Bob Langford <LANGFORD@ruby.vcu.edu> (06/27/91)
This just came to me via E-mail here at VCU in Richmond, VA: FROM: [our internal telecomunications department] DATE: June 26, 1991 SUBJECT: Telephone System Difficulties REF: Bell Atlantic System Bell Atlantic, the parent company of C&P Telephone, is experiencing difficulty with a computer system, Signalling System Seven (SS7), in the Washington area. As a result, telephone company SS7 supported central offices can not communicate throughout Bell Atlantic areas (New Jersey to Virginia). This means that state Centrex users can not dial outside and reach a telephone number supported by a SS7 central office. The problem appears to be limited to the dialing of most, but not all, local calls. Intra-Centrex, calls to non-SS7 central offices, long distance (dial 9 +) and "on-network" SCATS calls are not being affected in most cases. Telecommunications remains in touch with C&P, however local Richmond C&P officials do not know when this problem will be resolved. A similar problem occurred in January, 1990, impacting the entire AT&T network for many hours. Do not call Telecommunications, TRMC, or C&P to report this problem. It has been well reported and is now being broadcast by the media. [The SCATS network is a state government network that is at least partly independent of the regular phone network, and covers most of the state offices around the state.] [Forwarded by Bob Langford, MCV/VCU Academic Computing, langford@ruby.vcu.edu]