------------------------------

From: aa070@torfree.net (David Leibold)
Subject: Re: New NPA For Bahamas
Organization: Toronto FreeNet
Date: Wed, 21 Dec 1994 00:03:16 GMT


David Esan (de@moscom.com) wrote:

> According to a tariff source the Bahamas have requested and received 
a
> new NPA, 441.  If I could find the article I could give you the 
effective 
> date. Sorry.

I recall seeing something in uk.telecom to the effect that Puerto Rico
would get its own NPA, something like 340. Can anyone confirm or deny
how much the 809 area is splitting up?


David Leibold     aa070@freenet.toronto.on.ca
Toronto Free-Net IRC volunteer

------------------------------

From: mcguffin@ll.mit.edu (Bruce McGuffin)
Subject: Re: Request For MTA, BTA Map
Organization: MIT Lincoln Laboratory
Date: Tue, 20 Dec 94 09:50:37 -0500


> Can anyone give me a pointer to the map showing the MTAs and BTAs
> whose frequencies are being auctioned off in the "broadband" PCS
> auctions? I've looked under fcc.gov and couldn't find it, although
> I was never clear what the file naming convention was. Any help
> is appreciated, post or e-mail. 

My understanding is that the MTAs (Metropolitan Trading Areas) and
RTAs (Regional Trading Areas?) being used to divide up the PCS
spectrum were defined by Rand-McNally for other purposes, and are
shown on a map they publish. You might try calling Rand-McNally. I`ve
also seen adds in RCR, or maybe Cellular Business for such maps.


Bruce McGuffin

------------------------------

From: msb@sq.sq.com (Mark Brader)
Subject: Re: Emergency Numbers in Various Countries
Organization: SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, Canada
Date: Wed, 21 Dec 94 00:18:32 GMT


John Perkins (johnper@bigbird.rosemount.com) writes:

> The number '999' is a simple and easy to remember number that, as 
you
> say, has been used in Great Britain for about 50 years.  I haven't
> heard of any other country that has had a nationwide emergency 
number
> that long ...

Well, the New Zealand 111 is the same length -- 3 dial pulls and 27
clicks.  (As their numbers 1-9 run the other way, the physical motion
is actually the same.)

But indeed, all the other special numbers of this type that I've heard 
of
are shorter.  911, for instance, is 3 pulls and just 11 clicks, and 
112
is 3 pulls and 4 clicks.

> How can any other number possibly be superior?

Seems to me like almost any 3-digit number would be superior.  999 
does
beats lots of full-length numbers, though.

(Deep breath.)

Yes, of course I know that's not what John meant by "had a number that
long".  I just couldn't resist playing on the double meaning.  But,
then, we *are* talking about emergencies, and there are still *some*
dial phones out there, so the length of the number is something to
consider!  (On the other hand, tripled-digit numbers like 999 do have
some advantage in ease of dialing; Britons used to be reminded on how
to find the 9 on a dial phone in the dark.)

Anyone know whether 112 was picked because a person might be able to
"dial" it by flashing the hook if they had to?


Mark Brader, msb@sq.com, SoftQuad Inc., Toronto

------------------------------

From: nldc31@nosc.mil (Neil A. Giles)
Subject: Industry Standard Ratios?
Organization: NCCOSC RDT&E Division, San Diego, CA
Date: Tue, 20 Dec 1994 22:05:42 GMT


What are industry standard financial ratios for small businesses
conducting operations in the telecommunications arena?  I am
specifically interested in businesses that sell, install, and service
automated voice processing systems, data network cabling and hardware,
and standard corporate phone systems.  Thanks for any feedback!

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 20 Dec 94 21:59:00 EST
From: John C. Fowler <0003513813@mcimail.com>
Subject: Re: Caller-Charging 800 Numbers Should be *Banned*


Pat wrote:

> In other words, if there is a telephone sitting somewhere with the
> number 555-1212 on the front of it, who is sitting there answering 
the
> calls?
 
Coincidentally, I attended a talk last month by the A.M.O.S. of one of
Southwestern Bell's Operator Service Centers (A.M.O.S. is the latest
abbreviation for the person in charge of the OSC; I think it stands
for Area Manager of Operator Services).  He did mention that
Southwestern Bell handles all 555-1212 calls for area codes within its
region from AT&T, MCI, and Sprint (he didn't mention any others).  He
also said that SWBT is #1 amongst the RBOCs in customer satisfaction
from DA users calling using AT&T.  I guess that implies that it is not
#1 from those calling using MCI or Sprint; any psychologists care to
guess why?
 
Another interesting tidbit from the talk: most of the (NPA)-555-1212
calls are handled by the RBOC associated with that area code, but it
doesn't have to be that way.  The long distance carriers can choose
their DA providers.  The speaker relayed a story about how (I think)
Bell Atlantic was underbid by a small independent phone company, and
now all the IXCs are routing their 555-1212 calls to that company.
 
I'm not sure who handles 800-555-1212.  I thought that was 
Southwestern 
Bell also, but the speaker didn't mention it, so I could be wrong.
 

John C. Fowler, 3513813@mcimail.com


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: 800-555-1212 was operated by AT&T for
many years; maybe it still is. For most of that time -- maybe still --
Southwestern Bell handled daily operations of it under a contract with
AT&T. That's back in the days before divestiture; maybe still.   PAT]

------------------------------

From: bkron@netcom.com (M Robinson)
Subject: Re: Caller-Charging 800 Numbers Should be *Banned*
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 261-4700 
guest)
Date: Tue, 20 Dec 1994 02:11:10 GMT


> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: But *what company* actually serviced 
the
> call?  What company responded to you?  Whose operators were talking 
to
> you?  In other words, if there is a telephone sitting somewhere with 
the
> number 555-1212 on the front of it, who is sitting there answering 
the
> calls?  I believe it is AT&T in most or all cases.

Actually, the operator looking up the number on a 555-1212 call is an
employee for a LEC.  The long distance carrier you are presubscribed
to will route your call to the LEC's DA ACD.  That will be AT&T if
they're your carrier.  You can override it using 10XXX just like any
other call (we do it all the time because everyone else charges less
than AT&T's 75 cents).

DA revenue is big for the LEC's, and Judge Greene let them keep it in
the Consent Decree.  MCI's database consists of LEC data only to the
extent that LEC's sell it to anyone.  (Inserts for paid access to a
database of selected DA listings over a modem have been in our LEC
bills here for some months now.)  But MCI also adds data from other
sources in their database, like direct marketing lists, etc.

------------------------------

From: morris@grian.cps.altadena.ca.us (Mike Morris)
Subject: Re: Old Card Dialer Cards
Organization: College Park Software, Altadena, CA
Date: Tue, 20 Dec 1994 13:43:15 GMT


Wes.Leatherock@f2001.n147.z1.fidonet.org (Wes Leatherock) writes:

> Quoting bill.garfield@yob.com (Bill Garfield):

>> I have one of the (apparently rare) Western Elect 2660A card dialer
>> telephones (circa early '70s).  It appears to be in perfect working
>> order, tho I have no "new" cards for it.  There is a collection of
>> already punched cards with it, but of course the numbers are no 
good
>> to me and naturally the punched cards are not re-punchable.

>> Are new cards still available from Ma Bell?  I asked at an AT&T 
Phone
>> Center Store and drew a blank expression from the sales clerk ...
>> "You've a WHAT?" was the response.

>> Also does anyone know if there was ever a multi-line keyset (1A2)
>> version of the card dialer phone?

>        I don't know if any cards are available now; when I remember
> card dialers was back in the days when you got your terminal 
equipment
> from the local telephone company and there were additional cards
> available then.  I don't know if extra cards were free or if they 
were
> ever available directly from any other source.

>        There was indeed a multi-line 1A2 key version; we used to use
> them at conferences in Oklahoma.  We'd set up a little office, and
> have a secretary with two or three lines, and a couple of 
telephones,
> at least one of which was a card dialer, connected to the same lines
> for the conferees' use.  We'd punch in advance cards for the home 
and
> office numbers of the conferees, and if I remember right sometimes 
we
> mailed the cards to the conferees with some of the advance material
> for the conference.

>           Of course, the secretary would also have some blank cards
> for anyone who forgot theirs or wanted one for a different number.

I took a 5-line 1A2 card dialer into the local AT&T store a few months
after they first opened here in Los Angeles.  I showed the clerk the
phone, and a card, and she handed me < 5 boxes > of cards (25 each).
Total price?  About $20, as I recall.  Didn't faze her a bit.

Then I smiled and pulled a card out of my pocket from a Autovon card
dialer (the dial had 16 buttons, in a 4x4 matrix. Similar to a
consumer dial plus an extra column on the right side), and asked for a
box of those cards.  She blinked twice, and looked in her catalog
book.  She looked up and said "I've never seen those before, but they
are in the catalog, special order, no price listed".  I didn't push
the issue then, and order them, now I wish I had.  See, at that time
the Autovon card had come from a friend that found it in a old desk
that he had bought at TRW surplus, and gave to me.  Two years ago I
picked up an Autovon card dialer five-line phone for $5.  I rewired it
for two-wire audio (i.e. I added a network) and to plug into my 1A2 
key
system.  It's bright red, and it does get some funny looks from
visitors.  I also have a light grey five-line Autovon phone (WeCo 
3565HT)
with a bad dial -- a 66A3A.  Anybody know where I can get a new dial?

I also saw a picture of a Autovon Touch-a-matic -- the 32 number
autodialer phones.  Speaking of Touch-A-Matics, if anybody has some
ten-button (i.e. nine-line) Touch-a-matics, or a source of the nicads 
for
Touch-a-matics, please email me.  Also a copy of the Ma Bell key
system manual volume 1 (the one with the phone schematics in it).


Mike Morris   WA6ILQ  PO Box 1130  Arcadia, CA. 91077    
ICBM: 34.12N, 118.02W   Reply to: morris@grian.cps.altadena.ca.us

------------------------------

From: Wayne.Stargardt@news.onramp.net
Subject: Re: Information Wanted About Arrowsmith Technologies
Date: 20 Dec 1994 15:04:20 GMT
Organization: Pinpoint Communications, Inc.


> dsarnold@ca1.jsc.nasa.gov writes:

> Is anyone out there familiar with a company called Arrowsmith
> Technologies, Inc?  If so, do you know of a good technical contact?

Arrowsmith Technologies is a company in Austin, Texas, which provides
fleet management solutions for the cable TV industry.  They are a
system integrator which primarily uses existing radio channels which
the cable TV company currently has, and they add their own application
software together with radio data modems and GPS equipment from
specialized manufacturers.

I do not have a technical contact, but I do have contact information:

Brenda London, Marketing Manager
Gordon Graves, President & CEO
8900 Shoal Creek Blvd.  Bldg 300
Austin, TX 78758
tel: (512) 454-3554
fax: (512) 454-1210

I hope this helps.


Wayne Stargardt   Pinpoint Communications   
wstargardt@pinpoint.avl.com

------------------------------

From: /G=Brad/S=Hicks/OU1=0205465@mhs-mc.attmail.com
Date: Tue, 20 Dec 1994 17:27:23 -0600
Subject: Re: DSS Satellite System Information


If you haven't done so yet, look for the FAQ in 
rec.video.satellite.dbs; 
I think the message is usually titled something like "U.S. High-
Powered 
DBS Frequently Asked Questions."  Any info not mentioned or referenced
in there is probably proprietary to the vendors.
 
 
J. Brad Hicks     Internet: mc!Brad_Hicks@mhs.attmail.com
X.400: c=US admd=ATTMail prmd=MasterCard sn=Hicks gn=Brad

------------------------------

End of TELECOM Digest V14 #464
******************************

                                                                
