henderson@esvax.hamavnet.com (Javier Henderson - TMS Group) (02/27/91)
Here's an interesting bit of trivia for Pac Tel users in Los Angeles.
I have Pac Tel for my cellular carrier, and GTE (in the 714 area code)
at home. Since my cellular number is in the 213 area code, when my
wife calls me, we have to pay toll charges (plus airtime of course). I
called Pac Tel yesterday to find out if I changed my cellular number
to the 714 area code, would there be any toll charges.
The service representative said that only Pacific Bell customers get
toll free service to Pac Tel Cellular customers, but that they do
reimburse GTE customers for calls placed from their homes to their
cellular phones, as a courtesy. In fact, she even guessed the reason
for my asking and suggested the above instead of changing the number,
which has a $15.00 fee.
To get the refund (which is done via a credit to my cellular service
account) I just have to mail them a copy of the phone bill to a
special address, with the calls that I claim credit for highlighted
(and the rest crossed out, she said, if I don't want anyone to see who
I call and when). She also said that GTE would eliminate tolls to
cellular phones within the year (she didn't say whether that would
apply for both Pac Tel and LA Cellular customers).
Is this a common practice across the nation? And for that matter, is
this known to anyone else at all?
Javier Henderson Engineering Services
Avnet Computer Los Angeles, CA
henderson@hamavnet.com {simpact,asylum,elroy,dhw68k}!hamavnet!hendersonchapman@alc.com (Brent Chapman) (03/01/91)
In <telecom11.164.7@eecs.nwu.edu> henderson@esvax.hamavnet.com (Javier
Henderson - TMS Group) writes:
# I have Pac Tel for my cellular carrier, and GTE (in the 714 area code)
# at home. Since my cellular number is in the 213 area code, when my
# wife calls me, we have to pay toll charges (plus airtime of course). I
# called Pac Tel yesterday to find out if I changed my cellular number
# to the 714 area code, would there be any toll charges.
# The service representative said that only Pacific Bell customers get
# toll free service to Pac Tel Cellular customers, but that they do
# reimburse GTE customers for calls placed from their homes to their
# cellular phones, as a courtesy. In fact, she even guessed the reason
# for my asking and suggested the above instead of changing the number,
# which has a $15.00 fee.
I have kind of the opposite situation here in the San Francisco Bay
Area. I have Pac Bell at home, and GTE as my mobile carrier. GTE
MobilNet makes a major selling point that calls _from_ GTE cellular
numbers from anywhere in their Bay Area service area (which covers
parts of at least four area codes (415, 408, 707, and 916) and an area
roughly 150 by 50 miles on a side) are "local" calls. Further, they
state that calls placed _from_ cellular phones to anywhere in their
Bay Area service area are "local" calls, regardless of the home area
code of the cellular phone and the area code of the number being
dialed; there are probably some perverse cases where using a cellular
phone to call somewhere else in the service area is cheaper than using
normal PacBell service.
Brent Chapman Ascent Logic Corporation
Computer Operations Manager 180 Rose Orchard Way, Suite 200
chapman@alc.com San Jose, CA 95134
Phone: 408/943-0630dave@westmark.westmark.com (Dave Levenson) (03/08/91)
In article <telecom11.171.10@eecs.nwu.edu>, chapman@alc.com (Brent Chapman) writes: [regarding cellular carriers that offer huge 'local' calling areas] > roughly 150 by 50 miles on a side) are "local" calls. Further, they > state that calls placed _from_ cellular phones to anywhere in their > Bay Area service area are "local" calls, regardless of the home area > code of the cellular phone and the area code of the number being > dialed; there are probably some perverse cases where using a cellular > phone to call somewhere else in the service area is cheaper than using > normal PacBell service. Here in the New York City CGSA, the non-wireline carrier (MetroOne) offers a huge local calling area. They charge their normal airtime rate, but the landline rate for calls within their service area is 0.06 per minute regardless of distance. If I'm in Eastern Long Island and place a call from the car to Central New Jersey, I pay six cents per minute for the land-line call, but I'm calling over 100 miles. The air time, if it's non-prime time, is 0.15/minute regardless of distance. Dave Levenson Internet: dave@westmark.com Westmark, Inc. UUCP: {uunet | rutgers | att}!westmark!dave Warren, NJ, USA AT&T Mail: !westmark!dave Voice: 908 647 0900 Fax: 908 647 6857
nin15b0b@stan.merrimack.edu (David E. Sheafer, Class of 1989) (03/10/91)
In article <telecom11.186.9@eecs.nwu.edu>, dave@westmark.westmark.com (Dave Levenson) writes: > In article <telecom11.171.10@eecs.nwu.edu>, chapman@alc.com (Brent > Chapman) writes: > [regarding cellular carriers that offer huge 'local' calling areas] >> roughly 150 by 50 miles on a side) are "local" calls. Further, they >> state that calls placed _from_ cellular phones to anywhere in their >> Bay Area service area are "local" calls, regardless of the home area >> code of the cellular phone and the area code of the number being >> dialed; there are probably some perverse cases where using a cellular >> phone to call somewhere else in the service area is cheaper than using >> normal PacBell service. > Here in the New York City CGSA, the non-wireline carrier (MetroOne) > offers a huge local calling area. They charge their normal airtime > rate, but the landline rate for calls within their service area is > 0.06 per minute regardless of distance. If I'm in Eastern Long Island > and place a call from the car to Central New Jersey, I pay six cents > per minute for the land-line call, but I'm calling over 100 miles. > The air time, if it's non-prime time, is 0.15/minute regardless of > distance. In Massachussets (sp) any called dialed from a NYNEX (wireline carrier) mobile phone is considered local if the destination of the call is in NYNEX mobiles service area (which covers of all RI, all of Eastern MA (508/617), and Southern NH), and they only charge usage time rates, they don'T charge any landline rates. David E. Sheafer internet: nin15b0b@merrimack.edu or uucp: samsung!hubdub!nin15b0b GEnie: D.SHEAFER Freenet ap345 Bitnet: Sheafer_davi@bentley