[comp.dcom.telecom] FAX From ATTmail

phil@wubios.wustl.edu (J. Philip Miller) (09/30/90)

We finally got our act together and started sending out FAXes via
ATTmail - they frequently are identical FAXes sent to 10-15 different
numbers.  The bill came the other day and they averaged about $1.75
each (2-3 pages each).

Now this sure beats paying someone to stand around FAXing to a list of
numbers, but it got me to wondering about the relationship between the
mail service and the long distance stuff.  Does anyone know the
details about how the calls are being placed to the receiving FAX
phones?

1) Are they all placed via regular LD service from a central place?

2) Do they pay the same rate for the LD calls as any other, nonAT&T
   business?

3) If the answer to 2 is yes, are there special rates that would, for
   example, give a discount if they deferred the call if there was high
   demand for curcuits at that time?

4) If the answer to 2 is no, is this fair to other providers of
   similar services (MCI I guess could do the same thing)?

5) If the answer to 1 is no it sure opens up some interesting network
   design opportunities, i.e. it takes a lot less time (and therefore
   long distance charges) to send it long haul via the ASCII text, and
   then send the FAX version as a local call.


     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

telecom@cdsdb1.att.com (10/07/90)

The question was essentially "What is the relationship between AT&T
Mail FAX and AT&T Long Distance as far as paying for the Long Distance
Calls is concerned?"

My understanding is that any non-tarriffed AT&T service pays the
standard business rates for long distance calls.  The services can
sign up for any of the bulk discount plans such as Megacom 800,
ProWats, etc, but they pay the same as you or I would if we were to
set up such a service.  True, the money goes from AT&T to AT&T, but it
still is a cost of doing business for that particular service.

Tarriffed services, on the otherhand, are different.  I don't know how
billing for these types of services work, but they are differnt.

DISCLAIMER: These are not official statements from AT&T and may be
wrong, but what can you do!


Tom Lowe 

AT&T Bell Labs