Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!lll-winken!netsys!vector!telecom-gateway From: zygot!john@apple.com (John Higdon) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Calling 800's From Outside USA (translation numbers) Message-ID: Date: 24 Aug 89 04:17:34 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Organization: Green Hills and Cows Lines: 26 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 322, message 6 of 8 In article , vances@xenitec.uucp (Vance Shipley) writes: > In order to test an 800 number with US coverage you must dial from the states > since calling from here in Canada wouldn't complete. So to test one of these > circuits we would have to know the 'conversion' number. To use this number This is actually known as the "POTS" number. An 800 number is nothing more than an ordinary line with an ordinary or POTS number that has special treatment by the long distance carrier. When a caller dials an 800 number, it is translated by the long distance carrier into the area code and phone number of the POTS line and then billed to the 800 subscriber. Back when it was just "the phone company", 800 POTS lines were restricted from out calling (some still are) but now various companies are offering 800 translations to customers' standard business lines and even some residential. POTS=Plain Old Telephone Service. > I don't know if this would work internationally or not. Also I'm not sure > how it would be billed. Anyone care to comment? Since you are calling an ordinary number, it would be billed at prevailing rates. -- John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.uucp | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o !