Phoenix Rising BBS/phoenixrising.zip/phoenixrising/tele-dig/td14-035.txt

Text File | 1994-01-16 | 27KB | 669 lines

TELECOM Digest     Sun, 16 Jan 94 15:08:00 CST    Volume 14 : Issue 35

Inside This Issue:                          Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Using Spare Channels on a T1 (Javier Henderson)
    Wanted: Reverse Phone Directory (Ted Hadley)
    AC 215 to 610 ... NOT (Thomas Hinders)
    GSM Phase 1 Documents (Bhaktharam Keshavachar)
    AT&T True Rewards (Richard Butler)
    ATM and DSP Chips (Dinesh Kulkarni)
    Signalling Off-Hook on an Unsiezed DID Trunk (Chuck Cox)
    Security Warning (Rich Greenberg)
    Bell Canada Rationalizes Rates For Calling Features (Mark Brader)
    Free Local Calls (Richard Cox)
    Extra-long 800 Numbers? (David C. LeDoux)
    Calvacom Distribution of TELECOM Digest (Earle Robinson)
    Re: Announcing networkMCI (Carl Spangenberger)
    Re: Announcing networkMCI (Andrew C. Green)
    Re: Are LATA Maps Available (Gregory P. Monti)
    Re: Are LATA Maps Available (Marty Lawlor)
    For Your Amusement (Mark S. Brader)
    No Bells? (James Taranto)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere
there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of
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                 * [e-mail] *

The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of
Skokie, Illinois USA. We provide telecom consultation services and
long distance resale services including calling cards and 800 numbers.
To reach us:  Post Office Box 1570, Chicago, IL 60690 or by phone
at 708-329-0571 and fax at 708-329-0572. Email: [e-mail].

    ** Article submission address only: [e-mail] **

Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using
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information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to
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TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated
newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated
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opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any
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should not be considered any official expression by the organization.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Using Spare Channels on a T1
Date: 16 Jan 94 07:06:41 PST
Organization: Medical Laboratory Network; Ventura, CA


Hello,

I posted about this several months ago, and I only got one or two
responses. I thought I'd post again ...

Our company has the main facility in Ventura, CA, and we have smaller
sites throughout California. Right now, we're just using regular phone
lines to connect to these facilities for voice.

For data, there's a T1 going from the Ventura site to the long
distance carrier POP, and they run 56Kb circuits to each of the remote
locations. We're currently using only seven channels on the T1, and
expect to have a total of 12 in use by the end of the year.

I'd like to know how complicated it'd be to use the remaining twelve
channels for to route voice calls to our remote sites. Ideally, the
extensions at the remote sites would look like regular extensions to
everyone else in the network.

Some technical details:

The main facility has an AT&T System 75 switch. The remote sites have
their own switches, though not all of them have the same model (or
brand, for that matter). One of the facilities doesn't even have a
switch, just three lines in a rotary (our smallest site).


Thanks!

Javier Henderson       [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 15 Jan 94 14:11:03 PST
From: [e-mail] (Ted Hadley)
Subject: Wanted: Reverse Phone Directory


I have a (hopefully) simple request: Is there a simple (and low cost)
method of converting a residential telephone number to the name and
address of the 'owner'? I called the public library and they had no
such directory. I have two numbers I would like "reversed"; both are
local to the San Jose, CA, area (one is Mountain View, the other is
Sunnyvale).

Please E-mail responses. Thanks much.


Ted A. Hadley   [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The simplest and least expensive method
would be to call one of the three libraries in the communities mentioned
above and ask to speak with the reference librarian. Tell that person
you need a couple lookups from the criss-cross directory. If they are
not busy they will probably bring the book to the phone and read from
it to you. You did not say which library it was that you called who
told you they did not have such a book, but I'd be quite surprised if
the San Jose library did not have one covering the immediate region.
Almost all public libraries have a criss-cross directory at least for
their own service area. Maybe the person who answered the phone mis-
understood you (if you called one of those three). Ask specifically
for connection to the reference librarian or the reference desk first.

There are a few libraries whose board of directors has passed a rule
against reading to patrons over the telephone from the criss-cross;
usually these are cases where some deadbeat has been located by a
collection agency via a phone call to the local library reference
department to track down a phone at the address in question and the
deadbeat has then called the President of the Library Board raising
cain about 'violations of his privacy', etc ... rather than bother
with defending their right to speak public information and having to
choose between which patrons to offend (local service area people or
the out of towners who want to use the criss-cross) the Board may
just say to heck with it and tell the librarians to not quote the book
over the phone any longer.

It goes against their grain to ban the book entirely, so the compromise
for those libraries is that people who want to use the criss-cross
have to come in personally to see it. For some libraries also, it is
an administrative problem: some libraries get literally *dozens* of
telephone calls daily just for the criss-cross book alone; the Chicago
Public Library has a telephone line and a full time employee for just
that purpose -- taking calls of the 'will you look in the criss-cross
and give me the phone number and residents' names at XXX ZZZZ Street.'
When you call, the line is always busy as the woman gets several dozen
such calls every day of the week.

Some libraries get more long distance calls each day from out of town
people (frequently collection agencies and other investigators) asking
for information from the criss-cross than they do local calls from their
own service area patrons about other reference topics. By the way, if
it is a large library in a bigger town, try asking the switchboard to
connect you with the 'Business and Technology Department'. They nearly
always have a local criss-cross as well.  A five minute or less phone
call that costs about a dollar will tell you all about the address or
phone number you want. No need to use fancy services or pay big $$.  PAT]

------------------------------

Date: 16 Jan 1994 09:58:09 EDT
From: Hinders, Thomas <[e-mail]>
Subject: AC 215 to 610 ... NOT


Although AC 610 was activated on Jan 8th I am receiving complaints
from folks who claim that they are unable to reach me via my "new" AC.
The orginators are in AC 212, 302, and 703.  They indicate they are
getting a "fast busy" when they are placing the call.  Some are
business ... some are private ... using a variety of LD carriers.

I can "imagine" that lots of switches, PBXs etc need to be updated ...
but it is not very comforting to be passing out my "new" AC (including
business cards!)  and not knowing if the number will work.


Tom Hinders/Soft-Switch
[phone] (v/vm)  <----- old AC 215
[phone] (f)
Internet:   [e-mail]
X.400:  C=US A=Telemail P=Softswitch S=Hinders G=Thomas

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Bhaktharam Keshavachar)
Subject: GSM Phase 1 Documents
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: Network Systems Lab, Arizona State University
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 1994 18:58:52 GMT


Hi,

I have a question about the GSM documents. Has the ETSI frozen the GSM
specs for the Phase I implementation? If so what is the version number
which is fully compliant with Phase I implementation?

What about Phase II implementation? Has ETSI finalized the Phase II
documents?

How about the GSM packet radio services group? Have they published any
standards?

I am particularly interested in the latest documents and Phase I
documents for GSM specs 04.08 (layer 3), 04.06 (layer 2), 05.02 (MAC),
05.08 (RSLC) and 05.10 (synchronization).

How much does ETSI charge for these documents if I want to buy them?
(Seriously considering this).

Please post or e-mail. I will publish a summary if we collect good
information.

Thanks in advance,


Regards,

Bhaktha

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (butler,richard)
Subject: AT&T True Rewards?
Date: 16 Jan 1994 10:10:49 -0500
Organization: Bell Communications Research


Awhile ago, there was an article posted here about the AT&T True
Rewards program.  This article has disappeared from my site now but I
have a couple of questions:

   In that article the author said he was able to get credit
under this plan for all his long distance back to January of 1993.
Is this true?  Have others tried this?

   I tried, but no go and it almost seemd to good to be true anyway.
Will they really give you all that credit?  I'd really appreciate
hearing from the poster of that article to confirm this, or anyone
else that has successfully gotten this credit.

   Thanks for the information.


Rich Butler   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Dinesh Kulkarni)
Subject: ATM and DSP Chips
Date: 16 Jan 1994 17:27:25 GMT
Organization: University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame


Hi !

I had a few questions about the intersection of ATM and DSP architectures
and algorithms.  Here they are:

1. What are the typical algorithms used in processing of full-motion
video, images and audio packetized into ATM cells of 48 bytes?  In
particular, how does this level of packetization affect the signal
processing steps undertaken and the architectures that perform these
steps?

Of course compression/decompression algorithms are important, but
other than that, how about algorithms arising out of user-interaction
and manipulation?  In other words, if the flow is not directly from
the source to a rendering device like a monitor or a speaker, what are
the important classes of algorithms?

2. Is there any literature on this topic, that you would care to
recommend?  Survey papers accessible to non-DSP-type but technical
people would be perfect as my knowledge of DSP is limited to a basic
graduate-level course.


Thanks a lot.

Dinesh

------------------------------

Subject: Signalling Off-Hook on an Unsiezed DID Trunk
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 94 10:03:53 -0800
From: Chuck Cox <[e-mail]>


Hi,

I would like signal to the central office that a DID trunk should not
be used, but that it should not be taken out of service.  I have a
situation where I can not provide a wink start to the central office.
If the CO siezes the line and doesn't get a wink, I am afraid that
they will (eventually if not immediately) down my trunk.  Can I signal
an off-hook by reversing polarity on ring and tip on an otherwise idle
line and prevent the CO from siezing the line?  I could not find the
issue addressed in ANSI T1.405-1989.  Any help or references would be
appreciated!


Thanks,

Chuck   [e-mail]

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Rich Greenberg)
Subject: Security Warning
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 1994 16:05:34 GMT


The latest issue of "2600" magazine ("The Hacker Quarterly") has a 2
page listing of telephone numbers under "Passageways to the Internet".

All USA and Canada except for three numbers listed at Eindhoven U, nl.
Mostly universities, except "Cisco terminal servers, Chicago", two
numbers listed as 312-413-xxxx and several just listed with a city in
Indiana.


Rich Greenberg            Work: ETi Solutions, Oceanside & L.A. CA 310-348-7677
N6LRT   TinselTown, USA   Play: [e-mail]                  310-649-0238

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Mark Brader)
Subject: Bell Canada Rationalizes Rates For Calling Features
Organization: SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, Canada
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 94 11:43:35 GMT


Currently, Bell Canada classifies calling features into three groups.
"Custom Calling Features" includes Call Waiting, Call Forwarding,
Ident-a-Call (distinctive ringing), Three-Way Calling, and Speed
Calling.  "Call Management Services" includes Call Display (caller
ID), Call Return, and Call Screen (blocking of calls from selected
numbers).  And "Telemessage Service" includes Call Answer, Extension
Call Answer, and Voice Mail.

The classification into groups matters because it affects the
charging.  Any one Custom Calling Feature costs $4.00 a month
(Canadian, plus tax, residence rate); any two, $5.50; any three,
$7.50; any four, $9.50; all five, $11.50.  Any one Call Management
Service costs $4.75 a month; a second or third one is $2.25.  And the
Telemessage Services are similarly grouped together.  In my case, I
have Three-Way Calling and Call Return, and have found it annoying
that there is no discount for this combination.

Well, they're fixing that.  All the features are being lumped under
the general title of SmartTouch Services, and a simplified pricing
scheme is being adopted.  Call Answer, Call Display, and Call Waiting
will be $5.00 a month; Extension Call Answer and Voice Mail will be
classed as "options" at $2.00 a month; and all the other services will
be $3.00 a month.  However, each service (but not options) after the
first one is reduced by $1.00 a month.  So my charge for Three-Way
Calling plus Call Return goes down from $8.75 to $3 + $3 - $1 = $5.  I
like it.

Incidentally, as usual with Bell Canada, the bill insert announcing
the change (which is effective January 22) is in English and French.
For those who may be curious, here are the French names for each of
the above services, and their translations back into English.

SmartTouch Services     services Etoiles    (Star Services)

Custom Calling Features   (The French version of the brochure
Call Management Services   uses no names at all for these
Telemessage Service        groups of features)

Call Waiting            Appel en attente    (Call in Waiting)
Call Forwarding         Renvoi automatique  (Automatic Resending)
Ident-a-Call            Appel personnalise  (Personalized Call)
Three-Way Calling       Conference a trois  (Conference of Three)
Speed Calling           Composition abregee (Abridged Dialing)
Call Display            Afficheur           (Poster)
Call Return             Memorisateur        (Memorizer)
Call Screen             Selecteur           (Selector)
Call Answer             TeleReponse         (TeleAnswer)
Extension Call Answer TeleReponse multiusagers (Multi-User TeleAnswer)
Voice Mail              TeleCourrier        (TeleMail)


Mark Brader, SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, utzoo!sq!msb, [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 16 Jan 94 12:15 GMT
From: Richard Cox <[e-mail]>
Subject: Free Local Calls
Reply-To: [e-mail]


[e-mail] (George Zmijewski) said, referring to the UK:

>>  the idea of free local calls is unknown here. :-(

That's not quite true.  "Bundled" local calls (nothing is *ever*
free!)  have been available for some time in the independant Grand
Dutch of Hull.  We discussed Hull's special status in the Digest some
time last year.

Now the new "local-loop competitors", the Cable TV companies, are
starting to offer their customers free local calls within their system
 ... but of course calls to other phone companies' customers are
chargeable.  And in a surprise move late last year the Mercury
One-2-One service (A PCS service operating to the DCS 1800 standard)
now offers customers on its domestic tariff free local calls in the
off-peak period.  These calls really are free, even though they are
mostly to customers of BT !

As a result the service has been overwhelmed with customers despite
what is reported to be less than ideal radio coverage, and a limited
service area.


Richard D G Cox

Mandarin Technology, Cardiff Business Park, Llanishen, CARDIFF, Wales CF4 5WF
Voice: [phone]      Fax: [phone]      VoiceMail: [phone]
E-mail address: [e-mail] - PGP2.3 public key available on request

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (David C LeDoux)
Subject: Extra-Long 800 Numbers
Organization: Martin Marietta Astronautics, Denver
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 1994 03:39:30 GMT


I have only been reading TELECOM Digest for a short time, but have
found it to be very informative.  I have a question for the gurus.
Hopefully it has not already been discussed exhaustively.

I have noticed a lot of toll-free (1-800) numbers and some 1-900
numbers that have 8 digits, e.g. 1-800-OPERATOR, and some that even
have 9 digits, e.g. 1-800-JOES-DINER (don't call that one; I made it
up since I couldn't remember any specific cases).  Are the extra one
or two digits simply ignored by the system, or are they used somehow
for switching or bookkeeping?


Thanks,

David C. LeDoux     [e-mail]


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Additional digits are simply ignored
by the equipment. They are there only for the convenience of the
person calling the number to help them remember what to dial. PAT]

------------------------------

Date: 16 Jan 94 10:40:57 EST
From: Earle Robinson <[e-mail]>
Subject: Calvacom Distribution of TELECOM Digest


Please note that the European forum (go eurfor) on CompuServe also has
the TELECOM Digest in its library.  Since CompuServe in France is much
less expensive than Calvacom, especially with the upcoming price drop
from $8 per hour to $4.80, those interested in the TELECOM Digest will
find at a much lower cost for downloads through the CompuServe European
forum.


-er


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: This Digest is circulated by several
online services as a convenience to their subscribers including as you
point out CIS, where not only the European forum carries it but the
telecommunications forum does as well. Check out the Library area in
each forum. Also, the Digest can be read via the Net Exchange, a
service for PC Pursuit customers (@c pursuit from any Sprintnet/Telenet
prompt) and I think GEnie has it in their telecommunications roundtable
area. Quite a few independent BBS's have the Digest including a few in
Europe. So there are numerous places where one can obtain each issue
of this journal but none the less, I am pleased to have Calvacom as
part of the distribution circle. You can get a printed copy delivered
to your fax machine of each issue (for a fee, unless you let me
deliver it to your 800 number), or if you prefer you can have each
issue delivered by snail-mail, again for a fee to cover postage, etc.
You can even read the Digest on Usenet via comp.dcom.telecom if that's
your thing, at least for the time being.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: Carl Spangenberger <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Announcing networkMCI
Date: Sun, 16 Jan 94 02:41:46 EST
Organization: The University of Kentucky


In article <[e-mail]> Paul R. Coen <PCOEN@DRUNIVAC.
DREW.EDU> writes:

>> Is that what the MCI TV commercials with the little girl with the
>> pseudo-[B]ritish accent standing in a puddle spouting existential
>> gibberish are all about?

> Is it a girl?  I thought it was a boy.  Then again, I didn't look very

Yes, it is a girl. She is British.

> closely.  All I noticed was an overly-perfect child dressed in weird
> black clothes and a really ghastly hat.  And the kid sounded like one
> of the brats from _Mary Poppins_.

See above, that is probably why she looks like a person from Mary
Popins.

>> And I thought they were just trying to finally beat AT&T for the worst
>> imaginable ad campaign :-)

Actually it is philosophic.

> You know, I felt like I was watching some sort of weird one act play
> that I didn't understand.  Then again, considering that I *still*
> don't understand what "networkMCI" is besides a new name for stuff
> they already have, maybe that's okay.  Does someone want to take a
> stab at explaining it?

The girl was standing in a virtual reality, it was a computer
simulation. The girl said every thing can be represented by digital
information, implying that the universe can be represented infinite
amount of 1's and 0's. The girl represents the international
information highway, because of the deal between MCI and BT (British
Telecom) will allow MCI to link information services from US to BC.
This one ups ATT which advertisements are US only. The girl is
sophisticated which implies that MCI is. That is my interpretation of
the commercial. I like it :)


Carl Spangenberger   Alternate Address: [e-mail]
[e-mail]  Computer Consultant

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 16 Jan 1994 10:27:55 CST
From: Andrew C. Green <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Announcing networkMCI


Paul R. Coen <[e-mail]> writes:

> You know, I felt like I was watching some sort of weird one act play
> that I didn't understand.  Then again, considering that I *still*
> don't understand what "networkMCI" is besides a new name for stuff
> they already have, maybe that's okay.

What you may be subconsciously reminded of is the embarrassing series
of Infiniti car commercials back when the marque was first introduced.
Rather than show the car, the ad agency decided to show soothing
pictures of waves. That was all. Rather than provoke curiosity about
the car, it raised questions about the competence of the advertising
agency. ("Dammit, Bruce, I _told_ you the tide was coming in!" -- Dave
Barry)

Having seen at least two equally-uninformative commercials featuring
the mystery girl, I share your puzzlement. One of the ads ends with an
unexplained freeze-frame closeup on her reciting the name; the image
freezes in midsentence while the soundtrack continues, truly a jarring
sight to no apparent effect.

More to the point, it appears MCI is aiming at a audience sophisticated

enough to understand new product information, but MCI doesn't seem to
realize that this same audience will tune out nonsense messages where
no information is really there. The conclusion I draw is, "MCI has
blown a ton of money on this, with no clear idea of what they want to
say. This does not give me confidence in the company."  AT&T, Ameritech
et al have all had their share of annoying commercials, but at least
you get a sense of purpose from them: "Here is our product; this is
what it does; would you like to buy it, please?" MCI's message appears
to be, "How do you like my hat?"


Andrew C. Green
Datalogics, Inc.           Internet: [e-mail]
441 W. Huron               UUCP: ..!uunet!dlogics!acg
Chicago, IL  60610-3498    FAX: [phone]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 16 Jan 1994 08:26:53 EST
From: "Gregory P. Monti" <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: Are LATA Maps Available



I think McGraw Hill's business publishing division sells a nice two-
or three-color LATA map.  I saw one posted many years ago at a data
communications school where I was taking a class.  About 20 by 30
inches, with state, countyn, LATA and RBOC boundaries along with the
three-digit LATA numbers and LATA names.

Every LATA has a number.  The 100 series are in Nynex states, the 200
in Bell Atlantic states, 300 Ameritech, 400 Bell South, 500
Southwestern Bell, 600 US West, 700 Pacific Telesis, 800 offshore
states and territiries, 900 continential US states and territories
that are served only by non-Bell companies (such as Connecticut,
Fishers Island NY, Navajo Reservation in AZ, etc).

Sorry, I don't hgave a numnber or address for McGraw Hill.  I suspect
it's in northern New Jersey somewhere.


Greg Monti    Arlington, Virginia, USA    [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 16 Jan 94 12:52:23 EST
From: [e-mail] (Marty Lawlor)
Subject: Re: Are LATA Maps Available


CCMI (Center for Communications Management Information), 800-929-4824,
sells several versions: National Lata Map (in two sizes) as well as a
State LATA Map Book.


Marty Lawlor   Northern Telecom

------------------------------

From: [e-mail]
Subject: For Your Amusement
Date: 16 Jan 94 11:12:44 GMT


Located elsewhere, passed along FYI and amusement:

[e-mail] (John Perkins) writes:

The British ask "Who is that?" when requesting a person's name over the
phone, whereas Americans ask "Who is this?"  I wonder how this (that)
happened?

It's because we Americans know that the person to whom we're speaking
is really inside the phone handset, therefore within the "this" zone.

------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (James Taranto)
Subject: No Bells?
Date: 16 Jan 1994 13:17:41 -0500
Organization: The Bad Taranto


I got a catalog in the mail the other day from a company called Hello
Phones.  One item for sale was what they call the "Basic Phone."  The
ad declared: "No bells. No whistles. Just your plain, basic workhorse
phone."  I called the 800 number and asked, "If there are no bells,
how are you supposed to know when it's ringing?"  The reply was: "It's
more of a saying kind of thing."


Cheers,

James Taranto  [e-mail]

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V14 #35
*****************************