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From: dcr0@gte.com (David Robbins)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: GTD-5 and CLASS
Message-ID: <8722@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 6 Jun 90 16:02:54 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 417, Message 7 of 12


 From article <8686@accuvax.nwu.edu>, by john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon):

> I have received many kilobytes of material from GTE folks trying to
> sell the virtues of GTD-5. But after my little experimentation, I'm
> going to invoke my Jackson County, MO heritage: Show me!

It may be that you are complaining about the wrong thing!  If my
information is correct, the GTD-5 itself is quite capable of doing SS7
and CLASS.  However, the operating company that buys the GTD-5 decides
whether or not to make use of its capabilities.  Your experimentation
has shown, quite convincingly, that GTE has not taken advantage of any
of the GTD-5's SS7 capabilities in your area.  This is pure
speculation, but it may be that the GTE operating company has not
worked out any arrangement with Pac*Bell to interconnect the systems
with SS7 (perhaps they haven't even *thought* of doing that ??).

The question here is who to blame for the conditions you describe.  Do
you blame the equipment manufacturer or the equipment operator?
Ultimately, the telephone service you receive depends most heavily
upon the operating company, for it is they who decide what equipment
to buy and which of the equipment's capabilities to offer to their
customers.

I don't feel any compulsion to defend either the GTD-5 or the GTE
operating companies, although I am a GTE employee.  I know nothing
about the commitment of the operating company to provide the service
its customers want.  All I can do is point out that the latest and
greatest switching technology, even if it is in the possession of the
operating company, won't do you any good if the operating company
chooses not to provide you the service.  From a practical point of
view, the technology might as well not exist if you are not permitted
to use it!

If enough customers rag on the telco to provide these neat services,
perhaps they will perceive that there is enough demand for the service
that it will be provided.  And the PUC, as a (supposed) servant of the
public, might be able to apply some pressure (although from what I
know of PUCs, this may or may not ever happen :-)).


Dave Robbins                    GTE Laboratories Incorporated
drobbins@bunny.gte.com          40 Sylvan Rd.
 ...!harvard!bunny!drobbins      Waltham, MA 02254
CYA:  I speak only for myself; GTE may disagree with what I say.