DREUBEN@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Douglas Scott Reuben) (05/29/91)
I just got this in the mail from AT&T:
Dear Mr. Douglas Reuben,
In a few weeks, you will be receiving a new AT&T Calling Card to
replace the AT&T Calling Card you now carry.
When it arrives, you'll notice that your new card looks different. It
even has a DIFFERENT ACCOUNT NUMBER FROM YOUR CURRENT AT&T CARD.
(Emphasis added). In order to comply with government requirements,
AT&T is no longer sharing card numbers with your local telephone
company. Now, AT&T is issuing new card numbers that are exclusive to
AT&T.
Your new AT&T Calling Card will continue to provide all the advantages
you've grown to expect from AT&T.
[Stuff about verifying the present account you have with AT&T]
[They list a number for "changes to your account" as 800-447-2000.
So does this mean that we will all need to know at least *two* PIN
numbers now?
And how is everyone supposed to know that "If it's a local call use my
BOC card, while if it's an inter-LATA call use my AT&T card"? How many
people actually can tell in advance what is a intra- compared to an
inter-LATA call?
Example: You are in Greenwich, CT. You want to call NYC. Who gets the call?
NYTel or AT&T?
You then want to call to Poughkeepsie, also in New York State. Who
gets it?
Finally, you want to call Fisher's Island, in area code 516 for
Long Island, NY?
(Ans.: NYTel, AT&T, AT&T.)
Now I don't consider my friends, parents, and relatives to be all that
ignorant on how to use a telephone, but I just can't see how THIS is
going to be explained to them by AT&T and/or the BOCs. AT&T and the
BOCs sure didn't do a good job when it came to warning people about
AOSs until quite late in the game; I am wondering how much more
confusion this nonsense will cause.
Note that if I use MCI or Sprint, which have similar calling card
setups (via an 800 or 950 number), I can usually make INTRA and INTER
LATA calls on the same card, and even on the same call. (The charges
may be higher for INTRA LATA calls than what the BOC/GTE/local
companies charge, however). This works quite infrequently with AT&T's
system, ie, rarely can you "sequence" (make multiple calls) from INTER
LATA to INTRA LATA.
In the event than any AT&T Calling Card people area reading this, all
I can say is that this is quite disappointing. I assume His Honor
managed to have something to do with this ("government" = Green, J.,
right? ;) ), but unless AT&T starts allowing local (INTRA) LATA calls
to be completed on its card, I think I may just get ITT or MetroMedia
or someone with free 950 access, where I can use the same card for
both INTRA and INTER LATA calls. (No big deal to AT&T I'm sure, but a
lot less trouble for me!)
Doug dreuben@eagle.wesleyan.edu // dreuben@wesleyan.bitnet
[Moderator's Note: Did they specifically say you could NOT make local
calls on the card or would NOT be able to use the local telco's card
to make calls on the AT&T network? PAT]S M Krieger <smk@attunix.att.com> (05/29/91)
Douglas Scott Reuben writes: > I just got this in the mail from AT&T: > In a few weeks, you will be receiving a new AT&T Calling Card to > replace the AT&T Calling Card you now carry. > When it arrives, you'll notice that your new card looks different. It > even has a DIFFERENT ACCOUNT NUMBER FROM YOUR CURRENT AT&T CARD. > So does this mean that we will all need to know at least *two* PIN > numbers now? I already have my new AT&T Calling Card. Here is my understanding of it (DISCLAIMER: based entirely on the literature I got about it). It is more than a new PIN; it's a 14 digit number totally unrelated to the phone number. This number will be accepted by the local phone companies for intra-LATA calls, but it will not be accepted by other long distance carriers. (I believe the Calling Card number on the Universal Card works the same way.) This new calling card number (although I haven't tried it yet) will also be linked to the Reach Out America plan (which in my case, I pay $2.00 a month extra for no surcharge on Calling Card calls after 10:00pm and all day Saturday and Sunday until 5:00pm). From other literature I got (as well as phone call I made to AT&T confirming it), the new AT&T Calling Cards would not be sent to Universal Card holders, as they (we?) already have an AT&T Calling Card Card number. But Universal Card holders who are also Reach Out America customers (like me) can request the AT&T Calling Card so that an AT&T Calling Card number can be linked to the home phone number (the Universal Card number can't) for ROA discounts. Stan Krieger All opinions, advice, or suggestions, even AT&T UNIX System Laboratories if related to my employment, are my own and Summit, NJ do not represent any public or private att!attunix!smk policies of my employer.
Henry Mensch <henry@ads.com> (05/29/91)
> [Moderator's Note: Did they specifically say you could NOT make local > calls on the card or would NOT be able to use the local telco's card > to make calls on the AT&T network? PAT] Hmm ... I just got a new Pac*Bell calling card and a new-style AT&T calling card ... the Pac*Bell card accompanying literature emphatically states that I can use my Pac*Bell card to make "long distance" (presumably out-of-state) calls and it should be good "almost anywhere." I'm not sure I want to test it that vigorously, tho. Henry Mensch / Advanced Decision Systems / <henry@ads.com>
Neil Rickert <rickert@cs.niu.edu> (05/29/91)
In article <telecom11.407.4@eecs.nwu.edu> DREUBEN@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Douglas Scott Reuben) writes: > I just got this in the mail from AT&T: > In a few weeks, you will be receiving a new AT&T Calling Card to > replace the AT&T Calling Card you now carry. > When it arrives, you'll notice that your new card looks different. It > even has a DIFFERENT ACCOUNT NUMBER FROM YOUR CURRENT AT&T CARD. > (Emphasis added). In order to comply with government requirements, > AT&T is no longer sharing card numbers with your local telephone > company. Now, AT&T is issuing new card numbers that are exclusive to > AT&T. This sounds like a good move to me. Time to describe a personal experience. This happened perhaps seven years ago. A calling card (along with other cards, etc) were stolen. We notified AT&T who promptly issued a new card. A few weeks later when we had need to use the AT&T card, it didn't work. After much complaining, the explanation turned out to be that our original card had been issued by means of a request to Illinois Bell. The replacement was issued by AT&T. But because the original was ordered through Illinois Bell, it could only be cancelled by Illinois Bell. AT&T didn't think to do this when they issued the replacement. We didn't think to do so either, since the card said AT&T. I consider the separation a distinct improvement which can only serve to reduce this kind of confusion in the future. Note, that since the AT&T notice promises the same service, one presumes that local calls anywhere in the country should still be chargeable to the AT&T card. Neil W. Rickert, Computer Science <rickert@cs.niu.edu> Northern Illinois Univ. DeKalb, IL 60115 +1-815-753-6940
David E. Sheafer <nin15b0b@lucy.merrimack.edu> (05/30/91)
I have an AT&T calling card, and a New England Telephone Calling card. Interestingly they both have the identical number and PIN. I also have an AT&T Universal card and in the past have used it to make calls for both Interlata (AT&T) and Intralata (New England Telephone). I wonder if this is going to change. I haven't received anything in th mail as of yet. David E. Sheafer internet: nin15b0b@merrimack.edu or uucp: samsung!hubdub!nin15b0b GEnie: D.SHEAFER Cleveland Freenet: ap345
Brian Charles Kohn <bicker@hoqax.att.com> (05/30/91)
> "When it arrives, you'll notice that your new card looks different. It > even has a DIFFERENT ACCOUNT NUMBER FROM YOUR CURRENT AT&T CARD. > (Emphasis added). In order to comply with government requirements, > AT&T is no longer sharing card numbers with your local telephone > company. Now, AT&T is issuing new card numbers that are exclusive to > AT&T." > So does this mean that we will all need to know at least *two* PIN > numbers now? Actually ... the new calling card number will be different from your phone number. It will be a new 14 digit number to remember. => And how is everyone supposed to know that "If it's a local call use my => BOC card, while if it's an inter-LATA call use my AT&T card"? How many => people actually can tell in advance what is a intra- compared to an => inter-LATA call? The word is that BOC card numbers won't work for LD calls, and LD card numbers won't work for local calls. When that transition is to happen I don't know. > Note that if I use MCI or Sprint, which have similar calling card > setups (via an 800 or 950 number), I can usually make INTRA and INTER > LATA calls on the same card, and even on the same call. (The charges > may be higher for INTRA LATA calls than what the BOC/GTE/local > companies charge, however). This has got to be either illegal or unfair. AT&T is not permitted to carry local phone calls. Not even a little. So MCI and Sprint shouldn't be allowed to either. > In the event than any AT&T Calling Card people area reading this, all > I can say is that this is quite disappointing. I bet you that the AT&T Calling Card people are more disappointed with it than you are. Disappointed that unscrupulous AOS services have made the government take this action. Brian Charles Kohn AT&T Bell Laboratories Quality Process Center Quality Management System E-MAIL: att!hoqax!bicker (bicker@hoqax.ATT.COM) Consultant PHONE: (908) 949-5850 FAX: (908) 949-7724 [Moderator's Note: This is just one more example of the unfairness which has riddled divestiture since the beginning. AT&T has been held to the most rigid of standards, while the 'others' are allowed to pretty much do as they please subject to a large enough stink being made that they have to reform a little -- but just a little. AT&T got to where they were after more than a century of experience, hard work and intelligent management ... and a judge comes along and rips them off without a second thought, based largely on his own prejudices. And let's face it: Greene had it in for AT&T from the beginning. PAT]
Bill Huttig <wah@zach.fit.edu> (05/31/91)
In article <telecom11.407.4@eecs.nwu.edu> DREUBEN@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Douglas Scott Reuben) writes: > And how is everyone supposed to know that "If it's a local call use my > BOC card, while if it's an inter-LATA call use my AT&T card"? How many > people actually can tell in advance what is a intra- compared to an > inter-LATA call? From my understanding the new AT&T card can be use for IntraLATA calls with any Local carrier. The main reason is to protect you from getting charged by AOS's. I think by law the BOC/LEC numbers must be made available to all OCC's . Your BOC/LEC card should work using any carrier and will be billed on your local bill. OCC's can carry IntraLATA calls in some states but AT&T can not. AT&T said that they have problems with some of the LEC's accepting the new cards and the problem should be worked out shortly. Bill
"A. Satish Pai" <Pai-Satish@cs.yale.edu> (06/03/91)
[Brian = bicker@hoqax.att.com (Brian Charles Kohn).
SE = someone else.]
SE> "When it arrives, you'll notice that your new card looks different.
SE> It even has a DIFFERENT ACCOUNT NUMBER FROM YOUR CURRENT AT&T CARD.
SE> (Emphasis added). In order to comply with government requirements,
SE> AT&T is no longer sharing card numbers with your local telephone
SE> company. Now, AT&T is issuing new card numbers that are exclusive to
SE> AT&T."
SE> So does this mean that we will all need to know at least *two* PIN
SE> numbers now?
Brian> Actually ... the new calling card number will be different from
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Brian> your phone number. It will be a new 14 digit number to
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Brian> remember.
I don't understand the above statement.
My Calling Card (issued two years ago) has a number that is not my
home or other phone number (in fact I didn't have residential phone
service when I applied for the card). I've seen promotional literature
from AT&T saying explicitly that you don't need to have a phone number
of your own to get the card.
And the number has 14 digits, too (except that they're all on the
card, there is no PIN, unlike the Universal Card).
So what's the difference from the older cards?
One thing different that I _have_ seen (in pictures of the new card in
ads) is that the "international number" seems to have an extra six
digits prefixed to it compared to the one on the older cards, and
there is a two-digit "authorization code" also on the card. Since I
haven't got any notification from AT&T about my Calling Card, I
presume that I can still use my card according to the instructions I
received when I got it. Does this mean, then, that there are actually
two different ways of calling internationally with AT&T cards? What
are the extra digits there for on the newer cards?
Satish
Internet: Pai-Satish@CS.Yale.Edu | A. Satish Pai
UUCP: ...!{uunet,harvard,decvax,ucbvax}!yale!pai |
Bitnet: Pai@YaleCS | +1 203 432 1286 [Off.]
Mail: Box 2158, Yale Station, New Haven, CT 06520 | +1 203 436 2061 [Res.]Skip Collins <collins@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu> (06/04/91)
DREUBEN@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Douglas Scott Reuben) writes: > So does this mean that we will all need to know at least *two* PIN > numbers now? Why don't the telephone companies allow customers to *choose* their own PINs, as some banks now do for their ATM cards. More than one sequence of 14 digits would be hard for many people to remember. If it is illegal for local and long-distance carriers to exchange and coordinate such matters, why aren't consumers given the option to make their own lives simpler? Just a thought. Skip Collins, collins@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu
Steve Bellovin <netnews@ulysses.att.com> (06/04/91)
In article <telecom11.407.4@eecs.nwu.edu>, DREUBEN@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Douglas Scott Reuben) writes: > So does this mean that we will all need to know at least *two* PIN > numbers now? > And how is everyone supposed to know that "If it's a local call use my > BOC card, while if it's an inter-LATA call use my AT&T card"? How many > people actually can tell in advance what is a intra- compared to an > inter-LATA call? Caveat: this is not authoritative, but I did ask somebody about this. Right now, the LECs supply card verification services to the IECs. With the new cards, that relationship will be reversed. AT&T will supply card verification service to the LECs for an intra-LATA call billed to an AT&T Card. This is already being done by the Universal Card people. You can bill intra-LATA calls to your Universal Card, but without the 10% discount applied to AT&T calls. Note that AT&T will *NOT* be providing card verification to other interexchange carriers. This should deal with the oft-expressed concerns of our customers that they not be billed by an AOS for calls placed on an AT&T Card. I hope this sets your mind at ease. > Now I don't consider my friends, parents, and relatives to be all that > ignorant on how to use a telephone, but I just can't see how THIS is > going to be explained to them by AT&T and/or the BOCs. AT&T and the > BOCs sure didn't do a good job when it came to warning people about > AOSs until quite late in the game; I am wondering how much more > confusion this nonsense will cause. Tell them to use their AT&T Card. Period. Andy Sherman/AT&T Bell Laboratories/Murray Hill, NJ AUDIBLE: (908) 582-5928 READABLE: andys@ulysses.att.com or att!ulysses!andys What? Me speak for AT&T? You must be joking!
Bill Huttig <wah@zach.fit.edu> (06/04/91)
In article <telecom11.419.5@eecs.nwu.edu> "A. Satish Pai" <Pai-Satish@ cs.yale.edu> writes: > My Calling Card (issued two years ago) has a number that is not my > home or other phone number (in fact I didn't have residential phone > service when I applied for the card). I've seen promotional literature > from AT&T saying explicitly that you don't need to have a phone number > of your own to get the card. [stuff deleted] > So what's the difference from the older cards? > One thing different that I _have_ seen (in pictures of the new card in > ads) is that the "international number" seems to have an extra six > digits prefixed to it compared to the one on the older cards, and > there is a two-digit "authorization code" also on the card. Since I > haven't got any notification from AT&T about my Calling Card, I The difference is that the old non-subscriber cards are issued in area code 507 and 508 with a exchange that is inposible (starting with a 0 or 1) and are handled through various BOC's, I had one that was billed by Cincinatti Bell a few years ago. They provided verification for the AT&T to the LEC's. The new cards start with a 83x where x is a 6 or 8. The international part of the number is 891253 xxx xxxx xxxx x xx the 89 is the internation standard for phone card the 1 is for the North America country code. The 253 id's it as a AT&T card the xxx xxx xxxx is the same as the US version. The x xx are additional verification numbers. I was surprised that the number 253 was used as Carrier ID and not 288 like the PIC. It would have made more sense to use the PIC's. Bill [Moderator's Note: I think all the non-subscriber AT&T cards were handled by Cincinatti Bell for many years ... maybe still. PAT]
phil@wubios.wustl.edu (J. Philip Miller) (06/04/91)
Skip Collins <collins@aplcomm.jhuapl.edu> writes: > Why don't the telephone companies allow customers to *choose* their > own PINs, as some banks now do for their ATM cards. Well at least with the AT&T Universal card, you can change your PIN to whatever you want. Just call them and change the one they have assigned to you. J. Philip Miller, Professor, Division of Biostatistics, Box 8067 Washington University Medical School, St. Louis MO 63110 phil@wubios.WUstl.edu - Internet (314) 362-3617 uunet!wuarchive!wubios!phil - UUCP (314)362-2693(FAX) C90562JM@WUVMD - bitnet
NIEBUHR@bnlcl6.bnl.gov (Dave Niebuhr, BNL CCD, 516-282-3093) (06/04/91)
I recently changed my NYTel PIN (reason unimportant) and found that I
had to select a new four-digit number and give it to a second person.
Not bad.
However, a few days later a card arrived from ATT (my long distance
carrier) with my new PIN on it. I was curious but didn't pursue the
matter at that point. A few days after that the new NYTel card
arrived.
The difference between the two is that the ATT card has my full phone
number, PIN and International number whereas the NYTel card has just
the PIN.
I called ATT and asked why I received a new card since I hadn't made
the request to them. The answer was that the local BOC forwarded the
number to a processor and the third party went ahead and cut two cards
(one ATT and one NYTel).
It seems that these two outfits share the same database for PINs.
However, the ATT operator couldn't answer what would have happened if
I had Sprint, MCI or any other long distance company.
Dave Niebuhr Brookhaven National Laboratory
BITnet and Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov
[Moderator's Note: What would have happened is you would have received
a different card and a different PIN. Only AT&T and the local telco
share a calling card data base, and AT&T will not be doing with the
local telco much longer. PAT]REWOICC@erenj.bitnet (rob woiccak) (06/04/91)
Skip Collins sez: > Why don't the telephone companies allow customers to *choose* their > own PINs, as some banks now do for their ATM cards. In fact, some do. I called up Bell Atlantic to acquire a calling card yesterday morning and after going through the rigormorole of supplying name and number, the operator asked if I wanted to choose a PIN of my own (the last four digits that is). I was a bit stunned and just stammered, "um, no, I'll let you do it". rob woiccak zengineer -- rewoicc@erenj.bitnet
joshm@kgnvmy.vnet.ibm.com (Joshua E. Muskovitz) (06/04/91)
I've been an MCI customer for years and I've ALWAYS (well, with one exception noted below) had my MCI calling card be the same first 10 digits of my phone, and then a different PIN from the RBOC. Makes sense to me. All I have to remember is which PIN to use. The only time this didn't work was after my last move. The MCI rep set up my account incorrectly (but issued cards). After realizing the mistake, they cancelled service and set it up again (this time correctly). This was in a matter of minutes. But when they went to issue me a calling card (for the new account), the computer recognised that a card had been issued for that phone number and instead issued a scrambled card number. When I finally got the card, I called MCI and asked about it. After about five minutes, they figured out what had happened, cancelled those cards, and issued me new cards based on my phone number. Since I was going on a trip and wouldn't have the new cards in time (and they couldn't tell me the PIN) they told me to use my RBOC / (ATT) card and they would reimburse me for the difference in rates, when the bill came. All in all, very nice service. (Although I've had some really bad service from them, too.)
irvin@lombard.dartmouth.edu (06/05/91)
In TELECOM Digest V11 #423, Joshua E. Muskovitz writes: > I've been an MCI customer for years and I've ALWAYS (well, with one > exception noted below) had my MCI calling card be the same first 10 > digits of my phone, and then a different PIN from the RBOC. Makes > sense to me. All I have to remember is which PIN to use. > The only time this didn't work was after my last move. The MCI rep > set up my account incorrectly (but issued cards). After realizing the > mistake, they cancelled service and set it up again (this time > correctly). This was in a matter of minutes. But when they went to > issue me a calling card (for the new account), the computer recognised > that a card had been issued for that phone number and instead issued a > scrambled card number. US Sprint (or is it just Sprint now) hasn't issued FON Cards with you phone number on it for sometime now. A couple of moves ago the rep told me my new card would be some random 14 digit number. Not wanting to have to memorize 14 random digits, I asked her if there was anyway to request that my card have my phone number as the first 10-digits. She said no way (security precautions -- something about people having roommates and the security problems that brought about -- seemed like hoky to me). She did say that I could keep my present card number if I wanted. So I did. Now two moves later (and two phone numbers later), I still have my old FON card with my old telephone number on it. Seems strange when I get the bill and my 2 phone numbers are listed followed by this old phone number from 1/2 way across the country. Tim Irvin
Brian Charles Kohn <bicker@hoqax.att.com> (06/05/91)
[Brian = bicker@hoqax.att.com (Brian Charles Kohn): > Actually ... the new calling card number will be different from ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > your phone number. It will be a new 14 digit number to ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > remember. > I don't understand the above statement. > My Calling Card (issued two years ago) has a number that is not my > home or other phone number Then you already have one of these new type calling card numbers (for domestic use) ... people like SE have not ... the first ten digits of their calling card number have been their telephone number. Brian Charles Kohn AT&T Bell Laboratories Quality Process Center Quality Management System E-MAIL: att!hoqax!bicker (bicker@hoqax.ATT.COM) Consultant PHONE: (908) 949-5850 FAX: (908) 949-7724
Gordon D Woods <gdw@gummo.att.com> (06/05/91)
In article <telecom11.421.4@eecs.nwu.edu>, by wah@zach.fit.edu (Bill Huttig) writes: > I was surprised that the number 253 was used as Carrier ID and not 288 > like the PIC. It would have made more sense to use the PIC's. What is a PIC? I've seen it several times and no one has defined it. [Moderator's Note: His reference was to the five-digit carrier codes which can be used at the start of a long distance dialing sequence to route the call via a particular carrier; i.e. 10222 = MCI; 10777 = Sprint; 10288 = AT&T. These are a few, there are many more. PAT]
William F Thompson <foz@ihlpf.att.com> (06/05/91)
From article <telecom11.419.3@eecs.nwu.edu>, by netnews@ulysses. att.com (Steve Bellovin): > Note that AT&T will *NOT* be providing card verification to other > interexchange carriers. This should deal with the oft-expressed > concerns of our customers that they not be billed by an AOS for calls > placed on an AT&T Card. > I hope this sets your mind at ease. >> Now I don't consider my friends, parents, and relatives to be all that >> ignorant on how to use a telephone, but I just can't see how THIS is >> going to be explained to them by AT&T and/or the BOCs. AT&T and the >> BOCs sure didn't do a good job when it came to warning people about >> AOSs until quite late in the game; I am wondering how much more >> confusion this nonsense will cause. > Tell them to use their AT&T Card. Period. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > Andy Sherman/AT&T Bell Laboratories/Murray Hill, NJ Andy couldn't be more correct. All you have to use in the future for calling card calls will be your NEW (and I stress NEW) AT&T calling card. Let me clear up some common misconceptions. First, there are three formats for the new AT&T calling card: a CCITT Full Format 21 digit card, an abbreviated 17 digit card, and what's known as a hyperdialed 14 digit calling card. All you will have to dial is 14 digits, period. Forever. The AT&T formats, as discussed by someone else, are as follows: CCITT Full Format 21 digit: 891288 XXXXXX XXXX L PINN where L is a Luhn check digit 891253 XXXXXX XXXX L PINN " " " " " " " Abbreviated 17 digit dialing: 288 XXXXXX XXXX PINN 253 XXXXXX XXXX PINN Hyperdialed 14 digit dialing: XXXXXX XXXX PINN You will only have to dial the 14 digits. So you only have to remember one new calling card number. And yes, you can bill your intralata calls to your AT&T card, but they are not carried by AT&T (of course). As far as I've heard, you will be able to choose your own PIN also. Most of these cards will be issued by the end of this year. Some of the cards already issued (Universal Cards, for example) start out with 507 and 508 as the Issuer ID. The fourth digit of a 14 digit AT&T issued calling card (the new ones, remember) will always be a 0 or a 1 (just like the old "shared" RAO cards). I hope I've answered some questions that you may have. You can drop me a line if you have any more questions. Bill Thompson att!ihlpf!foz
robert@uunet.uu.net> (06/06/91)
wah@zach.fit.edu (Bill Huttig) writes: > ... the old non-subscriber cards are issued in area > code 507 and 508 with a exchange that is inposible (starting with a 0 > or 1) and are handled through various BOC's, I had one that was billed > by Cincinatti Bell a few years ago.... My Universal Card uses a number like this also. Robert Oliver Rabbit Software Corp. 215 993-1152 7 Great Valley Parkway East robert@hutch.Rabbit.COM Malvern, PA 19355 ...!uunet!cbmvax!hutch!robert
Raymond C Jender <rcj1@ihlpf.att.com> (06/11/91)
In article <telecom11.436.10@eecs.nwu.edu> gdw@gummo.att.com (Gordon D Woods) writes: > In article <telecom11.421.4@eecs.nwu.edu>, by wah@zach.fit.edu (Bill > Huttig) writes: >> I was surprised that the number 253 was used as Carrier ID and not 288 >> like the PIC. It would have made more sense to use the PIC's. > What is a PIC? I've seen it several times and no one has defined it. > [Moderator's Note: His reference was to the five-digit carrier codes > which can be used at the start of a long distance dialing sequence > to route the call via a particular carrier; i.e. 10222 = MCI; 10777 > = Sprint; 10288 = AT&T. These are a few, there are many more. PAT] Pat, Just to clarify, the PIC is the Presubscribed Interexchange Carrier. It is the carrier of choice that is assigned to a subscribers line for all non-10XXX dialed interlata calls. It is the XXX portion of 10XXX.