Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!bellcore!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway From: goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com (Bob Goudreau) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Wrong Number Message-ID: Date: 16 Oct 89 18:14:18 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Organization: Data General Corporation, Research Triangle Park, NC Lines: 31 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 458, message 5 of 10 In article cmoore@brl.mil (VLD/VMB) writes: >61 is the Australia country code, and 8 is the city code for >Adelaide. In taking some notes from a recent New York Times >Magazine, I had to catch myself confusing 61_2 (city code is >that of Sydney) with area 612 in Minnesota, where I have been >to this year. This seems to be not-uncommon practice for Australian firms. I've seen some ads for various other Australian companies where the same thing was done: the country code and city code are run together and displayed inside parentheses. For example, (617) xxx xxxx. This is *extremely* misleading for North American readers, who are used to North American numbers in exactly the same format, but where the 3-digits-inside-parens refers to the area code. (In particular, the above example parses out to a number in the Boston vicinity.) Readers will naturally assume that the number in the ad (which being placed in a US magazine was obviously intended for a US audience) refers to a US office of the company. Of course, such companies are getting exactly what they deserve: less business because potential customers can't reach them. This will continue until they list their numbers according to internationally accepted standards: +61 7 xxx xxxx, for example. Bob Goudreau +1 919 248 6231 Data General Corporation ...!mcnc!rti!xyzzy!goudreau 62 Alexander Drive goudreau@dg-rtp.dg.com Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA