Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!decwrl!hayes.fai.alaska.edu!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request
From: RAF@cu.nih.gov (Roger Fajman)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: FTS = Fouled-up Telephone System
Message-ID: <10275@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 31 Jul 90 23:20:00 GMT
Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu
Organization: TELECOM Digest
Lines: 24
Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 532, Message 3 of 10


FTS is much improved now that the new FTS 2000 system is in full
operation, at least for voice.  FTS 2000 is an all-digital system.
Due to political considerations the contract was split into two parts
and 60% was awarded to AT&T and 40% to Sprint.  MCI lost out 
completely and is still mad about it.

Anyway, now the voice quality (to my ear) is equal to commercial calls
(I have MCI on my home phone).  Also, I can make a long distance call
in the middle of the afternoon without getting several trunk busy
signals first.  I usually use it to call commercial numbers.  Rarely
do I call other seven-digit FTS numbers.  My agency, NIH (National
Institutes of Health), is in the Washington, DC, area and is on the
AT&T part of the system.

By the way, the NIH phone book calls it the Federal Telecommunications
System now.  It's entirely possible that the meaning of the T may have
changed over time.


Roger Fajman                                   Telephone:  +1 301 402 1246
National Institutes of Health                  BITNET:     RAF@NIHCU
Bethesda, Maryland, USA                        Internet:   RAF@CU.NIH.GOV
Postmaster for NIHCU.BITNET and CU.NIH.GOV