Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!apple!bionet!hayes.ims.alaska.edu!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: hpa@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Peter Anvin) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: What are 700 and 555 Numbers? Message-ID: <15179@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 3 Dec 90 09:59:33 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Reply-To: Peter Anvin Organization: Academic Computing and Network Services, Evanston, Il. 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 862, Message 6 of 11 Could anyone please explain what that mystical area code 700 is, and what is so special with the exchange number 555? I know 555-1212 is the information number, but there must be something else that is special with it, or no? Is there a reason for it being used as a "foo" for phone numbers (no one takes number 555-1234 seriously, no?) Finally, does the customer pay for calls to area code 700? [Moderator's Note: 555-1212 was simply adopted as a universal number for directory assistance, and to the best of my knowledge very little else has been assigned on 555. I think one AT&T business office uses something like 555-8111, but that is about all. Other examples? Whether or not you are charged for calls to 700 numbers depends on what carriers and services are involved. 700 is sort of like 900, with various services and offerings on a carrier by carrier basis. Unlike 900 numbers which are either national or local/statewide, 700 numbers are by carrier, meaning an AT&T customer usually cannot directly access the services of other carriers on 700 numbers, etc. Telecom*USA has their Voice News Network there for *their* customers; AT&T has their Alliance Teleconferencing Service there as we discussed a couple issues ago. Does anyone have a complete (more or less) list of everything in the 700 range, listed by carrier? If so, please send it along. PAT]