fjd%MARVIN.BRAD.AC.UK@MITVMA.MIT.EDU (Jon Davies) (09/21/88)
Since there seems to be some confusion about what the British phone system
provides in the way of services, I thought I would write down some general
info about what is and isn't there. I don't guarantee any of it to be
correct, but I'm pretty sure it is.
Basically, there are 2 phone companies - BT (British Telecom) and Mercury.
Because of the way the system works, only BT can put lines into subscriber's
homes/offices etc. This means that Mercury have to have their exchanges
connected to BT's ones, but this doesn't cost them anything because BT's
licence says something on the lines of 'because Mercury aren't allowed to
put lines into buildings, you must give them a line anywhere they ask for
one'. What's more, the number to access Mercury is the same everywhere (131).
A bit about BT's network:
There are basically 3 types of exchange -
1) the old mechanical click-click-whizz-burr type,
2) a newer electronic version of 1, and
3) System X (which goes wrong a lot).
The mechanical and 'electronic' exchanges only work with loop-disconnect
(click-click) dialling. And do very little other than let you chat to
someone else. System X is supposed to be much better, and when it's
felling happy it'll let you ask it to ring back after a call and tell you
how much it cost, give you a reminder call (every day until yo cancel it),
bar incoming/outgoing calls, make 3-way calls and lots of other exciting
things. Of course, BT charge you for these. The first two cost 5p and 10p
respectively, and the rest about #4 a quarter extra on your line rental
(IF # isn't a pound sign, then pretend it is).
Incidentally, system X uses touchtones as well as loop-disconnect.
Mercury seem to have managed to get the best of everything. They don't have
the hassle of installing lines to subscribers, and just build a network
between BT's exchanges. However, their customers get the hassle instead.
To access Mercury you have to dial 131, wait for mercury's dial tone, and
then dial a 10 digit access code before dialling the number of the person
you want to call. For example, if I want to phone my parents through
mercury, then I have to dial 26 digits! Of course, there is a simple answer
to this - use a phone with number memories. Mercury will sell you a
phone with a 'Mercury button' - just another memory - in which you can
store your access code, and the phone then dials everything up to the number
you want to dial off one button. They charge #52 for this phone. (about $73).
Alternatively you buy yourself a cheaper phone and program one of the
memories on it to dial everything.
How they charge you for everything is quite simple. Sometimes. (well, most
of the time actually.) BT aren't allowed to charge you for access to
Mercury, so making a call through them is just billed by them. BT sell
time in blocks - one unit costs 5.06p (exactly!), and lasts anything from
8 minutes for a local call at cheap rate (ie in the evening) to about
3 seconds to somewhere like Kenya. If you use any of a unit, then you get
charged for the whole unit. In other words, a 9 minute call to your friend
in the same town/city costs the same as a 15 min call.
Mercury do things differently. They charge different amounts for different
distances (not surprisingly) and charge you only for the time you actually
spent connected. Generally, they are slightly cheaper for long distance
calls, and more expensive for local calls, but your bill has to be around
#80 a year to save the #8 it costs for an access code. If I remember
correctly, Mercury are ownde by AT&T, and calls to the USA cost less than
through BT because of this.
There are a number of other services provided by BT which anyone can use:
0800 calls - these are free
0345 calls - these cost the same as a local call
FreeFone calls - these are routed through the operator (ie dial 100 and ask
for Freefone whatever) and are free (surprise, surprise ...)
Calls to mobile phones and the like cost more than anything else, but cost
nothing (extra) to the person who owns the mobile phone. Calls from them
cost a flat (expensive) rate wherever you are in the country.
This conculdes a pretty bad summary of the British phone service, but after
all, it's pretty bad too. It is improving though. And System X is a lot
better than I've made it out to be - the only problem is that there are
only System X exchanges in the larger cities - why Bradford has one I
don't know.
Jon.