Path: utzoo!telecom-request Date: Tue, 30 Apr 91 19:36:08 GMT From: Johnny Zweig Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Help Needed Understanding ISDN Reply-To: zweig@cs.uiuc.edu Message-ID: Organization: University of Illinois, Dept. of Comp. Sci., Urbana, IL Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu 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 320, Message 2 of 11 Lines: 16 ac220@cleveland.freenet.edu (Rich Szabo) writes: > I am sketchy on how ISDN interacts and co-exists with Plain Old > Telephone Service. Does an ISDN line have a "phone number?" If so, > what happens if I dial this number from a Plain Old Telephone? Can an > ISDN line be used as a voice line so that I don't need a POTS line in > addition? Your local Central Office probably digitizes your POTS signal as soon as they get their (4ESS or higher) hands on it. ISDN phones actually have a number along with port-number like thingies I forget the name of that specify particular devices that may be connected to a single interface. But it should certainly be possible to call a seven-digit number and talk to your friend Joe down the street from POTS.