Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!killer!vector!nobody From: hp-sdd!peter@hpqtdla.HP.COM (Peter Locke) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Local Telco and Credit Cards Message-ID: Date: 16 Oct 88 17:24:53 GMT Sender: chip@vector.UUCP Lines: 18 Approved: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-Submissions-To: telecom@bu-cs.bu.edu (TELECOM Digest Coordinator) X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.uucp (USENET Telecom Moderator) X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 8, issue 164, message 3 >The PIN is assigned and maintained at the local telephone company level, >regardless of the issuing carrier. How else could the local switch process >your calls? My understanding of the US network is that currently everyone pays AT&T to handle this. When such a call comes to a local exchange, a message is sent to an AT&T Control Point in the network which returns whether valid and how to bill etc. This is one of the reasons for the SS#7 Common Channel Signalling push in the Operating Companies. With their own SS#7 networks thay can easily provide this themselves with their own SCPs and hence make even more profit as they won't have to pat AT&T for the service, other than when it's an out of area call and I pity all you poor subscribers when they decide how they're gonna rip you off for that feature. PS: 1-800 numbers likewise is currently serviced by AT&T, lots of money their and SS#7 will enable the Operating Companies to make even more profits on it and offer whizzier services like free-phone numbers for just a small geographic area for one day.