howard@dahlbeck.ericsson.se (Howard Gayle) (09/20/89)
This is mostly based on an article in the Stockholm newspaper Dagens Nyheter, 19 September 1989, p. 72. It looks like the article was in turn based on a press release. The Swedish phone company says it will improve service to residential subscribers. Faults are to be fixed within one day. Repair visits are to be scheduled to the nearest hour; if the craftsperson doesn't show up during the scheduled hour, the subscriber's line charge for 3 months is rebated (SEK 142, or about US$21). Broken coin phones are to be fixed within one day. At large airports and train stations, coin phones are to be fixed within 3 hours, and calls are to be free when the coin boxes are full. I'll believe all this when/if I see it. Another new service is detailed call billing for subscribers connected to AXE offices. This will only be available for international calls, and will of course cost extra. At present, phone bills simply give the total number of units per quarter, and the line charge. An exception is bills for mobile phones; these show each number dialed. Many subscribers object to this for privacy reasons, so the billing for mobile calls is to be changed to a single figure for all calls. Surprisingly, it is legal in Sweden to listen to mobile calls, including cellular calls. Scanners for the appropriate frequencies are available. Howard Gayle TN/ETX/T/BG Ericsson Telecom AB S-126 25 Stockholm Sweden howard@ericsson.se uunet!ericsson.se!howard Phone: +46 8 719 5565 FAX : +46 8 719 9598