Mark Brader <msb@sq.sq.com> (12/30/89)
Our moderator writes: > ... area codes *as we know them* will be used up is 1995. I think 1993 > might be a better estimate. From that point on, area codes will resemble > prefixes, and dialing 1 before long distance numbers everywhere will > be mandatory. ... Presumably by "long distance" he meant here "to another area code". The thing that most distresses me about this whole area-code-exhaustion business is that it'll mean that we'll LOSE the possibility of a leading 1 ACTUALLY meaning, as it still does where I am, "long distance". Here, we dial NNX-XXXX for local calls, 1-NNX-XXXX for long distance within our area, and 1 + 10 digits for other area codes (I'll call this "Syntax 1"). Now, we're about to run out of NNX prefixes in 416, which means that the 1 + 7 digits syntax becomes ambiguous and has to be dropped. Bell Canada then has two options. They could drop the "leading 1 means long distance" rule, and we'd dial 7 digits within the area no matter whether local or not, and 1 + 10 digits outside ("Syntax 2"). Or they could drop the "no area code required within area" rule, and we'd dial 7 digits for local calls and 1 + 10 digits for long distance no matter whether within the area or not ("Syntax 3"). Bell Canada has actually elected to go to Syntax 3, and I personally am most pleased that they have done so. (The effective date is sometime in March, I believe.) But it appears to me from reading this forum that Syntax 2 is rather more common in other parts of North America. In Syntax 2 places, you have to know which prefixes in your area code are local calls and which are not -- or in some cases, the sharp division of calls into local (free) and long distance (not free) doesn't exist. Of course Syntax 2 does have the advantage that it can be used where the local calling area is larger than the local area code. To be complete I should mention Syntax 4, which I think was formerly common and is becoming rare: leading 1 is never used, and one dials NNX-XXXX for any call within one's area, 10 digits for calls to other areas. It only works in areas where all exchanges are NXX. And finally, there are the variants of Syntax 1, 2, or 3 where the leading 1 is replaced by some other access code, such as the 112 mentioned as having been used until recently in B.C.; I remember that Toronto used to use 112 about 20 years ago, too. Now, finally, my question. Can anyone comment on the relative prevalence of the four syntaxes that I have called 1, 2, 3, and 4 in North America, or better yet, actually provide a list of what areas use what syntax? (Note: My interest here is in major operating companies, not, say, Pinnacles.) Mark Brader "It can be amusing, even if painful, to watch the SoftQuad Inc., Toronto ethnocentrism of those who are convinced their utzoo!sq!msb, msb@sq.com local standards are universal." -- Tom Chapin
johnl@esegue.segue.boston.ma.us (John R. Levine) (12/31/89)
The dial-1-for-money distinction was lost in many parts of the U.S.
long ago. Many cities, notably New York and Los Angeles, have
multiple area codes for local calls. Even here in Boston, you dial 1
for long distance except that there are a lot of exceptions where you
dial 1+number or 1+npa+number but it's local anyway. What is a free
call depends greatly on what kind of service you have, a call that
costs nothing on one of my lines can cost 26 cents on the other (which
has cheaper monthly service). Also, as I've noted before, there are
places in New Jersey where you can dial any of a local intra-lata
call, a local inter-lata call, a toll intra-lata call or a toll
inter-lata call with seven digits.
Dialing 1+area code for intra-NPA calls is a gross hack and is
unlikely in the long run to retain a useful distinction between free
and toll calls, although it does let them delay replacing some of
those old SxS exchanges. Perhaps we need home COCOTs that tell you
when you dial how much you're spending.
Regards,
John Levine, johnl@esegue.segue.boston.ma.us, {spdcc|ima|lotus}!esegue!johnldeej@bellcore.bellcore.com> (01/03/90)
In article <2486@accuvax.nwu.edu>, msb@sq.sq.com (Mark Brader) writes: > The thing that most distresses me about this whole > area-code-exhaustion business is that it'll mean that we'll LOSE the > possibility of a leading 1 ACTUALLY meaning, as it still does where I > am, "long distance". However... the distinction between "local" and "long distance" is becoming more and more vague. *Generally*, the distinction is useful because long distance service is measured (pay for each minute), and local service is unmeasured (a flat fee gets you unlimited minutes of calling). As time passes, though, more and more telcos are moving more and more in the direction of local measured service. (Just ask Patrick...) Plus, marketing organizations come up with a near-infinite number of "local calling areas", "extended calling areas", "message rate service", "low usage message rate service", etcetera, etcetera, etcetera. So a leading 1 could indicate "long distance". But should this mean "measured service call"? "Outside local calling area call"? Something else? The North American Numbering Plan is a *numbering* plan. It provides an unambiguous syntax for *numbering* -- not for cost of calls, or for billing method, or for marketing distinctions. Yes, it would be nice to know, as you are making a call, whether that call will cost you a flat amount, an amount proportional to the length of the call, or whether it's covered in your normal monthly bill. It would also be nice to know, in real time, how much that call is costing you. But I think that "1+" is not an appropriate solution. > Now, finally, my question. Can anyone comment on the relative > prevalence of the four syntaxes that I have called 1, 2, 3, and 4 in > North America, or better yet, actually provide a list of what areas > use what syntax? Of course not -- Why should I answer the question you asked when I can answer another one? Seriously, I doubt that anyone can completely answer the question. I can tell you the "recommended" method (1+10D for calls outside the home NPA; 7D for calls within the home NPA), but this is another case where the recommendation is one sentence and the exceptions would fill a good-sized book... David G Lewis ...!bellcore!nvuxr!deej (@ Bellcore Navesink Research & Engineering Center) "If this is paradise, I wish I had a lawnmower."