KSELLING@eagle.wesleyan.edu (Kenneth Selling) (08/17/89)
Question: Is it possible to reach a U.S. 800 number from outside N. America
(granted that it will no longer be toll-free)? Could this work with
AT&T's USA Direct service?
Ken Selling
Organization: Wesleyan University
Internet: kselling@eagle.wesleyan.edu
BITNET: kselling%eagle@wesleyan.bitnethenry@garp.mit.edu (Henry Mensch) (08/19/89)
It's not possible with USA Direct (I've tried this while I was living in Australia ...) # Henry Mensch / <henry@garp.mit.edu> / E40-379 MIT, Cambridge, MA # <hmensch@uk.ac.nsfnet-relay> / <henry@tts.lth.se> / <henry@sics.bu.oz.au>
vances@xenitec.uucp (Vance Shipley) (08/22/89)
I have quite often wished to reach an 800 in the US from here in Canada but
found that it was not dialable from here. Sometimes the 800 listing is all
I have! In these cases I would wish I knew the 'conversion' number. I first
found out about this while testing 800 lines.
In order to test an 800 number with US coverage you must dial from the states.
Calling from here in Canada wouldn't complete. So to test one of these
circuits we would have to know the 'conversion' number. To use this number
you had to be coming from a foreign exchange (it had to be a toll call).
The conversion number often had the same last four digits and the NXX was
always a valid office code.
I don't know if this would work internationally or not. Also I'm not sure
how it would be billed. Anyone care to comment?
Vance Shipley uucp: ..!{uunet!}watmath!xenitec!vances
Linton Technology - SwitchView INTERNET: vances@egvideo.uucp
180 Columbia Street West (soon) vances@xenitec.uucp
Waterloo, Ontario
CANADA tel: (519)746-4460
N2L 3L3 fax: (519)746-6884
# if it ain't got an interface it ain't much use!#
[Moderator's Note: How could I pass up a chance to comment? :) If you found
such a number and it worked in Canada, then I'm sure it would work calling
from Europe, etc. And in all probability it would generate a charge to your
account. PT]john@apple.com (John Higdon) (08/24/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0318m01@vector.dallas.tx.us>, vances@xenitec.uucp (Vance Shipley) writes: > In order to test an 800 number with US coverage you must dial from the states > since calling from here in Canada wouldn't complete. So to test one of these > circuits we would have to know the 'conversion' number. To use this number This is actually known as the "POTS" number. An 800 number is nothing more than an ordinary line with an ordinary or POTS number that has special treatment by the long distance carrier. When a caller dials an 800 number, it is translated by the long distance carrier into the area code and phone number of the POTS line and then billed to the 800 subscriber. Back when it was just "the phone company", 800 POTS lines were restricted from out calling (some still are) but now various companies are offering 800 translations to customers' standard business lines and even some residential. POTS=Plain Old Telephone Service. > I don't know if this would work internationally or not. Also I'm not sure > how it would be billed. Anyone care to comment? Since you are calling an ordinary number, it would be billed at prevailing rates. -- John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.uucp | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o !