Software Vault: The Diamond Collection/The Diamond Collection (Software Vault)(Digital Impact).ISO/cdr16/tc15_055.zip/TC15-055.TXT

Text File | 1995-01-31 | 23KB | 589 lines

TELECOM Digest     Tue, 24 Jan 95 01:28:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 55

Inside This Issue:                          Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Wireless and Mobile Computing Presentation (David Scott Lewis)
    U.S. 800 Subscribers and Freephone Issue (Judith Oppenheimer)
    MCI Digital 800 Information ([e-mail])
    Nynex-Prodigy News Conference (Barry M. Brooks)
    Markets for 220 vs. 800 vs. 900 MHz Communications? (Will Estes)
    Faxing Through a PABX (Doug Pickering)
    Questionnaire Reposting - Datacom Over Mobile Phones (Simon J.
Wallace)
    Tonetalk / TTS (Erwin Lubbers)
    Does Anybody Need an ATM PBX? (Alex Zacharov)

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

From: [e-mail] (David Scott Lewis)
Subject: Wireless and Mobile Computing Presentation
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700
guest)
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 1995 18:29:31 GMT


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: This message only arrived on Monday
here
so it is not going to be of much value for people outside the southern
California area, but perhaps some of them will want to attend. In the
future, please try to get meeting notices to the Digest at least two
or
three weeks before they occur if possible.   PAT]

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

A presentation providing an overview and forecast on wireless and
mobile computing, and the overall activities of Cellsys Inc., will be
held on Tuesday evening, Jan. 24, at the Los Angeles office of JETRO,
the Japan External Trade Organization.

David Scott Lewis, president and chief operating officer of Cellsys,
will discuss emerging industry trends, including remote access and
teleporting, third-generation electronic messaging, wireless LANs and
`RoomLANs,' home automation and home LANs, computer-based iconic
communication and agent-oriented software, palmtop and handheld
communication and computing devices such as PDAs and PICs, and the
role of wireless communications in interactive entertainment and
virtual reality.

Lewis, a graduate of the Stanford University Executive Institute,
served for the past several years as the head of business development
with a leading systems integrator.  He is the editor and publisher of
the largest-circulation Internet-based trade publication, the editor
of IEEE's `hands-on' journal for engineering managers and technology
executives, and a member of AEA's national `Infobahn' and
`Information Superhighway' committee.

The meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Conference Room of
JETRO Los Angeles.  Pizza and refreshments will be served.  The
meetings of the 4th Tuesday Group are fully sponsored and funded by
JETRO Los Angeles.

JETRO is located in the Citicorp building above the Seventh Street
Market Place, between Seventh and Eighth streets on Figueroa Street.
Coming from the Harbor Freeway, take the Ninth Street exit (East) from
either direction.  The eight-story parking-structure entrances are
located on either side: Eighth Street or Seventh Street.

There is no cost to attend the meeting, but reservations are
requested.  For reservations, contact Susana Herman by fax at
213/629-8127.

CONTACT:  Cellsys Inc.
          David Scott Lewis
          Telephone:  [phone]
          Fax:        [phone]
          E-mail:     [e-mail]  or
                      [e-mail]

(after March 1, 1995, use `[e-mail]' without the quotation
marks).


David Scott Lewis, Editor and Publisher
HOTT (Hot Off The Tree) Internet-based electronic magazine
E-Mail: [e-mail]      Telephone: [phone]

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

From: [e-mail] (Judith Oppenheimer)
Subject: U.S. 800 Subscribers and Freephone Issue
Date: 23 Jan 1995 17:18:56 -0500
Organization: Interactive CallBrand(TM)
As you read the following, remember:

If the ITU is not forced to consider alternatives ...

IF THE DOCUMENT THAT IS NOW ON THE TABLE PASSES UNOPPOSED ...

The 1 800 FLOWERS vs. 011 800 FLOWERS scenario as I've outlined
it, will become reality.

THIS COULD HAPPEN AS EARLY AS THIS APRIL.

That said, I've tried to answer Bob Goudreau's posting as logically as
possible.  It gets involved -- I've tried to keep it theaded.

I'd written,

> Remember, too, that international freephone numbers will *co-exist*
> with domestic toll-free numbers in the U.S..  So there will be 1 800
> FLOWERS, and 011 800 FLOWERS, both of which can be called and
> advertised within the United States, but which may reach competing
> companies!

And I'd like to add,

What is worse is that the 1-800-AIRWAYS which is British Airways
terminates in London now, and 011-800-AIRWAYS could go to American
Airlines and terminate in Tulsa.

**** For every 800 number dialed the customer will have to determine
if it is international or domestic, and understand that
"international"
doesn't mean it terminates internationally, just that the number
belongs to the international number pool. ****

Bob went on,

> This seems to imply that the +800 country code will contain numbers
> with only seven digits, yielding a total of no more than ten million
> international free-phone numbers for the entire world! Given that
the
> North American Numbering Plan alone is already close to running out
of
> seven-digit intra-NANP free-phone numbers, isn't this +800-XXX-XXXX
> arrangement a bit short-sighted?

Back to me,

Seven or eight digits has not yet been decided.  Also there are many
options.  You can have seven and eight digit.  There is a proposal for
variable format seven to nine digits.  The majority want eight fixed
right now so the US could have 1-800-0-xxxxxxx and the rest of the
world could have what ever they want.

I'd also said,

> If the U.S. position, and U.S. Users Group Position, of
grandfathering
> existing U.S. 800 numbers is not aggressively supported by U.S. 800
> subscribers, these companies will find they have a 50-50 chance of
> winning -- or losing -- their branded number to a lottery, and
> competition for the same customers and marketshare in the U.S., and
> abroad.

I'd like to add here,

There could be dozens of people who want your number.  Having the
number now will give you 50/50 chance, but others can obtain the
numbers today or next year in other countries (say five other
countries) and have a five to one chance better than you even though
you have had the number for years.  Based on what's currently on the
table, it doesn't matter if you've had the number 30 years or 30
minutes to qualify for priority.

So, Bob responded,

> Many countries besides the US have intra-national free-phone
> services.  Some even use the same 800 area code!  I believe that
> Ireland, for example, even uses 1-800 as the full prefix, just like
> the NANP (although I understand that the number that follows is only
> six, not seven, digits).  So why should owners of US 800 numbers (or
> even NANP 800 numbers -- don't forget Canada and the islands!) be
> singled out for the privilege of "grandfathering" their existing
> numbers into the worldwide +800 number space?  That doesn't sound
very
> fair to the rest of the world.

> I think that better schemes are available that could address both
> these issues (number scarcity and number collision).

My response:

There are approximately four million U.S. toll-free subscribers, and
150,000 freephone subscribers outside of the U.S.  (Some of the
150,000 also are U.S. marketers' international freephone numbers.)

U.S. marketers, large and small, corporate and entreprenurial, have
invested in, developed and designed the infrastructure for, and
nurtured the 800 industry into the marketing powerhouse it is today.

Now, I'm a marketing person, and this is important to me.  But I don't
want to be unfair, or impractical, either.

Bob's 100% right here.  The question is, why won't the ITU allow
alternatives to be discussed?

Remember, random numbers mean there's no way to translate from the
domestic to international.  Bob's scheme is good:
+800-<country-code>-<number>.

As Bob discusses, the US number 1-800-FLOWERS would also be available
internationally (assuming the company was willing to pay for incoming
international calls) as +800-1-FLOWERS, and a hypothetical Irish
number 1-800-FLOWERS could be dialed internationally as +800-353-
FLOWERS.
Since each country code would have its own domain within the overall
+800 number space, no collisions would be possible.

Of course, even this simple scheme could still run into the number
scarcity problem, since it presumes only a single free-phone area code
for each country. So perhaps the only fool-proof plan is to just use
+800-<country-code> as a prefix to the entire national toll free
number, area code and all.

Under this method, the US and Irish examples above would become +800 1
800 FLOWERS and [phone] FLOWERS, respectively.

There are disadvantages with this idea too, of course.  One is that
all national free-phone numbers that can be mapped transparently into
the +800 space must be no longer than <Limit> - 3 digits, where
<Limit> is the ITU limit on the number of digits that can follow the
"+" sign.  Fortunately, <Limit> itself will soon change (or has just
recently changed) from 12 to 15 anyway, so this might not be a
problem.
But the sheer length of the resulting +800 numbers would be
unattractive.

Bottom line, we agree that there are better options that merit serious
consideration.

So the question for U.S. 800 Subscribers to ask their U.S. carriers
at the ITU is, why isn't this being discussed?!!!


J. Oppenheimer, [e-mail]

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

Date: Mon, 23 Jan 1995 14:46:00 EST
From: Hardwire <[e-mail]>
Subject: MCI Digital 800 Information


Contact: David Sutton
         MCI Business Markets
         404/644-NEWS

       MCI LAUNCHES TOLL-FREE ALTERNATIVE FOR MULTIMEDIA ACCESS

    First-Ever 800 Digital Service Integrates Voice, Data and Video
       Redefines the Way Businesses Service and Sell to Customers

        WASHINGTON, DC, January 23, 1995 -- In its latest extension of
the Information Superhighway, MCI today announced at ComNet the
first-ever tariffed and commercially available 800 digital service.
MCI 800 Digital Service enables users to send and receive simultaneous
voice, data and video communications through a single 800 number.

        Available immediately, MCI 800 Digital Service is ideal for
high-speed applications including on-line shopping, remote access to
corporate database libraries, customer service, technical support,
videoconferencing, document sharing and software distribution. MCI's
new service differs from existing data services by transferring
connection costs to the service provider, thus encouraging customer
access and increasing the likelihood that applications will succeed
commercially.

        "We believe MCI 800 Digital Service will revolutionize the way
companies do business," says Brian Brewer, vice president of marketing
for MCI Business Markets. "For example, this service will easily allow
consumers to call an 800 number to not only order software but also
have it simultaneously delivered to their PC. In this same scenario,
technical support could then conveniently follow via on-line
screen-sharing."

                         Wide Range of Applications

        By combining the ease of toll-free dialing with the power of
high-speed switched data services, MCI is providing users with a
highly effective, cost efficient communications link to businesses,
consumers and suppliers. Typical applications might include:

        * On-line Interactive Catalogs -- By dialing a toll-free
          number, customers can view and purchase a company's products
          and services directly, dramatically reducing sales cycles.

        * File Sharing and Collaborative Computing -- Companies
          can work faster and smarter by enabling workers in
          different locations to use toll-free desktop
          videoconferencing and document sharing to edit
          documents simultaneously.

        * Toll-Free Access to Corporate Systems -- Companies can
          connect telecommuters and other office locations to
corporate
          systems, data libraries and LANs.

        * Multimedia -- Users can combine voice, data and video at
          speeds of up to 64 Kbps, toll-free.


             Represents Evolution of Switched Data Services

        More and more of today's data applications require greater
transmission bandwidth and, as a result, are tightly coupled to the
underlying technology used to connect to end users. Traditional
transmission rates achievable with modems, even high-speed modems, are
in many cases unacceptable and degrade an application's quality until
it is no longer a viable commercial product. MCI 800 Digital Service
offers a solution to this problem by supporting switched data at up to
64 Kbps speeds, six times the speed of a 9.6 modem, toll-free.

        Digital 800 can originate through a local telephone company's
ISDN basic rate interface (BRI) connection or via switched data
access. Consumers can call the local phone company to order a BRI
line. For consumers already using ISDN BRI or switched data access
technology, connecting to a digital 800 application is as simple as
dialing an 800 number. Service providers interested in developing
digital 800 applications have the option of providing terminating
access to their application through a choice of local exchange carrier
(LEC) provided switched data, primary rate interface (PRI), BRI or MCI
provided PRI terminating access methods.

        MCI 800 Digital Service is an integral component of MCI's
portfolio of 800 services and can be used along with all existing
Vision 800 and MCI 800 features. For example, time-of-day routing or
percent-allocation routing can be used to ensure that every incoming
call is routed to the correct location on the first attempt. MCI
reporting tools, Perspective and TrafficView analysis, are also
compatible with MCI 800 Digital Service.

        Pricing for MCI 800 Digital Service will initially reflect
standard MCI Vision 800 or MCI 800 voice rates based on the type
product platform selected. As with standard voice rates, 800 Digital
Service rates will differ based on selection of switched BRI or
dedicated PRI termination. All usage will contribute to overall 800
discounts and term commitments.

        MCI, headquartered in Washington, D.C., has grown from its
core long distance business to become the world's third largest
carrier of international calling and a premier provider of data
communications over the vast Internet computer network. With annual
revenues of $12 billion, the company today provides a wide array of
consumer and business long distance and local services, data and video
communications, on-line information, electronic mail, network
management services and communications software.

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

From: BARRY M. BROOKS <[e-mail]>
Subject: Nynex-Prodigy News Conference
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 95 08:53:01 -0500
Organization: Delphi ([e-mail] email, 800-695-4005 voice)



·
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Again unfortunatly, this arrived on
Monday, with little chance for anyone to plan it into their schedule.
Meetings should be announced here two or three weeks prior if not
sooner!  Thank you.  PAT]

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

Mat Stover, president and CEO of NYNEX Information Resources Company
and Ross Glatzer, president of Prodigy Services Company will announce
the nations first advertiser-supported, online, interactive Yellow
Pages, on the information superhighway, Tuesday, Jan. 24, 1995.

You are invited to participate in the interactive press briefing and
live demonstration of the new interactive, online service, with Mr.
Stover and Mr. Glatzer:

Subject:    Announcement of the NYNEX Interactive Yellow Pages
            Live, on PRODIGY

Date:       Tuesday, Jan. 24, 1995

Time:       10 a.m. (EST)

            Place:  Lincoln Center, Rose Building
                   (Corner West 65 and Amsterdam)

        Location:   The Kaplan Penthouse, 9th floor

You are welcome to remain in the Kaplan Penthouse after the press
briefing to be among the first in the nation to JUMP NYNEX on PRODIGY.

To attend the press briefing, please arrive at the Kaplan Penthouse
approximately 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the briefing
(9:45 a.m. EST).  Refreshments will be served.

For more information, please contact Phil Santoro, NYNEX, at (508) 762-
1326.

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

From: [e-mail] (Will Estes)
Subject: Markets for 220 vs. 800 vs. 900 MHz Communications?
Reply-To: [e-mail]
Organization: U.S. Computer
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 1995 06:45:14 GMT


Can someone briefly go over what are the markets for different
frequencies of the various spectrums for personal communication
markets?  I am familiar enough to know that 220, 800, and 900 MHz are
the common frequencies that people seem to be using.  I gather that
220 is use for Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR) applications, which
appear to be one-to-many broadcast applications, like information
being sent to delivery vehicles.  900 MHz seems to be reserved for
high-end digital personal communication services.

What are the other parts of the spectrum that are being used?  What
are the principle applications at each part of the spectrum?  Where
does current analog and digital cellular telephone fall in this
spectrum?


Will Estes Internet: [e-mail]

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

From: Doug Pickering <[e-mail]>
Subject: Faxing Through a PABX
Date: 23 Jan 1995 07:16:42 GMT
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation


Hi,

I have just gotten a PABX.  Everything seems to be working OK, except
I cannot fax out through it (I haven't tried receiving yet).  Modem
connections are fine all the way up to 14400 (all my modem supports).
Without the PABX, faxing is fine, but with it, the modem dials the
number get connected then never gets beyond 'Connecting'.  I am using
WinFAX Pro 4.  Picking up an extension proves that connection has been
made to the other fax.  I have a Rockwell based Voice/Fax/Modem.

Any ideas?


Doug Pickering

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

From: Simon J Wallace <[e-mail]>
Subject: Questionnaire Repost - Datacom Over Mobile Phones
Organization: Edinburgh University
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 1995 10:10:23 GMT


May I first thank all respondant to my questionnaire (14).  I was
hoping for 20 so I'll repost to see if I can get a few more.  I will
of course post all results next week.

I wonder if you could help me with a questionnaire I am doing for my
Masters Degree.  I would appreciate some opinions on DATA
communications
over mobile phones. It should only take a couple of minutes.

Could you please post the replies to me at [e-mail]. I shall
post my findings as soon as I have collated them.


Thanks in Advance.

Simon #:-)

1) Do you have a Digital (D), Analog (A) or Dual Mode (DM) phone?

2) Do you at present use your mobile phone to transmit data?

3) Do you at any time in the future plan to use a mobile phone to
transmit
   data?

4) If so what factors would influence your decision:
     i) ease of use;
     ii) cost of equipment;
     iii) cost of calls;
     iv) reliability;
     v) Other please state:

5) What be your MAIN use of mobile data comms?


Thanks again

Simon   #8-)

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

From: [e-mail] (Erwin Lubbers)
Subject: Tonetalk / TTS
Organization: NLnet
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 1995 10:26:53 GMT


I need information about the Tonetalk/TTS voicemail card for the PC.
Does someone have this info or do you know where to get it?


Thanks,

Erwin

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

From: [e-mail] (Alex Zacharov)
Subject: Does Anybody Need an ATM PBX?
Date: Mon, 23 Jan 1995 11:33:34 GMT
Organization: Telrad Ltd.


    I would like to make a little referendum:

    If somebody had offered an ATM PBX in a form of small N-ISDN
servers
interconnected by ATM, supporting N-ISDN basic and supplementary
services
with interfaces to global ATM and PSTN, who would have bought it NOW?


Regards,

Alex   [e-mail]

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

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #55
*****************************