
From telecom-request@delta.eecs.nwu.edu  Fri Sep  8 00:10:01 1995
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1995
00:10:01 -0400
telecomlist-outbound; Thu, 7 Sep 1995 20:58:37 -0500
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To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu


TELECOM Digest     Thu, 7 Sep 95 20:58:00 CDT    Volume 15 : Issue 374

Inside This Issue:                          Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Split of Area Code 305 (Toby Nixon)
    New Data/Fax Phone - Cellular (aircom1@aol.com)
    Re: War on Payphones (Wes Leatherock)
    Re: War on Payphones (Steven Lichter)
    Re: War on Payphones (Henry Mensch)
    Re: War on Payphones (Gordon D. Woods)
    Re: War on Payphones (Stan Schwartz)
    Pay Phones in Poor Neighborhoods (Bob Schwartz)
    Re: Boston Area Telephone Exchange Name History (Garrett A. Wollman)

TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not
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----------------------------------------------------------------------



The North American Numbering Plan Administration has announced the
impending split of the 305 NPA (South Florida). The following
information is quoted from Bellcore letter IL-95/08-011, dated 23
August 1995:

We have been advised by BellSouth Telecommunications that substantial
telephone number growth in southeastern Florida necessitates splitting
the existing 305 NPA and the simultaneous introduction of a new 954
NPA.

Dade and Monroe Counties, which include the Miami metropolitan area, 
will retain the 305 NPA. The Broward County portion of the current 305 
NPA, including Fort Lauderdale, will change to the new 954 area code.

The split of the 305 NPA, and the beginning of a permissive dialing 
period, is scheduled for 12:01 AM EDT on September 11, 1995. During the 
permissive dialing period, either 305 or 954 will be acceptable in a 
dialed number terminating in the new 954 NPA. The end of permission 
dialing and the beginning of mandatory dialing is scheduled for 
different services as follows: 12:01 AM EDT on April 13, 1996 for 
PAGERS; 12:01 AM EDT on June 1, 1996 for WIRELINE (POTS); and 12:01 AM 
EST on January 1, 1997 for CELLULAR. After each permissive period 
expires, calls dialed with incorrect NPA codes, as defined in the NPA 
split information published in the Local Exchange Routing Guide (LERG), 
will be routed to intercept. The 954 NPA prefix codes (NXXs) appear in 
the current version of the LERG.

Central offices in the area to be served by the 954 NPA will be 
modified on a progressive basis to transmit "954" in the calling number 
Automatic Number Identification (ANI). BellSouth will convert all 
pertinent records to 954 the weekend of September 8, 1995. This 
includes customer service records and associated NPA information in 
other systems. After September 11, 1995, all inquiries must refer to 
the correct NPA code.

The attached map [not included in this message] illustrates the 305 and 
the 954 NPA configuration after the split. A listing of the communities 
and exchange prefixes to be included in each area code after the split 
is also attached.

Test calls to verify routing to the new 954 interchangable NPA code may 
be made by dialing 954-236-4242, effective immediately. A recorded 
announcement will indicate that the test call has been successfully 
completed.

The following dialing procedures will exist for the 305 and 954 NPAs:

* All intra-NPA "local" calls will be dialed on a 7 digit basis with no 
prefix; i.e., NXX+XXXX (7 digits).

* All intra-NPA direct dialed "toll" calls (generally calls that incur 
an additional charge) will be dialed with a prefix "1" and 10 digits; 
i.e., 1+NPA+NXX+XXXX (1 + 10 digits).

* All inter-NPA direct dialed local calls will be dialed with 10 digits 
and no prefix; i.e., NPA+NXX+XXXX (10 digits).

* All inter-NPA direct dialed toll calls will be dialed with a prefix 
"1" and 10 digits; i.e., 1+NPA+NXX+XXXX (1 + 10 digits).

* All operator-assisted calls (both intra- and inter-NPA) including 
credit card, collect, and third-party calls will be dialed with either 
a "0" or a "10XXX+0" prefix and 10 digits; i.e., 0+NPA+NXX+XXXX; or, 
10XXX+0+NPA+NXX+XXXX.

Questions concerning this NPA relief project may be directed either to 
John Serenci, BellSouth Telecommunications, on (305) 492-1037, or to 
Stan Washer, BellSouth Telecommunications, on (205) 977-2668.

Copies of this letter are being forwarded to achieve the widest 
possible industry distribution and may be reproduced for further 
distribution as needed. Questions concerning the contents of this 
letter may be referred to Jim Deak, Bellcore, at (908) 699-6612.


/signed/
J. N. Deak
North American Numbering Plan Administration

954 Exchanges: Coral Springs, Deerfield Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, 
Hollywood, Pompano Beach.

305 Exchanges: Big Pine Key, Homestead, Miami, North Dade, Islamorada, 
Key Largo, Key West, Marathon, North Key Largo, Perrine, Sugar Loaf Key.

[No time today to transcribe all the exchange codes; sorry!]

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



Air Communications Introduces Next Generation Cellular Data Fax Phone.

Revolutionary, industry-first product delivers all-in-one
connectivity, convenience in a pocket-sized device, the new
AirCommunicator.

 SUNNYVALE, Calif., September 5, 1995 -- Air Communications Inc., a
pioneer of cellular data technology and communications devices, today
introduced the new AirCommunicatorx, an innovative hand-held cellular
data fax phone that forges a new category of wireless devices.  This
small, value-driven product offers convenience in an all in one
solution that acts as an extension of the user's desktop.  It delivers
unmatched, integrated wireless connectivity and functionality,
bringing the flexibility of fax, voice mail and voice communications
to users without the need for a computer.  It also uses a serial port
connection to any PC, Macintosh, notebook or PDA to complete e-mail
and remote access operations.

AirCommunicator answers the needs of a broad range of users who
require remote access to information.  While there are an estimated
one million mobile data subscribers in the United States today, that
number is expected to grow to 9.9 million subscribers by the year 2000.
Today's mobile professionals are juggling an unwieldy assortment of
devices aimed at keeping them in touch with their businesses and
families.  The new AirCommunicator is targeted at this market segment,
which makes up approximately 47 percent of the growing market for
mobile data users.  In addition, many of today's 28 million cellular
voice subscribers will be looking to upgrade to add data communications 
capabilities over the next five years.  

"The new AirCommunicator ushers in a new level of convenience for
people on the move," said Dan Seale, president and CEO of Air
Communications.  "We've pioneered a product that works as a
fully-featured data communications tool -- in essence, replicating the
user's desktop environment.  It is the first wireless product to
reliably send, receive and store faxes, all without attaching to a
computing device, so it is ideal for the large number of mobile
professionals who don't carry a portable computer."

Features:

The new AirCommunicator will be offered in two different versions, the
Lite and the Executive.  The two models offer users different levels
of message and fax storage capacity.  Talk, data transmission and
standby time also vary, and the two versions feature different types
of rechargeable batteries -- Ni-Cad, Nickel Metal Hydride and Lithium
Ion -- each providing a technical match to the varying usage patterns
of Air's target markets.  In addition, the Executive comes with the
AirDock, a state-of-the-art charging station, complete with speaker
and microphone for hands-free operation of the AirCommunicator.  For
example, the user can simply hook up the unit to the vehicle's
cigarette lighter to conserve battery power and recharge while
driving, or utilize the RJ-11 jack for landline capability in a hotel
room.

A key differentiator for the product is its ability to both send and
receive faxes without the need for a computer.  Current products on
the market don't offer the same functionality or flexibility.  Users
can store frequently used faxes, such as directions or inventory
forms, on their AirCommunicator and send them directly from the device
without plugging in to a computer.  Another advantage is that users
can receive and store faxes while on the road, and later view or print
them either by sending the fax to a nearby fax machine or using
standard fax software on a computer.

"The ability to receive faxes is what sets this product apart from
competitive solutions," said Andy Seybold, publisher of Andy Seybold's
Outlook on Mobile Communications and Computing.  "The most frequently
used type of data transmission is facsimile, with e-mail, file
transfer and dial-up connections making up the remainder.  The need to
access these forms of data don't change just because a person is on
the road.  With AirCommunicator, users have that access and can count
on it to work reliably."

Features include:

Feature AirCommunicator Lite - AirCommunicator Executive;
Digital Answering Machine 2.7 minutes message storage - 16 minutes 
message
storage;
Fax Storage 6 pages - 37 pages;
Talk Time 90 minutes -  100 minutes;
Data Transmission Time 50 minutes - 60 minutes;
Standby Time 8 hours - 9 hours;
Battery Type (rechargeable) Nickel-Cadmium  - (NiCad) Lithium Ion;
Phone Weight 11.9 ounces - 9.9 ounces;
AirDock Not included - Included
Data and Fax Performance 14.4K Baud - 14.4K Baud

Software

The new AirCommunicator includes bundled software that enables users to
better monitor and manage their communications: 

x AirController reports continuous on-line status such as connection
rate, throughput and cellular event status.  It also allows users to
set advanced preferences such as minimum signal conditions and maximum
error levels, achieving the most efficient use of cellular airtime.  A
user-friendly interface on the device or on the computer screen helps
users manage their mobile data communications.

x Auto Phone Updater provides users with easy remote wireless access
to software upgrades, including the latest in modem firmware, to add
new features and functionality to the AirCommunicator.  The device
never becomes obsolete.  Users simply call in to a specified number to
download the upgrade wirelessly -- there's no need for a computer or
to visit a service center.

Underlying Technology

AirCommunicator's unmatched performance and reliability is derived
from its state-of-the-art underlying technology, AirTrue.  AirTrue
leverages the existing AMPS cellular network to provide ubiquitous
access, high throughput rates for data (14.4K and higher), and ease of
use.  In addition, because AirTrue integrates radio frequency (RF) and
modem technologies, it achieves significantly higher first time
connect rates of 94 percent -- far exceeding those of its nearest
competitors.  It also allows users to connect to any modem at any time
without the need for special host-end technology, dramatically
reducing or eliminating implementation costs.
 
Pricing and Availability

The AirCommunicator Lite and Executive models will be available in
September 1995 with street pricing expected to start at $695.

About Air Communications

Air Communications Inc., headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., was
founded in 1992 to be the global leader in providing innovative mobile
connectivity solutions that meet the needs of today's users.  To
achieve its vision, the company has pioneered its AirTrue cellular
data technology, and has integrated the technology into its family of
AirCommunicator products.  Air Communications' products are sold
through cellular carriers and mobile communications dealers
nationwide.  For further information on the company, call 1-800-AIR
DATA.


Air Communications, AirCommunicator, AirController and AirTrue are
trademarks of Air Communications Inc.

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



Jack.Winslade@f1.n30102.z1.omahug.org (Jack Winslade) wrote:

        [ ... text deleted ... ]

 > Funny thing I've found out about pay phones in LV, at least a few
 > years back, is that the real ones tended to be non-Bell and those 
that
 > looked like genuine ones were almost always cocots.

        Has the Las Vegas exchange been sold?  It used to be owned by
a firm called, I believe, Centel, and was one of the largest non-Bell
exchanges in the country.

        So the "real ones" in Las Vegas *are* non-Bell.

jimmy@denwa.info.com (Jim Gottlieb) wrote:

 > I was in Los Angeles the other day and attempted to use the Pacific
 > Bell payphone located inside the restaurant where I was eating lunch. 
 > My pager had just gone off, telling me I had a voice mail message
 > waiting. 

 > However, after I dialed any number on this phone, the touch-tone pad
 > was shut off.  I expect this kind of behavior from COCOTs, but not
 > from P*B phones.
 
 > I called the telco to complain and they explained to me that this was
 > done purposely because that telephone is in "a high-crime area".  So
 > what am I supposed to do?  Hit the streets in this "high-crime area"
 > to find a COCOT that will let me check my voice mail?  And how many
 > crimes do you think the disabling of those touch-tone pads has 
averted?

         In Southwestern Bell territory, many telephones in such areas
have been changed to rotary dial.  Curiously, if you want to make a
credit card call, you can dial the calling card number using the
rotary dial, at least for intraLATA calls.

         The only case I've found where you can dial your calling card
number with a rotary dial.


Wes Leatherock    wes.leatherock@hotelcal.com                            
wes.leatherock@oubbs.telecom.uoknor.edu                       
wes.leatherock@f2001.n147.z1.fidonet.org           

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



I sure don't know where they come up with the idea that shunting the pad 
after connect will help fight crime. For less then $20.00 you can get a 
portable Touch Tone generator about the size of a small calculator and 
for a little more one with lots of memory. I'm sure the drug dealers 
have 
the best. I was forced to get one because of the COT's.


The above are my ideas and have nothing to do with whoever my employer 
is.
SysOp Apple Elite II and OggNet Hub (909)359-5338 2400/14.4 24 hours,
Home of GBBS/LLUCE Support for the Apple II. 
slichte@cello.gina.calstate.edu

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



> I called the telco to complain and they explained to me that this was
> done purposely because that telephone is in "a high-crime area".  So

_
                                                                          

> what am I supposed to do?  Hit the streets in this "high-crime area" 
to
> find a COCOT that will let me check my voice mail?  And how many 
crimes
> do you think the disabling of those touch-tone pads has averted?

Gee ... if this is a high-crime area, how am I supposed to call 911?


# henry mensch / <henry@q.com> / pob 14592; sf, ca  94114-0592; usa
#                          http://www.q.com/henry/


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Uh, no backtalk from you please! Let's
not have any consistency here; it adds too many problems. If you were
in Chicago, you could always go downtown to the Board of Trade Building
and use their payphones; regardless of how much cocaine gets passed 
around in the men's restrooms there each day, no changes will ever be
made in the way their payphones operate. Or you could go over and use
the phones at the Cook County Criminal Courts Building, 26th and Cali-
fornia Avenue. They stand in the hallways there -- right outside of
'Drug Court' mind you! -- and peddle their wares, and the payphones
there -- although not in the jail next door -- are still working fine.
I guess it all depends on who you know; hasn't it always been that way?  
PAT]

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



In article <telecom15.343.9@eecs.nwu.edu>, Dave Levenson 
<dave@westmark.com> 
wrote:

> In Boonton Township, New Jersey, a new municipal ordinance advances
> courageously in the ongoing battle.  Under this ordinance, all outdoor
> payphones must be removed by October 1, 1995.  Bell Atlantic and

> [TELEOCM Digest Editor's Note: If ignorance was bliss, some Chicago
> aldermen would be the happiest people in the world.  We have some

snip, snip...

> anywhere.    PAT]

But Boonton is a nice town!


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: How many the City Fathers there have been
sent to the penetentiary in the past couple decades?  In the past twenty
years or so, we have had *48* aldermen, judges, commissioners, etc sent
up the river. The most recent of course to be convicted was Congressman
Reynolds on the sex charges.  PAT]

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



SBBS@SBBS.NET wrote:

> Ameritech has recently changed all of its payphones to no longer allow
> customers to call pager/voice mail boxes for FREE anymore.  It now 
> requires a 35 cent deposit.  Ameritech did this with no forewarning 
what-
> soever, even to the resellers to re-sell the pager products.

You had it pretty good for some time and now you're just coming into
line with the rest of us.  In NYNEX/NY land and BellSouth/NC, calling
into the CO-based e-mail service is a local call, and charged as such.
If you're at a payphone, then it's whatever the cost of the call would
be regardless of whether you were calling a pager, voice mail, or your
mother.  For these kinds of calls, I use a TotalTel card, which has
some very competitive rates.

What annoys me more, though, is that the City of Charlotte has genuine-
Bell-
looking COCOTs imbedded into the city bus shelters along Tryon Street
(the main drag through town).  They have red inserts boasting .25/minute 
to 
call anywhere in the USA.  However, they also charge .25 for an 800 
call.  
When I dialed 211 to ask if this was a mistake, the representative
(who had probably heard this question more than once before) told me
that the North Carolina commission that controls such things approved
this charge in December 1993.  I scurried into an office building that
had a BellSouth payphone to make my call.  Geez, what a hassle!


Stan

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



Pat, 

It occured to me that pay phones could be getting removed from poor
neighborhoods in order to stimulate the new instalation of LIFELINE
service!

Wasn't there some dialogue about the low penetration of Service to poor,
minority, and immigrant neighborhoods late last year? I believe that
regulators decreed something *encouraging* LECs to promote Lifeline 
service in such areas. 


Regards,   *BOB*


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Could be, but Lifeline service is not a
big profit center. IBT had to be 'encouraged' by the Illinois Commerce
Commission before they would do much with it. Seems like a hard way to
earn a profit if you ask me.  You could be right though.   PAT]

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



On Wed, 6 Sep 1995 22:46:07 -0400 (EDT), fybush@world.std.com (Scott
D Fybush) said:

>>BRIGHTON / ALLSTON
> 
>> ALgonquin 4     Name origin unknown     ALGonquin
>> STadium 2       Harvard Stadium         STAdium

> 254 and 782 still exist...in fact I have a couple of 254 lines on my
> office telephone.  

>> BROOKLINE

>> BEacon 2        Beacon Street           BEAcon
>> ASpinwall 7     Aspinwall Avenue        ASPinwall
>> LOngwood 6      Longwood Avenue         LONgwood
>> REgent 4        Not a local name        Created in 1950s

> 232, 277, 566, and 734 are all still around.

Interesting that the 27 in 277 did not stand for BRookline...  (People
in my part of Brighton are served out of the 277 exchange, which
results in a continuing inability on the part of NYNEX to print my
address correctly.  Many people in my neighborhood probably consider
this a good thing.)

>> ELiot 4         Eliot Street            ELIot
>> KIrkland 7      Kirkland Street         KIRkland
>> Trowbridge 6    Trowbridge Street       TROwbridge
>> UNiversity 4    Harvard University      UNIversity
>> UNiversity 8    Harvard University      UNIversity

> 354, 547, 876, 864, and 868 are all still there, accompanied nowadays
> by a slew of 49X exchanges, most belonging to Harvard, and several
> MIT exchanges as well.

There is also an extensive network of tie lines.  My MIT phone system
guide lists the following places I can call internally:

 American Academy of Arts & Sciences (3D)
 Bates Linear Accelerator (3D)
 Draper Labs (5D)
 Harvard (5D)
 Lincoln (4D)
 Mass. General (4D) [might be good for B&W now, too?]
 MASCO (5D)
 Mt. Auburn Hospital (4D)
 Tech Coop (3D)
 Wellesley (4D)
 Woods Hole (4D)

>> MILTON / MATTAPAN

>> BLuehills 8     Blue Hills Reservation  Split in 1959
>> CUnningham 6    Cunningham Park         Split in 1959
>> CYpress 6       Not a local name        Mattapan customers prev. on 
CU6
>> CYpress 8       Not a local name        Mattapan customers prev. on 
BL8
>> OXford 6        Not a local name        Milton customers prev. on CU6
>> OXford 8        Not a local name        Milton cistomers prev. on BL8

> The BL8 and CU6 exchanges both returned much later -- 258 as an MIT
> exchange in Cambridge, 286 in Revere.  296/298 still serves Mattapan,
> 696/698 still serves Milton. 

258 is not exclusively MIT; Draper has numbers in the bottom half, and
there may be others (One Kendall Square?).  253 and 258 are served out
of the Bent St. CO in East Cambridge, which occasionally causes
problems due to a bad trunk between Bent St. and Ware St.

I occasionally get calls from people who should have dialed 8-xxxx
rather than 3-xxxx.  (Not to mention all the people who want to dial
369-94zz and forget to dial 9 first.)

>> SOMERVILLE

> >MOnument 6      Name origin unknown     Replaced manual office in 
1950's
> >PRospect 6      Name origin unknown     Replaced manual office in 
1950's

> 666 and 776 remain in existence, along with several newer exchanges.

And, of course, the origin of the name PROspect should be fairly
obvious to anyone who lives nearby as referring to Prospect Hill (the
Somerville one, not the Waltham one!).


Garrett A. Wollman   wollman@lcs.mit.edu  


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Regards forgetting to dial '9' ... in the
early 1970's I was working at the Amoco/Diners Club credit card office
when it was here in Chicago. All the phones were 312-856-xxxx. My 
extension
was (if i remember correctly) 7262. I could set my watch by it: everyday
at 11:30 AM, the start of the first lunch hour my phone would ring. I
would answer to be greeted with someone on the other end saying '$%%@#'
and hanging up. I finally found out it was some dimbo in the mail room
trying to call the bar and grill on the first floor to put in their 
lunch
take out order. The phone number down there? RAndolph-6-2-something.  
PAT]

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

End of TELECOM Digest V15 #374
******************************

            
