[comp.dcom.telecom] Caller ID in the UK

SAMcinty@exua.exeter.ac.uk (Scott A. McIntyre) (06/03/91)

I was just browsing through a flatmates copy of Cosmopolitan and in
the back, in the advertising section under Personal was a device
called something like the Inquisitor.
 
Essentially, it's a Caller ID box that displays the area code and
phone number of all incoming calls.  It is also programmable to ignore
calls from certain area codes or precise numbers.  It also boasts a
automatic dialer and a few other widgets.
 
As far as I am aware, this is the first of these deviced to be on the
UK market.  I would think that it will not be trememdously successful
since most of the UK is not on Tone yet (the device requires it).
 
If anyone wants any more information, let me know, I'll copy down the
advert and submit it.
 

Scott

abm88@ecs.soton.ac.uk (Morley A.B.) (06/05/91)

In <telecom11.421.9@eecs.nwu.edu> SAMcinty@exua.exeter.ac.uk (Scott A.
McIntyre) writes:

> As far as I am aware, this is the first of these devices to be on the
> UK market.  I would think that it will not be trememdously successful
> since most of the UK is not on Tone yet (the device requires it).

I think that this came up on telecom some time ago.  Apparently the
box doesn't receive caller ID (neither Telecom nor Mercury transmit
it), but automatically answers any incoming call with a digitized
voice saying "Please enter the number you are calling from".
Therefore there is nothing to make them tell the truth and if the
caller hasn't got Tone then they cannot get through at all!

A bit of a con really.


Andrew Morley, - abm88@uk.ac.soton.ecs  abm88@ecs.soton.ac.uk