TELECOM Digest     Fri, 1 Apr 94 09:22:00 CST    Volume 14 : Issue 156

Inside This Issue:                          Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    ISDN in Texas? Your Input is Requested, Please (bkravitz@vtel.com)
    Canada Direct to European Customers - Why Not Possible? (Francois
Dufresne)
    Anyone Attending the APCC Show? (safer@delphi.com)
    RS-423/RS-422/RS-232 on a DB-25 Connector (Robert Inch Jr)
    UC Berkeley Short Courses on SONET/ATM and Wireless Networking (H. Stern)
    Alert! New CD-Rom Database a la Lotus: Household! (David S. Greenberg)
    Where Can I Find A Copy of Mosaic? (Ellis Claggett)
    Telemarketing Systems - Need Help/Suggestions (unique7@aol.com)
    Address of 'Planet Connect' Needed (Christian Ekhart)
    Wireless Standards: GSM, UPT, UMTS, and FPLMTS (Kimberly Kirlin)
    Privacy on Rolm Switch (Chris Michael)
    Hacking != Fraud (was Re: Cellular Phone Hacking) (Nick Sayer)

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

Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 09:01:58 CST
From: bkravitz@vtel.com
Subject: ISDN in Texas? Your Input is Requested, Please


            PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION OF TEXAS
REQUESTS COMMENTS ON INTEGRATED SERVICES DIGITAL NETWORK (ISDN)

The Public Utility Commission of Texas (the Commission) has
established a project (Project No. 12756) to examine Integrated
Services Digital Network (ISDN) issues.  The Commission seeks comments
from interested parties in response to the following questions.  If
your answers would differ depending upon time-frame considerations,
please provide answers for each time-frame.  Parties are requested to
organize their comments to address the specific questions asked in the
order asked and are encouraged to include an executive summary
emphasizing the main points of their comments to each question.

Comments (13 paper copies) should contain a reference to Project No.
12756 and should be submitted to John M. Renfrow, Secretary of the
Commission, Public Utility Commission of Texas, 7800 Shoal Creek
Boulevard, Austin, Texas 78757, no later than April 30, 1994.

Informal comments may be sent to Ms. Pam Whittington at the Commission
via e-mail addressed to:

          pam.tel@email.puc.texas.gov

Or you may call her at (512) 458-0100.

1. To which local exchange carriers (LECs) should a rule on ISDN
apply?  Why?

2. Should ISDN-based services be considered to be a replacement of or
successor for "plain old telephone service"?  Why?

3. Should all Texas customers and customer classes have access to
ISDN?  Why?  If not, why not?  What policies should be adopted by the
Commission regarding customer access to ISDN?  Why?

4. What are the policies which the Commission should adopt regarding
the determination of costs and the pricing of ISDN and ISDN-based
services?  Explain why. Provide detailed cost information for each
position if available.

5. Should the manner in which ISDN is deployed affect the price?  How?

6. Should the Commission grant regulatory incentives, penalties, or
flexibility in exchange for a LEC's provision of ISDN?  Why?  If yes,
describe the incentives, penalties, or flexibility.

7. Does the Commission have jurisdiction to compel the provision of
ISDN?  Why?  Explain the legal basis for your position.

8. Should the LECs be required to provide ISDN services in a manner
that is conducive to competition in the provision of ISDN?  Why?  If
so, how?

9. What policies should the Commission adopt regarding the deployment
of ISDN?  Should the Commission directly mandate deployment, require
deployment to be driven by customer demand, or require deployment in
some other manner?  Why?  Describe in detail how.

10. Describe in detail how these policies regarding deployment should
be implemented and enforced.

11. If customer driven demand deployment was ordered by the Commission, 
should the trigger for deployment be thirty customer requests for ISDN
per central office?  Why?  If not, why not, and provide evidence to
support your position.  If thirty requests is not the appropriate
number, explain what is.

12. Should LEC compliance with deployment requirements be monitored on
a periodic basis by the Commission?  If so, explain in detail how and
why.

13. What are the appropriate time frames for completion of deployment
of ISDN in a LEC's service territory and in the entire state respectively?  
Why?

14. What are the technological options of the LECs with respect to the
system upgrades necessary to deploy ISDN within their service areas?
Explain in detail how the costs should be determined and reported to
the Commission.

15. Are there any other policies, aspects, technical characteristics,
costs, or obstacles (e.g. switch architecture, software, or SS7)
regarding deployment that the Commission should consider?  If yes,
list and describe each and explain why.  Provide detailed cost
information for each item if available.


16. What policies regarding ISDN standards should be adopted by the
Commission?  Why?

17. To what standards (e.g. National ISDN, ITU-T standards, etc.)
should the Commission require ISDN be deployed and provided?  Why?

18. What specific service capabilities (e.g. bearer services,
teleservices, supplementary services, etc.) should be required to be
provided to customers?  Why?

19. How should the policies regarding ISDN be implemented by the
Commission?  Why?  If tariff filings were required, what should they
contain?  Why?

20. What end-user applications (e.g. telemedicine, distance learning,
telecommuting, and video conferencing) using ISDN are available?  Will
these applications be available using technology other than ISDN?
Should the Commission consider this in its rulemaking?  Why?

21. Does Texas need ISDN to compete with other states?  Why?

22. Would the widespread availability of ISDN have a beneficial impact
(e.g., through telecommuting, video conferencing, etc.) on Texas'
compliance with the Clean Air Act?  Explain how.

23. Are there any other aspects or characteristics of providing ISDN
that should be considered by the Commission?  If yes, describe each
and explain why.

Parties interested in providing additional comments are welcome to do
so.  The Commission also welcomes data and documentation supporting
the parties' comments.  General Counsel and staff will review the
comments and use them in preparing a recommendation to the Commission.

Comments (13 paper copies) should contain a reference to Project No.
12756 and should be submitted to John M. Renfrow, Secretary of the
Commission, Public Utility Commission of Texas, 7800 Shoal Creek
Boulevard, Austin, Texas 78757, by April 30, 1994.

Informal comments may be sent to Ms. Pam Whittington at the Commission
via e-mail addressed to:

          pam.tel@email.puc.texas.gov

Or you may call her at  (512) 458-0100.

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

From: Francois.Dufresne@isa.unil.ch (Francois Dufresne)
Subject: Canada Direct to European Customers - Why Not Possible?
Date: 31 Mar 1994 13:42:47 GMT
Organization: Cypherpunks


Hi there!

Does anyone know why Teleglobe Canada can not offer the service Canada
Direct to European customers? Are there legal reasons?  Agreements
with other countries? Is it because it belongs to Bell Canada?

I would be very interested to have access to this service since their
rates are much better than those of the Swiss PTT.

Thanks in advance.


Francois Dufresne
Ecole des HEC, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
e-mail: Francois.Dufresne@isa.unil.ch
tel.: 41.21/692.4022    apres/after: 1994.04.05 : 41.21/692.33.74
fax : 41.21/692.4193                              41.21/692.33.05

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

From: safer@delphi.com
Subject: Anyone Attending the APCC Show?
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 23:05:56 -0500
Organization: Delphi (info@delphi.com email, 800-695-4005 voice)


Is anyone out there going to the APCC show in Vegas?

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

From: transpak@netcom.com (Robert Inch Jr)
Subject: RS-423/RS-422/RS-232 on a DB-25 Connector
Organization: NETCOM On-line Communication Services (408 241-9760 guest)
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 04:32:22 GMT


Here at work, we have a sparc 1, and an hp laserjet 4. The sparc
manual says it uses rs-423 to talk to printers on the serial line, and
the hp has rs-232 and rs-422, both using db-25 connectors (the sparc
and the printer). When I print I get 22 error message which means
protocol confusion. So, I think it is true that rs-423 and rs-422
could not talk since rs-422 uses balanced send and receive lines or
whatever (send and send-inverse), but rs-423 I think uses equivelant
or one to one matchable lines. So, my questions is what is the pin
layout for rs-423 over a db-25 coming out of a sparc, and can I
connect it to the printer as if it were rs-232?

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

From: southbay@garnet.berkeley.edu
Subject: UC Berkeley Short Courses on SONET/ATM and Wireless Networking
Date: 31 Mar 1994 01:52:53 GMT
Organization: University of California, Berkeley


U.C. Berkeley
Continuing Education in Engineering
Announces 3 Short Courses on
Communications Technology

SONET/ATM-BASED BROADBAND NETWORKS: Systems,
Architectures and Designs
(April 18-19, 1994)

It is widely accepted that future broadband networks will be based on
the SONET (Synchronous Optical Network) standards and the ATM
(Asynchronous transfer Mode) technique.  This course is an in-depth
examination of the fundamental concepts and the implementation issues
for development of future high-speed networks.  Topics include:
Broadband ISDN Transfer Protocol, high speed computer/network
interface (HiPPI), ATM switch architectures, ATM network
congestion/flow control, VLSI designs in SONET/ATM networks.

Lecturer: H. Jonathan Chao, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Brooklyn
Polytechnic University.  Dr. Chao holds more than a dozen patents and
has authored over 40 technical publications in the areas of ATM
switches, high-speed computer communications, and congestion/flow
control in ATM networks.

GIGABIT/SEC DATA AND COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS: 
Internetworking, Signaling and Network Management
(April 20-21, 1994)

This short course aims to provide a general understanding of the key
issues needed to design and implement gigabit local and wide area
networks.  The topics are designed to compliment those covered in the
SONET/ATM-Based Broadband Networks course (above).  Topics include:
technology drivers, data protocols, signaling, network management,
internetworking and applications.  Specific issues addressed include
TCP/IP on ATM networks, design of high performance network interfaces,
internetworking ATM networks with other network types, and techniques
for transporting video over gigabit networks.

Lecturer:  William E. Stephens, Ph.D., Director, High-Speed Switching
and Storage Technology Group, Applied Research, Bellcore.  Dr.
Stephens has over 40 publications and one patent in the field of optical
communications.  He has served on several technical program committees,
including IEEE GLOBECOM and the IEEE Electronic Components
Technology Conference, and has served as Guest Editor for the IEEE 
Journal on Selected Areas in Communications.

PERSONAL (WIRELESS) COMMUNICATION NETWORKS:  Cellular
Systems, Wireless Data Networks, and Broadband Wireless Access
(April 20-22, 1994)

This comprehensive course focuses on principles, technologies, system
architectures, standards, equipment, implementation, public policy,
and evolving trends in wireless networks.  Topics include: modulation,
coding, and signal processing; first generation systems; second
generation systems; broadband networks; third generation systems; and
applications and technology trends.  This course is intended for
engineers who are currently active or anticipate future involvement in
this field.

Lecturer: Anthony S. Acampora, Ph.D., Professor, Electrical
Engineering, Columbia University.  He is Director, Center for
Telecommunications Research. He became a professor following a 20 year
career at AT&T Bell Laboratories, is an IEEE Fellow, and is a former
member of the IEEE Communications Society Board of Governors.


For more information (complete course descriptions, outlines, instructor
bios, etc.) contact:

Harvey Stern
U.C. Berkeley Extension/Southbay
800 El Camino Real Ste. 150
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Tel: (415) 323-8141
Fax: (415) 323-1438

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

From: mgreeny@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu (David S. Greenberg)
Subject: Alert! New CD-Rom Database a la Lotus: Household!
Date: 31 Mar 1994 09:48:27 -0600


Hi all, just thought I'd let everyone out there know that I just
received in my daily pile of junk mail yet another company (which
shall be named shortly ...) which has decided that they have the right
to sell ****YOUR**** name and address AND PHONE NUMBER on CD ROM!  Not
only are they doing this for your home, but also for businesses as
well!  They pull no punches and have an ad which has several
subheadings: "The Hook", "The Line", "The Sell", "The Close" -- they
designed the paperwasting junk mail flyer for resellers. At any rate,
I called to protest this unlicensed and unwanted use of my name/address 
and was told by the wonderful person I spoke to (after being forced to
wait on hold with a joyful voice mail system for several tortous
minutes) that "she'd certainly pass my request along".

All I've got to say is that they'll be getting a FAX from me shortly
and from my lawyers as well.  I'd encourage EVERYONE out there reading
this to call and protest this as well -- let your friends know and
have them call as well.

If you recall, the only reason that Lotus dropped their moronic
Household CDROM was because they received 20,000 letters/calls
requesting removal from the database.  Lotus LEARNED THE HARD WAY HOW
TO ALIENATE YOUR CUSTOMER BASE -- MAYBE THIS COMPANY NEEDS A GOOD KICK
IN THE *&*(& AS WELL...

CAll and let them know just how you feel about this sort of crapola:

ProCD, Inc.
8 Doaks Lane, Little Harbor
Marblehead, MA  01945-9866

1-800-992-3766  (800-99-CD-ROM)

FAX: 1-617 631 9229

For DOS machines only ... worst of all, this product allows UNLIMITED
downloading/searching of the database -- no metering, no extra fees so
it encourages people to use it (or abuse it...).

CALL NOW! Protect your right to privacy!  Stop the abuse!


Microcomputer Support Specialist, Student Residential Programs, WIU,
Macomb, IL  61455 Internet: mgreeny@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu, greeny@srp.wiu.bgu.edu
GEnie: GREENY (once a month, Internet's preferred)
AOL: GREENY1@AOL.COM (really infrequently....use the internet!)


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: The thing is, they *do* have the right
to see compiled listings -- as did Lotus or as does anyone else -- if they
wish to do so. If a telephone book containing alphabetical listings is
not illegal then neither is a consolidated listing of several telephone
books made into one. Neither is the same thing when the medium happens
to be CD Rom. Lotus decided it was in their best business interests to
discontinue the sale of the product when sufficient numbers of people who
expressed interest in all their products were angered by this. I think 
what you will find in this case however is that the company in question
is merely a list seller. They specialize in lists for other companies to
purchase, and they are not going to be impressed very much one way or
the other by consumers, per se. Lists like this in all sorts of formats
(both alphabetical by name and numerically by street address and/or phone
number) have been compiled for over half a century. Haines of Cleveland,
Ohio and R.L. Polk of Detroit were the pioneers at this, starting back
in the 1920's. All of a sudden because the medium has changed (from great
big hardover books with several thousand pages each in several volumes)
to CD Rom the complaints become more vocal. Why? Is it because the ease
and availability in obtaining the information has become greater?  PAT]

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

From: Ellis Claggett <CLAGGETTE@BSP03C.PRIMERICA.COM>
Subject: Where Can I Find A Copy of Mosaic?
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 94 09:14:00 PST


Hello,

I recently heard of a product called Mosaic which acts as a front end
for Internet access.  Could some one provide me additional information
on this product an where I might locate a copy on the internet.  Your
help will greatly appreciated.


Ellis R. Claggett   The Travelers  claggette@bsp03c.primerica.com

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

From: unique7@aol.com 
Subject: Telemarketing Systems - Need Help/Suggestions
Date: 31 Mar 1994 00:49:03 -0500
Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)


I am trying to put together a telemarketing function for a small
start-up software firm.  To facilitate this I am looking for any
information I can on software to support the telemarketing function by
doing things such as: tracking phone calls, tracking customer leads
(including automatic "tickler" call reminders), interfacing with an
email system to alert other parts of the organization of customer
issues that might be of concern to them (e.g.  reporting a bug to
engineering), etc ...

Does anyone have any thoughts on what systems might do this and where
I could get info.  Also can anyone recommend any journals that I might
peruse to get a better handle on these products.  

Thanks in advance. I can be reached directly at unique7@aol.com.


Marc

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

From: ekhart@fochsg01.tu-graz.ac.at (Christian Ekhart)
Subject: Address of 'Planet Connect' Needed
Date: 31 Mar 1994 12:16:41 GMT
Organization: Graz University of Technology, Austria


Hi,

I need the address and fax number of a company called Planet Connect.
They offer direct satellite uplinks at data rates of 19.2 kbit/s for
about $500/month.

Is that correct and is this possible with connects Europe-USA? This
would be very cheap leased lines. One idea (grin) would be to link
this line to the US-phone system (whereas only 9.6 kbit/s would be
needed for compressed voice data) and to obtain that way an
US-phone-line routed to Europe ;-)

Are there any other providers for reasonably priced direct satellite
uplinks.


Thank you!

Christian Ekhart
University of Technology            voice: +43-316-8738247
Department of Organic Chemistry     fax:   +43-316-811057
Stremayrgasse 16, 8010 Graz         email: ekhart@fochsg01.tu-graz.ac.at
Austria - Europe                    fidoNet: 2:316/3.0, DTP-Mailbox

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

Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 13:09:54 -0600
From: Kimberly Kirlin <kirlin@metronet.com>
Subject: Wireless Standards: GSM, UPT, UMTS, & FPLMTS
Organization: Texas Metronet, Internet for the Individual  214-705-2917 (info)


These are statements that I have taken from articles about GSM (Global
Systems for Mobile Communications) in telecom trade journals:

"... no one yet knows how first generation digital will mesh or evolve
into PCS/PCN or from there into wideband FPLMTS or UMTS."

GSM Phase 2 will provide for the "integration of GSM in UPT to make
provision for UPT subscribers and services through GSM networks and vise
versa."
 
In fact in many articles there is reference to the eventual evolution 
of second generation digital cellular into UPT or UMTS or FPLMTS.

FPLMTS - Future Public Land Mobile Telecommunications Systems (I think);
UMTS - Universal Mobile Telecommunications Systems;
UPT - Universal Personal Telecommunications.

My QUESTION is:  What is the difference between UPT, UMTS, and FPLMTS?

 From what I have read they all refer to having a personal number
which is unique to each subscriber, which can be registered on any
terminal on any network, fixed or mobile.

And what makes these technologies so different from what GSM is trying
to accomplish with the use of a SIM card?

Any input to this debate is greatly appreciated!


Kim Kirlin   University of Colorado
Telecommunications Program  kirlin@metronet.com

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

From: cm@nwu.edu (Chris Michael)
Subject: Privacy on Rolm switch
Date: 31 Mar 94 23:18:20 GMT
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston, IL  USA
Reply-To: cm@nwu.edu (Chris Michael)


My company has a Rolm 8000 (9000?) (something) switch.  It's configured 
so that certain supervisors can monitor conversations on certain exten-
sions by hitting the right key on their phone.  This is all above
board and well understood by everyone.

There is a persistent rumor, however, that these people can monitor
*all* conversations.  The person who manages the switch believes this
to be true, although she's never configured anything like that.  The
Rolm service people say it can't be done.

Is it possible?  If it were, could it be hidden from the switch console? 


christopher michael, george s. may international, 708-825-8806 x 395
  

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Persons with the ability to monitor the
calls can probably do it on all extensions except that possibly there is
some class of service higher than theirs and they are unable to monitor
the extensions 'above them' in class of service. But if they can monitor
anyone in class of service 'below them' then they can monitor all such
lines. I've seen that feature on a couple of Rolm systems.  PAT]

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

Date: Thu, 31 Mar 1994 16:47:26 -0800
From: Nick Sayer <nsayer@quack.kfu.com>
Subject: Hacking != Fraud (was Re: Cellular Phone Hacking)


Might I interject at this point to mention that EVERYONE in this
thread so far has mis-used the term 'hacking'? Until I saw the
reference to cloning phones, I thought the original poster might have
wanted tips on NAM programming his phone to roam differently, or
perhaps to do any of the other things that are perfectly legitimate
ways to alter the behavior of ones phone that have nothing at all to
do with fraud of any sort.

The term has, unfortunately, been hijacked and now those of us who
hack (traditional definition) are left linguistically orphaned by the
prevalance of the incorrect definition.


Nick Sayer <nsayer@quack.kfu.com>   N6QQQ @ N0ARY.#NOCAL.CA.USA.NOAM   
+1 408 249 9630, log in as 'guest'  PGP 2.2 key and geek code via finger


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Programming the NAM in a phone is not
the same thing as duplicating the ESN. The only people who have permission
to install, record, or change an ESN are the manufacturers of cell phones.
Everyone else, keep away!  That's the law.  You are correct about how
the words 'hacker' and 'hacking' have been confiscated. It reminds me
of the word 'gay' and how traditionally it always meant happy, cheerful
or merry. Now if the word is used, it is always taken to refer to persons
who are, well, gay ... times change and so do definitions of words.   PAT]

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

End of TELECOM Digest V14 #156
******************************


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