Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!think!ames!netsys!vector!nobody From: ssc-vax!clark@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Roger Clark Swann) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: special numbers for cellular phones Message-ID: Date: 5 Oct 88 17:22:29 GMT Sender: chip@vector.UUCP Lines: 26 Approved: telecom-request@vector.uucp (USENET Telecom Moderator) X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 8, issue 153, message 7 X-Submissions-To: telecom@xx.lcs.mit.edu (Mailing List Coordinator) X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.uucp (USENET Telecom Moderator) I have heard some ads on the radio recently indicating there are abbreviated phone numbers when using a cellular phone. An example is an ad for a concert or similar entertainment, saying to call Ticket Mater (the local entertainment clearing house ) giving a standard seven digit number for wired phones and for cellular phone use, dial: TXX Another example of this was discovered in Portland, OR recently when the radio station KXL (I think), was advertising for motorists to call the station with road reports using their cellular phones to dial: 231 'this is a free call' (Maybe someone in Portland can confirm this) So can someone explain these three digit phone numbers??? Why not just dial the full seven digits? If the deal is free calling, then why not just program the cellular controller to use the seven digit number, but reverse bill or however it is to be charged? And yes, I thought of using three digits to make it easier on the driver using the cellular phone. However, if the driver is too busy driving to dial seven digits, then he/she shouldn't be using the phone. Roger Swann uucp: uw-beaver!ssc-vac!clark