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From: covert@covert.enet.dec.com (John R. Covert  11-Oct-1990 2031)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: International Directory Assistance
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Date: 12 Oct 90 00:37:10 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 729, Message 2 of 9


Issue 728 mentioned the AT&T ad with:

>"I'm sorry ... We don't offer directory assistance for Europe."
>"I'M SORRY ... WE DON'T HAVE DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE FOR LONDON."

I just called my MCI operator and asked for Directory Assistance in
Europe.

She told me to dial 10288-0.	(As did my Sprint operator.)

I said, "But that's AT&T!  Why is MCI telling me to call AT&T?"

Because MCI does not provide that service; AT&T does.

I said, "Sounds like AT&T's the real phone company."

What really worries me is that International Directory Assistance, now
free, might start costing money.  Why should AT&T carry the D.A.
traffic to all the international countries?  And why won't the other
carriers do it?

john

[Moderator's Note: As a matter of fact John, your concern about 
international DA eventually having a price tag on it is well grounded.
For the past couple years, those of us who make extensive use of
international calling via AT&T have seen things get tighter and
tighter at the Pittsburgh Operating Center. They are becoming quite
aware of the fact that MCI and Sprint are telling their customers to
get DA from AT&T for free, then to come back and place the actual call
on their carrier. That's nothing new; MCI has been notorious for
skimming the cream since they began operations in the late sixties. 

I make many business (international) calls from home at night to
countries where the time is offset by 9-15 hours from me simply
because there is no 'window' available during the regular business day
to conduct business with, say, India. I have to bring the file home
with me at night.  Circuits to India are *jammed tight* all night
long. Its bad enough I have to put it on the Demon Dialer and then
bang away for 45 minutes to break through ... without having to spend
15-30 minutes on the line to reach directory in New Delhi. I used to
get DA from the office in the daytime, simply because at (relative
to their time) 2 AM everyone is asleep in India: low traffic, fast
connect to DA, on and off in a couple minutes typically, five minutes
at most. Now Pittsburgh won't do it any longer ... get the DA when you
are ready to have *us* place the call, they tell me. Why is this? Ask
the MCI cream-skimmers and abusers why! They know the scoop.  PAT]