Miguel_Cruz@ub.cc.umich.edu (11/30/88)
In response to the Moderator's list of possible/potential/rumored/planned new phone services... I have heard of most of those at one time or another from Bell people... two others I heard tossed around quite a bit were call blocking (you dial a code and can block out a certain number, or the person who called you last (as in the case of a prank call where you don't know their number..). Supposed to cost $3-$5 per month plus fee for each # blocked), and a deal where if you just miss a phone call (towel up and get out of the shower and it stops ringing, you dial a code and it calls them back). Looks like both of these would require for your exchange to know where the call came from... Way things are these days, it'll probably be quite a while before we see some of these (pointless?) services. - How come some months my MCI and Sprint (I have one on each line) bills come from the respective carriers, and other months they come on Michigan Bell stationery with my regular bill? The MCI one has become pretty consistent, but the Sprint one has been frittering back and forth for some months now. Miguel Cruz Miguel Cruz@ub.cc.umich.edu University of Michigan
jdh@vector.uucp (John Hiday) (12/02/88)
In article <telecom-v08i0189m03@vector.UUCP> Miguel_Cruz@ub.cc.umich.edu writes: > > [talks of a couple of custom calling services that have been tossed > around, but thinks will be a while before we see them] We have had both Automatic Callback and Call Screening, as well as Distinctive Ringing and Repeat Dialing here in Muncie for almost two years now. Automatic Callback lets you return the last call you received (whether you answered it or not) by punching in *69. Call Screening lets you block calls from known or unknown numbers. You can either enter the numbers or use a special code to reject future calls from the number of the last call received (for harassing calls, etc). You can zap up to 10 numbers. The blocked caller gets a special little recording. This one is $3.75/mo and cannot be purchased in a "package" like most of the other services. There is no charge per number blocked. Distinctive Ringing lets you program in 10 numbers which will ring the phone differently when they call. Repeat Dialing will ring you back when a busy number becomes free (within 30 minutes of activation). The biggest problem with these (and the reason why I don't have any of them) is that they only work with (against) other local numbers. They also won't work against people calling out of PBXs (like salespests). -- UUCP : <backbones>!{iuvax,pur-ee,uunet}!bsu-cs!jdh John Hiday BITNET: 00JDHIDAY@BSUVAX1.BITNET Ball State Univ Computing Services GEnie : JDHIDAY Muncie, IN 47306