TELECOM Digest Fri, 1 Apr 94 10:32:00 CST Volume 14 : Issue 157 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson April NPA Report (David Esan) Mexican Audiotext ("Dial 900") (wright@LAA.COM) 911 Chatline (Richard Baum) Extended 911 and Cellular Phones (Dan Leifker) Is 800 Really Portable Yet? (Dave Leibold) 900 and Other Premium Numbers (was Pager Scam) (Atri Indiresan) 976, 540 Services (John R. Levine) AccessLine and 700 Service Information Wanted (Marita Anne O'Brien) USRobotics Email Address Wanted (Ralph Spitzner) Ethernet via Cable TV (John Biederstedt) STAR*Telecom Dialback Experiences Wanted (Daniel Winkowski) Getting Wired: Leased Line vs. Dial-up For 14.4kps Data Comm (P. Rukavina) Satellite/Mobile Data Applications (Carl Silva) Voice and Data Simultaneously Over Modem? (Tom W. Tomlinson) FAX Mailbox Services (Lars Nohling) New Area Codes List Wanted (David Winters) 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 GEnie. Subscriptions are available at no charge to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * 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: ptownson@townson.com. ** Article submission address only: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu ** Our archives are located at lcs.mit.edu and are available by using anonymous ftp. The archives can also be accessed using our email information service. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. TELECOM Digest is gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom. It has no connection with the unmoderated Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom.tech whose mailing list "Telecom-Tech Digest" shares archives resources at lcs.mit.edu for the convenience of users. Please *DO NOT* cross post articles between the groups. 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: de@moscom.com (David Esan) Subject: April NPA Report Date: 31 Mar 94 20:24:00 GMT Organization: Moscom Corporation, Pittsford NY This is my quarterly report on the number of exchanges in each NPA in the NANP. It is derived from information in FCC #10. This is article #13 in the series. FCC #10 is a tariff issued by BellCore that contains all the area codes, exchange combinations in the North American Numbering Plan (NANP). It also contains lata information and V&H coordinate information. There is a lot of additional information that I don't use, so I won't add here. It is available through a number of sources. The one closest to the FCC is ITS, which can be contacted at 202-857-3800. My company compiles this information for use in its products and does not seem to be interested in selling this information. Queries are still flowing through the bureaucracy. I have used pages that are effective prior to April 21, 1994. I am not responsible for the information supplied in FCC #10. I have not included the following in my counts of exchanges: - NXX's that are not dialable by a standard user (ie nxx's that begin with a 1 or 0). - Mexican exchanges in the 52? series of area codes. I've got them, you can dial them with 011, but they're not really NPAs. - Exchanges that are non-dialable in the 88? series of area codes. I've got those also, but you can't dial them, so I'm not including them. Numbers that begin with 88 are nondialable stations in the US, Canada and Mexico. They are ranches in the middle of the Nevada or Texas desert, or isolated outpost of civilization (always wanted to use that phrase) in the tundra of Canada. I find place names like the Bar J Ranch, Double B Ranch, and JD Dye, Texas, Amargosa, Corncreek and Reese Valley, NV, and Chick Lake, Redknife and Taglu, NT. I gather they are ringdown stations, or radio-telephone stations. [It has been noted in c.d.t. that at least two of these numbers are for a bordello on the NV-CA border.] The fields are: ------------ rank last in January, 1994 213: 736 (1, 7) area code --^^^ ^^^ ^------- number of new exchanges |-------------- total number of exchanges 919: 731 ( 1, 8) 206: 699 ( 6, 17) 212: 638 (11, 0) 813: 615 (19, 13) 313: 731 ( 2, 9) 708: 696 ( 8, 11) 303: 625 (17, 24) 803: 609 (15, 7) 205: 729 ( 3, 13) 602: 691 ( 7, 15) 403: 619 (13, 2) 503: 608 (18, 11) 215: 710 ( 5, 14) 713: 670 ( 9, 7) 615: 617 (16, 16) 216: 606 (14, 2) 416: 707 ( 4, 8) 703: 655 (10, 10) 604: 617 (12, 0) 404: 601 (20, 11) 1. 919 - split is in progress. Number should be reduced by split. 2. 313 - split is in progress. Number should be reduced by split. 3. 205 - split is planned. Number should be reduced by split. 4. 215 - split is in progress. Number should be reduced by split. 5. 416 - split is in progress. Number should be reduced by split. 6. 206 - split is planned. Number should be reduced by split. 7. 708 - split is planned. Number should be reduced by split. 8. 602 - split is planned. Number should be reduced by split. 9. 713 - split is planned. Number should be reduced by split. Note: The Los Angeles Area (213/818/310) area will receive an overlay area code. While none of these NPAs are in the top 20 (they are 64/47/32), this is an area of rapid telephone growth. -> The NPA that is largest and is not splitting nor has plans, at this time, to split, is 703. -> The 3 smallest NPA's were 302, 906, 807. They are now: 302: 134 - Delaware (+2 exchanges) 906: 117 - Michigan's Upper Peninsula (no change) 807: 107 - Western Ontario (+1 exchange) -> The NPAs with the greatest growth rates are: NPA % growth 512 4.91 917 4.76 417 4.21 310 4.02 303 3.99 617 3.91 813 3.89 719 3.80 610 3.79 213 3.63 -> The 10 NPAs with the least growth rates are: NPA % growth 806 -.76 718 -.39 212 0 217 0 309 0 410 0 418 0 506 0 515 0 519 0 Just for grins: The most used NXX (not counting 555) is 754 used in 118 npas. The least used are: 211 and 311 used only in 212, 900 used in 213, 950 used only in 716 (my NPA), and 959 used only in 808. All the NPAs and the number of nxx's in each are listed below: 919: 731 214: 595 201: 472 213: 400 912: 360 819: 317 709: 264 313: 731 612: 592 412: 466 316: 396 810: 359 918: 310 509: 263 205: 729 314: 588 913: 460 704: 392 519: 359 613: 309 806: 261 215: 710 809: 577 306: 458 219: 390 204: 358 909: 308 608: 260 416: 707 501: 575 818: 455 910: 385 207: 357 706: 308 603: 251 206: 699 203: 573 407: 454 801: 383 304: 351 218: 303 901: 250 708: 696 904: 571 210: 454 914: 382 419: 347 610: 301 417: 223 602: 691 619: 562 617: 452 406: 382 319: 346 808: 300 308: 217 713: 670 817: 550 614: 452 504: 380 618: 345 202: 299 707: 206 703: 655 405: 546 415: 443 502: 380 517: 344 606: 292 719: 191 212: 638 310: 544 410: 441 908: 376 505: 343 903: 291 506: 186 303: 625 804: 542 515: 440 301: 376 702: 337 712: 289 802: 183 403: 619 717: 525 601: 439 510: 375 805: 335 812: 288 307: 182 615: 617 312: 521 402: 428 217: 375 915: 324 518: 281 607: 180 604: 617 414: 517 714: 426 418: 370 409: 323 507: 281 917: 176 813: 615 514: 510 516: 426 701: 367 815: 322 902: 279 401: 149 803: 609 718: 506 508: 419 408: 366 715: 321 705: 275 413: 136 503: 608 816: 496 716: 415 605: 365 208: 320 315: 273 302: 136 216: 606 513: 488 907: 414 318: 364 609: 319 814: 271 906: 117 404: 601 317: 486 616: 410 512: 363 905: 318 309: 268 807: 107 305: 596 916: 475 209: 402 David Esan de@moscom.com ------------------------------ From: wright@LAA.COM Subject: Mexican Audiotext ("Dial 900") Date: 1 Apr 1994 14:38:06 GMT Organization: Lynn-Arthur Associates, Ann Arbor, MI Reply-To: wright@LAA.COM Telefonos de Mexico is offering an audio text product much like our dial 900 services in the U.S. It is dialed within Mexico by dialing 91-801 xxxxx. The cost is whatever specific service cost associated with the dialed phone number plus the cost from the caller to Mexico City. If your business in Mexico has not prohibited calls from your PBX, you should consider blocking this number. As in the U.S., your business/hotel/etc. cannot reliably determine the cost of a call before you are billed by Telmex. As a result, you are likely to be out some money. We provide businesses in Mexico with call pricing data and call rating software. Our software will rate calls from any place in Mexico to anyplace in the world. We cover local, national, and international calling using a full V&H database. We can also provide Mexican private rating data for those who need it. Carl A. Wright Lynn-Arthur Associates, Inc. +1 313 995 5590 wright@laa.com Operations Support Systems +1 313 995 5989 (fax) 2350 Green Road Suite 160 Ann Arbor, MI, 48105 USA ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 1 Apr 1994 09:01:56 -0500 From: Richard Baum Subject: 911 Chatline New service to pay for cost of enhanced 911 Date: Fri, 1 APR 94 8:20:19 EST NEW YORK (AP) -- Century Communications announced today plans for an exciting new 900 service, with profits to go to help defray the cost of installing and maintaining enhanced 911 service across the country. Called, 'The 911 Chatline,' it allows callers to choose an area of the country, and to listen to 911 emergency calls from it. When asked what prompted this unusual foray into the 900 business, Century spokeswoman Fawn Lebowitz said, "In recent years we've seen a dramatic increase in the popularity of reality-based television shows. The 911 Chatline allows callers to experience real-life drama while it is going on, all from the comfort of their own home." While listening to the emergency calls going through, callers to the Chatline have a number of options. They can listen to just the 911 calls for the area they select, switch their call to a different area, or, probably the most interesting option, connect their call to the '911 Chatline' to discuss the details of the emergencies with each other as they happen, and before the police have even arrived! Thanks to new voice recognition software from AT&T, callers do not even need a touch tone telephone in order to use the service. They can choose which 911 center to listen to simply by saying the area code and city that they are interested in listening to calls from. Calls are directed to the 911 center nearest this location. As 911 centers sign up to recieve their share of the profits, they are connected to the Chatline network. Century says it has already wired up over 50 centers, and that it has coverage in most major metropolitan areas. They plan to have the whole nation wired by April, 1995. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Probably by April 1, 1995 ... Readers, take care and think it over before writing me in response to this one. I guess by now everyone has heard about the infamous magazine article this past week which talked about new FCC regulations which '...ban speeding on on the Information Highway or driving on it while under the influence of drugs or intoxicating liquors ... and which ban any discussion of sexual matters using networks connected to the Information Highway ...' A reference number was given and there have actually been a large number of angry calls to Senators and others in Washington, DC. April 1 always brings these things to the net. PAT] ------------------------------ From: dleifker@mitre.org (Dan Leifker) Subject: Extended 911 and Cellular Phones Date: 1 Apr 1994 13:51:56 GMT Organization: self A twist to a recent thread on 911 over cellular phones... I am trying to gather information on the use of so-called "extended" 911 over cellular phones (e.g., the 911 provider can automatically zero in and locate the caller's location). This is relatively straightforward for fixed-address phone numbers, but with nomadic telephony it becomes more complicated. What is the state of the art in this area? Can anyone point me to resources that might discuss the technical, legal, and management aspects of this problem? Random thoughts and musings would also be appreciated. Thanks. Dan Leifker dleifker@mitre.org ------------------------------ From: Dave.Leibold@f730.n250.z1.fidonet.org (Dave Leibold) Date: 31 Mar 94 00:38:40 -0500 Subject: Is 800 ReallP portablY yet? Organization: FidoNet I just received a "New Releases" flyer from Bellcore, and one of the publications listed was a "Special Access Codes 800/900 NXX Assignments" (SR-OPT-001843) dated Dec. 1993. For USD$40, one can get the NXX assignments for 800 and 900 special access codes in North America. The thing is, there was supposed to be a cutover to "portable" 800 service last year which rendered the idea of 800 NXX assignments to carriers meaningless. Canada should also have 800 portability by now (as of January from my latest news). Does this mean there are still some carrier NXX assignments for 800, or at least 900 service? Tangent: a recent ad for a company just outside Toronto listed its regular number as (905) 819.wxyz while its toll-free number was (800) 819.wxyz, the seven digit components being identical. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: After portability started, I do not think all the numbers were just tossed in a big pot for everyone to pick from. I think they were left with the carriers which had them all along but the earlier prohibition against moving them was dropped. If you, for example, want a certain 800 number and it is found to be inactive and available, you go to your carrier of choice and ask for it. They in turn check the database and find that the number is in the custody of carrier X, where it always had been prior to portability. Your carrier has to then go to carrier X and ask to have the number released to them, and carrier X cannot frivilously refuse to comply. Now if you have existing service with carrier X and you want to move it to another company, then you have to sign a standard form all the carriers seem to be using which authorizes the change. And it must be properly filled out. AT&T for one has been very stubborn about cooperating with portability. Whenever the form is sent to them, they always refuse to accept it the first (and usually second or third) time around, claiming it has been filled out incorrectly. They claim they can only work with the signature of the president of the corporation, for example, even if he has nothing to do with the phone service at all. Then they challenge the signature and claim it must have been signed by someone else fraudulently; etc. The carrier losing the account is given 72 hours after each time the form reaches them to challenge it, contact the customer themselves and eventually give over the number or refuse to do so (without additional 'verification'). In summary, if you try to get a *working* 800 number away from AT&T, it is not easy. When it comes to 'good' numbers (i.e. they spell words or end in x000 or some other desirable combination) which are idle from AT&T, then AT&T always claims the number is 'reserved' for a pending customer. They never can produce the name of the so-called customer of course, and although reservations are theoretically only good for sixty days (at which point a carrier has to make it available without further hassles) AT&T keeps on renewing the reservations on the numbers they want. Protest all you like, it does not matter. The big three carriers seems to have an unwritten rule which says you keep out of our pool of 'good' numbers, and we won't raid your pool of 'good' numbers where idle numbers are concerned. That is, if you as a potential customer see that a number is idle and ask your carrier for it, chances are likely they will try hard to avoid bucking AT&T to get it ... of course as an existing customer you can change your 800 away to wherever you want -- they can't give you any bull about the number 'is not available, it is reserved by another customer' -- but AT&T will insist that the president of your company sign off on it and even then they will stall. So although portability is the law, it will only work as it should when the FCC orders all the carriers to start responding promptly to customer requests for numbers which 'belong' to other carriers and to quit reserving numbers for customers who do not exist in order to hang on to desirable numbers. PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: 900 and Other Premium Numbers (was Pager Scam) Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 14:20:25 -0500 From: Atri Indiresan I thought that when you called a premium number, by law, it was required to have a recording that told you what the service cost, and gave you thee seconds to hang up to avoid invoking any charges? I remember reading this a long time ago, and it was the case on the one occasion I had to call a 900 number. Does this rule apply only to 900 numbers, and not to local premium services? Or is it voluntary and only more "respectable" services follow the rule? It seems to me that if this were applied to all numbers to which anything but the normal toll charges applied, all such scams would collapse. As an aside, 900 numbers get a lot of publicity, and most people know that they are expensive to call. Until I started reading the Telecom digest, I was not aware of the existence of 976/540 or any other kinds of premium numbers. Offhand, I cannot recall seeing a single advertisement for local premium services, but anyone who has ever watched late night TV cannot help being aware that 900 calls are rather expensive. Atri ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 19:04 EST From: johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) Subject: 976, 540 Services Organization: I.E.C.C., Cambridge, Mass. Is there anywhere a list of surcharged prefixes in the U.S.? In most places 976 is used for non-porn announcements, but the list of other surcharged prefixes seems to be large, growing, and largely undocumented. Here in eastern Mass, for example, the prefixes (valid in both 617 and 508) are: 550 - live chat lines 554 - live porn 920 - business info 940 - recorded porn 976 - recorded general info You have to ask in writing to get calls to 554 and 940 turned on. I am astonished at the report that Sprint billed the surcharge for a 212-540 number. Has anyone else ever had this happen? Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, jlevine@delphi.com, 1037498@mcimail.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 19:37:39 MST From: O BRIEN MARITA ANNE Subject: AccessLine and 700 Service Information Wanted Does anyone have any experience with AccessLine service or know how popular this service is? AccessLine is a personal communications services offered via landline telephone service through local telephone companies (US West, Ameritech, BT, etc). It allows you to set up one number access with a personal service profile that will forward calls where you want, allow prioritization of forwarded calls via voice prompts, interaction with independent fax or email systems for paging, etc. This seems similar to the AT&T 700 Easy Reach Service introduced a couple of years ago, but I can't find any information about how useful these products are and how much they're selling. Thanks in advance, Marita ------------------------------ From: rasp@cj.in-berlin.de (Ralph Spitzner) Subject: USRobotics Email Address Wanted Organization: Christof Junge, Berlin Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 18:39:58 GMT Subject says it all. Any tips appreciated. rasp@cj.in-berlin.de [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I don't know about their email address, but their physical presence is here in Skokie just several blocks down the street from me on McCormick Blvd. I ride past their office on the bus when going to Chicago. PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: Ethernet via Cable TV From: John@msus1.msus.edu (John Biederstedt) Date: 31 Mar 94 16:01:28 -0500 Organization: The Electronmeister Is there a product that runs Ethernet (10mbps) over 75 ohm cable? I thought I had heard of such a product once. John Biederstedt Mankato State University Mankato, MN 56002 44d 8'N 93d 59'W El.1000' ------------------------------ From: winkowsk@stc.nato.int (Daniel Winkowski) Subject: STAR*Telecom Dialback Experiences? Organization: SHAPE Technical Centre, NL Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 13:04:16 GMT I saw an ad in the {International Herald Tribune} for a US dialback service provider called STAR*Telecom. From their response to my fax they state very good rates with no enrollment fee, monthly charge, or access costs. They also have a travel phone card for those on the move. Sample rates from Europe are: Netherlands to USA $0.40/minute Austria to USA $0.34/minute UK to USA $0.29/minute This seems almost too good to be true. Does anyone have experience with this company or dialback companies in general? Their phone number is (France) +33 1 39 28 00 19 (phone/fax) US +1 305 386 5343 (6352 fax) If anyone happens to call the Miami Better Business Bureau I would be interested in their record :-) Daniel Winkowski Voice: +31 70 314 2255 SHAPE Technical Center Fax: +31 70 314 2111 P.O. Box 174 winkowsk@stc.nato.int ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 16:11:12 AST From: Peter L. Rukavina Subject: Getting Wired: Leased Line vs. Dial-up For 14.4kps Data Comm Our small non-profit organization is trying to become an Internet service provider with a budget of ~$20,000 which demands that we do everything that we do on the cheap. Our plans are to connect our Linux-based PC to our local Internet service provider, which is using rack-mounted USR Courier v.32bis modems. I'm trying to figure out the best way of doing this given two options: (1) We get a regular POTS line installed, ($40/month, $60 for the installation), buy a relatively cheap 14.4kbps modem (~$300) and have our service provider dedicate a dial-up line to our exclusive use. (2) We get a leased data line (the phone company calls this an LDDS circuit, $32/month, $180 for the installation) installed and buy a more expensive but leased-line capable 14.4kbps modem (~$900) and connect directly. The first option works out to a cost of $840 for the year, the second option $1284 for the year, a not-insignificant difference. I do not know enough about high-speed modems and leased lines to be able to evaluate the two options technically, nor do I know enough about the telephone system to know if I'm missing a third [or fourth] option that would be a better route to follow. I would very much appreciate any advice in this regard. I am Peter Rukavina at the PEI Crafts Council, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada Telephone at work (902) 566-1584, fax (902) 628-8740, at home (902) 368-2871 Electronic mail to peter@crafts-council.pe.ca or rukavina@peinet.pe.ca ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 14:19:20 PST From: Carl Silva Subject: Satellite/Mobile Data Applications I am currently investigating what companies provide applications for mobile data/satellite networks such as remote data collection, fleet management, stolen car tracking, etc. Does anyone know of companies which provide these kinds of applications or would be interested in providing these kinds of applications? Carl ------------------------------ From: twt@mindlink.bc.ca (Tom W. Tomlinson) Subject: Voice and Data Simultaneously Over Modem? Date: 31 Mar 94 16:17:21 GMT Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada Hi, I have read in recent articles in computer magazines about two different schemes which allow SIMULTANEOUS duplex voice and data transmission using high speed modems. Voice is severely compressed and then multiplexed with the normal modem data. For example, a user could be connected to an online service and type away while simultaneously talking voice to support staff. Does anyone have ANY info about the above? It is a software standard which can be used with standard modems. Direct replies by E-mail appreciated. Thanks, Thomas W Tomlinson aka Tom, Hylas, Deep Purple Vancouver, BC, Canada twt@mindlink.bc.ca ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 12:34 EST From: Lars Nohling Subject: FAX Mailbox Services Does anyone have any info on companies that provide a FAXMAIL service? What I am looking for is a FAX Number I can give out that receives faxes and then allows me to retrieve them from any fax machine by dialing up my code. Lnohling@mcimail.com ------------------------------ From: davidw@bga.com (David Winters) Subject: New Area Codes List Date: 1 Apr 1994 04:23:57 GMT Organization: Real/Time Communications - Bob Gustwick and Associates There has been much talk as of late on the new area codes in the Los Angeles region and elsewhere. I haven't seen any comprehensive list of announced area codes to be implemented in the future. In particular, I believe that I read somewhere that there will be a second (third if you count outlying metro) area code for the Houston area (pagers and cellular). However, I've not seen a posting on this subject. Does anyone have a comprehensive list of thus far announced codes including Houston? Thanks, David Winters | davidw@bga.com [preferred e-mail address] Austin, Texas | CIS: 73510.2404@compuserve.com | AOL: davidwi@aol.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Our two resident area code experts here are David Leibold and Carl Moore. There are various archives files on the subject of area codes, and these guys generally update them from time to time. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #157 ****************************** -------------------------------------------------------------------------------