Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!uwm.edu!spool.mu.edu!news.cs.indiana.edu!cs.widener.edu!dsinc!casbah.acns.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us (John R. Levine) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Large Local Calling Areas Message-ID: Date: 1 Mar 91 03:00:34 GMT Sender: news@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Mr. News) Organization: I.E.C.C. Lines: 30 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 168, Message 13 of 15 Originator: telecom@delta.eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Nntp-Posting-Host: hub.eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu In article is written: >> The Atlanta LATA is apparently the largest free calling area in >> the world... > Similarly, New York City's local calling area spans five counties > (each borough of NYC is a separate county), ... I suspect that NYC has the largest number of phones that are a local call. There may be larger cities, but not larger cities with such a density of telephones. The only other place in the U.S. with so many phones is Los Angeles, but it has rather small local calling areas. I have heard that the geographically largest local calling area is the big island of Hawaii. Hawaiian Tel has an extremely simple rate structure: calls on the same island are free, calls to any other island are expensive (all the same rate, no matter which pair of islands), calls to the mainland are very expensive. Someone who cares could try comparing areas. A quick look in the almanac suggests that the big island is in the vicinity of 5,000 sq. mi. If water counts, I note that the entire US Virgin Islands are a single local calling area, even though a boat from St. Croix to St. Thomas takes most of the day, and the flying boat about half an hour. Regards, John Levine, johnl@iecc.cambridge.ma.us, {spdcc|ima|world}!iecc!johnl