clark@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Roger Clark Swann) (10/06/88)
I have heard some ads on the radio recently indicating there are abbreviated phone numbers when using a cellular phone. An example is an ad for a concert or similar entertainment, saying to call Ticket Mater (the local entertainment clearing house ) giving a standard seven digit number for wired phones and for cellular phone use, dial: TXX Another example of this was discovered in Portland, OR recently when the radio station KXL (I think), was advertising for motorists to call the station with road reports using their cellular phones to dial: 231 'this is a free call' (Maybe someone in Portland can confirm this) So can someone explain these three digit phone numbers??? Why not just dial the full seven digits? If the deal is free calling, then why not just program the cellular controller to use the seven digit number, but reverse bill or however it is to be charged? And yes, I thought of using three digits to make it easier on the driver using the cellular phone. However, if the driver is too busy driving to dial seven digits, then he/she shouldn't be using the phone. Roger Swann uucp: uw-beaver!ssc-vac!clark
mgrant@cos.com (Michael Grant) (10/11/88)
According to Cellular One Baltimore/Washington, cellular telcos accross the contry are trying to come up with dialing conventions. (ha! That'll be the day!) One convention is that a number that begins with a *1 is supposed to be a free call to the subscriber. For instance, *1FYI (*1394) is a free call which gets you information about what's happeing with the local cellular system. *1198 is a free call to some local radio station that you can report accidents, (and sometimes win prizes!) There are other numbers that begin with * like *611 and *811 that are also free that get you in touch with Cellular One. All these numbers seem to have a 7 digit translation that does show up on my bill as "no-charge". One can dial them from the outside as well. -Mike
evan@telly.UUCP (Evan Leibovitch) (10/11/88)
In article <telecom-v08i0153m07@vector.UUCP>, ssc-vax!clark@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Roger Clark Swann) writes: > Another example of this was discovered in Portland, OR recently when > the radio station KXL (I think), was advertising for motorists to call > the station with road reports using their cellular phones to dial: 231 > 'this is a free call' (Maybe someone in Portland can confirm this) > Don't know about Portland, but Toronto radio station CFTR certainly does have a 'free' number for exactly this purpose. (They must take their traffic reports rather seriously - they also have two Cessnas airborne each rush hour.) Callers press "*680" (the station's frequency). I also believe that cellular calls to 911 and the auto club are free. > Roger Swann uucp: uw-beaver!ssc-vac!clark -- Evan Leibovitch, SA of System Telly, located in beautiful Brampton, Ontario evan@telly.UUCP (PENDING: evan@telly.on.ca) / {uunet!attcan,utzoo}!telly!evan Don't worry - Be happy.
crscott@uunet.UU.NET (Scott_Klosterman) (11/01/88)
In article <telecom-v08i0159m05@vector.UUCP>, evan@telly.UUCP (Evan Leibovitch) writes: > I also believe that cellular calls to 911 and the auto club are free. Somehow I doubt that calls to 911 are FREE seeing as how I pay twenty three (23) cents a month whether I use it or not!! -- \o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o\ \ Structural Dynamics Research Co. Scott Klosterman \ \ Cincinnati Oh. uunet!sdrc!crscott \ \ Your typical city involved in a typical daydream ... \ \-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-\
klg@dukeac.UUCP (Kim Greer) (11/02/88)
In telecom-v08i0159m05@vector.UUCP+ evan@telly.UUCP (Evan Leibovitch) writes: +X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.uucp (USENET Telecom Moderator) + +In <telecom-v08i0153m07@vector.UUCP+, ssc-vax!clark@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Roger Clark Swann) writes: ++ Another example of this was discovered in Portland, OR recently when ++ the radio station KXL (I think), was advertising for motorists to call ++ the station with road reports using their cellular phones to dial: 231 ++ 'this is a free call' (Maybe someone in Portland can confirm this) ++ +Don't know about Portland, but Toronto radio station CFTR certainly does +have a 'free' number for exactly this purpose. (They must take their +traffic reports rather seriously - they also have two Cessnas airborne +each rush hour.) Callers press "*680" (the station's frequency). + I saw one the other day on I-85 near Hillsborough -- "DIAL *HP" to get the Highway Patrol. -- Kim L. Greer Duke University Medical Center try: klg@orion.mc.duke.edu Div. Nuclear Medicine POB 3949 dukeac!klg@ecsgate Durham, NC 27710 919-681-2711x223 ...!mcnc!ecsgate!dukeac!klg fax: 919-681-5636