From: ccs@aber.ac.uk (Christopher Samuel)
Newsgroups: uk.telecom,news.answers
Subject: uk.telecom FAQ (version 1.3)
Summary: uk.telecom Frequently Asked Questions + Answers
Keywords: FAQ, uk.telecom
Date: 9 Oct 92 18:42:28 GMT
Expires: Fri, 6 Nov 1992 18:42:16 GMT
Followup-To: uk.telecom
Distribution: uk
Organization: University of Wales - Aberystwyth - Prifysgol Cymru
Supersedes: <uk-telecom_718655970@aber.ac.uk>

Archive-name: uk-telecom/faq
Version: 1.3
Last-modified: Fri Oct  9 16:55:59 GMT 1992


              Frequently Asked Questions for uk.telecom
                    Compiled by Christopher Samuel
                         (ccs@aber.ac.uk)

	[Compilers Notes are in square brackets (like this)]
	[Comments / Contributions welcomed with open arms :-) ]

Disclaimer:
	This information has been culled from postings to
	uk.telecom, mail and occasionaly from files of the 
	comp.dcom.telecom archive. I give no guarantees of
	its accuracy etc.. I also reserve the right to edit
	postings for length and	relevance.

Thanks:
	My thanks to all those who participate in the uk.telecom
	newsgroup, and to all those who have taken the time to
	correct and comment on the BETA version of the FAQ.

	[Notation - + is a new question, ! is an altered question]

Questions:

01: What is uk.telecom ?

02: Okay, so tell me this. How do phones work ?

03: Why do we need another digit in the phone numbers ?

04: Who owns this numbering space ?

05: Is there a way I can pulse-dial a digital exchange number and then tone
    dial from there?

06: I want to get a BT Chargecard, the problem seemed to be that you
    need to be a current customer (have a phone) to be able to get one. 
    Is this so? If it is why is it so?

07: Can you use your subscription to Mercury in the same way as a
    Chargecard? I think I read that you are supposed to use it from only
    one phone. 

08: I've heard someone mention about 0500 on Mercury, what is it ?

09: Why can't I direct dial with my BT chargecard on Cellnet ?

10: Why is there no 0345 access to PSS Dialplus ?

11: Say I want to access my University computer from home, using an ISDN
    connection, in order to get fast terminal access and file transfer. 
    What would the full installation & rental cost be, both for me and
    the University Computing Service? What would I need to connect a PC
    to a Sun over this ?

12: Is it possible to set up a three way call, then have one of the
    other guys introduce another caller..  ad infinitum?

13: What *are* these Network Services that people keep mentioning? Are
    they a BT version of teletext or something? Do you have to pay for
    them?

14: I use Network Services to bar incoming calls, but when the barring
    is in force, the dialtone is different, and hence my modem won't
    autodial.  Is there a way round this?

15: When I called 175 from home there was a message telling me my phone
    number, then when I hung up I was called back and offered a
    mysterious menu.  Anyone know how to work it?

!16: Is Caller ID available in the UK ?

17: Can I get a fully itemised bill from BT ?

18: How can I phone American 1-800 (toll free) numbers from the UK ?

19: How do I dial a number with a mnemonic in it ?

+20: Where can I get an old style BT phone box from ?

+21: What is the Mercury beep, and can I get rid of it ?

+22: What types of exchange are there, and which can be digital ?

23: Where can I get further information from ?

----

Question 01:

What is uk.telecom ?

Answer:

From: ccs@aber.ac.uk (Christopher Samuel)

It's the uk's own little newsgroup to discuss all sorts of topics
related to telecommunications in Britain, including (but not limited to)
technical matters, pricing, STD codes, equipment, BT vs Mercury, Network
Services (nee Star Services), ISDN services, modems, etc.  You get the
idea.. 

It was born in August 1991 to cater for the large amount of telecoms
related traffic in uk.misc, as UK specific enquiries in the InterNet
newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom tended to be swamped by the vast number of
other articles.

----

Question 02:

Okay, so tell me this. How do phones work ?

Answer:

From: ccs@aber.ac.uk (Christopher Samuel)

A very good question, that one, and for the moment the only answer I can
direct you to is the file how.phones.work in the comp.dcom.telecom
archives at lcs.mit.edu [18.26.0.36].  It is US orientated, but some of
the general principles remain the same. 

[A UK version of this file would be gratefully received]

----

Question 03:

Why do we need another digit in the phone numbers ?

Answer:

From: bobw@uk.co.bt.gapos.felix (Bob Whitehouse)

The existing numbering scheme (10 digit mostly) can cope with a possible
maximum of 10 thousand million phone lines.  However, we have various
conventions like "999" for emergency and "1xx" for operator sevices
"0...." for STD etc.  etc.  This limits the the useable numbering space
to around 100 million lines.  BT alone has around 20 million lines. 

With the forthcoming expansion in the number of operators and services,
it is perceived that the current numbering range will be inadequate. 

So, the increase in number length will allow a greater range of services
and provide more competion. 

----

Question 04:

Who owns this numbering space ?

Answer:

From: bobw@uk.co.bt.gapos.felix (Bob Whitehouse)

The numbering space is now owned by OFTEL, the British Telecom watchdog,
not BT as some people believe. 

----

Question 05:

Is there a way I can pulse-dial a digital exchange number and then tone
dial from there?

Answer:

From: keith@unipalm.co.uk (Keith Mitchell)

Well, if you are not in an area served by Mercury, I would think the
only way to do this would be with a BT ChargeCard - you pulse dial the
"144", and can tone dial from then on.  The main snag, (apart from the
extra delay caused by entering your ID and PIN), is that you then have
to pay for your call at call-box rates (10p/unit instead of about 6p).

----

Question 06:

I want to get a BT Chargecard, the problem seemed to be that you need to
be a current customer (have a phone) to be able to get one.  Is this so?
If it is why is it so?

Answer:

From: tjo@its.bt.co.uk (Tim Oldham)

Sorry, but charges incurred on your Chargecard are put on to your phone
bill.  No phone -> no bill -> no chargecard.  This should be catered
for, in my opinion, but isn't. 

----

Question 07:

Can you use your subscription to Mercury in the same way as a Chargecard?
I think I read that you are supposed to use it from only one phone. 

Answer:

[There seems a little confusion over this, I'll leave both these answers
 in until I get some more information in...]

From: keith@unipalm.co.uk (Keith Mitchell)

It is I believe, strictly illegal to use your Mercury Code from other
than your designated phone number.  However, it may well be possible to
to use it from any line on the same exchange as you. 

If I were you, I would wait until Mercury bring out their forthcoming
Chargecard service, as I think they are unlikely to restrict this to
existing BT subscribers only.

From: gta@uk.ac.st-andrews (Graham Allan)

Some time ago I asked Mercury whether they had/would have a chargecard
scheme: they said no, but your mercury code can be used from any phone
in your area code.  So this would suggest its not illegal. 


----

Question 08:

I've heard someone mention about 0500 on Mercury, what is it ?

Answer:

From: keith@unipalm.co.uk (Keith Mitchell)

This is the STD code for Mercury's answer to BT's toll-free "0800"
service.  The only people that have seen using it so far are Dell
Computers, in some of their PC mag adverts recently.  I expect we will
see more of it in the near future. 

----

Question 09:

Why can't I direct dial with my BT chargecard on Cellnet ?

Answer:

From: keith@unipalm.co.uk (Keith Mitchell)

Apparently BT have not yet put the infrastructure in for direct-dial
from any Cellnet phone, though operator calls are possible.  Funny thing
is, you can't make even operator calls from Vodaphone phones, even
though you can supposedly make them from any country in the world with a
BT Chargecard. 

----

Question 10:

Why is there no 0345 access to PSS Dialplus ?

Answer:

Two answers to this one :

From: jcs@zoo.bt.co.uk (John C Sager)

Although I work for BT the following can in no way be construed as an
official BT response.  Disclaimer out of the way, here goes:

There are probably two main reasons why this is not done.

1) 0345 services (and 0800, 0898, 0891) were designed to give
country-wide access at the appropriate charge rate to a specific number
in a specific area of the country.  There is probably also a method of
directing calls originating in a specific area to a regional number - eg
- 0345 123456 dialled in Brighton would route to a number somewhere in
South East England, and the same number dialled in Scotland would route
to a number in, say, Glasgow.  In both cases the renter of the 0345
number pays for the trunk call part of the charge.  The PSS service has
PADs all over the UK, ie dozens of them, so that PSS traffic is not
tying up trunk circuits.  That would negate the whole point of the
service!.  The complexity of determining the 0345 routing to all these
local PADs is probably not worth it. 

2) The services are currently carried on an overlay network with its own
exchanges.  By their nature, most of these services are short holding
time calls (despite the incidence of children spending long hours on
chat-lines & pop music feeds), and the network is dimensioned for this. 
It is certainly not designed to carry relatively long holding time
traffic to PADs!

Perhaps, in the future Intelligent Network Databases will allow this
sort of universal number access to lots of local nodes using the
existing local network, but that's not imminent as far as I know. 


From: cudac@warwick.ac.uk (Tim Clark)

Perhaps I can offer another explanation. 

This question was asked, some years ago, at a `Character Terminal
Implementors Group' meeting (a UK group which inputs to CCITT on the
X.3, X.28 and X.29 recommendations, now defunct). 

The representatives from BT Network Services said that since BT was
split up into different commercial divisions, BT Network Services would
have to pay the full going rate for an 0345 (or 0800) number.  That
charge would obviously have to get passed on to the PAD user, and on
average it would be higher than that of the phone calls made by the PAD
user since the majority of them could make a local call. 

That's not a full answer, as there are bound to be savings in reducing
the number of locations where PAD lines are located (be they real, or
out-of-area lines to a PAD somewhere else), but it seemed as though BT
Network Services were well aware of the possibility, and would take
decisions on cost grounds.  A factor which is obviously difficult to
quantify is the value of having a single number which PAD users can
call.  One slight technical hitch is that an NUI is not necessarily
known at all PAD centres. 

----

Question 11:

Say I want to access my University computer from home, using an ISDN
connection, in order to get fast terminal access and file transfer. 
What would the full installation & rental cost be, both for me and the
University Computing Service? What would I need to connect a PC to a Sun
over this ?

Answer:

From: cc_s425@kingston.ac.uk (Syngen Brown)

For ISDN2 (Basic Rate Access), the connection charge is #400.00 and
the quarterly rental is #84.00.  Call charges are the same as the
normal PSTN.

You will need a terminal adaptor at the Unix end, and a PC card in the
PC.  Terminal adaptors are around #1000.  Software is dependent upon
what you wish to run over the link.  An async terminal connection will
probably not utilise the full bandwidth available.  It is possible to
run IP over the link.

----

Question 12:

Is it possible to set up a three way call, then have one of the other
guys introduce another caller.. ad infinitum?

Answer:

From: brian@rtf.bt.co.uk (Brian N Butterworth)

Yes and no.

With Network Services three way calling, it is possible to introduce a
third caller.  There is supposed to be a facility (it was mentioned in
one of the BT network guides) to introduce 8 callers. 

However, if you have a PABX, you may be able to do this anyway using the
conference call facility.

----

Question 13:

What *are* these Network Services that people keep mentioning? Are they
a BT version of teletext or something? Do you have to pay for them?

Answer:

Culled from information provided by P.K.Chawdhry@newcastle.ac.uk (Pravir K
Chawdhry), clive@x.co.uk (Clive Feather) and pkh@cs.nott.ac.uk (Kevin
Hopkins).

Network Services are available on BT's digital exchanges (System X and
System Y) and are usually available on the payment of a quarterly rental,
though some are available solely on the payment of a per usage charge.

[PLEASE NOTE: This is just a summary, for a full list and charges please]
[	      see the seperate posting "BT Network Services information"]


Set up features:

5 ==			Retry When Not Busy (when busy tone heard) [System Y]
*21*number#		Call Diversion (all calls)
*261#			Call Barring (incoming)
*34bar#			Call Barring (outgoing)
*40*number#		Call Charge Advice [System X]
*40*number		Call Charge Advice [System Y]
*411#			Call Charge Advice on all calls
*43#			Call Waiting
*51*code*number#	Code Calling
*55*time#		Reminder Call
*56*time*programme#	Reminder Programme [System X]
*61*number#		Call Diversion (no reply)
*61*number*wait# ==	Call Diversion (no reply) [Extra System Y facility]
*67*number#		Call Diversion (on busy)

Calling code calls:

**0			Repeat Last Call (excluding Calling Code calls)
**code			Code Calling call

Status checks on settings:

*#001#			Check which services are active [System X]
*#21#			Call Diversion (all calls)
*#261#			Call Barring (incoming)
*#34#			Call Barring (outgoing)
*#411#			Call Charge Advice on all calls
*#43#			Call Waiting
*#51*code#		Code Calling
*#55#			Reminder Call
*#56#			Regular Programme [System X]
*#61#			Call Diversion (no reply)
*#67#			Call Diversion (on busy)

Cancel features:

#21#			Call Diversion (all calls)
#261#			Call Barring (incoming) [System X]
#261*keyword#		Call Barring (incoming) [System Y]
#34bar*keyword#		Call Barring (outgoing)
#37# ==			Retry When Not Busy [System Y]
#411#			Call Charge Advice on all calls
#43#			Call Waiting
#51*code#		Code Calling
#55#			Reminder Call
#56*time*programme#	Reminder Programme [System X]
#56#			Reminder Programme [System X]
#61#			Call Diversion (no reply)
#67#			Call Diversion (on busy)


----

Question 14:

I use Network Services to bar incoming calls, but when the barring is in
force, the dialtone is different, and hence my modem won't autodial.  Is
there a way round this?

Answer:

From: steveh@tharr.UUCP (Steve Hebditch)

With most Hayes compatible modems you can use the ATX command to prevent
the modem from looking for dialtone before it dials.  This solves the
problem of having to worry about it finding the dialtone. 

----

Question 15:

When I called 175 from home there was a message telling me my phone
number, then when I hung up I was called back and offered a mysterious
menu.  Anyone know how to work it?

Answer:

From: malcolmr@sun.pcl.ac.uk (Malcolm Ray)

1.  Dial 175
2.  Exchange answers and says "You are connected to <number>.  Start test."
3.  Hang up
4.  Exchange calls back and says "line testing ok" (assuming it is ok, of
    course).  Then it enters a loop, inviting you to "dial next test" and
    performing a test based on the single-digit code you give it.  From
    memory, test 1 is the keypad test (dial 123456789*0#) and 3 is the
    coin pulse test.

Your mileage may vary.

----

Question 16:

Is Caller ID available in the UK ?

Answer:

From: ccs@aber.ac.uk (Christopher Samuel)

Here is a much more recent statement on Caller ID.
Mea non culpa if it isn't correct though. :-)

From: steveh@orbital.demon.co.uk (Stephen Hebditch)
The almost definitive CLI statement from a source in BT Networks...

The Calling Person's Number is carried in the MTS C7 header along with a
flag to indicate if the CLI information is free for release. Currently
this flag is only set for calls originating from ISDN where the customer
has opted for its release. The CLI information, however, will be there
for all calls that originated from customers at System X, AXE10 or
enhanced TXE4 exchanges - although there are currently some problems
with the AXE10s.

CLI is always sent to 999 and other operators regardless of the release
flag. ISDN customers who have opted to receive CLI will receive it only
from those who have the release flag set - currently only other ISDN
customers. ISDN users in other countries will again receive it only if
the release flag is set and the call has been routed over one of the
ISDN-friendly digital paths - international ISDN costs more than normal
international calls so customers can opt to choose a standard path for
their call which is not guaranteed to work on non-voice calls. For most
non-ISDN international calls, the CLI information is stripped from the
header regardless of the flag and not passed on to the other telco.  

----

Question 17:

Can I get a fully itemised bill from BT ?

Answer:

From: ccs@aber.ac.uk (Christopher Samuel)
From: roy@harlqn.co.uk (Roy Badami)

Yes, with the proviso that you are on a System X or Y exchange. 
Continuing with the general paranoia of the previous answer...  :

It's been claimed on this group before that modern exchanges record
time, duration and destination of _all_ calls, regardless of duration.
(And keep them rapidly accessible, if not actually on-line, for 6
months.)  I've always assumed that the notion of `meter reading' is
just notional, to avoid having to record all the calls on the bills
they send out.  I've heard it said that if you dispute the number of
metered units you've used, BT will send you a fully itemized bill,
which includes all calls -- not just those of 10 units and over.

----

Question 18:

How can I phone American 1-800 (toll free) numbers from the UK ?

Answer:

[Distilled from an article forwarded onto uk.telecom from
 comp.dcom.telecom by gtoal@robobar.co.uk (Graham Toal) by
 ccs@aber.ac.uk (Christopher Samuel) ]

I'm afraid the answer is no.  The service which has been mentioned a few
times turned out to be illegal and was defrauding the PTT for a large
sum of money ("several thousand dollars" cropped up).  Persons outside
the of the United States are generally not able to call US 800 numbers
for technical and billing reasons. 

The number was probably an unrestricted DISA (Direct Inward System
Access) port, and resulted in the use of phone lines without the
companies knowledge or permission. 

----

Question 19:

How do I dial a number with a mnemonic in it ?

Answer:

From: chris@visionware.co.uk (Chris Davies)

Here's a letter to number mapping; this is particularly useful because
many 1-800 numbers have mnemonics in them.  I got these from a request
in uk.telecom round about the end of September last year.

        Num     UK      USA
        1
        2       ABC     ABC
        3       DEF     DEF
        4       GHI     GHI
        5       JKL     JKL
        6       MN      MNO
        7       PRS     PRS
        8       TUV     TUV
        9       WXY     WXY
        0       OQ      Operator

There is no 'Z' in either system, and there's no 'Q' in the States.

----

Question 20:

Where can I get an old style BT phone box from ?

Answer:

From: ags@uk.co.gec-mrc (Gavin Spittlehouse)

A couple of people suggested looking in small ad's in Sunday newspapers,
Private Eye or Exchange and Mart.  One or two people suggested
contacting BT directly, but nobody claimed to have tries this or gave
any suggestions as to which bit of BT to try.  Mark Whidby
(M.Whidby@mcc.ac.uk) remembers seeing a company with a yard full of
'phone boxes near Staleybridge. 

I looked for the adverts and found a couple in Exchange and Mart. 

One company in Essex (0277 899 495, Michael Smith) does them in
off-street condition for UKL350+delivery+VAT or reconditioned at around
UKL975+delivery+VAT. 

Another company (061 767 9259) does them for UKL375+delivery
(off-street) or UKL1250+delivery reconditioned.  They said that there
was no VAT (presumably they're a smaller company who aren't VAT
registered?). 

They told me that customers usually found it cheaper to buy them
reconditioned than to resort to DIY.  Reconditioning includes stripping,
filling and repainting the cast iron frame, replacing glass (including
the `Telephone' signs), guilding the crowns and refurbishing the doors
(which were apparently made of teak; I'll check this out with a magnet
sometime).  Customers who did their own refurbishment usually did it for
pleasure or sentimental value rather than to save money. 

Delivery would cost UKL125 (from their Birmingham depot to me in Essex),
or I could collect if I happened to have a lorry and a fork-lift. 

Suggestions for uses were showers, drinks cabinets, fish tanks, to grow
plants in, to house a telephone, ... 

----

Question 21:

What is the Mercury beep, and can I get rid of it ?

Answer:

From: mandarin@cix.compulink.co.uk (Richard Cox)

richard@venus.demon.co.uk was talking about the Mercury answer beep.  I
was just going to mail him, but as he suggested the answers be posted
here, I'm happy to agree.  The answer beep can annoy customers, if it
occurs once the person has started speaking.  In some areas, like ours,
it is immediate on answer and therefore no problem.  It *can* be removed
for specific accounts on request although Mercury are reluctant to do
this unless essential.  They will be doing this in richard@venus's case
any day now. 

The beep triggers call logging/charging equipment, such as hotel
switchboards and payphones, and although it is currently applied to all
indirect calls via Mercury (except where the customer has requested its
removal), from 2/1/93 it will only be available where the customer has
specifically requested it. 

So now everyone should be happy !

----

Question 22:

What types of exchange are there, and which can be digital ?

Answer:

From: rf@cl.cam.ac.uk (Robin Fairbairns)

The types are:

a) Strowger - rotary switches, etc (UAXs, SAX, TXS)
b) Electromechanical crossbar (TXKs)
c) Electronic-control reed-relay switches (TXE2)
d) SPC non-digital (TXE4*)
e) Digital (Systems X and Y: may be further categorised as to whether
   they're ISDN-capable, I suppose)

Now, type (a) accepts your dialling at the point in the switching
matrix that your call has so far reached.  Every switch has its own
dial pulse decoding and routing intelligence.  Short of generating the
dial pulses at the MDF (where the lines come into the exchange),
there's no way to convert them to DTMF.  And what would be the point? - 
pulsing dial pads are _so_ cheap that pretty much everyone's telephone
can do the job.

All but type (a) accept the digits you dial into a register, and make
the routing decisions centrally based on the contents of the register.
In principle, any such exchange can easily be converted to accept
DTMF: it simply requires a different input box for the register.

(Historical note: the first electronic research exchange to hit public
service in the mid-60s, the TXE1 at Leighton Buzzard [RIP] was DTMF
capable.  As a person involved with fiddling 'phones at the time, I
arranged to go round it with some like-minded friends: we were shown a
DTMF 'phone in the exchange manager's office, and were told that there
was precisely one `public' user of the service.)

Pretty much any SPC exchange (types (d) and (e)) can in principle
offer network services.  We know that type (d) can in some cases,
since we've had a post to that effect from someone at STC (was it -
sorry, I've forgotten your name).  We know that type (e) can do it,
since they all do...

So there we are: since the advertised date for upgrade is 1998
(that'll teach you to live in Scotland!) I would guess that the
original exchange is a late-model TXE2, and that the provision of DTMF
was a sop to the punters...

----

Question 23:

Where can I get further information from ?

Answer:

From: ccs@aber.ac.uk (Christopher Samuel)

ONLINE:

There are two other telecoms related newsgroups which I am aware off. 
They are comp.dcom.telecom and alt.dcom.telecom, but be warned, they
tend to be dominated by US specific items, and the comp hierarchy one is
moderated as a gatewayed digest, so articles MUST be submitted to the
moderator for approval.  (Submissions: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu, requests to
telecom-request at same address)

FTP:

For anonymous FTP, the Usenet newsgroup comp.dcom.telecom has an archive
site at lcs.mit.edu [18.26.0.36], with a quite comprehensive suite of
files, including some UK specific stuff. 

		[Watch this space]
		
I am currently hopeful of organising an archive at src.doc.ic.ac.uk
thanks to a kind offer of help by Lee McLoughlin <lmjm@uk.ac.ic.doc>,
who is also now archiving both uk.telecom and comp.dcom.telecom
newsgroups into the /usenet/ area of src.doc.ic.ac.uk.  More news as I
get it. 


DIRECT CONTACT:

You could try BT, or Mercury direct, if you really want to.

[My thanks to Kevin Hopkins <pkh@cs.nott.ac.uk> for these numbers]
For BT enquiries the phone numbers are:
					BT Line		  Any Line
	Residential General Enquiries	  150		0800 800150
	Residential Fault Reports	  151		0800 800151
	Business General Enquiries	  152		0800 800152
	Business Fault Reports		  154		0800 800154

For Mercury enquiries the phone numbers are:
	General Enquiries		0800 424194
	Fault Reports			0800 424193
	Billing Enquiries		0800 424196


			Wish List:

1) UK versions of comp.dcom.telecom archive files.
-- 
"Paradise, is exactly like, where you are right now, only much, much, better"
 Christopher Samuel, c/o Computer Unit, UCW Aberystwyth, Aberystwyth, WALES
  RFC: ccs@aber.ac.uk   UUCP: *!mcsun!uknet!aber!ccs   JNT: ccs@uk.ac.aber
          Deddf Iaith Newydd i Gymru | New Language Act for Wales
Newsgroups: uk.misc