TELECOM Digest     Tue, 17 Jan 95 09:15:00 CST    Volume 15 : Issue 33

Inside This Issue:                          Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    New Area Codes Working From Toronto (Dave Leibold)
    Cell Phone Programming - Follow-up (Alex McPhail)
    Caller ID Software (and Hardware) (Alex McPhail)
    Telplus 1648 Phone System Peripherals, Phones (James Deibele)
    Telecom Market Reports on Web (Joseph Flicek)
    Canadian Area Code Information Now on a WWW Page (Dave Leibold)
    Mercury Computer Products Now on the WWW 
(dspnet!dspadmin@uunet.uu.net)
    Computer Telephony Convention (fonaudio@ix.netcom.com)
    Alert! USWest Cellular in 360/206 (Alan Shen)
    Looking up Addresses and Phone Number From Just Names (Tim Bach)
    Anyone from Globalstar, Inmarsat, Iridium or Odyssey? (Eric 
Tholome)
    Looking for TDM Box (Andrew P. Dinsdale)
    PC-Based Voice Mail and AMIS (David Reeve)
    BC Tel, SaskTel, Internet (Sarah Holland)
    T1BBS Gone? (Mark Fraser)
    Help Needed With Displaying X Windows on the PC (Ken Stack)
    US <> Puerto Rico: Options? (James Dollar)
    Where to Find Nice-Looking Phones? (Philip Borenstein)
    Distinctive Ringing Specifications (Vincent Lai)
    Returning Blocked Local Calls to b e Discontinued in Canada (Dave 
Leibold)
    Reports on Internet Communication Links (Christopher Dyke)
    How to Improve Line Quality? (scorpion@phantom.com)
    Programmable Touch-Tone Interpreter Needed (Jeffrey A. Porten)

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

Date: Mon, 16 Jan 95 20:58 EST
From: dleibold@gvc.com (Dave Leibold)
Subject: New Area Codes Working From Toronto


Some of the directory assistance numbers for the newest U.S. area
codes are reachable from Toronto. In particular, there appear to be no
problems dialing the new area codes from payphones.

As of Sunday (the official start-up for the area codes is 15 Jan 95),
334 (Alabama), 360 (Washington state) and 630 (Chicago area) area
codes appeared to be working, if reaching directory assistance numbers
in those places is any indication. 520 (Arizona) is not active yet nor
is 970 (Colorado).

Strangely enough, I got the Seattle Public Library number from the
(360) operator (360 should not include Seattle). For (630) 555.1212, I
requested the number for the Skokie, Illinois library and got it (just
the seven digit numbers retrieved in most cases, no mention of the 
area
codes in the robotic replies).

Dialing numbers in inactive area codes obtain strange messages from
Bell Canada's recordings ... things like the numbers aren't long
distance calls, etc. rather than mere not-in-service recordings.


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Speaking of the Skokie Public Library,
I was over there for a few hours this afternoon looking at some very
old reference materials on microfilm:  Haines Cross Reference 
(crisscross)
directories from the 1950-60 era and Skokie telephone books for the
same period of time.  PAT]

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

From: amcphail@hookup.net (Alex McPhail)
Subject: Cell Phone Programming - Follow-Up
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 1995 05:19:35 GMT
Organization: TeraScope Research


I posted an article a while ago, but haven't had any luck yet (except
to hear from others that they too would like the same information).  I
am looking for how to re-program a cell phone's phone number for the
TechnoFone and the Motorola FlipPhone cellular phones.

If anyone as any information about this, or knows where I can look, I
would appreciate a reply.


Thanks in advance,

Alex McPhail   TeraScope Research
amcphail@hookup.net
Voice:  +1 (613) 730-1416
Fax:    +1 (613) 730-1408

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

From: amcphail@hookup.net (Alex McPhail)
Subject: Caller ID Software (and Hardware)
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 1995 05:17:22 GMT
Organization: TeraScope Research


Someone asked some time ago about caller ID software for the PC.
Sorry for the delay, but I just came across something here and it
reminded me of the posting earlier.

A company in Canada, called VIVE, sells caller ID hardware and
software for the PC.  For more information, call the company at (905)
882-6107 and ask for extension 16, 20, or 25.  Or you can call their
fax-back product description service at (905) 882-6238 and press '8'.


Alex McPhail  TeraScope Research
amcphail@hookup.net
Voice:  +1 (613) 730-1416
Fax:    +1 (613) 730-1408

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

From: jamesd@teleport.com (James Deibele)
Subject: Telplus 1648 Phone System Peripherals, Phones
Date: 16 Jan 1995 22:01:04 -0800
Organization: Teleport - Portland's Public Access (503) 220-1016


We are now the proud owners of a Telplus 1648 phone system.  We're
reasonably happy with the system but we have a couple of questions
about expanding it.  First thing is getting more phones -- is there a
good place to buy them?  Are there any portables available?  My Tropez
900MHz doesn't have the range I hoped for (it may be good for 2000
feet outdoors (though I haven't tried it) but it only goes down five
floors or so from our eighth floor office -- so much for checking
wiring in the basement with it nearby) but I have gotten used to the
portability.

Second thing is that we were told that it was possible to get
voicemail for the thing.  Doing this probably involves buying an
analog card and attaching an external unit.  Does anybody have any
suggestions on where to find a system that's known to work?  Ideally
we'd end up with voice mail, automated attendant, etc.

This is our second phone system and we don't expect it to last forever
 -- the future clearly seems to be computer/telephone integration.  
But
we're a Windows/Mac/UNIX shop and that makes it a little more
difficult to come up with a solution that fits everybody.


Thanks,

jamesd@teleport.com                   "7104 newsgroups & nothing on 
..."  
Full internet (ftp, telnet, irc, ppp) available.     Voice: (503) 223-
0076
Portland: (503) 220-1016  Vancouver: (360) 260-0330  Salem: (503) 364-
2028
Bend, Corvallis, Eugene access coming in February.

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

From: Joseph Flicek <flicekjr@pipeline.com>
Date: Tue, 17 Jan 1995 01:13:00 -0500
Subject: Telecom Market Reports on Web



BLAKE  TECHNOLOGIES, Ltd.
1 West 67th Street, suite 410, NY, NY 10023                     
 
Tel:(212) 580-2272  Fax:(212) 595-4278
Email: flicekjr@pipeline.com
URL: http://adware.com/mall/blake/welcome.html

SUBJECT: MARKET TREND REPORTS ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON THE WORLD WIDE WEB
AT:

URL: http://adware.com/mall/blake/welcome.html 

REPORT TYPES BY KEY WORDS: CD-ROM, ON-LINE, TELCOM INDUSTRY,
LIBRARIES, EDUCATION, ELECTRIC POWER INDUSTRY, CHILDREN'S PUBLISHING,
INTERACTIVE TV & VIDEO.

If you have any difficulty locating the WEB please email, call or
write.  


Thank you.

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

From: woody <djcl@io.org>
Subject: Canadian Area Code Information Now on a WWW Page
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 1995 21:40:19 EST


Various charts of exchanges for Canadian area codes, plus bonus charts
for Canadian long distance carrier codes (10xxx, 950) and 809
(Caribbean) exchanges are now available through a "Phone Booth" web
page.

This should be reachable at http://www.io.org/~djcl/phoneb.html

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

From: dspnet!dspadmin@uunet.uu.net (DSPnet Administrator)
Subject: Mercury Computer Products Now on the WWW
Date: 17 Jan 1995 00:30:45 GMT
Organization: DSPnet, Inc., Waltham MA, USA


DSP Product NEWS on the World Wide Web

Mercury Computer Products has just introduced on DSPnet two product 
documents.

The first product:

Race SERIES 9U - MCV9 describes the System Module, Environment. The
Raceway Communications Fabric as well as the Interlink Module and the
Software environment.

The second document:

"Embedded Systems for Realtime Airborne Applications" describes
Mercury's Product profile and the Technology.

Access on the WWW through a browser.    http://www.dspnet.com

Access through a dialup line.         telnet dspnet.com  (login as 
lynx)

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

From: fonaudio@ix.netcom.com (TELEPHONETICS)
Subject: Computer Telephony Convention
Date: 16 Jan 1995 17:03:04 GMT
Organization: Netcom


Is anyone planning on attending the Computer Telephony convention in
Dallas on March 7th?

Please let me know.


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

From: Alan Shen <kermee@u.washington.edu>
Subject: Alert! USWest Cellular in 360/206
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 1995 09:16:08 -0800
Organization: University of Washington


All USWest Cellular Users that are being reprogrammed to the 360 NPA,
please note that For the past 10 HOURS, USWest Cellular has techs
working on a switch to get the bugs out of the switchover. They do
not know how widespread it is.

If you have had your phone reprogrammed, you MAY NOT be able to
receive calls. If you have digital messaging or message center, those
will be inoperable until the problem is fixed.

You can still dial out of your cellular phone. But you cannot receive
calls. The switch does NOT recognize your number, and will give you
the the message, "Your call cannot be completed as dialed. Please
check the number and dial again. Message 2."

I HIGHLY recommend that you wait until the bugs are fixed before you
change-over. This problem only affects people who have changed over. I
know that the whole 360, prefix 791 (Olympia, WA area) has been shut
down.

I do not know if Cellular One is having this much trouble.

I'll keep everyone posted on this.


Daniel Kao            E-mail Always: rvkc60e@prodigy.com
Olympia, WA USA           Sometimes: kermee@u.washington.edu
Voice/Voxmail/Pager: (360) 791-8032 <-- *CURRENTLY INOPERATIVE*
Facsimile:           (360) 866-8173

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

From: timb@europa.com (Tim Bach)
Subject: Looking up Addresses and Phone Number From Just Names
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 1995 11:43:13 PST


I have a bunch of names I need addresses and phone numbers to.  They
are all mostly in the same local calling area.  Is there a service or
product I can buy that will allow me to take a ASCII file of names and
have it try and lookup the addresses plus phone numbers?


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I don't know how many you think is a
'bunch', but unless it is really a lot, and you plan to do this on
a frequent basis, why don't you ask the telco serving the local 
calling
area for a copy of their directory.  Most telcos will send it free of
charge, or they may get some small handling/postage fee. Then you 
would
sit there and look them up. After you have found all you can, then 
call
AC-555-1212 for the (hopefully) few remaining names.    PAT]

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

From: tholome@dialup.francenet.fr (Eric Tholome)
Subject: Anyone From Globalstar, Inmarsat, Iridium or Odyssey?
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 1995 20:53:25 +0200


I need precise and up to date information about Globalstar, Inmarsat,
Iridium and Odyssey.

If you know how to get in touch with any of these organizations,
please let me know by email.

This is urgent.

Thank you in advance.


Eric Tholome                  
23, avenue du Centre          tholome@dialup.francenet.fr
78180 Montigny le Bretonneux  phone: +33 1 30 48 06 47
                    France    fax: same number, call first!

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

From: aa293@detroit.freenet.org (Andrew P. Dinsdale)
Subject: Looking for TDM Box
Date: 16 Jan 1995 22:27:21 GMT
Organization: The Greater Detroit Free-Net


Hi,

We are looking for a Time Division Multiplexing Box to split a 56k
digital line into one voice channel, one data channel and handle more
than one point-to-point digital circuit with one voice and one data
channel.

We are demoing a Tellabs Crossnet and are interested in demoing
others.

Please forward ideas or replies to the group or myself.


Andrew Dinsdale    DataServ,Inc   aa293@detroit.freenet.org

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

From: tci@crl.com (David Reeve)
Subject: PC-Based Voice Mail and AMIS
Date: 16 Jan 1995 03:13:01 GMT
Organization: Timberline Communications, Inc.




Hello group,

I am researching a business opportunity that will require extensive
use of the AMIS-Analog networkng protocol to send voice mail messages
from system (Octel) to a different PC-based voice mail system.

By way of explanation, the application is off-site technical support.
Does anyone out there have much experience in AMIS networking?

For instance, when a message is transferred via AMIS, what type of
call data (envelope information) is available?

Any recommendations (or warnings) regarding PC based voice mail 
vendors?  


Thanks,

David Reeve   tci@crl.com

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

Date: 15 Jan 95 22:22:59 EST
From: Sarah Holland <70620.1425@compuserve.com>
Subject: BC Tel, SaskTel, Internet


An interesting article recently in the {Vancouver Sun} told about
SaskTel's new universal access to the Internet, and BC Tel's refusal
to do the same.

Living as I do in a more remote area of British Columbia, where ALL
Internet access is long-distance, I find this most frustrating. I plan
to call BC Tel about this -- any bets as to how far I get? <G>


Sarah Holland   Fort St. James, BC

                == story from newspaper follows ==


SaskTel casts (Inter)net for clients, but BC Tel won't follow suit

David Smith - Sun Business Reporter
Vancouver Sun, January 10, 1995

 A Prairie telephone company will soon be offering all of its
customers universal access to Internet, but don't expect BC Tel to
follow suit.

 That's because this province already has the highest number of
electronic bulletin board services and value-added resellers in the
country offering Internet access, the product development manager of
BC Tel Advanced Communications said Monday.

 "For us to get involved in universal access we would be
competing with small businesses and we don't think that's to our
benefit or to B.C. as a whole," said Bill Neale.

 "For us to try and compete with that sector probably would be
a mistake."

 Recently, goverment-owned SaskTel, which serves Saskatchewan,
announced rates for its universal Internet access service SaskNet. The
services starts in the next few months.

 NBTel in New Brunswick was the first phone company in Canada
to offer universal Internet access to its customers.

 Neale said there are many B.C. companies such as Mind Link, Wimsey 
and
Cyberstore that link their customers to Interent.

 "There's more here than anywhere else in Canada. The Prairie
provinces have been kind of left out so the telephone companies had to
do this."

 Although it has no plans to offer universal Internet access,
BC Tel's Advanced Communications does provide the regional
infrastructure that allows resellers to connect their customers to
Internet and it offers commercial Internet access to its larger and
medium-sized corporate customers.

 It will cost $35 to sign up for SaskNet, including software.
The service carries a minimum monthly charge of $19.95, which includes
six hours of free usage. After that, subscribers pay 10 cents a minute
during the day and five cents a minute at night.

 "With SaskNet's dial access service, customers in the
province's smaller communities will not long [sic] have to pay long
distance charges to connect to the Internet, providing savings of up
to 64 per cent over existing access rates," SaskTel said.

 SaskTel said it will spend about $1.2 million to upgrade and
expand existing Internet access facilities. The province's two
universities have provided Internet access in the province since 1991,
SaskTel officials said.

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

From: mfraser@vanbc.wimsey.com (Mark Fraser)
Subject: T1BBS Gone?
Date: Wed, 11 Jan 95 10:19:34 PST


Pat:

It's been a while since I last tried, but both of the net addresses
192.187.216.5 and ....3 don't return a ping, nor respond to telnet/ftp
respectively.  Likewise, phone calls to the previously published modem
numbers don't give much satisfaction.

I must admit I haven't spent much time reading traffic in this group
recently, so may have missed any announcement on the movement or
demise of the service.  Likewise, don't have an address for Art
Graham, so figured since you seem to know anything that matters in the
whole subject area of telecom, you'd be my first try for info.


Cheers,

Mark


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Well, I'm afraid I cannot be much help
on this personally. Maybe others have the answer.   PAT]

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

From: stack@me.rochester.edu (Ken Stack)
Subject: Help Needed With Displaying X Windows on the PC
Date: 14 Jan 1995 13:49:51 -0500
Organization: University of Rochester, School of Engineering


I am trying to fins a way to display x windows on my PC from my Sun at
work.  The problem is that my Sun at work does not have slip or ppp
for security reasons.  I have attempted to use PSI's interramp service
coupled with white pine's exodus software to display x, but I can't
seem to make it work.  Does anyone know of a company or vendor that
sells a complete solution, i.e.  will sell me internet access so that
I can telnet into my Sun at work AND sell me the correct PC software
that s already configured? I am not a Unix person by trade and I am
also not a super user on my Sun at work, so I cannot do much in the
way of customizing my Sun.

Any thoughts or help would be greatly appreciated.


Kenneth D. Stack    Mechanics of Flexible Structures Project
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Rochester   Rochester, N.Y. 14627
tel: (716) 275 4077    fax: (716) 256 2509 
email: stack@me.rochester.edu

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

From: James Dollar <Dollar@Coca-Cola.Com>
Subject: US <> Purto Rico: Options?
Date: 15 Jan 1995 04:20:19 GMT
Organization: InfiNet


We are looking for options connecting an office in Carolina, PR to our
Domestic US WAN.  Currently we can barely maintain 9600 baud modem
connections for mail. The circuit would probably be switched/Demand-
Dialed, and the speed could be as slow as 9.6, if only reliable.  A
nailed-up 56k connection was estimated ~4k/month (not justified for 
six
users).


Thanks for your ideas, 

j$

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

From: philip@world.std.com (Philip Borenstein)
Subject: Where to Find Nice-Looking phones?
Date: Sun, 15 Jan 1995 04:33:03 GMT


Is there any place (retail or mail order) that sells good quality
attractive telephones?

In our old apartment one phone on a long cord was enough, but in our
new house, we need several phones. Most of what we've seen in various
stores (AT&T Phone Stores, Circuit City, etc) are flat office-style
phones, cute Bart Simpson novelty phones, variations on the Trimline
theme, and one that looked like a giant marble. While I personally
have a fondness for the old desk style phone, my wife wants something
more aesthetic -- and we're not talking faux French phones either.


philip     philip@world.std.com

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

From: vlai@wimsey.com (Vincent Lai)
Subject: Distinctive Ringing Specifications
Date: Sun, 15 Jan 95 05:20:45 GMT
Organization: Achiever Canada



Does anybody know how to get the specifications for distinctive
ringing in USA and Canada? Any help is appreciated.


Vincent

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

Date: Tue, 17 Jan 95 02:32 EST
From: dleibold@gvc.com (Dave Leibold)
Subject: Returning Blocked Local Calls to be Discontinued in Canada


[from Bell News, (Bell Canada) 9 Jan 95 - content is Bell Canada's]

No Call Return of blocked local calls

With the Call Return feature - one of the several SmartTouch[tm]
services we provide - a person who receives an abusive phone call from
an anonymous caller can, by dialing *69, call back to the phone from
which the disturbing call was made.

By June 30, a called party will no longer be able to do this.

In a decision handed down on December 5 [1994], the CRTC ordered Bell
to "implement the disablement of call return on blocked local calls."
Also told to do likewise were BC Tel, Island Tel, MT&T, NBTel and
Newfoundland Tel.

All must implement software changes to make it impossible for 
customers 
to return local telephone calls where the caller has used a form of
blocking, such as per-call blocking.

Currently, Call Return and Last Call Return cannot be used to return
blocked long distance calls. However, they can be used to return
blocked local calls.

The companies must extend this privacy safeguard to local calling by
June 30, 1995.

While acknowledging that the CRTC's order was "not unexpected," Mike
Kassner, associate director, Consumer Market Management, said, "It
tilts the balance once again in favour of the calling party and might
cause problems with increased use of Call Trace now that the handling
of minor annoyance calls via Call Return has been taken away."

All is not lost, however. Call Screen, said Mike, is still an
"effective device" for preventing unwanted calls from the same number.

"Call Screen can be activated to work on the last incoming number even
though the number is blocked," he noted.

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

From: bd_n227@kingston.ac.uk (Christopher Dyke)
Subject: Reports on Internet Communication Links
Date: 16 Jan 1995 20:54:25 GMT
Organization: Kingston University, Kingston-upon-Thames.


If anyone out there has got any reports on how the internet is linked
to other networks in terms of protocols etc. please send them to me; 
it
would be greatly appreciated.  


Chris

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

From: scorpion@phantom.com
Subject: How to Improve Line Quality
Date: 16 Jan 1995 04:36:00 -0500
Organization: [MindVox] / Phantom Access Technologies / (+1 800-
MindVox)


Hi, I have a question for you all. I saw a post not to long ago about
how to improve the quality of the telephone line by changing the wire.
I live in a apartment, and I have a jack in a window, and from the
window to my modem is about 40 feet of 22# wires. From the panel in
the basement to the window is about 75 feet to 100 feet.

My questions are:

1) How much inprovement can I get from the window to the modem with
other types of wire, like 20#, or level 3 pvc or level 5 plenun or 
fiber?

2) How much inprovement from the panel to the window to the modem with
other types of wire, like 20#, or level 3 pvc or level 5 plenun or
fiber?

3) How good is the wire the telephone company uses?. It looks like it
is a cable with 100 wires or more probably 26#G. How can the quality
of the line in the apartment can be improved if the wire that the
telco uses from the panel to the telco office is 26#?

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

From: jporten@mail1.sas.upenn.edu (Jeffrey A. Porten)
Subject: Programmable Touch-Tone Interpreter Needed
Date: 16 Jan 1995 07:35:51 GMT
Organization: University of Pennsylvania


I need help in coming up with a solution for a client.  She wants to
provide her incoming callers with a automated system that will allow
them to schedule time with her by using a touch-tone phone, similar to
the system that Amtrak uses to tell people about the trains closest to
their selected travel time.

I just attended the Consumer Electronics Show, and was very
disappointed with the selection there; most vendors basically said,
"can't be done" or "I'll do it if you order 10,000 units."

Anyone with suggestions on how to do this?  Proposals from vendors
also cheerfully accepted.  I figure there are three basic genres of
solutions: a stand-alone box that intercepts calls; a program on a
computer with a voice-equipped modem; a service provided by a major
telco.  If there are other options I'm missing, please say so.

Anyone with a proposal who thinks we can do business, I can be reached 
faster via e-mail to jeffporten@aol.com.


Many thanks,

Jeff Porten   Millennium Consulting

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

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #33
*****************************

                 
