Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!pyrdc!netsys!vector!nobody From: covert%covert.DEC@decwrl.dec.com (John R. Covert) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Equal Access for Calling Cards Message-ID: Date: 5 Oct 88 07:29:00 GMT Sender: chip@vector.UUCP Lines: 24 Approved: telecom-request@vector.uucp (USENET Telecom Moderator) X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 8, issue 153, message 2 X-Submissions-To: telecom@xx.lcs.mit.edu (Mailing List Coordinator) X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.uucp (USENET Telecom Moderator) MJSchmelzer and others ask about equal access for calling cards. AT&T and the local operating companies share access to the calling card database. Sprint has signed agreements with some Bell companies to also have access to the database -- my latest Sprint bill had an insert telling me to call them to see if I could use my local telephone company's calling card when calling on Sprint. If your default carrier is Sprint, all of your inter-LATA calls, whether dialed 1+ or 0+ should go to Sprint. Sprint doesn't currently have automatic entry of calling cards, but I just dialed 0+NPA-XXX-XXXX and then gave the Sprint operator my calling card. No need to give them the number I dialed, so the local telco is obviously providing full equal access -- it's Sprint that doesn't have the equipment to accept a calling card number after 0+ is dialed. >From a payphone, you should be able to dial 10333+0+number and get a Sprint operator and speak your calling card, call collect, or 3rd person. Another level is supposedly coming -- 0+ from payphones will first go to the local telco for entry of your calling card. The local telco will check the database for your primary carrier and ship the call to the right L.D. company. /john