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- NorthWestern Syndicate
-
- Presents:
-
- THE SYNDICATE REPORT
- Issue No. 4
-
- Written by The Sensei
- Copyright (C) Aug. 10 1986
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-
- The Syndicate Report is stictly Bell orientated information. Without some
- background, reading in this material could cause a problem to understand.
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- PRIVACY OF COMMUNICATIONS:
-
- In this article, I've gathered forward rules operators (that have the
- ability to intercept a line) strict rules they must abide by.
-
-
- Operator Privacy Rules Are:
-
- - No transmission, either by voice, data, or other non-voice communi-
- cation, is to be tampered with or intruded upon.
- - No conversation between customers, or transmission of data or non-
- voice communication, should be listened to or monitored, nor should its
- existence be divulged, except as required in the proper management of the
- business.
- - No one should use, personally or for the benefit of others, infor-
- mation from any communication.
- - Communications arrangements with customers, and information about
- billing records, equipment, or cicuits, are not be disclosed to any unauthor-
- ized person.
- - If a law enforcement organization, or any other government authority,
- asks or by Company regulation -- the request should be referred immedicately to
- the Company's Security Division.
-
- NorthWestern Bell has a suposed "GOOD" reputation about privacy. So if
- you have the slightest suspection of your line being tampered with, inform your
- local Bell Representative (Any Operator).
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-
-
- Pacific Northwest Bell has embarked on a modernization program that
- will make it the first multi-state telephone company in the United States
- with all computerized switching offices.
- When the conversions are complete in 1988, PNB also will be the first
- multi-state telephone company in the United States to offer all of its company
- that handles the toll calls they place through 1-plus dialing.
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- SYNDICATE REPORT FAST MONEY/TIME SAVING TIP:
-
- Setting up a teleconference? Here's a time-saving tip: arrance it on
- the quarter hour. Most teleconferences are assembled on the hour and the most
- popular times are 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Teleconferences attendants are being
- overwhelmed at those times and conferees can spend excessive ammounts of time
- on hold.
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-
- FIBER OPTICS BREAKTHROUGH:
-
- The highcost of laser technology had been viewed as a major obstacle in
- the expansion of fiber optics technology to business and residential pre-
- mises. Scientists from AT&T Technology, however, have discovered a way to
- get around the need for a laser in every home or business. Instead of using
- a laser in each piece of fiber optics equipment, they've found that certain
- "photodetectors" can reflect laser light piped from switching offices and
- carry the transmission.
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-
- NEW UNIX DEVELOPMENT:
-
- The Centron/Centrex ECAP (Electronic Customer Access Program) System is
- an enhanced service availble to Centron and Centrex central office equipment
- users. Currently Centron/Centrex users must call a Business Office to have
- changes made to their equipment. The process is expensive and slow. The user
- is charged for each service order and the work may not be completed for
- several days.
- The new ECAP system allows the use to enter equipment changes directly
- to a Bell computer via a computer terminal. The computer then prints the
- orders to be worked. The work is completed within 24 hours and the user is
- charged on a monthly basis rather than on a per-serice basis.
- The ECAP system is a series on programs written in the "C" programming
- language to run a UNIX-based Plexus minicomputer. There are ECAP Plexus
- computer located in Omaha, St. Paul and Des Moines and soon to reach other
- designated areas. Each of is capable of handling up to 16 simultaneous users.
- The Unify Data Base Manager has been incorporated into the software
- to allow the user fast and easy access to their data base of line records
- which contain the feature for the individual telephone line. The ECAP
- system was developed for the Marketing Department by the UNIX Development
- Section of ISO.
-
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- DVX-DIGITAL VOICE EXCHANGE SYSTEM:
-
- Bell recently loaded on the NWB DVX system the FEATURE PACKAGE 5 which
- incorporates feature that meet existing and future users needs. Here are a few
- examples on the system:
-
- Personalized Greetings for the Message Center:
- The Messge Center Personalized Greeting is a greeting recorded by DVX users
- that is played when a caller is transferted to the Message Center. The greet-
- ing is played to inform the caller, in the user's own voice, that they are not
- available and leave a message after the tone.
-
- Personalized Greeting for the Extended Absence:
- Callers attempting to create and send messages to DVX users are notified
- via a pre-recorded greeting that the user in on extended absence. With FP 5,
- and Extended Absence Notification can now be personalized in the user's own
- voice to inform callers that they are not available for a user-specified
- length of time of up to one year. Users have the option to have their Extended
- Absense Greeting played instead on their Message Center Greeting. The greeting
- in active during the entire absence date has expired or that dat is cancelled
- by the user.
-
- Name Response:
- When callers reach a Message Center, they receive a DVX system
- administrator's recording of the user's name. With FP 5, individuals can
- record their own name response to be played instead on the system
- administrator's version during directory search, mailbox scan or when verifying
- a user's ID or message delivery.
-
- Enhanced Mailing List Capabilities:
- With FP 5, users can create, name, edit, review and delete their own mailing
- lists via telephone keypad.
-
- CLASS of Service:
- FP 5 allows a DVX system adminitrator to limit specific users services.
- (See Syndicate Report #3 on tracing/blocking calls.)
-
- Yet to come in the next few weeks is the capability to integrate with
- the Centrex here at any Bell Company. The features included here will be a
- stutter dial tone when you pick up the phone to indicate to you that a message
- or messages are waiting on DVX. Also, for those of you who utilize the Message
- Center function, the caller will no longer have to re-enter the called party's
- extension number and enables DVX to provide the caller with the name of the
- person being called.
-
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-
- If there is any question to the information in this file, contact the
- author. Now can be easily found on the Private Sector 20 Meg, 3/1200
- baud system at (201) 366-4431 (2600 Magazine).
-
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-
- This concludes this Issue No. 4 presented by:
-
- The Syndicate Report
-
- The information in this file is copyrighted and all rights reserved. This file
- may, in whole or in part be copied, photocopied, reprinted, translated, recuded
- to any electronic medium or machine readable form or reproduction in any manner
- as long as no part or parts of information is tampered without prior consent in
- writing from The Sensei, NWS., Syndicate Report Aug. 10 1986.
-
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