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From: unhd!unhtel!paul@uunet.uu.net (Paul S. Sawyer)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Answer Supervision on PBX
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Date: 16 Nov 90 19:45:08 GMT
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Please forgive the late response, but our news feed has been constipated
lately.... B-(

I said:

> >Well, Pat, they keep telling us that our System 85 can't do it, but
> >that they would be glad to sell us a 5ESS....  ???

First of all, keep in mind that I only do the DATA PROCESSING for the
system, i.e., get them calls billed, and my memory of what they said
(above) is not from a telecom viewpoint ... (My view being that the
S85 is a computer, after all, and a computer should be hackable to do
what the customer wants.)  Our Telecom folk don't read the news.

vances@xenitec.on.ca (Vance Shipley) said:

> Paul, can you provide us with some background?  What is you're
> trunking arrangement? (PRA,T-1,Analog,etc.)  What generic is the
> switch running?

We are running System 85 Release 2, Version 3; We have T1 circuits to
the current LD carriers of choice (might be ATT, MCI, Sprint, LDN
(Long Distance North) at any particular time) But intra-LATA, 800-,
900-, etc., (LEC) is not T1.

My main problems in billing non answer-supervised calls are:

1. We set the minimums high (1.0 min for 1+NPA, 1.5 min for 011+), so
   we miss billing for some completed calls (tho no one complains  ;-)

2. This is not long enough for some people;  and, it can take more than
   1.5 minutes just to get a busy signal from some countries

3. Even if we had an accurate 900 call pricing table, we would need
   accurate call length info to bill close to what students expect

4. Since DA calls are fixed price and often short, we bill all DA calls
   of 0.2 minutes or longer, some of which of course are not connected.

For years we have explained this to faculty and staff, who squawk but
have to put up with it; we are serving students now, who would like to
believe that all phone systems work the way their home systems do.

Thanks for the interest.


Paul S. Sawyer              paul@unhtel.uucp      {uunet,attmail}!unhtel!paul
UNH CIS - - Telecommunications and Network Services    p_sawyer1@unhh.unh.edu
Durham, NH  03824-3523      VOX: +1 603 862 3262         FAX: +1 603 862 2030