TELECOM Digest Wed, 6 Apr 94 14:31:00 CDT Volume 14 : Issue 165 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson ATM in the Government Sector II (Michael R. Brown) Beacon Initiative (Dave Sellers) PacBell Billing For AT&T - Constant Problems (Laurence Chiu) Meridian Mail Problem (rah@connectinc.com) Help Needed With Phone Wiring (Simon Shaw) Intrastate LD Rates (Todd Inch) Voice Mail System Log-Off (Stephen Polinsky) Toshiba Strata III Documentation (omniplex@access.digex.com) Re: Getting Wired: Leased Line vs. Dial-up For 14.4kps Data Comm (L Reeves) Re: Question About MIN and ESN (Jay Hennigan) Re: Cellular Roaming Charges (John R. Levine) Re: Ethernet via Cable TV (Jerry Yost) 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: Michael R. Brown Subject: ATM in the Government Sector II Date: 6 Apr 1994 13:33:33 GMT Organization: The MITRE Corporation ATM Networking in the Government Sector The MITRE Corporation and the ATM Forum are pleased to announce their second annual workshop on ATM networking in the government sector, to be held on 26 April 1993 in McLean, VA. The focus of this workshop is on the government's need for broadband network technology and services, and industry's plans for to meet these needs over the next five to ten years. Senior representatives from the Government and Industry will discuss a wide range of issues including requirements, technology developments, early (ATM) trial results, and product and service plans. Workshop sessions include: Keynote Speakers Rep. Rick Boucher Chair, House Subcommittee on Science Mr. Donald Teague,Jr. VP and GM, Sprint Government Systems ATM Networking Standards Mr. Irfan Ali VP, ATM Forum Mr. Richard Vickers Manager, Northern Telecom ATM Networking - Early Experiences Mr. Dan McAuliffe Director, Telecom Division, Rome Labs Ms. Chris Caldwell National Information Infrastructure Testbed Mr. Kwok Li Director, Product Development, WilTel Federal and State Government Requirements Dr. John Okay Director, Information Resource Mgt, US Army Dr. Howard Frank Director, ARPA/DISA AITS-JPO Pat Jackson Director, Council on Information Mgt, VA Mr. Nick Giordano Assisstant Director, Bureau of ATM, PA Vendor and Carrier Plans Dr. Mohan Kinra Director, Apex Marketing, General Datacom Mr. Bob Halligan VP & GM, Government Systems Division Mr. Tony D'Agata VP, Military, Bell Atlantic Federal Systems Mr. William Clark Director, Advanced Technologies, Cabletron In addition to these sessions, vendor demonstrations will be conducted throughout the workshop. Given the continued interest in related initiatives such as NREN, NII, and Global Grid, this workshop offers a unique opportunity for government and industry officials to discuss potential applications of this enabling technology. Because of the desire to facilitate one-on-one discussions between government and industry officials, non-government representatives will be admitted on a limited basis. The workshop will be held at : The MITRE Corporation Hayes Auditorium 7525 Colshire Drive McLean, VA 22102 For registration information contact: Ms. Holly Robbins hrobbins@mitre.org 703.883.5890 703.883.5914 (FAX) Michael R. Brown mrb@mitre.org Advanced Telecommunications Group 617.271.7390 The MITRE Corporation 617.271.7231 (FAX) S B280 Burlington Road Bedford, MA 01730 ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 5 Apr 94 15:42:49 EDT From: sellers@on.bell.ca (Dave Sellers) Subject: Beacon Initiative THE FOLLOWING NEWS RELEASE WAS ISSUED BY STENTOR APRIL 5, 1994 NR-94-E04 Stentor Companies Address Canada's Telecommunications Future Through The Beacon Initiative (TORONTO -- April 5, 1994) -- In a coast to coast broadcast today, Stentor telecommunications companies announced a joint initiative to bring the Information Highway to all Canadians. The companies will pool their resources to upgrade their local, regional and national networks to provide multimedia services into homes, offices, hospitals and schools across the country. Under the banner of the The Beacon Initiative , the Stentor companies outlined their plans and rationale to help bring the Information Highway to Canadian businesses and consumers. The central theme of the initiative is an open, collaborative effort with all interested players to bring enhanced interactive, data, image and video services to Canadians. The activities announced represent a major commitment to the future of Canada, investment in Canada's economic infrastructure, and improvement in the quality of life of Canadians. The Stentor companies have come together in a world first -- the delivery of a broadband network from the Pacific to the Atlantic. While many players have talked about the Information Highway, this initiative brings it into being. The joint activities include: - an $8 billion upgrade of the local telephone networks over 10 years to provide broadband capability for multimedia; - a $500 million enhancement program over six years to provide seamless national connectivity; - creation of a new company to supply multimedia services and applications; and - initiation of a venture capital fund -- possibly to reach $50 million -- to assist companies developing multimedia applications and products for the Information Highway. Host of the Toronto event, Brian Canfield, Chairman and CEO of BC TELECOM and Chairman of the Stentor Alliance Council of CEOs, said the Information Highway is a tool that will assist Canadians as they build a stronger economy and ever more modern society. It will be part of a network of networks connecting Canadians, he said. It will make communications faster and easier for Canadians. Mr. Canfield also outlined the impact this initiative will have on the Canadian economy. Our sector creates more employment growth than any other, he said. The types of jobs created are knowledge workers who are the fuel in the engine of our economic growth and increasing global competi- tiveness. He also noted that a strong telecommunications infrastructure has a direct relationship with a country's indust- rial competitiveness, economic development and social well-being. Ivan Duvar, CEO of MT&T, said the local upgrade program alone would fund 12,000 jobs nationally over a ten year period. Mr. Duvar also made a strong commitment to the universality of the Information Highway. We are committed to offering an Information Highway which is accessible and affordable for all Canadians -- in keeping with our tradition of innovation and service, he said. John McLennan, President and CEO of Bell Canada, outlined how the Stentor companies would capitalize on their long- standing cooperation to manage the necessary upgrades to their regional and national networks to provide seamless national connectivity. Mr. McLennan also announced a commitment to ensure Canada's educational, health care and cultural institutions have access to the Information Highway and the benefits it will deliver. As part of The Beacon Initiative each Stentor company will work together with the organiza- tions and institutions in their regions to deliver the desired multimedia capabilities in an affordable manner. Completing the full solution provided by The Beacon Initiative was the announcement of a new multimedia company, currently called MMI. Customers expect that multimedia will allow them to set up a desktop video conference, dial up a movie from their living room, exchange video messages with friends and colleagues, or browse through a far off database for visual information all as simply as placing a telephone call across town, said Mr. Neuman, President and CEO of WorldLinx, a Stentor company. MMI will become involved in all areas of the multimedia business, he said, including content and service acquisition and development, conversion of information to digital format, and distribution coordination of multimedia controllers and business software. MMI will also work closely with the appropriate agencies to ensure that privacy and security concerns are addressed. Stentor, an alliance of Canada's major telephone companies, provides customers uniform, leading-edge products and services and service excellence across Canada and internationally. The nine owner companies are: BC TEL, AGT Limited, SaskTel, Manitoba Telephone System, Bell Canada, NBTel, Maritime Tel & Tel, Island Telephone and Newfoundland Telephone. For further information, For interviews with our please contact: national spokespersons, please contact: Don Doucette Maureen MacDonald Stentor Communications Stentor Communications work: (613) 781-9223 on Apr. 5 (416) 585-3588 after Apr. 8 (613) 781-3495 after Apr. 5 (613) 781-9232 home: (613) 744-6025 ------------------------------ From: lchiu@crl.com (Laurence Chiu) Subject: PacBell Billing For AT&T - Constant Problems Date: 5 Apr 1994 17:47:51 -0700 Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access Has anybody else noticed this? For the past six months each time I get my phone bill from PacBell I have go through the AT&T portion very carefully to see if I have been billed correctly. And it has been wrong every time, sometimes up to $40. This is mainly due to applying the wrong rate for calls (mostly international). AT&T have been very gracious every time I call them about this and always work out the discrepancy and send forward a credit. Finally I decided to ask the customer rep what the problem was. He sighed and said they always had problems with PacBell -- in fact this past month because of some software foulup, they viz. PB) screwed up 250,000 customer's bills! Now if only AT&T could bill directly as MCI do (I get direct MCI billing because I use them via 10222 for international calls occasionally) then this problem would not occur. Laurence Chiu Walnut Creek, California Tel: 510-215-3730 (work) Internet: lchiu@crl.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 5 Apr 94 14:50:56 -0700 From: rah@connectinc.com Subject: Meridian Mail Problem Paul, Steve; Thank you both for your help! I have to apologize for not getting back to both of you sooner. but with end-of-quarter work to do I haven't had time to look at the switch until today. Of course our system went down briefly over the weekend and that gave me a bit more incentive... :-) Your suggestions were remarkable similar -- great minds must think alike. 1) I changed the TODC to a Message Service. Much to my surprise, the system accepted it. Unfortunately, it did not solve the problem. As a result of this experiment however, I realized that I *needed* an emergency TODC instead of a Message Service since I wanted the voice response to be different during different time periods. During the day I want key three to go to Customer Service, during Evenings, Weekends, and Holidays I want it to go to voicemail. No problem, I can deal with that. 2) During our latest emergency, I set the evening message service in TODC 1000 to 1004 (the emergency message). This worked! now the 408 NPA and the 800 NPA (on TODC 2000) both had the emergency message. This was useful, but not a long term solution because I can not do this with Remote Activation -- only from the console. However, This told me that there must be (as you both suggested) TWO DNs associated with the TODC 1000. 3) I looked in the "DN to Services" table and, sure enough, DN 520 *AND* DN zero were both set to TODC 1000. If I use Remote Activation to change both of those to TODC 2000 during an emergency, the system should work as planned. I haven't tested this yet, But I'm sure it will work :-) :-) I am a happy camper ... ------ Now, the mystery of the Holiday during working hours prompt! While fiddling around with the system, I discovered that someone (not me :-) had recorded a holiday message in the place of the menu choices prompt for Message Service 1001 (business days). Normally, we only have a greeting prompt recorded for any Message Service. Somehow, in some mysterious way, the Menu Choices prompt was being played for the edification of the occasional customer. I still don't know when or why a Menu Choices prompt is played instead of the Greeting prompt. However, I re-recorded the Menu Choices prompt to be the same as the Greeting Prompt and this seems to have solved the problem. Intuitively, this seems to be wrong. I think I should just erase the Menu Choices prompt ... So, thank you both very much! I will post a summary to comp.dcom.telecom as I promised. Regards, Rick rah@netcom.com rah@connectinc.com ------------------------------ From: mmine@yarrow.wt.uwa.edu.au (Micromine) Subject: Help Needed With Phone Wiring Date: 5 Apr 1994 04:00:58 GMT Organization: The University of Western Australia I am after a circuit to allow someone to put a caller "on hold" and play CD music to them down the line. To purchase such a beast here costs over $200 Australian ... Anyway, the line plug is like this: 0V --------- (Green wire) (Maybe black??? ?V --------- (yellow) ----+ | ----+ NC --------- NC --------- 48V --------- Red wire. ?V --------- Not too sure if colours are correct, (we have our own system at work so I can't check). Basically, an on/off button for the hold function and a circuit showing how to connect the CD player to the line is required. Anybody have answers? Private mail to me can be sent to the addresses below or post this group. Thanks, Simon Shaw Please finger mmine@yarrow.wt.uwa.edu.au for further company information. Micromine Pty. Ltd. Exploration and Mining Software [PHONE] +61 9 389-8722 [FAX] +61 9 386-7462 [BBS] +61 9 389-8317 ------------------------------ From: Todd Inch Subject: Intrastate LD Rates Date: Tue, 29 Mar 1994 09:19:21 PST TELECOM Moderator said: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Intrastate rates are peculiar things, > aren't they? Very odd in how they are calculated, a very much left > to the whims of the state PUCs, which frequently are nothing more > than tools of the local Bell company. If you can figure this out Bob, > an article here in the Digest would be welcome. PAT] Indeed. The biggest chunk of my phone bill is to my inlaws across the state. Intrastate is almost always the exception to the calling plan discounts -- I wish Idaho would annex Spokane. In a recent mailing from MCI, they promise savings over AT&T's interstate rates on "all calls all the time". One rep on the phone actually said yes, they'd beat AT&T's interstate rates on intrastate calls. I may have to take them up on it. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 06 Apr 1994 13:52:00 EDT From: Stephen Polinsky Subject: Voice Mail System Log-Off Our local users are on a Northern Telecom Digital Centrex [DMS-100], and thus we use five-digit dialing to access our voice mail. The Centrex trunks terminating on our VMX 300 are in what Northern calls a UCD group [Uniform Call Distribution]. This allows incoming calls to sort through the busy trunks to find those that are available. For some reason, all of these trunks repeatedly "drop out" of the UCD group, and none of the 64 lines will take calls. Of course there is much fingerpointing between VMX and our LEC [Ameritech] as to whose problem it really is. We have a large [nearly 5,000], and increasingly hostile, user base that would appreciate any help you may be able to offer. Thanks, Stephen Polinsky tele_steph@ohio.gov ------------------------------ From: omniplex@access.digex.net (Omniplex) Subject: Toshiba Strata III Documentation Date: 6 Apr 1994 08:18:32 -0400 Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA I'm looking for documentation on a Toshiba Strata III electronic telephone system. I was able to pick one up for a reasonable price (free!) with nine telephones, 3 BFI Communication Sysetm 4000's, and a radio (holding with music). I would like to install it in a small business. I've contacted a local Toshiba distributor and they are currently attempting to get me a copy of the docs. I suspect that their effort will be weak as they have an opportunity to make some $$$ setting up the system for me. All the components were working when the phone system was removed. I'm missing some of the cables and need to get some documentation to connect and configure all the components. Thanks, Bob Omniplex Computer Consulting omniplex@access.digex.net Columbia, Md. 21045 410.290.6640 ------------------------------ From: lreeves@crl.com (Les Reeves) Subject: Re: Getting Wired: Leased Line vs. Dial-up For 14.4kps Data Comm Date: 6 Apr 1994 13:05:06 -0800 Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access (415) 705-6060 [login: guest] Peter L. Rukavina (rukavina@bud.peinet.pe.ca) wrote: > 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 certainly no expert on this subject, but it is possible that your LDDS requires a LDDS modem which is more like a line driver. They go to 19.2 kbps and are *much* less complex than a modem. While a modem will work just fine on line which is designed for LDDS (Limited Distance Data Set), the converse is not true. I can't tell you exactly how to determine if your circuit is compatible with these line drivers. I think there is a separate USOC for LDDS as opposed to voice channels for data. One way to tell is distance; LDDS will only work at 19.2 for a mile or two. BTW, I have a box of brand-new LDDS line drivers if you decide to experiment. Les lreeves@crl.com Atlanta,GA 404.874.7806 ------------------------------ From: jay@coyote.rain.org (Jay Hennigan) Subject: Re: Question About MIN and ESN Date: 6 Apr 1994 11:43:39 -0700 Organization: Regional Access Information Network (RAIN) In article sathya@uw-isdl.ee.washington.edu (Sathyadev Uppala) writes: > What is the difference between MIN and ESN? > Each mobile unit in a celllular system has a unique ESN, so what is > the need to have a MIN? The ESN (Electronic Serial Number) is programmed into the telephone when it is manufactured, and uniquely identifies that particular telephone transceiver. It is (supposed to be) secure against tampering, and used to verify that a particular subscriber is using the hardware assigned to it. The MIN is the "Mobile identification number", or the cellular phone number issued to the phone. It is assigned by the cellular carrier when the phone is activated, and programmed at that time. The MIN is what is sent by a cell site to page the phone and is matched against the ESN for validation. In a nutshell, the MIN identifies the phone *number*, the ESN identifies the phone *hardware*. Both the MIN and ESN must match the carrier's database as valid for a call to go through. Jay ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 06 Apr 94 13:42 EDT From: johnl@iecc.com (John R Levine) Subject: Re: Cellular Roaming Charges Organization: I.E.C.C., Cambridge, Mass. > Are then any tricks to cutting costs on the high roaming rates many > cellular carriers charge? Not really that I've ever seen. If you roam much, get the Cellular Travel Guide, a 1000 page book which lists every cellular company in North America with phone numbers, coverage areas, system numbers, and roaming prices. Also, contact your own cellular carrier to find out where they have reduced rate roaming -- in many cases you get rates in adjoining areas that are considerably lower than the list roaming price. In most areas there are two carriers, and the rates are often different; unless you have a really cruddy phone, you can tell the phone which carrier to use. Finally, if you roam in specific areas a lot, consider getting multiple numbers for your phone. For example, here in Boston I have a NYNEX Mobile number (they gave me the phone as part of the deal) which gives me home rates throughout eastern Mass, Rhode Island, and southern New Hampshire, and reduced rate roaming in Connecticut, Manchester NH, and much of southern Maine. I spend a fair amount of time in Vermont, so I have a second number from Atlantic cellular which gives me home rates in all of Vermont (there's two cell companies but they give each other's customers home rates) and northern New Hampshire, as well as reduced rate roaming in Concord NH. That covers the major areas I visit, I just have to remember to switch phone numbers, a procedure that involves pushing five keys on the phone, at the toll booth between Concord and Manchester. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.com, jlevine@delphi.com, 1037498@mcimail.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 6 April 1994 02:54:04 PDT From: Jerry Yost Organization: First Pacific Networks, Inc. Subject: Re: Ethernet via Cable TV In , John@msus1.msus.edu (John Biederstedt) wrote: > Is there a product that runs Ethernet (10mbps) over 75 ohm cable? I > thought I had heard of such a product once. My company, First Pacific Networks, manufactures a broadband Ethernet product which operates at 10mbps over a standard CATV cable plant (fiber, coax, or hybrid) using two standard 6MHz TV channels in the forward path and two in the reverse path. If you'd like more information, please contact me via the information in my signature block below or e-mail me your complete mailing address. Regards, Jerry Yost Telephone: +1 800 544-4959 Director, Int'l Distribution Sales +1 408 943-7647 (direct) First Pacific Networks, Inc. 871 Fox Lane Facsimile: +1 408 943-7666 San Jose, California 95131 USA Residence: Telephone: +1 408 264-6987 2698 Custer Drive Facsimile: +1 408 264-6988 San Jose, CA 95124-1712 USA Internet: jyost@infoserv.com ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #165 ****************************** -------------------------------------------------------------------------------