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From: adg@sage.UK.ATE.SLB.COM
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Phone Service in the UK Two Decades Ago
Message-ID: <15354@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 10 Dec 90 16:16:31 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 876, Message 6 of 9


In article <15243@accuvax.nwu.edu> tjo@its.bt.co.uk (Tim Oldham)
writes:

>The only limitation I can think of, offhand, is that you can't phone
>0800 (toll-free) numbers from a cellphone. Our local pizza emporia
>don't have 0800 numbers.

On the Racal Vodaphone Cellular Network you can now dial toll-free
numbers and pay for the privilage by dialing *0800-xxxxxx.

I note Tim works for British Telecom who own most of Cellnet the other
cellular network. Vodaphone have always been technically superior to
Cellnet in these terms and in mobile data transmission so maybe
Cellnet haven't cottoned on yet :-).

Before the *0800 feature was implemented I was able to dial BT's
billing enquiries 0800 number but most other numbers gave the message
"You may not call this 0800 number from a cellular phone", or
something similar.


Adam Gorman, Solstice Systems Ltd
on contract to Schlumberger Technologies ATE Division Ferndown Dorset UK