telecom@eecs.nwu.edu (TELECOM Moderator) (09/17/89)
A while back, a reader in Australia asked for more information about home
centrex service here in the United States. In some places, this service is
called 'Intellidial', and in other places, such as Chicago, it is known
as 'Starline'. There may be other names for it in other communities. In
most cases, the features are the same.
Here are the basics --
You have between two and six incoming lines from the CO, as you desire, based
on your needs. (I have two.) Each line has its own number, just as you
would probably have anyway. In Chicago at least, all (both) numbers must
be on the same prefix, or exchange. In my case, this is 312-743.
In addition to the usual 'custom calling' features available, such as call
waiting, three way calling, call forwarding and speed dialing, several
other options are available, as well as some enhancements on the first four.
Each phone on your premises can be reached two ways:
1) In the usual method, by a caller dialing the seven digit number.
2) As an intercom from all other lines on your premises, by dialing
the intercom code, which is 2# through 7#, as assigned.
There is no charge for intercom calls. Make as many as you like. Intercom
calls can be distinquished from CO calls by the ring. CO calls to the line
cause a short, double ring-ring (pause) ring-ring sound. Intercom calls
cause the 'normal' ring-pause-ring-pause sound. This enables the person
receiving the call to use the appropriate answer phrase. Intercom calls
do busy out the line, however call-waiting eliminates any problems here.
Both the CO and an intercom call can camp-on with call-waiting tone to
another line which is in use. As in conventional call-waiting, just one
camp-on is allowed.
Another feature is call pickup. Any call can be answered from any line.
If the call is coming into the line you pick up, then just respond as
usual. If the call is coming into some other line, then dial *9 and the
ringing call will be automatically transferred to your line instead.
Call holding is available. You would want to hold a call for various
reasons; such as to answer a call-waiting on the line you are presently
using, or to pickup a call ringing on another line on your premises. You
might wish to simply put a call on hold while doing something else, or
to go to another phone to continue the conversation.
To hold a call, flash, then dial *8. If a call waiting is on the line,
it will automatically be handed to you at that time. To go back and
forth between the calls-waiting, just flash and dial *8. You will alternate
between calls as desired. If a call is ringing in on another phone in your
group, you would flash, then dial *8 (to put your call on hold) then *9
to answer the other line. At that point, both calls are treated like
calls-waiting, and flashing, followed by *8 alternates between them.
To simply leave a call on hold while you are engaged elsewhere, flash and
dial *8, then abandon the line, leaving the phone off-hook. The new dial
tone will time out after about fifteen seconds. To return to the call,
replace the receiver for a second, and answer when the phone rings. To
pick up the call from some other line, hang up the first phone, go to
the desired phone and use *9 to retrieve the call left ringing elsewhere.
Three way calling is also enhanced by Starline. Under ordinary custom calling,
a three way call *cannot* be started when call-waiting is in use, since
the former requires a switchhook flash, and if a call is waiting, the flash
will simply bring up the other call. Using the Starline 'flash, star 8'
approach, three way calling becomes possible. In addition, under ordinary
custom calling, you must be the originator of at least one of the three
sides to the conversation, and must remain on the line at all times during
the three-way call. This is not so in Starline.
Here is an example: I'm on a call, and get a call-waiting. I flash, dial
*8 and take the second call. I alternate between them. On one of the two
incoming calls, I wish for the caller to speak with my brother in his bedroom.
I flash, dial his 'extension' (or intercom code, really, which is 2#), and
when he answers, I announce the call and hang up. Now, that call is gone
from me. My phone rings again, and the call I left on the other side of
the call-waiting is back with me again. As another example, I place or
receive a call. The other party wants to talk with a third person, but does
not know his number. I flash, dial the third number, announce the call
and then *disconnect*. Those two parties will remain connected, and I will
drop out of the call -- and free my line -- just as in 'regular centrex'.
If you have two calls on the line, the one on the 'top of the stack'
is the one to be affected by a transfer to another line in or out of your
group. You manipulate, or 'pop the stack' to get whichever caller you want
on top for the purpose of transferring, etc. In other words, the one I am
talking to now (or have most recently put on hold) is the one who gets
transferred; while the other one waits for my return. If you are not talking
to the 'right one' for this purpose, then flash, dial *8 and bring around
the one you want prior to again flashing and transferring.
Ordinary phone systems can usually 'hunt' in rotary for a free line. I had
this feature for years. If my first line was busy, the call would be put
on my second line, unless it was also busy, in which case busy would be
returned to the caller. Under Starline, some enhancements are available:
'Circular hunt' allows any line in the group to hunt to some other line.
My first can hunt the second, and the second can hunt the first. The six
lines maximum in a Starline group can go around hunting each other as
programmed. Backward or foreward does not matter.
'Transfer on busy/no answer' starts the hunt process not only if the called
line is busy, but also if it does not answer after three rings. The 'busy'
part of this scenario only applies if the call-waiting is also engaged on
the line in question, or if there is dialing in progress (call waiting never
occurs when you are dialing, as it might interefere with the dialing
process). So if your line is 'truly busy' by CO standards for same, then
the hunt process begins. Since we use *70 to 'suspend call-waiting' for
the duration of the call in progress, this also forces a busy condition
on the line should a new call arrive (and have to hunt elsewhere).
'Suspend call-waiting', or *70 as a prefix to whatever else you dial, has
long been a standard custom calling feature here except in a couple of
offices with older generics. This feature is used for those 'very important
calls' which you do not want disturbed, and for modem calls, where a
call-waiting signal would interfere with the data.
Call Forwarding is enhanced under Starline. It operates as expected, but
does NOT forward intercom calls if the place forwarded to is outside your
group. It DOES forward intercom calls as well if the forwarding is to
another phone in your group. You can forward in or out of group as desired.
The exceptions are you cannot forward to 411,611,911, any 555-1212, 976
or 900+anything. Nor can you forward to 950 or a long distance number *on
other than your default carrier*.
Call Forwarding takes precedence over call-waiting from a phone outside
your group, but not from an intercom call, unless the forwarding is within
your group. Here is another example:
Station A hunts to station B on 'busy/no answer'. Station B has call
forwarding turned on to some place outside the group. A is busy and gets
a CO call, so it hunts to B. The call will forward to wherever B is being
sent. On the other hand, A is not busy, but there is no answer. Since B
is being forwarded, the call to A just continues to keep ringing on A,
since there is no reason to assume A would want his calls answered by
some out of group place where B calls are going. I realize this is not
entirely logical (to forward via B if A is busy, but not forward via B
if A is unanswered) but that is the way they have it set up. I think they
would change it for me if I asked, but that is another part of the story.
Convenience Dialing is known as 'speed calling' in many places. Under
Starline, you get a thirty number repretoire, which are dialed as
*20 through *49. Any number in the world, dialable from your phone,
including international calls, can be programmed into the 'speed dial'.
It is programmed from any line in the group, and can be accessed from
any line in the group. They tell me there is a method of partitioning
it, with certain speed dial abbreviations going to one line, some to
another, etc... but mine is set up so all speed dial numbers can be
accessed from all lines. Only one programming is required; what you
program on one line works from all the others.
In summary, Starline gives me tremendous and virtually complete control
over my phones. A new feature being made available in the next few months
is a form of call identification which allows up to three CO numbers to
be assigned to one line. Variations in the ringing pattern advise which
CO line was dialed. This permits various users of the same line to know
ahead of time who is being called. In my case, I'll have my 800 number
assigned to a new CO number, which will ring two short/pause/one long to
tell me I'm paying for the next call I receive.
Not peculiar to Starline, but available from Illinois Bell is consolidated
billing. Unit charges and toll charges from all lines in the Starline
group are accumulated as a total where discount volume rates would apply.
For example, since we here must pay for local calls -- but there is a
discount in pricing after a certain number -- all calls from both my lines
are tallied together to count toward the total required. My Reach Out
America plan can be used from either line with just one monthly fee to
AT&T.
The monthly billing does itemize which long distance calls went out/came
in on each line, but the total of all is used toward monthly purchase
requirments. The bill will have a section entitled, "Calls from 743-xxxx"
with those calls which specifically originated (or were received collect
on) any line other than the main billing number.
A collect call to my second line will show up on the bill charged to the
second line *for the entire duration of the call* even though I may have
'pulled the call' when it came in to my first line via *9. Likewise, any
outgoing calls are billed in their entirety to the line they were dialed
out on, even though in mid-conversation I may switch to another extension
to continue, or indeed, even transfer the call out of my system entirely
via three way calling and disconnect myself.
Starline users get a little manual, or instruction book to use (are you
surprised?), but after a few days it all becomes very easy to remember.
I think the CO installers are the ones who need the lessons, however. To
get Starline turned on is a challenge. At least it was when I first started
using it two years ago.
I put in the order with the business office and was told it would be on
within two days. A week was more like it. At least four different people
fiddled around with it before they could get it right. Each person said
they 'had it working okay' and the results on my end were different (and
wrong!) each time. I put the order in on Monday. They started trying to
get it working on Wednesday. For four days my phones were screwed up.
Finally, after I made a real stink Saturday afternoon with Repair Service,
I got a call back Sunday morning at 8 AM no less, from a woman who said
"I am going to be here (in the CO) all day with my husband, and one or
the other of us will have it going correctly for you by this afternoon.
I personally will call you, or he will, when the job is finished."
Yeah sure, I thought. But true to her word, about 11 AM she called me and
said let's go through all of it together and see if it is doing what you
want it to do now. And sure enough, it was fine, and has been since.
The next morning, the business office manager called me, "ooooh, Mr. Townson,
I dooooo hope we have gotten your system in order finally....and with
your permission I will show today as the starting date for billing
purposes."
My total monthly bill for local service is as follows:
Non-pub directory service 1.45 (covers both lines)
Two touch tone services 1.46 (.73 each for two CO lines)
Two line charges 9.06 (4.53 each for two CO lines)
Two Starline packages 11.04 (5.52 each for two CO lines)
One Call Waiting 2.50 (I took it off my modem line entirely)
One Convenience Dialing 5.00 (32 number speed dialing for entire group)
One Call Forwarding 2.50 (only on modem line, not first line)
Total Local Service 33.01
Then I pay about 4 cents per 'unit' and long distance rates as applicable.
Patrick Townsonjohn@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) (09/18/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0381m01@vector.dallas.tx.us>, telecom@eecs.nwu.edu (TELECOM Moderator) writes: > A while back, a reader in Australia asked for more information about home > centrex service here in the United States. In some places, this service is > called 'Intellidial', and in other places, such as Chicago, it is known > as 'Starline'. There may be other names for it in other communities. In > most cases, the features are the same. > > Here are the basics -- [complete explanation of Starline, deleted] What you have described is identical to Pac*Bell's Commstar II with some interesting differences. (It used to be called Premiere 2/6.) Instead of 6 lines, Commstar II has 30 line capability with intercoms numbered #20 thru #49 (I have 8 in mine). The trade-off, which I hated until I needed to add those 2 extra lines:-), is that speed calling is only 6 numbers (how useful) and is individually programmed on each line as opposed to being programmed system-wide from the "main" line. Speed numbers are accessed with *2 thru *7. Since *7 is a valid beginning to other features such as cancel call waiting and forwarding, etc., when you call the *7 entry you either wait six extra seconds or hit # (*7#). The other difference is that *8 is used for call pick-up, while *9 is used for hold/call waiting. Your explanation of how they screwed up your order I think must be written into the Bellcore spec for the offering. Every time (and I mean every time) I have placed the simplest change order or have ordered new service in conjunction with my Commstar II, it has been a circus, wherein they either botch the order itself and I don't get what I want, or the bill makes Fantasy Island look like sober truth. They used to have a "complex residential" department, but apparently they have decided that it's more fun just to foul things up. -- John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o !
anthony@uunet.uu.net (Anthony Lee) (09/20/89)
Hi Patrick, Thank you for your interesting article on Starline. I've noticed you said many of the services had already been available and that Starline only enhanced them. As I said before here in Australia we are only starting to have the original services. One thing I do notice is that as the number of services that are available to the customer increases and as more of them becomes active then this business of having to press *nn (nn two digit number) or #nn becomes a real mess. Why can't your telco give you a more sophisicated handset ? I suppose there's no point unless you have ISDN signalling. Even with DFTM, there'll needed to be a lot of logic built into a handset just to display useful info to the user. I just wonder if the interface between the user and the CO is more intelligent, how much of this service interactions stuff can be gloss over ? You see I am really interested in the interactions between enhanced features. I didn't get a chance to read your ISDN summary but do you remember if there was any mention of the use of ISDN signalling to enhance the way enhanced services are delivered to the customer. The topic in itself is worth discussing. May be you can post this message on comp.dcom.telecom and see if there anyone out there who would be interested. BTW I recently got a message from someone in Bellcore and she called me the Down Under-er. I think that's sounds good consider there aren't too many Down Under readers in this newsgroup. Cheers, Anthony Anthony Lee (Humble PhD student) (alias Doctor(Time Lord)) ACSnet: anthony@batserver.cs.uq.oz TEL:(+617) 3712651 Internet: anthony@batserver.cs.uq.oz.au (+617) 3774139 (w) SNAIL: 243 Carmody Rd, St Lucia, Queensland 4067, Australia