TELECOM Digest Thu, 23 Feb 95 22:04:30 CST Volume 15 : Issue 118 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Call for Presentations - Summit '95 (summit@ix.netcom.com) Incoming Call Alert Needed (Robert Perlberg) Saying Hello in Other Languages (James F. Foerster) Anyone Heard of SMR - Specialized Mobile Radio? (Scott Murray) Information Requested on Video Conferencing (Andy Humberston) SaskTel Videogame Service (Dave Leibold) Unitel Operators Connected (Dave Leibold) Information Wanted on Hotel Telephone Billing (Stephen Cacclin) Explanation of Erlang B Formula (Steve Samler) Guernsey Bulletin Boards (be3_037@civl.port.ac.uk) N.T. M9516 Phone Wanted (Keith Knipschild) Nokia 121 Programming Help Needed (Alexander Cerna) Re: Area Code/Prefix Trivia (David O'Heare) Re: Bell Canada Stumped on 500 Service (David L. Oehring) Re: 500 Place-A-Call Working (Stan Schwartz) Re: Security of Cordless Phones? (Paul Robertson) Re: Security of Cordless Phones? (Stephen Denny) Re: Security of Cordless Phones? (Clarence Dold) Last Laugh! The Unintentional Date/Chat Line (David Leibold) 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. For a copy of a helpful file explaining how to use the information service, just ask. ************************************************************************ * * TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from the * * International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland * * under the aegis of its Telecom Information Exchange Services (TIES) * * project. 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Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: summit@ix.netcom.com (Summit '94) Subject: Call for Presentations Date: 24 Feb 1995 00:28:23 GMT Organization: Netcom *** CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS *** ENTERPRISE MANAGEMENT SUMMIT 95 October 23-27, 1995 Infomart Dallas, Texas Phone: 415. 512. 0801 Fax: 415. 512. 1325 Email: summit@ix.netcom.com The deadline for submitting proposals for speaking at Summit 95 (to be held at the Dallas InfoMart, October 23-27) is February 28. ** Topics Summit 95 will focus on both real-world solutions and underlying technology. Topics to be covered include the management of: Networks (voice, video and data), Systems (mainframes, minis, workstations, PCs), Applications, Databases, and Integrated management of the four domains. Subjects of particular interest to Summit 95 participants include (but are not necessarily limited to): * Case studies/success stories * Distributed object computing * Managing NOSs * Network management standards * Managing/monitoring distributed applications/databases * Data warehouses * Network optimization * Help Desk * Desktop management standards * Asset management/Software licensing/Software distribution * Managing messaging networks * Security * Personel management/Career development Note to vendors: Presentations must be focused on technology and/or solutions. Products may be discussed if integrated within case studies. ** Formats Technical Sessions and Panels: 1 hour sessions Tutorial Sessions: Half-day, full-day and two day sessions ** Submissions Please submit an abstract of 100-200 words by February 28, 1995 ------------------------------ From: Robert Perlberg Subject: Incoming Call Alert Needed Date: 23 Feb 95 11:54:08 GMT [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The original message did not appear in this Digest. Excerpts are quoted here instead. PAT] RJMATTER@delphi.com wrote: Quoting ktk9091 from a message in comp.sources.wanted >> solution. I need some software that will tell me that a call is >> coming in, and ideally, what number the call is being placed from. >> Does anything like this exist, or am I dreaming? >> Thanks for your help! > There is a service avaliable through the telephone company where callers > get to leave a message when you are busy. I think it costs $5 per month > on your phone bill. When you hang up then lift to hear a busy signal and > instead hear a special sound, that means you have messages and should > enter your code to retrieve them. That's what I was thinking, but it doesn't solve the problem of not knowing that someone called. I don't know whether the phone company has this, but at my office we have a feature in our voice messaging system called out-call notification. You can program the system to call you at another number whenever the system takes a message. I entered my beeper number as the out-call notification number, so whenever anyone leaves me a message I get beeped. This way I always know when someone is trying to reach me and I don't have to give out my beeper number. Does anyone know if the phone company's message service has this feature? Robert Perlberg Dean Witter Reynolds Inc., New York dwrsun4!perl@murphy.com -or- perl%dwrsun4@philabs.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Feb 1995 15:52:43 CST From: James F. Foerster Subject: Saying Hello in Other Languages Organization: University of Illinois at Chicago, ADN Computer Center My uncle is 85 years old, and wants desperately to see a list of how people in other countries answer the phone. Hello, pronto (Italian, I think) are the only ones he knows. Can someone help or refer me elsewhere? Thanks. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: If people want to send me a list of those they know I will compile and summarize it here. PAT] ------------------------------ From: murrays@clipper.robadome.com (Scott Murray) Subject: Anyone Heard of SMR - Specialized Mobile Radio? Date: 23 Feb 1995 19:32:11 GMT Organization: Siemens Rolm Communications, Inc. Reply-To: murrays@clipper.robadome.com Hi, I was wondering if anyone had any info on SMR -- Specialized Mobile Radio. I have been approached by a company in Florida to buy an SMR channel. The channel is in the 851-866Mhz range and is used by companies to provided cellular like service at a cheaper rate. The channels are supposedly given out by the government on a first come first serve basis, but this company wants to charge by $3500 to file all the paper work and guarantees me a channel or my money back. Supposedly once you have a channel you can rent it out or sell it to the regionaly operators and they are very anxious to get these extra channels. The have been able to convert these old style radio dispatch towers into digital towers that provided phone, paging and fax service at a fraction of the cellular cost and the towers cover a larger range. My questions are these: Is this really a good investment? Are these channels really in demand by companies like Nextel, CenCall, DialPage etc.? Is it worth going through this company or are there cheaper ways to get a channel? Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Scott ------------------------------ From: iah@dmu.ac.uk (Andy Humberston) Subject: Information Requested on Video Conferencing Date: 22 Feb 1995 17:39:16 GMT Organization: De Montfort University, Leicester, UK Is anybody aware of any mailing/news lists dedicated to discussing video conferencing (eg. Hardware, Standards, New Products, etc) I am interested in finding information regarding the (forthcoming) T.120 standards set. Any ideas will be appreciated. Andy Humberston, Network Support, De Montfort University, UK Tel: +44 116 2551551 ext 8175 Fax: +44 116 2577170 EMail: iah@dmu.ac.uk ------------------------------ From: Dave.Leibold@superctl.tor250.org (Dave Leibold) Date: 22 Feb 95 22:00:06 -0500 Subject: SaskTel Videogame Service [from Bell News (Bell Canada), 20 Feb 95] SaskTel to deliver Nintendo games to hotel rooms SaskTel, Saskatchewan leading phone company, has signed a deal with Nintendo to market a new system that will deliver Nintendo's video games to hotel rooms via phone lines. The system will allow guests to use the phone even while playing games. SaskTel developed the system in partnership with Hospitality Network Canada of Regina. Fidonet : Dave Leibold 1:250/730 Internet: Dave.Leibold@superctl.tor250.org ------------------------------ From: Dave.Leibold@superctl.tor250.org (Dave Leibold) Date: 22 Feb 95 21:59:58 -0500 Subject: Unitel Operators Connected [from Bell News (Bell Canada), 20 Feb 95] Unitel, [Bell Canada's] AT&T-managed competitor, is conducting a technology trial with a view to offering a range of operator services. During the trial, which will last until April 1, Unitel has operators providing such services as: station-to-station and person-to-person collect and third- number calls; toll-call completion; call transfers to the telephone company's directory assistance service; and credit card billing options. Depending on the results of the trial, Unitel might offer operator services to other carriers and resellers. Fidonet : Dave Leibold 1:250/730 Internet: Dave.Leibold@superctl.tor250.org ------------------------------ From: cacclin@vanbc.wimsey.com (Stephen Cacclin) Subject: Information Wanted on Hotel Telephone Billing Date: 22 Feb 1995 01:39:23 -0800 Organization: Wimsey Information Services Hello all, I am developing custom call-accounting software for a hotel. Their PABX outputs each call's time/date, telephone number, duration and room extension. My question is: What is the best method to calculate the telephone charge? I guess I am looking for some sort of standardized rate table for North American long-distance. Does such a thing exist, and if so, is it available on the net? Someone please say yes, as I am not up to entering these rates by hand ... Any and all help will be greatly appreciated. Stephen Cacclin Echelon Computing [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Just charge as much as you think you can get away with; that's what the other hotels do. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 22 Feb 1995 09:47:10 EST From: Steve Samler Subject: Explanation of Erlang B Formula assumptions are: infinite sources equal traffic density per source lost calls cleared P=((A**N)/N!)/(A**x)/x! where the denominator is summed from x=0 to N and A = total traffic offered in Erlangs N = number of servers in a full availability group P = probability of loss ------------------------------ From: BE3_037 Subject: Guernsey Bulletin Boards Date: 23 Feb 1995 12:48:39 GMT Organization: University of Portsmouth (UK) Is there a list of people who offer bulletin board services in the Channel Islands? ------------------------------ From: keith.knipschild@asb.com Organization: America's Suggestion Box (516) 471-8625 Date: Thu, 23 Feb 95 00:39:51 GMT Subject: N.T. M9516 Telephone Wanted Does anyone know where I can get my hands on the NORTHERN TELECOM "M9516" Telephone? I have seen it in the "Hello Direct" Catalog, But I can't seem to find a LOCAL Dealer ... I am located in the NYC Area, on Long Island. Does anyone own the M9516? If so please post or send me a REVIEW. Thanks, Keith Keith.Knipschild@asb.com ------------------------------ Reply-To: Alexander Cerna Subject: Nokia 121 Programming Help Needed Date: Thu, 23 Feb 1995 18:50:21 +0800 From: Alexander Cerna I have a Nokia 121. Is it possible to change the five-digit security code by myself? I've pored over the manual and fiddled with the phone itself, but I can't seem to find a way to change it. I was able to set it the first time around. But afterwards I couldn't find a way to change it to another five-digit number. úÿ I've asked the local service provider, and I was told that only they could change it with, implicitly, some special equipment that they only have. Is this true? Thanks in advance. Regards, Alexander Cerna cerna@ntep.tmg.nec.co.jp VOX: +63 (32) 400- 451 NEC Technologies MEPZ, Lapulapu, Phils 6015 FAX: +63 (32) 400- 457 ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Feb 1995 22:39:11 +0000 From: bj059@freenet.carleton.ca Subject: Re: Area Code/Prefix Trivia Organization: contractor at BNR > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: > And what area code covers the largest geographical area? Well, Bell Canada's operators consider 872 to be an area code. I think that wins. (For those not in the know, 872 is the access code for Inmarsat Pacific.) David O'Heare +1 613 765 3478 (W) +1 613 729 4830 (H) bj059@freenet.carleton.ca (Don't reply to the address in the header; I won't get the message.) ------------------------------ From: dlo@csggp2.ih.att.com (David L Oehring) Subject: Re: Bell Canada Stumped on 500 Service Organization: AT&T Date: Tue, 21 Feb 1995 23:25:00 GMT In article , Montague Scott A <4sam3@qlink. queensu.ca> wrote: > Well, it was bound to happen. What was, in myu opinion the best phone > company in North America, has let me down. The problem? Bell Canada has > never heard of 500 service. A quick call to Pat's number using both 1- > and 0- gave me a "bad number" message. So, I got online with a Bell > Canada operator, and she told me "sorry, I don't know of the 500 area > code. > I called 1-800-CALLATT; they didn't know what 500 was about; > until I persisted. He can't connect me though. Call AT&T Long Distance Repair at 1-800-222-3000. I've encountered a few Ameritech phones in the 312 and 313 area codes that did not recognize 1+/0+ 500 calls and they fixed the problem within 24 hrs. Dave Oehring ------------------------------ From: stans@panix.com (Stan Schwartz) Subject: Re: 500 Place-A-Call Working Date: 22 Feb 1995 23:35:47 -0500 Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and Unix, NYC David.L.Oehring@att.com wrote: > I dialed my True Connections(sm) 500 Number to update my reach list > this past Saturday, and noticed that the first-level prompt (following > entry of the master PIN) had been changed. Previously, option #2 was > to "Call Home", but is now "To place a call". I tried out the > "Place-A-Call" feature and it worked (from the 312/708 area). It > looks like the post cards announcing the feature were only a little (one > week?) early. It works here in 516 also! (I just can't seem to get back to the True Connections prompt if the called party does not answer)! On a related note, I received a call yesterday from an AT&T Rep (the nice lady who programmed my Final Stop) who called to tell me that The Navigator service is now working in my area. Apparently, AT&T overcame any tariff problems that they were having. Of course I _HAD_ to try it, and sure enough, it works! On another related note, AT&T of New York, Inc filed with the NY State PSC to provide intra-state True500 service (it was in a legal notice in today's {Newsday}). The filing also mentions changes in rates for CIID/891 cards. What are they? Stan [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Since you mentioned 'Navigator', that is one part of 500 service many users are not familiar with. Would you please send in a short explanation of it? PAT] ------------------------------ From: Robertson, Paul Subject: Re: Security of Cordless Phones Date: Thu, 23 Feb 95 09:30:00 PST jporten@mail2.sas.upenn.edu (Jeffrey A. Porten) wrote: > Having just gotten a new cordless phone (BellSouth 46mHz), and living > in the paranoid environs of Washington, DC, I find myself wondering > just how likely it is that the world is listening to my calls. > The phone has ten channels, and a security code feature which, so far > as I understand, exists mainly to prevent another cordless handset > from tapping into my base unit, but does nothing to scramble the > signal from the handset. > I live in an apartment building, with a few others nearby, so consider > this a high-density area. Should I go on the assumption that people > are always listening in? Sometimes? Almost never? > I have a corded set that I keep hooked up for confidential calls; as a > stopgap, I sometimes scan channels on my cordless so any eavesdropper > will at least have to fiddle to find me again. Does this help, or am > I kidding myself? > [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Corded or cordless, the assumption should > be that your telephone calls are never secure. In actual practice, it > may not matter to you; if you are just in idle chatter with someone you > aren't going to bother with the trouble of special precautions. My personal > belief is the use of scanners to listen to cordless phones is still a > relatively rare thing; how many people do *you* know that own scanners > who are within range of your cordless phone? And of those, how many are > sophisticated enough to know how to program the scanner for cordless? > So my feeling is generally its not a big deal, and if you do have something > very important and personal to say, you might want to go to a payphone > anyway. PAT] In this area (DC Metro), there are a _lot_ of people with scanners, a great majority of whom are "techies" working for various beltway bandits. There are a few Bulletin Boards dedicated to it, and a local USENET newsgroup. Since cordless phones are about the second thing covered in most scanner books (right after airplanes), I wouldn't call scanning the band "sophisti- cated". Remember that when most scanner books were written cordless moni- toring was perfectly legal. I'd say it's pretty much a given that in most areas of Northern VA, Suburban MD, and parts of DC, odds are that there are scanner owners listening in. In an apartment building, it doesn't even take a decent antenna, and range can be quite good if you have an apartment in a fairly tall building, a dec- ent antenna, antenna amplifier, etc. As for hopping channels, it won't do you any good, as anyone who wants to listen in will be scanning the whole cordless band, not just one frequency. My advice would be to get a cordless that encrypts, and never use a cordless for something like ordering with a credit card, or talking about something you wouldn't tell the cashier at the local grocery store. Paul D. Robertson proberts@moc1.gannett.com ------------------------------ From: sdenny@spd.dsccc.com (Stephen Denny) Subject: Re: Security of Cordless Phones? Date: 23 Feb 1995 18:55:49 GMT Organization: DSC Communications Corporation, Plano, Texas USA > In article , Jeffrey A. Porten mail2.sas.upenn.edu> wrote: >> Having just gotten a new cordless phone (BellSouth 46mHz), and living >> in the paranoid environs of Washington, DC, I find myself wondering > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >> just how likely it is that the world is listening to my calls. > [ stuff deleted ] >> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Corded or cordless, the assumption should >> be that your telephone calls are never secure. While I am falling behind on this issue, until recent months, scanners, both hand-held and base station varieties were sold through legitimate vendors such as Radio Shack that can receive all cordless frequencies and with minor modifications, cellular frequencies. I believe many models receiving cord- less are still available. It has been my understanding that at sometime in 1994 it became illegal for manufacturers to sell scanners that were "easily" modified for cellular (with an exception that allowed depletion of existing stock). It has also been illegal to listen to cellular for awhile. It is my understanding that as of late 1994 a new act also made it illegal to listen to cordless. I do not believe it is yet illegal in the land of the free (except in certain local jurisdictions) to own equipment that receives these frequencies even if it is now illegal to listen to them. For a complete thorough discussion of this topic on a daily basis, please refer to the usenet group: rec.radio.scanner Let me point out that many laws seem to be broken regularly. To the best of my knowledge it is illegal to exceed the posted speed limit on roads and highways, yet it appears that that law is broken by many. I would never encourage, assist or support anyone in an effort to violate any law or regulation. I only to note that from what I read and see, and it appears that some communications laws are also being broken regularly. My general advise is that regardless of what protections the laws are intended to provide, I concur with the Editor's advice above: if it is transmitted you should assume it will be received. Stephen Denny sdenny@cpdsc.com DSC Communications Corp. Plano, TX, USA ------------------------------ From: Clarence Dold Subject: Re: Security of Cordless Phones? Date: 23 Feb 1995 04:32:34 GMT Organization: a2i network [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: > My personal belief is the use of scanners to listen to cordless > phones is still a relatively rare thing; how many people do *you* know > that own scanners who are within range of your cordless phone? And of > those, how many are sophisticated enough to know how to program the > scanner for cordless? The range of a scanner to receive cordless transmissions of 46 mhz phones is apparently several blocks. With a common scanner, and about a ten inch antenna, I am easily able to pick up clear conversations on many cordless phones/baby monitors. By random count, I am guessing that the coverage is quite broad, since I assume that not every house has a cordless phone. The skill required is trivial. If you can program your scanner to receive your local police channel, you can certainly receive 46 mhz telephone traffic. The only bad part is that by comparison to police/fire, it is long winded and boring. You also get to listen to background conversation in the room while the phone is being dialed out, and ringing at the other end. Of more concern is the skimmers who drive around with a cordless phone, just hoping to catch a usable dialtone from your front yard. You would be amazed at the phone bill my mother-in-law managed to accumulate in about six weeks. I suppose that someone discovered that she leaves her phone off the base (some won't work with stray handsets, if the true handset is in the cradle), and then probably sat in their car in front of the house, and placed phone calls to several pricey destinations. My mother-in-law was astonished (a second time), when I set up my scanner, cruised through the ten possible channels, and picked up her conversation in mid-call. I don't think she really believed it until I showed her. Clarence A Dold - dold@rahul.net - Pope Valley & Napa CA. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Cruising for dialtone is something that has gone on for several years. And the cruisers make a note of where they found the dialtone (in front or behind of what addresses, etc) so they don't have to drive around so long looking for the next time they want to make a long distance call. PAT] ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 23 Feb 1995 18:59:42 EST From: David Leibold Subject: The Unintentional Date/Chat Line George Gamester's column in {The Toronto Star} of 22 Feb 95 makes mention of what is believed to be Toronto's first date/chat line ~1960. The thing was, the service was actually supposed to be some pastor's "dial-a-prayer" line. When an apparent revival in the form of a flood of calls was registered, Bell Canada decided to find out how to control the overloading on the system. It was found that teenagers were doing a conference bridge over a busy signal. Thus dates and chats were arranged at the expense of an over-engaged prayer line. After weeks of attempting to exorcise this demon in the network, Bell was finally able to shut off the conference effect. The calls to the line dropped to a trickle, and it turned out there wasn't a big revival in Toronto after all (an inconvenience for which Bell wound up crediting the religious group running the line). David Leibold aa070@freenet.toronto.on.ca [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Some time ago a little trivia item here in the Digest discussed the first use of telephone recorded announcements in other than a weather forecast/time of day context. The first one was a dial-a-prayer service which started about 1955 on Long Island, NY. I do recall when the Hoosier Theatre in Whiting, Indiana had a recorded message giving movie titles and show times. They were running that when Whiting had manual service. The recorded message was on 'Whiting 1234'. Taking advantage of the ease in remembering a number like that, when I operated my recorded daily newsline messages for about five years from 1972-77 I had the number 312-HArrison-7-1234. But I had more than one line. I had about twenty lines in a rotary hunt. i.e. 1234 hunted 1235 then 1236, etc. When I started, it was an old style stepper switch, so I could not have all the numbers I needed since there were not that many idle numbers in a row. When the CO changed to ESS in 1974, I did an expansion with quite a few more lines since it did not matter what numbers were involved any longer; 1234 stayed as the lead. I did not give prayers or scripture readings on my line. The machines I used were leased from Illinois Bell; they were *big*, *heavy* (75 pounds each?) machines used by Bell as for intercept type recordings. Inside they had big round drums coated with mylar which spun around and around as a finger dropped down and touched the surface. They held up to three minutes of recorded information. For recording purposes, one machine was a 'master' and the others were 'slaves'. Little mechanical counters on each line kept track of the number of calls received. Bell said when they set up the 'master/slave' arrangement for me they had to write a special tariff for it; nothing like that had been done with recorded messages previously. I had a little closet-like office downtown where all the machines sat stacked on shelves along the wall. Because the machines all clacked and chattered as they would start and stop the place was always quite noisy. In the early days, when the HArrison exchange was a stepper, folks used the busy signal from my lines to hold conferences on the side also. PAT] ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V15 #118 ******************************