------------------------------ From: aa070@torfree.net (David Leibold) Subject: Re: New NPA For Bahamas Organization: Toronto FreeNet Date: Wed, 21 Dec 1994 00:03:16 GMT David Esan (de@moscom.com) wrote: > According to a tariff source the Bahamas have requested and received a > new NPA, 441. If I could find the article I could give you the effective > date. Sorry. I recall seeing something in uk.telecom to the effect that Puerto Rico would get its own NPA, something like 340. Can anyone confirm or deny how much the 809 area is splitting up? David Leibold aa070@freenet.toronto.on.ca Toronto Free-Net IRC volunteer ------------------------------ From: mcguffin@ll.mit.edu (Bruce McGuffin) Subject: Re: Request For MTA, BTA Map Organization: MIT Lincoln Laboratory Date: Tue, 20 Dec 94 09:50:37 -0500 > Can anyone give me a pointer to the map showing the MTAs and BTAs > whose frequencies are being auctioned off in the "broadband" PCS > auctions? I've looked under fcc.gov and couldn't find it, although > I was never clear what the file naming convention was. Any help > is appreciated, post or e-mail. My understanding is that the MTAs (Metropolitan Trading Areas) and RTAs (Regional Trading Areas?) being used to divide up the PCS spectrum were defined by Rand-McNally for other purposes, and are shown on a map they publish. You might try calling Rand-McNally. I`ve also seen adds in RCR, or maybe Cellular Business for such maps. Bruce McGuffin ------------------------------ From: msb@sq.sq.com (Mark Brader) Subject: Re: Emergency Numbers in Various Countries Organization: SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, Canada Date: Wed, 21 Dec 94 00:18:32 GMT John Perkins (johnper@bigbird.rosemount.com) writes: > The number '999' is a simple and easy to remember number that, as you > say, has been used in Great Britain for about 50 years. I haven't > heard of any other country that has had a nationwide emergency number > that long ... Well, the New Zealand 111 is the same length -- 3 dial pulls and 27 clicks. (As their numbers 1-9 run the other way, the physical motion is actually the same.) But indeed, all the other special numbers of this type that I've heard of are shorter. 911, for instance, is 3 pulls and just 11 clicks, and 112 is 3 pulls and 4 clicks. > How can any other number possibly be superior? Seems to me like almost any 3-digit number would be superior. 999 does beats lots of full-length numbers, though. (Deep breath.) Yes, of course I know that's not what John meant by "had a number that long". I just couldn't resist playing on the double meaning. But, then, we *are* talking about emergencies, and there are still *some* dial phones out there, so the length of the number is something to consider! (On the other hand, tripled-digit numbers like 999 do have some advantage in ease of dialing; Britons used to be reminded on how to find the 9 on a dial phone in the dark.) Anyone know whether 112 was picked because a person might be able to "dial" it by flashing the hook if they had to? Mark Brader, msb@sq.com, SoftQuad Inc., Toronto ------------------------------ From: nldc31@nosc.mil (Neil A. Giles) Subject: Industry Standard Ratios? Organization: NCCOSC RDT&E Division, San Diego, CA Date: Tue, 20 Dec 1994 22:05:42 GMT What are industry standard financial ratios for small businesses conducting operations in the telecommunications arena? I am specifically interested in businesses that sell, install, and service automated voice processing systems, data network cabling and hardware, and standard corporate phone systems. Thanks for any feedback! ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 20 Dec 94 21:59:00 EST From: John C. Fowler <0003513813@mcimail.com> Subject: Re: Caller-Charging 800 Numbers Should be *Banned* Pat wrote: > In other words, if there is a telephone sitting somewhere with the > number 555-1212 on the front of it, who is sitting there answering the > calls? Coincidentally, I attended a talk last month by the A.M.O.S. of one of Southwestern Bell's Operator Service Centers (A.M.O.S. is the latest abbreviation for the person in charge of the OSC; I think it stands for Area Manager of Operator Services). He did mention that Southwestern Bell handles all 555-1212 calls for area codes within its region from AT&T, MCI, and Sprint (he didn't mention any others). He also said that SWBT is #1 amongst the RBOCs in customer satisfaction from DA users calling using AT&T. I guess that implies that it is not #1 from those calling using MCI or Sprint; any psychologists care to guess why? Another interesting tidbit from the talk: most of the (NPA)-555-1212 calls are handled by the RBOC associated with that area code, but it doesn't have to be that way. The long distance carriers can choose their DA providers. The speaker relayed a story about how (I think) Bell Atlantic was underbid by a small independent phone company, and now all the IXCs are routing their 555-1212 calls to that company. I'm not sure who handles 800-555-1212. I thought that was Southwestern Bell also, but the speaker didn't mention it, so I could be wrong. John C. Fowler, 3513813@mcimail.com [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 800-555-1212 was operated by AT&T for many years; maybe it still is. For most of that time -- maybe still -- Southwestern Bell handled daily operations of it under a contract with AT&T. That's back in the days before divestiture; maybe still. PAT] ------------------------------ From: bkron@netcom.com (M Robinson) Subject: Re: Caller-Charging 800 Numbers Should be *Banned* Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 guest) Date: Tue, 20 Dec 1994 02:11:10 GMT > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But *what company* actually serviced the > call? What company responded to you? Whose operators were talking to > you? In other words, if there is a telephone sitting somewhere with the > number 555-1212 on the front of it, who is sitting there answering the > calls? I believe it is AT&T in most or all cases. Actually, the operator looking up the number on a 555-1212 call is an employee for a LEC. The long distance carrier you are presubscribed to will route your call to the LEC's DA ACD. That will be AT&T if they're your carrier. You can override it using 10XXX just like any other call (we do it all the time because everyone else charges less than AT&T's 75 cents). DA revenue is big for the LEC's, and Judge Greene let them keep it in the Consent Decree. MCI's database consists of LEC data only to the extent that LEC's sell it to anyone. (Inserts for paid access to a database of selected DA listings over a modem have been in our LEC bills here for some months now.) But MCI also adds data from other sources in their database, like direct marketing lists, etc. ------------------------------ From: morris@grian.cps.altadena.ca.us (Mike Morris) Subject: Re: Old Card Dialer Cards Organization: College Park Software, Altadena, CA Date: Tue, 20 Dec 1994 13:43:15 GMT Wes.Leatherock@f2001.n147.z1.fidonet.org (Wes Leatherock) writes: > Quoting bill.garfield@yob.com (Bill Garfield): >> I have one of the (apparently rare) Western Elect 2660A card dialer >> telephones (circa early '70s). It appears to be in perfect working >> order, tho I have no "new" cards for it. There is a collection of >> already punched cards with it, but of course the numbers are no good >> to me and naturally the punched cards are not re-punchable. >> Are new cards still available from Ma Bell? I asked at an AT&T Phone >> Center Store and drew a blank expression from the sales clerk ... >> "You've a WHAT?" was the response. >> Also does anyone know if there was ever a multi-line keyset (1A2) >> version of the card dialer phone? > I don't know if any cards are available now; when I remember > card dialers was back in the days when you got your terminal equipment > from the local telephone company and there were additional cards > available then. I don't know if extra cards were free or if they were > ever available directly from any other source. > There was indeed a multi-line 1A2 key version; we used to use > them at conferences in Oklahoma. We'd set up a little office, and > have a secretary with two or three lines, and a couple of telephones, > at least one of which was a card dialer, connected to the same lines > for the conferees' use. We'd punch in advance cards for the home and > office numbers of the conferees, and if I remember right sometimes we > mailed the cards to the conferees with some of the advance material > for the conference. > Of course, the secretary would also have some blank cards > for anyone who forgot theirs or wanted one for a different number. I took a 5-line 1A2 card dialer into the local AT&T store a few months after they first opened here in Los Angeles. I showed the clerk the phone, and a card, and she handed me < 5 boxes > of cards (25 each). Total price? About $20, as I recall. Didn't faze her a bit. Then I smiled and pulled a card out of my pocket from a Autovon card dialer (the dial had 16 buttons, in a 4x4 matrix. Similar to a consumer dial plus an extra column on the right side), and asked for a box of those cards. She blinked twice, and looked in her catalog book. She looked up and said "I've never seen those before, but they are in the catalog, special order, no price listed". I didn't push the issue then, and order them, now I wish I had. See, at that time the Autovon card had come from a friend that found it in a old desk that he had bought at TRW surplus, and gave to me. Two years ago I picked up an Autovon card dialer five-line phone for $5. I rewired it for two-wire audio (i.e. I added a network) and to plug into my 1A2 key system. It's bright red, and it does get some funny looks from visitors. I also have a light grey five-line Autovon phone (WeCo 3565HT) with a bad dial -- a 66A3A. Anybody know where I can get a new dial? I also saw a picture of a Autovon Touch-a-matic -- the 32 number autodialer phones. Speaking of Touch-A-Matics, if anybody has some ten-button (i.e. nine-line) Touch-a-matics, or a source of the nicads for Touch-a-matics, please email me. Also a copy of the Ma Bell key system manual volume 1 (the one with the phone schematics in it). Mike Morris WA6ILQ PO Box 1130 Arcadia, CA. 91077 ICBM: 34.12N, 118.02W Reply to: morris@grian.cps.altadena.ca.us ------------------------------ From: Wayne.Stargardt@news.onramp.net Subject: Re: Information Wanted About Arrowsmith Technologies Date: 20 Dec 1994 15:04:20 GMT Organization: Pinpoint Communications, Inc. > dsarnold@ca1.jsc.nasa.gov writes: > Is anyone out there familiar with a company called Arrowsmith > Technologies, Inc? If so, do you know of a good technical contact? Arrowsmith Technologies is a company in Austin, Texas, which provides fleet management solutions for the cable TV industry. They are a system integrator which primarily uses existing radio channels which the cable TV company currently has, and they add their own application software together with radio data modems and GPS equipment from specialized manufacturers. I do not have a technical contact, but I do have contact information: Brenda London, Marketing Manager Gordon Graves, President & CEO 8900 Shoal Creek Blvd. Bldg 300 Austin, TX 78758 tel: (512) 454-3554 fax: (512) 454-1210 I hope this helps. Wayne Stargardt Pinpoint Communications wstargardt@pinpoint.avl.com ------------------------------ From: /G=Brad/S=Hicks/OU1=0205465@mhs-mc.attmail.com Date: Tue, 20 Dec 1994 17:27:23 -0600 Subject: Re: DSS Satellite System Information If you haven't done so yet, look for the FAQ in rec.video.satellite.dbs; I think the message is usually titled something like "U.S. High- Powered DBS Frequently Asked Questions." Any info not mentioned or referenced in there is probably proprietary to the vendors. J. Brad Hicks Internet: mc!Brad_Hicks@mhs.attmail.com X.400: c=US admd=ATTMail prmd=MasterCard sn=Hicks gn=Brad ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V14 #464 ******************************