From editor@telecom-digest.org Fri Apr 9 19:03:33 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id i39N3Xg27222; Fri, 9 Apr 2004 19:03:33 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2004 19:03:33 -0400 (EDT) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200404092303.i39N3Xg27222@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 #173 TELECOM Digest Fri, 9 Apr 2004 19:03:00 EDT Volume 23 : Issue 173 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Consumers Eager for Internet Phone Service (VOIP News) Carriers Step up Business and Consumer VoIP Offerings (VOIP News) Telecom Public Notice CRTC 2004-2 - Regulatory Framework (VOIP News) Can You Cyberhear me Now? Net Calling Plans are Coming (VOIP News) VoicePulse Expanding Ratecenter Availability (VOIP News) Yahoo Groups Troubles (VOIP News) Ensuring Quality of Service on VoIP Networks (VOIP News) Re: Cut-Rate Calling, by Way of the Net (VOIP News) Re: Jeff Pulver Blog Entry on CRTC (Fred Goldstein) Re: Wal-Mart Mix Up Balancing Credit Cards (Clarence Dold) Re: Wal-Mart Mix Up Balancing Credit Cards (Charles Cryderman) 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: Fri, 09 Apr 2004 11:02:37 -0400 Subject: Consumers Eager For Internet Phone Service Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzvoip093747735apr09,0,3221491.story?coll=ny-business-headlines BY HARRY BERKOWITZ A new survey provides encouragement to the cable TV and telecommuni- cations companies that are rushing to launch discount phone services using Internet technology. But it also shows what a difficult time traditional phone companies may have in trying to hang on to their customers in the face of new competition. One in three consumers would switch from their existing land-line phone service to Internet-based phone service for a discount of 20 percent or more, according to the Gallup Organization survey, which was commissioned by the investment firm UBS. Three of every four consumers don't much care whether they are getting a package of telephone, TV and Internet services from their local phone company or their cable company, according to the survey. Full story at: http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzvoip093747735apr09,0,3221491.story?coll=ny-business-headlines 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: Fri, 09 Apr 2004 11:48:19 -0400 Subject: Carriers Step up Business and Consumer VoIP Offerings Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.americasnetwork.com/americasnetwork/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=91539 Features and price points emerge as key differentiation points By: Al Senia America's Network Major telecom carriers have escalated their Internet telephony offerings and rolled out a variety of new features in an effort to differentiate themselves more effectively in the VoIP business and consumer markets. Brian Buffington, executive director of managed services for SBC, says dependable, cost-effective, feature-laden VoIP services are proving popular with business users. "A big concern about VoIP is quality," says Buffington. "The voice traffic goes over our IP backbone, so we can control the quality of it." SBC is holding off from similar VoIP ventures in the residential market, however. "Residential VoIP is still being tested," a company spokesman explains. "There are some technical issues we have to cover before we can deliver it effectively." Verizon also is working with Nortel to bolster its VoIP offerings. Verizon intends to offer a comprehensive suite of VoIP and multimedia services for consumers and businesses throughout the U.S. later this year. It will accomplish this by beginning to replace traditional central office switches with packet switches. Nortel will provide the backbone of Verizon's national network migration. "We are literally taking what is known in the industry as the Public Switched Telephone Network and transforming it," says Paul Lacouture, president of Verizon's network services group. "The time is right for this move." Full story at: http://www.americasnetwork.com/americasnetwork/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=91539 ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Thu, 08 Apr 2004 15:16:04 -0400 Subject: Telecom Public Notice CRTC 2004-2 - Regulatory Framework Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com Telecom Public Notice CRTC 2004-2 Ottawa, 7 April 2004 Regulatory framework for voice communication services using Internet Protocol Reference: 8663-C12-200402892 and 8663-B2-200316101 The Commission has received both an application and a letter requesting it to address the regulatory requirements for the provision of voice communication services using Internet Protocol (IP). With this public notice, the Commission provides its preliminary views on the regulatory framework applicable to those services. The Commission is of the preliminary view that voice communication services using IP that utilize telephone numbers based on the North American Numbering Plan and provide universal access to and/or from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) (referred to in this public notice as "VoIP" services) have functional characteristics that are the same as circuit-switched voice telecommunications services. In the Commission's preliminary view, its existing regulatory framework should apply to VoIP services, including its determinations related to forbearance. The Commission considers, on a preliminary basis, that to the extent that VoIP services provide subscri bers with access to and/or from the PSTN along with the ability to make and/or receive calls that originate and terminate within the geographic boundaries of a local calling area as defined in the Incumbent Local Exchange Carriers' (ILECs) tariffs, they should be treated for regulatory purposes as local exchange services, and be subject to the regulatory framework governing local competition, established in Local competition, Telecom Decision CRTC 97-8, 1 May 1997 and subsequent determinations. In this public notice, the Commission also expresses preliminary views on the following three matters: (i) the applicability of existing tariffs, and requirements to file tariffs; (ii) the provision of 9-1-1 and enhanced 9-1-1 service, message relay service and privacy safeguards; (iii) the applicability of the national contribution collection mechanism as introduced in Changes to the contribution regime, Decision CRTC 2000-745, 30 November 2000. Interested parties are invited to provide co mment s on the Commission's preliminary views and any other pertinent matters and to participate in a public consultation. Full text of notice at: http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Notices/2004/pt2004-2.htm ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Thu, 08 Apr 2004 11:35:09 -0400 Subject: Can You Cyberhear me Now? Net Calling Plans Are Coming Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/2004-04-08-internet-calling_x.htm EDWARD C. BAIG The timing was coincidental. But I found it noteworthy that the very week AT&T was dumped as one of 30 bellwether stocks on the Dow Jones industrial average, the company unleashed its residential Internet phone service. On March 29, AT&T launched CallVantage in New Jersey, a day before offering the service to customers in Texas. Then on April Fools' Day, word came down that Verizon was replacing its former parent on the Dow, which was no prank to those who recall Ma Bell's heyday. As if we need more reminders that the high-tech times they are a-changin', brace yourselves for an invasion of Voice-over-Internet- Protocol, or VoIP, calling plans. That's telecom jargon for calls routed through cyberspace. Is it change for the better? My experience after a few days evaluating CallVantage has been mostly positive. Full story at: http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/2004-04-08-internet-calling_x.htm ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Thu, 08 Apr 2004 13:33:18 -0400 Subject: VoicePulse Expanding Ratecenter Availability Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com There's no official announcement about this yet, but several people have reported that VoicePulse sent them a notification that there were new ratecenters available in their area code. When something official comes along we'll let you know, but in the meantime, if you've been waiting for a certain ratecenter to become available, you may wish to check VoicePulse's web site to see if that ratecenter has been added. ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Fri, 09 Apr 2004 07:06:51 -0400 Subject: Yahoo Groups Troubles Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com I apologize if you see any messages twice or if there are long delays between the time a message is posted and it actually appears - for the last three or four days the response on Yahoo Groups seems to have slowed to a crawl. In a couple cases duplicate messages have gone out because I thought Yahoo had lost (or never received) the first one, so I resent it (and then approved it twice - okay, so I admit it, sometimes I can't remember what I've already approved!). I hope this is just a temporary glitch, but wanted to explain in case things have looked a little strange this week. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Jack, what has happened to you has also happened to most Yahoo Groups including Lisa Minter's Telecom News. Yahoo put out a bulletin to group owners/moderators telling about how Yahoo got attacked with so many virii and spam emails, causing the unmoderated groups there to fill up with *so much* garbage that Yahoo had to make a really special effort to weed it all out. They have totally eliminated the 'instant approval' they were using for unmoderated stuff and set up filters to at least get rid of the virii which was infesting Yahoo. The special message concluded that 'as a result, most messages will be delayed in appearing'. Lisa, for example, was getting around a hundred messages per day from 'security department' and 'Microsoft Updates' instructing people to install the latest new patch. (Yeah, sure.) Tons of the crap to be dumped all the time. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Jack Decker Date: Fri, 09 Apr 2004 12:42:02 -0400 Subject: Ensuring Quality of Service on VoIP Networks Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/33371.html TECHNOLOGY SPECIAL REPORT: Ensuring Quality of Service on VoIP Networks By David Halperin www.TechNewsWorld.com, Part of the ECT News Network "Users of VoIP demand comparable call quality to their traditional phone systems," John Siliquini, Cortec's CTO, told TechNewsWorld. "Maintaining a network to support 'real-time' network traffic, such as voice, is a whole new ball game for the average network administrator." Like most countries boasting modern telecommunications systems, Australia has been implementing Voice over IP (VoIP) services. After a slow start, what began as a mild flirtation is now becoming an embrace, although use of VoIP technology is still in relatively early stages compared with market expectations. Talk Is Cheap, But Is It Clear? It may be flexible, and it certainly is less expensive than conventional telephony, but VoIP technology still has some issues, such as erratic quality of service. Some of this unevenness may result from use of general-purpose Internet networks, which can be subject to delays in packet delivery that don't affect static content but can create problems for real-time data streams. "There are literally hundreds of new companies that have come from an IT perspective and have never been really with voice, but are now looking at all sorts of new opportunities," Budde notes. One such company is Cortec Systems, based in Australia's second largest city, Melbourne. Cortec is developing a product -- for which it has recently secured AUD$6 million (US$4.6 million) in venture-capital backing -- which it says can guarantee a quantifiable level of service for any given VoIP call. Full story at: http://www.ecommercetimes.com/perl/story/33371.html ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Fri, 09 Apr 2004 13:07:49 -0400 Subject: Re: Cut-Rate Calling, by Way of the Net Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com At 10:17 PM 4/7/2004 -0400, Jack Decker wrote: > http://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/08/technology/circuits/08stat.html?ex=1082001600&en=95d3f3f62e6024b4&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE > NYTimes.com > Technology > Circuits > STATE OF THE ART > Cut-Rate Calling, by Way of the Net > By DAVID POGUE I had serious reservations about this article when I posted it, but it's been getting a well-deserved trashing over on the BroadbandReports.com VoIP forum: http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/remark,9918119~mode=flat A few select quotes from readers: "Did you actually read it? I didn't think a reporter could make that many mistakes in one article." "The reporter continues to stroke AT&T for several paragraphs. They must have bought some expensive ad space in the Times today." "If you've ever read an article about an event you've personally observed , you'll never believe anything you read in the press again. They exemplify the word 'slipshod'." "While I can not get into it a great deal, I can tell you that I was interviewed for this story, as evidence by the quotes. When I read the story I was shocked at the misinformation." "I feel that this story underestimated the power of voIP, over complicated the installation process, and put a shadow of some providers where one was not deserved, and did not reflect reality." "I can definately say I've never seen anyone triple NAT a network. I have this mental picture of this non-techy guy with 3 routers, VOIP boxes all over the place, power adapters, patch cables, cordless phones and their power adapters, all strung out on a countertop ... scratching his head." "The reporter did not obviously understand much about Voip and felt safe taking the high road of labelling most providers as not yet ready for prime time. Lazy journalism? Yup. Consumer reporting in a few easy paragraphs has replaced in depth unbiased investigation of facts." Read the entire thread here -- maybe the New York Times' new motto should be "All the news that's fit to line bird cages with", at least when they talk about technology. http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/remark,9918119~mode=flat ------------------------------ From: Fred Goldstein Subject: Re: Jeff Pulver Blog Entry on CRTC Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2004 08:50:55 -0500 Someone took this from Jeff Pulver's blog: > The CRTC just ruled that new IP Communication Service Providers in > Canada should meet the same requirements as traditional telephony > providers. > While the CRTC's "preliminary view," will be subject to public > comment, this is not a good starting point from the perspective of > would be communication disruptors who wish to do business in Canada. > Canada faces some of the same social policy issues as the United > States and it was my hope that the CRTC would have followed the > leadership of the FCC rather than following in the footsteps of > Panama. BZZZZT. Wrong answer. Jeff goofed this time, equating Canada to Panama. Both have the "a's" in the same place, but that's about it. Panama has tried to ban VoIP outright, AFAIK, since computer-to- computer VoIP can bypass the highly taxed international telephone network. Canada's proposal, which (unlike most bloggers) I actually read, says that when a VoIP network attaches to the PSTN and acts like the PSTN, delivering calls into the PSTN, the fact that it uses VoIP internally shouldn't matter. Technological neutrality -- let the technology succeed or fail on its own, without favoritism. Computer-to-computer VoIP, absent the PSTN, remains outside of the regulatory regime. Skype away. The VoIP fanatics have a problem. If VoIP is really better/cheaper, it shouldn't need subsidies or favorable treatment to succeed. If it needs favoritism, maybe it can't succeed in a fair marketplace, and shouldn't succeed. -- Fred Goldstein k1io fgoldstein at ionary dot com ionary Consulting http://www.ionary.com/ ------------------------------ From: dold@Wal-MartXM.usenet.us.com Subject: Re: Wal-Mart Mix Up Balancing Credit Cards Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2004 13:51:27 UTC Organization: a2i network Tony P. wrote: > You're right. The debit cards have account numbers that are > indistinguishable from a credit card. I've booked hotels, rental cars, > etc. on mine with no problems whatsoever. Unless they won't accept a hold. That would be a distinction that you can't see, but the rental agency or hotel would. It apparently returns an odd code, because the brighter ones recognize that it isn't overdrawn or bad, it just didn't work. Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5 ------------------------------ From: Charles Cryderman Subject: Re: Wal-Mart Mix Up Balancing Credit Cards Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2004 10:54:02 -0400 I wrote: > I have tried to use a "debit card" to reserve a hotel room and > retinal car and was told by both that banks do not permit "debit > cards" to be used for those purposes. If you don't use a credit card > they told me I couldn't have the reservations. Master Pat replied: "I think your mistake here is when you talk to those people referring to your mode of payment as a 'debit card' instead of a 'credit card'. Instead, refer to your mode of payment as 'my VISA card' or 'Master Card' is . Since (when you are calling on the phone) they are not going to see the plastic or any logos on it, they won't know the difference." Pat, I didn't say anything, after I presented the card number, they came back and said the card number I gave them was for a "debit card" and that the banks do not permit "debit cards" to be used for those purposes. How they knew it was a debit I don't know. I gave them another number for a real Visa card, got to Acapulco, had my room and car, and had a blast with the wife with no kids. Chip Cryderman ------------------------------ 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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