Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id XAA14778; Sun, 23 Mar 1997 23:43:10 -0500 (EST) Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 23:43:10 -0500 (EST) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Message-Id: <199703240443.XAA14778@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V17 #73 TELECOM Digest Sun, 23 Mar 97 23:43:00 EST Volume 17 : Issue 73 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson ISP Offering Unlimited Access via 800/888 - How?? (Robert Holloman, Jr.) Book Review: "Understanding Networking Technology" by Norris (Rob Slade) Changes to *69 (Monty Solomon) Re: Nostalgia For "Beep" Line (Justin Hamilton) Seeking Telecom Manufacturers (Dave Carpenter) Modem to Modem Flow Control (Paul C. Diem) Re: Marketers With 800 Numbers Fear 888 Prefix Invasion (Eric Truman) Re: Answer Supervision (was Re: 1-800-COMP-USA) (Reggie Ratcliff) Russian Cellphone User Needs Help (Borodin Vladimir) Re: New Internet Domain Names (Mark S. Brader) PTT Telecom Netherlands to Build National Internet (Piet van Oostrum) Fast Busy Signal (Scott Pakiser) Re: Call Waiting Caller ID Usability Surprises (Steve Crow) Looking for an 800 carrier for Canada to US (Michael Keen) Last Laugh! NC's New NPA's and Mayberry (Mark J. Cuccia) Re: Last Laugh! NC's New NPA's and Mayberry (Carl Moore) Re: Last Laugh! NC's New NPA's and Mayberry (Bob Goudreau) 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 public service systems and networks including Compuserve and America On Line. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 847-329-0571 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu. The URL is: http://hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives They can also be accessed using anonymous ftp: ftp hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives (or use our mirror site: ftp ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives) A third method is the Telecom Email Information Service: Send a note to tel-archives@massis.lcs.mit.edu to receive a help file for using this method or write me and ask for a copy of the help file for the Telecom Archives. ************************************************************************* * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Robert Holloman, Jr. Subject: ISP Offering Unlimited Access via 800/888 - How?? Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 13:42:50 -0500 Organization: MindSpring Enterprises Reply-To: holloman@mindspring.com I just noticed on US Robotic's ISP list (http://x2.usr.com/connectnow/index.html) there's an ISP called The Grid (http://www.thegrid.net) offering unlimited, non-surcharged, toll-free 800 access for a flat-rate of $24.95 per month. I've seen another ISP planning to do the same. This sounds too good to be true. Anyone had any experience with them? How the heck can they possible afford to offer unlimited 800 service? Every ISP I've seen (CompuServe, Concentric, MindSpring, etc., etc.) charges $5 to $10 extra per hour for such. If this is true, that's great for folks in rural areas with limited or no local ISP's. It'll also mean x2 is now available to the entire country, at least to those whose local loops support it. I can get x2 on long distance and 800/888 calls, but not to my local POP, probably due to something in the local-call routing. My modem reports "unspecified negotiation failure." People on nonintegrated SLiC's or analog switches usually get "multiple codecs" for the x2 status. Right now I'm too satisfied will my ISP in general to consider leaving, but that could change if The Grid or such turns out to be just as good. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 14:28:23 EST From: Rob Slade Subject: Book Review: "Understanding Networking Technology" by Norris BKUNNTTC.RVW 961119 "Understanding Networking Technology", Mark Norris, 1996, 0-89006-879-8, U$49.00 %A Mark Norris m.norris@axion.bt.co.uk %C 685 Canton St., Norwood, MA 02062 %D 1996 %G 0-89006-879-8 %I Artech House/Horizon %O U$49.00 617-769-9750 800-225-9977 fax: 617-769-6334 artech@world.std.com %P 241 %T "Understanding Networking Technology: Concepts, Terms, and Trends" I must admit I was a bit surprised to open a book with that title and find that it was a glossary. On second thought, however, why not? (According to psycholinguistics, language *is* understanding.) Norris has put more than a bare definition into many of the entries, and the result is similar to a smaller and less complete version of Shnier's "Dictionary of PC Hardware and Data Communications Terms" (cf. BKPCHDCT.RVW). There is a concluding essay on trends in information technology. There are errors. I suspect Norris mixed up ABI (Application Binary Interface) and API (Application Programming Interface). Kermit is *not* public domain, and *not* slow (unless you can't be bothered to find the proper parameters) although it is robust. Some choices are odd: I have no idea what dithering has to do with networking, and would rather have seen the space devoted to more details of Manchester encoding. The definition of virus is no good, although the explanation of a worm is. There are a number of acronym expansions that I was not aware of (ping, daemon), but I rather think many of them are "after the fact" contructions, like veronica. copyright Robert M. Slade, 1996 BKUNNTTC.RVW 961119 roberts@decus.ca rslade@vcn.bc.ca rslade@vanisl.decus.ca Ceterum censeo CNA Financial Services delendam esse Please note the Peterson story - http://www.netmind.com/~padgett/trial.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 02:40:18 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Changes to *69 Reply-To: monty@roscom.COM In the Greater Boston area, *69 will now tell you the number of the last phone that called you (when available), along with the date and time, and provide you with the option to complete the call to that phone number if it is local (or regional). Long distance numbers will be provided but they will have to be dialed manually. This is a new feature. Use of *69 costs $0.50 per use up to a max of $4.50 unless you subscribe to the service on a monthly basis for $2.25. Besides the *69 fee, there is no additional charge over the usual cost of the call when using the automatic connect. The fee structure hasn't changed. # Monty Solomon / PO Box 2486 / Framingham, MA 01703-2486 # monty@roscom.com ------------------------------ From: JHamilton@Mindspring.Com (Justin Hamilton) Subject: Re: Nostalgia For "Beep" Line Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 12:49:32 GMT Organization: MindSpring Enterprises Reply-To: JHamilton@Mindspring.Com On a slightly different note (or should that be tone? :) I remember a few years back a couple of "scams" were discovered on the British Telephone system. In one case you could dial "The Speak Clock" and get the current time. The national number for this free service was (and may still be) 8081. However, in the town where I lived, just dialing 80 was enough to connect you. Someone somewhere discovered that if you used one of the newer push button (Yes, rotary pay phones have only been replaced in the last 10 years or so) phones and pressed 9 just as you heard the line connect then the display would show a credit of 56 UKP (About $80 by today's standards). At this point you could press the "Follow on call" button and use this credit to make your calls. Another trick I heard of while I was at college (And this may or may not have been doable here in the U.S.) was to go to one of these new push button phones, use a regular Touch-Tone dialer to dial the number you wanted to call, and as soon as it starts ringing type in 999 on the keypad. 999 is the emergency services number, and is a free call (makes sense). What this was doing was telling the phone to switch off the billing and let the call go on. Without pressing 999 the phone would normally switch off after about 60 seconds. Strange that so much "stuff" can be learned at college :) Justin Hamilton JHamilton@Mindspring.Com http://www.mindspring.com/~tmenet - Checkout Pictures of our new born baby daughter http://www.dishnetwork.com/ - "DeathStar" THE 500 Channel Satellite System to Kill Cable ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 07:53:55 -0800 From: Dave Carpenter Subject: Seeking Telecom Manufacturers I've visited your Telecom Digest web page. A very helpful resource. I'm looking for links to these manufacturers: - Erickson (spelling?) - Alcatel I can't seem to find references to these telecom mfgrs. I find something called Alcatel Networks, but nothing about their switch products. Can you help? Thanks in advance. Dave Carpenter "It's never done THAT before..." Have Voice Will Travel Providing voices over the 'net for all types of media. ------------------------------ From: Paul C. Diem Subject: Modem to Modem Flow Control Date: 23 Mar 1997 04:39:28 GMT Organization: Fox Valley Internet Can someone explain how modems implement flow control between each other? For example, let's say I have modem A with a serial port speed of 115200 which dials into modem B with a serial port speed of 19200 and connects with a carrier of 28800. The system connected to modem A starts blasting data to modem A at 115200, modem A starts sending data to modem B at 28800, modem B starts sending data to the system connected to modem B at 19200. Soon system B stops data flow (either via hardware or XON/XOFF). How does modem B tell modem A to stop sending data and later tell it to start sending again? Paul C. Diem pcdiem@FoxValley.net ------------------------------ From: Eric Subject: Re: Marketers With 800 Numbers Fear 888 Prefix Invasion Date: 23 Mar 1997 19:22:02 -0700 Organization: Primenet Services for the Internet I can understand how 800/FLOWERS, for example, might want to be able to deny 888/FLOWERS on the market. But reality dictates that this is impossible for every company to do or there would be no more toll free numbers very soon. Maybe a compromise would be that 800 number owners (not 888, 877, etc...) have the right of first refusal on a similar number in a new toll free NPA. If they decide not to take it then it would be placed back in the pool for general assignment. If they do pick it they don't get the number for free they have to pay for it just like any other toll free number. Many companies have more than one toll free number. For example 800/NXX-XXXX could be the voice number and 888/NXX-XXXX could be the toll free fax line. This couldn't be done for 888 owners as there probably already are 800 numbers that correspond so brand name confusion is implied the moment you accept an 888 number. A hospital in Memphis got swamped with calls asking for Motorola's new cellular phone. When the callers were told they had reached the wrong number they often said, "Couldn't you just sell me the phone?" Turned out Motorola had 888/STAR-TAC and the hospital had the corresponding 800 number. Obviously Motorola has no claim on that 800 number. So they shouldn't be able to claim 877/STAR-TAC, 866, etc ... Just a thought, Eric trumanjs@primenet.com ------------------------------ From: Reggie.Ratcliff@Sciatl.COM Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 10:04:00 EST Subject: Re: Answer Supervision (was Re: 1-800-COMP-USA and Call Wait) I'm curious as how they can get away with playing a message and not giving answer supervision. Maybe the rules have changed, or maybe they don't apply to carriers. Several years back after the FCC's DID answer supervision ruling, we had to start shipping separate versions of our small CO/PBX nationally and internationally. Bill von Alven at the FCC insisted that any part 68 products sold in the US could not give any information other than call progress tones without returning answer supervision, and must not allow the customer to modify them so that they could. (Therefore we couldn't have a secret parameter that our international customers could set, since some of them required no answer supervision on some calls.) ------------------------------ From: Borodin Vladimir Subject: Russian Cellphone User Needs Help Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 07:45:46 +0300 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I have received a half-dozen messages in the past few days from this person and a couple other cellphone users in Russia asking for programming assistance with Motorola cell phones. Most of the messages were similar to the one which follows. I explained to him about shorting the battery on some Motorola phones and I explained that the newest 'EE-3' series from Motorola do it all right from the keypad using FCN 00 ** TESTMODE STO; that is, Function followed by two zeros, two asterisks, the word 'testmode' spelled out on the keypad (83786633) and the Store key. No battery shorting is required. Still, he seems to have more questions, as do others in Russia about their cellphones. Perhaps interested readers will contact Vladimir directly and offer assistance. Now some of the questions from Russia are about Nokia phones. PAT] ------------------- i connect the batarey midlle wire to CEL midlle wire(in standard position it is not contacts) it is codes : 001 054, then 3001111, 992 102.......................... if i push any key it is work like standart commands EXP:if i push #01 or #1 it is C1 or C01. But nothing hepened can you help me. &2 question . mY FREND PRESENT ME BIg cELLULAR "NOKIA TALKMAN" i dont know what can i do with it. on the front side it is an com port like Joistic( .:::::::.) Help please! ------------------------------ From: msb@sq.com (Mark S. Brader) Date: Sat, 22 Mar 97 05:03:26 EST Subject: Re: New Internet Domain Names I've just been catching up on some back issues of comp.dcom.telecom that our defective newsfeed dropped. I was surprised to see that this exchange in volume 17 issue 37 between Greg Monti and Michael Deignan: >> The article notes that 85,000 new domain names are registered per >> month, > 85,000 x 100 = 85,000,000 x 12 = 1,020,000,000 > Hmmm ... Pretty lucrative business the Internic has going, isn't it? attracted no further comment whatever. It certainly is a lucrative business that can attract 85,000 payments of $100 and make the total come out to $85,000,000! Mark Brader SoftQuad Inc. msb@sq.com Toronto ------------------------------ From: Piet van Oostrum Subject: PTT Telecom Netherlands to Build National Internet Date: 23 Mar 1997 16:10:44 +0100 Organization: Universiteit Utrecht, Dept. of Computer Science PTT Telecom Netherlands announced recently that they are going to build a national Internet, accessible by local phone calls for every telephone subscriber. The network will be based on ATM. It will offer basic Internet services, like email for Dfl 5 ($2.50) per month (free for the first 6 months). It will also allow an easy gateway to ISP's for those who want more than the basic package. I suppose you don't have to call a separate phone number for the ISP, because there will be local access points for the whole net. Later they will also offer ADSL service. See: http://www.kpn.com/news/nunu.cgi?_act=show&_db=externuk&_pfmt=uk_standalone&e_id=19970318_1 Piet van Oostrum URL: http://www.cs.ruu.nl/~piet [PGP] ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 09:35:54 -0800 From: Scott Pakiser Reply-To: pakiser@earthlink.net Subject: Fast Busy Signal We had a problem connecting to one long distance number (a "fast busy signal" the carrier called it). We contacted the carrier and they rerouted it within the hour. My question is: Is this a sign that the carrier's network is either too small or unreliable? What exactly is a fast busy signal? It seemed strange that only one number was affected. It is the first time to have a problem with the carrier, but we don't want it to happen again. Scott Pakiser ------------------------------ From: Steve Crow Subject: Re: Call Waiting Caller ID Usability Surprises Date: 23 Mar 1997 02:02:57 GMT Organization: Concentric Internet Services Here's a technical feasable solution. If your local telephone carrier has installed user-accessible NID's (Network Interface Devices) with the test jacks inside, your inside wiring will run out of one of those test jacks. If you can run a section of wire (with the RJ-11/14 connectors) from the test jack inside your house to the CID unit, and another such piece back out to the NID where it will be coupled with the existing wiring, this will allow the unit to handle all those phones. Example (fixed-width font required:) Current config: =================|| ^Telco || Wiring ---------- | || | Test jack>> | ++ | < | | |CID| To phone ctl'd by CID +----------------> | | To other phones New config: in-----out ------|CID|---- =================|| |-------------| ^Telco || || || Wiring -----||--- || | || || | || Test jack>> | ++--| | < Subject: Looking For an 800 Carrier For Canada to US Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 16:59:14 -0500 Organization: Repeat-O-Type Mfg. Corp. Reply-To: mkeen@repeatotype.com Hi, I'm looking for an LD carrier interested in carrying my 800 traffic from Canada to New Jersey. I have no interest in changing carriers for my domestic (US) 800 or outbound traffic. I also am not willing to assign RESP ORG status away from the current domestic carrier or use a separate 800 number for Canadian origin calls. I am currently paying 53 cents/minute for these calls which is unreasonable, but I've had a hard time finding a cheaper carrier willing to meet my needs. I bill between $75 and $200 monthly on these calls (at 53 cents). If someone is interested in the business, please email me. Oh, one other thing ... I cannot use MCI or Westinghouse or a reseller of MCI or Westinghouse, because these carriers handle the domestic traffic and it would be impossible to split the billing between my current domestic reseller and any potential new carrier. Sincerely, Michael Keen mkeen@repeatotype.com ======================================================= Repeat-O-Type Mfg. Corp. Phone: (201) 696-3330 665 State Highway 23 Fax: (201) 694-7287 Wayne, NJ 07470-6892 http://www.repeatotype.com ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 10:33:12 -0600 From: Mark J. Cuccia Subject: Last Laugh! NC's New NPA's and Mayberry With the recent news in TELECOM Digest regarding the proposed new area codes for North Carolina, does anyone know what area code Mayberry is in? And whatever area code they are in right now, will they be part of the area splitting off to a new area code? BTW, did Mayberry ever get dial telephones? Throughout the entire eight year run of "The Andy Griffith Show" (CBS-TV, 1960-68) and the three year run of its sequel "Mayberry RFD" (CBS-TV, 1968-71), the town of Mayberry was served strictly by a (common-battery) manual exchange. I have the Andy Griffith 'Mayberry reunion' special which aired in 1985 on videotape, but haven't viewed it lately to see if there were dial telephones in Mayberry by 1985. The telephone operator in the Mayberry manual exchange always seemed to have been a never-seen-nor-heard lady named "Sarah". And she seemed to work that switchboard round-the-clock, 24-hours a day, seven-days a week. "Sarah" sure seemed to get around, as the same name was used for the telephone operator for the towns of Hooterville and Pixley (in a never mentioned state), in "Petticoat Junction" (CBS-TV, 1963-70) and its spin-off "Green Acres" (CBS-TV, 1965-71). BTW, "The Beverly Hillbillies" (CBS-TV, 1962-71) had some 'interlocking' episodes with "Petticoat Junction" and "Green Acres". I remember a "Beverly Hillbillies" episode where Granny wanted Pacific (Bell) Telephone & Telegraph to install a party line on a _magneto_ manual exchange for the her and the Clampetts, but was told that all telephones in Beverly Hills were dial, and _absolutely_nobody_ had a party line there neither! Granny wanted to crank up her phone and then lift the receiver to say "Hello, Central!", and she also wanted to 'snoop' on Mrs. Drysdale and the other neighbors! And who can forget the continuing problems that Oliver and Lisa Douglas had with the Hooterville Telephone Company on "Green Acres" (the only working phone being at the top of a pole outside their bedroom window), and Oliver's complaints to the state regulatory agency, which culminated in his actually becoming the _owner_and_operator_ of this broken down magneto rural independent telco! In one episode, Oliver was upset when his tractor broke down, and he couldn't get a call through to the tractor's manufacturing company in Fargo ND, because the Hooterville operator didn't have a 'Fargo-hole' on her switchboard! MARK_J._CUCCIA__PHONE/WRITE/WIRE/CABLE:__HOME:__(USA)__Tel:_CHestnut_1-2497 WORK:_mcuccia@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu_|4710_Wright_Road|__(+1-504-241-2497) Tel:UNiversity_5-5954(+1-504-865-5954)|New_Orleans_28__|fwds_on_no-answr_to Fax:UNiversity_5-5917(+1-504-865-5917)|Louisiana(70128)|_cellular/voicemail ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Mar 97 11:44:52 EST From: Carl Moore Subject: Re: Last Laugh! NC's New NPA's and Mayberry I looked up a 1994 zipcode directory and believe it or not, I find Mayberry Rfd, station of Mount Airy. Mount Airy is zipcode 27030, with its PO in Surry Co. So try area code 910 for it right now. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 23 Mar 1997 12:01:00 -0500 From: goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau) Subject: Re: Last Laugh! NC's New NPA's and Mayberry > I looked up a 1994 zipcode directory and believe it or not, I find > Mayberry Rfd, station of Mount Airy. > Mount Airy is zipcode 27030, with its PO in Surry Co. > So try area code 910 for it right now. Mount Airy is in fact that town upon which Andy Griffith admits he based the fictional Mayberry. Frances Bavier, the actress who played "Aunt Bea" retired to Mount Airy in the 1970s and died there a few years ago. The town has a minor tourist industry based on its Mayberry identity, so I'm not at all surprised if this has resulted in a postal route using that name. Bob Goudreau Data General Corporation goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com 62 Alexander Drive +1 919 248 6231 Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V17 #73 *****************************