDN line in Texas, for example.


Regards,

John Levine, [e-mail]
Primary perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies"

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 23:15:43 -0500
From: [e-mail] (John Levine)
Subject: Re: Regulation and The Resellers


> I have a question regarding the "Equal Access " requirement regulation
> that is currently being discussed by the FCC.

> My understanding is that it would allow end users to chose their
> carriers without having to dial extra digits.

This question is probably relative to cellular service.  At this point, cell
carriers owned by the RBOCs (and probably GTE) have to provide equal access.
Other cell carriers don't.  This means, for example, that when I got my
NYNEX Cellular car phone, one of the things that NYNEX asked was which long
distance carrier I wanted.  (The salesman was astonished when I said Allnet
rather than AT&T.  But for 13.5 cents/min flat, billed with my wireline and
800 calls, it's not a bad deal.)  Had I signed up with Cell One, I'd also
have had that choice, because the Cell One in Boston happens to be owned by
SBC, one of the other RBOCs.  I believe that McCaw is also going to equal
access as a condition of the merger with AT&T.

Non RBOC carriers don't offer equal access and route all toll calls to a
preferred carrier, no doubt at a big markup.  There is a schedule for all
cellular carriers to go to equal access, just as there is a schedule for
non-RBOC wireline carriers to go to equal access.  In both cases, there's
quite a lot of resistance, both because of the extra equipment required to
implement equal access, and because it'll end some of the sweetheart sole
source deals they have now.

Incidentally, NYNEX Cellular's implementation of equal access is terrific.
I called their customer service line to switch carriers, and the next call I
made two minutes later went to the new carrier!


Regards,

John Levine, [e-mail]
Primary perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies"

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 22:30:11 -0800
From: [e-mail] (Mel Beckman)
Subject: Re: Where to Complain About Unsolicited Fax Ad?


[e-mail] (Nick Sayer) writes:

> The reason unsolicited fax advertisements are illegal/unwanted is that
> it costs the typical recipient MONEY (fax paper is not free for most
> of us) to receive it. I am not typical, since I have a fax modem and I
> didn't even have to empty the wastebasket, but neither do I believe
> that I was the only one who got one of these. Add up the cost of all
> the fax paper wasted on their fax-spam and it becomes a non-trivial
> dollar amount. That is why it is illegal. That is why I object to it.

Actually, the justification for the original law was never the paper. The
paper cost is not that burdensome.

The real problem is the time the machine is tied up receiving junk
faxes, when it could be doing productive business for the owner. A lot
of junk traffic can tie up a fax machine enough that legitimate faxes
can't get through (consider the retry intervals and the time spent
ringing and connecting, and you can see that a fax machine doesn't
have to be operating continuously to be effectively saturated).

This is the argument originally used in the legislative process.


Mel beckman                  |   Internet: [e-mail]
Beckman Software Engineering | Compuserve: 75226,2257
Ventura, CA 93004            |  Voice/fax: [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Travis Russell)
Subject: Re: SS7 References Wanted
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 19:50:58 +0000
Organization: Travis Russell
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Travis Russell)


> I am interested in find some technical references on "SS7 programming".

> I am working with Dialogic hardware and (separately) have just done a
> SMDI link to a Northern Telecom switch via a serial interface.  I'd
> like to see what kind of features I can add to various voice/fax/
> data software with SS7 and would like to be able to turn on
> message waiting/ stutter dial-tone on any arbitrary phone via SS7.

> So, if there exists a good text that explains SS7 such that I could
> string bits together in the right order, I'd like to know about it.

I don't know about SS7 programming, but I do know of an excellent
reference on SS7! Of course, I may be somewhat biased, but that should
be acceptable. The book is called "Signaling System #7" (how original)
and is now available through McGraw Hill.

This book explains the protocol SS7 as well as the procedures used
throughout SS7 for data transfer and signaling. There are many
examples of applications in use today, as well as possible future
applications. The book is divided by protocol (ISUP, TCAP, etc.) and
should lend a lot of information for the application you are looking
at.

Good luck with your project.

Signaling System #7
By Travis Russell
ISBN 0-07-054991-5
McGraw-Hill 1995


Travis Russell   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 95 19:53:58 cst
Subject: Re: Inexpensive 56k+ Connectivity Between U.S. and Europe


> The neatest way is to have a Ku-Band VSAT 2.4 meter Earth Station at each
> site and do ISDN 2B+D all the way and enjoy voice, data and video as well.

Bob, could you provide more information on this? Also I understand
that there is an ISP that provides Internet connectivity via a Ku-band
satellite system. Does anyone have information on this such as costs,
speeds, and locations serviced?


John Faubion     [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Gene Retske <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Cellular Callback Information Wanted
Date: 1 Apr 1995 12:10:50 GMT
Organization: Tachyon Communications Corporation


There is no reason that call back cannot be used for cellular.  It's
done all the time.  Just use your cellular number for the call back
number.  Outside the US, in GSM territory, your call back service will
follow you all over the world, except for the Western Hemisphere!


Gene Retske               Author of the New Book
SOLVOX Systems       The International CallBack Book
Tel [phone]         An Insider's View
Fax [phone]           1-800-LIBRARY

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 31 Mar 95 19:15:22 EST
From: Tony Harminc <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Cellular Features Incur DOUBLE Airtime Charge


[e-mail] (Lester Hiraki) wrote:

> Two major Canadian cellular service providers (Cantel and Bell
> Mobility) charge "double airtime" for the use of Call Waiting and
> Three-Way Conference.

Cantel seems to have realized how silly it sounds to charge double
airtime for these services, as well as (single) airtime for dialing in
to your Cantel voicemail from a landline.  So they've stopped calling
it airtime, and simply say that these various services "are charged at
Cantel minute rates".

Simple fix... ;-)


Tony Harminc

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Joe Konecny)
Subject: For Sale: Multiline Analog Phone System
Date: 31 Mar 1995 21:52:07 GMT
Organization: Bowling Green State University


TIE analog system for sale:

2 - TCX-128 wall mount cpu's.
1 - TCX-128 power supply
16 - 86072 telephones
26 - 86071 telephones
3 - 86098 telephones
8 - 86078 telephones
2 - 86073 telephones
2 - 86079 telephones
1 - 86074 DSS
2 - MITEL SMART-1 PAV (chaining devices?  not sure what they do)

Make offer!!!  Eager to sell.

e-mail to [e-mail]
voice - 419-352-9484


Thanks!

Joe Konecny - Computer Science Student, BGSU
Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green Ohio
Internet - [e-mail]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #185
******************************


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Date: Fri, 7 Apr 1995 14:32:41 -0500
From: TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson) <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #186


TELECOM Digest     Mon, 3 Apr 95 09:32:00 CDT    Volume 15 : Issue 186

Inside This Issue:                          Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Book Review: "The Little Online Book" by Glossbrenner (Rob Slade)
    Regulated Cash Cows (John Levine)
    Eliminating Unmeasured Service, a How-to Guide (Nick Sayer)
    Product Availability: Fax/Data/Voice Cards (Hiro Daryanani)
    What is Future of Fiber/Coax in the Home? ([e-mail])
    That Time Again (Joseph Singer)
    Running Out of 800 Numbers ([e-mail])
    CLI - and Calls to the Coast Guard (Richard Cox)
    Inability to Use LEC Calling Card From Office Phone (Ed Gehringer)
    What is "Steller III"? (scooby@.ibm.net)
    When Handed a Lemon, Make Lemonade! (Donald E. Kimberlin)
    Rent Mobile Phones in San Jose? (Andrew Nielsen)
    Electret, Carbon Microphones ([e-mail])
    GSM Program Director Opportunity (Jack Hurst)
    Statistics Wanted on Phone and Feature Use (Peter Capek)
    What Telecom Degrees Are Best Today? (Msgt. Paul Berens)
    Telecom FAQ Wanted (Andrew Harmelink)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such
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is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per
year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.

All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 03 Apr 1995 00:20:16 EST
From: Rob Slade <[e-mail]>
Subject: Book Review: "The Little Online Book" by Glossbrenner


BKLTLONL.RVW   950306

"The Little Online Book", Alfred Glossbrenner, 1994, 1-56609-130-6, U$17.95
%A   Alfred Glossbrenner [e-mail] 70065,745 [e-mail]
%C   2414 6th St., Berkeley, CA   94710
%D   1994
%G   1-56609-130-6
%I   Peachpit Press
%O   U$17.95 510-548-4393 fax: [phone] [e-mail]
%P   400
%T   "The Little Online Book"

This book offers expert assistance on buying, installing and using a
modem and communications software, right up to the point at which
someone might need help.  Then it tells you to go ask a friend.

This book recommends the "right" online service for you.  There are a
number of "right" services.  They are all commercial.

This book says that there are bulletin boards.

This book says you can send email.

This book says that people with common interests can use online services for
communications.

This book says you can play games online.

This book says there is shareware available online.

This book says there is information available online.

This book reiterates its advice to buy a commercial service.  Then, it
tells you that you can use email, Usenet news, archie, ftp, telnet and
gopher on the Internet.  Then it tells you to use a commercial service
provider as access to the Internet.

This book has used its industry contacts to collect the same "money-
saving coupons" that every other online book has.

This book suggests that you buy a bunch of disks from the author
giving you the information and resources which he was unable or
unwilling to give you in the book.


copyright Robert M. Slade, 1995   BKLTLONL.RVW   950306. Distribution
permitted in TELECOM Digest and associated publications. Rob Slade's
book reviews are a regular feature in the Digest.


Vancouver      [e-mail]
Institute for  [e-mail]
Research into  [e-mail]
User           [e-mail]
Security       Canada V7K 2G6

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 02 Apr 1995 21:04:41 -0400
From: [e-mail] (John Levine)
Subject: Regulated Cash Cows


I know it's tacky to follow up one's own article, but by coincidence my
SBC annual report just showed up today.

>> Does anybody really believe the hype that residential phone service
>> is this monstrous revenue generator that supports all the other
>> projects of the LECs??

I answered:

> Only people who read RBOC balance sheets and annual reports.  (Well,
> not just residential, but certainly residential and business POTS.)
> Read your employer's financial statements.  ...

According to the 1994 annual report, SBC's total revenue in 1994 was
$11.4 billion, making it one of the smaller RBOCs but still an enormous
company.  The breakdown was:

Wireline service        $4.0G*
Cell service            $1.7G

Interstate access       $1.9G*
Intrastate access       $0.9G*

Toll service            $0.9G*

Yellow pages            $0.9G

Everything else         $1.1G

"Access" is both the $3 FCC line charge and the per-minute charges
that long distance carriers pay the LEC for both incoming and outgoing
calls.  So if we look at the monopoly parts of the business (the
starred entries), that's $7.7G. Communication related semi-monopoly
revenue (cellular and yellow pages) add another $2.6G.  Everything
else is just $1.1G.

Is regulated service a cash cow?  Moo.

Some may argue that intra-LATA toll service isn't a monopoly, since
most states allow competition.  But SBC's intra-lata toll minutes have
continued to rise every year since divestiture except 1990, so if
there's competition, there ain't much.  Toll revenue dropped 6% this
year, but the notes say that's partly because they added extended area
dial plans which turn toll revenue into local service revenue.

Finally, returning to the original point, I tried to find the split
between residential and business revenue at SBC.  All I could find in
the 10-K is a note that they have roughly nine million residential
lines and four million business lines in service.  Business lines
generate a lot more revenue than residential, so let's make the
extreme assumption that a business line generates 10 times the revenue
that a residence line does.  Even in that case, residence revenue
would be 18% of the total, or $1.4G, still considerably more than all
non-phone revenue combined.  In a word: moo.


Regards,

John Levine, [e-mail]
Primary perpetrator of "The Internet for Dummies"

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Nick Sayer)
Subject: Eliminating Unmeasured Service, a How-to Guide
Organization: The Duck Pond public unix: [phone], log in as 'guest'.
Date: 3 Apr 1995 06:42:15 UTC


[e-mail] (Linc Madison) writes:

> You can still get unmeasured residential service, but the disparity in
> cost has widened with the new rate structure.  (old: $4.45/8.35,
> new: $6.00/11.25)

Of course the pattern in the past for LECs trying to eliminate
unmeasured service goes something like this:

1. Jack up the price of unmeasured service.

2. Send out flyers telling unmeasured customers how much they would
save switching.

3. Wait 'till most of the customers switch. Repeat 1 and 2 as needed.

4. When the percentage is low enough, yank the carpet out from under
the stragglers (bribes to PUC may be in order if they are not already
either lap-dogs or on the payroll).

5. Get filthy rich riding on the backs of the ratepayers.

The price of unmeasured service is eternal vigilance.


Nick Sayer <[e-mail]>  | Coming soon:
N6QQQ @ N0ARY.#NORCAL.CA.USA.NOAM  | Kevin Kostner in
[phone], log in as 'guest' | Wyatt Earp: sensitivity
URL: http://www.kfu.com/~nsayer/   | training, Tombstone style

------------------------------

From: Hiro Daryanani <[e-mail]>
Subject: Product Availability: Fax/Data/Voice Cards
Date: 3 Apr 1995 03:31:14 GMT
Organization: Hong Kong Internet & Gateway Services, Wanchai, Hong Kong


Hi,

I'm trying to find a PC card and software combination that is capable
of the following:

1. Data (14.4 or 28.8) - Automatically detects a data call and then
brings up a remote control/node session with the calling modem.

2. Voice - Automatically detects a voice call and acts like an
answering machine

3. Fax - Automatically detects a fax call and receives the fax.

While I know there are modems out there that are capable of doing
this, I believe the software that comes with the modem are not
flexible enough to do what I want. Also, it seems that for voice, the
only only software that works with the modem is the one that comes
packaged with it. Is that because of a lack of standards for voice
over modem connections?

Any help would be appreciated.


Hiro Daryanani      ([e-mail])

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (ShiningA)
Subject: What is Future of Fiber/Coax in the Home?
Date: 2 Apr 1995 23:38:00 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (ShiningA)


Where can I find further information on just when fiberoptic cable and
interactive coaxial cable TV in the average home will become a reality?
Are there any good books, magazine articles, or email lists on this
topic.

Thank you much for all your help.


ShiningA&aol.com

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: Sun, 02 Apr 95 22:00:33 PDT
Subject: That Time Again
Organization: [ The STAGE - "Your Community Center" ]


In a recent issue of TELECOM Digest you wrote regarding our twice
yearly changing of our time from standard to daylight time.  You
mentioned the number 202-653-1800 (the National Bureau of Standards)
which is in D.C., but there is also another number that you can call
for the exact time.  You can call WWV in Fort Collins, Colorado at
303-499-7111 to get the exact time.  When you call the number you will
hear tick-tick until just before the the next minute is announced (in
coordinated universal time) This is the same time you get when you
dial 1-900-TIME (8463) only it costs just the normal toll rates instead
of the 50c/minute for the 900 number.


JOSEPH SINGER  [e-mail]
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON USA


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I assume by now everyone has set their
clocks. How did ya like having daylight and the sun in view until almost
8:00 p.m. last night?  <g> ... I heard a discussion on the radio yesterday
about how leap years are calculated. It seems that wth slightly more than
365 days per 'year', i.e. 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 46 seconds, the
common rule of 365 and one-fourth days per year -- that is, add a day
every four years -- does not work out quite right either. So although we
usually add a day every four years, once every hundred years we *skip* the
extra leap day to make it balance out. But that also leaves things a little
out of whack, so once every four hundred years we *do not skip* the extra
day. Normally we skip the extra day in years that end in double zero; but
an exception is in years that end in double zero but are also divisible by
400. Therefore, to keep our calendars somewhat in synch with what's really
going on in the universe, the years 1700, 1800, and 1900 were not leap
years; but the year 2000 *will be* a leap year. By observing this rule of
an extra day every four years except skipping one leap day every hundred
years except adding one leap day every four hundred years our calendar will
pretty much stay in synch until sometime in the 33rd century -- about 1300
years from now -- when another general adjustment will be needed. I have
not yet decided if I will publish an issue of this Digest on that day or
not.  <g>  For that matter, I'm not sure if in 3200 it will be necessary
to add a day or subtract a day from the calendar, but anyway, around that
time we will have gotten nearly a full day out of alignment again.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (CGreen9938)
Subject: Running Out of 800 Numbers
Date: 2 Apr 1995 16:35:49 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (CGreen9938)


Does anyone know if its true that due to the limited number of 800
numbers available in the SMS database that 888 NPA's are going to be
released as toll free?  I had heard previously that 400 NPA was going
to be the next block of toll free.  I am currently trying to check
with Belcore on this, but thought that someone here might know.  Also,
would these be added to the existing SMS database??


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The word is that 888 will be the next
'toll-free' code.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 2 Apr 1995 16:15:45 -0400
From: [e-mail]
Subject: CLI - and Calls to the Coast Guard


TELECOM Digest Editor noted:

> You dial 911 here and ask for Fire, the dispatcher taps a button on her
> console and off you go ... when Fire answers, she is on there listening,
> ready to speak up and assist as needed. Why not to Coast Guard also if
> you think you need it?

That is of course precisely how it works in the United Kingdom: except
that we dial 112 or 999, not 911.  Both the emergency service, and the
CLI facility for emergency operators, are available from ALL UK phones
whether they are landline or cellular. (OK we still have a few offices
here that are not modernised -- they don't provide CLI or anything like
it, but they will be replaced before August this year with new digital
exchanges, and then the entire UK phone network will be CLI-capable).


Richard D G Cox

Mandarin Technology, PO Box 111, Penarth, South Glamorgan CF64 3YG
Voice: 0956 700111;    Fax: [phone];    VoiceMail: 0941 151515
e-mail address: [e-mail]; PGP2.6 public key on request


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: We had a big fire in Skokie Sunday night.
About 8 PM I heard numerous sirens and turned on the scanner. On the
mutual assistance frequency they were calling for backup assistance from
other villages nearby as well as asking for units from Chicago. Some
of the backup units were used to cover the stations in Skokie (because
what they call a 'change of quarters' was going on when the fire started)
while the entire Skokie Fire Department was down at the scene, along
with apparently half the Police Department. Units came in to assist from
Evanston and as far away as Des Plaines.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 2 Apr 1995 17:24:55 -0400
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Inability to Use LEC Calling Card From Office Phone


Last fall I posted a message about being unable to use my Southern
Bell calling card from my office phone.  The university had just
implemented an agreement that routed all 0+ calls from university
phones via AT&T.  If Southern Bell had a carrier code, I could dial 9
(to get out) + 10 + code, but alas, they do not have a carrier code.

Since Southern Bell has much lower rates than any LD carrier within
the "Triangle J" calling region, the effect was to increase the price
of calling-card calls from Raleigh to Durham and Chapel Hill by ~ 200%-400%
depending on the time and duration of the call.

At the time, PAT responded that the university was probably within
their rights doing this to office phones, but it might be illegal to
prevent dorm residents from using Southern Bell cards.  I am meeting
tomorrow with the university's Telecommunications people to discuss
this situation.  Does anyone have further information?  Specifically,
can someone tell me --

    1. Is it permissible for the university to prevent people from
       making Southern Bell calling-card calls from their offices?

    2. Same question, from dorm rooms.

    3. What are the chances that the university's switch could be
       programmed to define an alternate prefix for reaching Southern
       Bell?  E.g., 7 + NPA + number instead of 9 + 0 + NPA + number.


Thanks for your help,


Ed


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: A short answer would be it is NOT illegal
for the person (organization) which pays the phone bill to decide how
the calls will be handled. The university is within its rights to decide
how to administer their phone system where *employees* are concerned, or
*students using administrative phones*.   There are different rules where
students as *residents* are concerned. You had better stick to a discussion
of *students as residents* and their rights ... you'll lose otherwise!   PAT]

------------------------------

From: Scooby@.ibm.net
Subject: What is "Stellar III"?
Date: Sun, 02 Apr 95 16:02:17 PDT


What exactly is "Stellar III"?  Does it run with UNIX?  Does anyone
run it besides O.C.M.L.S.?

Any and all info would be appreciated.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 3 Apr 95 07:26:00 EST
From: Donald E. Kimberlin <[e-mail]>
Subject: When Handed a Lemon, Make Lemonade!


        Apropos of the recurring posts here on the matter of problems
from being assigned a telephone number similar to that of one that
takes many incoming calls, today's column by Art Buchwald is just too
funny to not post in its entirety.  I do not know if the story or
persons are real, nor would I recommend anyone actually do what the
story indicates.  Rather. enjoy!


                    Phone Won't Stop Ringing?
                        Here's What You Do
                         By Art Buchwald

        Leola Starling of Ribrock, Tenn., had a serious telephone
problem.  But unlike most people she did something about it.

        The brand-new $10 million Ribrock Plaza Motel opened
nearby and had acquired almost the same telephone number as
Leola.

        From the moment the motel opened, Leola was besieged by
calls not for her.  Since she had the same phone number for
years, she felt that she had a case to persuade the motel
management to change its number.

        Naturally, the management refused claiming that it
could not change its stationery.

        The phone company was not helpful, either.  A number was
a number, and just because a customer was getting someone else's
calls 24 hours a day didn't make it responsible.  After her pleas
fell on deaf ears, Leola decided to take matters into her own
hands.

        At 9 o'clock the phone rang.  Someone from Memphis was
calling the motel and asked for a room for the following Tuesday.
Leoloa said, "No problem.  How many nights?"

        A few hours later Dallas checked in.  A secretary wanted
a suite with two bedrooms for a week.  Emboldened, Leola said the
Presidential Suite on the 10th floor was available for $600 a
night.  The secretary said that she would take it and asked if
the hotel wanted a deposit.

        "No, that won't be necessary," Leola said.  "We trust
you."

        The next day was a busy one for Leola.  In the morning,
she booked an electric appliance manufacturers' convention for
Memorial Day weekend, a college prom and a reunion of the 82nd
Airborne veterans from World War II.

        She turned on her answering machine during lunchtime so
that she could watch the O.J. Simpson trial, but her biggest
challenge came in the afternoon when a mother called to book the
ballroom for her daughter's wedding in June.

        Leola assured the woman that it would be no problem and
asked if she would be providing the flowers or did she want the
hotel to take care of it.  The mother said that she would prefer
the hotel to handle the floral arrangements.  Then the question
of valet parking came up.  Once again Leola was helpful.
"There's no charge for valet parking, but we always recommend
that the client tips the drivers."

        Within a few months, the Ribrock Plaza Motel was a
disaster area.

        People kept showing up for wedddings, bar mitzvahs and
Sweet Sixteen parties and were all told there were no such
events.

        Leola had her final revenge when she read in the local
paper that the motel might go bankrupt.  Her phone rang, and an
executive from Marriott said, "We're prepared to offer you
$200,000 for the motel."

        Leola replied. "We'll take it, but only if you change the
telephone number."


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Very funny, but the fact of the matter is
Leola is committing fraud by representing herself as an employee of the
motel; I hope they sue her big time. How would you like it if your bar
matzvah or wedding got screwed up on account of that old witch?    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Andrew Nielsen)
Subject: Rent Mmobile Phones in San Jose?
Date: 2 Apr 1995 09:27:59 GMT
Organization: Random Access (WA) Pty Ltd


Hello world, a whole swag of Australians will be descending on San
Jose in May, and need to keep in touch with each other for a week.
Since the USA appears to have a different mobile phone system from our
GSM-based network here (insert heavy sigh), we are probably faced with
having to rent phones for the week.

Does anyone have any recommendations/indicative prices?  E-mail
replies greatly appreciated, as I don't often get the chance to read
this newsgroup.


Thanks in advance.

Andrew D. Nielsen                  Internet  : [e-mail]
Systems Engineer                   AppleLink : AUST0278
Random Access (WA) Pty Ltd         WWW       : http://www.randomwa.com.au
69 Adelaide Tce                                        Tel: [phone]
PERTH WA 6000   AUSTRALIA                              FAX: [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (AndrewM486)
Subject: Electret, Carbon Micropphones
Date: 3 Apr 1995 06:43:32 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (AndrewM486)


I realize that this may seem like an off-the-wall question, but ...

I'm looking to find the frequency/level response curves for electret
and carbon microphones (telephone transmitters), both as they are
produced today as well as these curves looked at 5, 10, 15 years
points going back in time.

Any suggestons?

------------------------------

From: Jack Hurst <[e-mail]>
Subject: GSM Program Director Opportunity
Date: 2 Apr 1995 23:03:15 GMT
Organization: DFWNet -- Public Internet Access


We are an executive search firm currently working on several assignments
for very senior level program managers who have previously managed the
installation of large GSM Cellular Network Systems. We are located in the
"Telecom Prairie" in Dallas, Texas.

Our client is a major systems manufacturer in the emerging PCS Network
market and has retained us to conduct a worldwide search for several
experienced individuals.  Compensation will be six figures plus and scope
of responsibility will be for programs typically in the $40 million to
$200 million range.

Interested and qualified individuals should contact Jack Hurst  via
Internet at [e-mail] for more information.

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 3 Apr 95 08:19:09 EST
From: Peter Capek <[e-mail]>
Subject: Statistics Wanted on Phone and Feature Use


Can anyone point me to a source of published statistics about phone and
feature use?  I'm looking for a variety of demographic and related numbers,
by state and by country if possible, for things like the following:

        Lines/Population
        Fraction of numbers unlisted
        Fraction of lines with Call Waiting installed
           "                   3-way Calling    "
           "                   DTMF             "

an so on.  It seems like the kind of thing which either a magazine or an
industry association might publish on an annual basis.  I'd be grateful for
a pointer.


Peter Capek

------------------------------

From: Berens, Paul  MSgt <[e-mail]>
Subject: What Telecom Degrees Are Best Today?
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 95 06:11:00 PST


Folks -

  I toyed with the idea of calling this request for info, "If you had
it all to do over again" for reasons that should become obvious.

  Questions: What degrees are currently available that best suit the
telecommunications industry's needs?  Do you have to specialize in
switches and PBX type technology at the expense of computer network
technology?  Are the "trade schools" looked down upon (forever locking
a person into "installing"?

  I'm an AF tech controller who supervises folks who ask me these
questions.  Funny, I never thought about it until they asked ... we
get our AAS in Electronic Systems Technology, and march smartly out to
maintain the world-wide military communications networks.  Only later
do we think about WHAT the Bachelor's degree should be.

  Here's your chance to help us decide which path suits our abilities
and desires (and perhaps gains you better qualified job applicants
in a few years!!!)

  Thanks in advance for your replies.


[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Harmelink Andrew <[e-mail]>
Subject: Telecom FAQ Wanted
Organization: University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 00:22:46 -0500


When is the next irregular posting of the comp.dcom.telecom FAQ?


Andrew Harmelink, aka Wander


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Its on file in the Telecom Archives, but
perhaps I will sent it out to Usenet as well later today or tomorrow.  PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #186
******************************


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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
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To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #187

TELECOM Digest     Mon, 3 Apr 95 15:58:00 CDT    Volume 15 : Issue 187

Inside This Issue:                          Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    1995 Area Code Update (Steve Grandi)
    Telwhere.zip U.S., Canada, PR Telephone Number Location Database (J Welch)
    Anyone Heard of Cable and Wireless Inc.? (Randy L. Magstadt)
    Who Owns Bahama Telephone Network? ([e-mail])
    Need Information on BTI, Southeast USA (David Pilgrim)
    Looking For a Fax Service Bureau (Steve Samler)
    Re: Inability to Use LEC Calling Card From Office Phone (Andrew Mark)
    Re: Inability to Use LEC Calling Card From Office Phone (Michael Henry)
    Re: Where to Get Area Code Map? (Mark Fletcher)
    Re: Where to Get Area Code Map? (Clifton T. Sharp)
    Re: Profit From ISDN (Fred R. Goldstein)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, 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 twenty dollars per
year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.

All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 09:22:26 -0700
From: [e-mail] (Steve Grandi)
Subject: 1995 Area Code Update


Area Code Changes: 1995-

Maintained by Steve Grandi ([e-mail]).  Additions and corrections
are welcome!

(Last Revised: 1 April 1995)

    Date       Event

1)  1/7/95     AC 630 splits from AC 708 (Chicago metro area)
2)  1/15/95    AC 334 splits from AC 205 (Alabama)
3)  1/15/95    AC 360 splits from AC 206 (Washington)
4)  3/1/95     AC 281 overlaid on AC 713 (Houston metro area)
5)  ??/??/??   AC 954 splits from AC 305 (Miami metro area)
6)  3/19/95    AC 520 splits from AC 602 (Arizona)
7)  4/2/95     AC 970 splits from AC 303 (Colorado)
8)  5/28/95    AC 941 splits from AC 813 (Florida)
9)  7/15/95    AC 540 splits from AC 703 (Virginia)
10) 8/28/95    AC 860 splits from AC 203 (Connecticut)
11) 9/2/95     AC 562 overlaid on ACs 213, 310 and 818 (Los Angeles metro area)
12) 9/11/95    AC 423 splits from AC 615 (Tennessee)
13) 10/1/95    AC 441 splits from AC 809 (Bermuda)
14) 12/3/95    AC 864 splits from AC 803 (South Carolina)
15) ??/??/95   AC 770 splits from or overlaid on AC 404 (Atlanta metro area)
16) 2/1/96     AC 972 overlaid on AC 214 (Dallas metro area)
17) 4/1/96     888 goes into service
18) ??/??/96   AC ??? splits from AC 503 (Oregon)
19) ??/??/97   AC ??? splits from AC 619 (San Diego)
20) ??/??/??   AC ??? overlaid on AC 817 (Ft. Worth metro area)
21) ??/??/??   AC 340 splits from AC 809 (Puerto Rico)


Notes...

1) Originally reserved for Wireless services (cellular phones and pagers).
       All wireless services in 708 would have been forced to move to 630.
       All new wireless services in areas served by 312 and 708 would have
       been in 630.  Wireless companies appealed to the Illinois Commerce
       Commission and to the FCC.  The FCC seemed to indicate that wireless
       overlay areacodes were discriminatory.  The latest plan is for 708
       to do a three-way split: The south/southwestern suburbs will retain
       708, the western suburbs will get 630 and the northern suburbs will
       get ???.  No date for the three-way switch has been announced.  Any
       wireless numbers assigned to 630 in the meantime would be reassigned
       into the geographical codes.

2) 334 for Southern Alabama, Northern Alabama keeps 205
   334 will contain Auburn, Dothan, Mobile, Montgomery and Selma
   205 will retain Anniston, Birmingham, Decatur, Huntsville and Tuscaloosa
   Permissive period ends 5/13/95

3) 360 will cover all of Western Washington except Seattle and immediate
       suburbs which stay in 206
   360 will contain Bellingham, Bremerton, Olympia, Vancouver
   206 will retain Auburn, Bellevue, Everett, Redmond, Seattle, Tacoma
   Permissive period ends 5/21/95

4) First numbers assigned in AC 281 (until 2/29/96) will be wireless services.
       After 3/1/96, all new numbers assigned will be in 281.  Mandatory
       10 digit dialing for all local calls in the 713/281 area begins
       on 3/1/96.

5) 954 was originally to be a wireless overlay on top of 305 effective
       3/1/95.  The Florida Public Service Commission rejected this proposal
       and decreed that Broward Co. (Fort Lauderdale) would move to 954 and
       Dade Co. (Miami) would retain 305.  Effective when?  Southern Bell
       is appealing the decision since 305 would have to split again in a few
       years.

6) 520 will cover the entire state of Arizona except Phoenix and its suburbs
       which stay in 602
   520 will contain Flagstaff, Prescott, Sierra Vista, Tucson, Yuma
   602 will retain Buckeye, Chandler, Glendale, Mesa, Phoenix, Scottsdale,
       Tempe
   Permissive period ends 7/23/95

7) 970 will serve Northern Colorado and the Western Slope except Denver and
       its suburbs which stay in 303
   970 will contain Aspen, Durango, Fort Collins, Grand Junction, Greely,
       Loveland, Steamboat Springs, Vail
   303 will retain Arvada, Aurora, Boulder, Denver, Englewood, Littleton,
       Longmont
   Permissive period ends 10/1/95

8) Southwestern coast of Florida splits: Southern part moves to 941; Northern
       part (Tampa-St. Petersburg) stays in 813
   941 will contain Bradenton, Fort Meyers, Lakeland, Sarasota, Winter Haven
   813 will retain Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tampa
   Permissive period ends 3/3/96

9) 540 will cover all of Western Virginia except the Washington DC area which
       stay in 703
   540 will contain Blacksburg, Roanoke, Salem, Winchester
   703 will retain Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Mclean
   Permissive period ends 7/13/96

10) SW CT (Fairfield and New Haven Counties) will retain 203; the rest of
    the state will move to 860.
    860 will contain Hartford, Norwich and New London
    203 will retain Stamford, Bridgeport, New Haven, Danbury, Waterbury
    Permissive period ends 10/6/96

11) First numbers assigned in AC 562 will be wireless services in the area
       served by AC 310.  Landline services in AC 310 and wireless and
       possibly landline services in AC 213 and 818 will follow.
       Wireless companies and MCI are appealing to the FCC, especially given
       the decision in the Chicago case.

12) Eastern Tennessee moves to 423 while Middle Tennessee retains 615
    423 will contain Chattanooga, Clarksville, Johnson City, Kingsport,
       Knoxville
    615 will retain Murfreesboro, Nashville
    Permissive period ends 2/26/96

13) Permissive period ends 9/30/96

14) Northwestern South Carolina moves to 864, rest of state keeps 803.
    864 will contain Anderson, Greenville, Rock Hill, Spartanburg
    803 will retain Charleston, Columbia, Florence, Myrtle Beach
    Permissive period ends 5/1/96

15) AC 770 will either be an overlay on AC 404 or a geographical split

16) Mandatory 10 digit dialing for all local calls in 214/972 area begins on
    8/1/96.  All new numbers assigned after 2/1/96 will be in 972.

17) 888 will be used as an extension of 800 "Free Phone" services.

18) No further details

19) No further details

20) Overlay similar to Dallas

21) Unconfirmed.  Seems to be a stray rumor.


Splits to watch for (Based on Bellcore's projections of number exhaustion
contained in letter IL 95/01-018)

314 (St. Louis) (1996 2Q)
904 (N. Florida) (1996 3Q)
216 (Cleveland) (1997 1Q)
612 (Minneapolis/St. Paul) (1997 1Q)
818 (N. part of Los Angeles Metro area) (1998 1Q)
210 (San Antonio) (1998 2Q)
318 (Louisiana) (1998 3Q)
213 (Central part of Los Angeles Metro area) (1998 4Q)
604 (British Columbia) (1998 4Q)
816 (Kansas City) (1998 4Q)
312 (Chicago) (about 1998; revised forward since 312 will get no relief from
               new 630 code)


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 708/630 will 'split' again within the next
week or so ... we in the northern suburbs will be getting still another
new code. 630 will go exclusively to one group of suburbs; 708 will stay
with one group.  312 will split as you point out in the next couple years
or so.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 03 Apr 1995 13:41:28 -0500
From: Jonathan_Welch <[e-mail]>
Subject: Telwhere.zip U.S., Canada, PR Telephone Number Location Database


Pat, I was just wondering the other day if there was such a database
and here's an announcement for one.  Thought it might be of interest
to you and the readers.


Jonathan Welch  VAX Systems Manager  Umass/Amherst  [e-mail]


  From: [e-mail] (Timo Salmi)
  Subject:telwhere.zip U.S.+Canada+PRico Telephone Number Location Database
  Date: Sat, 01 Apr 1995 12:41:54 GMT

Thank you for your contribution.  This upload is now available as
 284340 Mar 31 05:17 garbo.uwasa.fi:/pc/database/telwhere.zip

  Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 14:47:12 -0500 (EST)
  From: pstira <[e-mail]>
  To: [e-mail]
  Subject: telwhere.zip Telephone Number Location Database

: File name: TELWHERE.ZIP
: One line description: Telephone Number Location Database
: Replaces: n/a
: Suggested Garbo directory: /pc/database
: Uploader name & email: Paul Stira <[e-mail]>
: Author or company: Paul Stira <[e-mail]>
: Email address: [e-mail]
: Surface address: 114-90 227th Street, Jamaica, NY 11411 U.S.A.
: Special requirements: None
: Shareware payment required from private users: Y
: Shareware payment required from corporates: Y
: Distribution limitations: None
: Demo: N
: Nagware: Y
: Self-documenting: Y
: External documentation included: Y
: Source included: N
: Size: 284K
: 10 lines description:
: Database of telephone numbers of U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.
: Identifies City, State for a given telephone number.


Prof. Timo Salmi      Co-moderator of comp.archives.msdos.announce
Moderating at garbo.uwasa.fi anonymous FTP archives  193.166.120.5
Department of Accounting and Business Finance; University of Vaasa
Internet: [e-mail]   BBS +(358)-61-3170972; FIN-65101,  Finland

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Randy L. Magstadt)
Subject: Anyone Heard of Cable and Wireless Inc.?
Date: 3 Apr 1995 14:27:44 GMT
Organization: ADC Telecommunications


Has anyone heard of Cable & Wireless, Inc.? I have a friend who is
considering using this company as there long distance carrier and
would like to know more information about them before he makes any
type of decision.

    Does anyone have and history with this company as its long
distance provider?

    Thank You.


Randy


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: C&W is a long-time, well established
company. For quite a few years -- back in the pre-divstiture days --
they were mostly active in the Carribean area, where they still own
a few local telcos. Their service is reliable. I do not know enough
about their long distance pricing to speak about it with any authority,
but they are not a fly-by-night outfit. They are in the same league
as MCI/Sprint, and possibly their local telco holdings in the area of
the Bahamas and Virgin Islands make them larger than MCI/Sprint; I
cannot say for sure. They have a very good personal 800 number service
which has been dicussed here in the Digest many times. I would say
your friend could use them without any hassles.    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Wilhelm)
Subject: Who Owns Bahama Telephone Network?
Date: 3 Apr 1995 14:43:08 GMT
Organization: Capital Area Internet Service [e-mail] 703-448-4470


Does anyone know who owns (Batelco?) the Bahama Telephone company?  Is
it a joint venture with Cable and Wireless or is it completely
government owned.  If you don't know for sure, do you know where I can
find out?


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: C&W owns a big chunk of it. I know that
when you place a long distance call to there from here in the States if
you get a non-working number the intercept recording identifies them;
i.e. 'the number you have reached is not in service, this is a Cable &
Wireless recording <switch number> ..."    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (pilgrim)
Subject: Need Information on BTI, Southeast USA
Date: 3 Apr 1995 02:58:25 GMT
Organization: another person avoiding work


I would greatly appreciate any information on and/or experiences with
BTI, a Raleigh, NC based long distance carrier. Please e-mail.


Thanks,

david   [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 15:28:25 -0400 (EDT)
From: Steve Samler <[e-mail]>
Subject: Looking For a Fax Service Bureau


I'm looking for some recommendations for a fax-on-demand service bureau
for a client.

The system would keep on file personal data for each of 3,000 users.  The
caller would enter the user id to have this data faxed to a default fax
number.  The fax number is dependent upon the users' location.

A specific need is to not tie the user to the fax handset.  A default
fax number would be on file and would be used unless the caller enters
in a temporary fax number.

Anyone have any recommendations or experience with a service bureau that
could handle this?


Thanks.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (AndrewM486)
Subject: Re: Inability to Use LEC Calling Card From Office Phone
Date: 3 Apr 1995 13:24:06 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (AndrewM486)


This is a recurring problem for all LD carriers. When an institution
makes a deal with one carrier, all others are blocked.  Is it legal?
Apparently the logic is as follows:

As the institution owns the facility and it doesn't present itself as an
open access provider, it can chose whoever it wants to provide whatever
services it feels appropriate.  The logic continues ... if a hospital
chose to use a particular laundry, and you wanted to use another, should
they have to accomodate your request and work with other laundries as
well?

Whether you 'buy' the logic is irrelevant; this has been challenenged in
court on a number of occassions, and upheld.  What is NOT upheld, hoever,
is a coin phone being blocked.

Almost every carrier has an 800 access number ina addition to its 10XXX
number.  You might want to ask BellSouth if they have one, and if they
don't why don't they get one?  The costs are almost identical (if not
lower) than the standard access costs.


Good luck!

Andrew Mark


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You are correct. A company can do whatever
it pleases with its own PBX/Centrex service. It pays the bills and can
choose the carriers and services it desires. But if there are payphones
on the premises -- for example, in the company lunchroom -- those have
to be unblocked. The exception in the case of payphones are those which
are *semi-public* ... that is, someone is paying telco to have them
there. In that case, those can be handled as the 'subscriber' sees fit
also. Telco only puts in commissionable (truly public) payphones where
they can see a profit (or at least not a loss) for themselves. But anyone
can have a payphone; if you choose that kind of service and pay the
monthly fee required, then legally it is called 'semi-public' meaning a
small subset of the public is likely to use it on a pay-as-you-call
basis.  So before you bang your company or university or whatever for
'pay phones' that you deem not in compliance, make sure you find out
if telco put them there and pays a commission for their presence or if
your employer put them there to encourage employees to stay off the
business phones with personal calls and is paying telco to keep them
there. If your employer's money gets involved at all, then he gets to
call the shots.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Michael Henry)
Subject: Re: Inability to Use LEC Calling Card From Office Phone
Date: 3 Apr 1995 17:26:27 GMT
Organization: UC Berkeley


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] says:

> At the time, PAT responded that the university was probably within
> their rights doing this to office phones, but it might be illegal to
> prevent dorm residents from using Southern Bell cards.  I am meeting
> tomorrow with the university's Telecommunications people to discuss
> this situation.  Does anyone have further information?  Specifically,
> can someone tell me --

>    1. Is it permissible for the university to prevent people from
>       making Southern Bell calling-card calls from their offices?

Probably so, but they can get AT&T to "splash" (transfer) you to an SB
operator.  Then you could use your calling card.

>    2. Same question, from dorm rooms.

Same answer as above.

>    3. What are the chances that the university's switch could be
>       programmed to define an alternate prefix for reaching Southern
>       Bell?  E.g., 7 + NPA + number instead of 9 + 0 + NPA + number.

The university can pretty much do whatever it wants with its switch.
What's at stake here is revenue on 0+ calls to the university.  AT&T
pays a portion of all 0+ revenue dollars back to the university.  So
even though you are paying for the call, a portion of what AT&T charge
you ends up with the folks you are meeting with.  If they allow AT&T
to splash you, then that is lost revenue.


Michael Henry   Sr Analyst
Telecommunications, University of California, Berkeley
510-643-8353

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mark Fletcher)
Subject: Re: Where to Get Area Code Map?
Date: 3 Apr 1995 17:45:43 GMT
Organization: Planet Access Networks - Stanhope, NJ


Dawn Adler ([e-mail]) wrote:

> I wanted to know if anyone knows where I can get a map to see exactly
> where an area code boundry is? I've seen yellow or white pages U.S.A.
> area code map; what I mean is a close up map that shows exactly where one
> area code changes to another, all I know is one area code cannot cross
> state lines!

Bellcore can provide you with up to date information on new NPA's and
boundry information. You can also get on their mailing list for new
NPA changes. Check bellcore.com on the web.


Mark Fletcher                    The Great Gorge Resort
Communications Manager           [phone] Ext.404
Vernon, New Jersey               [phone] FAX
 Vernon Valley/Great Gorge/Action Park/The Resort Club
   Crystal Springs/Black Bear/The Spa at Great Gorge
 [e-mail] has moved to [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Yeah, but I think Dawn was wanting very
detailed specific information such as down what alley, through whose
back yard and across what street intersection the area code is literally
cut. Bellcore just hands them out. The local telcos would have the very
nitty-gritty specifics.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Clifton T. Sharp)
Subject: Re: Where to Get Area Code Map?
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 18:15:38 GMT


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Dawn
Adler) writes:

> area code changes to another, all I know is one area code cannot cross
> state lines!

I'm not sure even that's true.  I believe part of Wisconsin's 414 area code
crosses into a small area of Illinois.


Cliff Sharp      WA9PDM
[e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Yes it does. And a small bit of 312 goes
into Wisconsin in the form of Antioch, IL and North Antioch, WI. I think
414 'comes south' in the case of Beloit, WI and South Beloit, IL.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Fred R. Goldstein)
Subject: Re: Profit From ISDN
Date: Sun, 2 Apr 1995 23:06:47 GMT
Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc.


In article <3lie7f$[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Ed Goldgehn) spews:

> In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] says...

>> This business of quoting "number of businesses" is really a waste.  A
>> business can be a hot dog stand, a dry cleaner, a 1-chair barber shop,
>> a day care home, etc.  These people don't need datacomm.  They mostly
>> don't even need computers, unless a microprocessor is embedded in some
>> device they use, like a cash register.  These are the people whose
>> productivity would be reduced by all this high-tech gibberish.  No, I
>> don't keep my recipes on my PC, and I can scale them in my head just fine.

> I suggest you review what businesses are actually in the NFIB.  I believe
> that organization is quite a good cross-representation of the small
> businesses in America - the foundation of the economy.  The NFIB is
> primarily a lobbying organization for the small business person - you know
> that age old middle class everyone talks about that produces the most jobs?

That's one interpretation.  Personally I think the NFIB is a right-wing
pressure group representing employers (mostly not sole proprietors) of
privately-held businesses who begrudge every penny of salary, benefits,
and business expense that they could possibly attribute to "government
intervention", and long for a return to the antebellum days when employees
could be bought and sold.  Or, in the north, the sweatshop days when
it was fine to dump your effluvium into the river or curb.  The foundation
of the bottom of the economy, perhaps.  But that's a digression.  Even
if the NFIB were the Mother Teresa of business groups, it would be a
waste of time to count "businesses" as a unit as if they were all equivalent.

> Secondarily, if you want to talk about retail stores, I further suggest that
> you consider this more carefully.  There are a tremendous number of
> electronic applications that have nothing to do with their cash register -
> and an equal number that do.  Just because you (or BBN?) may not want
> anything to do with them is not the issue.  They exist and are a very viable
> market.  Ok, so they probably don't need Internet access - that does not
> mean that they don't need access any aspect of the entire electronic
> community.

I am NOT talking about Internet access -- why do you confabulate these
things?  And I'm not bringing in BBN's business interests into this; I
speak for me in this forum.  BBN Planet did not become the world's
largest ISP by ignoring important applications.  In many cases I'm
talking about computing period.  There are many small businesses who
use it well and many who don't need it.  I like to sell people what
they need, not whatever is trendy.  I don't like shelfware.  Computers
and networks should be productivity tools, not status symbols.

> IMHO, your obsession for disagreement is not conducive to a constructive
> debate of the real issues.

Aha.  Now we're getting into ad hominem arguments, the usual response
when the facts aren't there.  I am called not constructive because I
a) disagreed with your obsessive ravings about CALC and your disagreement
with FCC separations and settlements policies in general, and b) I speci-
fically pointed out where the telephone companies are being self-destructive
in their tariffs.  What I didn't do was post here a detailed private
(and not unsolicited) letter to a very important RBOC employee describing
what I think would be an appropriate tariff structure for ISDN.  But then
things like that are not most effective when posted to noisy places like this!

> I speak as an individual, for a company, and as Co-Chair for a large group
> of companies that are actively involved in attempting to resolve these
> issues.  In my posts, I'm attempting to spark debate as to what CAN be done.
> I work hard to remain open to suggestions and will readily admit any errors,
> oversights, or accidental bursts of misinformation.  Most important, I
> believe, I'm focused on remaining constructive on all issues for the benefit
> of all the readership.

> Can you say the same?

I prefer not to.  I speak as an individual, as a lead technical person
on an ISDN Internet Provider project, as an experienced ISDN user, as
an experienced ISDN consultant who has also worked with telecommuting
and backbone-backup applications and with ISDN product designers, as a
former (8-year) member of the ANSI standards committee for ISDN, as a
teacher (Northeastern University State-of-the-Art Program) and author
(ISDN In Perspective, Addison-Wesley 1992), and as somebody who actually
places ISDN orders for customers.  Most important, I believe, I'm focused
on identifying the problems that have kept ISDN from being the success
that it ought to be, and on getting them fixed!

But then I don't like to brag in long .sig files either.

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #187
******************************


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From: [e-mail] (TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson))
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #188

TELECOM Digest     Mon, 3 Apr 95 19:11:00 CDT    Volume 15 : Issue 188

Inside This Issue:                          Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    American Roaming Network (Ching-Cheng Chai)
    Recent GSM Usage Statistics (John Scourias)
    What is TELEGO Service? (Spiros Triantafyllopoulos)
    Re: When Handed a Lemon, Make Lemonade! (Bruce McGuffin)
    Re: When Handed a Lemon, Make Lemonade! (Walter Lee Davidson)
    Re: When Handed a Lemon, Make Lemonade! (Carl Moore)
    Re: SS7 References Wanted (David Newman)
    Rate Tables and NXX's for Bell Atlantic (NJ) ([e-mail])
    Callback Overcharging by PASSPORT (David Forder)
    Re: Need Information on Wiltel's Dedicated Internet Access (C.Whittenburg)
    Re: Inexpensive 56k+ Connectivity Between U.S. and Europe (C. Whittenburg)
    Re: March 1995 NYNEX Bill Insert - PulseNet Service (Tim Gorman)
    Re: Telemarketers Ethics Statement (Nick Sayer)
    Re: Telemarketers Ethics Statement (Benjamin P. Carter)
    Re: Cellular Features Incur DOUBLE Airtime Charge (Robert Levandowski)
    Re: Cellular Callback Information Wanted (Robert Levandowski)

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
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Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
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should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ching-Cheng Chai)
Subject: American Roaming Network
Organization: Xilinx Inc.
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 20:16:19 GMT


Someone mentioned ARN a while ago, I was not able to get any further
information about this dialing method. Could someone post some more
detail about how one can use an unactivated cellular phone to make
calls by charging to a credit card?


Thanks!

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (John Scourias)
Subject: Recent GSM Usage Statistics
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 16:56:40 GMT


Hi everyone,

I would greatly appreciate any relatively recent statistics on
the number of countries, number of network operators, and total
number of subscribers using the GSM cellular system.  Perhaps
someone who has used both GSM and analog systems could send some
subjective comparisons on service quality.


Thanks!

John Scourias            http://ccnga.uwaterloo.ca/~jscouria
University of Waterloo   [e-mail]
Waterloo, ON, Canada

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Spiros Triantafyllopoulos)
Subject: What is TELEGO Service?
Date: 3 Apr 1995 20:56:51 GMT
Organization: Delco Electronics Corp.


Hi folks,

A new service is advertised locally by GTE that is billed like a Super
Cordless phone that you can take with you to the car, golf course,
etc. No word like the dreaded 'cellular' is used anywhere.  The phone
can be used from home as well.

The ad says you don't buy the phone ('no expensive phone to buy').  No
more details other than that.

Any idea what this is?


Spiros Triantafyllopoulos        Kokomo, IN 46904   [phone]
Software Development Tools       [e-mail]
Delco Electronics Corporation

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bruce McGuffin)
Subject: Re: When Handed a Lemon, Make Lemonade!
Date: Mon,  3 Apr 95 13:29:48 -0400
Organization: MIT Lincoln Laboratory


About ten years ago I moved to Reston Virginia, and was assigned a
telephone number that used to belong to the computer consulting
company James Martin Associates. There were usually only a handful of
calls a day, but they were often in the middle of the night, since
many of the clients were overseas and seemed to have no concept of
time zones.  At first, JM's associates weren't very helpful, and the
phone company was even less helpful (they offered to change our phone
number for a fee). So my wife and I just started telling the callers
they had the wrong number, and hanging up.

After a couple of weeks, we called JMA and told them how many of their
valued customers we hung up on. They decided to send out a mailing
with their new phone number to all their current and former customers,
and the calls slowed to almost nothing within a week. No fraud. No
threats. You just have to make the company understand that it's in
their own best interest for customers to have the right phone number.


Bruce McGuffin

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Walter Lee Davidson)
Subject: Re: When Handed a Lemon, Make Lemonade!
Date: 3 Apr 1995 18:23:40 GMT
Organization: Ericsson North America Inc.
Reply-To: [e-mail]


In article [e-mail], Donald E. Kimberlin <[e-mail]>
writes:

> Apropos of the recurring posts here on the matter of problems
> from being assigned a telephone number similar to that of one that
> takes many incoming calls, today's column by Art Buchwald is just too
> funny to not post in its entirety.

[story deleted]

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Very funny, but the fact of the matter is
> Leola is committing fraud by representing herself as an employee of the
> motel; I hope they sue her big time. How would you like it if your bar
> matzvah or wedding got screwed up on account of that old witch?    PAT]

Most individuals make lousy targets for big corporations to sue: we
have no money.

How would you like it if such stuff was destroying your family life?

We had a nice quiet number in a Dallas suburb until an after-midnight
TV-advertising outfit, one of those "quick weight loss" schemes, got
one "next door". We would get five to ten calls between midnight and 3
a.m. most nights. Phone company policy is, of course, "You're SOL
(because we get lots of money from this company, and we don't care if
you have a life or not)." I got as far as "the President's secretary"
after Residential Customer Service could offer no help (who knows who
"the President's secretary" really was, probably the janitor:-).

I decided I was willing to accept late-night calls from strangers and
discuss weight loss strategies and products. I told some people we
might be moving out of the area (we were) or that I was new in the
business (very), or might be soon out of it, or that maybe that for
*that* person, I had no product to offer (indeed!), pried into personal
information, mostly offered advice, but did not represent myself as
part of the company they were trying to reach.

After about a week, I got pretty good, and was probably providing a
better service (cheaper, too) than the competition:-) Unfortunately, it
showed no potential for profit, as people proved unwilling to pay for
"Quit eating so damn much, and get some exercise", or variations on and
expansions of same, especially after they had heard it. Perhaps it was
my delivery, with growing irritability (from lack of sleep, and from
multiple daily exchanges with SWBT) showing through.

A surprising number of people who called were actually *eating during
the call*:>) I learned to ask after hearing some munching noises once.

After that got boring, we just unplugged the phone at bedtime.  Either
they quit advertising or, more likely, went OOB, in a few months.

*Still* makes me mad at SWiBiT when I recall it.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: As unfortunate as these circumstances
are, the fault lies with the person who misdialed the number. It is
not the fault of the company advertising and it is not the fault of
the telco. How many times should the company be expected to change
their number to avoid the possibility that some one or more customers
*too dumb to know any better* are not going to dial your number or
my number in error?*  How much is telco expected to do to prevent
this?  Mike Royko, the {Chicago Tribune} columnist seems to feel that
AT&T should change *their* customer service number so that he won't
get wrong numbers from idiots who don't know enough to dial 1-800
first. Of course, he is an idiot also -- one of the crudest and rudest
in the business of writing a column in the papers -- so it is fun at
times watching the idiots turn on each other. But why do you feel
telco or the other (business) subscriber is at fault?  Is it okay if
they go to the trouble of changing their number so that some other
private citizen gets harassed with wrong numbers instead of you?

Now if they are continuing to put out advertising or directories with
the WRONG number (your number!) printed in them, that is another
matter entirely, i.e. the lady in (was it?) Washington State who was
getting calls for the Probation Office because *they* would not correct
an error in their printed material; also the airline schedule booklet
with the misprinted number, etc. I had a case quite a few years ago
where a real estate company in Chicago had my phone number listed in
something they gave tenants for how to reach the maintainence man and
janitor for their apartment building. But it was my number, not just
something that *looked close to my number*. Then I think you have a
legitimate complaint with the company involved, but if it is just a
case of the public misdialing your number, your complaint is with
the public.

Businesses pull this on each other also; they take advantage of name
and number similarities to get each other's customers. A good example
several years ago here in Chicago was when the Hyatt Regency Hotel
opened. For forty years prior there had been a 'Hotel Regency' in the
downtown area; a real slum place that mostly served as a house of
prostitution and overnight lodging place for Skid Row derelicts ... and
it looked exactly that way. They took advantage of the fact that 'hotel'
appears alphabetically ahead of 'hyatt' in the phone book. Even though
the dump was listed as Hotel Regency and as Regency Hotel in the white
pages, they did something else very clever: they added a listing they
knew would come at the start saying 'Hotel Regency Reservations Office'
(which they certainly were entitled to do legally) and wouldn't you know
it, time and time again when people out of the area called Directory
Assistance to get the number for the Hyatt Regency, the directory
assistance operator, trying to be helpful, would say 'do you want the
number for the reservations office?' ... and of course that is exactly
what the caller wanted, and they would get SUperior-7-4900, which was
the flophouse hotel instead.

Well, so Mr. Smith, business executive in San Fransisco would call to
get reservations 'at the Regency in Chicago', and the flophouse would take
his credit card number and reserve a room for him.  'How do I get there
coming from the airport?' he would ask, and they would tell him forthrightly
and honestly that they were at 19 East Ohio Street, which indeed is the
address of the flophouse. They did not lie, they did not misrepresent any-
thing. Their attitude was we run a hotel also, albiet perhaps not in
the style to which Mr. Smith is accustomed.  They'd put through the charge
on his credit card *and save him a room*. They knew the law very well,
and that they had to have an actual room in his name.

So Smith shows up at Ohare Airport, jumps in a cab and says to the
cab driver 'take me to the Hyatt Regency in Chicago'. Off they go and
needless to say the Hyatt Regency had no reservation for Smith. If he
got in the cab and said 'take me to 19 East Ohio Street in Chicago' then
the cab driver would take him there instead, and Smith would see for
the first time that something seemed rather remiss. If he wound up first
at the Hyatt Regency without the reservation he was counting on, his
first reaction was to blame the hotel, but then he would get out his
notes, check the address and phone number, and find out the truth. Or
he might just be angry at 'how the hotel screwed up his reservation' and
stay there anyway, producing his credit card to make still another
payment for his room.  Meanwhile the 'Hotel Regency' treated it as a
no-show on a reserved room and legally pocketed the earlier payment.
Some nights they had ten or twelve guests with reservations who 'failed
to show up' and forfeited their advance payment. <grin> ...

Time and again the 'guests' demanded their money back from the Hotel
Regency but were refused, and the credit card companies held that there
had been no fraud or misrepresentation, thus no refund, and of course
many of the 'guests' had sent checks in the mail which had long since
been cashed. One large corporation was severely embarrased when they
reserved a week's worth of rooms for employees at a seminar and the
The Hotel Regency gladly accepted their check for ten thousand dollars
as 'deposit for the reservations'.  They didn't get their money back
either and in fact the flop house happily set aside a couple dozen
rooms for a week. The Hotel Regency people would always sit there with
a very straight face and claim that in good faith they had made the
requested reservations. If you don't like our accomodations then leave
and find somewhere else to stay. You didn't ask us if we were the *Hyatt*
Regency; if you had we would have told you no.

The Hotel Regency was sued by the Hyatt Regency to force them to stop taking
reservations in that way -- for that matter they sued to make the flop
house change its name to something other than 'Regency' and they lost
that case when it was pointed out that the flop house was a corporation
using the d/b/a 'Regency' and that the Hyatt Regency had never bothered
to check first before taking that name for themselves when they opened
in Chicago; the flop house actually had that word registered with the
State of Illinois long before the Hyatt people came to town. Finally Hyatt
settled with the flop house by buying them off; for a good sum of money
the Hotel Regency agreed to change its name (it has been the Hotel Tokyo
and/or the Tokyo Hotel since about 1977); to remove any and all listings
in the telephone book which referred to 'Regency' -- although they were
allowed to keep their same phone number -- and for a period of one year
they agreed to respond to anyone on the phone who used the word 'reservation'
in the phone call by making the statement "The telephone number for the
Hyatt Regency Hotel and its reservations office is xxx-xxxx" then
terminating the call immediatly after repeating the above statement
if the caller asked to have the number repeated. They agreed to examine
and read all mail which came addressed to 'Regency' (or some variation)
at the 19 East Ohio address and forward mail which dealt with reservations
'or obviously' the Hyatt Regency to the 'real' hotel by that name on
Michigan Avenue. Curiously, the two institutions are only a matter of
about three blocks apart from each other which added to the confusion
in the first place. Once 'Hyatt' had paid the requested sum of money to
'Hotel', the flop house immediatly filed all the necessary papers, changed
their phone listing, during the interim answered their switchboard with
'Superior seven, four nine hundred' and had their janitor each day take
over the reservations mail received the day before. Its still there at
the same address and phone number; still a flop house catering mostly to
semi-homeless people; but a sign on the front desk warns that 'you may
not take visitors to your room' and that prostitution is not allowed
on the premises. In the old days, the 'Hotel Regency' rented rooms by
the day or *by the hour*; now they only rent by the week or the month
however 'Illinois Public Aid rent vouchers are accepted here.'    PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 3 Apr 95 15:04:54 EDT
From: Carl Moore <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: When Handed a Lemon, Make Lemonade!


I can NOT find a Tennessee post office named Ribrock.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I printed what he sent me, and I assume he
printed what Buchwald wrote. Do you think it was all satire and not something
that really happened?    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David Newman)
Subject: Re: SS7 References Wanted
Date: 3 Apr 1995 16:07:14 GMT
Organization: Dept of CS&E -- University of Nebraska-Lincoln


[e-mail] wrote:

> I am interested in find some technical references on "SS7 programming".

> I am working with Dialogic hardware and (separately) have just done
> a SMDI link to a Northern Telecom switch via a serial interface.  I'd
> like to see what kind of features I can add to various voice/fax/data
> software with SS7 and would like to be able to turn on message waiting/
> stutter dial-tone on any arbitrary phone via SS7.

> So, if there exists a good text that explains SS7 such that I could
> string bits together in the right order, I'd like to know about it.

In the first place, "SS7 programming" is a non-entity.  SS7 is a
mnemonic for "Common Channel Signaling System #7", a set of strictly
defined protocols for inter-office signalling in the PSTN (Public
Switched Telephone Network).  As such, the end user has little or no
access to the phones from, or using, SS7.  This is language that the
switches use to talk to each other.

For CPE (Customer Premises Equipment) control, you're limited to ISDN
(which is built on, and requires, an SS7 network to operate) or
perhaps some sort of proprietary protocol that I am unaware of.

There are several good references on the SS7 network, and I can dig
them up is you are still interested, but I don't think that is what
you are looking for.


David M. Newman               [e-mail]
Programmer/Analyst            Perpetual Student
Consolidated Telephone Co.    University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Lincoln, Nebraska

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (CEMehl)
Subject: Rate Tables and NXX's for Bell Atlantic(NJ)
Date: 3 Apr 1995 12:17:38 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (CEMehl)


I am trying to find a list of rates for Bell Atlantic clients in New
Jersey for Intra-Lata and Inter-Lata calling.  Also I am looking for a
listing of all NXX's in New Jersey.

I have a client in the (908)-382 exchange that is planning on replacing
their Bell Atlantic Wats lines for regular switched lines.  I need the
rate and NXX information from Bell Atlantic so I can give a list to his
hardware vendor to program the LCR correctly on their PBX.  The long
distance carrier I've offered the client can carry some of the Intra and
Inter-lata traffic at a lower cost then the Bell Atlantic Wats Service.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks.

------------------------------

From: David Forder <[e-mail]>
Subject: Callback Overcharging by PASSPORT
Date: 2 Apr 1995 18:34:54 GMT
Organization: via CompuServe Information Service


Would any person or company in any country who has been overcharged by
PASSPORT (MTC) please contact John Ward at [phone] (fax +44
1703 863344) or email me.


Thanks,

David Forder, Marchwood, Southampton,UK


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Is there a callback service by the name of
'Passport' as well as the one known as 'Telepassport'?   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Chris Whittenburg)
Subject: Re: Need Information on Wiltel's Dedicated Internet Access
Date: 2 Apr 1995 19:41:04 GMT
Organization: WilTel
Reply-To: [e-mail]


SPHboise ([e-mail]) wrote:

> Can anyone give me info on Wiltel's dedicated internet acces?. Do
> they have a DS3 backbone, how many naps do they access, is that access
> redudent etc ...?

WilTel does not currently offer an Internet service.  We do however
have relationships with several of the major providers to provide them
with capacity not only for their backbone, but as access lines for
their customers.  WilTel frame relay customers can also choose from
several Internet providers which are also connected to our Frame Relay
cloud.  For larger capacity, we can also get you connected to a couple
different service providers via our nationwide ATM network as was
demonstrated at the last Atlanta Interop.

If anyone has any questions about these access options, please feel
free to drop me a line personally, or email [e-mail].


Thanks,

Chris Whittenburg
Data Network Mechanic            [phone]
WilTel Network Services            [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Chris Whittenburg)
Subject: Re: Inexpensive 56k+ Connectivity Between U.S. and Europe
Date: 2 Apr 1995 19:49:35 GMT
Organization: WilTel
Reply-To: [e-mail]


Mike O'Connor ([e-mail]) wrote:

> I want to establish a dedicated 56k+ circuit between these offices and
> my U.S. office.  I don't care about latency too badly (though shipping
> tapes back and forth is a little too high in the latency department
> for my tastes :) ).  Most of the circuit would be used to move data,
> but ideally, I'd like to be able to establish a voice channel riding
> along the data channel if possible, so I could cut down on LD charges
> between offices.  Ideally, I'd like a single network pipe to somewhere
> as opposed to a solution which requires me to build a whole lot of
> infrastructure every time I add an office.

Mike,

Might I suggest Frame Relay?  Most IXCs offering Frame Relay here in
the U.S. now have nodes in Europe (Yes, including my little company--
WilTel) I think the costs should be considerably less than dedicated
circuits, it is easier to add additional sites, and you have some
degree of resiliancy since most networks will reroute your connections
should their be any kind of trunk failures.


Regards,

Chris Whittenburg
Data Network Mechanic            [phone]
WilTel Network Services            [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 2 Apr 1995 19:16:32 -0500
From: Tim Gorman <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: March 1995 NYNEX Bill Insert - PulseNet Service


In TELECOM Digest Volume 15 : Issue 185 [e-mail] (John Levine)
writes:

>> Why is an RBOC's inclusion of a bill insert or it's use of it's
>> customer list for advertising worse than the ads included in the bills
>> of almost every company in America?

> Because the RBOC is a regulated utility with its rate of return set by
> the government.  (You work for an RBOC, so I suppose you can be
> excused for swallowing the usual RBOC agitprop that says "we're just
> like any other business in the country unless we happen to be wearing
> our Sacred Public Trust hat.")

I also work for an RBOC. I still must point out that saying an RBOC is
a regulated utility is not an answer to the question that was asked.

You would have the readers believe that a regulated monopoly should not
use it's customer lists to determine who to advertise to? Pardon my
language but this is hogwash! It is an ultimate strawman argument.
Would you prevent every cellular company in the US from using it's
customer lists because they are also regulated by the FCC and there is
not free and full entry into the cellular market by any competitor?

> In this case, the insert in the bill sent out to regulated customers
> advertises what appears to be an unregulated service.  The mailing is
> paid for by regulated customers.  It's yet another sneaky subsidy to
> the unregulated side of the business.

>> Does anybody really believe the hype that residential phone service
>> is this monstrous revenue generator that supports all the other
>> projects of the LECs??

> Only people who read RBOC balance sheets and annual reports.  (Well,
> not just residential, but certainly residential and business POTS.)
> Read your employer's financial statements.  I do, I'm a stockholder.
> You've made a lot of money for me over the years, largely off the
> backs of your regulated ratepayers.

I'm sorry, John, but this is nothing more than an assertion on your
part that you expect the readers to believe. The statement "off the
backs of" plays well as an emotional appeal against the "big, bad
monopoly" but you still provide no concrete evidence to justify such a
statement. Just where in the RBOC balance sheets and annual reports
does it show that the regulated side of the business is illegally
subsidizing the unregulated pieces of the business? I'm sure the FCC
and local Public Utility Commissions would be very interested in such
easily obtainable evidence showing we are playing fast and loose with
the rules. Can you really show where none of the costs of the mailing
were paid for by the non-regulated offering and ALL costs were paid by
the regulated side of the business?

Please note that there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with the profits
from the regulated side of the business supporting the company as a
whole as long as those profits do not surpass PUC mandated rates of
returns or as long as the prices charged do not surpass maximum price
levels depending upon the type of regulation imposed. Your argument is
based on a basic misunderstanding that the "phone" company should be
non-profit organization. If this were so there would never be any money
to grow the business, to upgrade it, or to meet growing demand.

By the way, do you really know what part of the business has the
highest margin today and is the major target of competition? This is
common knowledge and I will be giving away no secrets in confirming or
denying it.


Tim Gorman
Southwestern Bell Telephone Company
[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Nick Sayer)
Subject: Re: Telemarketers Ethics Statement
Organization: The Duck Pond public unix: [phone], log in as 'guest'.
Date: 3 Apr 1995 06:30:59 UTC


[e-mail] (David K. Bryant) writes:

> Below is the Ethics Statement of the American Telemarketing Association
> (dated 2/94).  Use it to your advantage.

>                          ETHICS STATEMENT
>                  AMERICAN TELEMARKETING ASSOCIATION

[elided]

All in all, it's a pretty content-free document. The bits they left
out speak volumes. Here's the most important part left out:
Telemarketers should endeavor to comply with the wishes of those who
choose or ask not to receive cold-calls.


Nick Sayer <[e-mail]>
N6QQQ @ N0ARY.#NORCAL.CA.USA.NOAM
[phone], log in as 'guest'

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Benjamin P. Carter)
Subject: Re: Telemarketers Ethics Statement
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
Date: Sun, 2 Apr 1995 00:20:09 GMT


"telemarketers ethics" ? ? ? ? ?

This has got to be a joke -- like "prehistoric literature" and
the "unwritten symphony".

Maybe today's date has something to do with it.

On the other hand, it looks serious enough.  Maybe those scum actually
view themselves as ethical, just like it says.  Maybe their whole idea
is to avoid being regulated.

Where does it say they won't make "cold" calls?  Where does it even
say that I can ask them, as a group, not to call me?  Where does it
say that they recognize that many people would prefer not to be called
by any telemarketers under any circumstances, and that telemarketers
should make a good faith attempt not to call such people in the first
place?

May all telemarketers rot in hell forever.


Ben Carter   internet address: [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Robert Levandowski)
Subject: Re: Cellular Features Incur DOUBLE Airtime Charge
Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 95 18:58:45 GMT


In <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (Lester
Hiraki) writes:

> Does your cellular provider charge "double airtime" when using Call
> Waiting and Three-Way Calling?  What is your cellular provider and
> what geographic area does it serve?

RochesterTel Mobile/NYNEX Mobile/Advantage Cellular charges double for
these services.  They cover most of New York State, and large parts of
the remainder of New England, on the B side.

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I don't think Ameritech here in the
> Chicago area charges double. It never did make any sense to me why
> they do that; you are just using one over-the-air channel. What you
> do with that should be your business. I wonder if there would be any
> market for someone to start a three-way conference calling service for
> cellular customers so they could get away from having the cellular
> switch perform that function at double the rates? You are not alone;
> there have been other reports here of the same thing.   PAT]

I think the argument is that you're using valuable -cellular switch-
time and trunks rather than airtime ... which sounds like a preeeety
thin argument to me.  Most of the RochTel/NYNEX/Advantage conglomerate's
service area is fairly low-density usage; the only times I have
problems getting a channel are when there's a disaster on the highway
at rush hour, and traffic is backed up and stopped all over the place.
If there's plenty of air channels, wouldn't one hope there'd be no
shortage of switch trunks? :)

We had one such disaster here in Rochester last Friday.  A tanker truck
carrying 7500 gallons of gasoline crashed and exploded on the highway, right
near the busiest interchange in the city.  Fuel leaked into the sewers, and
started burning and exploding underground.  The highway was completely
closed from 10:30 AM until well past midnight, and local roads that crossed
the highway nearby were closed as well.  It must have been a choke point,
because traffic all over the south end of town was the worst I've ever seen.
Oddly enough, even while in the middle of a traffic jam in the busiest
shopping area of Rochester at 5:30 PM on a Friday night, I had no problem
getting a cellular channel.  I wonder if all the cellular "try a call on us
for free!" booths in the nearby mall had a hand in this -- it'd look bad if
your interested customers got reorders, and the signal meter is always pegged
at the mall. :)


Rob Levandowski
Computer Interest Floor associate / University of Rochester
[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Robert Levandowski)
Subject: Re: Cellular Callback Information Wanted
Organization: University of Rochester - Rochester, New York
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 95 19:04:39 GMT


In <[e-mail]> TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response
to [e-mail] (Bill Engel):

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I cannot honestly see how this would work
> since most cellular companies charge for all air time in or out don't
> they?   What do you benefit by making a call to get callback from a
> long distance carrier only to pay air time on the incoming call also?
> Don't most cellular companies give you at least a few long distance
> carriers to pick from anyway, usually including the big three?   PAT

Some cellular carriers will let you reverse the airtime charges on
incoming calls, so that the people who call you get the airtime
charges.  I don't know if they bother to inform the caller that the
"local number" they dialed will end up costing them more than most
long-distance calls ...

At least around here, cell phones are subject to Equal Access.  My
phone is on Frontier Intl. long distance, with their discount plan
which is billed seperately.  When I called Frontier to ask if this was
possible, they had to look it up ... the rep. said that apparently few
people ever ask if they can add cell phones to discount plans, but
that it's easily done and that it makes a great deal of sense to cut
the costs of the cellphone as much as possible :) It makes me happy,
because that's up to another 20% off my cellular LD over Frontier's
normal rates.


Rob Levandowski
Computer Interest Floor associate / University of Rochester
[e-mail]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #188
******************************


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From: TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson) <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #189


TELECOM Digest     Tue, 4 Apr 95 00:41:00 CDT    Volume 15 : Issue 189

Inside This Issue:                          Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Cellular Features Incur DOUBLE Airtime Charge (Willie Smith)
    Re: Cellular Features Incur DOUBLE Airtime Charge (Nick Sayer)
    Re: Cellular Callback Information Wanted (David Forder)
    Re: Cellular Callback Information Wanted (Jeff Bamford)
    Re: T1 on a PCMCIA Card? (David A. Howard)
    Re: The Complete Answering Machine Voicemail Card (Ralph Landry)
    Re: Keypad Letter Pattern (was Re: U.S. 800 Users Alert) (John Combs)
    Re: Phone Books No Longer Free (Benjamin P. Carter)
    Re: 800 Service and FLOWERS (John Rice)
    Re: Why Doesn't Z-MODEM Work? (John Rice)
    Re: Where to Get Area Code Map? (Zachary Schrag)
    Re: Where to Get Area Code Map? (Charles Sauls)
    Re: New NPA in SC Scheduled For December (Arthur L. Shapiro)
    Gray Associates Demo Software Download Now Working (Mike Rehmus)
    Meridian Phone System Help Needed (Adam Furman)
    Local Competition (Patrick Martin)
    Minors With Pagers in Tennessee (Sander J. Rabinowitz)
    Exact Time of Day (Jeff Shinn)
    Leap Year (was Re: That Time Again) (Carl Moore)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
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Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
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should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Willie Smith)
Subject: Re: Cellular Features Incur DOUBLE Airtime Charge
Organization: PictureTel Corporation
Date: Sun, 2 Apr 1995 12:32:13 GMT


[e-mail] (Lester Hiraki) writes:

> Two major Canadian cellular service providers (Cantel and Bell
> Mobility) charge "double airtime" for the use of Call Waiting and
> Three-Way Conference.

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I don't think Ameritech here in the
> Chicago area charges double. It never did make any sense to me why
> they do that; you are just using one over-the-air channel.

You guys are both assuming that "airtime" means "occupied bandwidth
one some RF channel".  In fact, it's "we charge more for doing this".
Cellular One here in MA charges "airtime" for listening to your
voicemail calls if you call from a landline phone(!) and _nothing_ for
listening to them if you call using your cellphone.  It's just a
billing artifact, don't expect it to mean what it says ...  8*|


Willie Smith    [e-mail]        [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Nick Sayer)
Subject: Re: Cellular Features Incur DOUBLE Airtime Charge
Organization: The Duck Pond public unix: [phone], log in as 'guest'.
Date: 3 Apr 1995 06:51:00 UTC


Another one is forward-on-no-answer. GTE charges "air-time" for that
even though it occupies *no* on-air bandwidth at all! Hell, if they
did SS7 off their switches, could they not (if they didn't have a
monetary interest in doing otherwise) instruct the caller's switch to
redirect the call, thus insuring that not even any of the cellular
switch's land-trunks get used?


Nick Sayer <[e-mail]>    N6QQQ @ N0ARY.#NORCAL.CA.USA.NOAM
[phone], log in as 'guest'   URL: http://www.kfu.com/~nsayer/

------------------------------

From: David Forder <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Cellular Callback Information Wanted
Date: 2 Apr 1995 18:47:43 GMT
Organization: via CompuServe Information Service


If you are a low call tariff and calls to your callback switch are
banned, go to any public or private phone dial your DID number in the
US and hang up after one or two rings. Your cellular should ring in
ten seconds or less; you are then on US lines.

For more information fax John Ward ([phone]).


David Forder, Marchwood, Southampton,UK

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jeff Bamford)
Subject: Re: Cellular Callback Information Wanted
Organization: Audio Research Group, University of Waterloo
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 10:21:55 -0400


In article <[e-mail]>, TELECOM Digest Editor
noted:

> TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I cannot honestly see how this would work
> since most cellular companies charge for all air time in or out don't
> they?   What do you benefit by making a call to get callback from a
> long distance carrier only to pay air time on the incoming call also?
> Don't most cellular companies give you at least a few long distance
> carriers to pick from anyway, usually including the big three?   PAT

    Well, I don't use a callback service with my cellular phone,
but I do use my long distance carrier's 1-800 card service for any
calls that I think will be over two minutes.  To my knowledge selecting
a long distance carrier is not an option with Cantel in Canada.  I
must use Cantel's long distance service, which is 15% *more* than "the
standard rate set by the local phone company".  Even the $0.75 to use
the calling card is offset if the call goes over a few minutes.


Jeff Bamford
Email - [e-mail] -- NeXT Mail welcome
Office/Lab: [phone] x3814     Fax: [phone]
WEB Page: <a href="http://audiolab.uwaterloo.ca/"> A.R.G. Home Page </a>

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: T1 on a PCMCIA Card?
Date: 3 Apr 1995 14:19:46 GMT
Organization: InterNex Information Services, Inc.
Reply-To: [e-mail]


In <[e-mail]>, TestMark Laboratories <0006718446@mcimail.
com> writes:

> I have a collegue who is looking for a PCMCIA card that does T1.  (I
> assume DSX-1.)  While I have seen Ethernet and GP-IB 488 on PCMCIA, I
> think T1 is a little ambitious at this point.  Anyone know anything?

Actually it's probably lack of market, not technology that is the problem.
After all ethernet is 10Mbits/s T1 is 1.554Mbits/s and there are SCSI
cards for PCMCIA that transfer well over 1.5 MBytes/s.


David A. Howard      Chief Systems Architect
Spectrum Wireless Inc.
IBM OS/2 3.0 Warp + Internet Access Toolkit
IBM TCP/IP 2.0, NFS  [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Ralph Landry)
Subject: Re: The Complete Answering Machine Voicemail Card
Organization: Medar, Inc.     Farmington Hills, MI
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 15:45:03 GMT


Alex ([e-mail]) wrote:

> I am looking for people that are using a Complete Answering Machine
> voicemail card. I bought mine second-hand in 1990 from an American via
> a BBS. In that same year I have been running a small voicemail BBS
> with about 50 users on it.

> People who know this card, know that it's possibilities are pretty
> limited.  Some of the prompts are in English, and cannot be changed.
> Also the software which comes along with the card doesn't offer
> anything like a log file, so you can see who called. Besides this, the
> card itself is good enough, it's just the software which is very
> limited. I managed to write a program which can show on screen who is
> online, when, which prompt is being played etc. Also I managed to
> write a little prog which makes it possible to switch on/off things on
> remote via the voicemailcard. With a little immagination it's all
> possible.  Perhaps the wheel has already been invented, and someone
> already wrote software for the card, or has a better version from the
> original software. I am still runing with Answer 2.12, perhaps there
> is a update? I heard the compagny who made the card does no longer
> exist. I am running with the voicemail card that does NOT have faxing
> possibilities (but I fixed that too!).

Alex, I bought the developers software for the Complete PC several
years ago from Digital Developement, 322 S. Patterson Blvd, Dayton
Ohio, 45402, phone [phone]. I don't know if they are still in
business or not.  At that time it cost $500.00 but it also included
another procam board.  I found that there is a one byte difference in
the ROM that comes with the developer kit vs the one that was supplied
by the CPC and the 2.12 voice mail.  It did not come with the source
code for 2.12 so any applications you wanted to do you had to write.
It does come with a message editor to make your own prompts or messages.

I wrote a program that would give out the daily Michigan lotto numbers
via prompts. You could put in any drawing date and hear the numbers
for that date up to a year ago.  Now I am involved in doing Caller ID
so I set the board up to answer the phone after the second ring. It will
then play back the name and number received from the Caller ID
hardware. It's been a good piece of hardware and I have two boards.
One did die while CPC was still in business but they would not sell me
just the suspected bad IC.  I would have to send the whole board in
for repair.  I found a place that sent me a few samples of the part,
replaced it and have two working boards again.


Ralph Landry         [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 3 Apr 95 13:42 EST
From: TestMark Laboratories <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Keypad Letter Pattern (was Re: U.S. 800 Users Alert)


I loaded the new Windows 95 Pre-lease on my home computer the other
day.  I was playing around with the phone dialer application when I
suddenly noticed that the 7 key had PQRS on it, and the 9 key had
WXYZ!  I have a feeling that concern over phone numbers which spell
out names won't matter much longer; we are approaching the Tower of
Babel syndrome on those spare letters.


John Combs, Project Engineer, TestMark Laboratories, [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Benjamin P. Carter)
Subject: Re: Phone Books no Longer Free
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 23:48:54 GMT


[e-mail] (Linc Madison) writes:

> ... They now charge a "nominal" fee of "$10 to $38, depending on the
> size of the directory" for *all* directories you order, including
> within your own LATA.

If this is so, the change must be very recent.  I got some free phone
books from Pac Bell earlier this year, and some others were less than
$10.


Ben Carter    internet address: [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (John Rice)
Subject: Re: 800 Service and FLOWERS
Date: 3 Apr 95 17:12:24 CST
Organization: Teradyne Inc., Telecommunications Division


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Mel
Beckman) writes:

> [e-mail] (Judith Oppenheimer) writes:

>> In comp.dcom.telecom [e-mail] (Mel Beckman) said:

>>> And here is where we see the true folly of ideas like Oppenheimer's:
>>> in the case of 1-800-FLOWERS, a trademark is entirely unnecessary,
>>> because there can be only one owner of that number in the U.S. phone
>>> system.

I think the 'flaw' in your reasoning is the fact that the 'directory
number' "1-800-FLOWERS" is the property of the provider, not the
customer. If 'Joes Flowers and Stormdoor Company' comes along and
offers the 800 provider $ 10M/year for the number, there's no law that
says that the provider can't 'pull' the number and re-assign it to
Joe.  (Might make an interesting court case). Much the same is being
fought in the courts today over a couple of internet Domain Names
(MTV.COM for example).

Trademarking "1-800-FLOWERS" won't prevent this from happening, but
it'll sure prevent 'Joe' from advertising it.


John Rice     K9IJ      [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I know what you are saying is true where
local numbers are concerned; the subscriber has no property rights in the
number assigned. That is part of the tariff. 'The Company' has the right
to re-assign numbers as it deems necessary or desirable in the conduct
of its business.  But with 800 numbers is that true?  It certainly was
true in the days before portability when your 800 number depended entirely
on the carrier you chose to use. I checked with someone just now at AT&T
on this and got the following answer:  "Portability means the number can
be transferred from one carrier to another as the customer desires. In
any event, the customer does not *own* the number; it remains the property
of the serving carrier. AT&T may have 'owned' the number in the past, and
now MCI (because of the customer's choice) 'owns' the number, but in any
event the customer *never did own the number, and still does not own it*.
Customers do not have property rights in telephone numbers."

I asked well, if that is true, then in the event I want to take my very
highly desirable number away from your company and give it to another
carrier, what prevents your company (as the present carrier/owner of the
number) from using the threat of taking it away from me as a way of
'persuading' me to continue with your company instead of your competitor?
After all, you own it and I have no property rights, correct?  The answer
was this is true, however if the carrier were to seize the number in this
way it would then be idle, and as your agent the other carrier would come
to us and demand the number anyway. "Besides," said my contact, "we would
get sued until Kingdom come for playing around like that; I think the
way that rule (no property rights in number) is interpreted is to mean that
as telephone systems change their technology and expand their numbering
systems, etc that in the event the customer's number has to be changed in
order to be compatible with the network the customer has no legitimate
gripe with the carrier."  I asked about your theoretical example above,
and the response was that he could not imagine telco not getting a good
and thorough suing if a number change like that took place for strictly
financial, monetary reasons.    PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (John Rice)
Subject: Re: Why Doesn't Z-MODEM work?
Date: 3 Apr 95 17:20:06 CST
Organization: Teradyne Inc., Telecommunications Division


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Jon Firor)
writes:

> In article <[e-mail]>, Sousa_Antonio_B/ICP_LISBOA_
> [e-mail] says:

>> I've had the same problem in the past. I noticed that some of the files got
>> through but others did not. I found out that the problem were the escape
>> characters used in the Z-MODEM protocol. With the program I was using, I
>> started working with the -e parameter (escape control characters) and had
>> no problems since then.

> Sounds like XON/XOFF flow control. You can not use this with ZMODEM!!

Z-modem is an 8 bit protocol, unless you establish an 8 bit Telnet
connection, it won't work. Basic Telnet is a 7bit connection. Some
Telnet clients support an 8bit mode (check your man page on how to
start telnet in 8bit mode).

Also agree with the above. Control characters are part of the problem
too. But if you're going to try to do Z-modem transfers of binaries,
you 'have' to be in 8-bit mode.


John Rice     K9IJ     [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Zachary Schrag <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Where to Get Area Code Map?
Date: 3 Apr 1995 13:02:44 GMT
Organization: TeleGeography, Inc.


In article <[e-mail]> Dawn Adler, [e-mail]
writes:

> what I mean is a close up map that shows exactly where one area code
> changes to another, all I know is one area code cannot cross state
> lines!

The Rand McNally Commercial Atlas -- found in good libraries -- has a nice,
two-page spread.


Zachary Schrag  TeleGeography, Inc.  [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Even that publication shows at best very
general boundaries; little dash lines cutting part of a state in half,
etc.  Does Dawn want something that general or even more specific?   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Charles Sauls)
Subject: Re: Where to Get Area Code Map?
Date: 3 Apr 1995 16:52:56 -0700
Organization: Eastern Oregon State College


> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Yes it does. And a small bit of 312
> goes into Wisconsin in the form of Antioch, IL and North Antioch,
> WI. I think 414 'comes south' in the case of Beloit, WI and South
> Beloit, IL.   PAT]

Another case I know of is 503-675, which is Midvale, Idaho.


Charles
The Sauls Brothers * [e-mail] * La Grande, Oregon, USA


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But in a lot of those cases you can dial the
number from elsewhere either with the 'area code of record' for that state
or with the 'area code of convenience' used in the community. In some
cases that is impossible because the corresponding prefix is already assigned
in the adjacent area code. Remember how for years and years we could dial
any number in 301/202/703 using any of those three area codes?  You could
reach any DC/VA/MD number using any of those three codes.

How picky was the Bell System thirty or forty years ago about this sort of
thing?  Well ... old timers will tell you that not only were there very
specific rules about who got what area codes; who got the ones with zero
in the middle and who got the ones with one in the middle, but there was
also a rule that the same prefix was never assigned in two adjacent area
codes. That is, if 321 was a prefix in your area code, it was not used in
the area code on any side of you. Why?  Because 'community dialing' was
considered important. Every state has one or two instances of cities or
towns which straddle the state line or an area code boundary. Bell did
not want these communities inconvenienced in their calling patterns. That
was long ago ... such luxuries have been unaffordable for several years
now.     PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: 03 APR 95 10:08
Subject: Re: New NPA in SC Scheduled For December


Lee Winson claims:

> Only a five month permissive period?  When Bell of Pa split 215 with
> 610, they gave 13 months permissive.

I call 215 (now 610) from California 714 several times a month.  I had
NEVER received an intercept advising me to dial 610, until the day
where the call simply "could not be completed as dialed ...".  What an
interesting way of finding out that an area code had changed.  Any
theories out there as to why I never got the warnings of an impending
split?


Arthur L. Shapiro        [e-mail]
Software Engineering
Unisys Corporation       Speaking as a civilian, rather than for
Mission Viejo, CA        Unisys, unless this box is checked: [ ]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Probably you never got the warnings because
you were not reading this Digest ... <g> ... we had lots of discussion
about it. I suspect your telco said hey, if Art is not reading the Digest
each day, then he is not that important of a customer to us!   :)   PAT]

------------------------------

From: Mike Rehmus <[e-mail]>
Subject: Gray Associates Demo Software Download Now Working
Date: 1 Apr 1995 07:13:42 GMT
Organization: Portal Communications (service)


The Gray Associates WEB page had a problem supporting download of the
demo software for our Protocol Analzyer.  We moved the file to a new
ftp site and preliminary tests show that it is working much better.

If you tried to download the software and could not, please retry.
The URL is http://www.grayfax.com.

If you continue to have problems, let me know and I will mail you a
disk.


Best regards,

Mike Rehmus    Gray Associates

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Adam Furman)
Subject: Meridian Phone System Help Wanted
Date: 3 Apr 1995 01:08:29 GMT
Organization: TZ-Link, a public-access online community in Nyack, NY.


I have a Meridian phone system installed in my business.  When I took
over this business the owner told me all the passwords for the system.
I don't remember the admin password for the system.  I know the password
for restricted calls.  I know that the passwords are not the same.  I
tried the admin way twice; that doesn't seem to pass that screen.  If
there is anyone who can help me change that password with out messing
up the program and deleting anything from the system, please contact
me.


Thanks,

Adam


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: My first suggestion would be to contact
the previous owner and ask him again ... failing that, I am told there
is a method in hardware to restore the factory defaults; you know, a
jumper here and a jumper there, etc ... and no doubt some readers here
could help you; the only thing is, the more reputable of my readers (yes,
a few of them are reputable!) might be reluctant to pass along that
information without a secure knowledge that you did 'take over the business'
 from the 'previous owner' and are not simply interested in taking over
the current unknown owner's phone system. :)  <wink> ... having gotten
that squared away, probably someone here can help you.  Maybe some of
the less reputable readers will help you anyway.  As has often been said,
a couple of old-timers working together seldom waste time on preliminaries.
Any one with instructions for Adam?      PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Patrick Martin)
Subject: Local Competition
Date: 2 Apr 1995 06:02:34 GMT
Organization: Netcom


Am I missing something here? Have we not had local competition for
quite some time now? What are PBX systems but a way for a business to
provide their own dial tones? What are Tenant systems but a way for a
third party to provide dial tone? No one has shown up at my door step,
but isn't that because it is more cost effective to serve business
centers at this time? Is there any specific law on the books
prohibiting provision of dial tone to my house? I am in Texas and
realize that regulations vary by state. I suspect that all of this
talk about legalizing local competition is way for the RBOCs to get
de-regulated.

Clarification of this issue would be appreciated.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: They mean local competition *in a big
way*. Yes, we have had 'competition' for years in the form of <P>rivate
<B>ranch e<X>changes and such, but that's not what they mean. They mean
every person able to choose thier local service provider in the way we
can choose our long distance provider now.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Minors With Pagers in Tennessee
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 19:39:58 -0400


 From: Sander J. Rabinowitz                    EDS/GM 8 320 5509
      EDS/Saturn Sales and Marketing Team       [phone]

The {Nashville Tennessean} reported this morning (4-3-95) that
legislation has been proposed at the state level, which if enacted,
would prohibit the use of pagers by minors, except if there was
parental consent.  It was unclear from the article what would
constitute proof of consent.

If a minor is convicted under the proposed legislation, the penalty is
to have one's drivers license revoked for a year, and have a requirement
imposed to perform 50 hours of community service work.  Additional
provisions prohibit the sale of pagers directly to a minor, the penalty
for which is a $2,500 fine.  Apparently, however, a parent or guardian
can purchase a pager on a minor's behalf.

The legislation, in addition to the usual concerns about pagers being
the primary means of communication among drug dealers, was prompted by
concerns of parents losing control of their children.  A father of a
14 year old girl reportedly contacted a legislator on the matter after
the girl had been receiving calls from "undesirables," that the use of
a pager by the girl had apparently been related to these calls, and
after finding that the use of pagers by minors in Tennessee was legal.

"We need a law.  These beeper retailers have usurped my authority with
my daughter and they are contributing in a way to delinquency because
she is receiving calls from these people I find objectionable," the
father reportedly told State Representative Henri Brooks (D-Memphis),
the sponsor of the bill.


EDS/Saturn, 100 Saturn Parkway #F10, Spring Hill, TN 37174.
Internet: [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jeff Shinn)
Subject: Exact Time of Day
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 16:34:07 MDT


In Joseph Singer's post he mentioned being able to find the exact time
by calling the National Institute of Standards and Technology (formerly
National Bureau of Standards); there is yet another alternative:

Purchase a shortwave radio (Grundig, Sony, Radio Shack, <several other
manufacturers) for as little as $75 new, and tune in shortwave radio
station WWV (NIST, Ft. Collins, Colorado) or WWVH (NIST, Hawaii).  The
second-by-second "ticks" can be heard, along with the "each minute"
voice announcements, solar radiation conditions, and Global Positioning
System (GPS) satellite updates.

The frequencies are 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, 15.0 (and 20.0, I believe) megahertz,
in the shortwave bands.  Depending upon location, time of day and
other atmospheric conditions, you will hear a signal on one of the
stations and frequencies.  The Canadian government also operates "time
standard" broadcast stations (CHU is the station designator) but I
don't know off hand the frequencies.


Jeff Shinn, N7HQT
Jeffrey P. Shinn, State of Idaho
208/334-3138 (voice); 334-2438 (fax); [e-mail]
Personal:  [e-mail]; 73144,1754 (CompuServe)

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 3 Apr 95 15:16:56 EDT
From: Carl Moore <[e-mail]>
Subject: Leap Year (was Re: That Time Again)


In a 400-year period, the Julian calendar has 100 leap years, and the
Gregorian has only 97.  And I read someplace that an even more accurate
way to keep the calendar in line with the seasons was to omit a leap
year every 128 years.  But the Gregorian, as noted, takes more than
3000 years to be off by one day.

The Gregorian calendar was instituted in 1582, so it should have been
right in line with the seasons then.  (Many countries took longer to
adopt it; Great Britain and its colonies, including the future United
States, did not adopt it until 1752.)

                            --------------

TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Julius Caesar (or more correctly, perhaps,
Gaius Julius who lived from 100-44 BC, a Roman general, statesperson
and writer) had a fascination with the calendar although he made some
awful mathematical errors in his decrees regarding same. He named one
of the nice summer months after himself. The word Caesar itself probably
comes from the French 'ruler' or 'emperor'; one to whom civil obedience
is due; a temporal ruler. It would apply to any of the dictator/rulers
in that time who succeeded Augustus Caesar (who also has a month in the
summer named after him) -- or would you readers in Australia say a month
in the winter -- heh! heh! -- I am so glad its your turn for awhile while
we here get to warm up now; instead of the gas works cutting me for not
paying my furnace/heating bill, now Edison can cut me for not paying for
the electricity to run my air-conditioning ... ah, but I digress.

Anyway, after meditation and consultation with his astronomers and others
he realized that 365 days in a year was not quite accurate. Using the
tools at his disposal he decided there had to be an extra quarter day
tossed in each year to make things work out right. So the new calendar
was devised according to his instructions. They went along that way for
quite awhile, adding one day every four years to account for that left
over bit each year. The error was not big enough to notice even over
several hundred years.

Well, along about the year 520 in the Christian era (although they did
not call it that, they still used Roman era numbering) the Pope at
that time got annoyed about something (in those days, and clear through
the 16th century the Popes were just plain *weird*, there is no other
way to describe them; the saints in the 13th-14th century were even
more *weird*, but I am digressing again ... so the Pope called on one
of his scholars and bright young men, a monk by the name of Dennis
Aloysius (I think) and said "Dennis, figure out a new system of years
to go by."  Dennis thought about that for quite a while and after some
serious calculations told the Pope that Jesus had been born in the
720th year of the Roman Era and that henceforth that would be known as
year 1, and that therefore it was now the 520th year in the Christian
era. The pope bought that argument and made his own decree accordingly.
He let Julius and Augustus continue to have months each year named in
their honor. There were a few other months named after persons real or
mythical which he allowed to remain in the calendar and the leap year
thing seemed okay, so he kept that part also; only the year number would
change. There were days of the week to honor the moon and the sun; the pope
left that alone also. But Dennis made some errors in his work also that
would not be rectified or discovered for about 11 centuries.

Fast forward a thousand years or so, and Pope Gregory has been told by his
advisors and confidantes that the calendar is going to be adjusted again.
As they explained it to Pope Gregory, Gaius Julius had gotten it all wrong:
instead of a year consisting of 365.25 days, it really only consisted of
365.2422 days, or 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes and 49 seconds. As a
result of that 11 minute difference each year unaccounted for in Gaius
Julius' calendar, it has gotten way out of whack, being some several days
short of where it ought to be.  By the time they can enforce this on
all of Europe however, several more years have passed. In 1582 --
I forget exactly what date -- a general adjustment was made throughout
Europe with the calendar; several days were just chopped out to make
up the shortfall.

In England a few years later, King James decided to write a new Bible.
It was to be that the version King James authorized would be truthful
and more accurate than earlier scriptures, especially those that the
earlier Popes had had anything to do with. He put Archbishop Usher in
charge of the project, and soon the Archbishop and his scholars were
busy at work. They thought it important to provide exact dates for all
the various occurances in this new Bible they were writing for King
James, and in the process of proving to the King that the world was
created on Tuesday, October 8, 4004 BC at 9:30 in the morning, they
discovered an error in the work Dennis Aloysius had done centuries
before.  It seems he had miscounted somehow and left out four years.
Oh gosh ... well, said King James, we are not going to change this
year from 1612 to 1616, we already changed the calendar once and
dropped off all those days we were short, we are not going to add four
more years. A few people including the Archbishop almost lost their
heads because of that bad news they brought the King.  They just
decided they would backdate everything, and take ancient history and
move it all back by four years instead as to *reported dates*. So they
went through their scriptures and moved every date back by four years
including the birth of Jesus Christ. This of course meant that Jesus
Christ was born in the year 4 *<B>efore <C>hrist, and that seemed odd
to King James and Archbishop Usher as it seems odd to me. Still, they
decided to let it go, and if you look at the KJV Bible today -- still
one of the best selling Bibles around, 380 years later -- the little
references and margin notes come to Jesus' birth and refer to it as
the year 4 BC, in other words he was born four years before he was
born (?!?). Trivia, they said, don't bother us with that trivia.

Just on general principles, England and her colonies in America did
not go along with the adjusted calendar. England did not make the 1582
adjustment until 170 years later. By the middle 1700's though, this
calendar dispute was getting awkward and embarassing for the colonists
in the New World. After all, they still did some trading with Europe
and other business with them and it was getting a bit weary for folks
here to say it was Tuesday, May 1 while people in Europe were saying
no, it is really Tuesday, May 12.  Not only that, there was a movement
afoot to change New Year's Day to January 1.  Someone had thought,
wisely, from long before that the perfect time to start the New Year
was when spring started; a new year, new birth and all that ... so it
has always been that March 21 was 'New Years Eve' and March 22 was New
Years Day. For example, March 21, *1610* was followed by March 22,
*1611* ... it was always done that way for however long.  Wasn't that
one of Gaius Julius' ideas also? ... I think so. Finally the Americans
gave in and agreed to adjust their calendars also with the new year
starting on January 1.

September, 1752 saw the new Gregorian calendar take affect in America
and England, and the calendar for that month looked like this:

   September 1752
 S  M Tu  W Th  F  S       Note that Wednesday, September 2, 1752
       1  2 14 15 16       was followed by Thursday, September 14,
17 18 19 20 21 22 23       1752.  We had to yank 11 days out while
24 25 26 27 28 29 30       Europe only knocked about 8 days out since
                           extra time passed before we finally did it.

This, they assured us, plus following the new rules for leap years
would keep everything in good shape for quite awhile. The problem had
been we were only entitled to pick up .2422 of a day instead of .25
of a day. When we did the pick up every four years, we claimed an
extra day when we were only entitled to an accumulated .9688 of a
day. That extra .0312 of a day we should not have would accumulate
after a century (25 leap year days added) to us being .78 of a day
away from where we should be. So by taking one less leap day every
century, instead of being .78 of a day ahead, we would be .2512 of a day
behind. It was that extra .78 of a day per century accumulated over
all those years that we had to deal with finally in 1752. After four
centuries of losing .2512 of a day each century, we come out to 1.0048
days short of where we ought to be, so we go ahead and take another
leap year day, leaving ourselves only .0048 of a day out of whack.
The exact rule we follow is that every four years is a leap year
*except* if the year ends in two zeros *unless* the year (ending in
two zeros) is also divisible by 400. The year 1600 was a leap year.
1700, 1800 and 1900 were not leap years; the year 2000 will be a leap
year.

As Carl points out, omitting a leap year every 128 years makes more
sense; under Pope Gregory's formula we have to get all the way to
the 33rd century before another arbitrary adjustment has to be made,
but under the rule of skipping a leap year every 128 years we could
go several more centuries later than that. Or, they could adopt *my*
formula and never have to worry about it again:

The rule of Saint Patrick (and you may think I am weird also, but
I did not live in the 15th century so I am not as weird as *they*
were) is this:  every year at the stroke of midnight on New Year's
Eve, we set the clocks back to 6:12 PM and have another 5 hours and
48 minutes of New Year's Eve partying.   :)  I have also thought about
building a clock which had 74.5 minutes per 'hour'; it could probably
be marketed in one of those fancy mail order catalogs such as Sharper
Image. Marketed as 'natural earth time', it would be so cool to watch
how every four years or so the 'natural earth time clock' would be
nearly in synch with the arbitrary time shown on our 'real' clocks.
Always *nearly*, never exactly; then the time on that clock would
diverge widely from ours for another four years then begin to come
in line again; closer than the last time, but still frustratingly
different. Then perhaps once in our lifetimes the clocks would be
just seconds apart ... as close as we would ever see them ... and
they would begin to diverge again. I'd put the natural earth time
clock in a case with a 'regular' clock and a caption saying 'the
real time is ...'  but we say the time is ...'.

Here is your homework assignment for tomorrow: assuming the 1752
adjustment left us in perfect synch as of zero hours zero minutes GMT
on Thursday, September 14, 1752 (which it didn't, but let's say it did),
and the time now is commonly accepted to be five hours 54 minutes GMT
Tuesday, April 4, 1995, what would be the 'real' earth time right now?
Day, date, minutes and hours please.     PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #189
******************************

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Date: Tue, 11 Apr 1995 07:38:30 -0500
From: TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson) <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #190


TELECOM Digest     Tue, 4 Apr 95 19:55:00 CDT    Volume 15 : Issue 190

Inside This Issue:                          Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Local Competition (Frank Atkinson)
    Re: Minors With Pagers in Tennessee (Frank Atkinson)
    Re: Minors With Pagers in Tennessee (Mark Robert Smith)
    Re: Cellular Callback Information Wanted (Georg Oehl)
    Re: SS7 References Wanted ([e-mail])
    Re: Experiences Wanted With InternetMCI by News Reporter (J. Sinclare)
    Re: Experiences Wanted With InternetMCI by News Reporter ([e-mail])
    Re: What is TELEGO Service? (Linc Madison)
    Re: Outrageous ISDN Overcharges - They Aren't FCC's Doing (Michel Cole)
    Re: Inability to Use LEC Calling Card From Office Phone (Steve Cogorno)
    Re: Cellular Features Incur DOUBLE Airtime Charge (Mike Frere)
    Re: Has There Been *Any* Digital Cellular Fraud Yet in the US? (marc_k)
    Re: When Handed a Lemon, Make Lemonade! (Gary D. Shapiro)
    Re: Regulated Cash Cows (Lee Winson)
    Re: Phone Books no Longer Free (Ed Ellers)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
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Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
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                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
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                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
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*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
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* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such
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All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Frank Atkinson)
Subject: Re: Local Competition
Date: 4 Apr 1995 19:07:21 -0400
Organization: The Greater Columbus Freenet


Patrick Martin ([e-mail]) wrote:

> Am I missing something here? Have we not had local competition for
> quite some time now? What are PBX systems but a way for a business to
> provide their own dial tones? What are Tenant systems but a way for a

snip

> realize that regulations vary by state. I suspect that all of this
> talk about legalizing local competition is way for the RBOCs to get
> de-regulated.

In Ohio dereg means just that, your friendly local cable tv company
will be on your doorstep wanting your telephone business, or perhaps
your friendly long-distance company will make you a calling circle
deal that includes your local service or maybe a new company who is a
small player that wants to be a bigger player. Of course your local
phone company will also be on your door step wanting your long
distance and your cable tv business as well. (Hope you have a big
front step!) You might be right that the RBOC's piggybacked on the
issue to get their freedom. As part of the agreement for greater RBOC
freedom they agreed not to fight competition on the grounds that there
was only one true telephone company.


Frank Atkinson       [e-mail] or
[e-mail]  I think therefore I am, I think?

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Frank Atkinson)
Subject: Re: Minors With Pagers in Tennessee
Date: 4 Apr 1995 19:13:20 -0400
Organization: The Greater Columbus Freenet


[e-mail] wrote:

> The {Nashville Tennessean} reported this morning (4-3-95) that
> legislation has been proposed at the state level, which if enacted,
> would prohibit the use of pagers by minors, except if there was
> parental consent.  It was unclear from the article what would
> constitute proof of consent.

Maybe we should also make it illegal for them to buy shoes, if they
don't have shoes they won't walk out of the house, if they can't get
out of the house they can't get into trouble, and her father could
rest easy. I am afraid of state level solutions, they tend to
overreact to easily. We have a bill to designate a state snake in Ohio
so Tennessee doesn't win the dumb prize.


Frank Atkinson       [e-mail] or
[e-mail]  I think therefore I am, I think?

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mark Robert Smith)
Subject: Re: Minors With Pagers in Tennessee
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 17:50:51 EST
Organization: New Jersey Computer Connection, Lawrenceville, NJ


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] writes:

> The {Nashville Tennessean} reported this morning (4-3-95) that
> legislation has been proposed at the state level, which if enacted,
> would prohibit the use of pagers by minors, except if there was
> parental consent.  It was unclear from the article what would
> constitute proof of consent.

> If a minor is convicted under the proposed legislation, the penalty is
> to have one's drivers license revoked for a year, and have a requirement
> imposed to perform 50 hours of community service work.  Additional
> provisions prohibit the sale of pagers directly to a minor, the penalty
> for which is a $2,500 fine.  Apparently, however, a parent or guardian
> can purchase a pager on a minor's behalf.

A similar law has been on the books in New Jersey for a few years now.
It is also a 4th degree crime in New Jersey to "use a paging device"
while distributing drugs.

In the kid's case, a parent's consent is not enough to carry a pager.
Kids must have a doctor's permission to carry one.


Mark Smith    Mercerville, NJ

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Georg Oehl)
Subject: Re: Cellular Callback Information Wanted
Organization: University of Kaiserslautern, Germany
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 22:47:53 GMT


As a comment to Bill Engel's question for Cellular Callback services, PAT
wrote:

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I cannot honestly see how this would work
> since most cellular companies charge for all air time in or out don't
> they?   What do you benefit by making a call to get callback from a
> long distance carrier only to pay air time on the incoming call also?
> Don't most cellular companies give you at least a few long distance
> carriers to pick from anyway, usually including the big three?   PAT

    Well, PAT it exists. Here in Germany, for instance, Cyberlink
is offering a service where you dial a toll-free number and -- armed
with your PIN and destination phone number -- can dial anywhere in the
world for less than what it would cost you if you dialed direct on
your cellular phone.  Depending on your billing plan with your card
provider you can even save on cellular calls made _within_ Germany.
Something like 20 to 40 percent. (Being cheaper on international calls
made with your cell phone in Germany is not hard, really, so I'm not
even going to elaborate on that.)  But it is not true Callback, of
course.

    And -- in Germany you only pay for _outgoing_ calls made with
your cellular phone. You don't pay for toll-free calls though, but I
think it won't take long before the network providers realize that
they are losing business there too and change the tariffing structure
accordingly.

    BTW, international callback from Germany to the US with a US
Callback service I recently subscribed to is (slightly) _cheaper_ than
a phone call _within_ Germany at the most expensive time (8 a.m. to 6
p.m.) to the most expensive place (distances farther away than 30
miles).  So, when you don't pay for incoming calls, callback can be
extremely cheaper.


Georg

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 95 15:51:17 -0500
Subject: Re: SS7 References Wanted


In article <[e-mail]>, David Newman <[e-mail].
edu> wrote:

> In the first place, "SS7 programming" is a non-entity.  SS7 is a
> mnemonic for "Common Channel Signaling System #7", a set of strictly
> defined protocols for inter-office signalling in the PSTN (Public
> Switched Telephone Network).  As such, the end user has little or no
> access to the phones from, or using, SS7.  This is language that the
> switches use to talk to each other.

I am aware that SS7 follows the OSI model and am interested in the
protocols from a programming aspect.  What I'd like to find is the
Douglas Comer volumes I..III of SS7.  I have software already deployed
in central offices on equipment snuggled up next to the switch and
would like to be able to use the apparent "SS7 features" to provide
additional functionality.

I've also got a situation where a voice/fax service bureau would like
to set message waiting on a line coming out of another central office
when a call is forwarded or a fax is received.  I have some information
that leads me to believe that with a different configuration on the
T1's into the two types of systems I've just referred to that I will
get a control channel much like one gets with ISDN down which I can
squirt appropriately formatted messages.

Someone referred me to the Bellcore specs, which I will buy if forced
to but I'd rather spend $50 for a decent reference to research the
possibilities before I drop a few thousand on Bellcore specs only to
get bad news.


Thanks for responding.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (JSinclare)
Subject: Re: Experiences Wanted With InternetMCI by News Reporter
Date: 4 Apr 1995 20:24:23 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (JSinclare)


In comp.dcom.telecom is written:

> My name is Enrique Gonzales, an editor and reporter for UPI Financial
> in D.C. covering telecommunications, information technology and the
> Internet. I covered the internetMCI announcement Monday. I'll try to
> answer some of your questions. MCI claims to be soon offering local
> dial up in 65 cities, but 1800 dialup at $6.50/hour plus regular
> access charges of $19.99 until June, then $9/hour for the first few
> hours per month. Oh, that's $19.99 a month until June. The software is
> $40, email software $30, roughly. They claim they fully support 28.8
> without problems of telephone switching systems. Please advise about
> problems or frustrations with them.

The last part of your message caused me a little concern.  Why are you
only interested in 'problems/frustrations'?  I have some sincere
doubts that you are reporter.  Having been a part of the news game for
a number of years in TV and Radio I find your lack of objectivity
appalling ... if in fact you are a reporter.

Our firm has been using the internetMCI product for access for several
months now.  We were previously on SprintNet and were never impressed
with their customer service.  Most of the time their engineers could
not assist us, someone else would have to call back an hour or so
later.  Since we have been using internetMCI (accessing the Internet
via their hyperstream frame relay service) we have been *very*
impressed with our account team, and the NOC (network ops center) they
use.  The techs at the NOC are very knowledgeable and are pleasent to
deal with.  We don't have any plans of using the internetMCI software
at this time.  We don't need to: we are using the Netmanage software
(which is basically the same thing, only the 'hot' keys are different).

I know this is not the response you are looking for ... a favorable
one.  But its the one you are getting from me nevertheless.


[e-mail]      MIS Director GCSI

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (DeFantom)
Subject: Re: Experiences Wanted With InternetMCI by News Reporter
Date: 3 Apr 1995 21:00:57 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (DeFantom)


You wrote:

> Please advise about problems or frustrations with them.

I thought you said in your posting you were a reporter.  Isn't it the
responsibility of reporters to be objective?  Why ask for only
problems or frustrations?  Why not ask for *all* opinions?

You did forget to mention something in your request: according to the
annoucement MCI will not be shipping the internetMCI software until
the end of the month so you won't get any kind of response for a
little while.


[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Linc Madison)
Subject: Re: What is TELEGO Service?
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest)
Date: Tue, 4 Apr 1995 22:34:14 GMT


Spiros Triantafyllopoulos ([e-mail]) wrote:

> A new service is advertised locally by GTE that is billed like a Super
> Cordless phone that you can take with you to the car, golf course,
> etc. No word like the dreaded 'cellular' is used anywhere.  The phone
> can be used from home as well.

> The ad says you don't buy the phone ('no expensive phone to buy').  No
> more details other than that.

Sounds quite suspiciously like the "Rabbit Phone" in the U.K.  They've
gone out of business, but for a while you could buy a telephone which
would operate like a cordless in your own home, but when you were away
 from home could be used to place *outgoing calls only* anywhere within
range of their little rabbit signs.  These would then be billed to you
at rates somewhat higher than a normal payphone but significantly
lower than a cellphone.  They were still in the process of ramping up
on access points when they went out of business, but they had access
points in major downtown areas, including on the platforms of many of
the major London Underground stations, some of which are deep enough
that you'd probably get a lousy cellular connection unless they also
install a mini-cell.


Linc Madison   *   San Francisco, California   *   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Michel Cole)
Subject: Re: Outrageous ISDN Overcharges - They Aren't FCC's Doing
Date: 4 Apr 1995 17:00:40 -0400
Organization: Masters of the Universe, inc.


In article <[e-mail]>, Sean Donelan <[e-mail]>
wrote:

> In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Fred R.
> Goldstein) writes:

>> Southwestern Bell's monthly rates aren't the outrage, but with Texas
>> residential installs running over $500, who wants to pay?  A three-year
>> buydown helps a little.

> When I asked SWBT for residential ISDN rates in St. Louis.  I was told
> install was about $500 (order before some date (4/1/95?) and you get a
> $400 credit) plus $56 per B channel (or $112 for 2B+D) per month with
> unlimited local calling.  For comparison, residential POTS is about
> $18/month unlimited local calling.

I would be glad to pay this (we are getting screwed in NYNEX-land). I
could get 2B channels for <$120/month dedicated. A bit less expensive
than the alternative.


Michel

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve Cogorno)
Subject: Re: Inability to Use LEC Calling Card From Office Phone
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 22:34:44 PDT


Michael Henry said:

> In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] says:

>>    1. Is it permissible for the university to prevent people from
>>       making Southern Bell calling-card calls from their offices?

>>    2. Same question, from dorm rooms.

> Same answer as above.

I thought that universities that provide service to dorms are considered
aggregators.  Don't they have to provide 10xxx dialing?


Steve   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Mfrere <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Cellular Features Incur DOUBLE Airtime Charge
Date: 4 Apr 1995 20:01:37 GMT
Organization: Solect Technology Group


[e-mail] (Robert Levandowski) wrote:

> We had one such disaster here in Rochester last Friday.  A tanker truck
> carrying 7500 gallons of gasoline crashed and exploded on the highway, right
> near the busiest interchange in the city.  Fuel leaked into the sewers, and
> started burning and exploding underground.  The highway was completely
> closed from 10:30 AM until well past midnight, and local roads that crossed
> the highway nearby were closed as well.  It must have been a choke point,
> because traffic all over the south end of town was the worst I've ever seen.
> Oddly enough, even while in the middle of a traffic jam in the busiest
> shopping area of Rochester at 5:30 PM on a Friday night, I had no problem
> getting a cellular channel.  I wonder if all the cellular "try a call on us
> for free!" booths in the nearby mall had a hand in this -- it'd look bad if
> your interested customers got reorders, and the signal meter is always pegged
> at the mall. :)

I'd just like to point out that peak cellular usage is around 10am and 3pm.
During rush hour, you would think that with everyone in their cars usage would
be high.  In fact it's not.

What is usually the case is that nobody is in the offices to take the calls.
They're all stuck in traffic too!

We had a tech that would take a look off the roof top where the cell site
was located before taking equipment off the air.  When the traffic cleared
up, he would start the work!  So he was actually causing congestion that way.


Later,

Mike

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (marc_k)
Subject: Re: Has There Been *Any* Digital Cellular Fraud Yet in the US?
Date: 4 Apr 1995 07:15:31 GMT
Organization: Escape Internet Access (212-888-8780).


Yes, A friend in NYC had to have his account changed, and a security
code added, because, according to Cellular One, his account had been
compromised (I'm not sure what word they ACTUALLY used)!  He has a
Digital Motorola "FLIP"

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gary D. Shapiro)
Subject: Re: When Handed a Lemon, Make Lemonade!
Date: Tue, 04 Apr 1995 00:03:08 -0700
Organization: Committee to Re-Elect George Leroy Tirebiter


In article <[e-mail]>, Donald E. Kimberlin
<[e-mail]> wrote:

>                     Phone Won't Stop Ringing?
>                         Here's What You Do
>                          By Art Buchwald

[snip]

I have a phone number similar to that of the Santa Barbara Mission.
Should I offer to take confession?  Or should I wait until I can get
Caller ID?  Just think of the income opportunities!

JUST KIDDING!  REALLY, I'M JUST KIDDING!  HONEST!

Gary D. Shapiro <[e-mail]>    http://www.rain.org/~gshapiro/

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Lee Winson)
Subject: Re: Regulated Cash Cows
Date: 4 Apr 1995 01:04:57 GMT
Organization: PACS IBM SIG BBS


Important items:

  What are the expenses relating to the revenues he posted?

  What is the asset base in which those revenues are earned?

  How do the rates of his particular RBOC compare to others for
  comparable classes of service?

  How good are the service quality indicies for that RBOC?

Amount of revenue by itself is meaningless.  Profit (revenue less
expenses) is important.  Return on investment is the real item.

If that company is pulling a 75% profit based on an equipment base of
fence-post subscriber loops and step-by-step switches, yes, I would
say it's a cash cow.  If that company is pulling in a 7% profit based
on continual upgrade to digit switches and fiber loops, then it's
another story.

------------------------------

From: Ed Ellers <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Phone Books no Longer Free
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 95 22:18:24 -0500
Organization: Delphi ([e-mail] email, 800-695-4005 voice)


Linc Madison <[e-mail]> writes:

> A few other changes happened at the same time.  Some years back, just
> after divestiture, you could get any Pacific Bell directory within your
> LATA just for the asking.  A few years later, about 1988, I think, they
> started charging for yellow-pages-only volumes -- no charge for white
> pages or combined white-and-yellow.  They now charge a "nominal" fee of
> "$10 to $38, depending on the size of the directory" for *all*
> directories you order, including within your own LATA.

Charging for yellow-pages-only volumes doesn't surprise me at all,
because yellow pages are paid for by advertisers and those advertisers
won't pay for circulation outside the areas they intend to serve.  In
fact it was the practice in the Bell System pre-1984 to print small
quantities of white-only versions of all books that normally combined
white and yellow sections, specifically to be given out outside the
actual areas being served.  (Thin white-only Jeffersonville/Clarksville/
New Albany books used to be seen fairly often around Louisville, and
thin white-only Louisville phone books were even more common in
southern Indiana.)  Obviously in the case of separate yellow pages it
was easy to just send out the white pages.

I suspect the charge for out-of-area phone books (I mean local calling
area, not necessarily Judge Greene's LATAs) is another result of
divestiture; before then, since operating companies never competed
against each other (even between Bell and GTE), they cooperated freely
in many ways including exchanging phone books to provide to customers.
Now that the RBOCs are competing in several respects they aren't
exactly inclined to treat each other as siblings, so charging for
directories provided to other LECs was an obvious step and charging
customers is the next one.

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #190
******************************

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From: TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson) <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #191

TELECOM Digest     Mon, 10 Apr 95 09:12:00 CDT    Volume 15 : Issue 191

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Area Code Overlays vs. Splits (Lauren Weinstein)
    AT&T $5/Month Minimum (Stan Brown)
    ICA Summer Program - Building the Corporate Internet (Bob Harper)
    NC Solons Complete Local Competition Bill (Donald E. Kimberlin)
    FCC Information On-Line (Bob Keller)
    Voice Mail Abuse in Election Campaign ([e-mail])
    SLIP Hangs up Mac (Steve Klarer)
    Asia's Largest Private Township Wants to Get Wired (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
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information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, 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 twenty dollars per
year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.

All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 10 Apr 95 02:32 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Lauren Weinstein)
Subject: Area Code Overlays vs. Splits


Greetings.  I've commented in the past on the desirability of area
code overlays as opposed to splits to deal with number growth
problems.  While forced 10 or 11 digit dialing for local calls may
seem onerous to some, it has long been effectively a fact of life in
most metro areas with multiple NPAs (area codes) if you were calling
more than a short distance across the city!  Here in L.A., it's
virtually useless to give anyone less than your full 10 digit number
 -- they could need it to reach you from the nearby NPA across the
street.

The local telcos (at least in the L.A. area) have been getting their
act together in terms of permitting the inclusion of 1 + area code even
for calls within the same NPA, which makes it much easier to dial in a
uniform manner regardless of where you happen to be at the moment.

I am very disappointed, however, to see the wireless companies
lobbying the state utilities commissions and the FCC to force telcos
to engage in more splits rather than use overlay codes.  The wireless
folks are claiming that the overlays are "discriminatory".  Hogwash.
As I mentioned above, in the high-growth metro areas you need to dial
10 or 11 digits anyway to reach other than your immediate area.  All
splits do is cause incredible expense and inconvenience for the folks
forced to move to new codes, particularly businesses.  In some areas,
split rates are so high that some subscribers are being forced to
change area codes every few years -- and the rate will do nothing but
increase.

It's time to recognize that the convenience and concerns of *all*
telephone subscribers are more important than the perceived "status"
of particular area codes and 7 digit dialing to the well-heeled
wireless telephone users, a user group that represents only a fraction
of the overall telephone subscriber population.

Overlays are the only practical solution to deal with telephone number
growth problems.  The FCC and state commissions should *encourage* the
use of overlays whenever possible, and discourage the use of further
splits, particularly in areas where subscribers would be forced to
undergo a second split from their original codes.  The continued use
of splits in these situations can only lead to increasing confusion
and costs for *all* telephone subscribers.


 --Lauren--

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Stan Brown)
Subject: AT&T $5/Month Minimum
Date: Mon, 5 Apr 1995 01:48:21 GMT
Organization: Oak Road Systems, Cleveland Ohio USA


Today in my bill from AT&T I got a flyer that said AT&T will begin
charging $5/month minimum for long distance, possibly as early as the
next bill.  I called the number on the flyer for questions, and the
rep on the other end confirmed that "to serve you better" the minimum
would be billed even in a month when I had no long distance charges.

As it happens, the line involved almost never dials out long distance; I
use it for local data calls almost exclusively.  So this is quite a bad
deal for me.  I called Ameritech and found that a change to "no default
LD provider" is free on my line, so I made that change.

This suggestion might be helpful to other light users of AT&T
long-distance service.


Stan Brown, Oak Road Systems, Cleveland, Ohio USA

Can't find FAQ lists?  ftp to rtfm.mit.edu, or send me email for
canned instructions on retrieving FAQ lists by email or ftp.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bob Harper)
Subject: ICA Summer Program - Building the Corporate Internet
Date: 9 Apr 1995 17:41:53 GMT
Organization: ICA
Reply-To: [e-mail]


International Communications Association

For More Information
ICA Web Home Page http://www.onramp.net/ica/
E-mail  [e-mail]
Phone [phone]

SUMMER PROGRAM FACTS

Title:    BUILDING THE CORPORATE INTERNET; Engineering
             Strategies and Tactics for Public / Private Networks.

When:     June 11-16, 1995

Where:    University of Colorado at Boulder

What:     Week long educational program addressing the technology,
          architecture, and functional concepts which are re-shaping
          corporate telecommunication networks. Over 30 lecture
          sessions are complemented by hands on lab exercises and
          small in-depth discussion groups.

Who: The 1995 ICA Summer Program is intended for networking
          personnel challenged with the task of designing, building
          and/or maintaining the corporate network infrastructure in
          today's dynamically changing environment.  Network
          planners, engineers and managers are constantly being
          challenged to control costs while staying on the forefront of
          technology, developing network solutions which satisfy
          evolving business requirements and provide a competitive
          advantage for their respective corporations.  Today, more
          than ever, these requirements demand that network
          professionals develop an in-depth understanding of a variety
          of concepts to implement the most effective solution
          possible.  The ICA Summer Program provides the technical
          training required to address these requirements in 1995 and
          beyond.

Price:    (Includes Meals and Dorm Lodging)

Before May 1, 1995
                                      ICA Member       Non-member
          1st Attendee        $ 1,100                  $ 1,350
          2nd Attendee       $    990                  $ 1,170
          3rd+ Attendee      $    825                  $    975

After May 1, 1995
                                      ICA Member        Non-member
          1st Attendee        $ 1,350                  $ 1,550
          2nd Attendee       $ 1,215                  $ 1,395
          3rd+Attendee       $ 1,025                  $ 1,175

Note:     Early registration encouraged - attendance limited to first
          250 (program sold out last 3 years)

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 9 Apr 95 20:04 EST
From: Donald E. Kimberlin" <[e-mail]>
Subject: NC Solons Complete Local Competition Bill


        On April 5, the North Carolina House passed by a 110-0 vote
the bill intended to initiate local telephone competition across the
state.  The bill it passed was a version slightly modified in the NC
Senate from the House's first version that was also passed in a
landslide.

        Once the bill is signed into law, competition for local
telephone services will be permitted in all areas of the state now
monopolized by the state's four largest telephone companies.  Thus,
North Carolina locations now covered by Southern Bell, GTE South,
Carolina Telephone and Central Telephone.  Those four companies
presently operate about 90% of the telephones in North Carolina.
Areas covered by the 20-odd smaller companies having less than 200,000
access lines per company will remain regulated monopolies unless they
opt to engage in competitive operations outside their territories.
Should any excercise that option, their present monopoly will be
opened to competition.  That provision was the way NC legislators
decided to try protecting "universal service" to rural and sparse
areas of the state.

        The present intended date for the start of competitive
operations in North Carolina is July, 1996.  Meantime, rate regulation
of local phonecos in NC is to be changed to rate cap regulation only
one year in advance of competition.  Across the state, cable TV
companies, long distance carriers and competitive local access
carriers are eyeing their new markets.  In Charlotte, Time/Warner
Cablevision is well underway converting its local cable trunk routes
to fiber while also starting up a competitive access firm called
Charlotte AXs.  Charlotte's three-year-old extant competitive access
firm, ICG Access Services, Inc., already has 60 route miles of fiber
installed all over the city.  Similar anticipatory moves can be found
all over the state.

        Proponents of the change already herald the results from
competition at Rochester, New York, where it has been claimed local
dial rates have dropped 11 percent in only three months since
competition began there.  While they look forward to similar
reductions in North Carolina, territories of the remaining small
companies are not expected to have rate reductions as a result of
competition in more dense areas.

        Perhaps the most astonishing turnabouts have come from those
who until even a year ago protested bitterly that local telephone
competition could never be workable in the U.S. model.  Until it
appeared lawmakers were serious and would not be deterred from
initiating competition, constant cries that it would be a threat to
reliability and quality of service; that it would result in loss of
"universal service" and ultimate rate increases to rural areas were
heard at every hint of opening the local exchange to competition.
With passage of the bill, some completely opposite remarks were heard.

        Clinton Metcalf, Southern Bell's NC state spokesman, was
quoted as now saying, "This bill is really one of those rare instances
where nobody loses.  Consumers win because it brings more choices and
new products to them faster.  Local telcos win because because pricing
flexibility gives us the ability to respond to the inevitability of
competition.  And competitors will have the ability to compete."

        As published in the <Charlotte Observer> report on passage of
the bill: "Such words sound remarkably benign, given the local
telephone carriers' fierce opposition to competition as recently as
two years ago."

        Now what remains to be seen is if the old Telco Tigers can
really change their spots and compeete in a truly open market ... and
if the potential competition really are cats with different spots, or
if the proposed "new products" will only be a duplication of the
present, perhaps with a downward price shift.

------------------------------

Reply-To: [e-mail] (Bob Keller)
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 1995 07:50:52 GMT
Subject: FCC Information On-Line
From: [e-mail] (Bob Keller)


Here is the text of a Public Notice issued yesterday, describing the
on-line availability of of FCC information:

                                April 6, 1995

                     FCC Information is Available Online

Most announcements and actions of the FCC are available on the
Internet and other electronic delivery systems.  The categories of
documents available include Public Notices, News Releases, Orders
(including NPRMs), Speeches, the Daily Digest and FCC Forms.  You can
retrieve this information in a variety of ways.

Internet Access

You can use any of these Internet tools:

     FTP: ftp.fcc.gov, log in as anonymous and use your e-mail address
as the password.  Publications are in the /pub directory and
succeeding subdirectories. Identify files of interest by downloading
the index (found at the same level as /pub) and searching for key
words.

     Gopher:  gopher.fcc.gov or use any gopher to get to "'all the gophers
in the world" then 'U.S.' then 'DC' then FCC.

     World Wide Web: http://www.fcc.gov

Dial-in Access: The Industry Analysis Division of the Common Carrier
Bureau maintains a public electronic bulletin board service (BBS),
FCC-State Link, which provides dial-in access for Order and Data Bases
relating to the Common Carrier Bureau. The BBS also holds general
information about FCC actions (including the Daily Digest).  The BBS
can be reached at [phone].  The FCC-State Link also can be
reached through the National Technical Information Services's FedWorld
system at [phone] or through Fedworld's telnet internet node
(fedworld.gov).

Fax Access: The Daily Digest, News Releases, Speeches, selected Public
Notices, and Job Announcements can be obtained from Fax-On-Demand at (202)
418-2830.  Request the index(es) to find out the document number for
documents you are interested in.  Generally the document numbers are also
listed on the fax copy of the Daily Digest.  The document number for
vacancy announcements is the announcement number including the year, but
without suffix letters or hyphens.

Selected FCC forms can be obtained via Fax-On-Demand by calling (202)
418-0177 from the handset on your fax machine.  Request the index to find
out the document number for the forms you need.  You must be calling from
your fax machine to request a form.

For questions or comments, call Jorden Brinn [phone] or email
[e-mail].


Bob Keller (KY3R)                         Email: [e-mail]
Law Office of Robert J. Keller, P.C.      Telephone:  [phone]
Federal Telecommunications Law            Facsimile:  301.229.6875
http://www.clark.net/pub/rjk/ | ftp://ftp.eznet.net/pub/telcomlaw/

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: Fri, 7 Apr 1995 16:57:39 -0400
Subject: Voice Mail Abuse in Election Campaign


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: This arrived without reference to
*what* student newspaper or *what* school is involved. I assume it is
North Carolina State University, considering the reference in the text
and the return address, but I wish the name of the student newspaper
had been included.  PAT]


Telephone campaigning method questionable

Supporters of John O'Quinn used voice mail to campaign for him in the runoff
election.

By Josee Daoust
Assistant News Editor

New Student Body President John O'Quinn should have cleared one of his
campaign methods with the Student Government Elections Board, said
Elections Board Chair Sean Bullock.

Several N.C. State students living on campus received a voice mail
message reminding them to vote Monday and Tuesday and suggesting they
vote for the then Student Body President Candidate John O'Quinn.

The Student Government Campaigning Policy section of the student body
statutes says any alternative campaign idea not addressed in the
campaign policy must be approved by a majority vote of the elections
board.

"[O'Quinn] must come to the elections board with those strategies --
he has not," Bullock said.

Free-Expression-Tunnel painting, posters, handbills, sandwich boards,
smokers or speechmaking are considered viable campaign strategies.

NCSU Telecommunications manager Chris Parker said using voice mail as
a campaign tool was potentially annoying to some students.

"Personally, I think that this is a bad way of [campaigning]. This is
one of the downsides of providing voice mail," said Chris Parker,
manager of Telecommunications. "It's up to Student Government to
decide whether it wants to reject this idea. This person made a bad
choice."

But O'Quinn said he has done nothing wrong.

"I asked people to make phone calls for me, but told them not to use
voice mail," O'Quinn said. "It is my understanding that there is no
problem with that. Everyone has access to a telephone."

Student Government Operations Chair Chris Love also said it was
acceptable to use voice mail in campaigning.

"As far as I know that isn't a violation," he said.

A representative of the O'Quinn campaign said the phone campaign was
organized for the purpose of getting people out to vote. One of the
phone messages, which provided a phone number, said to call for more
information about the O'Quinn campaign.

"We were asked [by O'Quinn] to call the people who signed their name
to the petition against tuition increases," said Angie Singleton, a
freshman in aerospace engineering, who sent O'Quinn campaign messages
via voice mail. The petition drive in question was conducted on March
22 and 23 by O'Quinn and members of the NCSU College Republicans.

But some people who didn't sign the petition still got messages.

"John O'Quinn, who is also a resident here in Sullivan, is one of the
candidates for student body president," said Derek Miller in a voice
mail message to a Sullivan resident who did not sign the petition. "I
really believe John is the type of leader we need. I would encourage
you to step out today or tomorrow to vote for John O'Quinn as student
body president."

Singleton said she was not part of O'Quinn's campaign staff, but
wasn't sure if O'Quinn considered her a member.

"If I had known this was a violation, I would have never done it,"
Singleton said.

Singleton's roommate Donna Liffiton said they were instructed to call
the people who signed the petition and thank them. They were told to
mention O'Quinn's name because he organized the petition, Liffiton
said.

Max Anthony, a junior in business, received a voice mail message as
well as a phone call that he answered. He got the latter phone call at
1:45 a.m. The voice mail message informed Anthony of the runoff
election and gave him a phone number to call if he had any questions
about the O'Quinn campaign.

O'Quinn's campaigning methods have been questioned before.

O'Quinn would not comment on whether he received a warning from
Elections Board Chair Sean Bullock for one of his supporters sending
e-mail on his behalf during the initial campaign.

"That's between me and the elections board chair," O'Quinn said. "I
could tell you, but I am not going to."

The Student Government Elections policy states that using university
supplies for a campaign will result in immediate disqualification.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steve Klarer)
Subject: SLIP Hangs up Mac
Organization: spdcc.com
Date: Sun, 9 Apr 1995 19:51:01 GMT


I' m reposting this since the original has scrolled off my sytem and I
assume it' others as well. The only replies I've recieved have been
from people with the same problem. Has ANYONE managed to figure it
out?

After I disconnect my SLIP connection a wierd thing happens. Either
VersaTerm Slip closes and it looks as if I'm going to the desktop but
instead I get a message, "The application unknown has crashed because an
error of type one occured."  Then, when I try to shut down the system
hangs once I select either "shut down" or "restart".

It's unlikely to be the modem since this never happens when I'm using
ZTerm to dial into my shell account. It only happens with SLIP.

I have a Powerbook 145b 8/80 with a Global Village PowerPort Gold.

Any insights and suggestions would be much appreciated.


Thanks,

Steve Klarer     [e-mail]

------------------------------

Subject: Asia's Largest Private Township Wants to Get Wired
From: [e-mail] (Rishab Aiyer Ghosh)
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 95 00:38:48 IST
Organization: Deus X Machina


DLF Qutab Enclave, spread over nearly 3,000 acres and Asia's largest
private sector township, wants to build infrastructure for cable TV,
video conferencing, e-mail, home shopping/banking, security, the
works.

Developed by DLF Universal Ltd, a large real estate Company, the
township is located on Delhi's southern border and is one of the posh
places to buy a house these days. About 50% of the land area has been
built over so far, and although most plots are sold at present about
1,500 households have moved in. The population is expected to grow to
about 40,000 families over the next 5 to 10 years.

DLF is build all the support infrastructure for the residential and
commercial areas. As a private township, they don't have to bother
much about government rules concerning mixing cable and telephony,
which is what they want to do. They don't lack resources, but want to
ensure that what they wire in right now will be made the most of. They
recently invited bids from companies interested in designing,
supplying or operating the whole or part of the network. While they
would be delighted if a company adopts the township, full of
information-hungry yuppies with computers, as an experiment, they are
quite willing to simply pay for it all.

Do spread the word, and if anyone is interested (for more info to
write a story, or to wire DLF) they can get in touch with me.
Strangely enough, DLF doesn't have e-mail. Actually I was surprised
they could spell 'Internet' -- but they can, so there!



Rishab Aiyer Ghosh    [e-mail]
[e-mail]   Vox [phone] Voxmail 3760335
H 34C Saket, New Delhi 110017, INDIA

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #191
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Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 12:01:07 -0500
From: TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson) <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #192


TELECOM Digest     Thu, 13 Apr 95 12:00:00 CDT    Volume 15 : Issue 192

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Number Assigned to New Illinois NPA (David W. Tamkin)
    NPA Cross Reference (James E. Bellaire)
    Conference Announcement/Call for Participation ([e-mail])
    The AT&T "Minimum Usage Charge" Rumor (Lauren Weinstein)
    AT&T $5 Minimum Monthly Charge (National Electric Telephone)
    AT&T $5/Month Minimum and Equal Access (Benjamin L. Combee)
    Payphone Contract (David Payne)
    Detailed GTE Local Call Logs Needed (Jeff Lindstrom)
    Portugal Telecom ([e-mail])
    Microwave Repeater Suppliers in US/Canada? (Jason A. Cooke)
    Shortwave Broadcasts of NPR Programs (Mary J Leugers)
    Turkish Area Codes (Michael Heissmeier)
    CDMA Update - Bad News :-( (Simon J. Wallace)
    Administrivia: Getting Back on Track (TELECOM Digest Editor)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, 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 twenty dollars per
year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.

All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David W. Tamkin)
Subject: Number Assigned to New Illinois NPA
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 1995 22:53:54 CDT


According to WMAQ-TV news tonight, the new area code carved out of 708
for the northern and northwestern suburbs of Chicago will be 847.
Their source was Ameritech.  Permissive dialing runs from January 22,
1996, through April 20, 1996.

847 is a poor choice -- it borders on another NPA that begins with
the same digit (815) and another bordering NPA has prefix 847 in use
not far from the boundary (312's VIrginia 7 in Chicago-Lafayette),
but we're stuck with it.  At least Lafayette is beyond untimed call-
ing range of any part of NPA 847.

It would have been better to select something that is not in use as
a prefix in 312 and whose appearance as a 708 prefix is in the area
that will stay in 708 after 630 splits off in 1998, which has virtual-
ly no border with 847, but there will be no bordering problem after
312 splits (also in 1998) if Lafayette ends up in a different NPA from
the exchanges in 312 that abut NPA 847.

For the discontiguous NPA file: unless there are some phone number
changes forced on customers in Rosemont and Norwood Heights, 847's
territory is likely to be in two separate pieces and that of the
post-split 708 in *four*.  630 will be a single geographical area,
and removing it will still leave 708 in four parts.


David W. Tamkin  Box 3284  Skokie, Illinois  60076-6284
[e-mail]    MCI Mail: 426-1818   [phone]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 06:32:57 -0500
From: [e-mail] (James E. Bellaire)
Subject: NPA Cross Reference


For the past couple of years Robert Rickets <[e-mail]> has been
compiling a MSDOS cross reference program for North American Numbering
Plan exchange codes.  This shareware program is available on the
CompuServe TELECOM forum.

The new version include the new 360, 334, 520, 630, and 970 NPAs and
includes both MSDOS and Windows versions.  It provides city name,
state, county and lattitude logitude information and can calculate
distance between exchanges.

On CServe search for npad51.zip for DOS or npaw51.zip for Windows.
The dos version is on ftp.cica.indiana.edu (and it's mirrors) in the
/pub/pc/win3/desktop directory.  npaw51.zip was also uploaded but I
have not found it there yet.

Both files were also sent to garbo.uwasa.fi and should appear soon.  I
hope you don't mind this shameless plug.  I have no connection to Mr.
Ricketts except being a happy registered user.  These programs are
excellent and kept up to date, and I believe Telecom Digest readers
will enjoy them as much as I have.


[e-mail]    James E. Bellaire
Twin Kings Productions - Sturgis, MI

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Conference Announcement/Call for Participation
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 95 06:48:12 PDT
Organization: PSI Public Usenet Link


Conference Announcement and Call for Participation
by Internet Entrepreneurs

LEC and IXC Internet Opportunities, a conference cochaired by
TeleStrategies, Inc. and The Cook Report on Internet-NREN and
Interpreneur'95, a two-day series of presentations and
demonstrations by Internet entrepreneurs will take place on July
25-26, 1995 at the Sheraton Crystal City Hotel in Arlington, VA.

Interpreneur'95 will consist of overviews of key product/service
areas and 30-minute presentations and demonstrations by entrepreneurs
of their Internet-related products and services.

If you have a product or service you would like to present to an
audience of venture investors and potential strategic partners,
including Bell Operating Companies, long distance companies, cable TV
companies and computer vendors, this is your opportunity.

A meeting room and demonstration rooms will be available for product
presentations. These rooms will be on-line to the Internet via a 56 KB
circuit.

Interpreneur'95 will run concurrently with the LEC and IXC Internet
Opportunities conference. There is no fee for participation in
Interpreneur'95, and all presenters will have a complimentary pass
worth $985 to attend the conference track.

Currently scheduled sessions include:

    Internet payment systems/electronic commerce services
    Internet security and firewall systems
    Web browsers
    Electronic publishing
    Hypertext multimedia products
    Internet agents

The deadline for applying to give a presentation is May 1, 1995.
If you'd like to participate, contact:

    Lynn Stern
    TeleStrategies, Inc.
    1355 Beverly Road, #110
    McLean, VA 22010
    voice: 703-734-7050
    fax: [phone]
    e-mail: [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 12 Apr 95 22:54 PDT
From: [e-mail] (Lauren Weinstein)
Subject: The AT&T "Minimum Usage Charge" Rumor


Greetings.  When I saw a message in TELECOM Digest claiming that AT&T
was implementing a new "minimum usage charge" of $5/line (e.g., you
get charged $5 even if you never make a long distance call), my
immediate reaction was to wonder if someone had misunderstood
something, or was somehow confused.  I've always respected AT&T, and
it seemed difficult to imagine that they would shoot themselves in the
foot in such a lame and idiotic fashion.

I spent a good chunk of time today trying to track down the facts.

The result: As far as I can determine right now, AT&T has *indeed*
fired a number of shots into their own foot.  Un-be-liev-able.

Here's what I've been able to piece together so far.  It's accurate as
far as I know, but I have more inquiries pending and I'll pass along
anything else I find out.

1) No minimum charges would apply to residential lines (as far as I can
   determine right now).
2) A minimum charge of $5/month/line will apply to all separately billed
   business lines that have AT&T selected as their carrier.  This will just
   suddenly start appearing on bills shortly.  Surprise!
3) AT&T is suggesting that business customers aggregate their lines in
   various ways to help avoid the charge (aggregated lines -- e.g. via Custom
   Net or SBA, etc. apparently share a single $5 minimum between all lines).

When I suggested that this new policy was unbelievably idiotic, each
rep I spoke to *agreed* with my analysis, but said in effect, "that's
what they've decided to do anyway".

Point (3) above is worth a few more words.  While it's true that
businesses can aggregate their lines in various ways, the fact is that
keeping even a few lines on the proper plans at the proper times can
be a lot of work.  Due to problems at the long distance carriers, the
local telcos, and the communications between the two, it is common for
lines you thought you had on a plan to not be there, or to drop off
unexpectedly.  Sometimes it can take literally months (!) for lines to
get into the correct status, even assuming a business rushes to join
an aggregation plan as soon as lines are installed.

Under the new AT&T plan, it appears that as soon as you select AT&T
for your business line carrier, the $5 minimum for that line starts to
apply.  Of course, since most people make their initial carrier
selection through the local telco when they order a line, I suspect
most business folks who just say "AT&T" when asked for a carrier
choice won't have a clue about the minimum charge until it shows up on
their bill.

Overall, this whole idea has to rate as one of the biggest mistakes
AT&T has made in the post-divestiture universe -- one that will haunt
them for a long time to come, unless they give up on this ill-conceived
idea with a minimum of delay.

Shame on you, AT&T.


 --Lauren--

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 12 Apr 95 08:46 EST
From: National Electric Telephone <[e-mail]>
Subject: AT&T $5 Minimum Monthly Charge


I would highly suggest "pic'ing none" with regard to a long distance
carrier to avoid this charge and then dialing a 10XXX access code when
you need to make an interLATA call if you don't make many interLATA
long distance calls.  If you do make a lot of interLATA calls switch
your PIC to a better carrier.  AT&T is really getting outrageous.
First they charge for whole minute increments rather than six second
billing.  Now they want to implement a minimum $5 charge.  This is
getting out of hand.  Their answer to competition seems to be clobber
the public with advertising saying "We're great." while at the same
time raising their rates to outrageous levels.


K. Albrecht

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Benjamin L. Combee)
Subject: AT&T $5/Month Minimum and Equal Access
Date: 11 Apr 1995 01:17:56 -0400
Organization: ROASF Atlanta
Reply-To: [e-mail]


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Stan
Brown) wrote:

> Today in my bill from AT&T I got a flyer that said AT&T will begin
> charging $5/month minimum for long distance, possibly as early as the
> next bill.  I called the number on the flyer for questions, and the
> rep on the other end confirmed that "to serve you better" the minimum
> would be billed even in a month when I had no long distance charges.

> As it happens, the line involved almost never dials out long distance; I
> use it for local data calls almost exclusively.  So this is quite a bad
> deal for me.  I called Ameritech and found that a change to "no default
> LD provider" is free on my line, so I made that change.

Does anyone know how this will affect equal access codes?  If I had a
non-AT&T company as my default carrier, but used the 10288 code for a
call, would I then be billed a minimum of $5 for that month from AT&T?
This seems to work against AT&T getting casual business from customers
using equal access to use multiple phone companies.  I hope this
doesn't spread to the other LD carriers.


Ben Combee    [e-mail]
http://www.gatech.edu/acm/combee.html

------------------------------

Subject: Payphone Contract
From: [e-mail] (DAVID PAYNE)
Date: 13 Apr 95 08:42:51 EDT


Dear Pat,

I work for a hospital in Ontario.  In Canada only the telco can supply
payphone service.  This may change in the future, but as of today
those are the regulations.  Thus, Bell Canada has a monopoly on
payphone services.  My goal is to discover whether they are providing
the hospital with competitive North American commission rates.

Our current contract is a five year contract from July 1992 to July 1997.

We currently have a total of 88 payphones on two campuses.  Together, in
1994, they generated (after taxes and settlements) a grand total of
$258,845.00.  Our share of that revenue was $22,194.00 or 8.57% of the
net revenues.

Daily Revenue per Telephone for the 88 payphones...


below $3.25            22 phones
between $3.25 to $9.00        36 phones
between $9.01 to $15.00        22 phones
between $15.01 to $25.00          5 phones
over $25.01              3 phones

Recently, I ordered out ten of the 88 payphones because of they
generated no revenue for the hospital. The other payphones are under
review.

Bell Canada claims the cost to provide service per day is $6.00/day
per payphone.  This is based on our current average commission rate of
8.57%.  They also claim a Millennium payphone costs several thousand
dollars.  I find this hard to believe!

75% of the calling is made with cash.
25% of the calling is made with credit cards, debit cards or by other
means.

The non cash calling has held around $700 per month over the last twelve
months.  Surprisingly it has not gone up!

Commissions are paid on a sliding scale per payphone.  The following is
the commission scale:

Less than $3.25 per day 0% commission.
$3,25 to $9.00 per day 8% commission
$9.01 to $15.00 per day 9 % commission
$15.01 to $25.00 per day 10% commission.
$25.01+ 11% commission.

In our case, the commissions average out to 8.57%.

Bell Canada supplies, at their expense, the Millennium payphones to
all locations.  They also supply the telephone line, phone books, and
shelves (F450T) for the phones.  In addition, they pay the labour to
install the phones, the required cable, and all repair and collection
costs.

The hospital is responsible for any construction costs incurred by the
installation of the phones.  The hospital must also supply conduit to
the payphone.

There is a possibility that the hospitals in the city may one day merge.
This could add 50-100 more payphones to the contract.

I suspect payphone competition will soon arrive in the Canadian
marketplace.  This may give us some leverage to reopen our contract
before the expiry date.  The hospital is being squeezed for revenue
generation and I am making every effort to increase our income.  This
message is not intended as a anti-telco/anti-Bell message.  I only
want to make sure we are being treated fairly.

Thus, my question is:  If we have the chance to reopen our contract is
this a good deal for North America or should the revenues to the hospital
be higher?

I would be interested in your reader's comments!


David Payne    [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jeff Lindstrom)
Subject: Detailed GTE Local Call Logs Needed
Organization: Netcom
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 07:41:23 GMT


Greetings:

  I need information on *local* calls made from two phones to resolve a
dispute in a civil case.

  Both phones are serviced by GTE in Long Beach, CA.

  One phone is a pay phone at a business, the other is a local
residence using the Measured Pay Service (one outgoing local call per
day for no extra charge).

  A call *was* made from the residence phone later in the day, so if
we could even prove that the later call was made and was *not* charged
(meaning it was the first local call of the day), it would help our
case.

  We already had a subpoena for the records on these two numbers for
the date in question, but we did not get the information we need.

  I have been told by people familiar with telco operations in other
localities that more detailed information is available, but not
provided unless specifically requested *by the proper name* because it
is more work.

  I would like to know the terminology GTE uses to specify this type of
search.

  Thanks in advance.


Regards,

Jeff Lindstrom                  [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Telecom000)
Subject: Portugal Telecom
Date: 13 Apr 1995 19:37:54 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Telecom000)


Could anyone give me information regarding Portugal Telecom?  I'm
especially interested in obtaining information regarding their current
Customer Billing Solution as well as their future plans.

Thank you in advance.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jason A. Cooke)
Subject: Microwave Repeater Suppliers in US/Canada?
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Jason A. Cooke)
Organization: The National Capital FreeNet
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 1995 15:23:20 GMT


Hi All,

I'm making this request on behalf of the father of a friend of mine
that works at the telephone company in Nigeria.

As indicated in the subject, I would suggestions on which companies
supply microwave repeaters for use in long distance land telephony.
The appliaction is to supply rural areas in Nigeria.

I already have a few names, but I want to him as many contacts as I
can.  A company name but would be nice, a telephone number and contact
person would be even nicer. Any info you supply will be much appreciated.


Thanks,

JAC

------------------------------

From: Mary J Leugers <[e-mail]>
Subject: Shortwave Broadcasts of NPR Programs
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 1995 12:11:19 EDT


I'm trying to find out if it's possible to receive shortwave
broadcasts of National Public Radio news.  I'm in Italy, and neither
CNNinternational nor Voice of America quite provides enough news (plus
I miss those familiar voices!)

Can anyone out there help?  Please respond directly to me at, and thanks.


Mary Leugers  [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 12 Apr 95 18:26:58 +0200
From: [e-mail] (Michael Heissmeier)
Subject: Turkish Area Codes
Reply-To: [e-mail]


Turkey seems to have adopted a new numbering plan in 1994 with three-digit
area codes. So far I could only find the old codes on the net. Does anybody
have a list with the new codes?


Michael Heissmeier
Keltschstr. 8            phone: [phone]
91058 Erlangen, Germany  email: [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Simon J Wallace <[e-mail]>
Subject: CDMA Update - Bad News :-(
Organization: Edinburgh University
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 14:00:03 GMT


There was a very interesting article in today's {Electronics Weekly}
regarding CDMA.  According to Denis Gross, a telecommunications
consultant with analyst firm BPA, CDMA does not appear to be working
in trials, because of problems caused by signal reflections from
structures.

Gross said 'CDMA offered a lot, but is proving difficult to implement
in urban areas. A handful of operators are trying to get it to work,
and they will continue to lobby for it. They say that GSM is noisy at
1.9GHz.'

 @copyright {Electronics Weekly}

Now, we all know how ~in theory~ CDMA offers capacity increases of the
order of 20-30 times that of TDMA.  But have we seen it's real
limitation, ie too many multipaths causing problems.

I have seen Qualcomm's field test results and they are heartily
impressive, but I have to wonder whether they would be better letting
IS-95 die gracefully and started working towards the third generation
of telephony, ie 10MHz BB-CDMA.  At this moment in time it seems that
only Korea and some Western states in the US will implement IS-95.

Comments please.


Simon Wallace               University of Edinburgh
[e-mail]             Signal Processing Group

------------------------------

From: TELECOM Digest Editor <[e-mail]>
Subject: Administrivia: Getting Back on Track
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 11:25:00 CDT


You haven't seen much of me the past two weeks. Numerous things have
happened here including the fiasco with the sendmail last week which
caused issue after issue of the Digest to bounce and disappear, or
get delivered twice to some people and not at all to others, etc. I
think that has been fixed. At least I have not had any complaints
about the issue sent out earlier this week. Now compounded with that
is the fact that I have been literally buried in subscription requests
this past week. Twenty to thirty new names per day are being added to
the mailing list, and I don't know where this is going to stop.

The mail continues to flow in quite heavily, and the changes made last
week in sendmail also caused the autoreply mechanism to break down, or
at least to not properly filter and sort incoming stuff, meaning lots
of subscription requests were mixed in with articles for the Digest;
lots of mail-daemons on undeliverables to go through, etc. I have been
getting about 100-150 mail-daemons per day to be sorted through. These
in large part come when the name servers get hosed, which seems to
happen with regularity. Each issue of the Digest is now taking almost
an entire day to get delivered. I'll check the mailqueue late Thursday
night and still find this issue you are reading now in the queue
marching along name after name. That is rather dismaying, because the
larger the list gets the longer it takes for the folks *on the end of
the list* to get their copies.

The volume of submissions for the Digest is running about 200 per day
the past couple of weeks. I don't like to do it but periodically
I have to go through the waiting mail and, take several *hundred* items
and simply toss them out unread. The sad fact is I was/am totally
unprepared for the volume of stuff coming through; and I knew enough
about this to assume there would be plenty of mail. I just want to
let you know that if I seem short at times in personal answers sent
out, or if you get one of several form letters I mail regards subscription
requests; or if you don't get an answer at all you should not take it
personally. For all intents and purposes, I no longer have any control
over the mailing list, it has gotten that large and unweildy.

Thanks very much for YOUR continued support as the Digest continues a
growth spurt like I have never seen before. I am thinking of starting
a fax edition, but the cheapest I can the cost down to is about a dollar
per issue, maybe 75 cents. Do any of you want to get it delivered that way?
Please let me know.


Patrick Townson

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #192
******************************


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Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 15:53:11 -0500
From: TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson) <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #193


TELECOM Digest     Thu, 13 Apr 95 15:52:00 CDT    Volume 15 : Issue 193

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Looking at Service Requirements (Eric Smokler)
    A New Rock Around the World Web Site (Marcus Downing)
    Are You in Need of a Webmaster? (Jim A. Fetters)
    Telephone Equipment Survey (Dave Peters)
    Can My Modem Talk to TTY Machines For the Deaf? (Maximilien N. Turner)
    Central List of Upcoming Tenders? (Kathleen Towler)
    Phone Day Coming April 16 (Robert Reijmerink)
    STD Coding Changes in United Kingdom ([e-mail])
    500 Numbers Will Remain Blocked (Robert A. Voss)
    MCI Commercial in Bad Taste (Christopher Wolf)
    Photonics and Fiber Optics Conference (N. N. Raju)
    Existing Telecom Systems for Record Exchange (Joy Oberholtzer)
    Caribbean Phone via Private Link (Jennings)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, 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 twenty dollars per
year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.

All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Looking at Service Requirements
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 95 09:05:20 PDT
Organization: Booz-Allen & Hamillton


I am trying to put together a "best of" telco customer service
package.  I am agruing the point that price alone does not a happy
customer make.  I am also trying to separate it into mandatory (e.g.
PUC requirements) and competitive.

Narrowing it down, I am only looking at business and residential
switched services.

Specifically:

Provisioning interval  (service request to installation of service)
Trouble resolution
-    the telco will fix your trouble in X business hours.
-    trouble report to resolution of trouble
-    what happens if trouble is not fixed in X time (i.e. credits)
    Customer Service
-    trouble reporting is available X hours a day (e.g. some RBOCs
    have 24 customer service, is this offered because they are
    being customer oriented, or is the state PUC telling them to do
    so?)
-    Will someone pick up a repair call in X rings?  (I've heard
    that, in some areas, customer service centers are set up so
    that if a call rings more than 4 times, it will bounce to
    another center.)

I am looking to separate it by service (A) per regulation and (B) per
competition.

As an example of a title for (A), I found that the Maryland PSC had it titled:

Title 20
Public Service Commission
Subtitle 45 Service Supplied By Telephone Companies
Chapter 05 Service Standards

I got 9 pages of regs for MD.

For (B), I've found some Web pages for Ameritech & AT&T that say
customer service is important, but I was hoping that I could get some
"company promises to their customers" that might be in a Marketing
broschure.

Any assistance will be appreciated.  I can be reached via Internet E-Mail at:

[e-mail]
or by FAX at [phone]


Thank you,

Eric Smokler

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Marcus Downing)
Subject: A New Rock Around the World Web Site
Date: 12 Apr 1995 17:31:01 GMT
Organization: Rock Around the World


Los Angeles
April 1, 1995

Rock Around the World, #1 Rated, Nationally and Internationally aired
radio show of the 70s, is back through the Internet, sponsored by ZIMA.


    Los Angeles:  Rock Around the World (RATW), the highly acclaimed
and nationally syndicated radio program is coming back April 1, 1995, in a
bigger and bolder format on the Internet through the World Wide Web.  Don't
miss RATW at the following web site address:

http://www.ratw.com

    RATW was America's radio show during the 70's.  It was heard
on more than 160 stations, coast to coast, in the top 100 markets
throughout the U.S. and the American Forces Radio & Television
Services worldwide.  It exposed America to such groups as The Who,
Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Fleetwood Mac, Elton
John, Rod Stewart, Bob Seger, E.L.O, and many others.  They were all
interviewed and many heard on RATW for the very first time on American
Radio.

    Danny Lipman, RATW's creative founder, has again developed a
winning formula.  The RATW Internet site is designed to enable the
viewer to, literally, Rock Around the World through a wide range of
entertaining files, including RATW radio broadcasts, music sound
bites, rock history, new releases, radio programming, interviews, rock
trivia, travel, and many others.

    In addition to the Internet, RATW is negotiating with radio
stations throughout the World to begin re-broadcasting the Best of RATW as
well as new programming.  With their vast library of RATW audio tapes, 232
separate broadcasts, featuring interviews and music from the 70's World of
Rock, they'll keep you entertained through a variety of mediums well into
the next century.

    RATW captured the attention of its faithful listeners from its
inception in 1974.  Throughout the next four years its following
multiplied exponentially.  The weekly syndicated show, which ranged
from an hour to an hour and a half, teamed up with Lipman's monthly
rock music newspaper R.A.T.W., and carved out a niche in radio
syndication.  It started as an outgrowth of a recording studio Lipman
had in Boston.  This followed his stint in national promotion for
Elektra Records.  The studio, Music Designers, was where he produced
George Thorogood's first recording, as well as RATW.  Lipman also
operated an advertising agency, handling radio accounts for recording
companies, such as Warner Bros, Atlantic, Elektra, and five retail
record stores.

    For more information about RATW, please visit, http://www.ratw.com


Thanks,

Marcus

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jim A. Fetters)
Subject: Are You in Need of a Webmaster?
Organization: Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 06:26:18 GMT


I am looking for an internet provider that is looking for a trade-out
situation.

If you are an internet provider in need of a webmaster, or are in-need
someone to run your webserver remotely, I would like to offer my
services in exchange for providing me space to do Web development and
CGI scripting in Perl under a Unix environment.

A list of my web skills are at -

  http://neuromancer.ucr.edu/jim

I currently run a webserver on a UNIX platform in a university
environment and I am looking to partner with an internet provider in
need of web expertise that can give me access on a commerical [*.com]
system.

I speak Japanese and I'm familiar with serving web documents in a
foreign language.  I also have technical programming [Unix/CGI/Perl
scripting] and graphic design skills.  I am looking for a straight
trade out with no $$ involved.

If you are interested please contact me at:

[e-mail]


Thank you,

Jim Fetters

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dave Peters)
Subject: Telephone Equipment Survey
Date: 13 Apr 1995 14:09:04 GMT
Organization: Norwest Financial Leasing, Inc  Des Moines, IA 50309


I am doing a survey of users, sellers, technicians, etc., on the best
telephone equipment.  I am trying to limit the survey to all sizes of
key systems and maybe even some PBX's.

    What manufacturers are the best, and why?

    Are there any "Dogs" out there that I should be aware of?

    Are there any major technological changes on the horizon that is
    going to affect the resale values of the key systems?

    How is the wireless technology going to affect resale prices of
    PBX's?

If you could post your answers here, so that everyone can see them, I
would appreciate it.


Thanks in advance.

Dave Peters

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Maximilien N. Turner)
Subject: Can my Modem Talk to TTY Machines For the Deaf?
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 1995 21:47:57 -0400
Organization: Bryn Mawr and Haverford College NetNews


I have a friend who is deaf and I would like to be able to call his
TTY machine with my modem, but so far, I have been unsuccessful using
standard terminal software.  Does anyone know if this is possible, or
if there is software available for this purpose?

I use a Macintosh and a Supra 14.4LC.

Please email responses: [e-mail]

Thank you for any assistance.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (KTowler)
Subject: Central List of Upcoming Tenders Wanted
Date: 13 Apr 1995 13:37:04 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (KTowler)


Is there any newsgroup or other source that list upcoming
telecommunications tenders?


Thanks in advance,

Kathleen Towler

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 08:12:26 GMT
From: [e-mail] (Robert Reijmerink)
Subject: Phoneday Coming April 16
Organization: Royal PTT Netherlands (KPN) Research


What's all this about BT's phONEday (April 16).  They're putting ads
on Discorvery Channel with the slogan "It's 1 to remember."


Robert Reijmerink     Email: [e-mail]
X.400: /C=NL/ADMD=400Net/PRMD=PTT Research/S=Reijmerink/I=RAJ


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The next message in this issue discusses
'phoneday' which begins this weekend in more detail.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (MSTRANDREW)
Subject: STD Coding Changes in United Kingdom
Date: 13 Apr 1995 11:44:04 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (MSTRANDREW)


I received post card mailing from ATT which advised me that all current UK
STD codes will need to be prefixed by "1" starting on April 16, e.g. 071
becomes 0171. Also, the cites of Leeds, Sheffeld, Nottingham, Leicester
and Bristol are being assinged new codes (113 through 117, respectfully).
Also, each of these cities' local 6 diget numbers are being expanded to 7
digets.  6 diget numbers in Leeds, Sheffield and Leicester will need to be
prefixed with a "2" and Nottinghame and Bristol with a "9".

I am assuming the this change is being made to accomdate more telephone
numbers within the current network.  In the back of my I remember
reading/hearging that there was a plan to change all numbers in the UK
to a uniform length of 10 digets, but I could be wrong.  I would be
curious to learn the rationale behind the change if anyone knows.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 13 Apr 95 08:24 EST
From: Robert A. Voss <[e-mail]>
Subject: 500 Numbers Will Remain Blocked


The industry has been wrestling with the problem of unblocking of 500
numbers by hotels, payphones, and PBXs.  As of now, you can only count
on making 500 calls from your house, or by using the "right" credit
card, right being the same as the company which has issued the 500
number.  Soon there will be many people trying to offering 500
services.

There will continue to be problems until the industry solves a basic
problem, that of billing.  Until the cost of the call is known, only
from the digits dialed, AT THE TIME THE DIGITS are dialed, will 500
service get universally unblocked.  PBXs, payphones, and credit card
systems cannot understand voice messages prompting people to "push #"
if you are willing to accept forwarding fee of $1.50 a minute or
whatever.  Only when a bill arrives at the end of the month is the
cost of the call known.  The wise telecom manager will not accept
unknown cost calls.  Therefore blocking will continue.


Bob Voss    MCI Wireless Eng
Email:   MCI ID: 212-0410 @mcimail.com

------------------------------

From: Wolf <[e-mail]>
Subject: MCI Commercial is in Bad Taste
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 08:24:17 EDT
Reply-To: [e-mail]


I have to ask, does anyone believe that the actor that MCI uses in
their commercials as the snotty (not my first choice of words, but
more socially acceptable) operator actually helps them?  Is this
supposed to representable of their regular operators?  Most people I
asked said they thought this woman sounded like the biggest &$^#% they
ever heard.  At least AT&T's adds are pleasant to look at!

Note: I say this as a user of neither service (actually, either service;
whatever happens to be cheapest among the three or four I use for the
type of call I'm making).


Christopher Wolf, consumer of time, occupier of space.
http://www.cs.mtu.edu/grads/Wolf/Home.html

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 13 Apr 95 11:57:56 EDT
From: [e-mail] (N. N. Raju)
Subject: Photonics and Fiber Optics Conference


                 F I R S T   A N N O U N C E M E N T

                     International Conference on
                     PHOTONICS  and  FIBRE OPTICS

                        P H O T O N I C S - 96
                                  at
        I.I.T. MADRAS (India) from 10th Dec. to 14th Dec. 1996
                        FIRST CALL FOR PAPERS

          Theme : Technologies of Photonics for 21st Century

Photonics-96  aims at bringing in focus the phenomenal changes  taking
place   in   Fibre  Optics,  Optical   Fibre    based   Communications
technologies, Sensors and the futuristic thrust towards Quantum Effect
devices.   This  opportunity is to bring Academia,  Technologists  and
Industry  together under this forum to interact and mutually  benefit.
This  Conference has therefore been planned with  TECHNICAL  SESSIONS,
TUTORIALS AND EXHIBITION.

The  topics being covered under Technical Sessions and  Tutorials  are
                             listed below

                          TECHNICAL SESSIONS

                 (1) OPTICAL FIBRE/CABLE TECHNOLOGIES
Optical   Fibres-Near   Infra-red/Far   Infra-red   technologies   for
MM/SM/DS/DF/PM.  Radiation Hardened/High Tensile Strength,  Sensitized
Fibres for Sensors, Rare-earth Doped Fibres Cables-Submarine,  Aerial,
             Tethered, OPGW and other formats of cables.

       (2) INTEGRATED OPTICS and NANO FABRICATION TECHNOLOGIES
Integrated   Optics-Guided   Wave  Optics  in  Slabs/Thin   Films   of
Silicon/LiNbO3/III-V/II-VI/IV-VI compounds, Guided wave Optical Inter-
connects, Optical Switches. Nano-Fabrication Scanning Probe Microscopy,
CVD-STM,  ALE,MOCVD, MBE techniques HBT/Single Electron/Single  Photon
     Devices, Mesoscopic Structures, Atomic Level Inter-connects.

             (3) OPTICAL SOURCES/DETECTORS  TECHNOLOGIES
Sources-Edge/Surface  Emitting  Diodes/DFB/MQW/Quantum Dot  and  other
Quantum  Engineered/Effect Sources, Semiconductor  Amplifiers/Solitons
Detectors-PIN/APD/SAGM/Single Photon Detectors, Optical  Materials-for
                     Fibres and Optical Devices.

                       (4) FIBRE OPTIC SENSORS
   Bio-medical, Chemical and Environmental Sensors, Sensor Networks

       (5) LINEAR AND NON-LINEAR PHENOMENA IN  OPTICAL FIBRES,
   Optical Fibre Amplifiers, Optical Fibre Soliton Generators/Pulse
     Compression Techniques, Four-wave Mixing, Optical Chirping,

                    (6) OPTICAL NETWORK COMPONENTS
        Fibre Optic Couplers, Fibre Filters, Fibre Polarisers,
                        Polarisation Twisters.


           (7) OPTICAL COMPUTING/OPTICAL SIGNAL PROCESSING
Optical Computing-Optical Logic Elements, Adders, Multipliers,  Matrix
Multipliers,  Optical  Computing System,  Architecturers,  Algorithms,
Optical Signal Processing-Multiplexers/Demultiplexers including  Wave-
length   and   Dense  Wave-length   Division   Multiplexers,   A/F/0/P
          Modulators/Demodulators, Coders, Equalisers, etc.

    (8) PHOTONIC NETWORKS/PHOTONIC SWITCHING/INTELLIGENT PHOTONIC
                       INTER-CONNECTS AND NODES

Photonic  Networks-Ultra-wide Band Network Architectures/  Topologies/
Protocols, Dense Wave-length Division Networks, Networks Protocols for
Giga-bit/s  and  Tera-bit/s for SONET/SDH/ATM  Environments,  Coherent
    Optical Networks, Soliton Based Networks, Cable TV. Networks,
Photonic Switching-Ultra-fast Switching, All Photonic Switching, Wave-
length  Dependent  Switching, Intellignet Optical  Inter-Connects  and
Nodes, Optical Drop and Insert Techniques, Optical Modems, Optical and
                  AH Photonic  Network Controllers.

                           T U T O R I A L S

Six   to  eight  tutorials  are  being  organized/planned  to   expose
participants  to  the  latest  technologies  in  these  fields.    The
 tutorials will be conducted by an international faculty of experts.

                             EXHIBITIONS

An  International  Exhibition is also planned  during  the  Conference
enabling  International Agencies active in the field of  Fibre  Optics
and   Photonics  to  Exhibit  their  products  for  the   benefit   of
participants  from  all over the world.  This will also  be  a  unique
opportunity   for   the  growing  Indian  market  in   the   area   of
Telecommunication  to  benefit from exposure to Global  expertise  and
         available of Technology in this fast growing field.

                          AUTHOR'S SCHEDULE:

        Deadline for Receipt of Abstracts:        15th of Feb. 1996
        Communication on Acceptance of Papers:    15th of May 1996
        Deadline for Receipt of Final Manuscript: 15th of Aug. 1996

                         EXHIBITORS' SCHEDULE
        Deadline for Exhibition:                  15th of Oct. 1996

                          TUTORIAL SCHEDULE
        Deadline for Participants - Tutorial Classes:  25th of Oct. 1996

 For further details please contact the Convener of the Conference :

                       PROF. (DR.) J. P. RAINA
                 Department of Electrical Engineering
                    INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
                        MADRAS 600 036 (INDIA)

                    E-mail : [e-mail]

                   FAX Nos : [phone]
                             [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Joy Oberholtzer)
Subject: Existing Telecom Systems For Record Exchange; Access Service
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 95 10:30:31 MST
Organization: ARIS Corporation


I am attempting to find information for a customer of mine.  They are
looking for existing packages or for a Service Bureau that provides the
following services:

1)  Customer Account Record Exchange system:

Will notify a carrier that a residential customer is now going to be
utilizing their system.  i.e. customer is now using AT&T rather than MCI.
The system provides interexchange carrier information.  Built around the
BELLCOR data exhanges standard - KARE.

2)  Access Service Request system:

Communicates orders between the local exchange carries and interexchange
carriers.  Must be modifiable engine.

If anyone knows of any Service Bureaus or other providers of similar
services I would appreciate the information.


Sincerely,

Joy Oberholtzer  ARIS Corporation
Denver, CO.      [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 13 Apr 95 17:43:33 PDT
From: Jennings <[e-mail]>
Subject: Caribbean Phone via Private Link


Would it be possible and legal and economical to connect a hotel in a
Caribbean country via satellite to an MCI or other provider as a way
of going around the LEC? Would an INMARSAT terminal do the job ... it
would be probably more expensive than the local carrier. Thinking about
Antigua and British Virgin Islands.

If anyone has done this I could use a quote as to how much it would
cost to get it done.


Jennings
Spectrum Analysis & Frequency Engineering, Inc
[e-mail]-voice:301.869.7969-FAX:[phone]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #193
******************************


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Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 16:47:38 -0500
From: TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson) <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #194

TELECOM Digest     Thu, 13 Apr 95 16:47:00 CDT    Volume 15 : Issue 194

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    ACM's Intn'l Conf. on Mobile Computing and Networking '95 (Victor Bahl)
    Re: Turkish Area Codes (Alp Uysal)
    Re: CDMA Update - Bad News :-( (Bill Walker)
    Re: AT&T $5 Minimum Monthly Charge ([e-mail])
    Re: Area Code Overlays vs. Splits (David G. Cantor)
    Re: Area Code Overlays vs. Splits (Steven H. Lichter)
    Re: Area Code Overlays vs. Splits (Toby Nixon)
    Re: Area Code Overlays vs. Splits (Lee Winson)
    Re: Asia's Largest Private Township Wants to Get Wired (Venkat Thirumalai)
    Re: The MATHLINE Project (Bruce Wynn via Bradley J. Bittorf)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

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The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
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*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
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All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Victor Bahl)
Subject: ACM's Intn'l Conf. on Mobile Computing and Networking '95
Date: 12 Apr 1995 21:55:22 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Victor Bahl)


            Announcement and Call for Papers
                   ACM INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
                 ON
          MOBILE COMPUTING AND NETWORKING 1995

           November 14-15, 1995 (Tutorials on Monday, Nov. 13)
                        Berkeley, California, USA

   Sponsored by the ACM's Special Interest Groups:  SIGCOMM,  SIGMETRICS
                       SIGOPS, SIGACT and CESDIS NASA


   IMPORTANT DATES
    Submissions due:        April  17, 1995
    Notification of acceptance: June   16, 1995
    Camera-ready version due:   August 14, 1995

   The  wireless communication revolution is bringing fundamental  changes
   to  telecommunication  and computing.  Wide-area cellular  systems  and
   wireless LANs promise to make integrated networks a reality and provide
   fully  distributed and ubiquitous mobile computing and  communications,
   thus  bringing  an  end  to  the tyranny  of  geography.   Furthermore,
   services for the  mobile user are maturing and are poised to change the
   nature  and scope of communication.  This conference, the first  of  an
   annual series, will serve as the premier international forum addressing
   networks,  systems,  algorithms,  and  applications  that  support  the
   symbiosis of portable computers and wireless networks.

   PAPERS
       Technical  papers describing previously unpublished,  original,
   completed,  or  in-progress  research, are solicited on  topics at the
   link layer and above.  Topics will include, but are not limited to:

    * Applications and computing services supporting the mobile user.
        * Network architectures, protocols or service algorithms  to  cope
      with mobility, limited bandwidth, or intermittent connectivity.
    * Design and analysis of algorithms for online and mobile
      environments.
    * Distributed network protocols.
    * Performance characterization of mobile/wireless networks and
      systems.
    * Network management for mobile and wireless networks.
    * Service integration and interworking of wired and wireless
      networks.
    * Characterization of the influence of lower layers on the design
      and performance of higher layers.
    * Security, scalability and reliability issues for mobile/wireless
      systems
    * Wireless Multimedia Systems
    * Satellite Communication

   All papers will be refereed by the program committee.  Accepted papers
   will  be  published in conference proceedings.  Papers  of  particular
   merit  will be selected for publication in the  ACM/Baltzer Journal on
   Wireless Networks.

   For More Information: Please contact Dan Duchamp ([e-mail])
   or Baruch Awerbuch ([e-mail]), the Program Co-Chairs.

   HOW TO SUBMIT

    Paper  submission  will be handled electronically. Authors should
   Email a PostScript version of their full paper to:
               "[e-mail]".

   This  Email  address  will become  operational on March 1. The address
   will be backed by software that can test submissions for print-ability.
   In order to pass the test, authors should ensure that their papers meet
   these restrictions:

        - PostScript version 2 or later
        - no longer than 15 pages
        - fits properly on "US Letter" size paper (8.5x11 inches)
        - reference only Computer Modern or  standard  Adobe  fonts (i.e.,
          Courier, Times Roman, or Helvetica); other fonts may be used
          but must be included in the PostScript file

   In  addition, authors  should  be  sure to select an easy-to-read font
   size.  The  proceedings  will  be  printed  in  two-column  format, so
   authors are encouraged to submit  two-column  papers.  To learn how to
   use  the  submission  software, send a message with the body "HELP" to
   the above Email address any time on or after March 1.

   TUTORIALS

    Proposals  for  tutorials  are  solicited.  Evaluation of  the
   proposals  will  be based on expertise and experience of  instructors,
   and  the  relevance of the subject matter.  Potential instructors  are
   requested  to submit at most 5 pages, including a biographical  sketch
   to Krishan Sabnani ([e-mail]).

   PANELS

    Panels are solicited that  examine  innovative, controversial, or
   otherwise provocative  issues of interest. Panel proposals  should not
   exceed  more  than 3 pages, including  biographical  sketches  of  the
   panelist.

   STUDENT PARTICIPATION

    Papers with a student  as a  primary  author will enter a student
   paper award competition. A  cover letter  must identify the paper as a
   candidate for the student paper competition.

   WWW/GOPHER INFORMATION

    This CFP and other ACM related activities may be found in
         gopher://gopher.acm.org        (for gopher viewers)
         http://info.acm.org/        (for WWW browsers)

  GENERAL CO-CHAIRS:

     Imrich Chlamtac                Dave Morgan
     Dept. of  Electrical & Computer Eng.   VP & Director of Research
     University of Massachusetts        Wireless Division, Motorola
     [e-mail]        [e-mail]
     Tel: [phone]            Tel.: [phone]

  PROGRAM CO-CHAIRS
     Baruch Awerbuch                Dan Duchamp
     Dept. of Computer Science            Dept. of Computer Science
     The John Hopkins University        Columbia University
     Room NEB 318, Baltimore, MD        500 W. 120 St. New York, NY
     [e-mail]            [e-mail]
     Tel.: [phone]            Tel.: [phone]
     Fax.: [phone]            Fax.: [phone]

  LOCAL CHAIR                 TUTORIAL CHAIR
     Eric Brewer                Krishan Sabnani, AT & T
     Dept. of Computer Science            Tel.: [phone]
     University of California @ Berkeley    Fax.: [phone]
     [e-mail]            [e-mail]

  VICE CHAIR                 STEERING COMMITTEE CHAIR
    Chris Edmondson-Yurkanan            Imrich Chlamtac
    CS, University of Texas, Austin        ECE, University of Massachusetts
    [e-mail]            [e-mail]

  PUBLICITY CHAIR            REGISTERATION CHAIR
    Victor Bahl,                Melody Moh
    Digital Equipment Corp. & UMASS        San Jose State University
    [e-mail]            [e-mail]

  TREASURER
    Anton Dahbura,  Motorola

  PROGRAM COMMITTEE
    Baruch Awerbuch, John Hopkins      B. R. Badrinath, Rutgers U.,
    Alan  Borodin,  U. Toronto          Bob Broderson,  UC Berkeley,
    Ramon Caceres, AT&T Bell Labs.      Steve Deering,  Xerox  PARC,
    Dan Duchamp, Columbia          Domenico Ferrari,  UC Berkeley
    David Johnson,  Carnegie Mellon,      Phil Karn, Qualcomm Inc.
    Randy Katz,  UC Berkeley          Leonard Kleinrock,  UCLA,
    Paul  Leach,  Microsoft          Debasis Mitra,  AT&T,
    Christos Papadimitriou, UC San Diego  Rafi Rom, Technion & SUN,
    Nachum Shacham,  SRI          Jeff  Vitter,  Duke U.,
    John  Zahorjan,  U. Washington

  STEERING COMMITTEE
    Imrich Chlamtac, UMASS, chair      Lyman Chapin, BBN
    Vinton Cerf, MCI              Raj Jain, Ohio State U.
    Baruch Awerbuch, John Hopkins U.      Dave Oran, Digital Equip. Corp.
    Tomasz Imielinski, Rutgers U.      Greg Wetzel, AT&T Bell Labs.
    Linda Wright, Digital Equip. Corp.    Chris Edmondson-Yurkanan, UTexas
    Ian Akyildiz, Georgia Inst. of Tech.  Yelena Yesha, NASA

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Alp Uysal)
Subject: Re: Turkish Area Codes
Date: 13 Apr 1995 17:55:46 GMT
Organization: U S WEST Advanced Technologies
Reply-To: [e-mail]


Try the WWW site at bilkent.edu.tr http://www.bilkent.edu.tr/bilkent-cwis/
phone-codes.html or at metu.edu.tr http://www.metu.edu.tr/misc/phone-codes.
html.

Both these sites have ftp and gopher servers.


Alp Uysal, MTS
U S WEST Advanced Technologies     phone:[phone]
4001 Discovery Drive, Suite 2100   fax: [phone]
Boulder, CO, 80303                 e-mail:[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bill Walker)
Subject: Re: CDMA Update - Bad News :-(
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 14:00:23 -0700
Organization: Qualcomm, Inc.


In article <[e-mail]>, Simon J Wallace
<[e-mail]> wrote:

> There was a very interesting article in today's {Electronics Weekly}
> regarding CDMA.  According to Denis Gross, a telecommunications
> consultant with analyst firm BPA, CDMA does not appear to be working
> in trials, because of problems caused by signal reflections from
> structures.

This doesn't make sense.  IS-95 CDMA uses RAKE receivers, which are able
to demodulate multipath reflections and take advantage of them, i.e., the
receiver can demodulate and combine the signals received from three or more
separate paths.

To which "trials" is this article referring?


Bill Walker - [e-mail] - QUALCOMM, Inc., San Diego, CA USA

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (JeffB65582)
Subject: Re: AT&T $5 Minimum Monthly Charge
Date: 13 Apr 1995 17:15:14 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (JeffB65582)


>> carrier to avoid this charge and then dialing a 10XXX access code when

> you need to make an interLATA call if you don't make many interLATA
> long distance calls.  If you do make a lot of interLATA calls switch
> your PIC to a better carrier.  AT&T is really getting outrageous.
> First they charge for whole minute increments rather than six second
> billing.  Now they want to implement a minimum $5 charge.  This is
> getting out of hand.  Their answer to competition seems to be clobber
> the public with advertising saying "We're great." while at the same
> time raising their rates to outrageous levels.

Well, let me add the reasons why I switched from AT&T to the above.
After an evening of watching about 25 commercials from AT&T telling me
how wonderful they were and how terrible everyone else was, I realized
that my L.D. fees were being used to by them to annoy me.  As their
customer, I was helping to pay for those commercials.  Of the big
three, Sprint seemed to advertise the least and were the most tasteful
about doing it.  So, they've had the business ever since and done a
good job.

I don't know if Sprint has saved me any money or not.  I don't
particularly care.  And I didn't care that AT&T probably had the
highest rates.  I have a simpler outlook: Any advertiser that
irritates me (through too much or too obnoxious advertising) causes me
to notice and avoid business with them.

Now, as a non-AT&T user, I'm no longer helping to pay for the annoying
and abundant AT&T commercials.  I just sit back, hit the "mute"
button, and ponder thoughts like "the i plan is for idiots".  Perhaps
the monthly $5 fee will help provide even more commercials.

I really wonder how many people leave AT&T because they're so tired of
the commercials?  Am I alone or is this a widespread?  If I'm one of
many, I wonder if AT&T will ever recognize that their current
advertising techniques are like "pushing with a rope".

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David G. Cantor)
Subject: Re: Area Code Overlays vs. Splits
Date: 13 Apr 1995 08:33:26 -0700
Organization: IDA Center for Communications Research


[e-mail] (Lauren Weinstein) writes:

> . . .  Overlays are the only practical solution to deal with
> telephone number growth problems . . .

What about eight digit telephone numbers?  These could be achieved by
assigning a consecutive block of (new) area-codes to a given area with
some extras allowing for growth.

For example the sequence of eight new area-codes 322-329 could be assigned
to the LA metropolitan area.  Instead of dialing 132x-yyy-zzzz, the
user would simply dial x-yyy-zzzz.

For smaller areas, such as the San Diego metropolitan area three
consecutive area codes, all beginning with the same two digits could
be used.

Smaller areas could stay with seven-digit dialing.

Area codes for areas with seven-digit dialing would be three digits (plus
leading "1") and those for areas with 8-digit dialing would be two
digits.

This system with more variation in lengths of the area codes and local
numbers is used in Europe and many other places.  It works well.


David G. Cantor       Center for Communications Research
[e-mail]       4320 Westerra Court
           San Diego, CA 92121

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Steven H. Lichter)
Subject: Re: Area Code Overlays vs. Splits
Date: 13 Apr 1995 03:51:31 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio (USA)


Lauren:

The other thing that is also being considered is adding another digit
to the phone number, that will allow for more numbers in an NPA. Just
think xxxx-xxxx or xxx-xxxxx, how would you like that? I might since
it will make a ton of work for myself and anyone else that working in
the telecom industry. The overlay is like it was 50 years ago when
there were thre3 phone companies in LA in the same area and none were
connected. These companies caused the problems with single number
pagers, now let them live with it.


    -=- Sysop: Apple Elite II -=- an Ogg-Net Hub BBS
                 Home of GBBS/LLUCE support
        [phone] 12/24/14.4 V32/V42bis

------------------------------

From: Toby Nixon <[e-mail]>
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 95 07:08:08 PDT
Subject: RE: Area Code Overlays vs. Splits


In TELECOM Digest V15 #191, [e-mail] (Lauren Weinstein) wrote:

> I am very disappointed, however, to see the wireless companies
> lobbying the state utilities commissions and the FCC to force telcos
> to engage in more splits rather than use overlay codes.

It has gone beyond that. They've managed to get this provision written
into the bill pending in the Senate to amend the Communications Act of
1934. As currently written, the bill (in its section 301) would add a
new section 261 to the 1934 act, which, among other things says:

261 (c) (2) OVERLAY OF AREA CODES NOT PERMITTED. - All telecommunications
carriers providing telephone exchange service in the same telephone
service area shall be assigned the same numbering plan area code under
such guideline, plan, or rules.

This is supposedly for the purpose of ensuring neutrality once local
exchange competition is implemented, so that new entrants in the market
will not have to require their subscribers to dial more digits than
dialed by subscribers of the existing carrier.

If this is adopted, overlays will become *illegal*. Personally, I think
overlays are a good thing, so that individuals and companies don't have
to spend millions of dollars reprinting stationery, etc.  What I object
to most about overlays is how they have been actually implemented --
they don't follow established dialing procedure conventions, in that
they require ten-digit dialing between the overlaid NPAs -- the 713/281
overlay in Houston does not even permit 11-digit between them. It is
very difficult for prepackaged software to know whether inter-NPA calls
should be dialed as 10 or 11 digits without a huge database. My
understanding is that the state PUCs are the ones forcing this, because
of some notion that the leading "1" implies a toll call, and the lack
of a leading "1" implies a non-toll call. Of course we all know that
isn't the case.

California has gotten it right, permitting 11-digit dialing of local
calls not only to other NPAs but within the same NPA, whether the call
is toll _or_ local (i.e., you can dial a call to anywhere in WPA 1 as
11 digits!!). I agree with Lauren that the FCC should encourage, if not
require, all state PUCs and telcos to enable universal permissive
11-digit dialing.


Toby

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Lee Winson)
Subject: Re: Area Code Overlays vs. Splits
Date: 13 Apr 1995 03:29:40 GMT
Organization: PACS IBM SIG BBS


I think area code overlays should only be used for specialized
services, such as beepers, cellular, and possibly fax and computer;
where the geographic location of the called party isn't significant.

For normal residence and business numbers, I do would not want overlay
codes whatsoever.  An area code/exchange should refer to a unique
geographic neighborhood.

[Yes, I know there are exceptions like foreign exchange lines, etc., but
basically I think geography is important.]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Venkat Thirumalai)
Subject: Re: Asia's Largest Private Township Wants to Get Wired
Organization: Ohio University CS Dept,. Athens
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 01:29:51 GMT


In article <[e-mail]>, Rishab Aiyer Ghosh
<[e-mail]> wrote:

> DLF Qutab Enclave, spread over nearly 3,000 acres and Asia's largest
> private sector township, wants to build infrastructure for cable TV,
> video conferencing, e-mail, home shopping/banking, security, the
> works.

> Do spread the word, and if anyone is interested (for more info to
> write a story, or to wire DLF) they can get in touch with me.
> Strangely enough, DLF doesn't have e-mail. Actually I was surprised
> they could spell 'Internet' -- but they can, so there!

DLF can also be reached at:

DLF Universal Ltd.
DLF Centre. Sansad Marg.
New Delhi. 110 001
Ph. +91-11-371.9320
Fax.[phone]

(*not affiliated in any way *)


Venkat
(Ph. 614.592.5357)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bradley J. Bittorf)
Subject: Re: The MATHLINE Project
Date: 13 Apr 1995 12:19:56 GMT
Organization: Allen-Bradley Company, Inc.


Forwarded to the Digest FYI in response to an earlier mention:

  Date: Sun, 9 Apr 1995 12:46:13 -0400
  Reply-To: [e-mail] (Brewski106)
  To: [e-mail] (Bradley J. Bittorf)
  Subject: Re: The MATHLINE Project
  X-Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
  References: <[e-mail]>
  In-Reply-To: <[e-mail]>

As the manager of MATHLINE for Thirteen/WNET in New York, I will fill
in some of the gaps that the responder in Cleveland so aptly covered.
Mathline came about when the government was looking to fund projects
which would have U.S. students become first in math by the year 2000.
Mathline, proposed by PBS, matched that goal in its vision and design.
The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) was the guiding
principal of the project.  The NCTM standards are a new approach to
learning math.  Avoiding the typical methods of students memorizing
formulas and math concepts, NCTM encourages teachers to have students
learn math by showing how percentages, geometry, algebra, etc. are
applied in day to day living.

The student then feels motivated to learn their math because they see
a direct relation between math and their own lives.

Thirteen, WNET produced 25 videos of exceptional math teachers from
around the country, demonstrating NCTM lessons in the classroom with
their students.  The videos were then distributed to the teachers
selected by the participating public television sites around the
country.

Since most staff training relies on teachers staying after school or
traveling to conferences, a computer network was created to link up
all participating teachers to a mentor teacher who would serve as
their "professor".  After viewing the videos, and trying out the
recommended strategies in the classroom, Mathline participants then go
online to discuss the outcome and seek suggestions.  In New York,
seven schools were provided with Cellular phones and laptop computers
(due to the generous funding from the CTIA Foundation and NYNEX) to
ease the problems to modem access so common in most schools.  The
project was launched with a teleconference in the fall, and a midway
conference in January, produced by Thirteen/WNET.

The result so far?  Even though we had 25 enthusiastic participants at
the beginning of the project, about 75% kept with it (not a bad
percentage overall).  The access to a modem and a phone line was
problematic and had something to do with some teachers losing
interest.  Others just didn't want to take the time to stick with it.
The active participants made the idealism of the project work.  They
tried out the new strategies, saw how the students developed a new
love for mathematics, and the teachers learned how to apply new ideas
in the classroom.  The sharing of ideas on the PBS Mathline network
were wonderful brainstorming sessions.  Our facilitator (mentor) is a
very motivating leader for the participants.  The cellular phones and
computers have not reached their potential.  For most teachers, the
technology is given about three tries.  If it is inconsistent, the
user loses interest.  Since New York has many physical obstacles for
clear reception, I have been working closely with NYNEX to provide
better antennaes.

For a new approach to providing ideas to teachers and helping students
improve their math skills, Mathline is a step in the right direction.
The technology solves the problem of teachers not having time for staff
development.  It lets them chose the time (and with the cellular/laptops)
and place for learning new teaching strategies.  With all new approaches
and technologies, it will take time before telecommunications becomes
the first research tool teachers turn to for ideas.  Those that are
already accustomed to it are believers and have been wonderful trainers
themselves.


Bruce Wynn
Director of Training
Thirteen/WNET  [phone]

                        ----------------

Bradley J. Bittorf                           | Phone:  [phone]
Allen-Bradley Company/Rockwell Automation    | FAX:    [phone]
747 Alpha Drive, Highland Heights, OH  44143 | e-mail: [e-mail]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #194
******************************


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From: TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson) <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #195


TELECOM Digest     Thu, 13 Apr 95 18:15:00 CDT    Volume 15 : Issue 195

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Book Review: "Internet Passport" by NorthWestNet (Rob Slade)
    Book Review: "Internet Yellow Pages" by Hahn/Stout (Rob Slade)
    Assistance Wanted With Call Blocking (Robohn Scott)
    Information Wanted on DSP Chip Modems (Padma Uppalapati)
    Xylogics Annex 4000 Cabling (Bob Izenberg)
    US Robotics and Xylogics (Graeme Lowry)
    Telephone Line Conditioner (Jim Previti)
    Pager Schematic Wanted (Thilo Graupner)
    Re: Competition, RBOCs and All That (Tim Gorman)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
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use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
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* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such
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All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 16:33:43 -0500
From: Rob Slade <[e-mail]>
Subject: Book Review: "Internet Passport" by NorthWestNet


BKINTPSP.RVW  950311

"The Internet Passport", NorthWestNet, 1995, 0-13-194200-X, U$29.95/C$40.95
%A   David Feiner Willard Robison
%A   Jonathan Patrick Kochmer
%C   113 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ   07632
%D   1995
%G   0-13-194200-X
%I   Prentice Hall
%O   U$29.95/C$40.95 [phone] FAX [phone] [e-mail]
%O   [phone] fax: [phone] [e-mail] [e-mail]
%P   667
%T   "The Internet Passport"

Until recently, this was only available from NorthWestNet or a very
select group of specialty bookstores.  With the involvement of
Prentice Hall in this edition, the work may see a wider distribution.

This work is a fairly bare bones and no nonsense guide to the
Internet.  The book is orderly, and the explanations and illustrations
are clear.  Each chapter covers a single topic.  Most chapters end
with additional references, most often online materials or sources.
The work is well researched and highly competent in most cases.  There
is, in the early chapters, a gracelessness to it which lacks any kind
of appeal.  What humour there is tends to seem somewhat contrived and
sanitized: a topic on the hardware that connects computers on the
Internet is subtitled "Router Rooters: 'Go Internet Go!'"
Nevertheless, it is a thoroughly researched and valuable reference for
those interested in using the resources of the Internet.

Section one, which is also chapter one, is a brief introduction to the
Internet.  There is minor mention of the technologies and
organizations involved in the Internet, as well as brief mention of
Fidonet and UUCP.  The bibliography is a very solid list of valuable
titles, but would have had significantly more value with some
annotation.

Section two covers the basic tools and functions of the Internet.  The
topics are well chosen, starting with email, mail servers, mail
gateways to other networks and systems, telnet and ftp.  Chapter four
discusses mail etiquette.  This section, I am happy to note, gives
more space to the topic than is usual.  In the end, though, it comes
down to a list of rules that reduce to "keep it short, keep on topic,
be complete and don't mess up."  It would be nice to see one of these
essays tell people how and why flame wars start, which might help to
avoid them.  Chapter eight, following ftp, deals with file compression
and archiving.

Section three moves into the next level of sophistication, in terms of
communications, with group discussions.  As the book puts it, these
are the "Community Forums" of the net.  Chapters nine, ten and eleven
deal very clearly, completely and usefully with Usenet, BITNET
LISTSERVs and Internet mailing lists.  I am noted for highly critical
reviews: I find nothing of any substance wrong with this section, and
recommend it highly and without reservation.  Once again, the end of
each chapter gives useful directions on how to find out further
information, particularly the specifics of various LISTSERVs and
mailing lists.

Section four starts to look at the resources of the Internet as a
library, with electronic journals, books, catalogues and data bases.
Chapter fifteen is very similar to the catalog section of various
works with listings of sites and resources by topic.  Section five
deals with exploration and retrieval tools, such as archie, gopher,
WAIS, WWW and directory services.  The final section contains
specialized interests, becoming an information provider on the net,
the use of the Internet in public education, health related issues and
access to supercomputing facilities.  The chapter on providing
information is excellent, giving, very briefly, a background and
detailed overview which is more reliable than those in works dedicated
to "doing business" on the Internet.  (A concise introduction to HTML
would be a valuable addition.)

The book concludes with several appendices.  The most interesting are
likely Appendix A, which gives suggestions of online sources of
information about the Internet, and, B, which gives a short list of
Internet access providers and methods.  The glossary is very well
done: not overblown with imposing numbers of entries, but good
explanations of the important terms.

The unprepossessing beginning of this work hides a very carefully
researched and well organized reference for those wishing to get into
the Internet and its resources.  Unfortunately, this most recent
edition does not show much development from the previous one.  I am
sorry to see the same weaknesses, and recnet references which could
have covered some shortcomings ignored.  Less flashy than some, it
should nevertheless have a place on the desk of every serious Internet
user.


copyright Robert M. Slade, 1993, 1995   BKINTPSP.RVW  950311. Distribution
permitted in TELECOM Digest and associated publications. Rob Slade's book
reviews are a regular feature in the Digest.


Vancouver      [e-mail]       | Oh, wow, far out man!
Institute for  [e-mail]    | Says my PC is now Stoned!
Research into  Rob.Slade@f733.n153.z1/| 1.2s lose files
User                      .fidonet.org|
Security       Canada V7K 2G6         |               - virus haiku

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 12 Apr 1995 15:24:55 -0500
From: Rob Slade <[e-mail]>
Subject: Book Review: "Internet Yellow Pages" by Hahn/Stout


BKINTYLP.RVW  950311

"The Internet Yellow Pages", Hahn/Stout, 1995, 0-07-882098-7, U$29.95
%A   Harley Hahn
%A   Rick Stout [e-mail]
%C   300 Water Street, Whitby, Ontario   L1N 9B6
%C   2600 Tenth St., Berkeley, CA   94710
%D   1995
%G   0-07-882098-7
%I   Osborne McGraw-Hill
%O   U$29.95 800-227-0900 1-800-2-MCGRAW FAX: [phone]
%O   [e-mail]
%P   812
%T   "The Internet Yellow Pages"

An Internet "Yellow Pages" is no less ambitious a project than a
"White Pages," probably more so.  The pace of change on the Internet
is rapid, and ill-suited to the long lead times of book publishing.
In addition, the volume and range of information on the net is
staggering.  Nevertheless, even the very brief "catalogues" found in
introductory guides tend to be a lot of fun and serendipitously
useful.

This is fun.  The "coke servers" are here, addresses for famous
people, programming resources, UFO theorists, software utilities,
government information and all the various and varied topics of the
net.  There are cartoons and graphics included; about two per page;
which seem to take the place of the advertising in a regular yellow
pages directory.  (The authors are promoting "The Internet Complete
Reference" (cf BKINCORF.RVW) less agressively in this edition.)

This is useful.  For Internet resource people, this is a lot faster
than "grep"ing the active-groups and list-of-lists files when the
persistent "What can you do on the Internet?" question pops up.  The
closest competition, "New Riders' Official Internet Yellow Pages" (cf
BKNRYLPG.RVW) is more formal but actually contains fewer listings, and
is not as likely to find information on what you are looking for.

This needs work.  The entries lean heavily on gopher entries and are
light on mailing lists.  The large format and 800 pages of listings
look impressive until you see the amount of white space and number of
cartoons.  (The white space ("yellow" space?) *does* make the layout
attractive and easy to read.)  The subject categories could stand some
input from a "real world" document such as a real yellow pages
directory or the Sears list of subject headings.  The index is vital,
and needs the most work of all in order to make this a major reference
work.

The authors solicit comments and entries to [e-mail].
Certainly, any major net entity would be well advised to send them a
note.  Commercial information providers might even want to take out an
ad to replace some of those cartoons.  (If so, I want a cut.)


copyright Robert M. Slade, 1994, 1995   BKINTYLP.RVW  950311. Distribution
permitted in TELECOM Digest and associated publications. Rob Slade's book
reviews are a regular feature in the Digest.


DECUS Canada Communications, Desktop, Education and Security group newsletters
Editor and/or reviewer [e-mail], [e-mail], Rob Slade at 1:153/733
Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" (Europe: [e-mail])

------------------------------

From: Robohn Scott <[e-mail]>
Subject: Assistance Wanted With Call Blocking
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 95 14:43:00 PDT


The following relates to a very important matter, so any help you can offer
is greatly appreciated.

I have to call a person who I am quite sure doesn't want to talk to me
(regarding a legal matter).  I called his 201 (northern NJ) number
yesterday several times from my home (703) number and got "Your call
cannot be completed as dialed."  This was suspicious because I called
him the day before and got through without problem.  I verified the
number from an old phone bill and then decided to try calling via my
long distance carrier (LCI) calling card.  This was successful and I
finally got through (to his answering machine, unfortunately).

I'm pretty sure he has Caller ID, but he may have some kind of call
blocking in effect.  Here are some specific questions:

(1) How does call blocking work?  That is, if the called phone was blocking
the calling phone, would call blocking produce a "Your call cannot be
completed as dialed" message?  That seems like a pretty vague response,
leading to frustrated callers like me.

(2) Does Caller ID work across area codes?

(3) If Caller ID works across area codes, what would the called phone
display on an incoming call from a carrier's 800-number calling card?

(4) Could this simply be the result of some network congestion condition?
 The default carrier is Sprint.

(5) On the legal side, is there anything I can do to get this guy to answer
his phone or at least return my messages?  He has a legal obligation to do
so and he's not meeting it.  Lawyers don't help much; he doesn't even return
his lawyer's calls.


Thanks in advance,

Scott Robohn   [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I would investigate the discrepancy between
your direct dialed call and the one you placed (direct?) via your long
distance carrier. Call Blocking can work across state lines and area code
boundaries. It works on the same basis as Caller-ID; either it gets through
to you from a distant point or it does not. If the originating and receiving
telcos are equipped to handle these new features then yes, you can call
block someone clear across the country. An interesting thing to experiment
with is attempting to block a number from some distant point. For example,
pick a number in some area code in some distant location. It does not matter
if you know who the number belongs to or not, or even if it is a working
number. Notice how when you attempt to block a local number, the response
is immediate. Either you blocked it or 'this feature cannot be used with
the number you entered ...'.  Now try your distant number. Notice how there
usually will be no immediate response; your telco is making an inquiry at
the distant end; in a way, it sort of resembles the unix command 'ping'
where you 'ping' a distant location, or where you do 'finger @distant.site'
and you may sit there a few seconds waiting for the network to deal with
it. Eventually your telco will come back to you with a response saying
either the number has been added to your directory of blocked numbers
or that it cannot be added. And sometimes there is a *third reply* which
is, 'that number cannot be added to your directory *right now* ... please
try again later ...' which I take to mean your telco 'timed out' waiting
for the distant central office to respond with particulars.

There is one exchange in Chicago (312-855) which for the longest time --
maybe still, I have not tried lately -- would give Caller-ID but would
not accept blocking. A whole bunch of it is used as DID numbers for a
department store downtown. The Caller-ID returned bogus numbers on the
exchange, and attempts to block anything there always got the 'cannot
do it right now, try again later please' response.

To answer your question about phrases, every blocked number I have
ever encountered returned a message saying 'the party you are trying to
reach has activated call screening, meaning they do not wish to accept
telephone calls at this time.'.  Note, they do not single you out; they
just say calls are not being accepted. I have never heard it say 'call
cannot be completed as dialed'.

Maybe it was just a fluke when you tried it before. If you are still unable
to dial direct, then try with various 10xxx codes. *They should fail also*
since your local telco checks that out before passing the call. Then try
via the carriers 800 numbers such as 800-CALL-ATT. If that works (just as
your credit card attempt worked) then for some reason your local telco has
managed to lose some information in its tables. Also, *which office* sent
you the 'cannot be completed as dialed' message?  Was it your local office
or the distant one, or ...?

Also bear in mind that maybe the identification is passed between telcos
when dialing direct, but when you call via your long distance carrier
it is not passed for some reason. Therefore he might indeed be blocking
your calls but his office is not getting the message when the call comes
via the long distance carrier. If that is happening, then for whatever
reason your local telco is using the 'cannot be completed as dialed'
message erroneously in my opinion. They should be using the 'has activated
call screening' message instead.

Regards does a person *have* to answer the phone, the answer is no they
do not. Nor do they have to come to the door. I don't care if the sheriff
is standing there with legal service, they do not have to come to the door
and open it if they are inside their house. What the sheriff can do is
sit on the front steps and wait for the person to enter or leave the
premises then stick the papers in their hand as they walk past. Process
servers know all sorts of tricky and legal ways to get that paper into
your possession. If nothing else works, you -- not the sheriff, what does
he care one way or the other ... you are the one with the beef -- you
can go to a special court (in Chicago/Cook County it is called 'Chancery
Court') and ask the judge to allow 'special remedies'. You tell the
judge the fellow is playing games and dodging service. The judge will
okay 'alias service' meaning you can tack the legal notice up on the
wall in the courthouse and leave it there; also that you can send it
by regular mail (we are assuming the deadbeat won't sign for registered
mail brought by the post office) and as long as the mail 'sticks' --
that is, does not get returned undeliverable by the post office -- then
service will be deemed to have occurred. But no, he doesn't have to
answer the phone. You'd think he might be courteous enough however to
put an outgoing message on his answering machine saying, "For your
convenience, this line is answered 24 hours daily by this machine. You
will never reach a live person at this number no matter when you call."
For your convenience, of course ...  <grin> or his, one of the two.  PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Padma Uppalapati)
Subject: Information Wanted on DSP Chip Modems
Date: 12 Apr 1995 17:12:13 GMT
Organization: Netcom


I am working in a satellite based company. I would like get some
literature or sources of literature on DSP chip modems. As these modems
have an advantage of flexibility at a lower prices. Any future changes
just needs an upgrade in the software.

These modems are useful for low speed applications. Typically our
customer's data rate would be either 64kbps or 128 kbps. So we would
like get the benifit of these DSP chip modems.

Please send me e-mail.

I would like to thank you in advance.


Padma
e-mail: [e-mail]
Ph: [phone] x263

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bob Izenberg)
Subject: Xylogics Annex 4000 Cabling
Date: Wed, 12 Apr 1995 15:34:10 CDT
Reply-To: [e-mail]


    Does anyone know of a cable shop that could make us up several
serial fan-out cables for a Xylogics Annex 4000?  Xylogics only sells
them in four foot lengths, and we need twelve foot.  I've gotten a
quote from the company that makes the cables for Xylogics....  $88 per
cable.  If you've been happy with cables that you've had made for a
better price than this, please feel free to drop me a note.


Thanks!

Bob Izenberg   512-442-0614 / 617-722-0091 / 800-946-4646, pager 1109500
[e-mail] / [e-mail] / [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Graeme Lowry)
Subject: US Robotics and Xylogics
Date: 12 Apr 1995 23:37:41 GMT
Organization: Studio X --- Santa Fe's Information Gateway


I am trying to connect a Xylogics ANNEX XL terminal server to a US
Robotics 28.8 Sportster.  It will be a dial-in only, and the whole
set-up will be as a server for SLIP connections.  If anyone knows the
correct INIT strings I would appreciate it.  I have tried several, and
get garbage each time.  Please email me.


Thanks in advance,

Graeme Lowry  [e-mail]  [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Jim Previti)
Subject: Telephone Line Conditioner
Date: 12 Apr 1995 12:50:54 GMT
Organization: DSC/Voicenet - BBS/Unix Shells/SLIP/NEWS - [phone]


I have a problem with my analogue line at home, sometimes only able to
get 9600 b/s with a 28.8kb/s modem.  I've heard that there are line
conditioners to clean up noisey lines.  Does anyone know about these
devices?  Who makes them and what the high and low cost is?


Thanks,

Jim Previti

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Thilo Graupner)
Subject: Pager Schematic Wanted
Date: 12 Apr 1995 14:27:55 GMT
Organization: University of Heidelberg, Germany
Reply-To: [e-mail]


Does anybody know where I could get the circuit-diagram of the

    Motorola Pager "Lifestyle Plus"

If anybody has an idea where I could get it from, please mail to me.


Thanks,

Thilo


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Have you tried contacting Motorola's
technical service people?   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 12 Apr 1995 06:16:20 -0500
From: Tim Gorman <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Competition, RBOCs and All That


> Well, if I ever was under the impression that it was possible for an RBOC
> to try to compete fairly in a competive market, you've certainly disabused
> me of that naive notion.

What is this? Just because the local telco CAN offer something at a
cheaper rate this is unfair competition? I'm glad to disabuse you of
the naive notion that someone buying 100 switches for 5,000,000 lines
can get a cheaper rate from the switch vendors than an operator ordering
one switch with 5,000 lines.

> Let's look at the NYNEX voice mail example again. There were a bunch of
> independent voice mail providers in Boston. Then NYNEX came along with Call
> Answering, which has:

> * Forward on busy/no answer from your POTS number
> * Stutter dialtone
> * Combined billing with phone service

You still have not answered how the competitive providers offered
Voice Mail without some way for the calls to get to them. You are just
asserting that forward on busy/no answer is a predatory service
offered by the RBOC. Sorry, but no one with any technical knowledge is
going to buy that one.

> There's no technical reason why all three of those features can't be
> offered fairly to all comers (even stutter dialtone, which is controlled
> from outside the CO now, since telco voicemail isn't built into the switch. I
> believe that PacTel offers it as an overpriced ONA feature. No, I don't
> have the order code.) And they price all this at about half of what the
> independents charge, even though it's technically more complex. Doesn't
> that seem a teensy, weensy, itsy bitsy little bit predatory? Sure seems
> predatory to me -- I subscribe to it since I figure that I'm paying for it
> anyway. I expect you'll say "the DPU approved it so it's 100% legal, moral,
> ethical, and fair", and that kind of attitude, which is completely typical of
> RBOCs, is a big part of the problem.

You make an assumption that a more technically advanced and complex
service is more costly to offer and should therefore be priced higher.
That is an unwarranted, unsupported assumption that is proved wrong
every day. As I pointed out above, not very many people want to
recognize today that bulk purchasing DOES allow obtaining better
prices from the vendors. You should see the battles our purchasing
organization has with equipment vendors in trying to obtain the best
possible prices we can get.There is nothing wrong with it.  There is
nothing illegal about it. There is nothing immoral about it. There is
nothing unethical about it. There is nothing unfair about it.

In essence, you are making the claim that the RBOC's can not possible
do ANYTHING cheaper or better than competitors and that if they are
offering ANY service cheaper than competitors it must be predatory,
illegal, immoral, unethical, and unfair. Patently wrong.

You may be surprised to find out just how good of a competitor the RBOC's may
turn out to be.

> Or look at Centrex. Is it a monopoly service? Of course it is. How many
> vendors in, say, Houston offer it? One. Sure there are some applications
> where it competes with PBXes. But there are some places where only Centrex
> makes sense (lots of small locations, 100% trunkage), and some where it's
> not a contender (one location with integrated voice, data, and video.) For
> that matter, there are some applications where POTS competes with courier
> service, but it's still a monoply, too. Regulation really should be (and
> usually is) only for monopoly services.

Sorry, you still haven't grasped the difference between unregulated/regulated
and competitive/monopoly. A competitive service doesn't have to be the
best EVERYWHERE. Sometimes PBX's are best, sometimes Centrex is. That
is what makes it COMPETITIVE rather than monopoly. A monopoly service
has NO competitors. You will find that unregulated service in the future
will mostly be for those services considered as commodities.  Lots of
small competitors offering exactly the same service at about the same
price. Regulated service will remain a fact of life for everything
else for a long, long time. Just how many commodity type services do
you think will come out of the telecommunications market in the next
ten years? My opinion is very few. Local service/long distance vendors
will be offering all kinds of integrated video, voice, and data services
with numerous combinations and numerous pricing options. The state
Public Utility Commissions are NOT going to let this degenerate into a
"rip-off" market like the AOS's got into at the start of divestiture.

> And, finally, I can't help but observe that your opinion of the
> impracticality of my suggestion that RBOCs divest services as they become
> competitive is practically word for word what many Bell System people said
> 10 years ago when the breakup was announced. "What will happen to Bell
> Labs?" "The phone system can't work if it's not totally integrated."
> "There's no way to figure out where to separate the facilities." Well, what
> do you know, after a certain amount of confusion things sorted themselves
> out and we solved the issue of  separations between regulated local service
> and competitive long distance service once and for all, coming up in the
> process with a considerably more diverse, innovative, and inexpensive long
> distance network.

Malarky. Required integration has nothing whatsoever to do with it at
all.  Would you prevent interLATA carriers from getting into local
service? If not, then why would you want to prevent the RBOC's from
being integrated as well?  Would you prevent CAP's such as MFS from
getting into the interLATA business?  If not, then why would you want
to prevent the RBOC's from doing so?

BTW, the split between interLATA and local is NOT complete. Go look at
the interLATA carriers hollering that their access charges are too
high and that the local rates should be raised even higher. This has
NOT been played out to it's conclusion yet, rather it is far from it.
The regulators at all levels are going to catch a lot of heat over the
next few years concerning just this subject.

Unless you are willing to be consistent and say that NO company can be
in more than one segment of the market at a time, then there is only
one obvious conclusion as to why you would want the RBOC's broken up
and prevented from being integrated competitors.

> I'm under no illusion that the RBOCs are in any danger of being broken up
> soon. Their lobbyists are much too good for that. But after a while people
> may get tired of paying for services that they're not receiving and then
> we'll see what happens.

This is just one more groundless assertion. If the RBOC's can't
compete, the market will point it out quickly. As market share is lost
and investment becomes stranded, the breakup you so apparently want
will happen anyway. On the other hand, if the RBOC's turn out to be
strong competitors then arbitrary, capricious breakup by government
mandate would be idiotic.


Tim Gorman  [e-mail]
Southwestern Bell Tel Co

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #195
******************************


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Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 20:27:02 -0500
From: TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson) <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #196

TELECOM Digest     Thu, 13 Apr 95 20:27:00 CDT    Volume 15 : Issue 196

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Re: Is Caller ID to be Mandatory Nationally? (Gordon Wilson)
    Re: Statistics Wanted on Phone and Feature Use ([e-mail])
    Re: Where to Complain About Unsolicited Fax Ad? ([e-mail])
    Re: Has There Been *Any* Digital Cellular Fraud Yet in the US? (P Carroll)
    Re: Has There Been *Any* Digital Cellular Fraud Yet in the US? (R. Voss)
    Re: Digital Cellular Encryption and Fraud (P.K. Carroll)
    Re: Local Competition (G.M. Nassar)
    Re: Cellular Phone Receiver (Jurgen Morhofer)
    Re: When Handed a Lemon, Make Lemonade! (John J. Butz)
    Looking For Ben Huey or Abhay Kejwiral (John Watlington)
    Re: What is TELEGO Service? (Anthony Campbell)
    Re: Trying to Locate Recommendation E.123 (Christopher Wolf)
    Information Wanted on Hacking PSN (Steve Wegman)
    Book Review: "Internet Explorer's Kit for Macintosh" (Rob Slade)
    Looking For mux and Switch-Frame Relay Solution (Martha Marin)
    How Does a Pager Work? (Mark Huang)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
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                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
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*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
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*************************************************************************

Additionally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such
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All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Gordon Wilson)
Subject: Re: Is Caller ID to be Mandatory Nationally?
Date: 13 Apr 1995 23:41:32 GMT
Organization: HP Integrated Circuit Business Division, Palo Alto, CA


ERDAR ([e-mail]) wrote:

> On 3/17 the FCC stayed its March 1994 Order which would have made
> passage of CPN (which enable Caller ID) mandatory for interconnected
> local and long distance carriers.  This means that Caller will not be
> national this April.

So, which states do not have Caller ID (besides California)?


Thanks,

gordon


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: We had a list of the states here at one
time, but that was quite awhile ago. I wonder if there is a more recent
list of who is equipped and who is not at this point.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Emlucky)
Subject: Re: Statistics Wanted on Phone and Feature Use
Date: 13 Apr 1995 19:57:33 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Emlucky)


Most of those stats are proprietary.  Some services like voice messaging
are unregulated and some are regulated.  More information is available on
the latter.  I think approximately 30% of the lines which have call
waiting available have it.  This differs by telco etc.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (WayneLD)
Subject: Re: Where to Complain About Unsolicited Fax Ad?
Date: 13 Apr 1995 12:08:05 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (WayneLD)


I beleive federal law and most states' laws provide that you may have
legal recourse only after you request to be removed from an
unsolicited "fax list".  If after your written request is received by
the evil sender and he/she continues to mercilessly harass you with
unsolicited and unwanted faxes, you may seek legal remedies.  I
understand it is a civil matter and you must seek such remedies in a
civil court, at your expense.  An interesting point, however, is that
if your business fax number is published in a directory or other
public listing, then the law may interpret this as an invitation to
receive faxes from anyone who reads the directory.  If this is the
case you may not have any recourse at all.  Of course, there is always
the waste paper basket, the shredder, the recycling bin ...


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But remember, the man's complaint was
that fax paper costs money; he does not want to use so much of it.
Maybe he could get a fax card for his computer and view the junk
faxes on his screen *then* decide if he wants to print them out. <g> PAT]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (PKCarroll)
Subject: Re: Has There Been *Any* Digital Cellular Fraud Yet in the US?
Date: 13 Apr 1995 20:02:40 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (PKCarroll)


> Does anyone know of any instances of fraud happening on digital
> cellular phones?  I'm just wondering if the criminal element has
> reached a sophistication to clone these phones?

I don't know if there has been any in the "real world" but Northern
Telecom made a submission to one of the PCS standards groups which
stated that they were able to crack the IS-54 (digital cellular)
privacy and authentication system in five minutes using a PC.

If it hasn't happened yet, it won't be long.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 12 Apr 95 10:49 EST
From: Robert A. Voss <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Has There Been *Any* Digital Cellular Fraud Yet in the US?


Pat:

Regarding article about US digital cellular fraud, the response
indicating that a "digital" phone had been compromised is not correct.
In the US, there are still no "digital only" systems.  Any digital
cellular phone still uses an analog control channel, and the call is
set up exactly the same as an analog call.  This is when the MIN/ESN
can be stolen off the air.

When the IS-136 digital control channel is put in place (later this
year in some systems), then it will be more difficult to steal numbers
off the air.  Then the call is really digital from start to finish,
assuming you stay in cells equipped for digital.

New PCS systems at 1.8 GHz will likely be all digital from day one.
The PCS 1900 (similar to GSM in Europe) incorporates many features
making cloning difficult.  CDMA is also very robust.


Bob Voss
MCI Wireless Engineering

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (PKCarroll)
Subject: Re: Digital Cellular Encryption and Fraud
Date: 13 Apr 1995 10:12:53 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (PKCarroll)


> Do you know if GSM is available anywhere in the US or will be anytime
> soon?

GSM will be used in the US although it is going by the name PCS-1900.
BellSouth, Pacific Bell, American Personal Communications, GO Communica-
tions, and the Small Business PCS Association have all committed to
build a PCS-1900 network.  It also appears that Sprint will join in
but that is only a rumor at this point.  Claims are that the network
will be operational in the first cities in the US by mid-96 with a
complete build-out within about two years.

> Sounds like this is at least a defacto standard.  Is it an official
> standard too?  If so, by what standards body?

GSM is a standard established by the European Telecommunications
Standards Institute (ETSI).  PCS-1900, the US derivative, is an ANSI
standard which was developed jointly by the TIA TR-46 committee and
the ANSI T1 standards group.  The specifications were recently
completed and should be available, for a price, from the TIA.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (GMNassar)
Subject: Re: Local Competition
Date: 13 Apr 1995 15:57:18 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (GMNassar)


Local competition means being able to select your local carrier the way we
are able to select long distance carriers, but the implications are much
greater than this.  In fact, in various states, the public utilities
commissions "allow" providers other than the local RBOCs and independents
to provide local service to residences and businesses if they wish.
However, there are many obstacles that exist that hinder companies from
entering this market.  E.g., the cost to build the infrastructure that
includes connectivity to all homes in a particular geographic area tends
to be prohibitive.

Therefore, an RBOC competitor would have to rely on the RBOC to allow
use of its network for the "local loop" portion to carry a call from
its source to its destination.  Can you see the problems inherent in
having to rely on your competitor to ultimately deliver services to
one of your customers?!  It is issues such as this that dergulation is
addressing.  It is complicated, and in my opinion must be done
delicately and knowledgeably, or we will end up with a mess and no
real competition for residents and businesses at the local level.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Hey, an option is they can go out and
string their own cable and build their own plant inside and out and
come up with their own instruments, etc. After all, the 'real' phone
company did all that. Granted, its been more than a century in the
making; the telephone network in the USA did not happen overnight or
even in a few years the way the competitors seem to feel it should.

All the competition -- and that includes the long distance carriers --
seems to feel they should be able to jump on Bell's bandwagon and
reap the results and rewards of a century of labor. I think the *only*
thing the telcos should be required to do is provide interconnection
on request in a fair way at arms-length. They should not have to sell
anything to their competitors or provide them with anything. No local
loop, no co-location in the central office, none of that stuff. You
want to build a telephone company for local and/or long distance
service? Fine ... go ahead. Build it however you want, sign up your
customers, etc. I'd require the local telcos to be reasonable in
number and prefix assignment to the newcomers, interconnect, and that's
it. Period.  After you have your central office built, your cables
laid, your local loops ready to go and the other things that go into
running a phone network then the local Bell people open the door and
hand you a bunch of cable pairs for your interconnections. Now you sell
phone service and they sell phone service.  Is that so hard to under-
stand? Yet we have these other outfits today who are no different than
MCI was back in the early 1980's: they want only to skim the cream and
drive the costs up for all other users while they get rich.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 11:04:17 +0100
From: [e-mail] (Jurgen Morhofer)
Subject: Re: Cellular Phone Receiver


> Does anyone recall seeing a posting describing a method of converting
> Motorolla Cellular phones into cellular call receivers? If you know
> where I might find this information, please email me.  Thanks.  :>

Give a look to Telecom DIGEST #159. I asked the same question for a
Motorola MicroTac 7200 GSM phone. Unfortunately I received no answer
up to now.


Jurgen Morhofer     [e-mail]
Tel:[phone]  FAX:[phone]
Rome, Italy

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 13 Apr 95 14:50:55 EDT
From: [e-mail] (John J Butz)
Subject: Re: When Handed a Lemon, Make Lemonade!


Gary D. Shapiro <[e-mail]> writes:

>>                       Phone Won't Stop Ringing?
>>                           Here's What You Do
>>                            By Art Buchwald
>  [snip]
>  I have a phone number similar to that of the Santa Barbara Mission. Should I
>  offer to take confession? Or should I wait until I can get Caller ID? Just
>  think of the income opportunities!

>  JUST KIDDING! REALLY, I'M JUST KIDDING! HONEST!

Ironically, within today's TELECOM Digest mailings were postings on
the ACLU's effort to maintain free speech in cyberspace and the above
indignity.

Mr. Shapiro, I'm no historian, but if memory serves me, the Lutheran sect
split from the Catholic Church, in part, due to the Church's illicit use of
monetary remuneration for penance.  Eventually, this split in faith led to
the beginning of the Thirty Years War back in the 16th century.  You have
the right to hold and speak your beliefs, but did you think of the
consequences that pointed statements, not unlike yours, can cause?

This is a forum on telecommunications and related subjects.  Additionally,
it is a moderated forum, where superfluous and other non-related topics
are intentionally removed.  Pat, I am disappointed that a posting in such
obvious bad taste as this one got through.

Just my opinion...

J Butz       AT&T-GCCS Service SW Development    [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Either intentionally removed, or sometimes
intentionally left in. Sorry you felt offended. Actually when I saw that
my first thought was not the Church in the middle ages so much as it
was of people like Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart and their toll-free
numbers for people who want counseling, etc.  Anyway, whoever said I
had good taste?  :) If I had good taste, do you think I would print ACLU
press releases or the mountains of stuff I get from EFF?  :)   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 11 Apr 95 16:58:13 -0400
From: John Watlington <[e-mail]>
Subject: Looking For Ben Huey or Abhay Kejwiral


At ISLIP '94, a paper entitled "Standard Cells for Hardware Synthesis of
Lucid Programs" was presented, but no online version is available.  Can
someone help me contact the authors (what organization were they affiliated
with) or suggest a means of obtaining a hardcopy of this paper?


Thanks,

John Watlington                           MIT Media Laboratory
Internet: [e-mail]     20 Ames St. E15-351
[phone]                            Cambridge, MA 02139

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 13 Apr 95 14:40:51 PST
From: [e-mail] (Anthony Campbell)
Subject: Re: What is TELEGO Service?


Spiros Triantafyllopoulos ([e-mail]) wrote:

> A new service is advertised locally by GTE that is billed like a Super
> Cordless phone that you can take with you to the car, golf course,
> etc. No word like the dreaded 'cellular' is used anywhere.  The phone
> can be used from home as well.

> The ad says you don't buy the phone ('no expensive phone to buy').  No
> more details other than that.

Tele-Go was offered here in Portland Oregon for awhile last year.  $15 per
month plus usage, $.26 per minute, I believe.

My brother got it for his wife as an emergency phone.

I was intending to get one for my girl friend, finally got around to
some months later, only to have GTE tell us that the Tele-Go service
was withdrawn due to some on-going, unspecified, negotiations with
USWest, the local POTS provider.

(Sure could use some competition in local POTS these days.)

Any, GTE said it would continue providing Tele-Go to the 30k (!)
subscribers already installed.

Anyone know what GTE and USWest got going?


[e-mail]

------------------------------

From: Wolf <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Trying to Locate Recommendation E.123
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 18:45:18 EDT
Reply-To: [e-mail]


Just for reference, the Recommendation E.123 does not seem to be
available on ITU gopher site.  (Many other, less interesting ones are,
mind you...) If anyone else knows where it might be located, please
drop me a line.


Christopher Wolf, consumer of time, occupier of space.
http://www.cs.mtu.edu/grads/Wolf/Home.html

------------------------------

From: Wegman, Steve <[e-mail]>
Subject: Information Wanted on Hacking PSN
Date: Thu, 13 Apr 95 15:36:00 PDT


Could you help with a problem that I am working on here at the South
Dakota Public Utlities Commission?  Every now and then I receive an
inquiry from telephone consumers who have computers and they claim
that they never made the calls.  These phone calls appear on their
monthly telephone bills; they range from intra to inter state calls.

The calls on the telephone statement are noted as direct dailed, not a
third bill number nor credit card calls.  Upon further investigation,
phones line are not compromised.  The phone lines are single telephone
line, one telephone, jacks are only available inside single family
dewelling, no outside acess to demark box.  We have noticed that two
to three hundred calls are placed to a variety of bulletin board services,
and other computer ports.  I would apppreciate if you could direct me
to some refernce material or someone to chat with.


Thank you,

Steve Wegman    Staff Analyst
South Dakota Public Utilities Commission
State Capitol Building
Pierre, SD  57501
Phone  [phone] or 1 800 332 1782
Email  [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Are you trying to say one specific user
is noted as having two or three hundred calls on their bill, all to
other computers, and they are claiming they made none of the calls?
Seems a little strange to me, doesn't it to you?  Given that you have
investigated and found no illegal use of their line from outside thier
premises (someone using the line from a multiple on the pair somewhere,
etc) and that the calls are noted as direct dialed (that is, a phreak
did not fraudulently use their number or calling card) what does this
lead you to believe?  Have you also investigated yet whether or not
they have naughty children who use the computer on the sneak and then
lie to their parents about it, knowing if their dad finds out the truth
about those calls to the adult BBS he'll punish them?  Investigate the
times and dates those calls were made. Was it usually late afternoon
after school when the kids were home and the parents were not? Were
there ever any in the middle of the day on a school day when the kids
were *not* there? Why don't you see if any of the BBS's listed have
user logs from the time period in question. A lot of them would be
happy to help you with those records because they do not want phraud
calls, or calls from children. Ask the sysops what took place during
those phone calls if they have any way of telling at this date from
log records, etc.  How did the 'mystery caller' log in?  Very seldom
will children think to change their name completely or their location
when logging in on a system somewhere.  See if that helps you any in
your investigation.  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 14:55:34 EST
From: Rob Slade, Social Convener to the Net" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Book Review: "Internet Explorer's Kit for Macintosh"


BKINEXMC.RVW   950308

"Internet Explorer Kit for Macintosh", Engst/Dickson, 1994, 1-56830-089-1,
U$29.95/C$39.95
[e-mail]
%A   Adam C. Engst [e-mail]
%A   William Dickson [e-mail]
%C   201 W. 103rd Street, Indianapolis, IN   46290
%D   1994
%G   1-56830-089-1
%I   Hayden Books
%O   U$29.95/C$39.95 800-858-7674 [e-mail] 317-581-3743
%P   446
%T   "Internet Explorer Kit for Macintosh"

Maybe this should have been called "Adam and Bill's Excellent Internet
Adventure".  Like many successful net entities, it is more easily described
by what it is not, than by what it is.

This book is stated to be a companion volume to the "Internet Starter Kit for
Macintosh" (cf. BKINTSKM.RVW).  It is not, however, an extension or follow-up
to the previous volume, which it is almost, but not quite completely, unlike.

It isn't really a kit.  Mac client software for archie, finger, WAIS and Gopher
is included, but isn't really essential to the book.

It isn't really for the Macintosh.  The content has to do with people
using the net, and the access method doesn't really matter.

It is, in many senses, exploratory.  The material does not demonstrate
great expertise and is not complete.  Chapter two, for example, deals
with the search for people and email addresses, but doesn't even
mention the MIT Usenet-addresses mail server.  The book *is* very
realistic about how to approach the net.  The Internet "community" and
"Try it, see what happens," feeling is there.

It is not the usual Internet "beginner's guide".  With chapters on searching
for people, discussion, live chat, "stuff", resources and information,
ejournals, and peace of mind, the closest comparison might be with Gilster's
"Finding It On the Internet" (cf. BKFNDINT.RVW).  Where Gilster's book is
organized and thoroughly explanatory, this is a lengthy conversation between
two witty netizens.  It's sometimes hard to follow, but entertaining and well
larded with tips, information and interesting points.  "Dave", the editor,
generally breaks in at the end of a chapter with a question or two, and the
resulting summary is a concise, but generally cogent, analysis of the uses and
pitfalls of the applications under discussion.  (The authors also occasionally
"dialogue" with non-interactive documents, such as Brad Templeton's "Ask Emily
Postnews" network etiquette satire, or the whitehouse.gov presidential
mailbots.)

Those primarily interested in getting down to work on the Internet
will find the organization and verbosity frustrating.  Those who are
interested in exploring, or playing with, the net will find a
readable, funny, and friendly guide.


copyright Robert M. Slade, 1995   BKINEXMC.RVW   950308. Distribution
permitted in TELECOM Digest and associated publications. Rob Slade's
book reviews are a regular feature in the Digest.


Vancouver      [e-mail]       | Computer user thinks
Institute for  [e-mail]    | the machine just works for him
Research into  Rob.Slade@f733.n153.z1/| Monkey disagrees
User                      .fidonet.org|
Security       Canada V7K 2G6         |               - virus haiku

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (MARTHA MARIN)
Subject: Looking For mux and Switch-Frame Relay Solution
Date: 13 Apr 1995 22:17:57 GMT
Organization: Netcom


We are looking for mux and switch frame relay solution for our long
distance (voice,fax,data,video) private network.

Please, send us information and suggestions
(brochures,costs, etc) by e-mail or by fax at:


fax    :   [phone]
phone  :   [phone]
contacs:   Ed.Tepper
       Jairo Garcia

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 13 Apr 1995 18:45:03 -0400
From: [e-mail] (Mark Huang)
Subject: How Does a Pager Work?
Reply-To: [e-mail]


Hi folks:

    I'm looking for the information on the ins and outs of a digital
pager. I'm not in the telecommunications field so please use layman
terms.  Specifically I'd like to know when a person dials a number to
send a phone number or message, how does the transmitter know which
pager to send the message to? Aren't all pagers in a service area on
the same frequency? I'd appreciate it very much any expert out there
who could point me to the sources for detailed non-technical
description.


Mark Huang                e-mail: [e-mail]
2003 Stanley Ave.         Rockville, MD 20851-2227


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Yes, all the pagers of a given carrier
are on the same frequency. The difference is in what some pager companies
refer to as the 'cap code' of each unit. Imagine how in the old days
everyone was on the same telephone party line. How did the operator
indicate which party was to answer the call? Different ringing sequences
and cadences were used and the human being on the other end was trained
to respond only to (for example) two short and one long ring.  Anyone
who went off hook could listen; its just that you did not *know* there
was conversation on the line or that you should be listening to it until
you got that special sequence of rings.  Now the paging company transmitter
does much the same thing. A call comes in to the computer at the paging
company. It looks at the DID (or identification number) of its subscriber
which was entered, and says since the call came in on xxx-xxxx therefore
it must be for John Smith, and the cap code (or little electronic chip
in his pager) is zzzzz. So the first thing the transmitter does is send
out the tones zzzzz or whatever to get your pager's attention.

Now your pager is always 'listening'; it just does not respond until the
transmitter sends out the desired tones in the order needed that your
pager 'hears' them. It gets these little blips which mean for it to
turn itself on and receive a message.

If you were to remove the little bit of circuitry in your pager which
detirmines what (on the airwaves) are for it and what are for someone
else, then your pager would sit there receiving calls and messages from
the transmitter all day long just like a scanner radio tuned to that
frequency.  If you have a scanner, you can demonstrate this to yourself.
Note the frequency used by your pager, and set the scanner accordingly.
Now put in a phone call to your pager and listen on the scanner. All of
a sudden you'll hear the scanner go whoop! chirp! chirp!  chirp! tweet!
making tones. Then an instant later your pager will come to life, beep
and display whatever was entered. Other pagers of other customers will
remain silent because that sequence of chirps and beeps output by the
transmitter were not for them.  Let your scanner stay tuned to that
frequency over a period of time and all you will ever hear, every few
seconds or so are variations on whoop! chirp! chirp! chirp! beep! as
one pager or another is told to turn itself on and receive a message.

If you have a voice pager, those chirps sent out which match the 'cap
code' in your pager serve to turn off the squelch letting you hear
the transmission. Notice how if you do not press the button to shut off
the voice pager and just let it sit there hissing dead air after your
message is received, sooner or later it will start talking again when
other customers get messages ... just like an old party line phone where
once your call was finished you did not hang up the receiver, and
presently you would hear others talking.

If you decide to switch to a different beeper company, you take them your
unit and they look at the cap code inside, then they tell *their* computer
to tweak your unit whenever a call comes in. Or, they may open your unit
and pull out that little chip and put one of their own in their instead
giving you a different cap code, and of course they have to change the
frequency your unit is on if they happen to be on a different one.   PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #196
******************************


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From: TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson) <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #197

TELECOM Digest     Fri, 14 Apr 95 09:08:00 CDT    Volume 15 : Issue 197

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Pagers FAQ (Danny Burstein)
    Experiencesw With Unregisterd Cell Phone ([e-mail])
    Re: Can my Modem Talk to TTY Machines For the Deaf? (Karen Nakamura)
    Re: Can my Modem Talk to TTY Machines For the Deaf? (Henry Wertz)
    Re: Area Code Overlays vs. Splits (Philip V. Hull)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
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Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (danny burstein)
Subject: Pagers FAQ
Date: 13 Apr 1995 23:23:59 -0400


Pager FAQ
Danny Burstein <[e-mail]>

Version 0.5, 10 July, 1994


This FAQ has been put together to answer some of the more common
questions about pager systems. It is primarily focused on the US and
Canadian arrangements, but other countries are not forgotten.

Updated info or suggestions for further additions should be emailed to
the above address.

1) What is a pager anyway?

As usually described, a pager is a portable unit, generally about half
the size of an audio cassette box, which can be signalled to send a
one way message to the pager owner.

2) What types of messages?

The earliest units, usually called beepers, simply gave a tone alert.
This was a signal to the wearer to, for example, call the answering
service.

The next step was units which could display numbers. While the most
common use is to send it the phone number you want the person to call,
you can, of course, add code numbers to mean anything else you'd want.

For example, the number xxx-yyyy-1 might mean to call the xxx-yyyy
number at your leisure. Xxx-yyyy-9 might mean call ASAP.

The most recent units, called alpha-numerics, display complete written
messages. So, for example, the pager could show the message: "please
call home, you have a letter from the IRS."

There are also -voice- pagers which will let you actually speak into
the phone and have it come out the person's pager. These are pretty
rare.

3) How are messages sent to the pager?

By radio.  Well, it's a bit more complicated than that. Let's take a
look at how a pager actually works:

The pager is a small sized radio receiver which constantly monitors a
specific radio frequency dedicated to pager use.  It remains silent
until it 'hears' a specific ID string which tells it to, in effect,
turn on, and then listen up for, and display, the forthcoming message.

(again that could be a numeric or other string)

This ID is called (in the US) a CAPCODE. It has -nothing- to do with
the phone number you call or the ID you give to the page operator (see
below).

So the key point is that the pager company radio transmitter is
constantly sending out pages, and your specific unit will only
activate when it hears its ID/CAPCODE over the air.


4) How do I send out the message?

This depends on your pager vendor. Let's take the most common
examples:


a) Alert tone only (the old style)

   You call up a phone number assigned to the pager. You'll hear some
ringing, then a signal tone. At that point you hang up.

  Shortly afterwards the pager transmitter will send out the
individual unit's capcode and it will go off.

b) Touch tone entry: You will call a phone number dedicated to the
specific pager. It will ring, then you'll hear a signal tone. At that
point you punch in, using touch tone, the number you want displayed on
the pager.

  A few seconds later the transmitter will kick out the pager's
capcode, followed by the numbers you punched in. Then the pager will
give its annoying alert tone, the person will read it, and call you
back.

  (note that there is a variation on this in which an entire group of
pagers has the same phone number. You call it up, then punch in the
pager's id number, and continue as above)

c) alpha-numeric: With this one there are various ways of getting the
message to the system.

  i) via an operator: The pager company will have you dial up their
operator. When they answer, you give them the pager id number and the
message. They'll type it into the computer and shortly afterwards the
transmitter will send out the capcode and the message

  ii) using -your- computer: Most pager companies with alphanumeric
have a dial-up number you can call yourself.  Some of these will work
with regular @comm programs, while others require proprietary
software.

  The most common method is to have your computer dial up the number,
then you type in the pager ID, followed by the message. Again, a
moment later, the system will transmit it over the air, etc. (There
are also various software packages that automate some of this)

 iii) special terminals: Because of the popularity of this type of
system, there are various stand-alone terminals specifically designed
for this purpose. The most common one is the @Alphamate (tm Motorola)
and it automates many of the functions. It's basically a half-decent
keyboard with a two line display, and is preprogrammed with the phone
number of the company, etc.


5) My company has given us pagers, and I notice that I have both an
individual ID and a "group" number. When we page out to the group,
everyone's unit goes off. How does this work?

Remember that a pager is basically a radio receiver that is constantly
monitoring for its capcode. You can get pagers which monitor more than
one id. In this case (which is quite common) your personal capcode
might be yyyy, while your boss's might be yyzz. In addition, both
pagers will be listening for the capcode zzzz.

When zzzz is detected, all the pagers with that capcode will go off.

6) I keep hearing about sports or news services available by pager.
How do they work?

  Keep in mind that pagers work by constantly monitoring the radio
channel for their capcode. So if you have ten pagers, or a hundred, or
a thousand, all with the same capcode, they will -all- go off at the
same time.

  This way the sports news company sends out one message and it gets
displayed by all subscribers.


7) So if I find one of these sports-news pagers on the sidewalk I can
use it for free?

  Umm, kind of. As long as the company providing the service keeps
using the same group code, your pager -will- continue to receive the
messages. But the individual pager id will probably be changed
immediately so you won't be able to use it for your personal messages.

  Note also that some pagers -do- have the ability to be turned into a
lump of clay over the air. Very few systems have actually implemented
this security feature, but it is there.

8) I've found a pager on the sidewalk and would like to use it. What
can I do?

Not much. Keep in mind that you need an account with the paging
company for them to send out the radio signal. So unless you keep
paying them, the pager will soon be a paperweight.

You might as well turn it in for the reward...

9) Can I listen in/monitor pager channels?

Kind of. The frequencies are readily known and the data is a digital
stream going over the air. There are various vendors of equipment to
decode the material and display it or feed it into your computer.

However:

  a) The federales and the pager companies don't like
you doing this (see the ECPA)

  b) The volume of traffic is quite high. If you figure a 1,200 baud
channel in use 75% of the time, well, ... you can work out the math.

Note that the numeric pagers these days do -NOT- use over-the-air
touch tone (dtmf) so a touch tone decoder will -NOT- give you anything
useful.


10) I have a pager for which I'm paying $big/month. I miss a -lot- of
pages since I'm in the subway a lot. What can I do about this?

  There are a couple of things:

  a) Some of the pager companies will re-send messages on request.
Basically you call up their phone number, punch in a security code,
then go through a menu which tells them to resend the last, say, five
hours worth of messages.

  b) You can get a second pager unit cloned identically to the first.
leave this one at home or in your office. When you get back you can
compare its messages to the one on your belt.


11) What are the prices/services offered?

  These vary dramatically by area and company. Unfortunately there is
no central database keeping records on this.

  Generally the following factors get counted in determining what
you'll be paying:

  a) how sleazy the company is;
  b) Which type of pager and service you get. Again, the
most common are numeric (cheaper) and alpha-numeric (more expensive).
  c) Level of usage. You may get, say, 25 free messages/month
and then pay $0.25 for each additional.
  d) whether you own the pager or lease it;
  e) insurance, etc.
  f) Area of coverage. Smaller area = less expensive.

12) Speaking of coverage, how do they offer nationwide paging?

  Well, it's not quite what they're telling you. It's NOT a single
satellite covering the nation. Rather, what's done is:

   You call up the paging company. It then signals transmitters in the
top 100 cities to send out your capcode. Shortly afterwards you get
the message. Note that you are -not- receiving a satellite transmission.

13) What's in the pipeline?

  Two key features are slowly filtering down.

   a) Much more pager memory/longer messages. Most pagers are severely
limited in the amount of material they can hold, with a typical
maximum being about 20 messages. Units with much larger memories, or
even better, units that are hooked into palmtop or laptop computers,
are making it to market.

   b) two way communications: In its simplest form this allows the
pager to verify reception to the transmitter. Also on the way is
complete two-way communication which would basically be wireless
email. These systems are still a bit limited, but are rapidly gaining
footholds in industry and should soon be consumer level.  Take a look,
for example, at what the Fedex folk carry.

 Hope this help. Again, update suggestions should be sent to


     [e-mail] (or [e-mail])

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Experiences With Unregistered Cell Phone
Date: 14 Apr 1995 05:51:47 GMT
Organization: CCnet Communications (510-988-7140 guest)
Reply-To: [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: After reading this, I am not sure if
it can be relied on in all parts of the country or not. Readers may
want to experiment with it by setting their carrier code to 00000
and phone number to 000-000-0000 and seeing what results occur in
your community. Personally, I don't think what Sam suggests will
work everywhere. I seem to recall trying something like this five
or six years ago with a CT-301 cell phone from Radio Shack and
not being able to get anything to happen at all. Others who wish
to try this can submit their results here.   PAT]


USING AN UNREGISTERED CELLULAR PHONE: A FIRST HAND REPORT

Not long ago I bought a cell phone for my car, and had it installed
and signed up to a service as part of a package. This did not go
well. When I showed up to pick up the car, the installers were still
trying to get GTE to activate service. I drove off with a non-working
phone and a promise. It turned out to take two more weeks of yelling
at GTE to get it operational. It took three MONTHS to clean up the
mess they made in hooking it up (GTE first claimed they lost the
install order, then it later turned out they filed TWO of them
and tried to charge me for another, inactive phone that I did not
even know about). Anways, I am not here to discuss why NOT to sign
up with GTE (although there are several really good reasons :)

The major reason that I got the phone was for emergency use only.  I
figgured it was worth it as insurance against being stuck out in the
middle of nowhere, and also to make urgent phone calls ("I can't come
after all, my dog has been struck by lightning", etc.).  After my I
got my phone, my boss told me that his housemate also wanted to get an
emergency cell phone, after being stuck on the freeway in a bad part
of town. But he was annoyed at the idea of paying $300 a year for the
minimum subscription price of the phone. He asked me if I had any
ideas to get the cost down.

I thought about it long and hard, and realized that the cost for an
emergency phone could be $0.00, and I had already found out how to do
this thanks to GTE incompetence. During the two weeks while I was
waiting to use the phone, I of course played with it. What do you get
if you dial out on an unsubscribed phone ?  In California, you get
"American Roaming Network", and they ask you for a credit card to
place a call.

It turns out that the basic thing that subscribing a phone gives you
is the ability to call YOU. Without a provider and a number, there is
nowhere to direct calls to you. Without a number, you look like a
"roamer" from another service. And the system automatically connects
you up to the "roaming service".

Further, in California at least, dialing 911 still works. In fact, in
california, it connects you directly to the highway patrol; the same
folks you would get on a callbox on the freeway.

After this worked for my boss, I dropped the service myself.

First, about American Roaming Network. We found out the charge to use
them is $2.00 an minute. However, that is flat rate no matter where
you call in the USA (ie., the long distance is thrown in).  Still,
this is pretty high (Sprint charges .10 per hour anywhere).  Also, my
friend claims that he was charged $6.00 for a short call, leading us
to beleive there may be a minimum three minute charge.  What you are
saving is that $300 a year can buy quite a few "panic" calls. Just
make sure that you don't need to use it a lot.  I have used American
roamers a couple of times, and had few problems with it. They did not
seem to be able to take my credit cards (two of which have been accepted
everywhere else -- they seem to have a computer problem). Others
claimed they had no problem with their taking a credit card.  I was
able to use the system with my ordinary phone card (if you don't have
one of these, your phone company will send you one). I was able to use
the automated part of the service for this, and even have the numbers
on autodial keys on the phone.

I had a chance to actually test the emergency use of the phone,
because I forgot and ran out of gas. Now my AAA service is an 800
number. American Roamers does not take 800 numbers (I was not able to
get anyone to tell me why, or even admit that it was so). I tried to
talk an operator into using one of my cards to place the call, they
were unable to do that, reporting that the numbers were invalid (even
though I was able to use their automated service to place a non-800
call). I guess I wasted 15 minutes on that, just because I was trying
to be a nice guy and not call 911. My next option was to call someone
I knew and get them to call AAA for me, or dial 911. I dialed 911. 911
announced themselves as the highway patrol, and said they would call
AAA for me, no problem. Should have done that first. All told, it did
take another hour and another call to 911, but that was AAA's fault
(1/2 hour average wait -- my ass !).

I have also used the phone for "gosh I guess I'll be late" type calls.
Boy does it feel slick to be in a traffic jam and call ahead to say
you'll be late. But at $6.00 a pop, the amusement wears thin fast. All
of this on an unregistered phone.

Now I bought the phone on a package deal, and then just dropped the
service after a month. It turns out this may be one of the best ways
to get this done!  So far I know two people who have walked in an
tried to buy the phone unregistered. In California, it is illegal to
require signup with a provider in order to buy a phone.  But on the
first try, our friend received such a hassle from the saleman about it
that she walked out of the store.  She was able to buy the phone
elsewhere, however, without problem. In fact, she asked and found out
that stores receive as much as $200 kickback from the providers for
signing up each user! No wonder the salemen fight you about it!  The
bottom line is that if you live in a state that does not have the "no
tie in" law, you probally will have to buy the phone used, or
subscribe and drop, or buy across state lines, etc.  If you live in a
state that forbids tying, tell the store that and that you are willing
to call the PUC. That should be enough.  But it may not prevent them
from charging you exhorbident "no hookup" charges.  California, for
example, has just struck down a limitation by the PUC against "tie in
sales" offering a service/phone package (this is apparently not the
same thing as the "no service required" law). This will increase the
incentive of saleman to hassle you and/or give you "one year required"
service contracts.

All and all I think it is worth it. For $100 and less (I have seen
phones selling, no service required, at Fry's local for $60), you get
cheap insurance that will probally outlast your car. Buy the phone,
keep it charged, throw it in the glove compartment or trunk, and
forget it.

There are also advantages to an unsubscribed phone. Since you don't
have a number, nobody can "steal" your service number and make calls
just because your phone is on. If you use a calling card (recommended),
no one can listen in and charge snow tires on it.

If you get a phone, you want a couple of things. First, the phone
should have "online dialing". This means that the phone can transmit
ordinary touch - tones (audio) while already connected. It should be
able to store autodial buttons to do this. This is how you are able to
enter your calling card number to the automated roamer service.

Second, you want to be able to program the NAM (Number Assignment
Module) for the phone. On my phone, I set the "system ID" to 00000,
which is the same as it comes from the factory. It means "no service".
One test you can do is to tell the seller that you want to test the
phone in the store right out of the box. It should still be unsubscribed
at that point. After hitting the "send" button (or whatever) you
should be connected to American Roaming. Then you just buy it and
leave the programming alone.  If you get the programming wrong, it may
say something like "incorrect subscriber ID". BUT IT WILL STILL
CONNECT YOU TO American Roamers.  In ALL cases we have found, no
matter what happens, the error action of the system seems to be to
connect to American Roamers. This is the default "error" mode.

Is it "bad" that you can do this? Well, I called the 800 number for
American Roamers, they had no problem with it (at the rates they
charge they bloody well shouldn't).  I even told GTE about it when
they asked me why I was disconnecting. They just said "yea, that
works".

The biggest problem I ran into was the fact that the operators just
did not seem to be able to deal with the idea that I did not have a
provider. When telling me about why this or that card number did not
work, they kept asking for my provider or recommending that I see my
provider. Even the 911 operator did not seem to understand how I was
able to make the call without being on a registered phone. The answer
is simple.  Just don't say anything, and use American Roamer's
automatic service, which seems to be smarter than the operators
anyways :)

Good luck.


[sam]
SAM is [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Karen Nakamura)
Subject: Re: Can my Modem Talk to TTY Machines For the Deaf?
Date: Fri, 14 Apr 1995 00:07:57 -0400
Organization: Yale University Anthropology


In article <[e-mail]>, [e-mail]
(Maximilien N. Turner) wrote:

> I have a friend who is deaf and I would like to be able to call his
> TTY machine with my modem, but so far, I have been unsuccessful using
> standard terminal software.  Does anyone know if this is possible, or
> if there is software available for this purpose?
> I use a Macintosh and a Supra 14.4LC.

No, not with the modem you have. TTYs use Baudot protocol (no carrier,
45.5 baud). CCITT just approved Baudot (and a whole bunch of other
international TTY carriers) as v.18 protocol. So ... if you buy a
new Morotorol 28.8 v.34, for example, it comes with v.18 but *almost*
all older modems that weren't specifically designed for the deaf cannot.

This is a hardware thing, not a software one.

Of course, if your friend has a TTY with ASCII (300bps, usually) protocol,
then you can communicate, but most TTYs don't.

This is a FAQ in Deaf-L listserv....


Karen J. Nakamura                               Starving Grad Student
Department of Anthropology                            Yale University
[e-mail]                          [e-mail]
http://www.cis.yale.edu/~jiro/karen.html   (World Wide Web Home Page)

------------------------------

From: Henry Wertz <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Can my Modem Talk to TTY Machines For the Deaf?
Date: 14 Apr 1995 04:31:51 GMT
Organization: U of Iowa Panda System
Reply-To: [e-mail]


In note <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Maximilien N.
Turner) writes:

> I have a friend who is deaf and I would like to be able to call his
> TTY machine with my modem, but so far, I have been unsuccessful using
> standard terminal software.  Does anyone know if this is possible, or
> if there is software available for this purpose?

     TTY's use 5 bit BAUDOT code.  Find a packet radio program 8-). There
might also be the problem that at least real TTYs run at something like 50.5
baud.


Henry Wertz ([e-mail])(1-319-337-6746 Linux 1.2.0 & I'm Root)

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: Area Code Overlays vs. Splits
Date: 14 Apr 1995 03:05:15 GMT
Organization: Institute of Cognitive Studies, U.C. Berkeley


In article <[e-mail]> [e-mail] (David G.
Cantor) writes:

> This system with more variation in lengths of the area codes and local
> numbers is used in Europe and many other places.  It works well.

For whom?  My sense is that it works for the relatively inefficient
(and, until recently, mostly government-owned and -run) bureaucrats
who administer the patchwork of European systems.  Planning for future
expansion appears to be unknown among these agencies.

For consumers/customers/subscribers, knowing the number of digits to
expect in a string aids retention in memory.  An interesting sidenote
is that early memory experiments have shown that the number of "chunks"
of information (these can be digits) that we can readily retain in
short term memory is remarkably close to the seven digits of most North
American local phone numbers.  If the number of digits WERE to be
increased, I think it crucial that that increase be uniform across the
country (better still, perhaps the world may one day be able to agree
on a standardized number of digits).


Philip V. Hull
INTERNET: [e-mail]
BITNET: [e-mail]
UUCP: ucbvax!cogsci!hullp  OR: ucbvax!cogsci.berkeley.edu!hullp

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #197
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Date: Mon, 17 Apr 1995 11:58:05 -0500
From: TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson) <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #198

TELECOM Digest     Mon, 17 Apr 95 11:58:00 CDT    Volume 15 : Issue 198

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Early Benefits of Local Competition (Donald E. Kimberlin)
    My Computer Made Me Sick - Positive Ions ([e-mail])
    Book Review: "Computer Privacy Handbook" (Andre Bacard)
    Exchange Names Aid Memory, Especially With NPA Splits (Lee Winson)
    Please HELP With LD Caller ID Experiment (Ronell Elkayam)
    "Message Unit" Charging (Lee Winson)
    Re: Competition, RBOCs and All That (Tim Gorman)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
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----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 17 Apr 95 08:09:00 EST
From: Donald E. Kimberlin <[e-mail]>
Subject: Early Benefits of Local Competition


        Local telephone competition's critics may be speaking as much
from xenophobia as from real concerns.  Two events during the past
week in North Carolina indicate changes that would not be likely had
local competition not been seriously underway.

        First, Southern Bell announced reductions of more than 50% in
short-haul toll rates to areas surrounding Charlotte.  That move was
spurred after NC regulators permitted intraLATA toll competition from
the interexchange carriers.  Southern Bell still maintains a market
advantage by denying the IXC's dialing parity.  Calls dialed with only
seven digits to adjacent areas route via Southern Bell, while users
must steer calls via IXC's, dialing access codes, area code and
number.  One can readily see that most users will simply dial seven
digits, while only businesses that study their costs will set up PBXes
to insert digits if needed or route via direct IXC access trunks.
Even though it's the users making a market choice, critics of local
competition will still call this "cream skimming by the IXC's."

        But for how many decades have we been told that high intraLATA
toll rates were essential to subsidize local base rates ... that if
intraLATA toll rates simply could not be reduced without an instant
increase in local base rates?  Anybody out there remember?  And now,
that's no longer an issue as competition forces real action.

        Second, local television news told a surprisingly different
story last evening about Southern Bell's new interest in trying to
catch persons who place harassing or abusive telephone calls.  In a
statement totally the opposite of years of telephone company objections,
Southern Bell added into a story about a string of harassing phone
calls in Rockingham, NC to say it openly invites people who receive
threatening phone calls to try to get someone on another line to call
a special Southern Bell toll-free number, where the phoneco accepts
calls from the general public to attempt instant traces on the source
of such calls.  (Before those who play the old hymns jump up with,
"But it's so labor intensive," remember we are more than a decade out
of the step and crossbar era in all but the most rural of localities.)

        Now, THAT's quite a change from the decades of first telling
the public the phoneco would only trace calls for law enforcment
agencies, then later telling users they had to initiate a written
complaint and keep a logsheet of the calls, and most lately saying,
"Just purchase Caller ID" so they could do it for themselves.  Only
now, after local competition is a _fait_accompli_ (effective in
mid-1996 in NC), are the local phonecos spurred to provide an instant,
open to the public means of assisting in catching telephone harassers
and threateners.  (Yes, it took a change, but it needn't have taken a
decade or more to implement it.)

        It's rather certain that without the urging of local competition,
changes like these would not have occurred.  They point up that fears
of "problems due to local competition" may be based more on fear of
change than on any real problems.  Within a week, local competition
destroyed two shibboleths of phonecos in North Carolina.  It will be
interesting to see what other changes to the public advantage will
result.  Perhaps the old Chinese adage, "May you live in interesting
times," is not always a curse.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (DanielS222)
Subject: My Computer Made Me Sick - Positive Ions
Date: 16 Apr 1995 19:51:34 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (DanielS222)


Hello Netters,

On 2/14/95 CBS Evening News with Connie Chung, Dr. Bob Arnot did a story
about negative ions and their effect on mood.  They talked about a study
done at Columbia University where exposure to a high density negative ion
generator was as effective in treating winter depression as medication.

I became very interested because I have suffered from depression and
anxiety for years, and I did some research on the benefits of negative
ions.

This research turned out to be especially interesting to me because I
found a newspaper article discussing the fact that computer monitors emit
positive ions -- the opposite of negative ions.  The article says computer
monitors give off large amounts of positive ions and can actually cause
depression, stress, fatigue, etc. in people who sit in front of computers
a lot -- like all of us Netters -- and that we need negative ion
replenishment.

After reading the article, I realized that I always felt especially
irritable, stressed, and depressed after long days in front of my
computer.

In doing the research, I found that negative ions have shown to be
therapeutic for stress, irritability, fatigue, depression, etc.  So I
purchased a small, high density generator and it has given me
substantial relief from my symptoms.

If any of you would like me to e-mail you that newspaper article, the
transcript of the CBS news story, as well as the other research that I
have compiled, just e-mail me at [e-mail].


dan


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: This is an interesting theory and worth
pursuing. For a long time we have heard reports of problems associated
with sitting at terminals and keyboards for hours on end. There might
well be an association here with what you are reporting.   PAT]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 17 Apr 1995 01:54:42 -0700
From: Andre Bacard <[e-mail]>
Subject: Book Review: "Computer Privacy Handbook"


I promised you that I'd tell you when "The Computer Privacy Handbook"
was released. I'm happy to say that the book is now available! The
book is already causing a stir, and Internet posters have started
calling me the "The Indiana Jones of Cyberspace."

You can now order "The Computer Privacy Handbook" directly from
Peachpit Press at [phone]. The book is also available in some
bookstores and in route to many more stores. Just about any local
bookstore can order the book for you. [Many databases list the book
under ISBN # 1-56609-171-3].

Peachpit Press is a subsidiary of Addison-Wesley, a global book
publisher. If you're outside the States, please contact your local
Addison-Wesley distributor, or ask me for a local address.

Attached is a press release with full details.

By the way, I'll be speaking at Computer Literacy Bookshop in San
Jose on May 3rd and at Stanford Bookstore on May 11.

If you like my book, please tell your friends. Of course, I'd value
your comments and suggestions. Thanks for your interest.

See you in the future,
Andre Bacard

            ********** Begin Press Release **********

Peachpit Press                Print Media Contact:
2414 Sixth Street             Trish Booth <[e-mail]>
Berkeley, CA 94710            Gary-Paul Prince <[e-mail]>
Phone [phone] or
      [phone]          Broadcast Media Contact:
Fax   [phone]          Hannah Onstad <[e-mail]>


             THE SCARIEST COMPUTER BOOK OF THE YEAR

"Andre Bacard's "Computer Privacy Handbook" is an invaluable guide to
both the whole subject of privacy on the net, the politics of privacy,
and, most important, to the practical steps one can take right now."

     Mitchell Kapor, Creator of Lotus-1-2-3, Co-founder of the
     Electronic Frontier Foundation

              -------------------------------

"Bacard's ruthlessly realistic but optimistic book explains the
privacy dangers that YOU face and what YOU can do to protect
yourself!"

     Jim Warren, Founder of "InfoWorld", Founder of Computer,
     Freedom and Privacy Conferences

              ------------------------------

April 1995, Berkeley, CA. Criminals, competitors (anyone, in fact)
can buy a person's IRS forms for $500. An individual's medical
records are available to complete strangers. TV star Rebecca
Schaffer was shot to death by a computer stalker. These are just
some of the horrifying examples of invasions of privacy that author
Andre Bacard points out in his new book, "The Computer Privacy
Handbook: A Practical Guide to E-Mail Encryption, Data Protection,
and PGP Privacy Software."

We live in the Age of Electronic Surveillance, Bacard says, and
snooping happens. Given that millions of e-mail messages are
exchanged daily, and the Internet buzzes with zillions of bites of
online discussions each day, it's easy to see how this could be.
But just as computers are part of the problem, they are also part
of the solution. Bacard details how individuals can safeguard their
electronic privacy using good encryption, proper data protection,
and the right software.

"Computer Privacy Handbook" shows how computers threaten YOUR
personal security, and it gives YOU the practical tools to reassert
YOUR privacy! In this book, find out:

* Who is Selling Your Secrets
* How Computers Help Snoops
* The Dangers of a Cash-Free Society
* How Big Brother Wants to Monitor ALL Telecommunications
* Why E-Mail Can Be Terribly Unsafe
* What to do with Your Social Security Number
* The Advantages of Anonymous Remailers
* How to Protect Yourself with Encryption
* The Best Usenet News Groups for You to Visit
* Where to Find Expert Privacy Activists

"Computer Privacy Handbook" also contains a user-friendly manual for
PGP software. PGP ("Pretty Good Privacy") is a top-rate program to
protect your personal and business data files and e-mail from snoops!
PGP is the de facto world standard for e-mail privacy.

Author Andre Bacard, who also wrote "Hunger for Power: Who Rules
the World and How," has a wide-angle view of society. He has
written about technology and society for numerous publications. A
guest on hundreds of radio talk shows, he was judged one of the
best public speakers in America by the International Platform
Association.

============================

Price $24.95
Size 274 pages; 7"x 9"
ISBN 1-56609-171-3
Software covered. PGP.
Levels: beginner through advanced.
Availability: through bookstores, computer dealers, catalogs, and
     user groups; or directly for Peachpit Press. Satisfaction
     cheerfully guaranteed.

          ************* End Press Release *************

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Lee Winson)
Subject: Exchange Names Aid Memory, Especially With NPA Splits
Date: 17 Apr 1995 08:03:38 GMT
Organization: PACS IBM SIG BBS


In my opinion, the old style exchange names help a lot in remembering
telephone numbers.  In these days of small area codes, they would help
even more, since knowing a full "name" would help remember the
associated a.c. with it.

For example, in the Philadelphia area, we have MItchell in Ambler, which
is 215, and MIdway in Ardmore, which is now the new 610.  If someone
threw at me "646-xxxx", I wouldn't know which area--I don't know which
64x's are in Admore or Ambler.  But MItchel and MIdway are easy to
remember and where located.  There's a lot of examples -- LOcust in
downtown Phila (215) and LOwell in the suburban town of Media (610.)

When Bell introduced 610 it printed up exchange lists -- hundreds of
tiny three digit numbers, impossible to remember.  However, if they
still used exchange names, the list would be a lot smaller and easier
to remember.

I know not all exchange combinations can create an English word.  But
using exchange names doesn't call anybody anything.  And considering how
intensely 800 numbers are using letters for their names, I fail to see
why the traditional exchange names can't be brought back.

P.S.  In Phila, many exchanges were logical names.  For example, the
City Hall centrex is MUncipal (it's now 686 and 687)*.  MAyfair,
CHestnuthill, GErmantown, SHerwood, MElrose, BAring all refer to their
respective neighborhoods.  In New Jersey, a lot of exchanges were named
for the towns.

                      --------------------

*Philadelphia libraries still use original rotary phones that retain the
MUnicipal 6 number card.  The system is slowly being modernized as funds
are available.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (ronell elkayam)
Subject: Please HELP With LD Caller ID Experiment
Date: 16 Apr 1995 00:22:19 GMT
Organization: Florida International University


     All I'm asking for is that some nice guy (or girl) will spend a
couple of minutes helping me compile a list of all the Long Distance
carriers that currently allow Caller ID information to be sent over
state lines.  This experiment would prove useful for thousands of
phone users all around the nation.

     The problem that caused the need for this experiment is the
refusal of the LD carriers to comply with the FCC ruling for them to
provide CID information to the local phone co. from the date
4/12/95.  They complain that it cost them money to send the info,
and so they now plan to argue their case against the legality of the
FCC order (which was postponed not too long ago by the FCC itself).

     However, not all LD carriers are such bastards.  It's been
shown that some, such at WilTel (10-555-1-xxx-yyyy), _do_ send the
CID info to the local telco's; and so I am in search of which LD
carriers these are.

     The way to do this is simple: please leave me email and we'll set
a meeting channel on IRC where we both can meet and start scanning the
LD carriers.  The way to do that is easy: You will tell me: "Ron, I'm
calling you right now on the other line with 10288 (AT&T). Tell me
what your CID shows."  I'll then look at the CID on my other line and
tell you if it shows "Out of area" or your number (you will already have
_my_ number as you call me...)  The call MIGHT be billed for one minute of
usage, according to [e-mail] (B.J. Guillot), so if you'd rather
me calling you instead -- no problem.  Obviously, you must have Caller
ID enabled on your line.  The calls shouldn't cost more than 20 cents
a pop anyway ...

     I hope to repeat this experiment with as many people as possible
in as many different locations around the nation as possible in order
to create the most detailed and precise list of LD carriers as possible.

     Again, if you have Caller ID (and two lines) and would like me to
call you instead of you calling me -- just say so; it's no problem.
Either way is fine with me.

Let's get together and start experimenting.

Thank you very much for reading.  Hope to receive your email soon.


Ron

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Lee Winson)
Subject: "Message Unit" Charging
Date: 17 Apr 1995 12:08:36 GMT
Organization: PACS IBM SIG BBS


   In Philadelphia, Bell retains the old message unit charging system for
short haul calls.  I was wondering if other locations use this system.

   The way it works, in brief, is this:

   There are call "bands" extending outward from your home exchange
(every exchange district has its own set of bands).  Bands range from
one to six, which is the number of message units for a call.  Calls of
one unit are UNTIMED.  For Philadelphia residents, the entire city is
within band one, and for people who live at the borders, adjacent
suburban communities are also band one.  Bands two through six are timed.

   In your bill, you do NOT see itemized calls, but rather an
accumulation of message units.

  Note -- the system has been slightly revised to be "measured service",
with some features, such as different costs per time-of-day, but is
basically the same.

  Depending on your class of service, you get an allotment of units.
You can also get "Metropolitan" service which gives unlimited calling.

  The Phila area has a defined "Metropolitan Calling Area" which
includes the city and nearby suburbs.  Message Unit calling is for this
area.  Calls beyond this area are itemized toll.

  For people outside the metro area, all calls other than local are
toll.  Local calls are the equivalent of one unit, untimed.

[public replies, please.]

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 17 Apr 1995 00:11:52 -0500
From: Tim Gorman <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Competition, RBOCs and all that


>> You still have not answered how the competitive providers offered Voice
>> Mail without some way for the calls to get to them. ... You are just
>> asserting that forward on busy/no answer is a predatory service offered
>> by the RBOC. Sorry, but no one with any technical knowledge is going to buy
>>that one.

> Oh, my.  I keep underestimating how much a regulatory mindset can color
> one's perceptions.  Let's try and go through this one step at a time.

Gratuitious remarks such as this one are one very big reason why your
posts are such a turnoff for many, John. You would be much better off
to just leave out the comments about other people.

> Here in Boston, there was a bunch of smallish voicemail providers.  They
> ordered DID lines from the telco so they could assign a separate phone
> number to each mailbox.  Since NYNEX didn't, and still doesn't, offer
> forward on busy/no answer (FBNA), there was no way to link your POTS number
> to your voicemail number -- people gave out one number for their regular
> number and a different one for voicemail.  For some subscribers, such as
> single women, having separate numbers was an advantage, but for most people
> it was pain.  That's why I wasn't interested in any of them.

This makes sense.

> Then last year, NYNEX came out with Call Answering.  It was voice
> mail, but it also included FBNA, stutter dialtone, and combined
> billing on the telco phone bill.  For a lot of people including me,
> the FBNA is a crucial feature since it lets you hang voice mail on
> your existing POTS number.  This gives Call Answering an enormous
> competitive advantage, even before you consider the separate factor
> that NYNEX priced it at about half of what anyone else's voice mail
> cost.

Call forward on busy/don't answer is certainly a crucial feature to tie your
regular number to a second number.

> Now, one might ask, what's the harm, customers get a decent service, and
> even though NYNEX probably priced based on the incremental rather than
> average cost, the cost to the ratepayers of any hidden subsidy would be
> pretty low. The problem is that NYNEX just killed the competitive voicemail
> market. Call Answering isn't a horrible voice mail system, but it's
> thoroughly mediocre. It has up to four mailboxes per user (selected by a
> pressing a digit at a prompt, advertised as a mailbox per family member),
> can keep messages for up to 30 days, notifies you of messages with a
> stutter dialtone, and that's it.

Wait a minute. NYNEX's service is a thoroughly MEDIOCRE service but it
KILLED the competitive voicemail market? Sounds to me like there
wasn't much of a market to begin with. You are trying to make it into
a killing of a major market but then describe the market as almost
non-existant. You can't have it both ways, you know.

> There are all sorts of features that I'd like from a voicemail system:
> forwarding among mailboxes, outdialing to other phones or pagers, delivery
> as a voice attachment to e-mail, stuff like that. But there's no way I'm
> going to get it, because NYNEX doesn't offer them, and lacking FBNA none of
> the competing voice mail systems are very interesting.

Right. Not much of a market, at least in the way you describe it.

> It didn't have to be this way. Under the principle (that I know you don't
> like) that regulated utilities should provide only monopoly services, the
> DPU should have told them to offer FBNA, stutter dialtone, and combined
> billing instead, and let competitive voice mail providers compete.  There's
> no reason they couldn't have done that. All three are available elsewhere
> (even stutter dialtone, from PacTel as I recall, although they at least
> used to price FBNA+stutter higher than telco voice mail, which seems pretty
> dubious to me). Then we'd have had a real competitive market with different
> providers offering different services, rather than a de-facto monopoly with
> one mediocre service.

John, you still haven't shown me that you know how stutter dial tone
is provided. As a clue, you need a system that is connected to the
central office switch using a "input/output" link. In essence, the
voice mail system becomes an extension of the central office with
messaging being passed between the two systems. It is this messaging
link that allows messages to be passed to the central office switch
from the voice mail system to condition the switch to return stutter
dial tone. Input/output channels are expensive to provide in central
offices. This causes a high price to be put on them. This may be why
no voice mail services have purchased such an arrangement. The voice
mail providers would have to provide for one of these links for every
central office in which they have subscribers. Quite expensive.

So, assuming that most voice mail providers are not going to buy such an
expensive arrangement just to get dial tone, this leaves only CFBDA as the
service in question.

I know that NYNEX provides a routine for customers to order "special
service arrangements" for non-tariffed services. Have none of the
voice mail competitors gone this route to get a fully cost justified
quote for the cost of getting CFBDA from NYNEX? This is usually the
first step in getting the RBOC to tariff a service. If the RBOC
refuses to provide a cost quote on a legitimate request, the utility
commissions usually become very agitated. Especially when the RBOC is
already using the feature. Oh, but I forgot, this is a grand
conspiracy between the RBOC and the PUC, right? Nothing would come of
these complaints, would they?

> I suppose in the long run there'll eventually be dialtone competition, so
> I'll be able to consider availability of decent voice mail as one component
> in choosing a telco, and ditch NYNEX. But that's at best a couple of years
> away, and in smaller cities (like Ithaca NY where I'll be moving this
> summer) it may not show up for decades if ever. Right now, though, telco
> eagerness to move into new markets and regulatory willingness to let them
> do it in a way that stomps the competition combine to produce extremely bad
> public policy.

"Stomps the competition". Still with the emotional appeals rather than
real arguments, eh? If there is so much money to be made in this if
the RBOC would just play fair, why don't YOU coordinate a start up
venture in Ithaca? You should have no problem convincing the PUC that
the RBOC isn't playing fair and may even convince them to impose
punative damages for you. Oh, I forgot. The RBOC and PUC are in
cahoots on this - the PUC wouldn't listen to you.

Once again, your argument boils down to nothing more than proposing
that the RBOC's be disbanded, their employees put on the streets, and
the customers the competitors don't want be handed to a nationalized
government telephone bureaucracy for service. It just doesn't fly no
matter how hard the wings flap.

> Haven't been able to pull the SWB and SBC 10-K's yet to compare
> profitability, since I've been on the road, will do that tomorrow.

No rush. I really don't think you are going to find much real evidence
that illegal activities are going on. Too many others have already
done scrutinized them for just such evidence.


Tim Gorman   Southwestern Bell Tel. Co   [e-mail]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #198
******************************


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Date: Mon, 17 Apr 1995 12:25:07 -0500
From: TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson) <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #199

TELECOM Digest     Mon, 17 Apr 95 12:25:00 CDT    Volume 15 : Issue 199

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    ICCC '95 Advance Program  (Nas Mosaic)
    AT&T 6650 Cellular Phone Question (Dave Levenson)
    North American Modems in Britain (John Bowler)
    VITAsat Gateway Licensed in South Africa (Nigel D. Allen)
    Telecomm Industry in Japan (Edmund T. Baumgartner)
    Re: STD Coding Changes in United Kingdom (Richard Cox)
    Phone Question Regards Transmission Problems (Jack Mott)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
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                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
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use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, 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 twenty dollars per
year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.

All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Nas Mosaic)
Subject: ICCC '95 Advance Program
Date: 17 Apr 1995 03:59:50 GMT
Organization: Nas Lab of EE Dept. in Yonsei Univ.


      Following is the fisrt announcement of Call For Participation of ICCC'95
      which will be held from 21-24 of August 1995, in Seoul, Korea.

                               ICCC'95
                       CALL    FOR    PARTICIPATION
         * 12th International Conference On Computer Communication *

                 *          August 21-24, 1995             *
                 *   Hotel Intercontinental, Seoul, Korea  *


          Sponsored by
              ICCC - International Council for Computer Communication
          Hosted by
              ETRI - Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
              KISS - Korea Information Science Society
          Under the patronage of
              Ministry of Information and Communication, Republic of Korea
          Conference Site
              Hotel Intercontinental
              135-650 P.O.Box 87 Trade Center Seoul
              Tel:[phone], Telex:K33970 ,Fax:[phone]


                            ADVANCE PROGRAM

 Conference Governor     Honorary Conference Chairman
 Dr. Ronald P. Uhlig       Dr. Sanghyon Kyong
 Northern Telecom,USA      Minister, MIC, Korea

 Conference Chairman    Conference Co-chairman
 Prof. Chongsun Hwang     Dr. Seungtaik Yang
 President,KISS,Korea     President,ETRI,Korea

 Technical Program
 Chair:Dr. Seonjong Chung
       ETRI,Korea

 Co-chairs:Dr.Roger Needam                        Dr. Otto Spaniol
           Univ. of Cambridge, UK                 Achen Tech. Univ.

           Prof. Sergio Fdida                     Dr. Nicolas Georganas
           MASI, France                           Univ. of Ottawa, Canada

           Dr. Pramode Verma                      Dr. Hideyoshi Tominaga
           AT&T,USA                               Waseda Univ. Japan

 Publication
 Mr. Keosang Lee
 DACOM,Korea

 Publicity
 Prof. Jaiyong Lee
 Yonsei Univ.,Korea

 Registration
 Dr. Samyoung Seuh
 N.C.A.,Korea

 Treasurer
 Dr. Seungkyu Park
 Ajou Univ.,Korea

 Social Program
 Dr.Noshik Kim
 Korea Telecom,Korea

 Secretary                                      Co-Secretary
 Prof. Yangheei Choi                            Dr. Younghee Lee
 Seoul National Univ.,Korea                     ETRI, Korea

 Tutorial
 Prof. Sunshin An
 Korea Univ.,Korea

 Local Arrangements
 Prof. Dongho Lee
 Kwangwon Univ.,Korea


 TUTORIALS

Monday, August 21, 1995

Track A : High-speed Networks            9:00 - 12:00
Track B : PCS                    9:00 - 12:00
Track C : Multimedia                9:00 - 12:00
Track D : Broadband ATM Networks        9:00 - 12:00

Lunch                        12:00 - 14:00

Track A : High-speed Networks            14:00 - 17:00
Track B : PCS                    14:00 - 17:00
Track C : Multimedia                14:00 - 17:00
Track D : Broadband ATM Networks        14:00 - 17:00

Welcome Reception(Cocktail)            19:00 -

             *The subjects are changeable*

 TECHNICAL SESSIONS

Tuesday, August 22, 1995

Registration                    8:00 - 9:00
Opening Session                    9:30 - 10:30
Keynote Addresses                10:30 - 12:30
Lunch                        12:30 - 14:00
Session A1 :                     14:00 - 15:30
    Information Super Highway
Session B1 :                    14:00 - 15:30
    Multimedia Communication 1
Session C1 :                    14:00 - 15:30
    ATM Switching 1
Session D1 :                    14:00 - 15:30
    High Speed Protocols 1

Session A2 :                    15:50 - 17:20
    Network Architecture
Session B2 :                    15:50 - 17:20
    Multimedia Applications 1
Session C2 :                    15:50 - 17:20
    Computer Communication 1
Session D2 :                    15:50 - 17:20
    Intelligent Networks 1

Dinner                          19:00 -

Wednesday, August 23, 1995

Session A3 :                    9:00 - 10:30
    Network Management 1
Session B3 :                    9:00 - 10:30
    Multimedia Communication
Session C3 :                    9:00 - 10:30
    ATM Switching 2
Session D3 :                    9:00 - 10:30
    Wireless Communication 1
Session A4 :                    10:50 - 12:20
    Network Planning
Session B4 :                    10:50 - 12:20
    Broadband Communication
Session C4 :                    10:50 - 12:20
    Computer Communication 2
Session D4 :                    10:50 - 12:20
     Performance Analysis

Lunch                        12:20 - 14:00

Session A5 :                    14:00 - 15:30
    Security and Privacy 1
Session B5 :                     14:00 - 15:30
    Protocol Engineering 1
Session C5 :                    14:00 - 15:30
    ATM Traffic 1
Session D5 :                    14:00 - 15:30
    High-Speed Protocols 2

Panel 1 :                    15:50 - 17:20
    What does Information Superhighway stand for in your mind?
    What is its impact on our society?
Panel 2 :                    15:50 - 17:20
    What are the real issues in current multimedia communications, QOS,
    Standardization or Services?
Panel 3 :                    15:50 - 17:20
    Security/Privacy vs. Accessibility in Information Networks.
Panel 4 :                    15:50 - 17:20
    Will personal/wireless communications dominate over the wire
    communications?

Banquet                        19:00 -


Thursday, August 24, 1995

Session A6 :                    9:00 - 10:30
    Network Management 2
Session B6 :                    9:00 - 10:30
    Protocol Engineering 2
Session C6 :                    9:00 - 10:30
    Computer Communication 3
Session D6 :                    9:00 - 10:30
    Intelligent Networks 2
Session A7 :                     10:50 - 12:20
    Security and Privacy 2
Session B7 :                    10:50 - 12:20
    Broadband Communication 2
Session C7 :                    10:50 - 12:20
    Computer Communication 4
Session D7 :                    10:50 - 12:20
    Wireless Communication 2

Lunch                        12:20 - 14:00

Session A8 :                    14:00 - 15:30
    High Speed Networks
Session B8 :                    14:00 - 15:30
    Broadband Communication 3
Session C8 :                    14:00 - 15:30
    ATM Traffic 2
Session D8 :                    14:00 - 15:30
    Satellite Communication
Session A9 :                     15:50 - 16:50
    Evolution toward the High-speed Networks
Session B9 :                     15:50 - 16:50
    Distance Learning
Session C9 :                    15:50 - 16:50
    Optical Communication
Session D9 :                    15:50 - 16:50
    Personal Communication Systems

Closing Session                    17:00 - 17:40


 Social Events

 Welcome Reception(Cocktail)

 A welcome Cocktail Party will be held at p.m. 7 Monday evening, August 21 at
 Hotel Intercontinental.
 All conference attendees and spouses are invited.

 Dinner

 A Hosted Dinner Party is also scheduled for Tuesday evening, August 22.
 The place for the party will be announced during the conference.
 All conference attendees and spouses are invited.

 Conference Banquet

 Banquet will be held on Tuesday Evening, August 23 Hotel Intercontinental. You
 Can buy tickets when you register for ICCC'95 on site. Participants who
 register in advance can also get the tickets from the receptionists by showing
 the receipt of your pre-registration during the conference. The Banquet ticket
 is $50.

 Luncheon

 A Luncheon hosted by one of the major telecommunication company in Korea will
 be on 24th. The schedule is subject to change. The exact date and place for
 that will be posted during the conference.

 Industrial Tour

 An industrial visit hosted by one or two of the leading Korean Industries is
 expected on 25th. after the conference. More detailed information will be
 available during the conference. If you are interested, Please apply free at
 the registration desk.


                 *    ADVANCE REGISTRATION    *
               *       (Deadline : July 25)    *


PLEASE MAIL OR FAX TO : Korea Information Science Society    TEL:[phone]
            KPO BOX 1205 Seoul, Korea            FAX:[phone]
            OR EMAIL TO : ICCC 95                      Email:[e-mail]


Name:(last/family)_________________________(first)______________(Mr./Mrs./Ms.)

Company:______________________________________________________________________

Address/Mailstop:_____________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip/Country:_______________________________________________________

Daytime Number:_____________________________FAX Number:_______________________

E-mail:_____________________________________


PLEASE CHECK APPROPRIATE FEES:

 -- CONFERENCE REGISTRATION:
                          Regular         Student

Advance Registration(Until July 25, 1995)    $450(w360,000) $50(w40,000)
Late/On-site Registration(August 21, 1995)    $500(w400,000) $100(w80,000)

 -- TUTORIAL REGISTRATION:
                        Regular        Student

Advance Registration(Until July 25, 1995)    $200(w160,000) $100(w80,000)
Late/On-site Registration(August 21, 1995)      $250(w200,000) $150(w120,000)

 -- BANQUET TICKET:     Per-person    $50(w40,000)

TOTAL ENCLOSED:$___________________


METHOD OF PAYMENT:
    ____Moneyorder        ____American Express

    ____Visa        ____Mastercard        ____Diners Club

 Credit Card Number:_________________ EXP. Date:__________________

 Cardholder Name:______________________

 Signature:____________________________

-In case you want cancel your pre-registration, please notify to Korean
Information Science Society before July 25. If you do so by July 25, you will
receive a 90% refund. If you do so between July 25 and August 14, you will
receive a 70% refund.


            *     HOTEL RESERVATION FORM     *
               *    (deadline : July 20, 1995)   *       ICCC'95

Please Mail or FAX to : LISTED HOTELS BELOW.

Name:(Last/Family)______________________(first)_________________(Mr./Mrs./Ms.)

Address:_____________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip/Country:______________________________________________________

Phone Number:____________________________FAX Number:_________________________

Sharing Room with:___________________________________________________________

Check-in___________(Fl. No.      )   Check-out________________(Fl. No.        )

HOTEL REFERENCE    :
 ICCC'95 Secretariat offically recommend 5 hotels which offer special group
 rates for ICCC'95 participants.

    Hotel   Distance(by taxi)   Rate(Unit: Won)         Tel            Fax

Intercontinental     0       Deluxe Room 127,000  [phone] [phone]
     *****                   Jr. Suite   165,000

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Riviera          5 min   Double       93,750  [phone] [phone]
      ****                   Twin        101,250
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Novotel         10 min   1 person    105,000  [phone] [phone]
     ****                    2 persons
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
   New World         5 min                93,800  [phone] [phone]
      ****
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
     Clover         15 min                42,000  [phone] [phone]
       **
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 * 10% service charge and 10% tax will be added on the above rates.
 * Hotel International has a double occupancy rate which is 20,000 Won,and Jr.
  Suite includes breakfast.
 * 1 US$ is about 800 Won.

Name of Hotel:______________________________

Number of Room Required
    ____Single   ____Double    ____Twin    ____Suite

    No. of nights___________________

Indicate Special Request and Comments:_________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Method of Payment:
    ____American Express    ____JCB

    ____Visa                ____Mastercard        ____Diners Club

   Credit Card Number:____________________Exp. Date:___________________________

   Cardholder Name:_______________________ Signature:__________________________

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dave Levenson)
Subject: AT&T 6650 Cellular Phone Question
Organization: Westmark, Inc.
Date: Sun, 16 Apr 1995 18:43:51 GMT


I just began using an AT&T 6650 pocket-sized cellular telephone.  This
is a dual-mode unit, compatible with TDMA (digital) and AMPS (analog)
service in North America.

In wandering around its extensive nested menus, I came upon the FIELD
TEST MODE option.  This one is not explained in the Owner's Manual.
When I enable this mode, the display shows a continuously-updated
array of fields like this:

-093    0    3
0331    -    0
IDLE

When the alpha mode (the ABC button) is turned on with FIELD TEST MODE
enabled, the display is replaced by:

rrrr    s    d
ccccc    l    a
CS-state

The alpha-mode appears to be a set of labels for the data displayed in
normal mode.

It would appear that the rrrr field is the RSSI or received signal
strength value.  It varies as I move the unit, extend/retract its
antenna, or shield it.  The cccc field appears to be the current radio
channel.  CS-state appears to be the current operating mode.  Can
anybody tell me what the s, d, l, and a fields indicate?

Just Curious ... and that's why I read this newsgroup!


Dave Levenson        Internet: [e-mail]
Westmark, Inc.        UUCP: uunet!westmark!dave
Stirling, NJ, USA    Voice: 908 647 0900  Fax: [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (John Bowler)
Subject: North American Modems in Britain
Date: Sun, 16 Apr 1995 19:44:02 GMT
Organization: Clinical Neurological Sciences, UWO, Canada
Reply-To: [e-mail]


I have two US Robotics internal 14400's and am moving from Canada to
the UK in July. The USR manual mentions some configuration changes
that are needed for Britain. Will the modems then be OK?

I think that the sockets are physically different. Are adapters
available? What do people with portable computers do to use North
American equipment in the UK?

Any help much appreciated.


John Bowler             [e-mail]
Clinical Neurological Sciences     Phone:    [phone] Ext.4251
University Hospital         Fax:    [phone]
University of Western Ontario    London, Ontario N6A 5A5     CANADA

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 16 Apr 1995 23:44:07 -0400
Subject: VITAsat Gateway Licensed in South Africa
Organization: 52 Manchester Avenue, Toronto, Ontario M6G 1V3 Canada
From: [e-mail] (Nigel D. Allen)


Here is a press release from Volunteers in Technical Assistance
(VITA). I downloaded the press release from the U.S. Newswire BBS
in Maryland at 410-363-0834. I do not work for VITA.

 VITAsat Gateway Licensed in South Africa
 To: National and International desks, Communications Writer
 Contact: Joe Sedlak of Volunteers in Technical Assistance,
          703-276-1800

   ARLINGTON, Va., April 13 -- Henry R. Norman, president of
Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA), announced today that the
University of Cape Town, South Africa, received its license to
install, operate and maintain a VITAsat Gateway Satellite Station.

   The letter from the Postmaster General of South Africa states that
the gateway is to transfer messages from satellite earth station users
and VITA in the United States.

   "This is an important milestone in our VITAsat program.  We will
use the Gateway to transfer messages directly to the Internet host
located at the University of Cape Town.  This will dramatically speed
up the transfer of messages to and from Africa," said Norman.  He
added that other gateways are planned for Norway, Chile, Australia and
Ireland.

   VITASAT-A is also the first satellite in the GEMnet system of CTA
Inc. of Rockville, Md.  The satellite was constructed by CTA and will
be launched by Lockheed within the next couple of months.  CTA also
designed the new earth stations, including the gateway stations.  VITA
will use the satellite for development and humanitarian
communications; CTA will use the satellite for commercial purposes.

   "Our goal is to help develop a communications infrastructure in
developing countries.  Most people in the world have no access to
phones, and even a modest goal of providing one phone per 100
residents is pretty far down the road in some countries."  Norman
added that "When we became involved in communications, the Internet
wasn't available to the general public.  Our gateway system will
extend Internet everywhere in the world."

   He continued, "We are delighted to be partners with the University
of Cape Town.  We expect them to play a significant role in the
evolution of the system that will help close the information gap
separating developing from developed countries."  The person
responsible for the Gateway at the University of Cape Town is Dr.
Robin Braun, director of Digital Radio Communications Research Group.

   VITA first began experimenting with low earth orbiting satellites
in 1984 when the Digital Communications Experiment was launched in
UoSat-2.  In 1990, the prototype payload was launched in UoSat-3; both
satellites were constructed by Surrey Satellite Technology in
Guilford, England.  The Federal Communications Commission granted VITA
Pioneer's Preference Award for being the first to use low earth
orbiting satellites for civilian purposes.  This award assures VITA of
an operational license within the United States.

                  --------------------------

Nigel Allen, Toronto, Ontario, Canada    [e-mail]
Web page: http://www.io.org/~ndallen

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Edmund T. Baumgartner)
Subject: Telecomm Industry in Japan
Date: 16 Apr 1995 18:44:28 GMT
Organization: The George Washington University, Washington DC


I am writing a paper on the deregulation of the telecommunications
industry in Japan.  My paper looks at the effect of a recently passed
administrative law -- the Administrative Procedures Act (APA Gyosei
Tetsuzuki Ho) on regulation by the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunica-
tions of Type I and II Carriers under the Telecommunications Business
Law (TBL, Denki Tsushin Jigyo Ho).  The APA should make it harder for
the bureaucrats to get companies in Japan to "comply" with informal
requests, directions, etc. not to cut rates, provide new services and
the like. I would be interested in hearing any stories people have
heard about the Japanese government's regulation of the industry.  On
ni kiru ze!

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 1995 12:43:00 -0400
Subject: Re: STD Coding Changes in United Kingdom


[e-mail] (MSTRANDREW) said:

> I am assuming the this change is being made to accomdate more telephone
> numbers within the current network.

If it is, it doesn't achieve it!  Apart from the five cities named,
the code change doesn't create ANY new numbers in the UK.  It does
create about 750 new codes -- but short of a major series of area code
splits or similar techniques, we won't be able to make any great use
of these.

Don Cruickshank, the UK Director-General of Telecommunications,
accepts that key English cities are now rapidly running out of
numbers, and has given an assurance us that there will be a full and
open consultation later this year on how to resolve this problem.
There are several possible solutions, with varying details, but every
solution can be analysed down to one of three basic strategies: either
we have more than one code for a city area (i.e. overlay -- which is
anticompetitive where there is competition for local dialtone, and
which to avoid misdialling would probably require users at that
location to adopt a "full national number dialling" approach) or we
expand the local numbering scheme to seven digits (or, in the case of
London, eight digits).  A third option is the traditional NPA split
where half the numbers get a new code: but both the last two options
would necessitate users having to change their numbers again.

Yet on GMTV (our independant early morning station) on Thursday this
week, Cruickshank specifically stated that from Easter Sunday 1995,
anyone with an 01 number in the UK would be able to keep it and would
NOT have to change it again.  Fortunately I have a transcript from the
videotape!

So -- was he being economical with the truth about 01 numbers not having
to change again, or has he pre-decided one of the fundamental issues of
the proposed consultation -- thus rendering the *actual* consultation no
more than window-dressing?  Users in the UK are asking for an answer.

> I remember reading/hearing that there was a plan to change all numbers
> in the UK to a uniform length of 10 digits, but I could be wrong.

This is indeed correct.  Apart from the changes I have detailed above,
about 200 more locations still have to undergo an extra change, to
bring their number "up to standard" as the BT network is modernised.


Richard D G Cox
Mandarin Technology, PO Box 111, Penarth, South Glamorgan CF64 3YG
Voice: 0956 700111;    Fax: [phone];    VoiceMail: 0941 151515
e-mail address: [e-mail]; PGP2.6 public key on request

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 17 Apr 1995 10:02:17 MDT
From: Jack Mott <[e-mail]>
Subject: Phone Question Regards Transmission Problems


Pat,

We have recently added a third extension for our house.  Once every
four or five calls, the phone will stop sending my voice (I can still
hear the other party).  This happens regardless of which phone is
attached to the third extension, even an old and reliable Bell System
phone.  We do not experience this problem on the other two extensions.
I am not absolutely sure, but I think this may happen only for long
distance calls.  A US West technician thought it might be a "grounding"
phenomena, but was unable to remedy the problem.  Intermittent problems
are always the most difficult to isolate.

Given the telco expertise present on your news group, I thought you or
someone else might be able to suggest the source of the problem. Please
feel free to post this e-mail -- For reasons unknown to me, my news
server will not let me make postings at the moment.


Sincerely,

Charles Mott
(using my father's e-mail account, [e-mail])


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Interesting you mention it. I have a
phone with an old handset cord which does the same thing once every
four or five calls ... or did until I finally replaced the cord and
repaired the place where it connects into the receiver. In the past
this same problem would occur and when I would tweak the cord a
little with my fingers the problem would go away and we could hear
each other fine. That 'grounding' the tech discussed might well be
in some of the wiring between the phone jack for that extension and
whereever it meets up at the demarc. You might look and see if there
is a tiny bit of bad wire. Next time the problem occurs, try and
go along the wire tweaking and pinching here and there. It could be
some little place in the wire is slightly exposed; not enough to
consistently cause problems but enough to occassionally do so. If
you find such a spot in the wire then deliberatly test it and try
to recreate the situation where your voice cannot be heard on the
other end, etc. That is one possibility; there are others.  Perhaps
more readers will respond.   PAT]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #199
******************************


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          18 Apr 95 18:21 EDT
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Date: Tue, 18 Apr 1995 10:51:02 -0500
From: TELECOM Digest (Patrick Townson) <[e-mail]>
Message-Id: <[e-mail]>
To: [e-mail]
Subject: TELECOM Digest V15 #200

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 18 Apr 95 10:51:00 CDT    Volume 15 : Issue 200

Inside This Issue:                           Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    GSM - Revised Operator List (Robert Lindh)
    Global Network Being Built; Information Requested (Felipe Barousse)
    GTE Seeks End to '84 Decree (Steve Geimann)
    What to Use to Connect Home Network Doing X? (Johannes Sayre)
    Will a T1 Improve the Quality of Our Modem Lines? (Ken Mayer)
    DTMF/Pulse Converters Wanted (Matt Noah)
    Frame Relay Throughput (Doug DeVlieger)
    Integrated POPs (James H. Cloos Jr.)
    IVRS and F-on-D Service ([e-mail],)
    Information Wanted on Raynet/RIDES ([e-mail])
    500 Prefixes Currently Assigned (Allan J. Langfield)
    TCI Selects SAVANT Scheduling System (Tom Porter)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America
On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'.

Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual
readers. Write and tell us how you qualify:

                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick
Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax
or phone at:
                    9457-D Niles Center Road
                     Skokie, IL USA   60076
                       Phone: [phone]
                        Fax: [phone]
  ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email
information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
use the information service, just ask.

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the              *
* International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland    *
* under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES)   *
* project.  Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-*
* ing views of the ITU.                                                 *
*************************************************************************

Additionally, 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 twenty dollars per
year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.

All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages
should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Robert Lindh)
Subject: GSM - Revised Operator List
Date: 18 Apr 1995 09:21:56 GMT
Organization: Ellemtel Telecom Systems Labs, Stockholm, Sweden


(Changes in the list marked by "*")

Country      Operator name          Network code   Tel to customer service
 ------      -------------          ------------   -----------------------
Andorra      STA
Argentina
Australia    Optus                  505 02         Int + 61 2 978 5678
             Telecom/Telstra        505 01         Int + 61 18 01 8287
             Vodafone               505 03         Int + 61 2 415 7236
Austria      PTV Austria            232 01
Bahrain    * Batelco
Belgium      Belgacom               206 01         Int + 32 2205 4000
Brunei     *
Cameroon
China      * Beijing Telcom Admin
Croatia    *
Cyprus       CYTA                   280 01
Denmark      Sonofon                238 02         Int + 45 80 20 21 00
             Tele Danmark Mobil     238 01         Int + 45 80 20 20 20
Egypt
Estonia      EMT                    248 01         Int + 372 2639 7130
                                                   Int + 372 2524 7000
           * Radiolinja Estonia     248 02
Fiji
Finland      Radiolinja Finland     244 05         Int + 358 800 95050
             Telecom                244 91         Int + 358 800 7000
France       SFR                    208 10         Int + 33 1 44 16 20 16
             France Telecom         208 01         Int + 33 1 44 62 14 81
Gibraltar    GibTel
Germany      D1, DeTeMobil          262 01         Int + 49 511 288 0171
             D2, Mannesmann         262 02         Int + 49 172 1212
G Britain  * Cellnet                234 10         Int + 44 1753 50 45 48
           * Jersey Telecom
           * Vodafon                234 15         Int + 44 1836 1100
Greece       Panafon                202 05         Int + 30 944 00 122
             STET                   202 10         Int + 30 93 333 333
Holland      PTT Netherlands        204 08         Int + 31 50 688 699
Hong Kong  * SmarTone               454 06         Int + 852 2880 2688
           * Telecom CSL            454 00         Int + 852 2803 8450
             HK HTCLGSM             454 04
Hungary      Pannon GSM             216 01         Int + 36 1 270 4120
             Westel 900             216 30         Int + 36 30 303 100
Iceland      Post & Simi            274 01         Int + 354 96 330
India        PT SATELINDO
Indonesia    TELKOMSEL              510 10
Iran       * T.C.I.
Ireland    * Telecom Eireann        272 01         Int + 353 42 31999
Israel     * Cellcom Israel Ltd
Italy        SIP                    222 01         Int + 39 6615 20309
             Omnitel
Japan
Kuwait     * MTC
Laos
Lebanon      Libancell
Latvia       LMT                    247 01         Int + 371 2256 7764
                                                   Int + 371 2256 9183
                                                   Int + 371 2934 0000
Lichtenstein                        228 01
Luxemburg    Telekom                270 01         Int + 352 4088 7088
Macao
Malaysia
Malta      * Advanced
Marocco    *
Monaco     * France Telecom         208 01
           * SFR                    208 10
Namibia
Nigeria    *
New Zealand  Bell South             530 01
Norway       NetCom                 242 02         Int + 47 92 00 01 68
             TeleNor Mobil          242 01         Int + 47 22 03 03 01
Oman       *
Pakistan   *
Phillipines
Portugal     Telecel                268 01         Int + 351 931 1212
             TMN                    268 06         Int + 351 1 793 91 78
Qatar      *
Rumania    *
Russia     * Mobile Tele... Moscow                 Int + 7 271 00 60
           * NW GSM, St. Petersburg
SaudiArabia*
Singapore    Singapore Telecom      525 01
Slovenia   *
South Africa MTN                    655 10         Int + 27 11 445 6000
             Vodacom                655 01         Int + 27 82 111
Sri Lanka  *
Spain        Telefonica Spain       214 07
           * Airtel
Sweden       Comviq                 240 07         Int + 46 586 686 10
             Europolitan            240 08         Int + 46 708 22 22 22
             Telia                  240 01         Int + 46 771 91 03 50
Switzerland  PTT Switzerland        228 01         Int + 41 46 05 64 64
Syria        SYR-01                 223 01
             SYR MOBILE SYR         263 09
Taiwan     *
Thailand     AIS GSM
Turkey       Telsim                 286 02
             Turkcell               286 01         Int + 90 800 211 0211
UAE        * UAE ETISALAT-G1        424 01
             UAE ETISALAT-G2        424 02
Uganda
Vietnam
end-of-list

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Felipe Barousse)
Subject: Global Network Being Built; Information Requested
Date: 18 Apr 1995 08:34:45 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH (USA)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Felipe Barousse)


We are building a global data network. Currently we are considering
Internet Service providers for access in the following countries/cities.
I am now seeking for names and addresses for ISP vendors that can
provide such service in the specified locations.  Additional options
such as X.25 access or any other type of global data communications
company proposal may be of interest and subject to be evaluated.  Your
comments and information is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Access required in the following countries and cities:

Germany         Bremen
                Hamburg
Belgium         Antwerp
Brasil          Rio de Janeiro
Canada          Montreal
Chile           Valparaiso
                Vina del Mar
Colombia        Cartagena
Dominicana      Santo Domingo
Spain           Barcelona
                Bilbao
                Valencia
Guatemala       Guatemala City
Haiti           Port au Prince
Holland         Rotterdam
Italy           Genoa
Jamaica         Kingston
Panama          Panama City
United Kingdom  East Anglian Terminals
Russia          St. Petersburg
Sweden          Gothemburg
Venezuela       Caracas


Felipe Barousse.          e-mail: [e-mail]
BCM Corporation           | Surface mail, please to:  |Phones: [phone]
Medellin # 104 4th floor  | P.O. Box 105-336          |        [phone]
Mexico City, 06700,Mexico | Mexico City, 11590,Mexico |Fax:    [phone]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 1995 23:37:16 -0400
Subject: GTE Seeks End to '84 Decree


Patrick:

The attached is based on two stories I did for my publication,
{Communications Daily}.

Steve Geimann, Senior Editor Washington

    WASHINGTON -- GTE and Dept. of Justice are deadlocked on lifting
1984 consent decree that limited company's local companies from
providing long distance services.  Last week, the company asked U.S.
Dist. Judge Harold Greene in Washington to remove the decree, saying
sale of Sprint and Spacenet, whose original acquisition prompted
impostion of restrictions, removed all legal reasons for continuing
the decree. GTE said it planned to resell long distance through LECs,
offer advanced services to other carriers, combine IXC and international
functions in Hawaii and offer credit card for services -- when the decree
is lifted.

      Justice Department officials didn't comment on GTE motion,
reserving comment until June 5 deadline for responding in court
papers.  But in memorandum accompanying motion, GTE accused the
government of "retroactively" seeking AT&T-like restrictions to block
its effort to lift decree.  Company said government opposed lifting
decree because "it now serves to address other competitive concerns"
regarding GTE local companies offering long distance.  GTE demanded
Greene force Dept. of Justice to issue a statement rather than accept
"veiled or later invoked state- of-mind" by government.

     Decree required GTE's LECs to: (1) Avoid providing interexchange
services.  (2) Remain separate from Sprint and Spacenet.  (3) Provide
non-discriminatory equal access to all IXCs.  (4) Maintain information
services as separate subsidiary.  GTE now resembles company as it
existed before Sprint-Spacenet acquisition, company said, and decree
wasn't necessary.

    GTE said Dept. of Justice appears to be keeping "the decree alive
with extraordinary life-support arguments ... It appears that the
government will now attempt, retrospectively, to transform this case
into the AT&T case -- even though the government previously took great
pains to distinguish this acquisition case from the AT&T conduct
case."  GTE said "revisionist approach" stems from worries that GTE
will violate Sherman Antitrust Act rather than only Clayton Act, which
decree covered.  Company said government didn't pursue Sherman action
"presumably because it could not in good faith do so."

     GTE said government now seeks to establish decree was "agreement"
that could be used to create additional restrictions, especially in
providing interexchange services.  To succeed, GTE said, government
must establish that GTE "agreed to be bound" regardless of its Sprint
ownership.  In addition, Dept. of Justice must prove courts can
enforce consent decree when cause has been removed "based merely on
the parties' agreement and on an assertion that the decree's provisions
serve other, allegedly beneficial, goals of the government."

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Johannes Sayre)
Subject: What to Use to Connect Home Network Doing X?
Date: 18 Apr 1995 03:33:49 GMT
Organization: State University of New York, Stony Brook (guest)


I'm looking at how to put together a couple of systems for working
from home, and I'm looking for advice on what to use to connect them.
[It will be obvious that this is new to me, so thanks for your
patience...]

I need two systems (for two people) both running a windowing
environment, each with six to eight X terminal-emulator sessions up
concurrently, little other local work going on.  The systems will
either run a unix, or Windows/PC stuff.  I will go out over SLIP to a
provider.  It's a local phone call to the provider.  The X apps will
mostly be running locally, the traffic out to the provider will be
rlogin & telnet (i.e. little X traffic).

I'd _like_ to have one SLIP line out, and use one machine both as an
active workstation, and as a gateway out for traffic from the other
machine.  Like so:

      ---------     L     ----------     SLIP (28.8 ?)
      | w/s W |-----------| gate G |----------------------|| telco
      ---------           ----------

1. Is it feasible to feed traffic from two workstations doing this kind of
   work out over one SLIP link, even at 28.8 ?  Or will it be so slow that
   I need a line per machine, period ?

If I _can_ gateway out over one SLIP line, then my next question is

2. What should link 'L' be ?

       - ethernet ?     do I need that speed to support the traffic from
                        'W' ?  Or can I do
       - SLIP ?         even if I have the bottleneck of SLIP going out to
                        the provider, would it still be helpful to have
                        ethernet speeds on 'L' to make that part of the
                        setup less constrained ?
       - something else ?  what ?

   I don't anticipate a lot of X traffic over 'L', but it may happen with
   higher frequency than over the line to the provider.

3. I assume that commercial null modems would be sufficient to support SLIP
   on L ?  Do I need intelligent serial boards, or are built-in serial
   ports generally sufficient ?

4. Am I going to develop sleeping sickness if the gateway is anything less
   than a Pentium or small RISC ?  Will I develop sleeping sickness even if
   it is one ?  (seriously, is that class of machine up to the load this
   setup would put on it ?  Can I get away with less ?)

5. Can I get away with a cheapo box for 'W' ?  Or if I end up packing its
   traffic out over SLIP, should I make sure that at least the machine isn't
   a hindrance ?

Tangent:  it occurred to me that 'W' might be an X-station.  That means 'G'
          would need to be a fairly fat machine supporting emulators for both
          workstations plus handling the networking ?  (again, is a Pentium-
          class machine necessary/sufficient ?)  If I do this, should 'L'
          be ethernet ?

Finally, is all this worth the expense?  (yeah, it's fun) Or would it
be cheaper to just go with a separate line for each workstation?  I'm
doing this primarily because of job demands, not pleasure ...

I will appreciate any and all comments, suggestions, advice anyone may
have on the above.  If you have a setup to suggest that is radically
different, please let me know about it.  You will earn my eternal
gratitude :) Sorry if I haven't done some piece of homework; I'm just
learning where to look.  Email or replies to the Digest are fine.


Thanks again in advance,

Johannes Sayre    [e-mail] (guest)

------------------------------

From: Ken Mayer <[e-mail]>
Subject: Will a T1 Improve the Quality of our Modem Lines?
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 1995 16:51:04 -0400
Organization: MRJ, Inc./Oakton, Virginia, USA


Our company has about 50 analog telephone lines that we use for fax
machines, modems, etc. of which I use 16 for dial in terminal service.
Although we purchased some good quality MultiTech modems, more than
50% of the people dialing can't sync up and get a carrier on the first
call.  Some days are worse than others. Our company telecom guy says
that there is a lot of noise on the line coming from the CO, even when
the phone is on-hook.

Several weeks ago we were discussing future expansion requirements and I
mentioned the line quality problem. (I am planning to install v.34 modems
in the next fiscal year and would like them to be "useful.") One thought
was that if we eliminated the last *analog* mile from the connection, we
would get better quality for our dial-in pool. We can purchase a T1 card
for our telephone switch and get 25(?) phone lines that way.

Would we get better quality service with a digital connection to the CO?
In the long run, it is *cheaper* to run our modems and fax machines
through T1 card's but the break even point is +3 years (includes the
capital investment of the T1 cards for the telephone switch). My system is
growing and I need to expand my dial-in terminal service, but I also need
to improve the quality.


Thanks,

Ken Mayer    MRJ,  Inc.
10560 Arrowhead Drive
Fairfax, Virginia 22030-7305
[e-mail]
[phone] / 385-4637 fax
finger [e-mail] for PGP public key

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Matt Noah)
Subject: DTMF/Pulse Converters Wanted
Date: Mon, 17 Apr 1995 22:09:50 GMT
Organization: ACT Networks, Inc.
Reply-To: [e-mail]


I have a need to purchase some conversion equipment.  I need to
convert rotary digit pulses to DTMF and vice-versa.  If you know of
such equipment, please post and e-mail me.  We need multiple units.

Thanks!

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (DDeVlieger)
Subject: Frame Relay Throughput
Date: 17 Apr 1995 18:03:49 -0400
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)
Reply-To: [e-mail] (DDeVlieger)


I am looking for a formula to calculate throughput in a public frame relay
network  Does anyone have such a formula/calculation out there?


Thanks in advance,

Doug

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (James H. Cloos Jr.)
Subject: Integrated POPs
Date: 17 Apr 1995 10:29:13 GMT
Organization: Illuminati Online


What are the current solutions for going from a T-1 (or preferable a
T-3) of DS0s to Ethernet in one box?

I'm aware of the Ascend Max and USR Total Control products for a pair
of T-1s.  Are there any other T-1 solutions?  How aobut T-3?

The list price for the latest Max offering from Ascend (as per their
press release, for 48 lines) is nearly four times the per-DS0 cost of
separate pairs ==> discreet (Sportster) modems ==> an Annex 4000 ...
Even considering USR's Courier rather than the Sportsters, the price
ratio is nearly 2.  (Both examples are equipment only, ignoring LEC
charges.)


TIA,

James H. Cloos, Jr.    include <std/qotd>
[e-mail]    include <std/disclaimers.h>
Work: [e-mail]    URL:    http://www.jhcloos.com/~cloos/
Finger for pgp pub key.    Snail:    POBox 18122 Austin, TX 78760-8122

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: IVRS and F-on-D Service
Date: 18 Apr 1995 09:44:36 GMT
Organization: via CompuServe Information Service


I'm looking for an interactive voice response "rental" service that
would allow my clients to call an 800 number from US/Canada.  They
would be able to get the information they need by using a touch tone
phone, and get the fax they required by punching in their fax number;
just like other voice response unit in some large companies.

I prefer not to purchase such system as I would not have the time to
configure/maintain such system. Would there be such service provider?


Thanks in advance.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (The VOiCE of a new CyberGenegration)
Subject: Information Wanted on Raynet/RIDES
Organization: ASB
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 1995 02:43:47 GMT


Hello all,

I wanted to know if anyone was at all fimiliar with the Raynet fiber
to copper transfer equipment and the system know as RIDES.  I have the
Raynet LOC 2 System Turn-Up and Maintenance Manual and want to learn
more about it.


adam    [e-mail]
THE VOiCE oF a NeW CYBeRGeNeRaTiON

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 18 Apr 1995 01:57:19 -0400
From: [e-mail]
Subject: 500 Prefixes Currently Assigned


Here is the latest 500 prefix listing:

AT&T (500 service available)
288          445          673
346          446          674
367          447          675
437          448          677
442          449          679
443          448

44x - Hi x-xxxx vanity numbers
67x - Mr x-xxxx vanity numbers
      Ms x-xxxx vanity numbers

MCI (awaiting 500 tariff, but accepting number reservations now)
265          883
484          887
             889

Sprint (awiting 500 tariff)
no prefixes announced


Allan


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Your list is not very complete. We have
previously had here a much more comprehensive list which included the
prefixes assigned to dozens of telcos all over the USA who had requested
'500 numbers'. Do you have any updates on those other telcos?   PAT]

------------------------------

Subject: TCI Selects SAVANT Scheduling System
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 1995 11:02:28 EDT
From: Tom Porter <[e-mail]>


Telecommunications, Inc. has selected SAVANT for its Traffic
Scheduling system. SAVANT, developed by Myers Information Systems,
Inc. of W.  Springfield, Massachusetts, was first implemented at
ENCORE Media Corp.  and is now operational at TCI's Western
Telecommunications, Inc. uplink facilities in Englewood, Colorado.

SAVANT uses relational database software to build data files. It
retrieves and assembles the data to generate everything from Advanced
Schedules and Forecasting Reports, Management Reports and Final Logs
and output files to a number of automation systems.

ENCORE Media uses the software to build its many movie channel logs. The
software allows programming of one channel, multiple channels for one
supplier, and multiple suppliers with each having multiple channels and
logs. SAVANT also allows for insertion of interstitial materials into the
logs while checking for timing accuracy. The package controls timing to
the frame (level) for use with TCI's automation systems.

TCI utilizes SAVANT as a scheduling service far a number of its uplink
customers.

For more information contact:

Thomas K. Porter
Account Manager                  voice:  413/733-4888
Myers Information Systems, Inc.  fax:    [phone]
184 Wayside Avenue               e-mail: [e-mail]
W. Springfield, MA 01089

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #200
******************************