Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ginosko!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!wuarchive!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway
From: halliday@cc.ubc.ca (laura halliday)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: STD/ISD in Commonwealth Countries
Message-ID: <telecom-v09i0393m02@vector.dallas.tx.us>
Date: 21 Sep 89 15:56:00 GMT
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X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 393, message 2 of 11

Here in Canada, our phone system is (almost) a clone of the American system.
We even have the same country code.

We don't say STD and ISD - we used to say DDD (Direct Distance Dialling),
but now the phone book (Vancouver, B.C., anyway) just talks about 1+,
0+ and International calls.

With the exception of Bell Canada in Ontario, Quebec and parts of the Arctic,
each province has its own phone company. Some are private (e.g. B.C. Tel),
while some are government-run, like Alberta Government Telephones. The
phone companies cooperate to provide long distance service within Canada
through Telecom Canada, while overseas access is through Teleglobe Canada.
There are a few independent phone companies, in cities like Prince Rupert,
B.C. and Edmonton, Alberta.

We don't have any choice on long distance carriers, though some companies are
trying to change that. The Canadian Radio, Television and Telecommunications
Commission (CRTC), our analog of the FCC, flatly refuses such requests.

Phone costs here in B.C. are moderate compared to American ones. Connecting
a line costs $23.50 (all costs are in Canadian dollars; the exchange rate is
currently about $C1.00 = $US0.85), while the monthly charge for a line in
Greater Vancouver is about $14.00. Long distance within Canada is pricey;
Vancouver to Toronto during the day is $0.68 a minute, while Vancouver to
New York is $0.63 a minute. I never did figure that one out...Call setup time
is good, and line quality is usually good. Service is fairly quick - you may
have to wait a week for your phone to be connected if it's a busy time of
the month. We have the option of buying our own phones, or renting them
from the phone company. Custom calling is available in areas with electronic
switching, and costs (and works) about the same as in the U.S.

B.C. Tel have just introduced a long distance deal, with the poetic name
`Between Friends', where you pay a fixed monthly rate for half an hour of
long distance, then get a discount on further long distance. It's good deal
if you make a lot of long distance calls sufficiently far away, since the
additional minutes cost you $0.18 within B.C., and $0.33 for the rest of
Canada and the U.S.

 ...laura