Path: utzoo!telecom-request
Date: Thu,  6 Jun 91 13:34:31 EDT
From: Maurice R Baker <jj1028@homxc.att.com>
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Calling Card Calls From Canada
Message-ID: <telecom11.431.4@eecs.nwu.edu>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 431, Message 4 of 10
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After the recent spate of articles about "ringing tones around the
world" and "a view of telephone service in the U.K.", I thought that I
would share my recent telephonic experience while visiting Toronto,
Ontario, Canada earlier this week.

I had occasion to make a few business and personal calls back home to
the U.S., and opted for the "Bell" payphone in the lobby of the Westin
Harbour Castle Hotel to avoid the $1.00 'service' charge on each call
from my room.

I used both my AT&T Universal Card and AT&T Calling Card, with
identical results:

Dial the number as 0+XXX+YYY+ZZZZ.
Wait for the "bong", and enter my card number/pin.
After a few seconds, get a synthesized (or recorded) message:
	"Please hold for operator assistance"
Then a ringback or two, followed by a real live human operator:
	"Please hold for card verification"
I could hear her keying in something from the buttons clicking.
Frequently I would then hear a spurt of (what sounded to me) 2600 Hz.
	perhaps as a trunk was seized.
Then another "bong" tone, with some more audible keyboard pressing.
Finally, the operator would say:
	"I'll put your call through now"
Optionally followed by "have a nice day" or whatever, but never
	"Thank you for using Bell Canada"

I interpret this to mean that Network Interconnect between U.S. and
Canada has not been completely implemented, and CCS7 messages can't be
automatically exchanged across the border yet to the AT&T NCPs, etc.

Of more immediate interest is the question:

Will I (should I) be charged for an operator-assisted call even though
I dialed the called-party and my credit card/pin number myself?


M. R. Baker     AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel
homxc!jj1028  -or-  jj1028 at homxc.att.com