werner@utastro.UUCP (09/21/83)
Yep, the German state monopoly on communications has its very obnoxious parts, and you named only one of them. Others are: No "free" local calls , long waiting times for installations (often months, years), etc. However, there are some nice aspects to their madness, also. Calls are charged in toll units, which used to be 20 Pfennigs (~8 cents) quite some years ago. Local calls cost one toll unit, no matter how long. (has probably been changed to measured service now) Long distance calls simply gave you a limited length of time per unit, indirectly proportional to the distance. Thus you can make an intercontinentel call to the US, say: I am leaving on the 8pm flite to NY, at a cost of a few cents. Or: Is John Doe there? No? Would you tell him to call back? No need for operators, for most people, anyway.
rene@umcp-cs.UUCP (09/23/83)
I just got back from Germany this summer. The way their phones work
is this: 20 pfennigs (still ~8 cents) for a local call for about 5
from a pay phone
30 pfennigs from the house
8-10 DMarks (~$3-4) per minute to call the US. It is cheaper to call
the USA collect from Germany than directly.
By the way, the post office and the phone company are the same
company. It costs 1Dmark40 (~60 cents) to mail a 1 airmail page
letter.
- renefiled01@abnjh.UUCP (H. Silbiger) (09/26/83)
Some more info on the (W) German charging methods: The current charge per unit is 0.10 DM, about $ 0.026. There are only three charging zones: local; within 50 KM, and the rest of W. Germany. These are somewhat different for business lines, for whom the clock also runs faster. On weekends and evenings/nights, the clock runs 40% slower. Herman Silbiger AT&T-IS Morristown PS The German PTT is about the only W European PTT that does not accept credit calls. They do accept collect calls.