Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!agate!apple!sun-barr!newstop!texsun!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway From: morris@jade.jpl.nasa.gov (Mike Morris) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: NNX-0000 Message-ID: Date: 16 Jul 89 07:13:06 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Reply-To: Mike Morris Lines: 33 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 241, message 6 of 9 Kent Borg writes: > >I recently noticed that the pizza place across from my laundromat has >a phone number which ends with 4 zeros. > >I don't think I have seen this before. In fact, I remember as a kid >(I was a strange kid) thinking that those numbers would probably be >reserved for phoning the exchange itself, but I never remember seeing >0000--at least until yesterday. > >Why are NNX-0000 (I hope I have the N's and X's straight) numbers so >rare? > I was told (years ago) by a knowledgeable installer that the 0000-0020 numbers in the first exchange installed in an area was reserved. There was, and still is (but to a lesser degree) a need for test numbers. At least here in the LA area, 0004 is the test board, and 0000 is the switchroom foreman. Years ago 0018 and 0019 were loop-arounds. I've forgotten the rest, but one was a sweep tone, one was a dead short (for measuring loop resistance), one was a never-answer, one was a always- busy, etc. US Snail: Mike Morris UUCP: Morris@Jade.JPL.NASA.gov P.O. Box 1130 Also: WA6ILQ Arcadia, Ca. 91006-1130 #Include disclaimer.standard | The opinions above probably do not even [Moderator's Note: I guess the rules change over the years. My personal number is < 0020 on a very old exchange in the area. The custom in Chicago has always been the numbers from 9900 - 9999 were used internally by telco. 9900/01 was the chief operator; 9902/03 was the Directory Assistance direct number (where 411 went through some routing); and from 9990 to 9998 were all technical in nature, including always-busy, silent termination, etc. PT]