Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!clyde.concordia.ca!thunder.mcrcim.mcgill.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!apple!julius.cs.uiuc.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!casbah.acns.nwu.edu!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: john@bovine.ati.com (John Higdon) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Full Service Long Distance Message-ID: <15690@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 23 Dec 90 21:38:24 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Reply-To: John Higdon Organization: Green Hills and Cows Lines: 48 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 905, Message 6 of 9 In all the advertising and discussion of IECs, there has been a service that has had scant attention: coin-paid calls. For the purposes of disccussion, we are speaking of utility pay phones (COCOTs are a bogus aberation). Most Americans are brainwashed from birth that it is essential to carry an IEC account of some kind. Whether it be a Calling Card, FonCard, etc., most residents of the US have some kind of alternative call billing capability. But there are also many, particularly visitors to the US, that have no such account. These people depend on the ability to deposit coins into the phone at the time of the call. And who picks up 100% of this traffic? That's right: AT&T. Why? Because the other carriers are not really full-service. Next time you hear Sprint or MCI claiming to provide everything that AT&T does, run down to your local utility pay phone and dial 10333+NPA+NUMBER or 10222+NPA+NUMBER (insert a '1' if required) and see how far you get. I quarantee you the call will bomb. Then try 10288+NPA+NUMBER. You will be asked to deposit money and if you do so your call will be completed. Why don't these companies carry coin-paid calls? I don't know. Equal access has provided them with the means, but apparently they don't consider that traffic to be worth the effort. It is just another case of "skimming the cream". The "other" companies love the high volume, high profit routes and services and are quite willing to leave the esoterica to AT&T. Who do you suppose will be the first non-AT&T carrier to accept coin-paid calls? Do you think we will find out in this generation? John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@bovine.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o ! [Moderator's Note: You are mistaken on this, at least in Illinois Bell territory. A review of 'genuine' payphones in Chicago at least will show an instruction card on the phones explaining how to dial, etc, and with a notation on each phone saying "Long distance traffic from this phone is handled by __________". The choices seem to be (admittedly mostly) AT&T, Sprint, MCI and ITI. Apparently they contract with Illinois Bell to actually handle the battery reversal, supervision and other aspects of collecting or returning coins. A little paste-on sticker fits in the blank space above, giving the name of the carrier. On public coin phones, the carrier is almost AT&T, but on semi-public coin service, I've seen all the carriers noted above. PAT]