------------------------------ From: jerryw@abode.ccd.bnl.gov (Jerry Whelan) Subject: Re: Its Here Again! FCC/Modem Tax Date: 3 Jan 1995 18:47:41 GMT Organization: Brookhaven National Lab, CCD > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, he did not mark it 'not for > publication' and in any event, I think it does us good to air out > this thing once in awhile and re-emphasize the nonsense of it all. PAT] 'Not for publication' ... Take a look at Brock Meeks's `CyberWire Dispatch' at: http://cyberwerks.com:70/0h/cyberwire/cwd/cwd.94.12.09a.html The root of the dispatch tree is at: http://cyberwerks.com:70/1/cyberwire ------------------------------ From: chazworth@aol.com (Chazworth) Subject: Re: Information Wanted on NEC 2000 Switch Date: 3 Jan 1995 00:35:03 -0500 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) In article , Jason Davis writes: > I just installed one, nice system. This one was equiped with 256 > ports and three T1 interfaces. SMDR and voice Mail also. Great looking > rack mounted with patch panels. In the interest of keeping this string going: Have you or anyone installed the Ethernet card on the 2000IVS yet? Let me know, I am curious as to how it works, or may work. ------------------------------ From: Lynne Gregg Subject: Re: GSM in U.S. Date: Tue, 03 Jan 1995 09:46:00 PST jjfai@alertnet.com recently inquired about GSM support in the U.S. Recently McCaw's New York operation, Cellular One began an International Roaming service involving GSM phones. One TD responder to the original post pointed out that there are NO cellular carriers supporting GSM on their U.S. systems. This is absolutely correct. However, if you choose local service with Cellular One in New York, you can retain your GSM unit and can have your GSM calls (if you roam back in Europe) billed back to a single account -- your Cellular One account. If you have questions about this service you can talk to cathy.oshea@ mccaw.com, reply to me, or contact the Cellular One office near you. Best regards, Lynne Gregg ------------------------------ From: gtompk@teleport.com (Greg Tompkins) Subject: Re: How to Find Your Number Date: Tue, 3 Jan 1995 19:31:18 GMT Organization: Teleport What is a number beside the 1-800 thing that I can dial? I thought there was one from the local exchange. I can dial 311 and it gives me my phone number. GREG [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It varies from one community to the next. It even varies from one central office to the next in the community. When one gets published or widely known, it gets changed soon thereafter. From time to time here in the Digest we have had lists of these things that had been collected from all over the USA, but time and again about half the numbers on the list were incorrect by the time the list got printed. Really, the only way to find out about this is to ask locally in your own community. The one I gave earlier of 1-800-MY-ANI-IS seems to be the only one that works from anywhere and has been in service for awhile. Our old faithful 1-577-your last four for ringback does not even work here in Skokie any longer as of a month ago. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Mark Huang Subject: Looking for Pager Operators for Tampa/Ft. Myers Area Reply-To: Organization: National Institutes of Health Date: Tue, 03 Jan 1995 15:04:30 GMT Hi, all: I'm looking for paging system operators interested in 929MHz licenses for Tampa/Fort Myers area. Please call (301) 770-6417 or e-mail: mhuang@capaccess.org. Thx! Mark L. Huang, Ph.D. E-mail: mhuang@capacess.org E-mail: rin0mxw@bumed30.med.navy.mil (expire: 31 January, 1995) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 03 Jan 1995 10:53:31 EDT From: Keith Jason Uber <942576@edna.cc.swin.edu.au> Subject: Phone Card Reader Wanted Pat, Firstly - thank-you for your newsgroup/archives/digest - fantastic reading! I am looking for an article on building a Phone Card Reader that connects to a pc. I saw it two or three days ago when browsing gopher or WWW (I can't remember) and thought "That's cool ... but Australia doesn't use Smart-cards for their phones". The very next day, I met a German exchange student who gave me a German phonecard! Subsequently I've spent about four hours searching through veronica, wwww etc with no luck. Any help or direction would be great ... I intend to modify it to use it as an electronic key to start my car! Thanks again, keith [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, it sounds like an interesting application if it can be done. Let us know how it progresses. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 03 Jan 95 11:02:51 MST From: John Shaver Subject: Last Laugh! IBM Buys Episcopal Church For Immediate Release The Chairman of IBM announced today that, in response to Microsoft Corp.'s acquisition of the Roman Catholic Church, IBM has bid for and acquired the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States of America for $1 billion. "We are the oldest and most prestigious computer company in the world," he said, "and we cannot be seen to be lagging behind in the race for preeminence in the religious software and hardware markets. We have tendered an offer to the Most. Rev. Edmund Browning, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church and Pamela Chinnis, President of the House of Deputies of General Convention, and they have recommended acceptance to the shareholders / communicants." The Episcopal Church is one of the oldest and most respected denominations in the United States. Many current and former officeholders, including many Presidents, have been communicants. Although its membership was declining in recent years, the latest figures show a slight increase in membership. A combination with IBM will probably be beneficial in terms of putting "fannies in the seats" in Episcopal Churches across the United States. There will also be great benefits to IBM in terms of international connections through the Episcopal Church. The Church is one of the most senior members of the international Anglican communion by way of its separation from the Church of England after the Revolutionary War and the consecration in 1784 of its first Bishop, Samuel Seabury. IBM hopes to gain a foothold in the international religious business through these connections, and perhaps tender a bid for the entire Anglican Communion by the time of the next meeting of the world Anglican bishops in London in 1998 (Lambeth Conference). The Archbishop of Canterbury, The Most Reverend George Carey, could not be reached for comment. IBM and Episcopal Church are "good fit" IBM has had the distinction of being the first and, up until several years ago, the most successful computer company in the world. It was founded by Herman Hollerith, the inventor of the computer card, in the late 1800, and concentrated on business machines such as adding machines and typewriters until the invention of the computer in the 1940. They invested heavily in this new technology, and became rich from selling and maintaining them in the 1950's through 1980's. However, IBM's stodgy corporate culture prevented it from taking advantage of newer technology. It almost entirely missed the value of personal computer technology in the late 1970's, allowing other companies to use processes it developed to make so-called "clone" personal computers. It therefore lost out on the billions of dollars spent on this technology over the past 15 years. IBM has recently spun off its typewriter and printer businesses and concentrated on PC building and software, and has even resorted to layoffs for the first time in its history. The slogan, "No one was ever fired for buying IBM" has become a bitter joke in the business world. The Episcopal Church was, for a long time, considered the most successful of the Protestant Churches in terms of wealth and power. Many of the rich and famous swelled its numbers, and its liturgy was noted for its archaic beauty as much as its treasury was noted for its gilt-edged bonds. However, in recent years, with the dying-off of the elderly rich and the fall in the birth rate among the bluebloods who remained, the Episcopal Church has suffered both a decline in numbers and in influence and wealth. Notwithstanding the slogan, "The Episcopal Church Welcomes You," numbers have only recently begun to increase again as the Church begins to be seen as a place where outcasts can take part in its life. Along with IBM, the Episcopal Church has had to resort to layoffs to balance its budget, and the merger will allow both organizations to trim even further their personnel costs. IBM's chairman said today, "We have been known as the place where the white-coated mystics take charge of computers in sealed rooms. As a direct result of this merger, our white-coated mystic roster will be cut by half and merged with the ordained ministry of the Episcopal Church. After all, they also wear white garments when celebrating their mysteries. The similarities outweigh the differences, and we think that we can bring their white-suited mystics up to speed in JCL and C++ within a few months." The Presiding Bishop and Ms. Chinnis issued a joint statement saying: "We welcome this merger as a meshing of two great but sometimes old-fashioned institutions. The merger will allow us to cut our technical staff by half again, and concentrate our resources on becoming the largest and most successful Protestant Church in the United States. Our first IBM mainframe is already being installed in the basement of 815 Second Avenue, the Episcopal Church Center in New York." They continued: "So that we can assure ourselves that the Apostolic Succession will be continued, the Bishops of the Episcopal Church will lay hands on the Board of IBM in a ceremony at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. Then, the entire House of Bishops will travel up to Armonk, where they will be instructed in the use of the personal computer." The business writers of most US newspapers will join the religion correspondents in recording this momentous occasion. Both the business and the religious communities are awaiting the new developments that this historic merger will make possible. His Eminence Bill Gates, had no comment. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V15 #4 **************************** ÿ@FROM :telecom@delta.eecs.nwu.edu úÿ(Continued from last message) numbers to as many as 37,000 members of the National Football League Players, the American Institute for Foreign Study, and Cross Country Healthcare. AT&T also is selling the service to tens of thousands of individuals who reserved numbers last summer, when the company announced how people could use the new numbers. Customers can begin using the new personal number service, called AT&T True Connections, in the next several weeks as local dialing availability becomes universal. Anyone who needs to stay connected to business associates, friends or relatives while moving from place to place can benefit from having an AT&T 500 number. People can tailor the service to their needs for anytime-anywhere communications, and can keep their 500 numbers for life. The people signing up for AT&T's service include real- estate agents, who move around a lot during the day; business owners and executives who spend time in different offices during the week; college students, who move between campuses and their homes; and retirees, who travel throughout the year as both tourists and grandparents. "AT&T 500-number service can save these people -- and the important people in their lives -- time and money," said Joseph P. Nacchio, president-AT&T Consumer Communications Services. "They'll spend less time exchanging numbers and tracking each other down when they want to talk. And they may even spend less money making fewer calls." Customers can choose from several 500-number offers with a variety of features available only from AT&T. Each customer will have a 500-prefix number that can be programmed to ring any telephone, cellular phone, pager, fax machine or personal computer that can be dialed directly in the United States and more than 200 other countries. By dialing their own 500 numbers, customers can program several phones to ring in sequence, retrieve voice-mail and fax messages and, soon, make outgoing calls without calling cards or coins. Each of the AT&T 500-number packages will be available for an introductory price of $1 a month, with no enrollment fee, through April 30, 1995. Voice-mail service will cost an additional $5.95 a month. AT&T's 500-number service for businesses will include all available features, and will cost $7 a month for each number after the introductory offer has ended. The company expects to add more business-related features in the new year. A variety of packages for consumers allows each person to pick a level of service that meets individual needs. Beginning May 1, subscriptions will range from $1 to $7 a month. Enrollment for business customers and consumers beginning May 1 will cost $10 for each randomly selected 500 number or $25 for each specifically requested 500 number. In addition to monthly fees, a per-minute charge will apply to calls made with 500 numbers. Calls within the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands during off-peak hours (from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m. weekdays, and all weekend) will cost 15 cents a minute, whether the caller or receiver pays. Calls during peak hours (from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays) will cost 25 cents a minute. Rates for some in-state calls may vary. Calls made to or from other countries will be charged the regular AT&T rates for those countries. Business customers can realize savings opportunities by applying 500-number charges to such volume-discount plans as Customnet and Small Business Advantage Plus. Charges for consumers' AT&T True Connections calls can be discounted through AT&T True USAsm Savings, and they also can earn points in AT&T True Rewardssm and AT&T Global Rewardssm, the company's customer-rewards programs. With voice-mail service, subscribers can receive messages and gain more control over their communications. For instance, it gives them the ability to screen calls, and pager owners can receive notification on their pagers when messages have been left in their voice mailboxes. "We're offering a personal number service that gives customers tremendous flexibility," Nacchio said. "It's rich in features and will help them better manage their communications." The pro football players, nurses and students getting 500 numbers have distinct needs that AT&T meets. o The football players and others covered by the NFLPA agreement can program their 500 numbers to follow them to hotels around the country. o The foreign-exchange students' parents can call their kids' 500 numbers to reach them around the world. The students also can automatically reverse charges on calls back to the United States from locations with touch-tone service. o The nurses and other medical specialists who take short- term jobs through Cross Country Healthcare, a national placement firm, can have their 500 numbers follow them to the apartments they rent. Both business customers and consumers can learn more about AT&T True Connections by calling 1-800-TRUE-500, extension 439. For consumers to subscribe, they must have or obtain AT&T long-distance service in their homes, but they are not required to enroll in any specific program. # # # AT&T 500 PERSONAL NUMBER SERVICES PACKAGES AND PRICES JANUARY 1995 A single feature-rich package for business customers will be available for the introductory price of $1 a month through April 1995. These customers will receive all the features available to consumers, plus business-related enhancements in coming months. Four packages for consumers offer a wide range of choices in features, functions and prices. All will cost $1 a month for an introductory period through April 1995. The basic package, called "Private Line," offers a 500 number that the subscriber can keep for life, no matter how many times he or she moves within the United States. AT&T currently can assign subscribers 500 numbers that begin with 20 different exchanges, such as 346, 367 and 677. For example, a person's number could be 500-346-XXXX. With this package, the calls to the 500 number go only to the subscriber's home telephone. It also allows subscribers to make calls to their own homes when they're traveling. Beginning in February, they'll be able to charge calls to other places on their AT&T True Connections accounts without coins or credit-cards. This package will continue to cost $1 a month after the introductory period. The "Stay Close" package adds call-placing and the subscriber's choice of call forwarding or reverse-billing to the basic package. Call-forwarding lets the subscriber have 500-number calls forwarded to virtually any other U.S. telephone number and to more than 200 countries and areas on demand. Reverse-billing lets the subscriber pay for calls from other people, when those people have a code number given by the subscriber. This package will cost $3 a month after the introductory period. The "Traveler" package adds call-placing, call-forwarding and reverse-billing to the basic package, and will cost $5 a month after the introductory period. The premium package, "Navigator," offers all the above features and adds call-sequencing, which lets a subscriber's 500-number calls ring at several locations in sequence. For instance, a call could be forwarded first to an office phone, then a cellular phone, and then home or even a hotel. The subscriber could change the sequence as often as desired. This package will cost $7 a month after the introductory period. For $5.95 a month, AT&T True Connections subscribers can add voice-mail and receive an unlimited number of messages. With call-screening, they can choose to receive all calls, urgent calls, calls from certain people, or send all calls to their voice mailboxes. And pager owners can receive notification on their pagers when messages have been left for them. Both business customers and consumers can learn more about AT&T True Connections by calling 1-800-982-8480, extension 439. For consumers to subscribe, they must have or obtain AT&T long-distance service in their homes, but they are not required to enroll in any specific program. ------------------------------ From: cyberoid@u.washington.edu (Robert Jacobson) Subject: Are You Working in Televirtuality/Networked Virtual Worlds? Date: 4 Jan 1995 19:56:39 GMT Organization: WORLDESIGN, Seattle I would be interested in anyone working in these areas for possible inclusion on a panel at a leading international conference on virtual worlds. Thanks. Please use email. Bob Jacobson ------------------------------ From: writchie@gate.net Subject: Re: Noise Introduced by Bit-Robbing? Date: 4 Jan 1995 05:51:23 GMT Reply-To: writchie@gate.net In , naddy@mips.pfalz.de (Christian Weisgerber) writes: > What kind of noise/distortion does American-style bit-robbing cause to > voice band signals transmitted through PCM channels? > (The reason I ask is that I wonder how much bit-robbing affects V.34 > modems.) The effect of a robbed bit is to introduce, 50% of the time, an additional quantitization error that results in an overall reduction of about 2db in the S/N ratio. This is not likely to be the limiting factor in V.34 performance except possibly in situations where many D4 type links are involved in tandem. In the U.S., most intermachine trunks are common channel direct connections so only the robbed bit at each end of the IC/EC connection introduces the robbed bit (as well as any non CCS systems in the EC). I believe that other types of noise (other than quantization noise) will have a much greater effect on V.34 peformance particular any type of impulse noise or cross-talk in the analog portions of the local loop. Wally Ritchie Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 4 Jan 95 12:29:30 EST From: woof@telecnnct.com (Andy Spitzer) Subject: Re: Noise Introduced by Bit-Robbing? naddy@mips.pfalz.de (Christian Weisgerber) writes: > What kind of noise/distortion does American-style bit-robbing cause to > voice band signals transmitted through PCM channels? While I can't answer your question in scientific terms (aka %THD measurements, S/N ratios, etc.) I can answer it subjectively. In Robbed Bit signalling, the "Robbed" bit occurs every sixth frame (or sample if we are concentrating on an individual channel), thus in every sixth sample the LSB is overridden with the value of the A bit, then 6 samples later with the value of the B bit. On a "quiet" idle channel (AB bits both 0), using u-Law PCM, the pattern sent over the channel would be: (in hex, LSB last) FF FF FF FF FF FE FF FF FF FF FF FE ... The difference in voltage of a standard CODEC (A/D converter for PCM) from FF to FF is about 2 mV (on a scale from -8031 to +8031 mV). So, converted to an analog signal, the above waveform is a series of 2 mV impulses occuring every 8000/6 = 1333.3 Hz. This waveform is rich in harmonics, so it "sounds" like a very high pitched, (although rather quiet) whine, similar to the "ringing in your ears" sound. Once the line is taken offhook (aka AB bits both become 1), then the pattern becomes: FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF FF ... which is dead quiet. (And since LSB=1, and AB=1 there is no distortion!) Thus the noise associated with robbed bit signalling can be viewed as superimposing the intended signal with the above impluse train. Perhaps armed with this information, someone else can calculate the noise/distortion measurments you are seeking. Hope this helps! Andy Spitzer woof@telecnnct.com The Telephone Connection 301- 417-0700 ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V15 #6 ****************************