Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ncar!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!casbah.acns.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: david@cs.uow.edu.au (David E A Wilson) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Your Evolving Phone Number Message-ID: Date: 24 Feb 91 03:39:07 GMT Sender: news@casbah.acns.nwu.edu Organization: Dept of Computer Science, Wollongong University Lines: 22 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 154, Message 11 of 12 Originator: telecom@delta.eecs.nwu.edu ct@dde.dk (Claus Tondering) writes: > American companies, please listen to this piece of advice from a European: > If you want business from overseas, do not include letters in your phone > numbers. We can't use them over here. A bigger problem is the growing use of 800 numbers (without listing the POTS number). Overseas subscribers cannot call regular 800 numbers. We can call special six digit international 800 numbers. Is it just coincidence that most countries auto-reverse charge numbers start with either 800/008 or is there an international standard? David Wilson Dept Comp Sci, Uni of Wollongong david@cs.uow.edu.au [Moderator's Note: Well so far as I know, the Americans were using this technique first, of auto-reverse charging through the use of 800. I think as other PTT's picked up on the idea they just went along with the number (800) we were already using. PAT]