Hacker Chronicles 2 (Alt)/The_Hacker_Chronicles_Volume_II-CD2.iso/td2/td14_27.txt

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TELECOM Digest     Wed, 12 Jan 94 01:08:00 CST    Volume 14 : Issue 27

Inside This Issue:                          Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Sprint Voice Foncard Press Release (Les Reeves)
    Re: Unique Idea: Error Message for TDDs (John Nagle)
    Re: Bizarre Cordless Behavior (Steve Forrette)
    Re: Connecting Two Phone Lines to One Phone Jack (John Gilbert)
    Re: Multi-line BBS's (Steve Norton)
    Re: Computer-Telephony I (Donald Crenshaw)
    Re: US Digital Cellular Standard (John Barcomb)
    Re: Info on Cellular One NACP (John Barcomb)
    Re: "Anonymous Call Rejection" - Could be Dangerous (Haakon Styri)
    Re: 500 Channel Cable TV (Brad Hicks)
    Re: Radio Modem Help Wanted (Richard A. De Castro)
    Re: Long Distance CLID is Here (Scot E. Wilcoxon)
    Are LATA Maps Available? (Michael Dalby)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
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The Digest is compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson Associates of
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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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----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1994 08:00:49 PST
From: Les Reeves <[e-mail]>
Subject: Sprint Voice Foncard Press Release


            SPRINT ANNOUNCES THE VOICE FONCARD(SM)
              -- The World's First Calling Card
            That Lets Your Voice Do The Dialing --

         KANSAS CITY, Mo., Jan. 5, 1994 -- Sprint today introduced the
    Voice FONCARD(SM), the first voice-activated calling card, which
    will take consumers into a new dimension of telecommunications.

         "The Sprint name is synonymous with 'fiber-optic network' and
    'technology leadership,'" said Dave Schmieg, president of Sprint's
    Consumer Services Group.  "All of our products and services are
    offered via the world's first and still only all-digital,
    fiber-optic network.  The pin-drop quality of our voice and data
    transmission is unsurpassed in the industry.  Sprint's
    state-of-the-art network allows us to again pre-empt the
    competition and be first in the market with an exciting new
    product for our customers -- the Voice FONCARD."

     The Voice FONCARD is available only through Sprint Priority
    Gold(SM), a package of services also announced today by Sprint.

     Instead of punching in phone numbers and authorization codes,
    customers can let their voices do the dialing:  "Call mother,"
    "Call pediatrician," or "Call stockbroker."

     Speak it, and the Sprint network will do the rest.

     "Once you've learned a single 800 access number, you won't
    need to pull a calling card out of your wallet, look up phone
    numbers, or punch in any more digits," said Schmieg.  "Give your
    fingers a rest.  The network is interested only in hearing your
    voice.  No voice can be heard truer than on Sprint."

     Schmieg continued, "Everybody's voice is different so this
    technology offers built-in fraud protection.  The voice-matching
    process is secure enough to ensure authenticity, but flexible
    enough to allow for slight variations in a caller's voice due to
    illness or fatigue."

     Here's how to place a call using the Voice FONCARD:

    o dial the 800 access number;

    o speak the Voice FONCARD number, which is the card holder's
      Social Security number, preceded by one digit (for added
      protection, the Social Security number is not printed on the
      card);

    o then direct the system to place the call by saying, for example,
      "call home."

     The system recognizes the security code and verifies the
    voice print, which has been pre-registered, before automatically
    dialing the requested number.

     Users of the Voice FONCARD can register up to 10 spoken speed
    dials with the system, from "call home" to "call doctor."  The
    Voice FONCARD can be customized to fit specific calling needs,
    whether for frequently dialed numbers, or hard-to-remember
    numbers.  Voice FONCARD users are not limited to the spoken
    speed-dial list, and may manually dial any desired number.

     "Sprint's Voice FONCARD represents the cutting edge of
    technology," said Schmieg.  "We're using that technology to
    provide convenient and easy-to-use communications tools for our
    customers and paving the way for voice activation to become a
    worldwide means of communication."

     The Voice FONCARD is being supported with national
    advertising featuring the voices of celebrities such as Candice
    Bergen, Sprint spokesperson and Emmy-award winning actress from
    the hit TV show "Murphy Brown;" Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers
    quarterback; Don Shula, the "winningest" NFL coach of all time;
    Beverly Sills, opera singer, and Harry Caray, voice of the Chicago
    Cubs.

     In addition to the Voice FONCARD, Sprint Priority Gold
    customers receive, for a low $5.00 monthly fee, benefits that make
    long distance calling easier, including:

    o Automatic savings on residential dial-1 calling.  The Most(R),
      Sprint's lead residential calling plan, saves customers up to 36
      percent each month on domestic calls.  The Most WORLDWIDE(SM),
      Sprint's international calling plan, saves customers up to 36
      percent each month on domestic calls and up to 20 percent on
      international calls.

    o Sprint Advisor(SM).  Sprint regularly reviews customer accounts
      to ensure they are getting the best value for their money.
      Sprint will notify the customer of other Sprint calling plans
      that will help them save money.

    o Sprint Priority Rewards.  With every call, customers earn points
      toward merchandise, free nights at Marriott Hotels, discounts on
      United Airline tickets, free calling and more.

    o Sprint Priority Gold customer service.  Sprint provides a
      service center dedicated solely to Sprint Priority Gold
      customers.

     Sprint is the first major long distance company to make
    calling easier by offering voice-activated technology, one of many
    technological innovations from Sprint.

         Sprint is a diversified international telecommunications
    company with more than $10 billion in annual revenues and the
    United States' only nationwide all-digital, fiber-optic network.
    Its divisions provide global long distance voice, data and video
    products and services, local telephone services to more than 6
    million subscriber lines in 19 states, and cellular operations
    that serve 42 metropolitan markets and more than 50 rural service
    areas.

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

From: [e-mail] (John Nagle)
Subject: Re: Unique Idea: Error Message for TDDs
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1994 17:50:33 GMT


Paul Robinson <[e-mail]> writes:

> By accident I found something new and unusual.
> <SIT TONE> "We're sorry, because of an area code change, your call
> cannot be completed as dialed.  Dial again using area code 410. Please
> make a note of this change.  The following tones are for TDD users: "
> <Long touch tone, # I think> Then, on a TDD device we have in our
> office, the message comes across "PLS USE 410 AREA".
> Unique idea -- putting a TDD message into an error recording -- and
> I'm surprised that I've never heard it done before.

      Is this something which will become standard in the US, perhaps
to comply with the ADA?  If so, consideration should be given to
supporting it in modems and modem programs, so computers can use that
data.

      TDD is just 5-level Baudot at 45.45 baud, sent half-duplex using
the (I think) "Originate" tone pair of a 103A type modem.  Most older
modems, and some newer ones, can be coerced into using this mode.


John Nagle

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

From: [e-mail] (Steve Forrette)
Subject: Re: Bizarre cordless behavior
Date: 11 Jan 1994 18:20:03 GMT
Organization: Walker Richer & Quinn, Inc.
Reply-To: [e-mail] (Steve Forrette)


In <[e-mail]>, [e-mail] (Linc Madison)
writes:

> I have for about four or five months now had a cordless phone.  I'm mostly
> happy with it, but there are a couple of problems.

> (1) There is excessive bounce in the keypad.  I had to take the first
> unit back because I misdialed at least 75% of all attempts.  The new
> unit is not so bad, but still has bad problems with the '2' key.

My AT&T cordless (a few years old now) has the same problem.  The '1'
key is particularly problematic.  Since I often call into area code
916, this has created an embarrassing situation.  I'll dial
1-916-xxx-xxxx, but the second '1' will bounce.  As astute Digest
readers will remember, any special routing codes (1+, 0+, 10XXX+,
etc.) codes in front of 911 are ignored, so I get connected to the
Police department instead.  I now make it a point to use another phone
when making those calls.


Steve Forrette, [e-mail]

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

From: [e-mail] (John Gilbert)
Subject: Re: Connecting Two Phone Lines to One Phone Jack
Organization: Motorola, LMPS
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1994 17:19:14 -0600


In article <[e-mail]>, John S. Roberts Jr.
<[e-mail]> wrote:

> I DO have two phone lines.  That is the problem.  I know that they are
> not shorted because I can make two seperate calls on each of the
> lines, however I can HEAR the line one conversation when I am using line
> two.  I have heard people talking about how when you run four conductor
> wire (like from Radio Shack) and use two conductors for one line and two
> conductors for the other you often get bleed over.  I am looking for a
> solution to this other than running another set of wires to seperate
> the two lines from being so close.

The folks you heard are correct.  "D station" quad wire commonly used
for household telephone wiring does not have the individual pairs
twisted inside the jacket.  This causes it to have very poor crosstalk
performance.  You should change the wire.


John Gilbert         [e-mail]

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

From: [e-mail] (Steve Norton)
Subject: Re: Multi-line BBS's
Date: 11 Jan 1994 18:25:26 -0600
Organization: The second InterAccess INN server


[e-mail] (Dannie Gregoire) writes:

> I'll direct this question to you if possible, as you are the true
> phone system guru.  I asked it in the newsgroup a couple of months
> back with no useful response.  I would like to know how some of these
> bulletin boards have 60-100 lines running into them (eg EXEC-PC).  Do
> they simply have that many individual lines run or is there a nifty
> service that the TELCO offers through a PBX?  I apologize if this is
> a stupid question, but it is one that has baffled me, and I gotta know
> the answer.  Thanks for any help ...

Everyone seems to think that multiplexing lines across T1's is the
greatest thing since sliced bread.  However, even the most cut-rate
companies in the Chicago area charge $700-800/month for a T1 line.  At
24 simulated POTS lines/T1, this is about $30/line/month.  Not even
Ameritech is so evil as to charge $30/line/month -- we pay about
$15/line/month.  Add in the $5K for muxes and the fact that you almost
always have to use proprietary (read as expensive/poor selection)
modem cards, T1's really are a bad deal.


Steve Norton 708-671-0111 (voice)  708-671-0237 (data,login guest)
InterAccess Co.  [e-mail]
Chicagoland's best public access Internet provider

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

From: [e-mail] (Donald Crenshaw)
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1994 09:26:00 -0600
Subject: Re: Computer-Telephony
Organization: The Dark Knight's Table BBS - (Free) Public Acces News/Email


RMcG> Any general references to Computer-Telephony Integration would be
RMcG> greatly appreciated. Please reply to email if possible.

In the US, try the Alliance of Computer-Based Telephony Application
Suppliers (ACTAS).  They are a subgroup of sorts of the the North
American Telecommunications Association (NATA).  The point of contact
is:

     David Haviland
     NATA
     200 M Street NW Suite 550
     Washington DC 20036

     [phone] ext 266 (voice)
     [phone]         (fax)

He should be able to point you in the direction of a lot of good
resources.  If that doesn't work, let me know and I'll dig deeper into
my files for more names.  Sorry I'm not emailing, it's a hassle with
my limited access and besides, this information may have general
utility for readers here.


Take care,

DON
Origin: Dark Knight's Table (1:282/31)
The Dark Knight's Table BBS [phone] Minnetonka, MN USA
Free access to Usenet news and e-mail

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

From: [e-mail] (John Barcomb)
Subject: Re: US Digital Cellular Standard
Date: 11 Jan 94 21:18:50 GMT


Donald J. Miller ([e-mail]) wrote:

> So, now we have FOUR phone "standards".  What about ROAMING?

The way I see it, AMPS will always be supported so it will always be
standard to use AMPS in the U.S.

> Well, it looks like the more expensive DUAL-MODE phones are here to
> stay.  Either of the two digital systems, TDMA or CDMA could have been

Actually, U S WEST didn't increase our price to the customer when we
started selling dual mode N-AMPS/AMPS (832/2412) phones in our N-AMPS
markets.

> Six times the existing bandwidth was not enough.  We got greedy.

When the potential benefit of CDMA is 10-20 times capacity, there is a
good reason to look at that technology.  There is also talk about
voice quality issues (Possible improved quality on CDMA -- nothing for
sure yet.)

Just thought I throw my $.02 in ...


John

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

From: [e-mail] (John Barcomb)
Subject: Re: Info on Cellular One NACP
Date: 11 Jan 94 21:48:18 GMT


Gib Henry ([e-mail]) wrote:

> Whooh! This has some scary implications of the Big Brother variety!
> If Cellular One keeps this info, it could be a real invasion of
> privacy.

How do you think roaming is handled now?  Each cellular system puts
all your info on a billing medium of some sort and sends it to your
"home" cellular carrier who bills you.  To make life somewhat more
convenient information does need to be shared between carriers to make
this system work.

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

Date: Tue, 11 Jan 94 00:04:23 +0100
From: [e-mail]
Subject: Re: "Anonymous Call Rejection" - Could be Dangerous


Just for the record, may I ask how "Anonymous Call Rejection" would
affect calls from abroad? We don't transfer ANI from Norway to the
USA, arriving in the US the call is only marked as 'coming from
Norway' and this is unlikely to change in the near future. (I could
write chapter and verse about why, but you probably don't want to read
the full argument ...)


Haakon Styri   <[e-mail]>
Norwegian Telecom Research *** std disclaimer applies ***


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The key is in the word 'private' versus
'outside' as displayed on the Caller-ID unit. Anonymous call rejection
does not prohibit 'outside area' calls from getting through; it only
forbids those calls which were specifically ID-blocked. If the ID
never arrives (because your exchange did not receive the data from the
sending office) then the message displayed is 'outside'.   PAT]

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

From: mc/G=Brad/S=Hicks/OU1=[e-mail]
Date: 11 Jan 94 17:28:59 GMT
Subject: Re: 500 Channel Cable TV


> Well, Mike, I am old enough to remember all the fancy claims that
> 'cable-tv' would put over-the-air tv out of business, ...

Broadcast TV's share of the viewing market has been dropping steadily,
and in fact if it weren't for the last round of cable TV regulation
ordering cable companies to pay the local affiliates for rebroadcast
permission, might well have been on its way to fulfilling this
prophecy.

> would make networks obsolete,

In the sense that networks existed pre-cable, you betcha. Paramount
TV, Fox, and Prime Time Entertainment Network, plus shopping channels
like QVC, are not only getting their shows seen by people without
buying up affiliated stations but even getting the network affiliates
to broadcast their shows ... in some cases, even =instead= of the
network fare.  It used to be that The Big Three (ABCBSNBC) dictated
what the American people saw on TV.  We kissed that (expletive
deleted) goodbye.

> would transform our very lives,

I got a taste of this while I was waiting for my satellite receiver to
be delivered; for almost a month I was choked down from 40+ channels
to the six broadcast channels available in my area.  No CNN/HN, no
Weather Channel, no music channels, no Cartoon Network, only very
limited and very bland "variety" and "network" programming ... I
thought I would go mad.  I don't watch =that= much TV, but when I =do=
sit down at the set, I expect to find =something= I can stand within a
few minutes of channel surfing.  Channel surfing through only six
channels felt stupid, like my ears were stuffed with cotton and I was
wearing blinders.

> would offer first-run movies,

Like HBO's _And the Band Played On_ and _Attack of the 50 Foot Woman_,
or the =many= first-run movies on LifeTime.  There's more, that's just
what I thought of off-hand.

> would offer live video from foreign countries,

Every morning C-SPAN (1, I think) shows the "evening" news from
Moscow, live with a translator in voice-over.  If you want this sort
of thing regularly, bug your cable provider to offer SCOLA, which does
the same sort of thing 24 hours a day.

> would bring the classroom to the living room,

A&E, C-SPAN, The Learning Channel, but especially The Discovery
Channel, which has done =wonders= for the resurrected art of the
documentary.  Coming soon: the History Channel.

> would offer access to niche programming, fine arts, etc etc etc.

A&E (fine arts and foreign film), AMC (American Movie Classics, plus
great old newsreals), BET (Black Entertainment Television), Cartoon
Network, CMTV (Country Music TeleVision), CNBC (all financial news),
CNN and CNN/HN (all news), Comedy Central, CSPAN-1 and CSPAN-2
(government and public affairs), Discovery (all documentaries), E!
(Entertainment industry television), ESPN-1 and ESPN-2 (all sports),
the Family Channel (targeted at "family values" conservatives and
their families), LifeTime (targeted at adult women), MTV, Nickelodeon
(children's and teen programming), the Outdoor Channel (hunting,
fishing, etc.), the Sci Fi channel, Univision (all Hispanic and
Hispanic-American programming), plus of course all the all-movie
channels like HBO, Cinemax, Showtime, TNT, Bravo, Encore ...  In fact,
other than the three or four "superstations" and the local broadcast
channels, on a typical 30+ channel CATV system, they're =all= niche
programming.

Given the above variety, do we really begrudge the home shoppers' HSC
and QVC, or the people who =want= to see televangelism on Fam (part
time) or EWTN, or the wrestling fans and rock-n-rollers the occasional
pay-per-view?

Let's face it, the reason that cable TV companies are singing, "My
God, How the Money Rolls In" is because they =have= fulfilled the
promises you mentioned, far better than broadcast TV ever could have.
(And of course, they have a monopoly on that service, unless you
invest the $2k or so for a dish with "all the trimmings.")  No, we're
not to the point yet where no matter what you're in the mood to see,
you can sit down at your tube and flip over to it ... but we're a
=lot= closer than we used to be before CATV.


J. Brad Hicks     Internet: mc![e-mail]
X.400: c=US admd=ATTMail prmd=MasterCard sn=Hicks gn=Brad

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

From: [e-mail] (Richard A. De Castro)
Subject: Re: Radio Modem Help Wanted
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 1994 18:23:37 GMT


[e-mail] (John Michael Pierobon) writes:

> I am trying to set up a communication link to a hub from a remote part
> of South America.

> Here is the problem.  My computer, or home base, is located in a place
> where telephones do not reach.  Neither celullar nor wire can be
> strung to reach this place.  Therefore, my only option to transfer
> data is via a "radio modem".  A friend of mine suggested I look into
> this, but he was not able to provide me with more information.  Where
> can I get additional information on "radio modems"?

The general technology you need is called packet radio.  There are
several rec. groups dedicated to it, they can be of much help.  In
general, you use a pair (one at each end) of special radio "modems"
called TNC's, or Terminal Node Controllers.  These are different from
a standard modem, in that they have hardware that actually assembles
the packets (chunks of data) and then sends it to the modem chip.

The TNC connects to a serial port on the computer, and to the mic jack
on the radio.  The radio needs to be of a suitable type for the ranges
involved, and if needed, you need to be licensed.  Then, using a
special (generally easy to get shareware) communications software (I
like one called YAPP, for yet another packet protocol), the two
machines, radios, etc call each other.

Depending on the radio frequencies, thru-put is incredibly slow. RE
ally incredibly slow.

If you just need to transfer text, another type of protocol, using
mostly the same hardware, is TOR, or teletype over radio.  Again,
check out rec. whatever


Good Luck!

[e-mail]
Richard A. De Castro - California, North America, Sol-3

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

From: fieldday![e-mail]
Date: Tue, 11 Jan 94 19:03 CST
Subject: Re: Long Distance CLID is Here
Organization: Esix Test Unit 1


In article <[e-mail]> TELECOM Digest Editor notes:

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: In Chicago we have had inter-LATA
> Caller-ID on an intermittent basis for about a year. It is sent here
> by some exchanges in other cities, but not by all or even a majority
> yet. Minneapolis comes to mind as one place where I've seen it a lot.
> Area code 612 numbers show up here when I get those calls.   PAT]

Cute.  Here in Minneapolis CLASS services are not available yet, so we
cannot request blocking of caller ID.  US West says CLASS probably
will be available in April.


Scot E. Wilcoxon      [e-mail]      [phone]

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

Date: Fri, 7 Jan 1994 15:59:43 -0800
From: Michael Dalby <[e-mail]>
Subject: Are LATA Maps Available?


I wonder whether you know of maps of RBOC lata boundaries.  I have the
list of sample cities you posted on mintaka at mit, but wonder if
there is a commercially available version that actually marks the
interlata boundaries.  Can you shed any light on this?

Thank you.


Michael Dalby   [e-mail]

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

End of TELECOM Digest V14 #27
*****************************



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