From editor@telecom-digest.org Wed Apr 7 14:30:00 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id i37ITxS03734; Wed, 7 Apr 2004 14:30:00 -0400 (EDT) Date: Wed, 7 Apr 2004 14:30:00 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200404071830.i37ITxS03734@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 #167 TELECOM Digest Wed, 7 Apr 2004 14:30:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 167 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson VeriSign NetDiscovery Service Implemented by Cox Comm (VOIP News) Cable Not Planning to Tangle With Net Phone Service - Yet (VOIP News) Time Warner VoIP Details (VOIP News) Congressmen Introduce Bills to Stop States from Regulating (VOIP News) Mobile Software Ties Wi-Fi, VoIP For Free Calls (VOIP News) Obituary: Inventor of Telephone Answer Machine Dies at 92 (Friedebach) Skype's Cell Division (Eric Friedebach) Re: RJ11 Line 1/2 Splitter - Do These Still Exist? (Jeff Spidle) Re: RJ11 Line 1/2 Splitter - Do These Still Exist? (lars) Re: RJ11 Line 1/2 Splitter - Do These Still Exist? (Carl Navarro) Re: RJ11 Line 1/2 Splitter - Do These Still Exist? (AES/newspost) Re: RJ11 Line 1/2 Splitter - Do These Still Exist? (Paul Vader) Re: RJ11 Line 1/2 Splitter - Do These Still Exist? (Joseph) Re: RJ11 Line 1/2 Splitter - Do These Still Exist? (Ed Clarke) Re: RJ11 Line 1/2 Splitter - Do These Still Exist? (Phil Earnhardt) Re: Trouble With VOIP Sometimes Dropping Words (Hank Karl) 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. By using -any name or email address- included herein for -any- reason other than responding to an article herein, you agree to pay a hundred dollars to the recipients of the email. =========================== Addresses herein are not to be added to any mailing list, nor to be sold or given away without explicit written consent. Chain letters, viruses, porn, spam, and miscellaneous junk are definitely unwelcome. We must fight spam for the same reason we fight crime: not because we are naive enough to believe that we will ever stamp it out, but because we do not want the kind of world that results when no one stands against crime. Geoffrey Welsh =========================== See the bottom of this issue for subscription and archive details and the name of our lawyer; other stuff of interest. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: VOIP News Date: Wed, 07 Apr 2004 08:02:48 -0400 Subject: VeriSign NetDiscovery Services Implemented by Cox Communication Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/04-05-2004/0002140799&EDATE= Service Tested and Implemented in Advance of New FCC Rules to Broaden CALEA Ruling to Include VoIP and Broadband Internet Services MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., April 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- VeriSign, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRSN), the leading provider of critical infrastructure services for the Internet and telecommunications networks, and Cox Communications, a multi-service broadband communications company with approximately 6.6 million total customers, today announced that Cox has implemented VeriSign NetDiscovery(TM) Services to help ensure compliance of its Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)-based cable telephony services with the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA). Cox Communications launched its 12th telephony market in December 2003 in Roanoke, Va., and its first using VoIP technology. Eleven other Cox systems offer Cox Digital Telephone using circuit-switched technology, all CALEA-compliant since first introduced in 1997. VeriSign NetDiscovery Services, which was tested and implemented to support the Cox data network infrastructure used in VoIP deployments, assists Cox in meeting CALEA compliance through an outsourced model of service, which will minimize Cox's capital and operational expenditures. To implement the service, VeriSign worked with the VoIP network infrastructure vendors supplying to Cox and integrated the end-to-end NetDiscovery solution. Cox's announcement underscores VeriSign's commitment and ability to provide carriers and service providers with the necessary services they need to introduce integrated next-generation communications services and comply with CALEA. This announcement also marks VeriSign's first CALEA compliance implementation with a major cable provider. VeriSign will utilize its heritage in security, Internet infrastructure and telecommunications to aid cable providers via a unique managed communications services model to quickly deliver the integrated, next-generation services that wireless, cable and wireline subscribers are demanding. "VeriSign provides a full spectrum of other tools and services aimed at top-tier carriers, including NetDiscovery," said Bill Dame, director of network switch engineering at Cox Communications. "Cox has always considered CALEA compliance as a top priority in our circuit switched markets, and realized that CALEA in new markets served by VoIP would be a challenge. VeriSign came in with a total solution, using the same equipment we had evaluated, and made it easy and cost effective." Vernon Irvin, executive vice president of VeriSign Communications Services, said: "Being the leader in managed security services, VeriSign is delivering a service via its NetDiscovery platform to Cox Communications in order to assist them with CALEA compliance. VeriSign can help all types of service providers meet their legal obligations both securely and at a low cost." CALEA requires carriers to assist Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) in lawfully authorized surveillance. To comply, carriers often have to purchase dedicated hardware, have trained operation staff and are called upon to maintain connectivity with a variety of LEAs. VeriSign's NetDiscovery Service greatly streamlines the CALEA compliance requirements and eliminates the need to purchase costly equipment. The service offers a secure and streamlined administration, along with a multitude of connectivity options that make it easy to fulfill lawful interception mandates and take the burden and expense of compliance out of a service provider's hands. By outsourcing the service to VeriSign, service providers maintain continuous, hassle-free compliance. Greg Caressi, vice president of Frost & Sullivan said: "It used to be that to satisfy regulations, a carrier had to do it themselves. VeriSign's NetDiscovery Service offers carriers a safe, secure and trusted way to reach CALEA compliance without having to utilize a great deal of internal resources." For more information on VeriSign's NetDiscovery http://www.verisign.com/telecom/products/network/netDiscovery.html About VeriSign VeriSign, Inc., delivers critical infrastructure services that make the Internet and telecommunications networks more intelligent, reliable and secure. Every day VeriSign helps thousands of businesses and millions of consumers connect, communicate, and transact with confidence. Additional news and information about the company is available at http://www.verisign.com . SOURCE VeriSign, Inc. Web Site: http://www.verisign.com 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: Wed, 07 Apr 2004 07:03:47 -0400 Subject: Cable not Planning to Tangle With Net Phone Service - Yet Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.nj.com/business/ledger/index.ssf?/base/business-0/1081318358280250.xml The cable industry is not thrilled companies such as Vonage and AT&T are trying to sell Internet phone service to its high-speed data customers. But would cable operators try to use technology to block out interlopers? It's feasible, but not likely, according to a recent research report by Merrill Lynch. Big Cable only has to look back at the example of Excite@Home, which was supposed to be a pumped-up version of America Online. Customers had to pay for a package that included fast online access and homegrown content from Excite@Home. But people who preferred chat rooms and channel offerings from AOL, or a stripped-down connection to the Web, hated the idea of paying extra for something they didn't want. Wireless gains ground in long-distance race If you want to know the state of the long-distance industry, look no further than a recent consumer survey by the Yankee Group. The Boston-based consulting group found wireless customers make 43 percent of their long-distance calls on their mobile phones. That's bad news for companies such as AT&T, MCI or Sprint, even though they all sell wholesale long- distance service to wireless carriers. The reason: Profit margins for wholesale contracts are a lot smaller than selling service to Aunt Tilly in Tulsa. The survey found 50 percent of households with wireless subscribers have significantly reduced the use of their home phones in favor of cell phones. Phone offerings by cable companies are expected to cut into traditional calling plans even more. "These trends have precipitated the death of distance and eventually will result in the death of the minute as the measure of the market," Katie Griffin, a Yankee Group analyst, said in a statement. Translation: Get used to flat- rate pricing schemes the wireless industry pioneered. Full story at: http://www.nj.com/business/ledger/index.ssf?/base/business-0/1081318358280250.xml ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 06 Apr 2004 11:19:05 -0400 Subject: Time Warner VoIP Details Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/41858 Several markets ready for launch Written by Karl Bode According to sources, Time Warner's VoIP launch is very close, with several markets ready to go live in May. Time Warner has spent the past year making the rounds, trying to get regulatory approval for the upcoming launch of its "digital phone" service in its 31 markets - and beyond. Full story at: http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/41858 ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 06 Apr 2004 13:33:51 -0400 Subject: Congressmen Introduce Bills to Stop States from Regulating, Taxing Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.phoneplusmag.com/hotnews/44h682359.html Rep. Chip Pickering (R.-Miss.) and Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.) on Friday introduced bills that would prohibit states from imposing taxes and fees on Internet-based phone service and place the technology under the jurisdiction of the federal government. Among other provisions, the Senate bill states the FCC shall ensure VoIP providers contribute to the USF either directly or indirectly based on a flat fee; however, the regulator can make exemptions. The House bill is less specific, stipulating the commission may put in place a contribution method based on the assignment of telephone numbers or other methodologies. The bills also includes provisions related to 911 emergency services, law enforcement's ability to monitor calls, telephone access for disabled people and improving the reliability of the technology. Full story at: http://www.phoneplusmag.com/hotnews/44h682359.html ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 06 Apr 2004 14:54:55 -0400 Subject: Mobile Software Ties Wi-Fi, VoIP For Free Calls Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20040406S0002 By W. David Gardner, TechWeb News A new way to merge two disruptive technologies--Internet phoning and Wi-Fi--was introduced Tuesday, in the form of mobile-PDA software from Skype Technologies. Called PocketSkype, the free software enables users of Microsoft PocketPC-based handhelds to connect to Wi-Fi access points to make free VoIP calls. "PocketSkype is essentially the same core as our desktop software," said Niklas Zeenstrom, CEO and co-founder of the Stockholm-based Skype, in an interview. "The user interface is different." PDA manufacturers have noted the possibilities of taking advantage of VoIP and Wi-Fi technologies in one simple hardware package, and some firms have even begun manufacturing such devices. However, there has been a gap -- no enabling software. Zeenstrom said he created PocketSkype to fill that gap. Full story at: http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB20040406S0002 ------------------------------ From: friedebach@yahoo.com (Eric Friedebach) Subject: Obituary: Inventor of Telephone Answering Machine Dies at 92 Date: 6 Apr 2004 19:33:40 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Associated Press, April 5, 2004 MILWAUKEE -- Joseph James Zimmermann Jr., who invented the telephone answering machine in 1948 and patented it a year later, has died at the age of 92. Zimmerman died last Wednesday, and funeral services were scheduled today, April 7, at St. Mary's Church in suburban Elm Grove. Zimmermann said in a 1949 interview with the Milwaukee Journal that he got the idea for the device as the owner of an air conditioning and heating company when he could not afford to hire a secretary to take calls when he was out of the office. The first machine, the Electronic Secretary Model R1, was made up of a box that lifted the telephone receiver from its cradle when the phone rang, a box containing a control panel with a 78 rpm record player inside that played a recorded greeting and a wire recorder on top of the second box for recording a series of 30-second messages. http://www.startribune.com/stories/484/4705283.html Eric Friedebach /Old enough to remember when MTV played music videos/ ------------------------------ From: friedebach@yahoo.com (Eric Friedebach) Subject: Skype's Cell Division Date: 6 Apr 2004 19:37:03 -0700 Organization: http://groups.google.com Aude Lagorce, 04.06.04, Forbes.com NEW YORK - By threatening to make extravagant phone bills a distant memory, voice-over-Internet Protocol technology, also known as VoIP, has become the most ominous cloud hanging over the future of traditional phone companies. In recent months, giants like AT&T and Verizon Communications have responded to its threat by launching their own discount VoIP services. Meanwhile, cell phone carriers thought they were relatively safe. That assumption may yet turn out to be wrong: Skype, a company founded by the developers of the file-sharing service Kazaa, announced this morning that it is bringing the disruptive technology to handheld devices. "We knew it was just a matter of time before VoIP services came to mobile devices," says Jane Zweig, chief executive of the Shosteck Group, a telecom research firm. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2004/04/06/cx_al_0406skype.html Eric Friedebach /Old enough to remember when MTV played music videos/ ------------------------------ From: Jeff Spidle Subject: Re: RJ11 Line 1/2 Splitter - Do These Still Exist? Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2004 21:41:55 -0500 Check Radio Shack Part 279-402 or 279-432 Splits a 2 line jack into line 1, line 1&2, line 2 outputs. Alex wrote in message news:telecom23.166.1@telecom-digest.org: > Hi all, > Many years ago, I used to find the RJ11 splitters that seperated the > two pairs of lines into Line 1 and Line 2 for dual-line phone jacks. > Now'days, I'm having trouble locating one. I've even talked to folks > from SBC and they say the splitters aren't common anymore and are hard > to find. > Does anyone know of a supplier that still produces or sells these > splitters? I'm not talking about a y-splitter where one analog line > is split to two, but one that physically splits the two pairs of > lines. > Thanks in advance. > Alex. ------------------------------ From: lars Subject: Re: RJ11 Line 1/2 Splitter - Do These Still Exist? Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2004 22:30:52 -0400 Organization: Alstown Reply-To: lars http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F008%5F008%5F001%5F004&product%5Fid=279%2D402 Radio Shack 279-402 line 1-2 in line 1, line 2, and line 1-2 out All rj11 connectors. Alan Larsson KC2GOC / NYSING-413 http://www.alstown.com Webmaster, Genesee & Ontario Model-N-Gineers Ntrak http://www.ggw.org/gno ------------------------------ From: Carl Navarro Subject: Re: RJ11 Line 1/2 Splitter - Do These Still Exist? Reply-To: cnavarro@wcnet.org Date: Wed, 07 Apr 2004 02:51:14 GMT Organization: Road Runner High Speed Online http://www.rr.com On Tue, 06 Apr 2004 15:10:07 -0500, Alex wrote: > Hi all, > Many years ago, I used to find the RJ11 splitters that seperated the > two pairs of lines into Line 1 and Line 2 for dual-line phone jacks. > Now'days, I'm having trouble locating one. I've even talked to folks > from SBC and they say the splitters aren't common anymore and are hard > to find. > Does anyone know of a supplier that still produces or sells these > splitters? I'm not talking about a y-splitter where one analog line > is split to two, but one that physically splits the two pairs of > lines. The part you're looking for is an SE-267B. Here's the reference from Suttle: http://www.suttleonline.com/trad_adapters_modular.html#tadapters Carl Navarro ------------------------------ From: AES/newspost Subject: Re: RJ11 Line 1/2 Splitter - Do These Still Exist? Date: Tue, 06 Apr 2004 20:32:41 -0700 In article , Alex wrote: > Does anyone know of a supplier that still produces or sells these > splitters? I'm not talking about a y-splitter where one analog line > is split to two, but one that physically splits the two pairs of > lines. Radio Shack or Fry's? ------------------------------ From: pv+usenet@pobox.com (Paul Vader) Subject: Re: RJ11 Line 1/2 Splitter - Do These Still Exist? Date: Wed, 07 Apr 2004 15:51:29 -0000 Organization: Inline Software Creations This is a cheap item you can pick up at any Radio Shack. It looks exactly like a one-line splitter though, so make sure you pick up the right item. * * PV something like badgers--something like lizards--and something like corkscrews. ------------------------------ From: Joseph Subject: Re: RJ11 Line 1/2 Splitter - Do These Still Exist? Date: Wed, 07 Apr 2004 08:00:38 -0700 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Reply-To: JoeOfSeattle@yahoo.NONOcom On Tue, 06 Apr 2004 15:10:07 -0500, Alex wrote: > Hi all, > Many years ago, I used to find the RJ11 splitters that seperated the > two pairs of lines into Line 1 and Line 2 for dual-line phone jacks. > Now'days, I'm having trouble locating one. I've even talked to folks > from SBC and they say the splitters aren't common anymore and are hard > to find. > Does anyone know of a supplier that still produces or sells these > splitters? I'm not talking about a y-splitter where one analog line > is split to two, but one that physically splits the two pairs of > lines. If you can't find it why not make one yourself? All you need is two standard jacks, a length of cable with one end having a modular "pinch" plug and the other end having spade lugs. Open the jacks and attach green/red spade lugs to the green red on one jack, take the yellow/black spade lugs and attach it to the green/red terminal on the other jack. remove NONO from .NONOcom to reply ------------------------------ From: Ed Clarke Subject: Re: RJ11 Line 1/2 Splitter - Do These Still Exist? Date: 7 Apr 2004 11:31:38 GMT Organization: Ciliophora Associates, Inc. Reply-To: clarke@cilia.org In article , Alex wrote: (Deleted) Last time I bought one, I got it at Radio Shack. One plug in, three sockets out -- pair one, pair two and both pairs (pass thru). ------------------------------ From: Phil Earnhardt Subject: Re: RJ11 Line 1/2 Splitter - Do These Still Exist? Date: Tue, 06 Apr 2004 22:58:25 -0600 Organization: Kaos OnLine Coalition They're right in the Radio Shack catalog. Look at http://www.radioshack.com/product.asp?catalog%5Fname=CTLG&category%5Fname=CTLG%5F008%5F008%5F001%5F004&product%5Fid=279%2D432 You can see the "L1" "L2" and "L1 + L2" on the image of the splitter on that page. They list it for $8.59. Or just type 3-way jack into the keyword form on www.radioshack.com There's a Mad Magazine-type joke I made up about RS. For years, these guys have used the slogan: "You've got questions. We've got answers." The real slogan is: "You've got questions. We've got radios." > Alex. --phil ------------------------------ From: Hank Karl Subject: Re: Trouble With VOIP Sometimes Dropping Words Date: Wed, 07 Apr 2004 12:59:38 -0400 Organization: NETPLEX Internet Services - http://www.ntplx.net/ On Mon, 05 Apr 2004 23:06:49 -0400, Jack Decker wrote: > Pat, please conceal my e-mail address as usual. > At 03:38 PM 4/5/2004 -0400, editor@telecom-digest.org wrote: >> [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. Pat, do you have the Cisco ATA186 or the Motorola TA that Vonage supplies? If you have the Motorola TA, and you hook it between your cable modem and your router, it should enforce QOS (that is, it will take priority as per your wish). If you have the Cisco TA, see if Vonage will swap it for the Motorola TA. If you're really interested in some details of how good your VoIP connection is, try going to www.testyourvoip.com and running the test, try to do it so the other traffic coming out of your PC happens in the middle of a test. www.voiptroubleshooter.com also offers a lot of advice. >> 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] > Pat, if you have 500K upload speed that should be more than adequate, > since even G.711 (the highest bandwidth protocol) only uses about 90K. > The problem is that your other applications are managing to totally > saturate your outgoing bandwidth. First check to see if there's any > way to throttle the software itself - some FTP software will let you > throttle uploads, but many other kinds of software don't have that > feature. > Beyond that, you may find some helpful ideas at these pages on > BroadbandReports.com: > http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/41603 > http://www.broadbandreports.com/shownews/38267 > http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/remark,9751570~mode=flat > Somewhere in those three pages, or one of the pages linked from them, > you should be able to find a way to resolve your problem. > Jack [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I have a Cisco ATA-186 and there is *no way* to run it to the head of the line, when used with (either) a Linksys router or (my present) NetGear router. The Cisco simply has to take a position on the router, or maybe I could get another router or 'cable splitter' or something to shove it into the cable modem *first* then run the line to the NetGear with everything else (less the ATA). Should I conclude from what you are saying, that the Motorola TA has that condition as part of it, i.e. it feeds into the cable, then also feeds 'the other way' not only to the telephone instrument but also allows a 'pass through' to a router from there? That would be ideal, if all I had to do was swap TA boxes and re-arrange some wiring. 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. 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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 #167 ******************************