TELECOM Digest Tue, 14 Feb 95 09:49:00 CST Volume 15 : Issue 96 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson MCI Selects Nextstep to Support Friends & Family Customers (M. Solomon) SNET/CT to Purchase NYNEX/RI, MA Properties (Doug Reuben) Technology Preferences for PCS (Alex Cena) Wireless RF Manufacturers (jdi@access.digex.net) Directory Assistance Call Completer (Dave Leibold) Northern Bidding on European Network (Dave Leibold) 500 Numbers - Where to Find Information (goober@mars.superlink.net) Need Help Finding 500 Exchange (Mike B. Fisher) Mexico's AT&T USADirect No Longer Connected (jose@riter.computize.com) Does a High Speed Serial Interface for the VME-Bus Exist? (M. Rautenberg) Fixed Price Embedded, Network Development (John Stockenberg) Puerto Rican Telecom Research Help Wanted (William Smith) Still Waiting For Caller ID Spec From Bellcore (Charles Copeland) 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. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. Subscriptions are available to qualified organizations and individual readers. Write and tell us how you qualify: * telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu * The Digest is edited, published and compilation-copyrighted by Patrick Townson of Skokie, Illinois USA. You can reach us by postal mail, fax or phone at: 9457-D Niles Center Road Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 500-677-1616 Fax: 708-329-0572 ** 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. 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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: Tue, 14 Feb 1995 02:24:07 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: MCI Selects Nextstep to Support Friends & Family Customers Reply-To: monty@roscom.COM Forwarded FYI to the Digest. Contact: Karen Logsdon NeXT Computer, Inc. 415-780-3786 or Carol Aarhus MCI 1-800-436-9749 MCI SELECTS NEXTSTEP TO SUPPORT FRIENDS & FAMILY CUSTOMER SERVICE SYSTEMS REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - February 7, 1995-NeXT Computer, Inc. announced today that MCI has selected its object-oriented software, NEXTSTEP, for the development and delivery of custom applications for MCI's New Friends & Family program. Introduced in January, New Friends & Family offers customers who spend just $10 a month 25% savings on all domestic direct-dialed calls, and 50% savings to other Friends & Family customers in their Calling Circle. To further streamline and improve its customer service applications, MCI has placed a multi-million dollar order for NeXT products, including the advanced PDO (Portable Distributed Objects) and Enterprise Object Framework, which will help advance the company's specialized customer service stations. "We are excited to work with a leading telecommunications innovator like MCI," said Steven P. Jobs, Chairman and CEO of NeXT Computer, Inc. "MCI's speed-to-market and track record with Friends & Family, 1-800-COLLECT and Friends & Family Connections is unmatched, and we look forward to helping them bring more advanced products like these to market even faster. MCI's commitment to our technology is another step in the marketplace acceptance of object technology in general," Jobs added. "We believe in NeXT's object technology, because it speeds our development cycles, keeping us ahead of the competitive curve, and significantly improves our time-to-market with new products and services," said Jim Folk, Vice President of Information Technology for MCI Consumer Markets. "We selected NeXT technology because NEXTSTEP/OpenStep is a powerful object-oriented development environment that allows us to build applications in shorter timeframes and spend more time focusing on customer needs rather than in the lab." MCI MCI, headquartered in Washington, D.C., has expanded from its core long distance business to become the world's third-largest carrier of international calling and a premier provider of data communications over the vast Internet computer network. With annual revenue of more than $13.3 billion, the company today provides a wide array of consumer and business long distance and local services, data and video communications, online information, electronic mail, network management services and communications software. NeXT Computer, Inc. NeXT develops and markets the award-winning NEXTSTEP object-oriented software for industry-standard computer architectures. Customers use NEXTSTEP's advanced object environment to rapidly develop and deploy custom, enterprise-wide, client/server applications. NeXT is headquartered in Redwood City, California, and has offices in North America, London, Paris, Munich and Tokyo. # # # # NeXT, the NeXT logo, OpenStep and NEXTSTEP are trademarks or registered trademarks of NeXT Computer, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned belong to their respective owners. ------------------------------ From: dreuben@interpage.net (Doug Reuben) Subject: SNET/CT to Purchase NYNEX/RI, MA Properties Date: Tue, 14 Feb 1995 08:29:53 EST I just got the SNET newsletter forwarded to me, and it seems like SNET, the "B" side cellular carrier in Connecticut, is going to purchase the NYNEX properties in RI, Southeastern Mass, and Western Mass. Currently, SNET (00088), the B-side carrier serves all of CT (it is the only company to do so, or will be after its agressive expansion into Litchfield County), as well as the Springfield, Mass area, up I-91 into Franklin County, and all the way to the Vermont line. Bell Atlantic/Metro Mobile, the A-side carrier, which is owned by the Mid Atlantic B-side carrier operating in NJ, PA, DE, VA, DC, MD, DE, and part of West Virginia (?), operates in all Connecticut counties except Litchfield, and in Rhode Island, Southestern Mass (e.g., south of I- 495), Springfield Mass (but NOT Franklin), and the US-7/Berkshire region. Since Bell Atlantic (BAMS) and NYNEX plan to merge their services, (which hopefully will not drain revenues from BAMS's outstanding B-side Mid-Atlantic service), they need to shed their properties in RI and Mass which overlap. In an unusual, but logical move, NYNEX will be selling off its entire Rhode Island/Southeastern Mass system (00028), as well as it's Berkshire/Pittsfield, MA system (a woefully inadequate system) to SNET. That is, in EVERY market where the BAMS/Metro Mobile A-side system would have operated against a BAMS/NYNEX system, NYNEX has opted to sell its properties to SNET. SNET will now have a coverage area greater than Metro Mobile's, as it will include all of Litchfield County (which BAMS/Metro Mobile does not have the license for, and where it can offer services which MM/McCaw is prohibited from offering), and Franklin County Mass. It will also include all the NYNEX-B systems where Metro Mobile currently operates. Currently, NYNEX/MA-RI customers get toll-free calling between both states (or at least Mass to RI does if their literature is correct). How this will affect the current billing regime between the two states is unclear, but normally, B-side carriers can not carry Inter-Lata traffic without a waiver. I assume NYNEX received a waiver for this long ago; I do not know if the waiver will allow NYNEX/MA <-> SNET/RI calling in the same manner. (The A side does not offer toll-free MA-RI calling, so this isn't a terribly big issue, yet it is one of the advantages a NYNEX customer used to have over a Cell One/Boston or a Metro Mobile/RI customer.) Additionally, with SNET's "no roam charge" program(s), as well as those of NYNEX (and I assume shortly BAMS), Metro Mobile, always one to assert a roam charge when they can and which currently has some of the highest roaming rates in New England and New York, will likely be forced to lower these rates to be more competitive with a unified and roam-charge free B-side roaming system from Virginia to Maine. Currently, Metro Mobile/CT customer pay from $.60 to $.99 cents per minute to roam in NY, and MM/RI customers pay $3 day/$.99 per minute. CO/Boston customers pay $.44 peak/$.29 off-peak (plus the $2 roam-coordinator monthly beer charge :( ) in NY and New England, and NYNEX customers pay between $.50 to $.59 cents, and SNET customers pay between $.60 and $.75 cents. Metro Mobile will need to come down to match its "A" side partners as well as it's B-side "competitors". Anyhow, that's the news for now! Doug Reuben * dreuben@interpage.net * (500) 442-4CID / (203) 499 - 5221 Interpage Network Services -- E-Mail/Telnet to Alpha or Numeric Pagers & Fax ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Feb 95 08:53:40 EST From: Alex Cena Subject: Technology Preferences for PCS On Wed, 8 Feb 1995 11:58:17 GMT Simon J Wallace wrote: > 1) What's the difference between Qualcomm's IS-95 and PN-3384 the new PCS > derivative? One works at 800Mhz the other at 1.g Ghz. > 2) Where are GO communications based? I read this morning that they plan to > bring GSM to North America. Go Communications is based in the Washington DC area. > 3) GO claim to be introducing GSM as CDMA looks unlikely to roll out > in the near future. What do other people think? No one technology will dominate, especially in the 10Mhz bands. The Federal Communications Commission will not dictate a specific technology standard that must be used by the industry. In fact, the FCC has embraced 7 common air interfaces and 2 signalling protocols. I do believe CDMA and PCS1900 will be the common air interface of choice for the 30 Mhz licenses or the A, B & C bands, while virtually all 7 common air interfaces will be utilized by the winners of the 10Mhz licenses or the D, E, and F bands. In addition, I believe winners of PCS licenses with exisiting cellular networks are likely to lean toward IS-41 compatible technology such as upbanded versions of IS-95 CDMA and IS-136 TDMA, while those without legacy networks will lean toward GSM MAP compatible technology such as PCS1900. See Technology Preference Score Card below. CDMA service availability (1) AirTouch already has "friendly users" on their CDMA network in San Fernando and is on target for commercial roll-out in June followed by coverage of entire LA region be year end (2) US West New Vector is on target for pre-commercial service in the entire Puget Sound Area by mid-'95. In addition to Seattle, the Puget Sound region extends to Bellingham to the North, Olympia to the South and the Cascade Mountain range to the East. Thus, US West will be available able to offer digital service virtually everywhere it can offer analog. TECHNOLOGY PREFERENCE SCORECARD --------------------------Cellular--------------------------- Service Provider Air Interface Comments AirTouch CDMA Full Service in June Ameritech CDMA Construction starts 3Q95 Bell Atlantic TDMA Likely to switch to CDMA Bell South TDMA Under Construction GTE CDMA Phase I Austin Done; On to Phase II McCaw TDMA Commercial NYNEX CDMA Trials Southwestern Bell TDMA Commercial Sprint CDMA Under Construction in Las Vegas -------------Personal Communication Services----------------- Service Provider Air Interface Comments North American Wireless CDMA AT&T / Cable & Wireless joint venture McCaw/AT&T/Cell One Undecided Leaning toward IS-136 TDMA Bell South DCS1900 ATI, NYN, BEL & USW Undecided Leaning toward CDMA Wireless Co Undecided Leaning toward DCS1900/Sprint, Cox, APC TCI, Comcast & other cable TV operators Ameritech CDMA Leaning toward CDMA Southwesternbell DCS1900 Pacbell DCS1900 Spun off AirTouch GTE Undecided Leaning toward CDMA OmniPoint DS1900 Pioneer's Preference Advanced Wireless CDMA Announced PCS Primeco CDMA AirTouch, Bell Atlantic, NYNEX & US West The above information reflect my personal opinions and is incomplete. I would welcome any comments, corrections, additions, etc so I can update my files. Moreover, the above scorecard only reflects the carriers' preference where they are the managing operator. It would be more accurate to go on a market by market basis since there's so much "coopetition" and cross-ownership in this industry. Regards, Alex M. Cena, acena@lehman.com ------------------------------ From: jdi@access.digex.net Subject: Wireless RF Manufacturers Date: 14 Feb 1995 00:51:54 -0500 Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, MD USA Anybody out there know who the "good" manufacturers of RF subsystems for cellular systems are? Assuming there is at least one good one? ------------------------------ From: Dave.Leibold@superctl.tor250.org (Dave Leibold) Date: 13 Feb 95 23:12:24 -0500 Subject: Directory Assistance Call Completer Organization: Gateway: The Super Continental - North York, Canada [from Bell News, 6 Feb 95 - content is Bell Canada's; the service described is not necessarily a world-first] New service saves callers time. A new customer service, developed by Stentor Resource Centre Inc. (SRCI), has created another revenue generating opportunity for Bell and the other Stentor owner companies. Automated Directory Assistance Call Completion (ADACC) gives local directory assistance callers the option of having their calls automatically completed to the requested number for a 35-cent charge. It is now available in 905, 519, 705, and 416 area codes. This month it will be rolled out in area code 613 and in March, 807. Says project prime Sheila Philion: "Only a portion of local directory assistance requests are chargeable. With this value-added service, we've provided the Stentor owner companies (SOCs) with a vehicle that helps increase revenue potential associated with local directory assistance." Sheila says SRCI worked closely with Bell Sygma through every step of the project. Bell Sygma worked on the technical and operational requirements of the project, ensuring departments affected by the new system made all the necessary changes to allow for a smooth implementation. Says Bell Sygma team leader Art Brewer, "Bell Sygma overcame technical hurdles to get the technology delivered on time." "What I like about it is that it hits the customer right at the decision-making point. We know there's a strong likelihood that they will choose to use the call completion service. We're offering them an easier option that dialing the requested number themselves," says Janet Garrod of Bell's Consumer Market Management. The service has two billing options. The 'sent paid' option carries a 35-cent fee for each completed call. The 'alternative billing' plan adds an additional 75 cents to have the call charged to a Calling Card[tm], collect or third number. Fidonet : Dave Leibold 1:250/730 Internet: Dave.Leibold@superctl.tor250.org Standard-disclaimer: The views of this user are strictly his own. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: We have had that service here in the Chicago 312/708 area for about a year. I hate it because instead of repeating the number twice as they did before, now it is read once and the message about 'you may have this call automatically completed at this time' immediatly starts playing after the first recitation. You úÿ have to listen to the spiel about getting it dialed automatically twice before the number itself is repeated a second time in case you missed it the first time. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Dave.Leibold@superctl.tor250.org (Dave Leibold) Date: 13 Feb 95 23:12:18 -0500 Subject: Northern Bidding on European Telecom Network Organization: Gateway: The Super Continental - North York, Canada [from Bell News - 6 Feb 95 - content is Bell Canada's] Northern bidding on European telecom network Northern Telecom is among a select few world leaders to be asked to bid on a new fiber-optic network to be built later this year alongside the tracks of Europe's main rail lines. Northern was approached by Hermes, a joint venture of U.S.-based Global Telesystems Group (GTS) and a consortium of 11 European railway companies, to submit a bid for the first stage of the planned network which will compete with the national carriers of France, Germany, Britain, etc. GTS is aiming to attract big international corporations which complain that the national carriers of Europe cannot meet their needs for "seamless" communications outside their national borders. It also plans to become a "carriers' carrier," selling capacity to public network operators, service providers and cellular phone companies. Fidonet : Dave Leibold 1:250/730 Internet: Dave.Leibold@superctl.tor250.org Standard-disclaimer: The views of this user are strictly his own. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Feb 1995 02:50:56 -0500 From: goober Subject: 500 Numbers - Where to Find Information I've been reading comp.dcom.telecom, and a 500 number sounds just like what I've been wanting. I called a friend at MCI (US Voice and Data) but he didn't seem to know much about them. Where could I find more information? Is there a FAQ that contains it? Pricing? Thanks a lot, ted [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You've not been reading very closely here. 500 numbers have been the topic of conversation -- including how to order them -- for the past couple weeks at least. You can reach AT&T to order a 500 number by calling 800-982-8480. Scan over back issues of the Digest for the past couple weeks to get quite a few of the details before you call for best results. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Fisher@Emerald.NET (Mike B. Fisher) Subject: Need Help Finding 500 Exchange Date: 13 Feb 1995 18:47:21 GMT Organization: EmeraldNet I saw mention of a master "500" exchange list, but can't find it. Is there one on this newsgroup, or should I be looking elsewhere? And while I'm on the subject, is there a similar list for 800 exchanges? (Don't worry - I'm not a "retired cab driver") Thanks, Mike Fisher CEO, EmeraldNet Fisher@Emerald.NET [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: You're not that fellow who called me on the phone a couple weeks ago? The 800 list is located in the Telecom Archives at lcs.mit.edu in a file called 'npa.800'. The 500 list has not been made into a separate file yet, however you will find it in a back issue of TELECOM Digest, in volume 14 from last year, near the end of the year. Check the last couple dozen issues or so of 1994. It is an incomplete list but includes quite a few exchange assignments. Now just because the exchange is assigned does NOT mean the company is yet offering 500 service. So far as I know, AT&T is the only company to actually have it up and running at this time nationally. By the way, I heard from a couple readers with information on that fellow and I will use their notes in an issue later today. PAT] ------------------------------ From: jose@riter.computize.com (Jose) Subject: Mexico's AT&T USADirect No Longer Connected Date: Mon, 13 Feb 1995 14:24:16 Organization: Computize Inc. I was reading about the Atlanta airport not allowing the use of 800 numbers and I thought I'd mention that the Mexico City international airport no longer allows use of AT&T's USADirect number. I had found one phone in the new international terminal that did but it has since been put out of service. What's just as bad is that the special phones allowing connections to AT&T, MCI, Sprint, etc. have all been smashed up and made unusable. I guess that's why Telmex was the highest earning Telco in the world a couple of years back. Just a little FYI ... jose International Suppliers Inc. 25+ experience internat'l government sales ranging from screws to aircraft. Also specializing in outsource manufacturing of your products in Mexico. e-mail: jose@riter.computize.com ------------------------------ From: mathias@pluto.informatik.unibw-muenchen.de (Mathias Rautenberg) Subject: Does a High Speed Serial Interface For the VME-Bus Exist? Date: 14 Feb 1995 09:47:59 GMT Organization: Universitaet der Bundeswehr Muenchen Reply-To: mathias@pluto.informatik.unibw-muenchen.de (Mathias Rautenberg) Hi, In our laboratory we have a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) with Distributed Queue Dual Bus (DQDB, IEEE 802.6) technology. The nodes of the network have a High Speed Serial Interface (HSSI). For our experiments I'm interested in a board for the VME-bus handling the HSSI-protocol to send data generated by a workstation to the MAN. If anybody hears about such a board, please let me know. Thanks in advance, Mathias Rautenberg Universitaet der Bundeswehr Muenchen Institut 3.3 fuer systemorientierte Informatik Werner-Heisenberg-Weg 39 Phone: (+49) 089 / 6004-2254 85577 Neubiberg Fax: (+49) 089 / 6004-3560 E-Mail: mathias@pluto.informatik.unibw-muenchen.de ------------------------------ From: PVTZ06A@prodigy.com (John Stockenberg) Subject: Fixed Price Embedded, Network Development Date: 14 Feb 1995 14:32:35 GMT Organization: Prodigy Services Company 1-800-PRODIGY DSS is a small business whose main products are networked, realtime, digital signal processing (DSP) hardware/software systems. Beginning with a description of your needs, DSS can design, implement, test and document a complete product. These efforts include specifying the processing algorithms and GUI, selecting the hardware platform, designing and building custom hardware and software, integrating and testing the system, and producing end- user documentation. Over the past ten years, DSS has designed and developed both VME and PC based embedded, DSP systems. Nearly all of the systems have employed multiple, distributed and/or networked processors. Two of the systems, one on each platform, are DSS products just entering the marketplace in two different arenas. Both offer rugged, compact, cost-effective, easy-to-use solutions to complex real-time problems. We are interested in bidding on all aspects of system and product developments. We offer either FIXED PRICE "no cure no pay" pricing, or a time and material approach. For products of special interest, we will consider cost sharing for an equity position. Contact DSS via email, call Bill DiMarco or John Stockenberg at (401) 849-1905 or fax us at (401) 848-7540. ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Feb 1995 22:04:59 -0800 From: WJ_Smith@ix.netcom.com (William Smith) Subject: Puerto Rican Telecom Research Dear Mr. Townson, I wonder if you might have a moment or two to help steer me in the right direction on some current research I am attempting via the Internet for a University of Maryland Graduate course. I am doing an analysis of the Puerto Rican telecommunications industry (both the business and social impacts) and have been reviewing your archives as well as doing various library searches of journals like {Telephony}, {Computer Telephony}, etc. Once in a while I come accross a gem or two, but for the most part, I haven't found much in the way of raw data or infomation, nor has there been much beyond a multitude of articles written by a journalist named Larry Luxner. Any help you can give, as far as areas that might be worthwhile to research, others that you may know are doing research in the telecommunications field, etc., would be helpful. Thank you for your help. Sincerely, William (Bill) Smith WJ_SMITH@ix.netcom.com ; WJSMITH@databank.com ; WSMITH@europa.umuc.edu ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Feb 1995 16:40:14 -0600 From: Charles Copeland Subject: Still Waiting For Caller ID Specs From Bellcore Organization: Texas Metronet, Internet for the Individual 214-705- 2901 Has anybody out there received their copy of GR-30 Caller ID spec by Bellcore? I ordered mine over a month ago and it still hasn't been shipped yet. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V15 #96 *****************************