From: imran@panix.com (Imran Anwar)
Subject: Instructions for POSTAL email to Pakistan: Some things explained
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 19:17:50 GMT
Organization: IMRAN: Information & Media Resources, Affiliations, Networks


REPOST AND INSTRUCTIONS FOR POSTAL EMAIL TO PAKISTAN

We have received several inquiries from people by email simply asking
"more" about postal email.  For them this is a simple explanation.

Others have asked rates and that information has been forwarded to them.
But the complete information is repeated here.

A few have had postal email bounce back to them because they did not
follow the format required for the mail server to handle their files.
A brief sample letter is given below.

Basic Idea:

Not every family in Pakistan has computers.  Others may have PCs but
no phone line (or vice versa).  Yet others may have both but no modem.
To make it possible for ANYONE in Pakistan to benefit (though indirectly)
from email we offered the POSTAL EMAIL service to Pakistan.  As far as we
know this is the only service of its kind in any country.  [We have had
some people from other countries, esp Turkey, India, etc ask about how
we are doing it.  They may follow the example of Pakistan]

The idea is simple.  If you and your family in Pakistan have a phone, and
a computer, and a modem, then it is easy enough to get them on internet
email.  But there will be other relatives, friends, and loved ones who
will not be accessible.  To them you can send POSTAL email.

The email is sent to an internet address in Pakistan, where the server
prints out the message and it is sent by Pakistan Post Office's URGENT
MAIL SERVICE / Airex service to ANY city in Pakistan.  Your loved ones
get the letter MUCH sooner than even Federal Express can deliver it, and
for MUCH less cost. Because it costs to send data and also the related
expenses are incurred the SENDER has to pay in advance.

This is how the system works:

You send a standard email message on internet to :

post@imran.ar.pk

This is the address of the postal server machine.  before email is forwarded
to this account the spooler checks to see that your email address is
VALIDATED to send postal email to Pakistan and that you have at least $2
credit available on it.  If your email address is validated and known to
the spooler it relays the message as internet email to the POSTAL server
in Pakistan.  The server prints the mail on a computer printer and the
letter is sent by UMS/Airex, usually for next day or second day delivery
by Pakistan Post Office.  Again, ANY place in Pakistan is accessible where
Post Office delivers mail.  Just make sure that you give the accurate and
complete postal address when writing postal email.

The format your email message should have is shown in the example below.
The system needs to see the text strings "$address" to know that the
lines following it are postal address in Pakistan, and "$text" telling it
that the lines folowing that line are the letter you want sent.  eg:
--------


To: post@imran.ar.pk 
Subject: <any text you type (this text will be discarded) >


$address

Ghulam Ishaq Khan
President of Pakistan
Islamabad


$text

My Dear President Ishaq Khan

This is a test message of the postal email service that I subscribe to in
USA where I am studying to become a nuclear scientist so that we can
become a nuclear power as soon as possible and so that we can correct
the injustices of the world.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do for you, and for Pakistan,
wheil I am working and studying in USA.

Sincerely,


A. B. Chaudhry
New Hostel 123
Bigtown, XX 55555
USA


------------


Payment in advance to cover the costs are $2 for one page letter, and so
on, but it is possible to prepay $10 or $20 as advance for your future usage.
Additional pages will cost more and the rates are:

One page letter (2K text) $2.00 
Two pages       (4K text) $3.50 
Three pages     (6K text) $4.00


In case you only plan to send one letter then you will email your
letter to the post@imran.ar.pk address that will do the mail serving.
The mail will be printed and sent when your payment for that message is
received by us, eg $2 for a one page message.  Usually cheques or
money orders are the best way to do this.

However, for frequent users or those who will often send letters or more
than one page (2000 character is about 1 page) it may be more pratical
to set up an account with $10.  In this case the mail server automatically
debits this account the amount of the message and the message/letter is sent
immediately - without the delay associated with waiting for your payment.
The remaining amount is kept on account for your future use.

The address is:

Imran Anwar
175 E 96 #21-H
New York, NY 10128


Regards


Imran Anwar
imran@panix.com

Ashar Nisar
a9@btr.com

PS Cheques payable to Imran Anwar

PPS Write YOUR email address with cheque for reference.  Without that we cannot
validate that email address where you will be posting from.