TELECOM Digest Wed, 18 Jan 95 09:35:00 CST Volume 15 : Issue 43 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Re: FCC PCS Auction Information (Bob Keller) "Dial & Save" Long Distance Service (Bibb Cain) Re: Bellcore Standards Question (Chip Sharp) McCaw/NACN Call Delivery Toll Charges (Doug Reuben) Re: ANI Information in Realtime (Doug Reuben) Dial Modifiers and International Callback Service? (Daniel Winkowski) Small Business PBX/Fax Back Server Needed (Jon Zeeff) Re: Call Waiting and Caller-ID Question (Navneet Patel) Looking For a CHILL Compiler (Andreas Junklewitz) Freephone Forum vs. ITU Question (Judith Oppenheimer) 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 America On Line. 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Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 18 Jan 1995 09:14:53 EST From: Bob Keller Subject: Re: FCC PCS Auction Information In TELECOM Digest V15, #42, Darryl Kipps <72623.456@compuserve.com> asks: > I've just come from ftp fcc.gov to see how the PCS auctions > are going and have some questions. > 1. I see there are both Broad and Narrow bands. What's the > difference? > 2. Narrowband has both Nationwide and Regional while Broadband > seems to be entirely regional (or by market) -- Why the > distinction and how are the regions (markets) defined? The two major distinctions between narrowband and broadband PCS are (1) the amount of spectrum allocated to each, and (2) the particular frequency band allocated to each. Narrowband PCS resides in the 900 MHz band and is constituted of 26 different channels ranging from as little as 50 kHz unpaired channels to as much as two 50 kHz channel pairs. Broadband PCS resides in the 2 GHz band (actually, fixed microwave users reside there now and will have to be moved by the PCS licensees -- but that's a whole other story) and is constituted of either a 30 MHz allocation per license or a 10 MHz allocation per license. You can think of Narrowband PCS as the next, more advanced, generation of paging services, and Broadband PCS as the next generation of cellular service. I say that knowing that I may get flamed (because it is an inaccurate, oversimplification), but it is nonetheless a good way for the uninitiated to get his or her brain around the concepts. Depending on the particular frequency block, licenses are awarded for different geographic areas: Nationwide, Regional, MTA, and BTA. MTAs and BTAs are market areas devised by the Commission based on Rand McNally Marjor Trading Areas and Basic Trading Areas. A BTA is made up of a group of counties. There are 493 BTAs which, together, include all of the United States and its territories. MTAs are collections of BTAs and are much, much larger. There are 51 MTAs covering the entire country. Finally, there are six narrowaband PCS regions, each region being a collection of MTAs. If you want to get more detail on the geographic definition of each PCS market area, I recommend to you a file in my anonymous ftp directory: ftp://ftp.clark.net/pub/rjk/pcs_mkts.txt.Z The compressed archive includes a very large text file containing a data compilation, made available on a shareware-like basis, providing a county-by-county breakout (with 1990 and 1980 population data) for each PCS Region, MTA, and BTA, as well as each cellular MSA/RSA. If the shareware fee is paid, I send out a disk that includes the same data in *.dbf, *.xls, and *.csv format so it can be imported into your favorite database or spreadsheet program and sorted, number-crunched, manipulated, etc. This data allows one to see precisely which areas are included in each PCS and/or cellular market as well as to perform calculations to determine the extent of overlap between cellular and PCS markets. The table below shows the frequencies allocated for Narroband PCS channels 1 through 26 and Broadband PCS Blocks A through F, as well as the geographic basis on which each license will be awareded. The channels marked with an asterisk are those for which special credits are awareded to "designated entities" in any auction for the licenses. Designated entities are small businesses, women or minority owned businesses, and rural telephne companies. The special benefits availalbe to one or more of these, depending on the particular license, may include bidding credits (in effect, a discount off the amount of the winning bid), favorable installment payment provisions, and (in the case of the rural telephone companies) the right to subdivide geographic markets. Chnls Frequencies (MHz) Geographic Area ----- ----------------- --------------- NB-01 940.00-940.05/901.00-901.05 Nationwide NB-02 940.05-940.10/901.05-901.10 Nationwide NB-03 940.10-940.15/901.10-901.15 Nationwide NB-04 940.15-940.20/901.15-901.20 Nationwide NB-05* 940.20-940.25/901.20-901.25 MHz Nationwide NB-06 930.40-930.45/901.7500-901.7625 Nationwide NB-07 930.45-930.50/901.7625-901.7750 Nationwide NB-08* 930.50-930.55/901.7750-901.7875 Nationwide NB-09 940.75-940.80 Nationwide NB-10 940.80-940.85 Nationwide NB-11* 940.85-940.90 MHz Nationwide NB-12 940.25-940.30/901.25-901.30 Regional NB-13* 940.30-940.35/901.30-901.35 MHz Regional NB-14 930.55-930.60/901.7875-901.8000 Regional NB-15 930.60-930.65/901.8000-901.8125 Regional NB-16 930.65-930.70/901.8125-901.8250 Regional NB-17* 930.70-930.75/901.8250-901.8375 MTA NB-18 940.35-940.40/901.35-901.40 MTA NB-19* 940.40-940.45/901.40-901.45 MTA NB-20 930.75-930.80/901.8375-901.8500 MTA NB-21 930.80-930.85/901.8500-901.8625 MTA NB-22* 930.85-930.90/901.8625-901.8750 MTA NB-23 940.90-940.95 MTA NB-24* 940.95-941.00 MTA NB-25 930.90-930.95/901.8750-901.8875 BTA NB-26* 930.95-931.00/901.8875-901.9000 BTA BB- A 1850-1865/1930-1945 MTA BB- B 1870-1885/1950-1965 MTA BB- C* 1895-1910/1975-1990 BTA BB- D 1865-1870/1945-1950 BTA BB- E 1885-1890/1965-1970 BTA BB- F* 1890-1895/1970-1975 BTA The Commission has already completed auctions for the Nationwide and Regional Narrowband PCS channels. Licensing of the Nationwide winners is already underway, and the regional licenses will be issued shortly. The acution for the MTA-based Broadband PCS licenses (Blocks A and B) is currently underway, with the auction for Block C scheduled to begin in April (or 30 days after conclusion of the current auction). Auctions for the remaining Broadband blocks and for the MTA and BTA Narrowband channels have not yet been scheduled. Bob Keller (KY3R) Email: rjk@telcomlaw.com Law Office of Robert J. Keller, P.C. Telephone: 301.229.5208 Federal Telecommunications Law Facsimile: 301.229.6875 ------------------------------ From: cain@rigel.Harris-ATD.com (Bibb Cain) Subject: "Dial & Save" Long Distance Service Date: 18 Jan 1995 13:50:51 GMT Organization: Advanced Technology Dept, Harris Corp, Melbourne, FL I received a letter offering a long distance service from a company called "Dial & Save." This offered savings relative to special plans from ATT, MCI, and Sprint by simply dialing their special access code before the area code. The billing shows up on your regular monthly bill. I called their 800 number (1-800-787-3333) and their rates for some calls seem good. Are they legit and has anyone had experience with them? Any problems? I was thinking of testing it bytrying their service for a couple of calls and seeing what shows up on the monthly bill. Bibb Cain ARPA : cain@rigel.ess.harris.com Harris Corporation AT&T : (407) 727-5445 PO Box 37, MS 5W/1912 FAX : (407) 729-3363 Melbourne, FL 32902 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Jan 95 09:41:25 EST From: hhs@teleoscom.com (Chip Sharp) Subject: Re: Bellcore Standards Question Sorry, but I lost the original message so no quotes here. From the ANSI side of the house, T1.403 (DS1 Standard) does not really define an IDLE code. ANS T1.408 (PRI Layer 1 Standard) defines the Idle code in a B-channel or H-channel as a "...pattern including at least 3 binary ones in an octet..." that must be transmitted "...on every time slot that is not assigned to a channel (e.g., time slots awaiting channel assignment on a per-call basis, residual slots on an interface that is not fully provisioned, etc.)..." (from Section 6.5 of ANS T1.408-1990). Just for further information, the idle pattern for the D-channel is HDLC flags, NOT all 1's as in the BRI. Note that this means that the B/H-channel idle code from the network could be the HDLC flag pattern, since it satisfies the requirements. That is why detection of HDLC flags on a PRI channel does not necessarily mean that the channel is connected. Other facts about T1: If you transmit inverted HDLC in every channel across a T1 span using Super Frame you have a 75% chance of emulating Yellow Alarm when transmitting flags. If the HDLC is aligned with the frame structure, the chance goes to 100%. Hascall H. ("Chip") Sharp Teleos Communications, Inc. Sr. Systems Engineer 2 Meridian Road Eatontown, NJ 07724 USA voice: +1 908 544 6424 fax: +1 908 544 9890 email: hhs@teleoscom.com ------------------------------ From: dreuben@netcom.com (CID Tech/INSG) Subject: McCaw/NACN Call Delivery Toll Charges Date: Wed, 18 Jan 1995 00:59:04 PST Recently, jcr@creator.nwest.mccaw.com (Jeffrey Rhodes) wrote: > In some Cellular One markets, the 99 cent per minute roamer air time > includes all necessary long distance charges (10 to 20 cents per > minute) for automatic call delivery via the NACN. > Unfortunately, this practise will have to change when markets are > converted to Equal Access to support the McCaw-AT&T merger. McCaw is > not permitted to be a long distance reseller, so Cellular One > subscribers must pick an Equal Access long distance carrier. ACD long > distance charges will be set by the PICked Equal Access carrier. Hmmmm ... How will this affect the Cell One/NY (00025) market where sections of the Connecticut (00119) market and ComCast/NJ market are considered "home" rates, even for toll calls? Currently, CO/NY customers can roam into sections of the CT or southern NJ systems and pay only "local" charges when calling a number from these areas. They are also not billed toll charges for the automatic call delivery toll component. Will any of this change as a result of the AT&T acquisition? Also, will redirects to voicemail (eg, if, when roaming, you don't answer your phone and a call goes back to voicemail) be affected in any way? They don't work in many NACN markets, but will voicemail redirects continue where they are currently offered? Doug Reuben dreuben@netcom.com/dreuben@interpage.net (203) 499 - 5221 CID Technologies*Interpage(TM) E-Mail/Internet Paging and Fax Services ------------------------------ From: dreuben@netcom.com (CID Tech/INSG) Subject: Re: ANI Information in Realtime Organization: Interpage E-Mail/Telnet Gateway to Fax, Alpha and Numeric Pagers Date: Wed, 18 Jan 1995 10:26:19 GMT Pat wrote: > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Even though ANI and Caller-ID are two > separate things, the end result -- the number produced for your review -- > is as often as not the same. With this in mind, at least one carrier > providing 800 service *does* display in realtime the ANI of the calling > party via the Caller-ID display unit. I've forgotten which company it > is ... someone remind me. I know for sure that Cable & Wireless is passing ANI (not CID) to many areas, and is doing so via Caller ID. This is a really nice feature, yet they panic when you talk to them about it, and deny it exists, etc. It doesn't work from everywhere. For example, I was in LA a while back, and it never worked from area code 909, but it worked fine from 213, 818, 310, and 714. (No, there is no Caller ID in CA, I called to Boston and had my computer page the number back to me on my pager ... awful hack; it would be very nice if there were Caller ID already in CA!) It also doesn't work to everywhere: I made a call from a payphone in Concord, CA recently. I called to Boston, and it ID'ed fine, yet calling from the same payphone to the saem C&W 800 number to a number in Connecticut, I got "Out of Area". This is pretty consistent. It seems to vary from local telco to local telco, and from LATA (or area code?) to LATA. Finally, it also isn't reliable: I can call from Vancouver, BC, and usually get the ID, but about 30% of the time it just gets "Out of Area". Some areas work more reliably than others, such as Vermont to Boston, yet others, such as NYC to Boston are very unreliable. > Maybe what AT&T is trying to tell you is that if you get Caller-ID > from NYNEX you'll get the information you are seeking. Maybe ... I > don't know. Maybe they are trying to say if you get a Caller-ID > display unit from someone, they (AT&T) will be in a position to send > you the information. Any other guesses on this, anyone? PAT] Hmmm ... I've NEVER received Caller ID info on ANY AT&T call, so unless they are doing something different with their 800 service I doubt it. I know the minute you mention Caller ID/ANI to Cable & Wireless, they say "Oh, call your local telephone company about that, we don't offer that." (Which is foolish -- it's an excellent selling point. If I worked for C&W I'd be actively trying to overcome whatever technical difficulties which are preventing universal ANI->CID display and then really go out and market the service!) Doug Reuben dreuben@netcom.com/dreuben@interpage.net (203) 499 - 5221 CID Technologies*Interpage(TM) E-Mail/Internet Paging and Fax Services ------------------------------ From: winkowsk@stc.nato.int (Daniel Winkowski) Subject: Dial Modifiers and International Callback Service? Organization: SHAPE Technical Centre, NL Date: Wed, 18 Jan 1995 11:09:00 GMT Problems: I subscribe to an international callback service to get lower rates from the US to Europe. I need to fax and data connect to US numbers vai my modem. I dial a US number, let it ring once, hang up, get called back and upon answering have a US dial tone. I would like to automate this process using dialing modifiers for both faxing and modem connections. If I do the callback part manually including picking up the phone and then initiating the modem or fax dial command I often time out on the callback connection (while the fax is being prepared) since dailtone inactivity of ~20 seconds causes my callback connection to terminate. My timeout problem is with the callback service (if no activity takes place once dial tone is established after ~20 seconds it disconnects so - "Changing the S-Register S7" or other modem characteristics will not have any affect. I thought that some combination of "," "!", and "W" as part of the dialing sequence might give me what I need but I have no experience with these. I am not sure what "!" does - does it toggle the hang up button or does it disconnect? I need to hang up after signaling (one ring) for the US callback service to call me. I then need to answer the phone (I can due this manually if need be), and then dial the true number. If "!" hangs up and then reconnects to a dial tone I will not be called back (reciever is off the hook). How do I hang up - can I issue a +++ATH in the dial string? úÿ Example ATDT00-1-123-456-7890, ! W 1-555-555-5555 ^ ^ ^ ^ ^Dial US phone number |Dial callback | | | Wait for dial tone (manually answer) | | Hang up (is this true?) |Wait for X seconds to ring once Does any one have experience with this? Please reply via mail. Thanks. Configuration: Software: Quick Link II Fax for DOS Hardware: Viva Data/Fax Modem (computer peripherals) Daniel Winkowski Voice: +31 70 314 2255 SHAPE Technical Center Fax: +31 70 314 2111 P.O. Box 174 winkowsk@stc.nato.int 2501 CD The Hague When all else fails: 192.41.140.225 The Netherlands 100141.567@compuserve.com (seldom read) ------------------------------ From: jon@server.branch.com (Jon Zeeff) Subject: Small Business PBX/Fax Back Server Needed Date: 18 Jan 1995 09:05:07 -0500 Organization: Branch Information Services, Ann Arbor, MI, USA I'm looking for a PBX/Fax back/voice mail system that would do the following: Connect to approx 4 POTS lines for incoming calls and have various facilities when you call in, for example: press 1 for a recording discussing our services press 2 to leave a message press 3 to enter your fax number for a faxback press 4 to ring someone's extension press 5 for a receptionist The more flexible and programmable, the better. Any ideas where to look and what I might have to pay? Commercial Internet Advertising, Marketing and Consulting Jon Zeeff Branch Information Services jon@gw.branch.com (313) 741-4442 http://branch.com/ gopher branch.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 18 Jan 95 08:11:57 EST From: nap@bss.com (Navneet Patel) Subject: Re: Call Waiting and Caller-ID Question keith.knipschild@asb.com writes: > I posted a message last week concering CALL-WAITING's CALLER ID, But > got no responces ... so here I go again: > I just my the lastest copy of the "HELLO DIRECT" Catalog and on page 24 > they adverise a Northern Telecom phone model# " PowerTouch 225 " > The ad states : CALLER ID, CALL WAITING MODULE > Comming in mid-1995, You'll see who's > on a CALL WAITING call, without inter- > rupting the call you're already on ... > I never heard of any telcos offering this. The only way to achive this > was by having an ISDN line. > Also, they mention "ADSI" ???? > The ad states: Looking ahead to the future > Coming in late-1995, is ADSI > It will help you do your banking, > pay bills, and such - by phone... BellSouth (Southern Bell) provides this service in Atlanta and Savannah area NOW. Customer can see telephone number (Caller ID) or name and number (Caller Id Deluxe) of a calling party or that of a call waiting (Call Waiting Deluxe). If you subscribe Caller Id Deluxe and Call Waiting Deluxe service, you will be able to see number and name of calling party and waiting party. ADSI: Analog Display Services Interface. Customer needs to have equipment which supports ADSI interface (like NT phone describe above) and just the POTS line (no ISDN necessary). Deployment of this service in Alabama and Tennessee is expected during 1995. Navneet Patel Science & Technology BellSouth Telecommunications nap@bss.com (404) 332-2159 ------------------------------ From: ajdsv@ind.rwth-aachen.de (Andreas Junklewitz (DA Martin)) Subject: Looking For a CHILL Compiler Date: 18 Jan 1995 13:12:18 GMT Organization: RWTH Aachen Reply-To: ajdsv@ind.rwth-aachen.de I am looking desperately for a CHILL precompiler or compiler running under any UNIX, LINUX, OS/2 or DOS. I know very slow and big compilers for MVS or VMS, but this isn't what I am looking for. I would appreciate any clues. Please respond by email. I will post a summary. Thank you in advance. With best regards, Andreas Junklewitz, Phone: ++49-241-806984, Telefax: ++49-241-8888186 Institute for Communication Systems and Data Processing RWTH-Aachen (University of Technology) Muffeter Weg 3, 52072 Aachen, Germany E-Mail: ajdsv@ind.rwth-aachen.de or junklewitz@rwth- aachen.de ------------------------------ From: Judith Oppenheimer Date: Wed, 18 Jan 1995 08:42:37 -0500 Subject: Freephone Forum vs. ITU Question Someone (sorry don't remember who) had posted: > This is the first I've heard of the "Freephone Forum." I always > thought call processing recommendations were issued by the International > Telecommunications Union (ITU). As explained to me, call processing recommendations are still done by the ITU but many perceive the ITU as too slow so other agreements are made in other forums and implemented on "bilateral agreement" basis. The Freephone Forum is one of them. The fourm is made up of (mostly) marketing people from all the service providers who provide toll free in their countries. They discuss freephone and how to get more people to use it, and share success stories etc. They also, (like most marketing groups) seem to "party" at these once a year things. One of the things they did develop is "Plus Freephone". That is a bilateral agreement that if you make an international call to an other countries 800 number, (eg if you dial from London, 00 (their international calling access) followed by 1 (the US country code), followed by 800 FLOWERS) ) the call will complete to 1-800-flowers in the US. Also the originating party (London) will suppress the billing to the caller and create a billing record to charge to 1-800-flowers. If this agreement is in place between two countries 800 calls are possible to the US and calling freephone numbers in other countries is possible. If this agreement is not in place, then then (in this case, London) would recognize 1 as USA and reject the call when it saw 800 because this is not a valid NPA code. (Remember, per the ITU all switches must screen on 4 digits before routing.) 1-800 is invalid. 1-405 would route to maybe miami and 1-212 would route to NY. 1-213 (los angeles) would probably route to NY or Maine. The people who attend the forum are often the marketing manager or service manager for the 800 (or freephone service) in their country. I will address the phone pad question shortly. (A good question - the answer may surprise you.) But a question asked on another list raised a good point. Because the International Freephone numbers, and domestic freephone numbers, will *co-exist* in the U.S., the U.S. Users Group has valid concerns that there will be confusion among U.S. consumers. More to come. J. Oppenheimer, Producer@Pipeline.com ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V15 #43 *****************************