Path: utzoo!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!casbah.acns.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: jwb@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au (Jim Breen) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: The Correct Way to Write Your Phone Number Message-ID: Date: 28 Feb 91 21:58:10 GMT Sender: news@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Mr. News) Organization: Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Lines: 28 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 172, Message 2 of 9 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 , tholome@elaine8.stanford. edu (Eric THOLOME) writes: > Until five years ago, France was ....... > To phone in the same area, you had to dial only the last six digits. To > phone in another area, you had to dial 16, get a tone, and then dial > the full phone number. ^^^^^^^^^^ Was this process of having to wait for a tone peculiar to France? I never encountered it anywhere else. In fact it caused me acute discomfort the first time I was in Paris (1982 je crois) and I tried to call Australia. I was ignorant of the fact that I was supposed to wait for another tone after dialling the international access code (019?). The first 20 or so times I dialled straight through and ended up with message in French telling me the number was not connected. On the 21st try I paused for some reason, and "Voila!" there was a click, whirrrrrr, and I had another dial tone. All was explained. I was furious that NOWHERE in the phone book was this mentioned. I later found out that the French took it for granted. Jim Breen AARNet:jwb@monu6.cc.monash.edu.au Department of Robotics & Digital Technology. Monash University. PO Box 197 Caulfield East VIC 3145 Australia (ph) +61 3 573 2552 (fax) +61 3 573 2745