michael@uunet.uu.net (Michael Katzmann) (02/04/90)
It seems unfortunate but almost every COCOT I've seen in this area
(Annapolis - Washington - Baltimore), stops you dialing 10XXX numbers.
The reason, given in a bullitin from one company who make COCOTS is as
follows:
10XXX DIALING AND NO SCREENING.
Dialing 10XXX to an IXC (Inter-Exchange Carrier) bypasses screening at
the LEC if the IXC operator becomes involved. Payphone patron dialing
of 10XXX-1+ must be blocked at the payphone. However, it may be
necessary for the payphone to dial 10XXX-1+ to access the IXC for
lowest cost routing of calls. In this case, the IXC should provide
international call screening. Dialing 10XXX-0+ appears to be a weak
link. If the caller dials 10288-0+ and waits for the operator, it is
very easy to bill the call to the payphone. Test calls must be made to
ensure the correct Telco screening is being accepted.
Screening can be provided by the LEC and to some extent the IXC. Not
all locations or IXCs provide the same level of screening. The
simplest test is to dial an 0+ call. When the operator asks, "How
would you like to pay for this call?" Say "Bill it to this number".
The operator will instruct the caller to dial 1 next time, however,
the call is put through. Proper screening will stop this.
It seems that a desire to stop fraud rather than a wish to maximize
revenue is the reason that 10XXX calls are blocked. This is far from
satisfactory and highlights the need for the phone companies to
provide a more comprhensive service to the COCOT operators so that a
level of service comprable to that provided by the RBOC's payphones
are available on the COCOTs.
(N.B. This is not an incitment to commit fraud!)
email to
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Michael Katzmann
Broadcast Sports Technology.
2135 Espey Ct. #4
Crofton Md. 21114 USA
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