a323@mindlink.UUCP (Rob McMurtry) (12/13/90)
Hello Netlanders! A while back (actually, a long while back...) I asked readers of comp.society what they would do with an ISDN link if they had one. Of course, soon after making this request, I was unable to get online for several weeks, then work piled up...However, most people posted their responses to the net rather than emailing, so no one really lost out. Here's some of the features that will soon be coming to a phone near you. Business users are going to have a variety of enhanced services made available through the public networks, as opposed to the current practice of running a private network. For the average home owner, we have Custom Local Area Signaling Services (CLASS). CLASS is made possible through the application of ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network) and CCS-7 (Common Carrier Signaling System #7). What these new systems do is eliminate what is referred to as The Last Mile. The last mile is the analog connection between your phone and most Central Offices. This connection forces us to use modems etc. which are clunky and kind of awkward. Most local switching stations are now digital, so removing the last mile will make the whole network digital, thus permitting better (defined as: faster, more reliable service) telephone services. I'm not going to get more technical than that, as it would make the posting more relevant in a communications forum. CLASS permits the following features: Automatic callback-redial last number called. Automatic recall -ever miss the phone on the last ring? never again! Calling Number Display-screen incoming calls by number and name of party. Calling Number Display Blocking: for those who don't want someone else to know where theyUre calling from. Customer Originated Trace-performs trace, informs user of agency to contact to get information. Distinctive Ringing/call waiting- special ring for the mother in law! Selective Call Forwarding- a list of specific numbers to forwarded to your location. Selective Call Rejection-deal with that telemarketing service. Unanswered Call Memory-stores a list of calls that you missed, permits them to be reviewed and dialed at your leisure. Service independent software will permit some amazing things. For example, enhanced 800 services. Imagine a corporation with a dozen user-support centers spread across the country. Dialing the 800 number prompts the network to query a database for the nearest center, allowing strategic locations of centers for customer service or cheaper labor. Such systems are already at work, but they function on dedicated networks, not public ones. These services could also be set up to adjust connections for time zones etc. Additionally, network management will be simplified, as will the wire centers and discrete physical components. (So we're told!) All this adds up to a minimum of faster, higher-speed, more reliable communications. Of course, there are also questions of privacy and other social factors. The advent of these services will permit more rapid sharing of resources and ideas from around the world. The basic rate of the international Synchronous Optical Network (SONET) is 155 Mb/sec, with feeds of 2.2 Gb/sec for PBXs etc. That's a tremendous amount of bandwidth, (I won't say infinite) and I'm sure we'll think of many purposes for it. Rob McMurtry