------------------------------ From: Nick Pandher <74431.2255@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Re: Cellular One Pulls the Plug on Visitors Date: 11 Dec 1994 20:55:20 GMT Organization: (PCT) I believe that any future cell/mobile system should take into account fraud. When AMPS and TDMA were designed, the cell phone manufacturers should have left three digits at the end of the ESN as adjustable. (These three digits would technically not be part of the ESN then.) If someone clones the phone, adjust the three digits on your phone when your carrier requests. Thus, the old ESN with three different digits is useless. Lets hope that the PCS spec is more secure. ------------------------------ From: blkadder@community.net (P. Greenwell) Subject: Re: Cellular One Pulls the Plug on Visitors Date: 11 Dec 1994 23:30:09 -0800 Organization: Access InfoSystems > I just drove from Vermont via NYC, Wash DC, across 40 to LA. I was > unable to roam in so many places, I just gave up. Sure keeps the > phone bill down :-) . They would be happy to complete my call with a > credit card. What? Give my card number over the air? I don't think > so given the climate. There's an opportunity for someone to figure > out how to beat em. > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: See my earlier comments. I am not > advocating giving your number over the air repeatedly, but once here > and once there along the way is not likely to cause a problem, not > for the five seconds or so you are 'exposed' in your quick passing > of the number to the operator. Anyway, why not instead punch it in > using the touchtones on your cellular phone? You know, in the form > of 0+AC+number+calling card+PIN. If someone is listening, they are > going to wish they had been taping recording those (usually meaningless > to the human ear) beeps of your calling card entry. Overall, don't > get too uptight about it. PAT] With people monitoring lines to falsify ESN and MIN info, you don't believe the capacity is there to decode DTMF? No thanks ... having played around with friends' scanners I find it far too easy to pull this info, monitor conversations, etc. Black Adder [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, never having been inclined to sit and work on something like that, I tend to get disinterested fast. I suppose if someone really wanted to work hard on it and had the needed 'dedication to duty' they could accomplish what you suggest. I guess where we disagree is on how many people do this and how likely it is to occur to any given person. (getting ripped off this way). PAT] ------------------------------ From: nesta@mcs.com (Nesta Stubbs) Subject: Re: Cellular One Pulls the Plug on Visitors Date: 12 Dec 1994 00:55:08 -0600 Organization: Moorish Science Temple In article , Richard L Barnaby wrote: >> Do the next-generation digital cellular sets provide any better >> security? I remember reading an essay discussing these new ideas in curbing cell fraud, but I cant remember any specifics. Sorry. (TELECOM Digest Editor disputed likelyhood of capturing info ...) I had a similiar experience with Ameritech operators. If you place a calling card call that stay in there service area (say downtown Chicago to a suburb) you have to use the Ameritech operator service (or at least I didnt know of another way to do it) and then you have to give them your card number out loud, which isn't cool in some crowded places since there would be no difficult overhearing you. Maybe you can do it thru the touch-tone pad, but when I asked the operator if I should do that she said no. Anyone have any way that you could get around this, so I don't need to announce my number to the surrounding area? [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Zero plus the area code (even if your own) plus the number ... wait for the thank you message, the bong tone or whatever they give, then enter your calling card number and the pin. Usually if calling to the number to which the card is assigned, entering just the pin is sufficient; you will then want to enter the # as a terminator so it does not have to wait for time out before starting to process the call. PAT] ------------------------------ From: ulmo@panix.com (bradley ward allen) Subject: Re: Cellular One Pulls the Plug on Visitors Date: 11 Dec 1994 19:54:32 -0500 Organization: URL:http://www.armory.com/~ulmo/ (see rivers.html for PGP key) >> "Cellular One customers who live in the Washington, D.C. area (one of >> those affected) will be unable to receive calls on their cellular >> phones while in New York City and parts of northern New Jersey. Calls > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I think you could cancel your contract > with them on the premises that they had violated the contract or changed > the terms without proper notice when they cut out roaming in the area. PAT] Roughly exactly what I did with LA Cellular when my calls wouldn't come through because of their fraud-blocking schemes which blocked me! ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 12 Dec 94 11:02:26 CDT From: Fred R. Goldstein Subject: Re: T1<->23 or 24 BRI Equipment? Organization: Bolt Beranek and Newman Inc. In article , bob@ccnet.com (Bob Ames) wrote: > What is available to connect two remote offices via T1? Good question, actually, but one that opens up so many options! (It gives us consultants a good living.) > Ideally, I'd like to use a T1 on each end and provide: > *) Intercom service, What do the two offices have for telephone service now? If there are PBXs, then tie lines via the T1 will do it. Even without a PBX, there are ways to derive voice channels from a T1, to mate different types of telephone system. > *) TCP/IP traffic (Ethernet), > *) (One/Several?) ISDN S/T or U lines. I'd like to be able to use > ISDN phones on one end and on the other end connect to the > Intercom system or to the LD Company via POTS or ISDN. Or to > use, say, a Waverunner on one side and get thru the T1 to the > main office, and then routed into the Ethernet on the other side. > *) Anything else ISDN provides, like FAX. > Do I need a PBX for all of this? Certainly some kind of switch-like > routing seems necessary. Several types of equipment terminate a T1. A few examples: * A PBX. These typically handle 64 kbps data calls (period) too. * A Data Service Unit. This takes all of the bandwidth and makes it into one fat data channel. Fractional-T1 DSUs operate on a subset of the 24 channels, as you specify. * A channel bank. This is a static (configure by plugging in cards) multiplexor. Option cards of all sorts are available. Each of the 24 channels is picked up by one card or another. * A nodal processor. This is like a fancy channel bank with software configurability, multi-T1 networking, etc. Overkill for two sites but worth it for larger networks. * A drop-and-insert mux. This generally lets you pick off a couple of data channels (n*64k) while feeding the remaining channels into a PBX, Fractional-compatible Data Service Unit or whatever. > How much traffic can fit on an S/T? For example, can I put all 24 B > channels on the S/T bus concurrently without degradation or failure? > (I doubt it) The ISDN Basic Rate S/T bus handles exactly two B channels (one BRI). T1 is a different animal. One common way to go: Get a T1 to your long-distance company. Designate some channels for access to their network ("WATS"-style services.) Run others into a Fractional T1 for your site-to-site needs (data, maybe some voice, etc.). They can deliver ISDN Primary Rate using one D channel and however many B channels you designate (the rest used for "FT1" or individual-channel services). If you have an ISDN system at one end and want for some odd reason to remote a Basic Rate channel, you can use a channel bank equipped with Adtran's BR1TE cards. These take 3 channels and map 2B+D onto them. They fit into standard D4-family banks so you can mix and match, or use 8 to fill a T1. That's a common way to deliver "virtual ISDN". Fred R. Goldstein k1io fgoldstein@bbn.com Opinions are mine alone. Sharing requires permission. ------------------------------ From: RANDY@MPA15AB.mv-oc.Unisys.COM Date: 12 Dec 94 08:49:00 GMT Subject: CableNet, Spread Spectrum, Wireless Telephony Sorry this is so late. I'm behind in my reading of our news network, but I thought this item might still be of interest: - - - - - - - - - Unisys to Participate in CableNET '94 Unisys will participate in the CableNET '94 demonstration at the Western Cable Show, November 30 through December 2, in Anaheim, California. CableNET demonstrates to cable operators and representatives from the converging computer and telephone industries that 50 different vendor offerings can interoperate on a hybrid fiber/coaxial network. Unisys will be the primary systems integrator for the CableNET demonstration and is a member of the vendor management team, along with Northern Telecom, Intel, General Instrument and Scientific Atlantic. Unisys personnel also will demonstrate spread spectrum technology over coaxial and wireless telephony as part of the demonstration. Randall Gellens randy@mv-oc.unisys.com (714) 380-6350 fax (714) 380-5912 Mail Stop MV 237 Net**2 656-6350 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I am sorry this reached us so late, but better late than never I guess. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #443 ******************************