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Aucbvax.2881 fa.telecom utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!telecom Mon Aug 31 23:49:40 1981 TELECOM Digest V1 #6 >From JSol@RUTGERS Mon Aug 31 23:43:40 1981 TELECOM AM Digest Tuesday, 1 Sept 1981 Volume 1 : Issue 6

Today's Topics: Operator Routings - Calling Really Remote Locations Paying Your Bills By Phone - A Demo Speech Synthesizers Vs. Noisemakers ----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: 1 Sep 1981 0147-EDT From: The Moderator <JSOL AT RUTGERS> Subject: Administrivia

Due to some hardware problems at Rutgers, there was no digest yesterday or Sunday. This is issue #6, following Saturday's digest.

Enjoy, JSol

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Date: 29 Aug 1981 0221-EDT From: Hobbit <AWALKER AT RUTGERS> Subject: Operator routings

In answer to Hamilton.ES :

When I was in that racket, when somebody had the oprs routing for a place, you would give em a *big* Thank You! and proceed to dial that up. It was when they *didn't* have the right routing that you had to go through the Rate&Route people [which could be ultimately wedged at times] and *then* sift through levels of this and that. Sometimes it was best just to call the general inward operator there, since they knew their own state [or country] and had probably dealt with little diddlysquat towns before. A real blast.....

Anybody want a job?

_H*

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Date: 29 Aug 1981 0933-PDT From: Bob Knight <ADMIN.KNIGHT AT SU-SCORE> Subject: Bill paying by telephone - a demo.

First Interstate Bank out here has introduced a service of bill paying by telephone. A demo is available, to wit (gotta have a touch-tone):

1) Dial (800) 252-2100 2) CUSTOMER NUMBER: push 123456789#. 3) SECURITY CODE: push 1234#. 4) PAYEE NUMBER: push 12#. 5) AMOUNT: Anything followed by # (3250#==$32.50, of course). 6) You'll be asked for # or month and day. Terminate month/day with # (form mmdd#). Default if no month/day entered is day you're making transaction. 7) You can go back to 4 or stop by pushing *2#.

The capitalized stuff above is what the computer will be asking you. They have a voice synthesizer of some kind handling the questions.

The charge for this service is $1.00 per month, plus $.10 per transaction. In addition to paying your bills, you can transfer money between accounts. I'm tempted to transfer my account to these guys, but have some reservations about the system. Anyone have more information on it?

Bob

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Date: 29 Aug 1981 11:05:20-PDT From: telecom-link at Berkeley In-real-life: Steven M. Bellovin, U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Subject: speech synthesizers vs. noisemakers

I don't think the language issue is really a problem. First of all, the phone company has never shown any particular interest in anyone who doesn't speak English. Except in a few large cities, there are never any dialing instructions in other languages. And I doubt that one could easily connect to an operator who knew any other language in most areas of this country. Besides, it's probably against phone company policy for operators to do something as helpful that. I had a friend who worked as an overseas operator for AT&T Long Lines one summer, and she was reprimanded for speaking French once to help complete a connection. Seems that the supervisor -- who would regularly listen in on calls -- couldn't tell whether she was working or goofing off.... But I digress. I doubt that foreign visitors would understand the different tone sequences; as has been noted, many Americans don't, and we're (a) used to our phone system; and (b) able to read the English-language instructions. When I was in London a few years ago, the phones at Heathrow Airport said to call the operator and ask her to demonstrate the different tones used. I tried several times, and never found an operator who even knew what I was talking about.

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