Date: 2 Oct 2000 21:32:11 -0400 Message-ID: <20001003013211.10410.qmail@xuxa.iecc.com> From: owner-telecom-digest@telecom-digest.org (Telecom Digest) To: telecom-digest@telecom-digest.org Subject: Telecom Digest V2000 #74 Reply-To: editor@telecom-digest.org Sender: owner-telecom-digest@telecom-digest.org Errors-To: owner-telecom-digest@telecom-digest.org Precedence: bulk X-UIDL: e063c1b31cc6295a79c583db92fef556 Status: RO X-Status: Telecom Digest Monday, October 2 2000 Volume 2000 : Number 074 In this issue: Re: Verizon Backs No-Call Drive Laws Re: Verizon Backs No-Call Drive Laws Re: Do not call - PrivateHarbor.com AT&T Wireless sloppily starts CDPD in Poughkeepsie, NY Telecom Update (Canada) #252, October 2, 2000 re: Telcordia And VeriSign Announce Agreement To Host Open Enum Trial 10/2/00 ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 2 Oct 2000 07:54:43 -0400 From: David Lind Subject: Re: Verizon Backs No-Call Drive Laws In article <8r9hjv$641$1@nnrp1.deja.com>, David Lind wrote: > In article , > "Adam H. Kerman" wrote: > > Gary Novosielski wrote: > > > > >Would singing along with the radio be outlawed? > > > > Can you carry a tune? > > > > >Or those CD players where you have to fumble with the discs? Arguably more > > >dangerous than cell-phones. > > > > No, that's comparable. > > > > >The point is, we already have laws about careless driving but they are > > >simply not enforced. What makes anyone believe a no-phone law would be? > > > > I wasn't arguing in favor of a law; Verizon was! But the law they were backing > > wouldn't reduce the number of collisions caused by distraction from cell phone > > use, so I was suspicious of their motives. > > > > It's all about time (airtime) and money. Your suspicions are well founded. > > Verizon has seen the writing on the wall and because of Illinois unique, no > headset law, they stand to lose most vehicle call revenue if a ban on > handhelds goes through. A bit of self serving shuffle.    "Verizon supports > cell phone ban CHICAGO, Sept. 25 – The city's traffic committee today took up > the issue of banning hand-held phones while driving, and in a surprise move, > a major mobile phone company announced it will support the ban if the city > would work with the company to lobby for the repeal of a statewide ban on the > use of earphones while driving."   Verizon supports cell phone ban > Address:http://www.msnbc.com/local/WMAQ/53706.asp > The referred link has disappeared from the scource at wow.com and msn.com or any search I could muster for the last hour. A conspiricy.... or just an expired news story??? Ok, here is a text article that mildly refers to Verizons acceptance of single ear headsets, for the repeal of Illinoise outright ban on all headsets[*]. Could anyone locate the text for the the sept. 26 2000 http://www.msnbc.com/local/WMAQ/53706.asp ?   CELL FIRM BACKS BAN ON USE WHILE DRIVING By Gary Washburn Tribune Staff Writer September 26, 2000 A major cellular phone company on Monday bolted from industry ranks, backing a ban on use of hand-held cell phones in moving vehicles. But support for the prohibition by Verizon Wireless came with a few provisos. The company's position was announced during a meeting of the Chicago City Council's Transportation Committee, which is weighing a proposed partial phone ban in the city, but Verizon officials asserted that any legislation should be statewide to prevent a hodgepodge of local ordinances. "In the state of Illinois, we could have hundreds of different ordinances that would make it nothing but confusing to customers on how they should use their phones," asserted Annette Jacobs, Verizon's Great Lakes regional president. [*] And a prohibition on the use of hand-held phones by the General Assembly should come only after legislators repeal an Illinois law that prohibits use of headsets in cars, Jacobs asserted. [*] That measure was passed to end the use of personal music devices. But it effectively prohibits the use of hands-free cell phones that feature "earbuds" for listening. Jacobs said Verizon has taken "a very pro-active stance" nationwide on cell phone use in cars. "Since we are the largest wireless provider, we feel it is important for us to have a pro-safety campaign," she said. AT&T Wireless, meanwhile, held to the industry line. The company "believes that education, not legislation, is appropriate," said spokesman Jeremy Pemble. "The bigger issue here is distracted driving ... If you start legislating [against] cell phones, is the City Council or the state going to legislate against CB radios for truckers and taxi drivers? Are they going to start legislating against putting on makeup or listening to books on tape?" To that question, Ald. Edward Burke (14th) answered Monday with a resounding "yes." Burke called on the Police Department to gather statistics on accidents caused by distractions and introduced a measure at the Transportation Committee meeting that would make it illegal to drive while distracted. "This is a more generic approach to the issue and it would include use of cell phones, but would also ban the use of shavers, ban people from putting on makeup while driving, and ban people from reading magazines while driving," Burke said. Meanwhile, Ald. Burton Natarus (42nd), the committee's chairman, pledged to continue to push for his proposal, which started the debate over cell phone regulation earlier this year. Under Natarus' measure, use of hand-held phones would be illegal except in cases of emergency, while use of hands-free models would be permitted. - -- David Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy. - -- The Telecom Digest is currently robomoderated. Please mail messages to editor@telecom-digest.org. ------------------------------ Date: 2 Oct 2000 08:39:42 -0400 From: Daniel Seagraves Subject: Re: Verizon Backs No-Call Drive Laws On 2 Oct 2000, David Lind wrote: [Snip, but not so that you miss the point] > If > you start legislating [against] cell phones, is the City Council or the state > going to legislate against CB radios for truckers and taxi drivers? Are they > going to start legislating against putting on makeup or listening to books on > tape?" To that question, Ald. Edward Burke (14th) answered Monday with a > resounding "yes." I'm sorry, but I have a CB radio in my truck for a couple very good reasons[1], and if I lose my ability to use the radio just because a couple idiots drive the cellphone instead of their cars[2], I'm going to be very unhappy with it. As will most of the truck drivers.[3] And moblie ham radio operators, taxi services that use the things to call their cars, etc. etc. etc... The fun part will be watching the police enforce a CB ban, while continuing to use their two-way radios, which will either all have to be upgraded to handsfree models (Big $$$ there for the state/local governments) or removed. (They can't just ignore the law now, can they? ^_^ ) This is probably off-topic for the Digest, so responses should probably be via email. [1] Calling for directions when lost and out of my area, providing directions for lost people in my area, watching for construction/drunk drivers/other fun road hazards,shooting the breeze with the truck drivers... [2] "FLY THE AIRPLANE, NOT THE RADIO!" [3] I bet the police want CBs banned just because all the truckers tell the other truckers where the radar traps are. "Confuse, annoy, and DEE-STROY!" -- Jet Wolf | "Nothing Happens." -- ADVENT "You'd be surprised what you can live through..." -- Anonymous "...A man can pass his family and his name down through his sons, but it's his honour that gets passed through his daughters. He can see the best and worst of life in his girls. A daughter is something far too precious, and he'll do anything to protect her." -- Reichsfuehrer Siegfried Koenig, _Matrose_Mond_, David Oliver - -- The Telecom Digest is currently robomoderated. Please mail messages to editor@telecom-digest.org. ------------------------------ Date: 2 Oct 2000 09:14:01 -0400 From: goeke@space.mit.edu (Robert F. Goeke) Subject: Re: Do not call - PrivateHarbor.com In article , Monty Solomon writes: > One man's annoying telemarketing call is another man's business > opportunity. For $18.95 a year, Private Harbor Inc. > (privateharbor.com) of Doylestown, Pa., is promising dinnertime > solitude by placing customers on the do-not-call lists of more than > 1,500 telemarketers. Of course, one could go to http://www.private-citizen..com also, a group which also charges a modest amount and has been around a year or so. Now anti-spam is a growth industry. - -- Bob Goeke - -- Robert F. Goeke ** MIT Center for Space Research ** Room NE80-6099; 77 Massachusetts Ave ** Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-4307 - -- The Telecom Digest is currently robomoderated. Please mail messages to editor@telecom-digest.org. ------------------------------ Date: 2 Oct 2000 12:32:13 -0400 From: "Doug Reuben / www.interpage.net" Subject: AT&T Wireless sloppily starts CDPD in Poughkeepsie, NY About a week ago I noticed that all of a sudden there was CDPD on the A-side coverage in Poughkeepsie, NY. The A-system is Poughkeepsie, which is now owned by AT&T, used to be US Cellular who during their "stewardship" (abandonment?) of the 00503 market barely paid any attention to CDPD wireless data, not to mention less esoteric things such as coverage and integration with nationwide networks. (Indeed, even after last year's AT&T takeover, if you call an AT&TWS/Cell One Poughkeepsie customer and he/she does not answer, the call still supervises, and you are *billed* for the call! They have known about this for 4 years and have done nothing to fix it -- more long distance revenue for AT&T I guess, eh? :) And from the way things are going for them LD-wise, they need it! ) Anyhow, so I notice that there is CDPD coverage (and very good coverage in many areas, -60Db or so) in Poughkeepsie, along the Taconic State Parkway, up at Vassar, along NY-9D, etc., ie, areas where there was no CDPD coverage before. In general, the area seems to have been turned on for CDPD in the past few weeks and potentially more areas in that market will come online soon. This marks the beginning of the (by me at least) long awaited arrival of CDPD in the Mid-Hudson Valley despite the fact that BAMS has had these markets (except the Catskills/01516 system) for years and never bothered to add CDPD transmitters to their towers. The AT&T system in Poughkeepsie should fit in nicely with their CDPD systems for NY Metro (00025 analog) and their tiny and underdeveloped cellular and CDPD system in Litchfield County, CT (01101), which are adjacent to the Poughkeepsie market to the south and east, respectively. The CDPD channels used there differ from AT&T's NY Metro system, which are generally 670-686, and some low 700's sometimes pop up (but I get confused at the 700's since BAMS uses a lot of them). The CDPD channels used in Poughkeepsie stay strictly between 40 and 72, and most of the towers are either 40 or 42. However, every time we try to register on one of our AT&T IP's, were get a "registration denied", ie, AT&T is not letting us use the Poughkeepsie network. So seeing as how they had similar problems after they added Vanguard (Maine and Eastern PA, see my posts at http://www.wirelessnotes.org), I figured I'd call them last week and see if they could open a trouble ticket. So I call their Advanced Data Support Group (it's like 5 people it seems, you always talk to the same people!) and spoke to Jordan, who appears to work on weekends, at least in part. After going through the usual stuff (is you computer set to "A preferred"? I said "It's actually A only" so he says "Well, set it to preferred..." HUH? Where does AT&T have a B-side system? This begins to indicate the intellect of the help...:( ), he comes back and says "AT&T has no coverage in Poughkeepsie -- it's not our market" So I tell him "Ummm...so the SPNI I get is 3232, isn't that yours? And the A side in Poughkeepsie is owned by AT&T, so since CDPD runs off the analog network, WHO WOULD IT BE?"...fortunately, before he could answer, AT&T/Cell One's coverage cut out, and my phone was cut off [You see, there IS a reason AT&T's coverage is so pathetic there! :) ] so I gave up and said to myself "Whatever, when they turn it on they turn it on and that's that...I lived without it for a few years I'll manage a bit longer". Sad but true that AT&T's general attitude towards things like this has worn me down so that I just give up with them when I get the CDPD equivalent of the cellular customer service rep's favorite question "Is your phone powered on?" :) Later on that day, since I had some time while driving, I called the AT&TWS ATAC, and this guy Tom answers and sounds like I just woke him up, so I start asking him about the issue, but not to be disturbed from his sleep he interrupts and says "You need to get a trouble ticket to address this issue" (which perhaps is the proper procedure which is understandable) and then we get cut off yet again (on US-9 near NY-52) so I give up for the day. So later on during the week, one of our other AT&TWS IPs starts having problems around I-84, in an area which previously worked fine. As it turns out, the AT&T CDPD signal from NY Metro is weaker than the new Poughkeepsie system, so the laptop doesn't pick up the NY Metro channel 686 signal any more and instead latches on to the Poughkeepsie channel 40 signal but of course can't register. So now the issue is more serious -- we can not use service where we only recently have been able to and expect to be able to use it and where, according to AT&T's own Web-site CDPD ZIP code locator, we should be able to (Anyone want to get out of their CDPD contract with AT&TWS? Here's a good way to do it! :) ) So I have a generally incompetent person from our office call AT&T to get a trouble ticket and get the ball rolling (I figure let our incompetents deal with theirs, eh? :) ). So after our incompetent and clueless person (who after being told what CDPD is 4 times can't remember that it is a *wireless* technology calls AT&T long distance at (800) 222-0400! ) can't get anywhere, I call them up and tell them that this is a much larger problem now. So AT&T (rightfully) tells me I need to go to the market to test it, even if it is on a weekend which is when I am generally there. Anyhow, so this weekend, I try it out, and indeed, areas which were able to get CDPD coverage from AT&T's NY Metro Market a month ago are now being saturated with signal from the Poughkeepsie system, so much so that the Seirra Wireless cards and software only try to register on the Poughkeepsie system and not the NY Metro channels. Since we can't register on the Poughkeepsie system, we basically can't use AT&T's CDPD in areas where we used to be able to just fine -- and, this is a result of their OWN engineering failures, not some other carrier's barging in on their system. So we call them again and speak to "Leslie", who after listening to the problem asks about the RSSI (signal strength) and channels for a trouble ticket. When she is told the RSSI is sometimes -60Db, she says "Oh, then that can't be our system, it's never that strong" (Well, at least you are honest about the shortcomings of your service! But I've gotten much better than that with AT&T, around -50Db is some areas, and on BAMS in Atlantic City right on US-30 near a tower before the causeway got a -47Db signal just a few days ago, so I'm not sure what she is talking about...perhaps more of the usual "Customer Service knows more than you do" attitude you get so much of from them...) Anyhow, she proceeds to take a trouble ticket and says we will get called back, but so far no calls, and no answers. Basically, they are doing their usual runaround when it comes to an issue they can not immediately diagnose. All I want from them is some response like "Yes, we are putting in new service in Poughkeepsie, we know there is some interference, and it will allow you to register in three weeks so after then it shouldn't be a problem". Something like that would be fine -- we can wait three weeks, or if it will be longer, then let us roam on the BAMS coverage there for free without roaming charges. We're willing to be flexible and understand that it takes a while at times to set up a new system (although I have no idea why they won't let AT&T customers register on the Poughkeepsie system), but they are at this point just giving us a runaround and wasting our time with endless calls and trouble tickets which seem to get no where. AT&T, as well as a number of other carriers, is spending a lot of money to offer wireless data services, but if this is the sort of thing which (modestly) somewhat technically oriented people need to go through just to get an answer as to why their service isn't working I can imagine why somewhat less technically adept users would just give up on wireless data altogether... Coupled with the multitude of coverage problems, aforementioned service issues, and limited service value (see how AT&T has had to eat roaming charges for cellphone browsers and offer the service for free to a vast majority of their customers?), I regularly wonder why the carriers expect customers to flock to a suite of services which they time and time again demonstrate an utter inability to master and support. I'll post as soon as AT&TWS resolves this -- IF they do ;( - -Doug dsr1@interpage.net www.wirelessnotes.org - -- The Telecom Digest is currently robomoderated. Please mail messages to editor@telecom-digest.org. ------------------------------ Date: 2 Oct 2000 14:23:11 -0400 From: Angus TeleManagement Subject: Telecom Update (Canada) #252, October 2, 2000 ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE Angus TeleManagement's Weekly Telecom Newsbulletin http://www.angustel.ca Number 252: October 2, 2000 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: AT&T Canada ....................... http://www.attcanada.ca/ Bell Canada ............................ http://www.bell.ca/ C1 Communications ......... http://www.c1communications.com/ Cisco Systems Canada ................. http://www.cisco.com/ Lucent Technologies Canada ........... http://www.lucent.ca/ Norigen ............................ http://www.norigen.com/ Sprint Canada .................. http://www.sprintcanada.ca/ ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** Rogers Promises Phone Service in 2001 ** RIM Revenue Jumps 57% ** Symphony Buys North American Gateway ** Telus Accused of Stalling Co-Location ** Comment Sought on Canadian Domain Rules ** Mitel to Resell MDR Software ** Bell and Banks Form Procurement E-Company ** NBTel Wins Innovation Award ** Feds Okay Use of Globalstar ** BCI Sells Brazilian Holdings ** FCC to Review Cable Internet ** ITU Standards Body Meeting in Montreal ** NBTel Small Business Bundle Approved ** Telus Feature Package Rejected ** Ericsson Teams With Wi-LAN ** Telus Unveils Toronto Portal ** Telecom Conferences and Seminars ============================================================ ROGERS PROMISES PHONE SERVICE IN 2001: Speaking in Toronto last week, Ted Rogers said that his organization would begin offering local phone service over cable lines by the end of next year. Peter Ciceri, former president of Compaq Canada, has been hired to head a new company, Rogers Telecom. ** On September 26, Rogers Communications announced a 5 cents/share dividend -- the first dividend it has paid in 20 years. RIM REVENUE JUMPS 57%: Research In Motion reports second- quarter revenues of $42.5 Million, up 57% from the previous quarter and 121% from last year's second quarter. However, the company lost $1.6 Million, after making a small profit in the first quarter. SYMPHONY BUYS NORTH AMERICAN GATEWAY: Toronto-based Symphony Telecom has agreed to buy 57% of overseas carrier North American Gateway for $28 Million in cash and shares. ** Symphony has also purchased 62% of Telmax Communications, a distributor of prepaid phone cards. COMMENT SOUGHT ON CANADIAN DOMAIN RULES: CIRA, the Canadian Internet Registration Authority, has begun a public consultation on procedures for resolving disputes about .ca domain names. Comments on the Draft Policy are due by October 29. http://www.cira.ca/en/documents/resolutionEN_2709.html TELUS ACCUSED OF STALLING CO-LOCATION: C1 Communications has asked the CRTC to order Telus to provide co-location services in Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver on dates already agreed to by Telus, and to make the order enforceable by the Federal Court. C-1 says that Telus has missed several deadlines already, undermining C-1's ability to roll out services. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/ENG/public/2000/8622/C74-03.htm ** Long distance carrier RSL Com has announced that it will provide high-speed Internet access to customers by reselling ADSL and SDSL services provided by C1 Communications. MITEL TO RESELL MDR SOFTWARE: Mitel Corporation's Communications Solutions organization will offer a private- label version of the Millennium Telemanagement software developed by MDR Telemanagement (Oakville, Ontario), to customers across North America. BELL AND BANKS FORM PROCUREMENT E-COMPANY: Bell Canada, BCE Emergis, Bank of Nova Scotia, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, and Mouvement Desjardins have joined to create Procuron Inc, a Web-based business-to-business purchasing company. (http://www.procuron.com) NBTEL WINS INNOVATION AWARD: At last week's Networld+Interop show in Atlanta, Inter@ctive Week gave NBTel its "Most Innovative Local Telephone Company" award for its pioneering work in offering video over phone lines. FEDS OKAY USE OF GLOBALSTAR: Public Works and Government Services Canada has granted a National Master Standing Offer to Globalstar. This means that federal government departments can purchase and use Globalstar mobile satellite telephones. BCI SELLS BRAZILIAN HOLDINGS: Bell Canada International has sold its telecom interests in Brazil for $1.3 Billion. The proceeds will be invested in a larger joint venture with Telefonos de Mexico and SBC Communications. FCC TO REVIEW CABLE INTERNET: The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has begun a proceeding to determine whether it should require cable TV companies to allow other Internet Service Providers to use their high-speed Internet access services. Unlike Canada's CRTC, the FCC has so far refused to mandate open access. http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Miscellaneous/Notices/2000/fcc00355.txt ITU STANDARDS BODY MEETING IN MONTREAL: The World Telecommunications Standardization Assembly, part of the International Telecommunication Union, is meeting in Montreal September 27-October 6 to discuss IP networks, mobile services, optical network infrastructure, and multimedia technologies. This is the first time the organization has met in North America. http://www.wtsa2000.org/ NBTEL SMALL BUSINESS BUNDLE APPROVED: The CRTC has given final approval to NBTel's Small Business Bundle, which provides Centrex access, three additional features, a toll- free number, 120 minutes of Canadian long distance, and reduced rates for U.S. and overseas calling for $48.95 per month. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/Orders/2000/O2000-895.htm TELUS FEATURE PACKAGE REJECTED: The CRTC has denied a Telus proposal to bundle calling features and long distance because existing customers would be charged different rates than new ones. http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/Orders/2000/o2000-882.htm ERICSSON TEAMS WITH WI-LAN: Ericsson Canada and Wi-LAN Inc. have agreed to submit a joint bid to build Inukshuk Internet's wireless Internet infrastructure. TELUS UNVEILS TORONTO PORTAL: Telus has launched MyTO.com, a Toronto city guide, as its first Internet portal outside of BC and Alberta. TELECOM CONFERENCES AND SEMINARS: Looking for telecom education? Check out http://www.angustel.ca for the most complete listing of coming telecom seminars and conferences in Canada -- and selected international events as well. ** To submit your events for listing, send full details to mailto://admin@angustel.ca. ============================================================ HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-MAIL: editors@angustel.ca FAX: 905-686-2655 MAIL: TELECOM UPDATE Angus TeleManagement Group 8 Old Kingston Road Ajax, Ontario Canada L1T 2Z7 =========================================================== HOW TO SUBSCRIBE (OR UNSUBSCRIBE) TELECOM UPDATE is provided in electronic form only. There are two formats available: 1. The fully-formatted edition is posted on the World Wide Web on the first business day of the week at http://www.angustel.ca 2. The e-mail edition is distributed free of charge. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: listmanager@postmastergeneral.com Insert as the subject of your message the two words: subscribe TelecomUpdate To stop receiving the e-mail edition, send an e-mail message to: listmanager@postmastergeneral.com Insert as the subject of your message the two words: unsubscribe TelecomUpdate =========================================================== COPYRIGHT AND DISCLAIMER: All contents copyright 2000 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail rosita@angustel.ca or phone 905-686-5050 ext 225. The information and data included has been obtained from sources which we believe to be reliable, but Angus TeleManagement makes no warranties or representations whatsoever regarding accuracy, completeness, or adequacy. Opinions expressed are based on interpretation of available information, and are subject to change. If expert advice on the subject matter is required, the services of a competent professional should be obtained. ============================================================ - -- The Telecom Digest is currently robomoderated. Please mail messages to editor@telecom-digest.org. ------------------------------ Date: 2 Oct 2000 15:52:51 -0400 From: "Judith Oppenheimer" Subject: re: Telcordia And VeriSign Announce Agreement To Host Open Enum Trial Could .arpa and 'owner' IANA/ICANN, usurp telecom infrastructure / jurisdiction etc.? >Date: Wed, 20 Oct 1999 14:29:30 -0500 >To: e164-to-ip@lserv.vocaltec.com >From: Richard Shockey >Subject: Re: scope of the ENUM WB >I may be wrong but this proposal may raise some red flags in Geneva. >This clearly touches on their "space". Again this is >very very delicate area. >There are issues of capabilities, scaleability, integration...the >list is endless here. > >...we have a whole pot load of other issues to deal with such as >what is the effect of putting billions of numbers into the existing >DNS system? Security, authorization, number ownership and control. > Judith Judith Oppenheimer, +1 212 684-7210, 1 800 The Expert Publisher, http://www.icbtollfree.com/testimny.cfm Register for FREE 800/Dot Com Headlines here: http://www.icbtollfree.com/reg.cfm?NextURL=Index.cfm RUN YOUR TEXT AD in ICB's HeadsUp News Emails 18,000+ weekly email readership, over 112,000 targeted email impressions every month! Space is limited - ORDER NOW! -- email editor@icbtollfree.com. - ------------------------------ Date: 1 Oct 2000 21:10:48 -0400 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Telcordia And VeriSign Announce Agreement To Host Open Enum Trial http://www.verisign.com/press/2000/enum.html David Wright Edelman Public Relations Worldwide Phone: 650.429.2738 E-mail: David Wright Telcordia And VeriSign Announce Agreement To Host Open Enum Trial Companies invite service providers, applications developers and vendors to participate in trial to simplify networked communications Herndon, VA, September 26, 2000 - The proliferation of multiple networked devices and media poses major challenges for rapid personal and business communications. Recognizing market demand for the simplicity of one telephone number to communicate with multiple devices - such as e-mail, fax machines, cell phones and pagers -- communications software and solutions provider Telcordia Technologies, Inc. and VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq:VRSN), the leading provider of Internet trust services, today announced an agreement under which Telcordia and the VeriSign Global Registry Services division will jointly develop an ENUM directory and an open system trial based on the proposed ENUM standard. The trial system will be housed on the VeriSign Domain Name System (DNS) infrastructure that handles more than one billion domain name queries per day. The proposed ENUM standard, currently being considered by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), provides a framework for a global numbering system to map telephone numbers to other service addresses over the Internet. ENUM-based services would allow one telephone number to serve as a single point of contact for numerous communication media, from telephone to e-mail and from wireline to wireless. "The trial will bring us significantly closer to implementing a real-world ENUM model for consumers and businesses alike," said Richard Orriss, vice president and general manager of the Service Business and Management Group at Telcordia. "With ENUM fully realized, the business card of the future could list a single universal address, to which people could direct a phone call, an e-mail, a fax, or other communications. The result -- more efficient, simplified communication anywhere, around the globe." As the full scope and potential of ENUM functionality and consumer use will ultimately be defined through the development of independent applications, the companies are inviting service providers, applications developers, and vendors to participate in the trial which is scheduled to begin in late Q4 2000. "The domain name system provides the ideal housing for the ENUM trial," said Bruce Chovnick, general manager of VeriSign Global Registry Services. "We recognize the potential for the convergence of telephony and Internet communications and are pleased to be working with Telcordia toward the practical integration of the two technologies." The Trial System The ENUM project is the focal point of the convergence of the public switched telephone network (PSTN) and the Internet. Telcordia and VeriSign Global Registry Services together bring proven leadership in both of these domains. Telcordia provides leading-edge service management systems globally to administer and update numbers for toll-free and local number portability services. Every toll-free call in the U.S. depends on Telcordia software, which has processed billions of toll-free calls without service interruption. This robust service management platform will be used to provide similar capabilities for the trial system. The trial system will operate on the DNS infrastructure maintained by VeriSign Global Registry Services that handles the translation for more than 19 million domain names on the Internet, responding to more than one billion queries per day. Using this infrastructure will help result in rapid resolution of number-to-address mapping. Additionally, VeriSign is uniquely positioned as the leader in Internet security, which will play a critical role in ENUM-based services. The trial, which will utilize a gateway through the ENUM resource site www.enumworld.com, will allow users to develop and exercise their applications for functionality and compatibility with the ENUM standard. To learn more about how to participate in the trial, system developers and service providers can visit www.enumworld.com or e-mail information@enumworld.com. About VeriSign VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq:VRSN) is the leading provider of trusted infrastructure services to Web sites, enterprises, electronic commerce service providers and individuals. The company's domain name, digital certificate and payment services provide the critical web identity, authentication and transaction infrastructure that online businesses need to conduct secure e-commerce and communications. VeriSign's services are available through its websites (www.verisign.com and www.netsol.com) or through its direct sales force and reseller partners around the world. About VeriSign Global Registry Services VeriSign Global Registry Services (a division of Network Solutions, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of VeriSign, Inc.) is the leading provider of Internet locator services. VeriSign Global Registry Services maintains the definitive directory of over 19 million web addresses and is responsible for the infrastructure that propagates this information throughout the Internet and responds to over 1.5 billion DNS look-ups daily. As the exclusive provider of registry services to .com, .net, and .org, VeriSign Global Registry currently supports 66 active ICANN accredited registrars operating in 17 countries around the globe. For more information, see the www.verisign-grs.com web site. About Telcordia Technologies, Inc. Telcordia Technologies, Inc., an SAIC company, is one of the world's largest providers of operations support systems, network software and consulting and engineering services to the telecommunications industry. The Telcordia software organization, comprised of Operations Support Systems and Service and Business Management Systems, has been ISO 9001-certified and has been assessed at Level 5, the highest level of the Capability Maturity Model̉, an industry standard for measuring software development processes that was developed by the Software Engineering Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. A leader in the development of Next Generation Network technologies, Telcordia employs more than 6,500 professionals and has revenues of more than $1.5 billion. Telcordia (www.telcordia.com) is headquartered in Morristown, New Jersey, US with offices throughout the United States, Europe, Central and South America and Asia Pacific. All rights reserved. VeriSign is a registered trademark of VeriSign, Inc. Statements in this announcement other than historical data and information constitute forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated or implied by such forward-looking statements. The potential risks and uncertainties include, among others, potential volatility in VeriSign's stock price, uncertainty of Internet privatization, increased competition in the domain name registration business including price competition, customer acceptance of new products and services offered by the company in addition to or as enhancements of its registration services, risks associated with the company's international business, uncertainty of future revenue and profitability and fluctuations in its quarterly operating results. More information about potential factors that could affect the company's business and financial results is included in VeriSign's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, especially in the company's Registration Statement on Form S-4 filed on April 12, 2000, as amended, Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 1999 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2000. ### All rights reserved. VeriSign is a registered trademark exclusively licensed to VeriSign, Inc. VeriSign OnSite is a service mark of VeriSign, Inc. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners. - - -- The Telecom Digest is currently robomoderated. Please mail messages to editor@telecom-digest.org. - ------------------------------ - -- The Telecom Digest is currently robomoderated. Please mail messages to editor@telecom-digest.org. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 2 Oct 2000 21:26:04 -0400 From: "Judith Oppenheimer" Subject: 10/2/00 ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES ************************************************************************* ICBTollFree.Com HEADS UP HEADLINES ************************************************************************* from ICB Toll Free News - Daily News and Intelligence covering the Political, Legal and Marketing Arenas of 800 and Dot Com. ************************************************************************* CONTENTS - - DOT EU: ADD A LITTLE LANGUAGE, AND WALLA! - CODE GRANTED - - DOT KIDS APPLIES FOR KID-SAFE gTLD - - ICANN ELECTIONS UNDERWAY - - .UNION gTLD PROPOSED TO ICANN - - ICANN DNSO WARNS AGAINST DOMAIN 'SCAMS' - - SINGAPORE DOMAIN DISPUTE ENDS IN SETTLEMENT - - DOT ONE - - DOT ONE APPLICATION - - TLD APPLICATION PROCESS: ACT II - - NET2PHONE SUES C&W - - AND AWAY WE GO ... ************************************************************************* !!! YOUR TEXT AD HERE !!! 18,000+ weekly readership, over 112,000 targeted impressions every month! Space is limited -- ORDER NOW! -- email editor@icbtollfree.com. ************************************************************************ CUSTOMER SERVICE NOTE: Click here to see what candidates for ICANN's board have to say about domain name issues: http://icbtollfree.com/icbsurveycandidates.html. Updated as survey responses come in. ICB is a popular research destination, with all content archived indefinitely. Find all ICB headlines, current and archived, at http://www.icbtollfree.com/icbheadlns.cfm. ************************************************************************ ARTICLE ACCESS CODE LEGEND ICB Toll Free News offers two valuable service options: F = Free - News and Features articles P = Premium - Unlimited Site Access including all Articles and Documents. ************************************************************************ HEADLINES for October 2, 2000 F - DOT EU: ADD A LITTLE LANGUAGE, AND WALLA! - CODE GRANTED Last week's ICANN resolution, "It is therefore RESOLVED [00.74] that the IANA staff is advised that alpha-2 codes not on the ISO 3166-1 list are delegable as ccTLDs only in cases where the ISO 3166 Maintenance Agency, on its exceptional reservation list, has issued a reservation of the code that covers any application of ISO 3166-1 that needs a coded representation in the name of the country, territory, or area involved;" ... is astonishingly meaningless to the casual reader, but it is effectively ICANN giving IANA permission to delegate the .EU top-level domain. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4578 F - DOT KIDS APPLIES FOR KID-SAFE gTLD "Our application describes how .KIDS will ensure registrants and Web-site owners alike know and obey the laws governing interaction with children on the Internet. With a `.kids' domain, content creators can be assured their sites reside amid a haven of safe, engaging and child-friendly Web site. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4572s." F - ICANN ELECTIONS UNDERWAY The Commerce Department's contract with ICANN gives that organization the power to make policy regarding the root server. In turn, ICANN accredits registrars only after they sign legal contracts binding them to obey future ICANN rulings. When you register a domain name, you agree to abide by ICANN, too. Years ago, nations created the Law of the Sea to govern valuable ocean resources. Similarly, ICANN is now creating a "Law of the Internet" via its contracts. As a result, the Internet is acquiring the legal status of a sovereign nation with its own laws and customs. Unfortunately, the Internet is a new nation that lacks a Bill of Rights. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4577 F - .UNION gTLD PROPOSED TO ICANN A group of over 20 national and international trade union organizations contributed to the preparation of the proposal. The group included the AFL-CIO (USA), ACTU (Australia), COSATU (South Africa), RENGO (Japan), DGB (Germany), TUC (UK), Union Network International (representing unions in the information and service sectors), and Public Services International (representing public sector workers' unions). CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4576 F - ICANN DNSO WARNS AGAINST DOMAIN 'SCAMS' However, it fails to account for active registries like .web, fully operational since 1996 and preceding ICANN's existence by over two years. (ICANN was formed in October, 1998.) Despite denial of access into the A-Root server first by Network Solutions and then ICANN, .web has acquired over 18,000 web registrations in the last five years. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4575 F - SINGAPORE DOMAIN DISPUTE ENDS IN SETTLEMENT Computer shop Video-Pro agreed to pay website operator Hardware Zone $10,000 to transfer the address. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4574 ************************************************************************* **************************************************advertisements********* >>>>>>>>>>>>> http://1800TheExpert.com <<<<<<<<<<<<< 800 & Domain Name Acquisition Management, Lost/Stolen 800 # Retrieval, Litigation Support, Regulatory Navigation, Correlating Domain Name & Trademark Matters. ************************************************************************* Are you a local or regional business that advertises in newspapers, direct mail, on radio or tv? 1 800 BRAND IT shared use marketing programs can help your sales skyrocket! http://www.1800BrandIt.com ************************************************************************* FT Telecom Conferences In its 20th year, this event will bring leading personalities in the telecomms industry to discuss opportunities and challenges which technological advancement, increased competition and restructuring will pose to the future of global telecommunications. Register online to receive your 10% discount. http://www.ftconferences.com/dynamic/conferences/ftwt00.htm?bn=icb ************************************************************************* EVERY 3.6 SECONDS SOMEONE DIES FROM HUNGER http://www.hungersite.com/ ************************************************************************* Visit Global Telecom Domains(SM), 'The Best Names in Telecom' www.GlobalTelecomDomains.com ************************************************************************* ************************************************************************* more HEADLINES for October 2, 2000 F - DOT ONE Telecommunications companies could offer ".one" Internet identities to their customers as a value-added service, Stahura said. Wireless users are expected to grow to 1.4 billion in 2005, from 170 million worldwide this year, according to a recent study by Cahners In-Stat Group. Global industry leaders - representing the Far East, Middle East, Europe and North America -- already have sent letters in support of Group One Registry's application. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4579 F - DOT ONE APPLICATION One company's stab at what it takes to run a tld registry -- and more importantly, what it takes to win a tld registry. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4583 P - TLD APPLICATION PROCESS: ACT II "ICANN has designed a fair, equitable, and open process for evaluating applications for new TLDs. ICANN Board members have recently received a stream of e-mail comments concerning applications. ... Private comments sent directly to Board members and the staff are neither appropriate nor helpful in this process because they do not support ICANN's commitment to openness and transparency." CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4582 F - NET2PHONE SUES C&W Cable & Wireless will continue to block access to Web sites that offer the "call-back" services, general manager Tim Adam said recently. He didn't say how many services are now blocked. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4581 P - AND AWAY WE GO ... Because only 5 of the board's 24 seats will be filled with new faces, and because half of the candidates for those seats have been nominated by current board members, naysayers see no reason to hope for a changed ICANN. CONTINUED HERE: http://www.icbtollfree.com/article.cfm?articleId=4580 ************************************************************************* **************************************************advertisements********* TelecomCareers.net - Cutting Edge Telecom Careers, #1 Telecom Job Site! http://TelecomCareers.net ************************************************************************* P.A.T. - a real Live person inside your voice mail? Yes. P.A.T.LiVE, a division of ATG Technologies, Inc., rents live secretarial services through a toll free number. P.A.T. (Personal Assistance Team) can enhance your productivity and image with rates as low as 3 cents per minute. http://www.patlive.com or 800.775.7790 ************************************************************************* Free Timely Time Management Tips to increase your personal productivity and give you more time and balance for your personal life. 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