Return-Path: Received: by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.7.4/NSCS-1.0S) id IAA26333; Tue, 2 Dec 1997 08:23:14 -0500 (EST) Date: Tue, 2 Dec 1997 08:23:14 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <199712021323.IAA26333@massis.lcs.mit.edu> To: ptownson Subject: TELECOM Digest V17 #337 TELECOM Digest Tue, 2 Dec 97 08:23:00 EST Volume 17 : Issue 337 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Safety, Security Spur Popularity of Wireless Phones (Tad Cook) NPA-NXX Combinations and Dialing Plans (Mark J. Cuccia) Ten Digit Dialing Fracas (Jay R. Ashworth) Combination CDMA/TDMA/Analog Phone? (Bob Millen) Unified Messaging Seminar (Shannon McGinley) 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. 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Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Safety, Security Spur Popularity of Wireless Phones Date: Tue, 2 Dec 1997 00:12:43 PST From: tad@ssc.com (Tad Cook) Safety, Security Spur Popularity of Wireless Telephones By Paula Crawford Squires, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Va. Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News Dec. 1--They're one of the most visible symbols of the Information Age, glued to peoples' ears like strange appendages. When people aren't listening to these devices, they're talking into them in cars, restaurants, even hushed movie theaters. Their growth is so explosive an industry source says someone buys one every three seconds. Yet, no agency regulates their pricing plans, which have more mutations than the weather. Welcome to the wireless world of wireless telephones. It's a frenzied place mobile telephone communication. For people and businesses who want to stay in constant touch, the cellular telephone is becoming in the '90s what the television was in the '50s: a must-have convenience. The phones are more addictive than soap operas. Just ask Chesterfield County builder and developer David B. Allen. After eight years of using a cellular phone, Allen says he doesn't know how he would run his business without one. On a typical day, he makes 25 calls from a portable model that follows his movements like a shadow. Family members and business associates know they can reach him in his car or at home construction sites. It's not unusual for Allen to receive 20 calls a day. He says the phone helps him manage a large number of building projects more efficiently. When traveling to one project, he can call and check on another one halfway across the county. Plus, Allen adds, "You can respond more quickly to problems." When a worker was injured on the job, Allen called for help. "I've also called police when I've seen someone suspicious hanging around one of our subdivisions," he says. Safety and security, in fact, are the main reasons consumers are snatching up cellular phones at record rates. In the past, corporations looking for ways to boost productivity supplied the primary market for cell phones. Today the industry enjoys phenomenal growth because They want the ability to make a quick call in case of emergencies. But the task of choosing a wireless phone is tough enough to make some people want to call for help. Cellular companies offer an array of telephone models, features and prices. An ever-changing round of promotions promises everything from free pagers to a Thanksgiving holiday turkeys. Many of the so-called freebies come with strings attached: service plans that lock customers into monthly payments for a year. With all the choices, plus two types of technology, analog and digital, going wireless can be anything but crystal clear. Confusion reigns among many first-time buyers, because the market offers so many choices. There are niches for personal users, business customers and high-tech junkies who prefer cutting-edge technology. Tim Ayers, a spokesman for the Cellular Telephone Industry Association in Washington, says intense competition has produced the segmented market. "It's like anything else. People need to closely look at their needs and how they plan to use the phone," he said. While consumers may be uncertain over which deal is best, there's no uncertainty about the tremendous growth among cellular phone users. Theodore S. Rappaport, a cellular phone expert at Virginia Tech, says the cellular phone business is growing faster than the personal computer industry. In June, the Cellular Telephone Industry Association said more than 10.5 million subscribers signed up for service during the previous 12 months, the greatest increase reported since the industry began collecting data in 1985. Today, 14 years after cellular telephones came on the market, the association estimates there are 51 million users across the United States. The association also reported big increases in capital investments, up 40 percent from the previous year. Altogether, wireless companies have invested more than $37.4 billion in building their infrastructures. According to the association's report, annual revenue from monthly service plans (excluding any long distance charges) reached a new high, $25.5 billion. The only thing going down in the cellular telephone industry is the average monthly bill. The association reported a drop in local monthly bills from $95 in 1988 to $43.86 in 1997. The figures reflect business and personal use. A recent survey shows that the typical business user logs 100 minutes per month, while the personal user is on the phone for 42 minutes or fewer. In the Richmond area, a typical bill for business and personal users ranges from $45 to $55 a month, according to Mike Ritter, director of marketing for the Midwest regional office of GTE Wireless, one of the three wireless companies that serve the Richmond area. The other two companies are 360 Communications and PrimeCo Personal Communications. PrimeCo is the newest player, entering the market a year ago. It's known in the industry as a PCS or provider of personal communication services. Its digital phones operate on a different radio frequency than from analog phones and offer some services such as voice mail as part of its standard service package. Such options usually require additional fees at analog companies. Jim Grady, vice president and general manager for PrimeCo in Virginia, says the company already has more than 10,000 local customers. Officials at GTE and 360 Communications won't disclose numbers of Richmond subscribers. But companywide figures testify to the industry's impressive growth. In 1996, GTE Wireless increased its customer base by a whopping 25 percent, adding 738,000 customers. During the first three quarters of 1997, 360 Communications picked up 310,000 customers, up 32 percent from the same period the year before. What's fueling the growth? According to a recent industry survey, 50 percent of cell phone buyers make the purchase for personal reasons. Nineteen percent plan to use the phone for personal and business reasons; the remaining 31 percent want the phone strictly for business use. That percentage has dropped dramatically since 1984 when business customers represented 90 percent of subscribers. "People want them for protection in the car, in case there's a breakdown, a crime, an attack," Ayers said. Mary Ann Welch, manager for media relations for the mid-Atlantic region of 360 Communications, concurs. "The safety aspect has really played into the increase in sales." Working parents are using cell phones to keep tabs on their children. Ritter points out his company is seeing more women subscribers than men. "The phone gives the mother a way to communicate with her children," he said. Sandy Owens, a Midlothian real estate agent for Napier/Old Colony Realtors, ranks her cell phone right up there with her car as "a necessary part of life." Since 1991, she has equipped her car with a transportable phone. It can be used in and out of the car, a handy feature when showing homes to clients. Frequent callers include her three children, ages 9, 17 and 19. "They call me all the time. They call to see when I'm coming home and what we've having for dinnner," Owens says. On the business side, Owens uses the phone to return calls promptly. "I get my business primarily through referrals. If I'm not there to serve the customer, then someone else will get them first," she says. Owens' monthly cellular telephone bills range from $200 to $300. While she has always valued the phone's convenience, a car accident last summer brought home the advantages from a safety standpoint. The accident left Owens hanging upside down from a seatbelt in her car, so she couldn't get to her phone. Two men showed up at the scene with cell phones and came to her rescue. They helped Owens out of her car and called 911. "If it wasn't for those people, I don't know how long it would have taken to get help," she says. Mary Evans, a spokeswoman for the Virginia State Police, says the volume of telephone calls from citizens to the police is definitely up as a result of the growing use of cellular phones. One day last June, police received 100 calls to 911. Sgt. Wade Millner of the state police says people call about traffic accidents, drunken drivers, animals on the interstate, vehicle and brush fires and crimes in progress. Incidents not handled by the state police are transferred to local police departments. Police welcome the calls. As Millner notes, "It gives us quick and accurate information, because most of the time the cellular caller is right on the scene." The promotional value of safety and security is not lost on cellular companies who that loan lend or donate phones to neighborhood watch groups and domestic-violence safety programs. While cellular phones are frequently associated with increased concerns about safety, there's a flip side of the coin. The use of cell phones has been linked with everything from an increased risk of auto accidents to interference with cardiac pacemakers. Cellular telephone companies and the federal government are investigating how digital telephones can interfere with cardiac pacemakers, implantable cardiac defibrillators and hearing aids. At this time, there are no known reports of serious health effects when pacemakers are used in conjunction with digital phones. The Food and Drug Administration, however, advises people with pacemakers to avoid bringing a digital cellular telephone within two inches of the chest. The cellular industry has responded to concerns about the hazards of talking on a cell phone while driving a car. The Cellular Telecommun- ications Industry Association includes safety tips on its Internet Web page and has published a brochure in conjunction with other cellular companies with safety information. It recommends using a handsfree or speaker phone while driving. One of the biggest choices facing companies and consumers is what type of phone to buy: digital or analog. Each technology has pros and cons. Digital phones, for example, cost more up front. PrimeCo sells its model for $199. But, at this stage, coverage is limited primarily to metropolitan areas. For people who travel frequently in rural areas, digital may not be the way to go. "That's a fair criticism," Grady says. "If you're 200 miles outside of Richmond, you can't call someone five minutes away, because there's no signal." Digital offers other options, though, that consumers like. Unlike analog companies, PrimeCo requires no activation fee or 12-month contract. Plus, voice quality is clearer on digital phones. The company's two service plans range from $15.95 with no air time included to $36.95 per month. Air time is the amount of time someone spends on a phone per month. It includes outgoing and incoming calls. The second plan offers 100 minutes of air time a month at a rate of 22 cents per minute on calls made from PrimeCo's service area in metropolitan Richmond and Hampton Roads, to anywhere in the state. Perhaps the greatest advantage of digital is the bundling of many features into one service package at no additional fee. That's possible because digital technology extends the level of service beyond voice calling. PrimeCo's standard service plan includes voice mail, caller identification and call waiting. Allen switched recently from an analog to a digital phone. He figures that, by having voice mail and other functions included at no extra charge in his monthly service plan, he'll save money in the long run on a bill that has fluctuated from $295 to $400 a month. Although analog signals power the majority of U.S. cellular phones, more companies are getting into digital technology, including GTE and 360 Communications. They have rolled out personal communication services in some major cities and plan further expansions. "It's clearly the way the industry is going, but it won't be a revolution; it will be an evolution," predicts Ayers. "There's a lot of life left in analog." Analog phone companies have national networks in place and offer more extensive coverage areas than PCS competitors who are still building their networks. At GTE, phone prices range from as little as $1 for a small portable to $399 for a sleek, top-of-the line model that vibrates rather than rings and can be slipped discreetly into a suit coat pocket. When customers sign a 12-month service contract, GTE is assured of a revenue stream and and can offer phones at low prices. "Typically, if you sign for one year, you would pay $20 for a good-quality phone," Ritter says. GTE's most popular monthly service plan in Richmond costs $19.95 a month and offers tiered per-minute rates. If people talk from one to 30 minutes, the rate is 35 cents a minute; by the 300th minute the rate drops to 24 cents per minute. This example illustrates an important rule of thumb: the more people talk on their cellular phones, the less they pay per minute. Recognizing the need to simplify customer choices, GTE recently decreased its number of monthly service plans from eight to four and made the entire state a local call, with the exception of Northern Virginia. It costs 55 cents a minute for GTE customers to call north of Fredericksburg compared with 35 cents a minute for anywhere in the rest of the state, Ritter said. When people use their phones outside their home calling area, roaming charges (rates charged by outside cellular carriers) increase the cost of using a mobile phone. Typically, the rate is 99 cents a minute plus any applicable long distance charges. Some companies also assess a daily roaming surcharge. To simply simplify roaming rates, the trend today is for companies to offer super regional zones, multistate areas in which the perminute rate is higher, but customers avoid full roaming charges. At PrimeCo, when customers travel to another PrimeCo service market -- the company operates in 17 cities -- they pay the same rate as the home rate offered in their service package. "Generally, when you go outside the local calling area, it's generally more advantageous to use the calling card, if it isn't a critical call," Ritter said. At 360 Communications, people can choose from seven monthly access plans. They range from $16 a month for people who use 30 minutes to $296 for a VIP plan that includes 3,500 minutes of local air time. Account executive Elizabeth Lunato says the best-selling plan is one that costs $28 dollars a month. The per-minute rate is 33 cents for calls in the local coverage area, which includes Richmond, Hampton Roads and 23 southeastern Virginia counties. Again, populous Northern Virginia isn't included; it costs 49 cents a minute to call that part of the state. One of the draws of 360's plan is free, unlimited local weekend use. "You can go to South Hill for the weekend and call your mother in Virginia Beach and it's free," Lunato says. GTE also throws in free weekend use on its consumer plan for an additional $10 a month. This puts the two consumer plans almost neck-and-neck with each other in terms of price, with 360 charging $28 and GTE $29.95 ($19.95 basic rate plus $10 for free weekends). At 360, if it's part of a promotion, a phone can be purchased for as little as $3.60. To buy the same phone outright would cost $163, Welch said. When it comes to saving that much money upfront, customers don't give the company static about yearlong contracts. "We found that a lot of customers prefer to get a nice deal," Welch said. Generally, business customers can negotiate lower rates than those offered on consumer plans, because they usually they need more air time and phone lines. Also, most companies allow business and consumer customers to switch plans at any time at no charge. Alan Wickham, manager of operations in the communications division of the State Corporation Commission, recently purchased a cellular phone. He paid $75 for a flip-top, portable model and signed a 12-month contract. Wickham's reason for buying? Primarily peace of mind, plus, "I use it to call my mother in Roanoke on the weekends," he says. Wickham jumped into the cellular world with more knowledge than the average person, at least when it comes to state oversight of the cellular telephone industry. Basically, there is none because the Virginia General Assembly repealed the state's cellular telephone act in 1995. That move was made shortly after federal legislation preempted state regulation of cellular telephones. Before the repeal, cellular companies were certified as public utilities and had to file rates, terms and conditions for rending rendering service in Virginia. The Federal Communications Commission is the regulatory and licensing agency for wireless telephone communication. The federal agency, however, doesn't regulate rates, which, in theory, remain in check because of intense market competition. When the SCC receives complaints, it refers people to the FCC or the state Office of Consumer Affairs. Still, Wickham offers this advice: "Look at the sales contract and read it very carefully. Don't sign it until you've read the whole thing." The contract discloses fees to turn on the service, including activation or other charges that may show up on a first bill. A thorough reading can prevent sticker shock when the bill arrives. Consumers have complained to the Better Business Bureau of Central Virginia and the Office of Consumer Affairs about cellular telephone bills regarding their accuracy, late fees and the use of free minutes. With the approaching holidays, all three local companies plan new promotions. They're worth checking out, because fees are often waived and phone prices reduced during these specials. The companies also will market one of the latest wrinkles in the cellular industry: prepaid cellular phone plans. These deals, similar to prepaid phone cards, allow people to control costs by paying for everything upfront. "It's great for parents who want to give the phone to a child, but who don't want to get stuck with a $500 bill," Ritter says. With a prepaid plan, people don't sign a 12-month contract. Instead, they buy a phone and increments of air time. Phone prices vary from as little as $50 for a refurbished phone to as much as $149 for new analog phones. At GTE, a $35 card buys 44 minutes, a $50 card buys 63 minutes and a $75 card buys 94 minutes. Welch observes that prepaid plans enable cellular companies to serve customers with bad credit. In the past, they have been turned away or made to pay deposits of as much as $1,000 to get service. "Prepaid cellular is a response to that," Welch says. As cellular telephones continue to evolve, people can expect other developments. David Allen has already witnessed a big change in price. In the 1980s, when he purchased his first phone, "I paid $1,700. Now you can get them for next to nothing," he said. Well, not exactly. As PrimeCo's Grady points out, "Nothing is free." ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Dec 1997 17:55:27 -0600 From: Mark J. Cuccia Subject: NPA-NXX Combinations and Dialing Plans In the TELECOM Digest article, "New York City's New AC Also an Exchange in Neighboring 201", Robert Casey wrote: > Turns out new nanp 646 for New York City is an exchange in > immediately adjacent 201's 646 exchange in Hackensack NJ. > I thought the phone system wants to avoid using an area code > number that is the same as an exchange in the new area code or > in immediately adjacent area codes. Of course, maybe no number > exists like that in the New York City area. It can get _very_ difficult to 'protect' such NXX code combinations these days, particularly in large/dense urban metro areas, such as NY City metro, Chicago metro, southern California, etc. There are only so many such possible numerical three-digit combinations (NXX) which can be used. Remember that in such metro areas, multiple area codes are simultaneously needing 'relief' -- each of these existing area codes are 'busting at the seams' for available three-digit NXX codes to be used as local central office codes, therefore each of the existing NPAs is needing 'relief' with an NPA split or overlay, all at the same time. Likewise, most other parts of the NANP need NPA relief, all at the same time. Trying to find 'uniqueness' or 'mutually exclusive' NXX combinations becomes impossible. > My brother works for the county government of Bergen County, and > almost all their office lines are in exchange 646. He wonders how > many wrong numbers they're gonna get from people forgetting the > leading "1" when dialing New York's new 646 area code. Also means > we can't have 1 + 7D dialing for same area code toll calls. New Jersey, New York City, and other large urban metro areas in the northeast and midwest never did use 1+7d for "home" NPA toll calling. For the most part, these areas still use _straight_ seven-digit dialing for toll calling within the same area code. :( For those parts of the NANP which did use 1+7d for "home" NPA toll calling prior to 1995 (when 'interchangeable' NPA codes were first activated), there were two possibilities which were implemented during 1994. Most of these areas using 'toll-alerting' of 1+ before all toll calls continued to use a 1+, but "home" NPA toll calling now required dialing the "home" NPA code -- i.e. 1+ten-digits. Louisiana is one such state -- if I am placing a toll call within my own NPA, 504, such as to Baton Rouge or Morgan City, I must dial 1+504+seven-digits. [Please note that 504 is going to be split at some point next year, but the details as to where the split boundary is going to fall, which side keeps 504 and which gets the new NPA code, as well as the numericals of the new NPA code have not yet been finalized by the Louisiana PSC nor Bellcore-NANPA (soon to be Lockheed/Martin NANPA)]. But some parts of the country (parts of Illinois, California, Pennsylvania, etc) have gone the way of Chicago, New York City, New Jersey, etc. :( _ALL_ Home-NPA calls, regardless of local vs. toll, are dialed as 'straight' seven-digits. _ALL_ calls to a different NPA, regardless of local vs. toll status dialed _only_ as 1+ten-digits. I think that home-NPA calls (mostly toll, sometimes including local) are sometimes 'permissively' dialable as 1+ten-digits (the 'home' NPA followed by seven-digits). This type of (wireline) dialing plan makes it a bit difficult to introduce an overlay (with associated ten-digit dialing) since (at least during an interim), all calls would have to be dialed as 1+ten-digits, including home-NPA local calls. But if all local calls were _mandatory_ dialable as full ten-digits, but 'straight' ten-digits (the way Atlanta is going to go, also what Maryland has implemented), and a 1+ before ten-digits is required for _toll_ calls to both 'same' and differing NPA (and IMO, 1+ before ten-digits should _also_ be permissive at the _customer's_ dialing Whim for _LOCAL_ calls), then _all_ such combinations of NPA-NXX would be _possible_: Maryland 301-301- 301-410- 301-443- 301-240- 301-202- 301-703- 301-757- (etc) 410-301- 410-410- 410-443- 410-240- 410-202- 410-703- 410-757- 443-301- 443-410- 443-443- 443-240- 443-202- 443-703- 443-757- 240-301- 240-410- 240-443- 240-240- 240-202- 240-703- 240-757- (etc) Atlanta Metro 404-404- 404-770- 404-678- 404-912- 404-706- 404-205- 404-256- (etc) 770-404- 770-770- 770-678- 770-912- 770-706- 770-205- 770-256- 678-404- 678-770- 678-678- 678-912- 678-706- 678-205- 678-256- (etc) MARK_J._CUCCIA__PHONE/WRITE/WIRE/CABLE:__HOME:__(USA)__Tel:_CHestnut-1-2497 WORK:__mcuccia@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu|4710-Wright-Road|__(+1-504-241-2497) Tel:UNiversity-5-5954(+1-504-865-5954)|New-Orleans-28__|fwds-on-no-answr-to Fax:UNiversity-5-5917(+1-504-865-5917)|Louisiana(70128)|cellular/voicemail- ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 1 Dec 1997 17:17:15 -0500 From: Jay R. Ashworth Subject: Ten Digit Dialing Fracas Organization: Ashworth & Associates, St Pete FL USA Well, I see good engineering and public distaste are going to war again. GTE announced this week that they will be implementing an overlay plan, allowing more than one area code in a given geographic area, and therefore requiring that all calls be dialed with ten digits, including the area code, even if it is the same as the caller's. The general public, of course, went nonlinear, screaming and yelling to the Public Service Commission, the FCC, and everyone else who would listen. "We can't be forced to dial three more digits for every local call!", they cry. GTE has explained to everyone _why_ this was the plan they decided upon, and their reasons are as good as have been the reasons every _other_ Regional Bell Operating Company has advanced for overlay plans in the past: take the amount it would cost you to reprint EVERY PIECE OF PAPER WITH YOUR PHONE NUMBER ON IT, and multiply that by the thousands of businesses who have phone numbers currently beginning with 813. That's the amount of money it would cost the Tampa Bay area to cope with an area code split, as has been the practice up to now. Alternative complaints include: "Why can't we dial three digits if the other phone number has the same area code?", the answer for which is, of course, "Which area code _is_ that phone you're dialing on _in_?" It's worse: the amount of time gained by area code splits continues to drop, as technologists continue to create more and more things which require phone numbers. Past splits have had borders defined more by politics than phone counts, causing new area codes to need to be split _again_ in periods as short as _six months_. Do you really want to reprint your letterhead and business cards _twice_ in one year? Area code overlays completely avoid this problem: no one's number need be changed. The news coverage on this topic in the past week has been surprisingly even -- technical topics like this often elude general coverage reporters, but everyone seems to have done their homework on this one, so far. In short: I applaud GTE and the Florida Public Service Commission for having the guts to take a correct, but unpopular, stand on an issue which, in the long run, _must_ be decided as an engineering problem, and I hope they both stand their ground. Cheers, Jay R. Ashworth jra@baylink.com Member of the Technical Staff Unsolicited Commercial Emailers Sued The Suncoast Freenet "Two words: Darth Doogie." -- Jason Colby, Tampa Bay, Florida on alt.fan.heinlein +1 813 790 7592 ------------------------------ From: Bob Millen Subject: Combination CDMA/TDMA/Analog Phone? Date: Mon, 01 Dec 1997 18:09:00 -0600 Organization: Intecom I'm very close buying my first cell phone. I am strongly leaning toward Sprint PCS -- which appears to have a strong offering in Dallas, Texas, where I live. In addition to Sprint, I got literature from AT&T, Southwestern Bell (both TDMA) and PrimeCo (CDMA, like Sprint). It seems like the PCS world is expected to slowly move toward CDMA in North America. There appear to be some who would dispute this. If I go with one of Sprint's standard offerings it will probably be a CDMA/Analog phone. But I found myself wondering if anyone makes a CDMA/TDMA/Analog phone. My thought is that with such a phone I might be able to use the same phone with different providers. For example, if I got exasperated with Sprint, I could use the same phone in TDMA mode with AT&T or Southwestern Bell. Even if I were to remain a happy Sprint customer, perhaps when I'm traveling I could use TDMA in some part of the country where TDMA is offered but not CDMA. I read one article that says that each cellular service tends to have special firmware in the phone -- implying that such cross system accessing isn't really in the cards. Recently I thought I saw an announcement of a Qualcomm CDMA/TDMA combination phone. If I did see it I sure can't seem to find it today. (?) Any thoughts or councel much appreciated. Bob Millen ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 01 Dec 1997 11:49:59 -0800 From: Shannon McGinley Reply-To: shannonm@teledynamic.com Organization: Teledynamic Communications Inc. Subject: Unified Messaging Seminar Teledynamic Communications would like to invite you to join us for an educational seminar on unified messaging. Discover the convenience of a single source message retrieval system for your Email, Fax and Voice Mail. Our seminar features Randy Kremlacek, president of Teledynamic Communications and Glen Cavanaugh, Regional Manager for Applied Voice Technology. Discussions will center around how to build a centralized messaging system and how employees can benefit from using one. Both speakers will also be available after the seminar for any questions you may have about Unified Messaging. Creating an "All-In-One" Messaging System December 11, 1997 8:30 am to noon Commonwealth Club 595 Market St, 2nd Floor San Francisco, California USA You can find more details and registration information at http://www.teledynamic.com/seminars or call 800.400.8184x390 ------------------------------ End of TELECOM Digest V17 #337 ******************************