Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!wuarchive!texbell!attctc!vector!telecom-gateway From: wb8foz@mthvax.cs.miami.edu (David Lesher) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: 8-Digit Phone Numbers vs. More Area Codes Message-ID: Date: 12 Nov 89 15:40:53 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Reply-To: David Lesher 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 506, message 2 of 10 Stan Krieger asks about 8 digit phone numbers, and makes some good points. But, alas all is not simple. On the human side, each existing user could get a number assignment of NPA-old-nmbr0 so that no one would have to learn a new number. Then new assignments could take the form of different last digits. This would help ease the shock of the changeover. The bad news is the technical picture. I suspect that EVERY piece of switch equipment in the country (or n.a. for that manner--remember NPA 809?) would have have to modified to handle this. While the ESS's might get by with what an old boss called "SMOP--simple matter of programming", what will all the SxS, panel, X-bar et-al offices do? I doubt the material or expertise exists to upgrade these, much less the $$$$. (larry@kitty would be better source on this. My only time in CO's has been tours) Then, what about all the millions of CPE call-dialers? But, all this said, we can assume we will be driven to such a change eventually. Would we better to bit the bullet and do it now? A host is a host & from coast to coast...wb8foz@mthvax.cs.miami.edu no one will talk to a host that's close..............(305) 255-RTFM Unless the host (that isn't close)......................pob 570-335 is busy, hung or dead....................................33257-0335