Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!seismo!sundc!pitstop!sun!decwrl!ucbvax!CSLI.STANFORD.EDU!ole
From: ole@CSLI.STANFORD.EDU (Ole Jacobsen)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Your Long Distance Carrier?
Message-ID: <8802281957.AA17753@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: 26 Feb 88 08:11:47 GMT
References: <8802260130.AA09450@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: csli!ole (Ole Jacobsen)
Organization: Advanced Computing Environments
Lines: 26
Keywords: Long Distance Carriers
Summary: Works with 10xxx too
Approved: telecom@xx.lcs.mit.edu

The 700-555-xxxx works if you prefix it with 10xxx too, that is try
ALL your available Equal Access carriers and hear ALL the different
recordings. If you've got AT&T as your default, you can get the MCI
recording by dialling 10222 700-555-4141, for instance.

There was some speculation that when the "Choose-your-default-carrier"
wars died down, we would see a lot of ads for "try us on a
case-by-case basis" using 10xxx. I don't see much evidence of this
happening. The 10xxx is still a little known feature, billing is real
strange (often delayed by months on your BOC bill), and the carriers
are confused. The other day I got a call from a curious carrier who
had noticed that I was using them on and off, informing me that I
could sign up and stop "testing" their service. When I explained that
I was not "testing" their service he appeared quite perplexed.

I've found that 10xxx is wonderful when certain prefixes block or
you can't get through using the default carrier. 

"America, The Land of CHOICE, everything from the type of bread in 
your sandwich to your long distance carrier...."


Ole   


"Med Televerket inn i fremtiden"