daemon@ucbvax.UUCP (08/04/84)
From @MIT-MC:Telecom-Request@MIT-MC Fri Aug 3 16:02:38 1984
TELECOM Digest Saturday, 4 Aug 1984 Volume 4 : Issue 64
Today's Topics:
Advantageous European Use of non-fixed-length phone #s
Single tone after dialing
Re: Charging for local Directory Assistance calls
AT&T goes to the Olympics
Unordered phone from AT&T
1+ in NJ
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu 26 Jul 84 16:34:57-CDT
From: Werner Uhrig <CMP.WERNER@UTEXAS-20.ARPA>
Subject: Advantageous European Use of non-fixed-length phone #s
In Germany, you frequently find, that large institutions (with many
lines) have a very short phone-number, which gives you their in-house
information. If you know the extension of the person you want to
call, all you do is keep on dialing, and you get through directly.
for example:
1) dialing 607 gets you company X operator, who connects you
to the person Y on extension 123
2) dialing 607123 gets you through direct.
This has several nice advantages and one disadvantage:
D) there is, of course, a question of timing, when dialing the first
few digits, which get you the operator, if nothing else follows
during a certain time-period.
A) it's easier to remember shorter numbers A) when calling from
overseas, I don't get charged when Y is not
near his phone. TO leave a message, I dial again to reach the
company operator. Sometimes, the company operator can be reached
without having to redial, by hitting one of the special keys, I
believe.
(I know about PERSON-to-PERSON calls, thank you. You know, of
course, why I prefer to dial DIRECT. Unfortunately, an
answering machine or a secretary taking messages defeats my
economy measures, a topic which might be worth addressing
seperately, i.e.
"Desirable PHONE Features and Usage Patterns"
Maybe, I'll get to that later.
------------------------------
Date: 27 Jul 84 11:31:45 PDT (Friday)
Subject: Single tone after dialing
From: Bruce Hamilton <Hamilton.ES@XEROX.ARPA>
What does it mean when I always get a loud, single tone after dialing
certain prefixes (presumably electronic exchanges)? The call then
goes through very quickly.
--Bruce
------------------------------
Sender: Wegeng.Henr@XEROX.ARPA
Date: 29 Jul 84 11:17:19 EDT (Sunday)
Subject: Re: Charging for local Directory Assistance calls
From: Don Wegeng <Wegeng.Henr@XEROX.ARPA>
My own experience here in Rochester NY (which is served by Rochester
TelCo) is that it *is* possible for the D.A. operator to determine
whether a D.A. call is *necessary*. For example, if I request a
number which was assigned after the current edition of the phone book
was published, the D.A. operator will give me the number and then ask
me what is the number that I am calling from so that a credit can be
given for the call to D.A.
I have no idea whether Rochester TelCo uses a different system than is
standard for D.A., but it is clear that there is system which allows
this feature.
/Don
------------------------------
Date: 29 July 1984 22:53-EDT
From: Bruce J. Nemnich <BJN @ MIT-MC>
Subject: AT&T goes to the Olympics
This from today's Boston Globe:
------------------------------------------------------------ Overseas
journalists left hanging on the telephone
LOS ANGELES -- AT&T, once the most sophisticated telephone systen
on the planet, has become the laughingstock here among foreign
journalists, who have been waiting all week to get overseas lines
installed. The French, who say arrangements are the worst they've
seen in a quarter-century, threatened to walk out. The Germans say
that the Russians and Yugoslavs were much more technically advanced.
Meanwhile, the Pacific Bell people are ready to reach out and slug
someone. They've been catching hell from US journalists for
uninstalled phones that are AT&T's responsibility. Making things
worse is that AT&T is making everybody pay through the nose. Ah,
divestiture.
The irony of all this is that AT&T has devised the most creative
electronic message system in history to make for easy communications
within the Games. Any journalist, official, volunteer, coach or
athlete can reach another in seconds or find a wealth of
Olympic-related material. It's become a more popular toy here than
any video game.
------------------------------
Date: Wed 1 Aug 84 15:24:22-PDT
From: Bob Larson <BLARSON@USC-ECLB.ARPA>
Subject: Unordered phone from AT&T
Recently I received, via UPS, an unordered telephone from AT&T. There
was an order number on the mailing label but no explanation of why I
received it either on or in the package. Another person I know also
received such a phone, and upon contacting AT&T was informed it was on
a special "3 month free trial" and that they would pay postage for its
return if she did not wish to pay rental for it.
Does anyone know if the regulations on such packages from UPS are
the same as in the mail? (Mail regulations specify that you can keep
unordered goods.) Is AT&T trying this anywhere besides Los Angeles?
If I had wanted to rent a phone, I would have expected to be able to
choose color and model. I feel no obligation on my part to waste my
time returning this unordered merchandise.
Bob Larson <Blarson@Usc-Eclb.Arpa>
------------------------------
Date: 31 Jul 84 14:36:13 EDT
From: *Hobbit* <AWalker@RUTGERS.ARPA>
Subject: 1+ in NJ
Euugh, I *hate* 1+ already!!
Interestingly enough, you still don't need it for 800 numbers, but you
need it for 900 numbers, and 700 still doesn't work here [when are
they going to install that for real??]. I guess they assume that 800
will never be used as an exchange - but how about the rest of the
n00's?? Would they be used as exchanges at some point?
Now, if the office is smart enough to tell me ''I must first dial a 1
before this number'', why doesn't it just tack it on and send the
call? The current setup seems excessively idiot-proof to me.
_H*
------------------------------
End of TELECOM Digest
*********************