wtm@neoucom.UUCP (Bill Mayhew) (05/25/89)
Putting up a pay phone in one's place of business can be a risky proposition. There are some companies around that don't care who gets left holding the bag for an uprofitable pay station; often it is the customer that gets burned. Careful research is advised. There are many goverment regulations that pay stations must comply with, thus installation is not a do-it-yourself operation. Toll restrictors are quite readily available to prevent dialing out into unauthorized exchanges or long distance. Smart units also prevent users from dialing by pulsing the hookswitch. I have a friend who buys outgoing WATS for a business run from his home. I believe the carrier is a comany named Light-tel (or similar). The service includes a toll restrictor/ number converter that functions transparently. Local calls are passed without discernible delay, while long distnace calls are forwarded to the WATS by adding a prefix. The whole thing is transparent to the end user, but can be bypassed by dialing a security code for direct access to the line. Toll restrictors are inexpensive enough that it is easier to just buy one instead of building ... unless you enjoy construction for the hobby aspect. Bill wtm@impulse.UUCP