Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: jimb@silvlis.com (Jim Budler) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: "Data Quality" Local Dial Lines (was: Hostile Service Person!) Message-ID: <12413@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 21 Sep 90 07:28:45 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Reply-To: Jim Budler Organization: Silvar-Lisco,Inc. Sunnyvale Ca. Lines: 80 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 665, Message 1 of 9 In article <12321@accuvax.nwu.edu> Rolf Meier writes: >Look, the real reason the telephone companies don't like you using a >"voice" line for "data" is the different traffic characteristics. >Why do you think a data line is a ripoff? A typical data call lasts a >lot longer than voice calls. This means that the Telco has to supply >more call paths in order to maintain the same grade of service. This >costs them money. It is only fair that the users of data lines pay >the extra. Uh, this has been argued many, many times. But I have to ask you again why phone companies offer discounts for teen lines, and ask premiums for data lines? Teen calls last longer than typical adult voice calls. I admit they are comparable to interactive data calls. Teen calls last longer than the typical data call I see at work. During the average hour I have four one minute data calls, and one five minute data call. I spent two hours on the phone to a company employee requiring technical assistance from the field. This was a voice call, and it happened to be at home. Many of our voice calls are long, really long. Trying to type on a keyboard 12,000 miles away, or read a crash traceback over the phone can take a long time. Obligatory Humorous Illustrative Example: Person supporting by phone says: "Type cd space slash U S R slash L I B" Three hours later they determine the person on the other end typed: cdspaceslashusrslashlib Back to the subject. I disagree that data calls are by definition longer than voice calls. In fact I believe that data calls are on average *shorter* than voice calls. Why? As I mentioned, I average four one-minute calls per hour, one five-minute call per hour. These are the automated mail and news exchange calls. They are data calls. I average ten interactive (i.e. people) dialins per day. Most are about twenty-minutes, some are a couple hours. On average it breaks down to something like 8x20-minutes, 1x1-hour, 1x3-hour. Let's figure this out: 4 calls per hour * 1 minute * 24 hour = 96 minutes per day 1 calls per hour * 5 minutes * 24 hour = 120 minutes per day 8 calls per day * 20 minutes = 160 minutes per day 1 call per day * 180 minutes = 180 minutes per day 96 times + 24 times + 8 times + 1 time 556 minutes 556 minutes / 129 calls = 4.31 minutes per call Are you really going to try to say that the average voice call is less than this? This is all over voice grade lines. Why do you insist I pay for a data grade line because usage exceeds voice usage? I don't have comparable numbers for our voice usage. But I do believe that excluding only two catagories, wrong numbers and "He's not in, do you want to leave a message", where they don't leave a message, our average voice phone call exceeds five minutes. 'nuff said. I disagree with your argument. Jim Budler jimb@silvlis.com +1.408.991.6115 Silvar-Lisco, Inc. 703 E. Evelyn Ave. Sunnyvale, Ca. 94086