Aucbvax.2901
fa.telecom
utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!telecom
Tue Sep 1 21:25:39 1981
TELECOM Digest V1 #7
>From JSol@RUTGERS Tue Sep 1 21:19:40 1981
TELECOM AM Digest Wednesday, 2 Sep 1981 Volume 1 : Issue 7
Today's Topics: Novice Reference Manual for Phones
Does Anyone Know The Time In Sydney?
Calling In France - English Please...
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Date: 31 Aug 1981 08:28:36-PDT
From: telecom-link at Berkeley
Subject: Telecom for Beginners
Is there a generally accepted reference on telephony that is up to
date? I am (relatively) new to the detailed world of telephony; I
certainly don't know the difference between the different ESS
versions, but I know what one is; I know what a step-by-step system
is, but not TSPS. I would very much like to get up to speed, as I
find it very interesting and quite useful. Any suggestions?
Chris Kent
------------------------------
Date: 31 Aug 1981 08:39:27-PDT
From: telecom-link at Berkeley
Cc: hobs@Berkeley, ucbvax!ucla-s!lauren@Berkeley
Reply-to: "ihuxo!hobs in care of" <CSVAX.TELECOM-LINK@BERKELEY>
Subject: TSPS and the time in Sydney
TSPS is short for Traffic Service Position System and is a way of
semi-automating the telephone operator's job, I don't know what TOPS is.
Lauren, I tried calling the IDDD number that you gave for the time
in Sydney, Australia, and all I got was an announcement telling me
that "My call could not be completed as dialed." Pray, tell me what
is the correct number.
John Hobson
Bell Labs-Indian Hill
------------------------------
Date: 31 August 1981 09:34-EDT
From: Andrew Tannenbaum <TRB MIT-MC AT>
To: edh at BBN-RSM
cc: telecom at MIT-AI
TSPS - Traffic Service Postion System
It's a system that Telco operators hack.
Andy Tannenbaum
Bell Labs Whippany, NJ
------------------------------
FFM@MIT-MC 09/01/81 05:26:10 Re: EN ANGLAIS S'IL VOUS PLAIT(=ENGLISH PLEASE)
I have had the necessity quite a few times in the past to have to get
phone #s in Paris and other such places. In no case did the operator
on this side ever speak french. In fact most of the time the operator
asked me to speak to them. My ability to speak french is not as good
as I'd like; tho I can do reasonably if I go quite slowly. Most
operators in other countries have some command of english. However
here I doubt if 1 out of 100 has command of any foreign language.
I also have the sneaking suspicion that more than 1% of operator
interactions with customers are monitored. The front of the local(Palo
Alto) phone book states that 1% or less of operator-customer
interactions are monitored for 'quality-control' purposes. I suspect
it is much higher than that.
What TELCO does internally I dunno, BUT legend has it that they are
not the friendliest of employers and if they treat there employees
like they treat thier customers most of the time I can really
understand why "even the stockholders of the phone company...hate the
phone company".
Anyway have fun,
Sends Steve
------------------------------
Date: 09/01/81 08:12:49
From: PCR@MIT-MC
Subject: "Bell's Satellite Use Threatens to Slash Data Throughput"
This is the title of an article in the latest issue of Information
Systems News. It deals with the fact that AT&T is planning to freely
intermix ground-link and satellite-link circuits, and the inherent
delay in a satellite circuit will degrade data transmission that uses
IBM's binary synchronous or other ARQ (automatic request repeat)
protocols by as much as 85%.
It seems that some remote-job-entry systems require acknowledgment of
the previous data block before the next can be sent. If there is a
satellite delay in the link, effective baud rates can drop from 4800
baud to almost 400. (I've seen this when I've called the west coast to
access a bulletin board. There was almost a half-second delay between
typing a character and getting the echo back.)w
The solution is either to re-dial, or use some diffrent protocol
(and pay through the nose to get the software upgraded).
Anybody got any comments??
...phil
------------------------------
Date: 1 Sep 1981 18:53:03-PDT
From: CSVAX.geoff at Berkeley
Subject: Bill-Paying by Phone
First Interstate Bank, in its previous incarnation as United
California Bank, has had the pay-your-bills-by-touch-tone-service
mentioned in TELECOM V1 #6 for at least a year. I investigated the
service, but found out that Allstate Savings (yes, "a member of the
Sears family" is emblazoned on much of their literature), has an
essentially equivalent service which may be MUCH cheaper.
First Interstate charges $1/month plus $.10/transfer *in addition to*
your checking account charges. Allstate savings has *no charge* if
you keep your balance above $500 at all times, a flat $3/month
otherwise. And they pay you 5-1/4% interest on your funds (a NOW
account), don't charge for checks, travellers checks, and so on. They
also will waive the service charges if you have $3000 in any other
kind of account with them.
I've been using Allstate for about a year now, with absolutely no
complaints. As I recall, I started banking there after someone
(Lauren?) mentioned it on Human-Nets, and they had been using it for
several years with no complaints.
UCB, now FIB (would you trust a bank with THAT for an acronym?), does
have one feature on their telephone bill-payment system which Allstate
lacks: you can specify a payment to be made on a specific future date.
That could be convenient if you're going to be away for a month or
two. (But you can always have a friend call the computer and pay your
bills for you -- since the list of accounts which can be paid is fixed
in advance by you, you still have a secure arrangement.)
Geoff Peck
------------------------------
End of TELECOM Digest
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