Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!texsun!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway From: kaufman@polya.stanford.edu (Marc T. Kaufman) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: 555 Exchange and Inward Numbers Message-ID: Date: 5 Aug 89 16:04:37 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Reply-To: "Marc T. Kaufman" Organization: Stanford University Lines: 24 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 276, message 7 of 11 In article DREUBEN@eagle.wesleyan.edu (DOUGLAS SCOTT REUBEN) writes: >Actually, there are 555 numbers that appear to be assigned to >pay phones, at least in special cases. >If you go to Disneyland in Anahiem, CA, which is still served by >Pac*Bell (but it's VERY near GTE territory..oh no! :-) ), you >can use "Pay-Speakerphones". These are basically large booths, >with Bell System payphones, which no longer have a handset. Instead, >they have a speaker box (with a blue Bell logo) and a microphone >near the payphone itself, all neatly built into the wall. I am sure this is a very special case. These phones were installed when "Tomorrowland" was originally opened (in 1957?) and most of Orange County was still orchards. The Irvine ranch still ran cattle. This was supposed to be a demonstration of "advanced" telephone technology (they even had a demonstration picturephone). Given the volume of calls from these phones, I'm sure the phone company had to treat them specially. We may find out the 555 prefix is bogus, and if you replaced it with the correct prefix you could call in. How about making a collect call from one of them and checking the number on your bill, when you get it. Marc Kaufman (kaufman@polya.stanford.edu)