Phoenix Rising BBS/phoenixrising.zip/phoenixrising/tele-dig/td14-093.txt

Text File | 1994-02-21 | 25KB | 626 lines

TELECOM Digest     Mon, 21 Feb 94 06:48:00 CST    Volume 14 : Issue 93

Inside This Issue:                          Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Nynex and RBOCs (Bob Frankston)
    History of Numbers in UK (Richard Cox)
    U.C. Berkeley Short Courses on High Speed Communications (Harvey Stern)
    Asynchronous Transfer Mode (Ed Wolfe)
    Talking Caller ID Boxes? (Elana Beach)
    International Audiotext Provider Wanted (Fabrio Renato)
    Excel Telecommunications (Matthew L. Blackmon)
    AirTouch Communications (Michael Judson)
    900 Numbers in California (Van Hefner)
    Need Textbook! (Dennis O. Gehris)
    Information Wanted on Network Card (Ethan Brofman)
    RBOC Names (Cliff Sharp)
    100mbit Testers (Jack Pestaner)
    Telemate Source and Company (Steve Bauer)
    Frame Relay Information Needed (Peter Gibson)
    Last Laugh! New Element Discovered (John Shaver)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
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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].

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

From: [e-mail]
Subject: Nynex and RBOCs
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 1994 20:16 -0400


{I should preface these remarks by saying that I'm not really
suffering too badly due to this outage since I've got other ways of
making outgoing calls and my computer data lines do work. But the tone
does represent general frustration with the lack of a competitive
marketplace.}

It's too bad there isn't local loop competition yet. I like to fantasize
innovative services.

My phone (and a few hundred others) have been out since Friday even
due to some sort of cable break. It is supposed to be restored by 5pm
Monday (Of course, it's slipping day by day).

I finally asked them to busy out my lines so that callers don't simply
get a ringing that indicates I'm simply too arrogant to own an
answering machine.  Why isn't SOP to place an out of order signal on
the line. The only explanation is they're the Phone Company (Capital
letters since there is only one!!). Of course, if they had a modicum
of intelligence they would provide a recording explaining the problem
and offer free voice mail services until the serivce is restored and
then automatically forward the message (like ATT does for its message
forwarding service). But, again, why should they bother.

When I call repair, I randomly get a service that asks me to key in my
phone number (after waiting till I hear enough of their message
because they can't hear tones while they are blabbering about how to
operate the silly system).  Of course, when I do get a repair person,
the number doesn't appear on their screen. That would take some
internal coordination.

I'll writeup my ISDN experiences separately. I do have ISDN working
but the sales literature hasn't been updated since about 1980 when
they though 9600 bps was fast enough for LANs. They are clueless as to
uses for the service.

My wife's reaction on reading this is MONDAY 5PM!!!!!! She's not
as calm about it. My reaction is moderated by my limited expectations.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Exactly where is/what caused this cable
problem and why is it taking three or four days to fix?  Be sure to ask
for credit for the time your phone was out of service.   PAT]

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

Date: Sun, 20 Feb 94 18:23 GMT
From: Richard Cox <[e-mail]>
Subject: History of Numbers in UK
Reply-To: [e-mail]


Thomas Miles <[e-mail]> said, about numbering in the UK:

> Before inter-office dialing arrived (so-called Subscriber Trunk
> Dialing STD) in the '60s (I think) exchanges were known by name
> (usually town, sometimes obscure eg Pangle).  Numbers could be three,
> four or five digits except for the big cities (London, Manchester etc)
> which were All Figure Numbers, seven digits.

BEFORE the STD system arrived here, all numbers on automatic exchanges
had an exchange name, and between two and five numerical digits.  Not
all the numbers could be dialled directly when calling from outside
the area served by each exchange.  Two digit numbers were on very
primitive exchanges, and in all cases the Post Office operator had to
set up every out-of-area call to and from these numbers.

In the six largest cities (London, Birmingham, Liverpool Manchester,
Edinburgh and Glasgow) every exchange had a "local" name and the first
three letters of this were the dialling code from nearby exchanges.

This (almost) equated to the system used in the USA, except that in the
UK it was always three letters and four digits - there were no cases of
two letters and five digits.

> Dialing the STD code for local calls worked, but I understand you got
> charged a toll rate.

Not true.  The charges were the same, whether the "local" or STD codes
were dialled.  Except, of course, where the "local" code was a
concatenation of other local codes designed to bypass the STD charging
system.  Until STD arrived, the UK had flat-rate-per-call calling for
local calls; after that even local calls were charged by duration
(except in Hull where the Post Office's warrant did not run!)

> some numbers could be dialed in as few as seven or eight digits
> from anywhere in the UK).

Never seven digits -- the routing system would not accept less than
eight.  But eight digit (national) numbers still exist in a number of
places (although they are mostly being phased out at the moment).

> things are moving to everyone having a four digit STD 0XXX and a six
> digit number.

Not true.  Things are moving to everyone having a ten digit (national)
number -- some in the form four digits code + six digits local, but
there are several parts of the UK where five digits code + five digits
local will remain the standard -- at least as the current plan stands.
And in the "larger cities" the original standard remains: three digits
code, plus three digits district and four digits local number.  The
"larger cities" include London, Birmingham, Liverpool Manchester,
Edinburgh and Glasgow, plus the area round Newcastle which works
differently.  Next year (April 1995) five more cities will be added to
the list: they are Bristol, Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham and Leicester.

> Also, more All Figure areas have been created

Only the one (Area code 091).  This includes Newcastle, Washington,
(*not* DC!) Durham and Sunderland.  In all the other "larger cities",
all calls within the city area are treated as a single zone for
charging purposes ... in 091 there are three separate charging zones.

> Beginning next year, the STD goes up to five digits

Only some of them!

> STDs were assigned in alphabetic sequence based on the major routing
> exchanges, not geographically

Not quite.  Every exchange was put in a group (for charging purposes)
and the group was given a name -- usually that of the town or county
etc -- from which one or (usually) two letters were extracted.  These
letters, plus an arbitrary digit, became the rounting code (which was
always prefixed with a "0").  Thus I was (and still am!) 0CA2 for
CArdiff; while a village six miles away was put in the 0GG6 group (for
GlamorGan county).  Some letter combinations were a little artificial,
but that was unavoidable given the need to make the best use of all
the available codes!

And PAT added:
> telephone area codes here are a hodge-podge; they are whatever they
> are wherever they are. 212 is in New York and 213 is in California
> some four thousand miles away. 316 is in Kansas while 315 is also in
> New York, with 312 in Chicago, 313 in Detroit and 314 in St. Louis.

I understood that the US system was designed to minimise the register
holding time, for pulse dialing callers.  Thus New York, the most
popular destination, got 212 ... Los Angeles 213, etc.  There were
other rules limiting adjacent combinations but that was the basic way
the system was set up.  With all that effort to reduce register
holding times, it's a bit odd that telcos still charge *extra* for
tone dialing!


Richard D G Cox
Mandarin Technology, P.O. Box 111, Penarth, South Glamorgan, Wales:  CF64 3YG
Voice: 0956 700111 Fax: [phone]  VoiceMail: 0941 151515 Pager 0941 115555
E-mail address: [e-mail] - PGP2.3 public key available on request

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

From: [e-mail]
Subject: U.C. Berkeley Short Courses on High Speed Communications
Date: 20 Feb 1994 19:58:01 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley


U.C. Berkeley Continuing Education in Engineering
Announces 3 Short Courses on Communications Technology

SONET/ATM-BASED BROADBAND NETWORKS: Systems, Architectures and Designs
(April 18-19, 1994)

It is widely accepted that future broadband networks will be based on
the SONET (Synchronous Optical Network) standards and the ATM
(Asynchronous transfer Mode) technique.  This course is an in-depth
examination of the fundamental concepts and the implementation issues
for development of future high-speed networks.  Topics include:
Broadband ISDN Transfer Protocol, high speed computer/network
interface (HiPPI), ATM switch architectures, ATM network
congestion/flow control, VLSI designs in SONET/ATM networks.

Lecturer: H. Jonathan Chao, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Brooklyn
Polytechnic University.  Dr. Chao holds more than a dozen patents and
has authored over 40 technical publications in the areas of ATM
switches, high-speed computer communications, and congestion/flow
control in ATM networks.

GIGABIT/SEC DATA AND COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS:
Internetworking, Signaling and Network Management
(April 20-21, 1994)

This short course aims to provide a general understanding of the key
issues needed to design and implement gigabit local and wide area
networks.  The topics are designed to compliment those covered in the
SONET/ATM-Based Broadband Networks course (above).  Topics include:
technology drivers, data protocols, signaling, network management,
internetworking and applications.  Specific issues addressed include
TCP/IP on ATM networks, design of high performance network interfaces,
internetworking ATM networks with other network types, and techniques
for transporting video over gigabit networks.

Lecturer: William E. Stephens, Ph.D., Director, High-Speed Switching
and Storage Technology Group, Applied Research, Bellcore.  Dr.
Stephens has over 40 publications and one patent in the field of
optical communications.  He has served on several technical program
committees, including IEEE GLOBECOM and the IEEE Electronic Components
Technology Conference, and has served as Guest Editor for the IEEE
Journal on Selected Areas in Communications.

PERSONAL (WIRELESS) COMMUNICATION NETWORKS:  Cellular
Systems, Wireless Data Networks, and Broadband Wireless Access
(April 20-22, 1994)

This comprehensive course focuses on principles, technologies, system
architectures, standards, equipment, implementation, public policy,
and evolving trends in wireless networks.  Topics include: modulation,
coding, and signal processing; first generation systems; second
generation systems; broadband networks; third generation systems; and
applications and technology trends.  This course is intended for
engineers who are currently active or anticipate future involvement in
this field.

Lecturer: Anthony S. Acampora, Ph.D., Professor, Electrical
Engineering, Columbia University.  He is Director, Center for
Telecommunications Research. He became a professor following a 20 year
career at AT&T Bell Laboratories, is an IEEE Fellow, and is a former
member of the IEEE Communications Society Board of Governors.


For more information (complete course descriptions, outlines, instructor
bios, etc.) contact:

Harvey Stern
U.C. Berkeley Extension/Southbay
800 El Camino Real Ste. 150
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Tel: [phone]  Fax: [phone]

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

Date: Sun, 20 Feb 1994 20:41:40 EST
From: Ed Wolfe <[e-mail]>
Subject: Asynchronous Transfer Mode
Organization: Penn State University


I'm working a paper for a data com class and need some information on
ATM.  Does anybody have information relating to this?  Please send
replies to [e-mail].


Thanks in advance,

Ed

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

From: [e-mail] (Elana Beach)
Subject: Talking Caller ID Boxes
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 1994 21:07:04 GMT


I figure that by now, someone has invented and is marketing Caller ID
boxes for the blind that speak instead of (or as well as) putting the
number on a LCD display.  Where do I find one?  I am not visually
impaired, but it sure would be convenient to be able to just listen
for the ID when the phone is ringing rather than having to stop what I
am doing and always run to the box to look at it.  Any ideas out
there?


Elana

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

From: [e-mail] (Fabrio Renato)
Subject: International Audiotext Provider Wanted
Date: 20 Feb 1994 23:06:37 GMT
Organization: [MindVox] / Phantom Access Technologies / (+1 800-MindVox)


I am looking for a reliable international audiotext provider company. Any
help would be appreciated.

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

From: [e-mail] (Matthew L. Blackmon)
Subject: Excel Telecommunications
Date: 20 Feb 1994 11:49:53 -0500
Organization: CS Department, University of Tennessee, Knoxville


Greetings:

Has anyone heard of a long distance carrier named Excel
Telecommunciations?  My friend has been invited to join in this
"business opportunity", however in my experience and with my industry
knowledge (albeit limited, see my .sig), it strikes me as not being
legitimate, although they make many claims that I am trying to verify.

Please note that I have absolutely no interest in this project, other
that the fact that being the "computer and phone guy" gets me tapped
for free advice more often that I like. :-) Anyone else with that
problem?

Please email me, and I will post a summary if there is any (unlikely)
interest in the follow-up (please email me about the summary also to
avoid the "inevitable" me-too posts)..

Thanks for any help that you can offer.


Matt Blackmon [e-mail]  [e-mail]
Department of Computer Science     Manager, Network Engineering and Technology
The University of Tennessee        The University of TN Medical Center
Knoxville, Tennessee 37916         615.544.6110

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

From: [e-mail] (Michael Judson)
Subject: AirTouch Communications
Date: 20 Feb 1994 22:24:48 -0800
Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access  [phone]  [login: guest]


Is there anybody who likes the name of PacTel's new spin-off
communications division: AirTouch Communications?  I was reading an
article regarding the name decision and they brought up the fact that
UAL's name change to Allegis failed because the name itself was not
popular.  Does anybody else see this happening to Airtouch?


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I think it is sort of a cute name. I
like it.   PAT]

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

From: [e-mail]
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 94 01:27:21 EST
Subject: 900 Numbers in California


Pacific Bell, which 'sells' regional (900) numbers has a brochure that
they send out to prospective users of the service. Here's a quote from
the brochure:

  " * California 900 Direct programs are assigned
       a specific telephone prefix based on the nature
       of their program content. The prefixes are:

       844   General Audience, recorded
               (including interactive).

       505   General audience, live (one-on-one and
                group-bridged services).

       303   Restricted adult material (live and recorded).
               Pacific Bell does not bill for programs on the
               303 prefix.

       * When you apply for service, you will be asked
          to select a prefix based on the content of your
          program.

       A telephone number that is easily remembered by your
       customers can be an effective marketing tool. If the number
       you want is available, we will honor your request. In most
       cases, a number installed for you in any Pacific Bell Service
       Area will automatically be reserved for you in all areas. If you
       start a program in only one Service Area, you may be able to
       expand to other areas using the same telephone number."

BTW, the connection charges, surcharges, and transport/billing fees
from Pacific Bell are ludicrously high. It's no wonder that most (900)
numbers are some kind of 'sex line' type of service. I can't see how
anyone else could afford to pay those fees (nothing sells like sex).
The biggest problem with running a (900) number (by FAR) is the amount
of bad debt in the industry. You've got to factor-in the fact that
between 30-50% of the people that call will never pay their bills
(Pacific Bell certainly doesn't make any mention of the fact).

Since you can not have your telephone service cut-off here for not
paying a (900) bill there is very little incentive for these (900)
callers to pay their bills.  Even though these people routinely will
not pay their bills (Pacific Bell does the billing on the local phone
bill) you will still be charged (as the 900 operator) ten cents or more
a minute for the billing, and that's for LOCAL calls. That doesn't of
course factor in the intra/inter lata charges which you are
responsible for if it's a long/short distance call (no intra-lata
competition in this part of California).

I imagine that other LEC's probably have a similar prefix 'code' for
different types of services.  I couldn't tell you whether the same
(900) number could be duplicated by someone else nationally and still
be available in a particular LEC area. Probably not.  This would
certainly cut-down the number of available numbers, if some of the
numbers are available only nationally, and some are only available
locally.


Van Hefner        Vantek Communications         [e-mail]

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

Date: 20 Feb 94 13:37:47 EST
From: Dennis O. Gehris <[e-mail]>
Subject: Need Textbook!


I am teaching telecommunications courses in the College of Business at
Bloomsburg University in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania (undergraduate and
graduate).

I need to select textbooks for next summer and fall.

I have been examining the following textbooks:

TELECOMMUNICATIONS:  CONCEPTS, DEVELOPMENT, AND MANAGEMENT, by Blyth and
Blyth, Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, 1985  (This book includes the topics that I'd
like to cover, but does not include any cases.)

and

NETWORKS IN ACTION:  BUSINESS CHOICES AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS DECISIONS by
Keen and Cummins, Wadsworth., 1994 (This book includes cases but does not
cover the topics that I'd like to cover.)

The topics that I'd like to cover are as follows: History of Telecommun-
ications, Regulation, Telephony, Networks, Data Communications, Services,
Management, etc.)

Can anyone recommend another telecommunications textbook?  Please include
the title, author, publisher, and copyright date, if known.

Please send this information to [e-mail] (Internet).


Thanks,

Dennis Gehris

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

From: [e-mail] (Ethan Brofman)
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 1994 13:05:08 -0500
Subject: Information Wanted on Network Card


Hello,

Can someone give me info on a network card?  On the back edge of the
card is the following:

///   Standard Microsystems Corp. (c) 1985 Arcnet - PC100
\\\
///

I also have a boot prom on it.

On the boot prom:

NETWARE/SM ROM
817-132-003 REV A
D300  4/16/86

I need ALL info on it.  Please e-mail me because I don't read this
group very often.  Thanks a lot!


Ethan Brofman  [e-mail]

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

Subject: RBOC Names
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 94 13:19:55 CST
From: Cliff Sharp <[e-mail]>


   Remember all the hype, commercials, letters, etc. about the
changeover from using the name Illinois Bell to going by Ameritech?
The millions of dollars they spent to drive the name "Illinois Bell"
out of our minds?  I just happened to notice the cover of the Chicago
Consumer Yellow Pages.  It has a large Ameritech logo at top left,
then at the right, in smaller but prominent letters, "The official
telephone directory of Illinois Bell."

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

From: [e-mail] (Jack Pestaner)
Subject: 100mbit Testers
Date: 20 Feb 94 22:36:13 GMT
Organization: Oregon Graduate Institute


Hi,

Does anybody know of a tester that can qualify installed 100 mbit
Level 5 cabling networks?  We want to test, from RJ45 to RJ45 through
the cable, to assure the net will function at Level 5.


Thanks,

jack

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

From: STEVE BAUER <[e-mail]>
Subject: Telemate Source and Company
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 94 3:55:40 CST


I presently use Telemate to analyse my SMDR data.  It is a very complex
program, but does a good job.

Telemate is from CSI (Complementary Solutions, Inc.)
4250 Perimeter Park South #200
Atlanta, GA  30341
Telephone: [phone]
FAX [phone]
Internet: [e-mail]

Hope this helps.


Steve

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

From: [e-mail] (Engage Communications)
Subject: Frame Relay Information Needed
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Mon, 21 Feb 1994 03:47:18 GMT


I am looking for information about Frame Relay, in particular:

        - Frame Relay services in this country
        - Frame Relay standards and certification procedures
        - Implementation details/tips regarding routers using Frame
          Relay.

I would appreciate the names of books or magazine articles that would
shed some more light on this subject. Also, does anyone know of a
developers forum that I can subscribe to?


Thanks!

Peter Gibson

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

Date: Mon, 21 Feb 94 5:58:38 MST
From: John Shaver <[e-mail]>
Subject: Last Laugh: New Element Discovered


The heaviest element known to science is managerium. The element has
no protons or electrons but has a nucleus composed of one neutron, two
vice-neutrons, five assistant vice-neutrons, 25 pro vice-neutrons and
125 assistant pro vice-neutrons all going round in circles. Managerium
has a half-life of three years at which time it does not decay but
institutes a series of reviews leading to reorganization. Its
molecules are held together by means of the exchange of tiny particles
known as morons.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thanks for a cute comment to start the
new week!  :)    PAT]

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

End of TELECOM Digest V14 #93
*****************************