JAJZ801@calstate.bitnet (11/10/90)
I think the problem posed by this question goes beyond the issue of just 800 numbers: > Has any particular plan been made for what to do when the North > American area code for toll-free calls, 800, fills up? It would be > nice if a code that was somewhat similar had been reserved for > splitting it. Given that 700, 801, and 900 are all in some sort of > use, the best choice would seem to be 810. > What fraction of the 800-number namespace is currently allocated? The escalating splitting of municipalities into multiple area codes, the proliferation of faxs and cellular phones that will exacerbate this suggest that the once adequate phone numbering system is getting out of hand and is unequal to the load of modern telecommunications possibilities. The resulting confusion of phone numbers versus geographical areas occasioned by the splitting and the uncertainty of charges is just once manifestation of it. The proliferation of services such as call forwarding, call waiting, and the like also reflect, to some degree, a addressing scheme that is focused on the hardware rather than the user and becoming confusing and difficult for the average customer to manage, especially in any informed way. Like the awkwardness of programming many VCR's, I think this will leave much of the network's potential underexploited. (Except by us expert readers of TELECOM Digest :-) What are the telephone companies, research institutions, regulatory agencies, or anyone else doing to address this. To what extent may ISDN provide some solutions to this (I can think of a few). Jeff Sicherman