Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id QAA16629; Wed, 15 May 1996 16:51:03 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 16:51:03 -0400 (EDT) From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (Patrick A. Townson) Message-Id: <199605152051.QAA16629@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Subject: TELECOM Digest V16 #239 TELECOM Digest Wed, 15 May 96 16:51:00 EDT Volume 16 : Issue 239 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson National Accounts, Inc. Sued by Three States (TELECOM Digest Editor) Book Review: "Netscape Virtuoso" by Keeler/Miller (Rob Slade) Lucent Ads: Clueless or Just Obsolescent? (Robert McMillin) Minnesota ISDN User's Group Announcement (Kelly Breit) A Problem and Prayers For a Solution (David Wolstenholme) Seeking Information on Nortel Meridian/Genesis Labs (Larry E. Holmen) GSM in USA? (Alistair Knox) Information on Short Message Service (Cellular GSM) Needed (T. Goschuetz) Preventing Picking Up on Busy Line (A. Padgett Peterson) Codec For ISDN Speeds (David Almagor) "Browsing" - a Poem (The UniPoet) "PRIVACY Forum" Reminder (Lauren Weinstein) Telco Voice Mail Signaling (Paul Chehowski) Great Circle Mileage (Robert S. Hall) AT&T Wireless Promo (Steve Kass) Non-Contiguous Area Codes (Stan Young) Traffic Modelling For Call Centres and PBX Trunks (Duncan Turnbull) Cell Towers Don't Have to be Ugly! (Ron Bean) Read the important message at the bottom of this issue. Very important! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 14:48:28 EDT From: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu (TELECOM Digest Editor) Subject: National Accounts, Inc. Sued by Three States The Attorney Generals in Illinois, Arkansas and New Jersey joined forces on Tuesday in filing suit against a long distance carrier in Parsippany, NJ charging that the firm slammed a large number of customers. The respective state governments charge that National Accounts, Inc. defrauded victims of thousands of dollars by switching their long distance service without their permission. The lawsuit, filed in New Jersey seeks restitution for at least nine companies and requests a court order to put National Accounts, Inc. out of business. The lawsuit states that National Accounts has prompted 16 complaints in Arkansas, 35 in Illinois, and nine in New Jersey, as well as 128 to the Federal Communications Commission. Messages left at National Accounts for its president Neil Lang and vice-president Richard Dubnoff, who are also charged as individuals in the lawsuit were not returned Tuesday. The company's director of operations, Chris Gushard, said, "Our comment is National Accounts is innocent of all charges. We intend to defend outselves. Beyond that we have no further comment." PAT ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 14:33:00 EST From: Rob Slade Subject: Book Review: "Netscape Virtuoso" by Keeler/Miller BKNTSVRT.RVW 960421 "Netscape Virtuoso", Elissa Keeler/Robert Miller, 1996, 1-55828-462-1, U$24.95/C$34.95 %A Elissa Keeler ekeeler@uh.edu %A Robert Miller %C 115 West 18th Street, New York, NY 10011-4195 %D 1996 %G 1-55828-462-1 %I MIS Press/M&T Books/Henry Holt %O U$24.95/C$34.95 +1-212-886-9378 fax: +1-212-633-0748, +1-212-807-6654 %O 76712.2644@compuserve.com http://www.mispress.com fburke@fsb.superlink.net %P 462 %T "Netscape Virtuoso" This book is a very serviceable guide to the use of Netscape, and the World Wide Web as a whole. Explanations of use are clear and straightforward. The material is, at the user level, quite complete. Chapter six lists a number of helpful tips and hints. There are chapters on basic HTML (HyperText Markup Language), Web search sites, and other related topics. So far so good, and I would recommend this book as a very solid first step for those new to Netscape. The authors, however, feel that they have gone beyond the user level, and have provided "useful technical information" about advanced and specialized topics. There *is* mention, and even discussion, of areas such as caching, MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions), and security. Some of the points raised in these sections can be interesting to users, but the level of the content is neither sufficient for technical users, nor completely reliable. (The chapter on security, in particular, contains a number of errors and misleading statements.) copyright Robert M. Slade, 1996 BKNTSVRT.RVW 960421. Distribution permitted in TELECOM Digest and associated publications. ====================== roberts@decus.ca rslade@vcn.bc.ca rslade@vanisl.decus.ca "Look, Mum, `Barbies'!" - Ryan's reaction to "FashionFile" Author "Robert Slade's Guide to Computer Viruses" 0-387-94663-2 (800-SPRINGER) ------------------------------ From: rlm@netcom.com (Robert McMillin) Subject: Lucent Ads: Clueless or Just Obsolescent? Organization: Charlie Don't CERF Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 20:17:33 GMT The full-page newspaper ads for Lucent show a business card with telephone numbers for calling that company. However, there's no web site and no e-mail address, leaving one to wonder just how much of a clue the marketing people have when it comes to digital data services -- which ought to be Lucent's bread and butter, not voice telephony. Robert L. McMillin | rlm@helen.surfcty.com | Netcom: rlm@netcom.com Ever feel like you're being watched? You will. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 16:43:23 -0500 From: kelly.breit@netalliance.net (Kelly Breit) Subject: Minnesota ISDN User's Group Announcement The Minnesota ISDN User's Group has been organized has a focal point for information regarding Integrated Services Digital Network techology in our state. U S West will address the MIUG at our next meeting in conjunction with the Strictly Business Computer and Graphics Expo on May 22 at 8:30 am. For further information regarding the Minnesota ISDN User's Group and to register for this meeting please visit our home page: http://www.miug.org/ The next meeting on June 18 will include a presentation on the variety of ISDN applications. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 15:25:17 PDT From: David Wolstenholme Subject: A Problem and Prayers For a Solution Patrick, Since you are so versed in the telecom world I thought I would pose this situation to you and ask for your comments. We are an ISP in Canada with approximately 1500 lines (500 analog and 1000 digital). Recently the monopoly phone company has hiked the rates from $37 to $96 making our phone bill rather large. Obviously they are not very anxious to help us reduce this and so I have been left the job of researching solutions myself. There is a service they offer called business measured service which is one pilot number with three overlines. These lines are inbound only and cost $40. My question ... if we divide 1500 lines into 500 business measured huntgroups to reduce our cost, how do we aleviate any problems for the dial in user. Is there any technlogy or "black box" you may be aware of that will route the calls accordingly from one busy hunt group to another with seamless integration to the end user? Regards, David Wolstenholme Internet Direct [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: First, you might want to make sure those 'three overlines with associated pilot number' are actual, physical pairs and not just some sort of fancy arrangement similar to 'multi-line ringing' or whatever it is called where you get a few different numbers each with its own ringing cadence but only a single actual pair; a lot of good that would do you. Second, it is hard to believe such an increase in the price was allowed by the governing commission. Are you certain where they were asking $37 for each of 1500 lines they are now asking $96 for each of the lines, or slightly under three times as much? Are these flat rate lines for unmeasured outgoing local service? Third, is there a difference in pricing between the analog and digital lines? If so, consider carefully how many digital lines you really need and if you can change the ratio of analog to digital to bring down the cost. Fourth, getting back to the offer they made of inbound only business lines at $40 each, ask them why there cannot be as many inbound-only lines as desired at $40 each with a single lead number and from thereafter hunting through the entire 1500 lines? Of course you did not say say if you have them all hunting one to the next now or if you have a few different 'entry points' depending on analog versus digital or depending on geographic locations, etc. To answer your question, I do not know of any device you couild have on your premises which would function as you desire. If in the telco's proposition you get a lead number and three others, then you get four per group and not three as you said, and you would need about 400 such groups rather than the 500 you said. You might ask telco if they could wire things so that if the lead number in each of the 400-500 groups was busy (i.e. all the 'overlines' under it were in use thus otherwise causing busy to be returned to the caller) it would hunt to the next 'cluster' of lead number plus 'overlines', etc. I think what we need to find out first before making any really intelligent responses is *how* you presently have the lines configured; i.e. all in one massive hunt group one after the other; divided by geographic areas; divided by aanalog versus digital, or what. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Larry.E.Holmen@cdc.com (larry.e.holmen) Subject: Information Needed on Nortel Meridian/Genesis Labs Date: 14 May 1996 20:42:31 GMT Organization: Control Data Systems, Inc. I am looking for information on a company called "Genesis Labs" (I think). They make a companion product for the Nortel Meridian 1 system that (among other things) enables skill based ACD routing. Any of you have any experence on, or knowledge of this company and it's products? larry holmen leh1@cdsmail.cdc.com ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 18:55:53 +0100 From: Alistair Knox Subject: GSM in USA? Organization: Macrovision UK Ltd. In article , shane potter writes: > GSM is indeed in operation in the United States Well -- I can (and have) take my UK-based GSM phone to France, Germany and even to South Africa, switch it on and make and receive calls instantly. The worldwide GSM system knows where I am, so people can call my regular UK GSM number and I will receive the call wherever I am in the world, even as far away as South Africa, Singapore, Australia or Hong Kong. Conversely, I can call local numbers in any of these countries that I might be visiting simply by dialling the local number -- just the same as a locally-based GSM subscriber can. This is what GSM is all about. On that basis I think one can say that GSM is *not* in operation in the United States. I do accept that the digital systems being introduced into the USA use GSM-type technology, but the fact is that the USA has opted for a non-GSM system. Alistair Knox ------------------------------ From: tgoschuetz@aol.com (TGoschuetz) Subject: Information on Short Message Service (Cellular GSM) Needed Date: 14 May 1996 16:04:44 -0400 Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364) Reply-To: tgoschuetz@aol.com (TGoschuetz) I'm looking for some technical information on the 'D1-Alphaservice' in Germany. I've found a software to send SMS to D1-phones via modem and would like to use this function in one of my own applications. Does anyone has infos on that issue (protocol etc.) Please answer by mail. Tom ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 May 1996 9:13:45 EDT From: A. Padgett Peterson Subject: Preventing Picking Up on Busy Line Pat, I have a real telco hardware question: I have been told that there is a simple (e.g. one diode) circuit that can be used to prevent a phone from picking up on a busy line. With FAX, modem, or other data traffic picking up a handset can disrupt it. At the same time I need the phones to be able to pick up on either line on request (push button?) when used for voice. Can you point me to anything? (Checked Sandman -- he has a unit but single line only and blocks all pickup when in use). Warmly, Padgett ------------------------------ From: davida@galaxy.nsc.com (David Almagor x8629) Subject: Codec For ISDN Speeds Organization: National Semiconductor, Santa Clara Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 16:55:00 GMT Hi, I am looking for a single chips codec (A/D and D/A), which would be able to sample at 80 KHz (preferrably up to 100KHz), with an accuracy of 13-14 bits. If someone knows of such a device, please let me know. Dr. David Almagor, DSP Technology Group National Semiconductor Corporation 2900 Semiconductor Drive, Mail Stop D3-825, Santa Clara, CA 95052 Tel: (408)721-8629 FAX: (408)721-1872 email: davida@galaxy.nsc.com ------------------------------ From: bassman7@ix.netcom.com (The UniPoet) Subject: "Browsing" - a Poem Date: 15 May 1996 17:29:03 GMT Organization: Netcom BROWSING When I first started out, it was just on a whim, But it's something I'll never forget, So I got my ol' trusty computer hooked up And I got myself onto the Net. I was having a great time just looking around, But my wife, she was getting quite nervous. I had her convinced she was crazy until I got billed for my first month of service! After my heart palpitations died down And my wife had regained her composure, I knew that I had to do something real fast Or my marriage was coming to closure! So I finally signed up for "unlimited access" 'Cause time seem to always be fleeting, So now all my problems are solved, except one, I have no time for sleeping and eating! The UniPoet ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 May 96 14:50 PDT From: lauren@vortex.com (Lauren Weinstein) Subject: "PRIVACY Forum" Reminder Greetings. It's been quite sometime since I've sent a note regarding the PRIVACY Forum here to Telecom (hello Pat!), and since I've been getting increasing numbers of telecommunications related queries lately this seemed like an appropriate time. I've included general descriptive information below. For complete details, please send the single text line (subject doesn't matter): information privacy to: privacy-request@vortex.com You can also access this information, the full PRIVACY Forum archives (including keyword searching), and other related materials, via: http://www.vortex.com The Internet PRIVACY Forum is a moderated digest for the discussion and analysis of issues relating to the general topic of privacy (both personal and collective) in the "information age" of the 1990's and beyond. Topics include a wide range of telecommunications, information/database collection and sharing, and related issues, as pertains to the privacy concerns of individuals, groups, businesses, government, and society at large. The manners in which both the legitimate and the controversial concerns of business and government interact with privacy considerations are also topics for the digest. The PRIVACY Forum is supported in part by the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) Committee on Computers and Public Policy [http://www.acm.org], "internetMCI" (a service of the Data Services Division of MCI Telecommunications Corporation) [http://www.mci.com], and Cisco Systems, Inc. [http://www.cisco.com]. These organizations do not operate or control the PRIVACY Forum in any manner, and their support does not imply agreement on their part with nor responsibility for any materials posted on or related to the PRIVACY Forum. Except when unusual events warrant exceptions, digest publication is limited to no more than one or two reasonably-sized digests per week. --Lauren-- ------------------------------ From: paulc@sulis.com (Paul Chehowski) Subject: Telco Voice Mail Signaling Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 03:34:49 GMT Organization: Bell Global Solutions Does anyone know how telco voice mail systems manage to signal a subscriber's phone when they have voice mail waiting? The signaling seems to be done without taking the phone off hook, and it seems to be done on a regular basis to the phone (if you disconnected the phone and plug it back in the light on the phone will come back eventually). Could someone point me to a reference on this type of signaling? ------------------------------ From: Robert S. Hall Subject: Great Circle Mileage Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 12:15:12 GMT I am searching for the algorithm to calculate Great Circle Mileage between two points given latitude and longitude for Points A & B. Many thanks in advance for any assistance. Rob Hall Hong Kong ------------------------------ From: SKASS@forest.drew.edu Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 10:37:06 EDT Subject: AT&T Wireless Promo If, like me, you were frustrated to see the new AT&T Wireless promotions that are cheaper and better than what you got when you signed on, you'll be pleased to know you can get the same deal. When I signed up, I committed for a year at $30/mo (30 min/mo included, and got 3 months of free off-peak air time. I just called them, agreed to commit until a full year from today, and will get not only a rate reduction to $25/month, but _six_ months more free off-peak time, starting with my next billing cycle. I figured they'd expect me to finish out my contract before giving me more free stuff, but they didn't. I'll be making most of my toll calls with a 17.5c/min, six-second billing (no minimum) VoiceNet calling card, and the combination seems like a real steal to me, especially if I can figure out how to program my Ericsson phone to dial the 36 digits I need to make each call. Steve Kass - skass@drew.edu ------------------------------ From: Stan Young Subject: Non-Contiguous Area Codes Organization: Pecanpi, Doraville, GA, USA Date: Wed, 15 May 1996 14:27:41 GMT Looking at the Georgia Area Code map, it struck me that the 706 area code is unusual, to say the least. I'm familiar with one area code surrounding another. I'm familiar with two or more area codes covering the same real estate. But are there any other area codes that cover two physically distinct pieces of real estate (excluding islands)? The two parts of 706 don't touch each other at all. Stan Young syoung@atl.mindspring.com syoung@pecanpi.atl.ga.us [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Take a look at the 312/708/847 areas. When everything (not) 312 was 708, the latter had separate parts not touching or connected in any way. For example, the little villages of Harwood Heights, IL and Norridge, IL are in 708 and are completely surrounded on all sides by Chicago, which is 312. The rest of 708 starts up again a little distance away. A small part of Norridge also touches an area called Unincorporated Norwood Park Township; an area which is not part of any city or town although also surrounded by a few. Norwood Park Township has some 312 and some 708 numbers. In fact this area is odd because it has two telcos (Ameritech and Centel) both in a rather small area of a mile or so and two area codes. Both telcos have some 312 numbers and some 708 numbers; in a few cases on the same block you will find the telcos across the street from each other and the houses at the other end of the block in a different area code, but on the same telco as yourself. I would defer to David Tamkin's expertise on this but I believe there is also a small part of 708 which is isolated from the rest of the area in the south/southwest suburbs where Chicago and the suburbs get jumbled together. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Duncan Turnbull Subject: Traffic Modelling for Call Centres & PBX Trunks Date: Wed, 15 May 96 10:31:00 GMT Hi Pat, Hope things go well over your way. I am interested in traffic models for both customer trunk capacity planning and call centre queueing/scheduling. e.g what are the optimum trunk numbers for a PABX, how is it affected by operating an ACD queue in front of these trunks, what about the number of agents for a call centre with multiple queues and overflow routes and varying required answer times? Currently I use a simple poisson based table from trunk estimation which works well and I can extrapolate these for call centres but I am sure there must be some cleverer ideas out there. If you can point me in the right direction I would be very grateful. Thanks very much, Cheers Duncan dturnbul@clear.co.nz ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 15 May 96 06:58:00 CDT From: madnix.uucp!zaphod@nicmad.nicolet.com (Ron Bean) Subject: Cell Towers Don't Have to be Ugly! Recently I heard a report on the radio about towns that are trying to use zoning to block big ugly cell towers from being built in their backyards. It occurred to me that the companies that build these towers should hire an artist to design some better looking towers. There is no law of physics that says they have to be ugly. Look at the big "infrastructure" projects of the 1930's -- they could have make the Golden Gate Bridge ugly, but they chose not to. Maybe they should have a contest to design a cell tower that doesn't "uglify" it's surroundings. madnix!zaphod@nicmad.nicolet.com (Ron Bean) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Ameritech has been having a fight for sometime with the village of Winnetka, Illinois regards the placement of a cellular tower. Telco wants to put the tower at the highest point in the village they can obviously, and this apparently is on the roof of a church there. The church is happy to have it (or rather, the rent money they will collect for it) but the village trustees are in a snit about it because they say it will be ugly. This argument between Winnetka and Ameritech has been going on for a couple years. PAT] ------------------------------ 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: * ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.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: Post Office Box 4621 Skokie, IL USA 60076 Phone: 500-677-1616 Fax: 847-329-0572 ** Article submission address: ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu Our archives are located at mirror.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. Views expressed herein should not be construed as represent-* * ing views of the ITU. * ************************************************************************* In addition, TELECOM Digest receives a grant from Microsoft to assist with publication expenses. Editorial content in the Digest is totally independent, and does not necessarily represent the views of Microsoft. ------------------------------------------------------------ Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of twenty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V16 #239 ******************************