Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!netsys!vector!telecom-gateway From: JIM@iss.nus.ac.sg (Mr. James Crooks) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: re: Re: Canada - U.S. communications Message-ID: Date: 22 Jun 89 09:22:02 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Lines: 38 Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 205, message 2 of 6 in TELECOM DIGEST V9 #197 Wolf Paul writes >I can see two reasons for separate country codes, one more valid than >the other: >(a) from certain nationalistic perspectives it rankles that Canada > is the only major country which does not have its own country code > and has to coordinate its internal telecommunications affairs with > entities in the U.S. (I don't hold that view, but then I am neither > Canadian nor very nationalistically inclined); and Major, yes. But don't forget the Carribean where they also use plain- jane area codes too. Most of the transborder LD calling in Canada is to the USA - and I'm sure that Canadian calls rank high in US billings too. I personnaly hate calling with a country code - too many digits and a greater chance of error. >(b) Giving Canada a separate country code frees up a few area codes for > use in the U.S., and **lots of area codes** for use in Canada > (this one I consider the more valid reason). You may get 10 or 12 area codes, but the bill to recode all the billing and reporting software (network, billing and reporting) in the relevant Canadian telcos would be in the 100's of millions of $$$ + all the risks of a major network cutover. Now if the US telco's would be willing to fund the project (they would be gaining a few area codes), I'm sure it could be done in 10 years or so. It would certainly help Canada's balance of payments. ISDN numbering is causing problems to and maybe the whole thing can be resolved when a major portion of current users switch over to it (if and when, I should add). James W. Crooks Member, Advanced Technology Application Staff BITNET: JIM@ISS.NUS.AC.SG BIX: jw.crooks DASnet: cDW1JW|JCROOKS Compuserve: 72611,162 Institute of Systems Science, National University of Singapore Heng Mui Keng Terrace, Kent Ridge, Singapore 0511