dmr@RUSSELL.STANFORD.EDU (Daniel M. Rosenberg) (02/01/88)
What is the 800 number one calls to find out what long distance network is being used? (E.g., I dial 1-800-xxx-xxxx and get a recording like: "Welcome to AT&T.") Thanks for any pointers, -- ## Daniel M. Rosenberg '91 CSLI/Stanford University 1-415-323-0389 ## dmr@russell.stanford.edu or ihnp4!decwrl!labrea!russell!dmr
pozar@hoptoad.UUCP (Tim Pozar) (02/21/88)
dmr@RUSSELL.STANFORD.EDU (Daniel M. Rosenberg) wrote: > What is the 800 number one calls to find out what long distance > network is being used? > > (E.g., I dial 1-800-xxx-xxxx and get a recording like: "Welcome to AT&T.") > 800-555-4141... [I just checked and the number is 1-700-555-4141. There is (to the best of my knowledge) no 800 number that will do the same thing. --jsol]
johnl@think.UUCP (John R. Levine) (02/24/88)
In article <8802202259.AA08346@hop.toad.com> pozar@hoptoad.UUCP (Tim Pozar) writes: >dmr@RUSSELL.STANFORD.EDU (Daniel M. Rosenberg) wrote: >> What is the 800 number one calls to find out what long distance >> network is being used? >> (E.g., I dial 1-800-xxx-xxxx and get a recording like: "Welcome to AT&T.") >[I just checked and the number is 1-700-555-4141. There is (to the best >of my knowledge) no 800 number that will do the same thing. --jsol] It's unlikely you could find such an 800 number, since the routing rules for 800 calls are entirely different from those for regular calls. For 800 numbers, the routing is currently by prefix, e.g. 800-950 and several others go to MCI, 800-877 goes to Sprint, and all the rest go to AT&T or the local operating company. The problem is that at the time of the Bell breakup, AT&T got all of the routing equipment that handles the translation of 800 numbers, even though the BOCs are supposed to provide equal access 800 service with the 800 numbers being assigned, I suppose, by Bellcore. It's taking a long time for the BOCs to install their 800 equipment, MCI squawked at the delay, and so the government mandated the current hack of routing by prefix in the interim. For all I know, in most places the 800 numbers are still handled by AT&T under contract to the BOCs just as all long distance directory assistance is still handled by AT&T under contract to the various OCCs. Expect lots of excitement when they try to cut over to the new system and all 800 service stops working. -- John R. Levine, IECC, PO Box 349, Cambridge MA 02238-0349, +1 617 492 3869 { ihnp4 | decvax | cbosgd | harvard | yale }!ima!johnl, Levine@YALE.something Rome fell, Babylon fell, Scarsdale will have its turn. -G. B. Shaw