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From: allan@attunix.att.com (Allan B Spiegel)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: What Is Telex? Is There an E-Mail Interface?
Message-ID: <59824@bu.edu.bu.edu>
Date: 29 Jun 90 22:57:20 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 462, Message 9 of 10


 From time to time an article will give someone's telex number.  What
is this, how does it work and how do I use it?  Is there some magic
e-mail address that I can send mail to that will turn it into a telex
like I can do for fax numbers?  Thanks.  I prefer e-mail responses.


[Moderator's Note: Telex, and its close relatives TWX and telegrams
are the oldest forms of e-mail in the world! Telegrams go back over a
century, and Telex/TWX, which is simply the use of the 'telegraph
network' directly by subscribers, without operator handling or
intervention, goes back over half a century. Western Union's network,
i.e. the (Tel)egraph (Ex)change was met with competition from the old
Bell System's (T)ype(W)riter E(X)change many years ago. Bell sold TWX
to Western Union. And of course, in recent years there are numerous
other telex companies operating here and in other countries. And yes,
there are 'magic email addresses' you can use: Both AT&T Mail and MCI
Mail offer telex <==> email <==> FAX <==> US Mail interconnections.
In case you were wondering, FAX is the (FA)csimile E(X)change. 

You can also subscribe to EasyLink, which is Western Union's own email
service, and have a 'virtual TWX connection' in the process, with a
TWX network number aliased to your EasyLink mailbox. You can likewise
have a Telex number aliased to your AT&T Mail or MCI Mail box.
Sprint's GTE/Telemail likewise offers in/outbound telex. Telex/TWX are
gradually becoming obsolete and out of favor with business people who
prefer the speed of email at 2400/9600 baud and the preciseness and
literal qualities of FAX.   PT]