Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: David E A Wilson Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Itemised Bills - An Australian Followup Message-ID: <12478@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 22 Sep 90 08:47:34 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: Dept of Computer Science, Wollongong University Lines: 28 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 670, Message 5 of 9 A few months ago I mentioned that Telecom/OTC were now providing IDD itemised bills to customers on new exchanges. My quarterly phone bill arrived with my first itemised IDD call: Date Time Place Number Min:Sec $ 19 Jul 11:06pm USA Rhode Is 1401863xxxx 1:59 2.42 [my xxxx's] So on a sample of one I guess OTC at least decodes the country and area code to get the place. As for Trunk call itemisation, metropolitan residential customers will start getting it in November, 1990 and all should have it by 1994. Country residential customers should have it by 1997. This should give us one of the most missed features of the US phone system. We don't have COCOTs - although businesses can rent Telecom Gold Phones and get the difference between the 22c charged to subscribers and the 30c charged to pay phone users (per call unit). Telecom are going to introduce pre-purchase phone cards (looks similar to the Japanese variety - punches a hole to show the remaining value of the card). They hope this will reduce vandalism by reducing the coins held in the phone. David Wilson Dept Comp Sci, Uni of Wollongong david@cs.uow.edu.au