eli@pws.bull.com (Steve Elias) (07/11/90)
What's the deal on these new in-state "toll free" exchanges that I see advertised occasionally? There must be a shortage of 800 numbers, eh? Do these toll free exchanges have any interesting technical kluges? Apparently, 596 is the in-state toll-free exchange in New Hampshire. I think Massachusetts has one as well, but I'm not sure what it is. Do all states have these exchanges available now? eli
ndallen@contact.uucp (Nigel Allen) (07/15/90)
eli@pws.bull.com (Steve Elias) asks about toll-free non-800 exchanges. Maritime Tel & Tel, the only telephone company in Nova Scotia, provides an awkward toll-free service without the 800 prefix. (800 numbers are available, but they cost more, I suspect.) A subscriber to the non-800 service can arrange for a regular seven-digit number (429-7111, which is or was the Air Canada reservations number in Halifax, for example) to be toll-free for anybody who calls from specified exchanges, or from anywhere in the province. I assume the charging for the calls is in blocks or time, much as it is with 800 service. However, the toll-free bit only works if you're calling from a residence or business phone. It you're calling from a pay phone, operators used to be able to check a list of valid toll-free numbers, but as of the last time I was in Nova Scotia a few years ago, would only place the call collect. This service grew out of making telephone company business numbers toll-free, I think. (Maritime Tel & Tel still uses seven-digit numbers for repair service, rather than 611, and rural customers would incur a long-distance charge to reach repair unless certain seven-digit numbers could be flagged as free.)
marc@ttc.uucp (Marc O'Krent) (07/18/90)
In article <9732@accuvax.nwu.edu> ndallen@contact.UUCP (Nigel Allen) writes: X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 484, Message 4 of 8 >eli@pws.bull.com (Steve Elias) asks about toll-free non-800 exchanges. >Maritime Tel & Tel, the only telephone company in Nova Scotia, >provides an awkward toll-free service without the 800 prefix. (800 >numbers are available, but they cost more, I suspect.) A subscriber >to the non-800 service can arrange for a regular seven-digit number >(429-7111, which is or was the Air Canada reservations number in >Halifax, for example) to be toll-free for anybody who calls from >specified exchanges, or from anywhere in the province. I assume the An interesting side note realted to this is an obscure Pac*Bell tariff which provides simmilar service. I stumbled onto it a few years ago when I was doing some research. Formally known as CAL PUC No A6.2.5.A.2.d or "Dial interexchange receiving service" first filed on 3/4/85 and effective 4/18/85 via advice letter #14889, this service provides: "A listing of the telephone number of the service on which calls will be received may be furnished, at the customer's option, in the directory serving each *exchange* in which the service is subscribed for. The listing will indicate that calls dialed ... to the listed number will not be billed to the caller... ...Only those calls to this number which originate at stations served from the exchange in which the service is subscribed for ... and then only when the customer's telephone service where calls are received is not included in the the local service area of the calling station... ...All customer notifications about the service must state clearly all exchanges from which the advertised number may be called toll free, and the fact that only direct dialed calls, and only calls from these exchanges are toll free to the caller..." The charge for this is $5.00 per exchange that you want to be toll free to your number with USOC of EDZ. This seems like some kind of bazzar Zenith service without the "Zenith." I can't imaginge that $5.00 per exchange covers the programming expense of setting up special tables to make certain exchanges (which are already non-local by tariff definition) toll free to you number. I doubt anyone ever used this service, but if you are out there, I'd be curious to hear from you. Marc O'Krent The Telephone Connection Internet: marc@ttc.info.com MCIMail: mokrent Voice Mail: +1 213 551 9620