Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!sun-barr!texsun!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway From: dcr0@gte.com (David Robbins) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Memories of SxS Message-ID: Date: 14 Sep 89 13:00:42 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Organization: GTE Laboratories, Inc., Waltham, MA Lines: 48 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 378, message 4 of 9 From article , by kenr@bbn.com (Ken Rossen): ... > But in the (still relatively rural) area of Massachusetts between > Worcester and the Quabbin and stretching all the way from the CT to NH > lines, SxSs are the exception, rather than the rule. They all have ^^^^^^^^^ ^^^^ Surely you meant SxSs are the *rule* rather than the *exception*. > five-digit dialing, and many (as in my town) will accept four digits > within the exchange. ... > In general, New England Telephone seems to have made better progress > migrating New Hampshire to ESS than Massachusetts; remaining SxSs in > the southern half of NH tend to be privately-, even family-owned (as > in Chichester). They're saying all-electronic by 1992, but many of > the towns in Worcester County and much of 413 has yet to be done. I > only know of one SxS conversion in Mass. in my four years in New > England, and that's Pepperell (508/433, I'm sure there are a few > others). Not exactly a breakneck pace. Those of us who live in Central Mass. are constantly reminded by the Boston and Providence news media (by being totally ignored in same) that we don't really exist. We're sort of in between, and despite the fact that Worcester, at last count, is the second largest city in New England, we have no "major" media "of our own." (I live in a town just southeast of Worcester.) However, in 1989 New England Telephone has most definintely taken notice of us. From April through August 1989, NET converted at least six or eight exchanges in the Blackstone Valley (towns south of Worcester) from SxS to ESS -- if that doesn't qualify as a breakneck pace, I don't know what does. This doesn't speak to the rest of Central and Western Mass., but where I live it has been astounding. There may well be much more conversion taking place; I am aware only of my local area, because NET places ads in the local papers explaining to people such concepts as seven-digit dialing for a month or two prior to the cutover. Dave Robbins GTE Laboratories Incorporated drobbins@gte.com 40 Sylvan Rd. ...!harvard!bunny!drobbins Waltham, MA 02254 [Moderator's Note: Well, he may have meant SxS is the rule rather than the exception, and that may be what you meant, but around here it is not only an exception, it is a rarity. Illinois Bell has been almost 100 percent ESS for about three years. It is very rare to dial anywhere in northern Illinois -- within IBT territory -- and hear the ringing and clattering associated with the older type exchanges. PT]