Telecom-Request%usc-eclc@brl-bmd.UUCP (Telecom-Request@usc-eclc) (10/07/83)
TELECOM Digest Friday, 7 Oct 1983 Volume 3 : Issue 69
Today's Topics:
Alternative billing arrangements in the proposed tariff
Beam me up, Operator
Computer communications to telephones
Third Party Billing
Use of pulse/tone dialing phones
Multi Line Switch
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Date: 4 Oct 1983 2231-EDT
From: John R. Covert <RSX-DEV at DEC-MARLBORO>
Subject: Alternative billing arrangements in the proposed tariff
The proposed tariff talks about calls billed to Calling cards issued
by an exchange operating company or AT&T (maybe you can get a direct
from AT&T card?) and charge or credit cards issued commercially.
For the charge or credit cards it says that they may be used from
phones "suitably equipped." I wonder what kind of phones we may see.
The tariff also continues to refer to third party calls, saying that
they may be subject to verification.
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Date: 5 Oct 83 04:32:43 EDT
From: Hobbit <AWalker@RUTGERS.ARPA>
Subject: Beam me up, Operator
[Invoke a vision of fifty or so utterly bored people sitting hunched
over flickering TSPS consoles...]
What is commonly called WX or Enterprise numbers are simply entries in
a table [printed on the flysheets that sit at every TSPS position].
These point to real numbers. The only difference in the call is the
billing, which is called ''auto collect''. Basically such a call is
charged to the other end without asking. Since WATS lines are
automatic and a good deal less confusing, the WX concept is indeed
dying out.
When in hell are they going to implement real keyboards and real
alphanumeric displays for TSPS?? The software thereof has reached
quite a level of complexity. As things are now, using a TSPS console
is akin to firing up your favorite screen editor from an ADM1.
_H*
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Date: 5 Oct 1983 0654-PDT
Subject: Computer communications to telephones
From: WMartin at Office-3 (Will Martin)
Regarding your inquiry on Telecom about an application for a computer
to talk over phone links directly to people:
I can't offer any advice as to the technical details, as I know
nothing about the subject. However, I just ran across an ad for a book
specifically about this subject, so I thought I'd mention it to you.
(If you already have this book, or know of it, please just flush this,
and forgive the bother.)
Author: John A. Kuecken
Title: TALKING COMPUTERS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS
Published by Van Nostrand/Reinhold
266 pages, 110 illustrations, $26.50
What I have here is one of those business-reply ad cards from a
package mailed out by Electronic Design magazine, and it doesn't have
much info, but it does mention that the book discusses speech
synthesis techniques, telephony, tone and DTMF generators and
detectors, and security techniques.
It looks like it should be info of interest to you or the others on
your project.
Hope this is of some help.
Regards, Will Martin
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Date: 4 Oct 1983 10:08:29-PDT (Tuesday)
From: David M Alpern <Alpern.IBM-SJ@Rand-Relay>
Subject: Third Party Billing
I have been informed by business offices multiple times that third
party billing is to disappear "sometime soon." Last spring, March I
believe, it was the Cambridge, MA office that informed me of this
after I complained about a series of calls billed to my number.
The policy that calling card numbers will be the only means to bill to
a line other than the caller's or receiver's has been stated to me
enough times, by phone companies in enough spots in the country, that
I tend to think it's more than an unfounded rumor. On the other hand,
I must admit, I've been hearing this for about 3 years and haven't yet
seen any action.
Do you have any real information I don't on what the policy is going
to be? Or are we really just tossing statements from various confused
business office personel back and forth?
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Date: 5 Oct 1983 1026-PDT
Subject: Use of pulse/tone dialing phones
From: WMartin at Office-3 (Will Martin)
Hi!
There has been quite a bit of discussion on Telecom in the past
regarding Touch-Tone phones working or not on rotary lines. I don't
recall seeing this specific point mentioned:
If you have a pulse or rotary-only line, with Touch-Tone service NOT
enabled, if you buy one of the commercial phones which switch between
pulse and tone dialing modes, can you use it in pulse mode to get to
one of the local access numbers for Sprint or MCI or the like, and
then switch over to tone and send that service the access code and
number to reach? I always thought you could; that the Touch-Tone
"enabling" was turning on the RECOGNITION of the tones by the central
office, not the ability to GENERATE those tones. But I'd like
confirmation before I make any plans based on that assumption.
If that assumption is true, the other question in my mind is whether
most commercial phones with this feature are designed for such
frequent use of that switch. If the manufacturers envisioned that
such a phone would only be switched from pulse to tone or back again
when the phone was moved to a new location, they would probably
install a relatively low-quality, short-life switch to save money, and
it would rapidly wear out if you used it every day or many times a day
to make alternate-service long-distance calls.
I made the mistake of buying one of the cheapy phones about a year ago
(from a local discount store, for $18 then -- about what is now being
sold for under $10), and I think it is already half worn out. I seem
to get a wrong number about half the times I use it to dial. That's
why I am wondering about parts quality and lifespan with regard to
this issue.
Will Martin
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Date: 6 Oct 83 0009 EDT (Thursday)
From: Michael.Fryd@CMU-CS-A (X435MF0E)
Subject: Multi Line Switch
I have a problem.
I have a wireless telephone (Touch Tone) and 3 phone lines in my
house.
I would like to get a box to go between my phone and the wall such
that when I take the phone off-hook remotely, I can choose which line
to use.
The user interface I have in mind, is that when I first take the phone
off-hook, I must type a single digit to indicate which line I wish to
use, and I then get a dial-tone. My needs are simple; I don't care if
the wireless phone rings when people call me (I have normal phones
that ring loudly) I just want to choose lines from the wireless
handset, without going to the base-station.
Is there anything currently on the market that will do this at a
reasonable cost?
If not, who makes DTMF decoder chips? It seems to me that it would
only take a few chips aand perhaps some relays, to make such a device;
or are there hidden problems that would make this complicated? (Of
course, I wouldn't dream of connecting a non-approved device to the
network, but I find it enjoyable to go through the intellectual
adventure of designing it).
-Michael Fryd
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End of TELECOM Digest
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