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From: ihm@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU@minnie.UUCP
Newsgroups: mod.telecom
Subject: Re: 800-number queries
Message-ID: <8612110650.AA22516@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: Mon, 1-Dec-86 10:30:55 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbvax.8612110650.AA22516
Posted: Mon Dec  1 10:30:55 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 14-Dec-86 10:47:35 EST
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The Frobboz Magic Dungeon Co., Inc.
Lines: 56
Keywords: 800 service, INWATS, CCIS, SPC
Approved: telecom@xx.lcs.mit.edu
Summary: 800 service is quite different since the advent of CCIS

in <8611250934.AA27171@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, will martin writes:
>I know we've discussed the significance of the 3rd digit in 800 numbers
>("N" in 800-xxN-xxxx) before (I think the consensus was that "2" there
>means "intrastate 800 number", right?); I was wondering if there is any
>particular geographical distribution on the prefixes themselves ("NNN"
>in 800-NNN-xxxx)? This was inspired by hearing an IBM commercial that
>told listeners to call "1-800-IBM-nnnn" (I forget the last 4 digits).
>There are other special word-code 800 numbers like 1-800-USA-RAIL for
>AMTRAK, of course. 
>
>Do firms that get these numbers have to set up answering or call-forwarding 
>services in any specific geographic areas to get the letter-coded numbers
>they want? Or is the 800 service completely divorced from any geographic
>constraints as far as number assignments go?
>
>Other 800-related questions: If you have an Alternate Long-Distance
>Service as your default outgoing LD service and you call an 800 number
>by dialing 1-800-xxx-xxxx, what happens to that call? Does the ALDS
>actually use its own facilities to route and transmit that call over to
>AT&T, doing work for which they never will get any pay (or do they
>charge the caller something even for an 800 call, or would AT&T pay them
>something?), or does the local Central Office facility automatically
>route all 800 calls to AT&T so that they never touch the ALDS carrier's
>lines, or what?
>
>(I've never had any service other than AT&T, so I never tried this back
>before Equal Access when you called a local number to get to a LD
>service like MCI -- when you did that and then called an 800 number
>instead of a regular long distance number, would the call go through?
>Would you be charged for the time for that 800 call? [Yes, I know it
>would be a silly thing to do -- I just thought somebody might have tried
>it as an experiment.])
>
>Regards,
>Will Martin
>wmartin@ALMSA-1.ARPA   (on USENET try ...!seismo!wmartin@ALMSA-1.ARPA )


Since the advent of the CCIS 800 service, the assignment of 800 numbers
has changed to free-format.  Some vestigial remnants of the old system
survive today simply because it was neither practical nor necessary to
just change every 800 number simply because they could.

For  a  good  explanation  of  the  old  INWATS  and the current SPC 800
service, I suggest a special issue of the BSTJ (the date escapes me  but
it was within the last few years), called "The SPC Network", all about
the implementation of Common Channel Interoffice Signalling (CCIS) and
what it replaces.  If you want me to check the issue number, please send
me mail.

Cheerz--
						<>IHM<>

-- 

uucp:	ihnp4!nrcvax!ihm