Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request
From: Gabe Wiener <gabe@sirius.ctr.columbia.edu>
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Direct Dialing the USSR
Message-ID: <2515@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 1 Jan 90 02:09:39 GMT
Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu
Reply-To: Gabe Wiener <gabe@sirius.ctr.columbia.edu>
Organization: Columbia University Center for Telecommunications Research
Lines: 28
Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 1, message 5 of 10


Just for the hell of it, I tried dialing that Estonian BBS # directly,
and sure enough, I got an intercept saying, "Direct dial service is
available to Moscow only."

That sparked a few questions:

1.  Why direct service only to Moscow?

2.  How are international trunklines set up with countries with which we
    have less than an amicable relationship?  Who pays for and maintains
    such lines?

3.  What is the state of technology of the telecom system in Russia?
    Do they build their own hardware?  or import it?  

4.  Does subscriber trunk dialing (to use the British term) exist inside
    the USSR?  Or must all long-distance still be placed w/operator
    assistance?

Thanks, and happy new year!


Gabe Wiener - Columbia Univ.     "This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings 
gabe@ctr.columbia.edu             to be seriously considered as a means of 
gmw1@cunixd.cc.columbia.edu       communication. The device is inherently of
72355.1226@compuserve.com         no value to us."  -Western Union memo, 1877