From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Apr 5 15:38:42 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id i35JcgS04653; Mon, 5 Apr 2004 15:38:42 -0400 (EDT) Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2004 15:38:42 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200404051938.i35JcgS04653@massis.lcs.mit.edu> X-Authentication-Warning: massis.lcs.mit.edu: ptownson set sender to editor@telecom-digest.org using -f To: ptownson Approved: patsnewlist Subject: TELECOM Digest V23 #162 TELECOM Digest Mon, 5 Apr 2004 15:38:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 162 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Telecom Update (Canada) #427, April 5, 2004 (Angus TeleManagement) Cox Closes Wiretap Hole For VoIP (VOIP News) VoIP's Broadband Bottleneck (VOIP News) Re: Hot-Spot Wi-Fi Business (Kyler Laird) MCI's Post-Bankruptcy "Big Splash" (Navigate) New ALCATEL OMNIPCX 4400 Knowledge Base (Simon Templar) Re: Walmart Mixup Balancing Credit Cards Causes Hassle (Mark Atwood) Re: Walmart Mixup Balancing Credit Cards Causes Hassle (Mark Crispin) Re: Walmart Mixup Balancing Credit Cards Causes Hassle (Clarence Dold) All contents here are copyrighted by Patrick Townson and the individual writers/correspondents. Articles may be used in other journals or newsgroups, provided the writer's name and the Digest are included in the fair use quote. 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Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2004 10:55:14 -0400 From: Angus TeleManagement Subject: Telecom Update (Canada) #427, April 5, 2004 ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 427: April 5, 2004 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** ALLSTREAM: www.allstream.com ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca ** CYGCOM INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGIES: www.cygcom.com ** GROUP TELECOM: www.360.net ** JUNIPER NETWORKS: www.juniper.net ** PRIMUS CANADA: www.primustel.ca ** SPRINT CANADA: www.sprint.ca ** TELUS: www.telus.com ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** TSX Won't Order MTS Vote ** Virgin and Bell Join to Target Youth Market ** Vonage Launches Canadian VoIP Service ** Primus Expands VoIP Service, Adds 9-1-1 ** Aliant Must Tariff "Packages" ** CRTC Issues First Expedited Rulings ** Competitors Want DSL Ruling Extended ** Vonage Sues AT&T over VoIP Brand ** Free Broadband Trial for School Boards ** Start-Up Offers Hosted VoIP for Business ** Call-Net Wants Telus Agreement Annulled ** Aliant Offers Higher-Speed DSL ** Pier 1 and Pulver to Subsidize VoIP Start-Ups ** Cellphone Users to Get Olympic News ** Broadband Promised in Fort Frances Area ** Allstream Intros Hosted Call Centre ** Bell Cuts Price for High-Speed Internet ** Ottawa Invests in Integrated Phone ** Cygcom to Sell Pronexus Software ** Telecom Consulting Firm Closes ** Couch Potato Report Available ** Are Internet Phones Business-Ready? ============================================================ TSX WON'T ORDER MTS VOTE: The Toronto Stock Exchange has denied a request from Enterprise Capital Management that it order a shareholder vote on Manitoba Telecom Services' plan to acquire Allstream. (See Telecom Update #425 and 426) The TSX says it saw no evidence that the MTS management failed to meet its fiduciary obligations. ** Enterprise says it is "disappointed but not surprised" and will evaluate options for future action. ** In a move to placate income trust advocates, MTS says it will set its annual dividend at $2.60 per share after the acquisition. This is 40 cents higher than it promised when the Allstream deal was announced three weeks ago. VIRGIN AND BELL JOIN TO TARGET YOUTH MARKET: The Virgin Group and Bell Mobility have formed a jointly owned company to offer prepaid wireless service and handsets to young people under the Virgin Mobile brand. A similar venture in the U.S. has won 1.75 million customers in two years. VONAGE LAUNCHES CANADIAN VOIP SERVICE: U.S. Internet telephony provider Vonage launched service in Canada on March 31. Pricing: $46.99/month for unlimited North American use; $34.99 for unlimited in-province calling and 500 minutes elsewhere; $19.99 for 500 minutes. Local number portability and 9-1-1 are not yet available. PRIMUS EXPANDS VoIP SERVICE, ADDS 9-1-1: Primus Canada says its Internet telephony service, TalkBroadband, now offers local numbers in Victoria, Winnipeg, Quebec City, London, Kitchener-Waterloo, Halifax, Mississauga, and St. Catharines in addition to the seven previously announced cities. It provides 9-1-1 calling in 14 cities, but only if the phone is in a registered location in the exchange associated with the telephone number. ** Monthly rates have been reduced for customers who pay $139.95 to purchase a TalkBroadband modem outright: ** Residential: Basic, $15.95; Power Bundle, $25.95; Ultimate Bundle, $30.95. A new $45.95 Unlimited Bundle provides all local features and unlimited calling within Canada and to the U.S. ** Commercial: Basic, $25.95; Power Bundle, $32.95; Elite Bundle, $38.95. ALIANT MUST TARIFF "PACKAGES": Responding to a complaint filed by EastLink, CRTC Telecom Decision 2004-21 says that Aliant's "Value Packages" are bundles that require tariff approval. The telco must either file tariffs by April 19 or discontinue providing the bundles to existing customers. www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2004/dt2004-21.htm CRTC ISSUES FIRST EXPEDITED RULINGS: On Friday the CRTC issued decisions in the first three competitive disputes handled under the Commission's new expedited process (see Telecom Update #426). ** 2004-22: Bell Canada "failed to comply with the bundling rules" when its Customer Service Reps incorrectly told customers that they must subscribe to Bell local service to qualify for the "Bundle from Bell." Bell must now file quarterly third-party reports on CSR accuracy. www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2004/dt2004-22.htm ** 2004-23: Telus's "Student Bundle" does not need to be separately tariffed, but the promotion should not have implied that it offered additional savings beyond the tariffed "Residence Value Bundle." www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2004/dt2004-23.htm ** 2004-24: Shaw must provide its higher speed Internet service to Cybersurf for resale in one of its six serving areas within 45 days, and in other areas within 14 days of Cybersurf's written request, until Shaw actually provides third-party Internet access throughout the serving area. www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2004/dt2004-24.htm COMPETITORS WANT DSL RULING EXTENDED: FCI Broadband and Maskatel want the CRTC to rule that incumbent telcos cannot refuse high-speed Internet service to customers who obtain local phone service from a competitor that has its own local facilities. This would extend Telecom Decision 2003-49, which applied only when the competitor obtains the local loop from the telco. www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2004/8622/f18_200402321.htm VONAGE SUES AT&T OVER VoIP BRAND: Internet telephony provider Vonage has asked a U.S. District Court to order AT&T to change the name of its new Internet telephone service. Vonage says the similarity of "CallVantage" to "Vonage" will confuse consumers and weaken Vonage's trademark. ** AT&T began offering CallVantage in parts of New Jersey and Texas last week, and said it would be in 100 markets by year-end. FREE BROADBAND TRIAL FOR SCHOOL BOARDS: The Ontario Research and Innovation Optical Network (ORION) is offering school boards in the province free trials of the high-speed network. There is no further obligation to sign on to the network after the trial. Interested Boards should e-mail info@orano.on.ca. START-UP OFFERS HOSTED VoIP FOR BUSINESS: OneConnect, a new subsidiary of Globalive Communications, has begun offering hosted Voice over IP to businesses in Toronto and Montreal. The company's services, based on Nortel's Multimedia Communication Server 5200, include Virtual PBX, Video Calling, Whiteboarding, and Find Me/Follow Me options. www.oneconnect.ca CALL-NET WANTS TELUS AGREEMENT ANNULLED: Call-Net wants out of the agreement under which it leases components for Wide Area Ethernet service from Telus. It has asked the CRTC to annul the contract, saying the terms are unjust, unreasonable, and discriminatory. www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2004/8622/c25_200402347.htm ALIANT OFFERS HIGHER-SPEED DSL: Aliant's new Ultra High- Speed Internet access, which provides downloads at up to 3 Mbps, costs $54.95/month with no contract. Customers who sign a 12-month contract pay $44.95/month and get the first three months free. PIER 1 AND PULVER TO SUBSIDIZE VoIP START-UPS: Vancouver- based Peer 1 Network and Pulver.com have formed a joint venture -- the VoIP Acceleration Project -- to fund the bandwidth and co-location needs of new VoIP companies in the beginning stages of their business. For more information see www.pulver.com/colo. CELLPHONE USERS TO GET OLYMPIC NEWS: CBC and Montreal-based messaging developer Lipso Inc. have teamed up to deliver news on the Athens 2004 Olympics by text messaging. Cellphone users will be able to register in advance, or get information on demand using shortcodes. BROADBAND PROMISED IN FORT FRANCES AREA: Bell Canada has announced plans to extend broadband Internet to communities in the Fort Frances, Ontario, area. The telco says it is partnering with the Pwi-di-goo-zing Ne-yaa-zhing Advisory Services and Industry Canada under the federal Broadband for Rural and Northern Development (BRAND) Pilot Program. ALLSTREAM INTROS HOSTED CALL CENTRE: Allstream has announced a "unique Hosted Contact Centre solution," which provides ACD, IVR, speech recognition, and CTI capabilities over traditional or IP infrastructure, charged on a per-seat basis. BELL CUTS PRICE FOR HIGH-SPEED INTERNET: Bell Canada has reduced the rate for its Sympatico High Speed Ultra service by $10, to $59.95/month, and increased speeds for most customers to 4 Mbps (download) and 800 Kbps (upload). OTTAWA INVESTS IN INTEGRATED PHONE: The federal government has announced a $9.5-million "strategic investment" in an R&D project to develop the Sierra Wireless Voq Professional Phone, which will combine features of a personal digital assistant, wireless e-mail device, and mobile phone. CYGCOM TO SELL PRONEXUS SOFTWARE: Cygcom Integrated Technologies has signed an agreement to distribute telephony and speech software tools developed by Ottawa-based Pronexus Inc. TELECOM CONSULTING FIRM CLOSES: Schooley Mitchell Telecom Consultants, a Stratford, Ontario-based company that claimed to have over 150 franchises in Canada and the U.S., appears to have closed its doors. Individual franchisees are discussing how to proceed, but they tell us the head office is no longer operating. The company did not reply to our requests for comment. COUCH POTATO REPORT AVAILABLE: An updated report on "The Battle for the North American Couch Potato" is now available from the Convergence Consulting Group. www.convergenceonline.com ARE INTERNET PHONES BUSINESS-READY? In the April issue of Telemanagement: Gerry Blackwell tests Local IP phone services from Primus and Vonage; John Riddell examines the latest trends in IP-PBXs; BCE and the Cable TV Association debate technology substitution and telecom regulation. ** Telemanagement is available to subscribers only. Telemanagement Online subscribers can access this issue, and an extensive library of past issues, columns, editorials, and feature reports, at the Online Home Page. ** To subscribe, or to add online access to your existing subscription, call 800-263-4415 x500 or go to the Online Subscription Page. www.angustel.ca/teleman/tm-sub-online.html ============================================================ HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE E-MAIL: editors@angustel.ca FAX: 905-686-2655 MAIL: TELECOM UPDATE Angus TeleManagement Group 8 Old Kingston Road Ajax, Ontario Canada L1T 2Z7 =========================================================== HOW TO SUBSCRIBE (OR UNSUBSCRIBE) TELECOM UPDATE is provided in electronic form only. There are two formats available: 1. The fully-formatted edition is posted on the World Wide Web on the first business day of the week at www.angustel.ca 2. The e-mail edition is distributed free of charge. To subscribe, send an e-mail message to: join-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com To stop receiving the e-mail edition, send an e-mail message to: leave-telecom_update@nova.sparklist.com Sending e-mail to these addresses will automatically add or remove the sender's e-mail address from the list. Leave subject line and message area blank. We do not give Telecom Update subscribers' e-mail addresses to any third party. For more information, see www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html. =========================================================== COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2004 Angus TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information, including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail rosita@angustel.ca or phone 905-686-5050 ext 500. The information and data included has been obtained from sources which we believe to be reliable, but Angus TeleManagement makes no warranties or representations whatsoever regarding accuracy, completeness, or adequacy. Opinions expressed are based on interpretation of available information, and are subject to change. If expert advice on the subject matter is required, the services of a competent professional should be obtained. ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2004 09:32:27 -0400 Subject: Cox Closes Wiretap Hole For VoIP Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://news.com.com/2100-7352_3-5184774.html By Ben Charny Staff Writer, CNET News.com Police can now wiretap Internet phone calls on Cox Communications' network, kicking off a new era for law enforcement. The cable and broadband provider turned to security specialist VeriSign to supply the know-how, the latter announced Monday. Law enforcement officers can now eavesdrop on every call made by Cox's nearly 1 million voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone subscribers. Police can already tap calls on 12 of Cox's 13 telephone markets because they rely on traditional phone equipment equipped with eavesdropping abilities. But in December, Cox deployed VoIP, a much cheaper alternative that uses the unregulated Internet. Roanoke, Va., is the first of several small markets where Cox is deploying VoIP technology. Full story at: http://news.com.com/2100-7352_3-5184774.html How to Distribute VoIP Throughout a Home: http://michigantelephone.mi.org/distribute.html If you live in Michigan, subscribe to the MI-Telecom group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MI-Telecom/ ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2004 09:38:32 -0400 Subject: VoIP's Broadband Bottleneck Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5184599.html?tag=zdfd.newsfeed By Ben Charny CNET News.com Broadband Net-phoning services pushing aggressive expansion plans are discovering a harsh reality: Some residential Internet service providers in the United States currently can't guarantee the bandwidth required to handle calls effectively. AT&T Vice President Kathy Martine said she learned that lesson the hard way during recent trials of the company's CallVantage Net-phoning plan, which it hopes to introduce in 100 markets this year. Some customers' broadband connections just weren't good enough to provide "AT&T-like" quality, she said. So the company was forced to help the broadband providers fix their connections. Now AT&T Labs is "doing a lot of statistical modeling and analysis on that so we can, in fact, prove where the problems are in the future," Martine said recently. "But the reality is, it's only as good as the broadband connection to your home." VoIP backers such as Cisco Systems insist that the industry has solved problems that once plagued the technology. But those claims tacitly assume the presence of high-quality broadband networks, something industry insiders admit they don't always encounter when deploying service in residential markets. United States spoiled by Ma Bell VoIP's quality problems aren't a big deal in Europe or Asia, where the cost of traditional phone lines is so high that dialers are expected to eagerly embrace VoIP in the home and put up with the lost calls and dropped words. But Americans are a different story. They've become used to the century-old telephone networks, which operate so well that even during power outages there may still be a dial tone. Full story at: http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1103_2-5184599.html?tag=zdfd.newsfeed [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I have discovered one thing about my Vonage service which is a problem. Even though it usually does okay, I get the dropped words problem whenever I am trying to run too many jobs at once here. Left alone on the cable, Vonage seems to do very well. But usually I am running my weather station http://weatherforecast.n3.net or http://weatherforecast.us.tf and my computer room live camera http://patricktownson.us.tf most of the time. Both of these services take .jpg images and transfer them to my California web site using FTP (under their alias 'n3.net' and 'us.tf' names) every fifteen seconds or so. Often times also I am using a secure form of telnet or rlogin to work on this Digest at MIT. Whenever weather or the office cam decide it is time to do a transfer via FTP I can count on the words on Vonage getting lost. I can set my watch by it, every fifteen seconds or so. They are on other machines, (the Windows 98 and Windows 95 computers) but still using the same NetGear router and cable modem. I wish there was a way that Vonage could take priority and slow down or automatically stop the other jobs when it was talking. I asked Mike Flood, general manager of Cable One here in Independence about this. His answer was I need a 'bigger pipe', which of course he said he could sell me. I now have what he termed 'half size' (or some words like that) with 500 K and he said I should get a 'full size pipe'. (More money of course). Does that make sense to anyone? I guess the full size is twice the 500 K. PAT] ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Hot-Spot Wi-Fi Business From: Kyler Laird Organization: Insight Broadband Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2004 13:08:17 GMT > but I suppose Blue Socket could be considered along with Cisco > solutions, if that were the size endeavor being undertaken. My experience has been that users are *much* happier if they don't have to install any new software in order to use a service. This is especially true for people using company laptops (which might be "locked down," preventing them from installing anything anyway). I've watched users choose to use PPTP over 802.11b because they saw that they could just use software that was already on their systems. It seems like an obvious answer. It should be easy to implement with a Free system also, although the usual MS protocol, MPPE, requires a bit more effort to invoke there. http://www.opentech.at/howtos/pptp.html (MPPE also has some more weaknesses but I don't think that's significant for this application.) --kyler ------------------------------ From: dmudd@navigateinternational.com (Navigate) Subject: MCI's Post-Bankruptcy "Big Splash" Date: 5 Apr 2004 09:44:53 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Anyone heard about the "big splash" MCI is planning when they come out of bankruptcy around the end of April? In 2003 they rolled out "The Neighborhood" during the MCI Heritage tournament, and I heard they have something up their sleeves again this year. ------------------------------ From: le_prelude@yahoo.fr (simon templar) Subject: New ALCATEL OMNIPCX 4400 Knowledge Base Date: 5 Apr 2004 10:12:07 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Hi all, I just created a new place where 'we' (alcatel engineers) could exchange experience, and share our knowledge with other. You can find it at http://www.gadot.net There is a link on the top left to the ALCATEL KNOWLEDGE BASE Enjoy ! ------------------------------ Subject: Re: Walmart Mix Up Balancing Credit Cards Causes Major Hassle From: Mark Atwood Organization: EasyNews, UseNet made Easy! Date: Mon, 05 Apr 2004 17:51:59 GMT Nick Landsberg writes: > Its too bad Walmart's first response was to simply deny any of this > and tell people to contact their own 'credit card issuer'. PAT] Probably what happened was that Walmart didn't think they had done anything wrong (and they hadn't). First Data was probably stonewalling and lying to them as well. Mark Atwood | When you do things right, people won't be sure mra@pobox.com | you've done anything at all. http://www.pobox.com/~mra | http://www.livejournal.com/users/fallenpegasus ------------------------------ From: Mark Crispin Subject: Re: Walmart Mix Up Balancing Credit Cards Causes Major Hassle Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2004 11:35:13 -0700 Organization: University of Washington On Sun, 4 Apr 2004, TELECOM Digest Editor noted in response to Nick Landsberg: > Its too bad Walmart's first response was to simply deny any of this > and tell people to contact their own 'credit card issuer'. PAT] They probably didn't know anything other than a lot of customers were complaining and that their (Wal-Mart's) IT department insisted "we didn't cause it." In such circumstances, that advice would be appropriate: have the customer complain to their card issuer, get a dispute going, and let the goblins whose job it is to work out such things straighten it out. This would solve the problem immediately for most credit card holders. Of course, it would not solve the problem for credit card holders near their limit, or for debit card holders; the funds would be in limbo for those folks. -- Mark -- http://staff.washington.edu/mrc Science does not emerge from voting, party politics, or public debate. Si vis pacem, para bellum. ------------------------------ From: dold@WalmartXMi.usenet.us.com Subject: Re: Walmart Mix Up Balancing Credit Cards Causes Major Hassle Date: Mon, 5 Apr 2004 18:36:56 UTC Organization: a2i network AES/newspost wrote: > Or to phrase this differently, shall we both watch and see what further > news about this shows up on comp.risks? It was mentioned on the CBS Hourly News carried on KCBS-AM radio in San Francisco. It mentioned the dates involved, the only store was WalMart, and that the corrections had been applied to people's accounts. Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5 [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I had two credits coming; the first one came through Sunday night about 10 PM; the second one came through about 1 AM Monday morning April 5. PayPal has not, as of yet taken back the 'bonus money' they gave me (55 cents times two transactions, or $1.10 total) for the two bogus transactions. What I do not understand is why an outfit like Walmart, as big as they are, does not process their own Visa/MC paper, sending it directly to Visa/MC instead of going through a third party place like First Data Merchants? Isn't FDMC in this case a sort of 'bottom feeder' a lot like the 'operator service companies' who intercept what Bell is doing and get their own rake off at more expense to the end user (in this case, Walmart?) I had thought places like First Data Merchants were mostly intended for small people. For example, when I first checked into the idea of using credit cards here in the Digest, First Data said they would lease me a terminal, accept 'no signature, no swipe, no card presented' transactions, etc, for some monthly fee. It would have been ideal for me, but then PayPal came along and said they could do it better and at no charge to me. Why would Walmart need a company like that to handle their credit card stuff? PAT] ------------------------------ TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly but not exclusively to telecommunications topics. It is circulated anywhere there is email, in addition to various telecom forums on a variety of networks such as Compuserve and America On Line, Yahoo Groups, and other forums. It is also gatewayed to Usenet where it appears as the moderated newsgroup 'comp.dcom.telecom'. TELECOM Digest is a not-for-profit, mostly non-commercial educational service offered to the Internet by Patrick Townson. All the contents of the Digest are compilation-copyrighted. You may reprint articles in some other media on an occasional basis, but please attribute my work and that of the original author. Contact information: Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest Post Office Box 50 Independence, KS 67301 Phone: 620-402-0134 Fax 1: 775-255-9970 Fax 2: 530-309-7234 Fax 3: 208-692-5145 Email: editor@telecom-digest.org Subscribe: telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm- unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and published continuously since then. Our archives are available for your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list on the internet in any category! 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Go to http://www.thehungersite.com Copyright 2004 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved. Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA. --------------------------------------------------------------- Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above. Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing your name to the mailing list. If you donate at least fifty dollars per year we will send you our two-CD set of the entire Telecom Archives; this is every word published in this Digest since our beginning in 1981. All opinions expressed herein are deemed to be those of the author. Any organizations listed are for identification purposes only and messages should not be considered any official expression by the organization. End of TELECOM Digest V23 #162 ******************************