Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site amdahl.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!bonnie!akgua!sdcsvax!dcdwest!ittvax!decvax!decwrl!sun!amdahl!gam From: gam@amdahl.UUCP (Gordon A. Moffett) Newsgroups: net.misc Subject: Re: Realities of IDDD [moved from net.news] Message-ID: <833@amdahl.UUCP> Date: Wed, 2-Jan-85 01:43:09 EST Article-I.D.: amdahl.833 Posted: Wed Jan 2 01:43:09 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 4-Jan-85 04:35:45 EST References: <1452@ritcv.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: Amdahl Corp, Sunnyvale CA Lines: 61 [ I'm trying to move this to net.misc as I don't know of an appropriate newsgroup ... ] > 2) To place a long distance call from Rochester to a location outside of > North America utilizing IDDD service of AT&T, you must first dial ""011" > next the "country code," next the "city code (if one exists)" followed by > the "local number." whew!! :-) 011 is designated by the Telephone Company > as, "The International Area Code." quote, unquote My phonebook calls it "International Access Code". And who/what is "the Telephone Company" anyway? (it was one year ago today ...). > Realistically how many of us place personal phone calls utilizing IDDD? > > Scenario: You call your friend in Leningrad 011-671-812-999999 and get > a wrong number: Call the credit operator for instant credit. > Now yah gotta be kidding me! Last time I called the USSR (remember the krevax affair ...?) the US Overseas operator said: "There'll be about a 2 hr wait." me: "Why?" him: "Because their phone system is very slow." me: "Oh." On another occasion I was trying to make a collect call to Palo Alto, CA, from Paris, France. It went something like this: me: "Parlez-vous anglais?" him: "Yes, I speak English." me: "Oh, good. I am trying to make a collect call to the United States." him: "You will have to wait 45 minutes." me: "Why?" him: "We are very busy." (this was about 6:30 PM local time) (I ended up dialing direct anyway, which was immediate). I never took it seriously before that we have "the best phone system in the world." Now I believe it! > 3) Even within the "Country Code" of "1," there are dialing anomalies. > For example, just east of Rochester, the area code changes from 716 to 315. > For people living near Rochester but in the 315 area code, all of the following > are legitimate for calls for them within the 315 and 716 area codes. > > 555-9999 LOCAL call within 315 area code > 1 999-9999 LONG DISTANCE call within 315 area code > 716 700-9999 LOCAL call within 716 area code > 1 716 999-9999 LONG DISTANCE call within 716 area code This is not exactly true; the reason you have cross-area-code calling like that is because all the prefixes in the two area-code regions are distinct: there can't be a 315-999-9999 and a 716-999-9999. Such dialing used to be possible between the 415 and 408 area-codes in the Bay Area but they ran out of prefixes and now the area-code is required between the two regions. -- Gordon A. Moffett ...!{ihnp4,hplabs,sun}!amdahl!gam 37 22'50" N / 121 59'12" W [ This is just me talking. ]