Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: Mark J Elkins Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: What Would it Take For Modems to Recognize Call Waiting? Message-ID: <11444@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 28 Aug 90 06:27:35 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Reply-To: Mark J Elkins Organization: Mark's Machine (Working for Olivetti Africa) Lines: 32 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 603, Message 10 of 12 In article <11160@accuvax.nwu.edu> brnstnd@kramden.acf.nyu.edu (Dan Bernstein) writes: X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 585, Message 6 of 14 >In this city, a local phone call of unlimited length has fixed cost. As used to be the case in Johannesburg ... (Until 'local' meters were installed ... Local calls in most other areas are still unlimited by time.) >.... In other words, for a >monthly call waiting charge, you could get a permanent, basically free >connection to the computer of your choice. >... But what would the phone companies think of people getting >connections so cheaply? As one customer used to do ... dedicate a phone line just for modem use. His cost was 2 X monthly rental which was 18 Rand X 2 which is about $13 a month for the total cost of the line - etc (both ends). When the PO found out - they were not too happy - they developed some manual routine of disconecting him some time about 5pm each night - so he was forced to make at least one call a day. They don't like people doing this, as it competes with their own 'data-line' service which costs a lot more per month. Olivetti Systems & Networks, Unix Support - Africa UUCP: {uunet,olgb1,olnl1}!olsa99!mje (Mark Elkins) mje@olsa99.UUCP (Postmaster) Tel: +27 11 339 9093