From editor@telecom-digest.org Mon Nov 29 14:15:08 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p3/8.11.6) id iATJF8k29495; Mon, 29 Nov 2004 14:15:08 -0500 (EST) Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 14:15:08 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200411291915.iATJF8k29495@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 #571 TELECOM Digest Mon, 29 Nov 2004 14:15:00 EST Volume 23 : Issue 571 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Telecom Update (Canada) #459, November 29, 2004 (Angus TeleManagement) A Burglary Foiled by Calls That Didn't Reach 911 (Tony P.) Breaking, Entering Your PC (Monty Solomon) TiVo Awaits Verdict on Copy Protection (Monty Solomon) RFID Question (Luke Nichols) 'Ringback' Tones May Be Next Big Thing (Monty Solomon) International Fax From Vonage VOIP? (Hemant Shah) Skype and Outlook and Limited Credits (Presspley) China Internet Firms Seek New Sources of Revenue (Lisa Minter) Alltel Buys AT&T Wireless Assets (Telecom dailyLead from USTA) Re: Routing Problems To the Cayman Islands (danny burstein) Calling Card Needed -- Short Interaction Sequence (Dr. Edward Gehringer) Re: Trial Shows How Spammers Operate (Steve Sobol) Re: Trial Shows How Spammers Operate (T. Sean Weintz) Re: Dropping SBC For a VoIP Solution - Vonage or Packet8 (Ringo Langly) Re: WiFi Centrino RANGE Increase POSSIBLE? (Chip G) 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. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 10:35:54 -0500 From: Angus TeleManagement Subject: Telecom Update (Canada) #459, November 29, 2004 ************************************************************ TELECOM UPDATE ************************************************************ published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group http://www.angustel.ca Number 459: November 29, 2004 Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous financial support from: ** ALLSTREAM: www.allstream.com ** AVAYA: www.avaya.ca/en/ ** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca ** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca/ ** ERICSSON: www.ericsson.ca ** MITEL NETWORKS: www.mitel.com/ ** SPRINT CANADA: www.sprint.ca ** UTC CANADA: www.canada.utc.org/ ************************************************************ IN THIS ISSUE: ** CRTC Releases Report on Competition ** Gatineau to Implement 3-1-1 Service ** 8.5 Million Wireless Numbers Ported in U.S. ** Bell Ads Warn of Modem Hijacking ** Rogers Implements Wireless Priority ** Quebec Union Rejects Telus Offer ** CRTC Announces Review of Northwestel Funding ** CRTC to Hear Call-Net, Bell Billing Dispute ** Consultants Call for Speakers ** Piaskoski Joins Miller Thompson ** Certification for Call Centre Managers ============================================================ CRTC RELEASES REPORT ON COMPETITION: The CRTC has released its fourth annual report on the status of telecom competition and the deployment of advanced telecom infrastructure in Canada. Results are for the end of 2003. ** Telecom service revenues grew by 1.1% to $31.8 billion, accounting for 2.3% of Canada's GDP. ** Capital spending fell 17%, on top of a 25% drop in 2002. ** Nationally, competitor market increased to 2% of residential lines, compared to 1.4% in 2002. Competitor market share is 16%-18% in Charlottetown and Halifax, and 2%-6% in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, and five other Ontario cities. ** Nationally, competitors had 8.6% of local business lines in 2003, the same as in 2002. Out-of-territory telcos had significant penetration in Vancouver (17%) and Edmonton (13%), and smaller inroads in several cities. Non-telco competitors had over 15% share in Kitchener, London, Toronto, and Windsor, and smaller penetration in 17 other cities. ** Wireless revenues grew by 13% in 2003, while subscriber totals increased by 11%. Two-thirds of households have at least one wireless subscription. ** 56% of Canadian households have Internet access; 36% (4.5 million households) have high-speed service. High-speed access is now available to 95% of Canadian urban households but only 63% of rural households. www.crtc.gc.ca/ENG/whatsnew/2004/nov25.htm GATINEAU TO IMPLEMENT 3-1-1 SERVICE: Starting in summer 2005, residents of the City of Gatineau, Quebec, will be able to dial 3-1-1 to access information on municipal services and make requests to City departments. Gatineau was one of five cities that requested assignment of 3-1-1 for non-emergency municipal use, which was approved by the CRTC in early November (see Telecom Update #456). 8.5 MILLION WIRELESS NUMBERS PORTED IN U.S.: It is now one year since U.S. cellular companies were required to let customers keep their phone numbers when they change carriers. The Federal Communications Commission says that 8.5 million people have taken advantage of the new rule, and about 10% of those "cut the cord" by transferring wireline numbers to wireless service. BELL ADS WARN OF MODEM HIJACKING: Bell Canada has launched a "multimedia advertising campaign" to educate consumers about Internet dialers that hijack modems to generate long distance calls (and big bills) to overseas locations. Bell and Telus recently began blocking direct-dialed calls to countries most often called by the dialing programs. (See Telecom Update #439) ROGERS IMPLEMENTS WIRELESS PRIORITY: Rogers Wireless is the first Canadian cellco to implement Wireless Priority Service, which gives government-authorized users priority access to wireless service during emergencies. QUEBEC UNION REJECTS TELUS OFFER: A contract offer by Telus Quebec has been rejected by 560 supervisors and professionals, members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Telus and the union will continue negotiations. CRTC ANNOUNCES REVIEW OF NORTHWESTEL FUNDING: Telecom PN 2004-6 opens a review of Northwestel's 2004 and 2005 supplemental funding requirements, along with an assessment of its service improvement plan and quality of service results. To participate, notify the CRTC by December 9. www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Notices/2004/pt2004-6.htm CRTC TO HEAR CALL-NET, BELL BILLING DISPUTE: An expedited hearing on December 13 will consider a dispute between Call-Net and Bell Canada regarding Bell's diagnostic and labour charges. www.crtc.gc.ca/PartVII/eng/2004/8661/c25_200409442.htm CONSULTANTS CALL FOR SPEAKERS: The Canadian Telecommunications Consultants Association will hold its Spring 2005 Conference at the Hockley Valley Resort, northwest of Toronto, Ontario, on April 7-9, 2005. Proposals for presentations at the conference are due by December 15. For information, write ctca.speakers@ctca.ca, or visit www.ctca.ca. PIASKOSKI JOINS MILLER THOMPSON: Regulatory lawyer Michael Piaskoski has left Blake, Cassels & Graydon to join the Toronto office of Miller Thomson. CERTIFICATION FOR CALL CENTRE MANAGERS: Canadian call centre managers seeking education and certification of their skills can now receive the Call Center Industry Advisory Council's testing programs from Angus Dortmans Associates. CIAC is a non-profit, industry-sanctioned standards and certifying body for customer care and support professionals. ** For further information, e-mail Henry Dortmans (dortmans@angustel.ca). ============================================================ 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: Tony P. Subject: A Burglary Foiled by Calls That Didn't Reach 911 Organization: ATCC Date: Sat, 27 Nov 2004 18:40:07 -0500 This is interesting. Verizon says there is all sorts of security yet there isn't any. I know that at the CLEC switches here in Providence none of them have active security. One houses a 5ESS and the other a DMS-200. They really should have checked to see what they were removing when they snapped the circuit packs out. I do find it hard to believe that the cost of some of the packs was $70,000 but I do know that the AT&T/Lucent/Avaya built stuff used lots of gold etc. in the assembling of those packs. For those who do not want to register for the NYT and are using Firefox just get the BugMeNot extension. Otherwise use cottp as both the username and password. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Nov 2004 21:04:02 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: Breaking, Entering Your PC COLUMN ONE Spyware, the newest and nastiest online plague, can paralyze or commandeer a computer. Help is hard to find, but it's out there. By Terry McDermott, Times Staff Writer It can, and often does, start something like this: You're online, maybe searching for a specific piece of information, maybe just cruising the Web. I was investigating new search technologies that were advertised as useful in dealing with variations in the spelling of names and had read that Lycos, a pre-Google Internet portal and search engine, had developed some. I found links for Lycos and clicked on one. That was the beginning. Within minutes, my computer was swamped with advertisements - pop-ups, pop-unders, pop-all-overs. There were so many I couldn't close them before others started appearing. I had to shut the computer down. When it restarted, my Web browser had a new pornographic home page, and soon another flood of advertisements was underway. This time, I was able to get rid of most of it and resume working. It went on for days. The blizzard of ads sometimes thinned, sometimes thickened. At times, there were so many that the computer couldn't process them all and froze. Every time I restarted, my home page was reset to the pornographic site. Every time I tried to do a Google search, a Lycos search engine appeared instead. New items for services called Bargain Buddies and Deal Helper were added to my Web favorites list. I deleted these entries, but they would mysteriously reappear. Once, when I was being buried yet again by ads, I heard my computer modem dialing a telephone number. My computer is connected to a broadband Internet access service, so the only time I ever used the modem was to send and receive faxes. I couldn't imagine why the modem was dialing. More to the point, I couldn't stop it. I have been using PCs since 1985 and have installed hard drives, operating systems, memory, CD-ROM drives and countless software programs. I've written some rudimentary programs to automate common word-processing tasks. I vainly considered myself a computer sophisticate. So what did I do? I cursed and screamed. I tried to turn the modem off with software switches. Finally, I did what any sophisticated computer user would do -- I yanked the telephone cord out of the wall, then began wildly deleting every suspicious file I could find on my system. That worked to a limited extent. I installed a pop-up ad blocker and downloaded free programs that were supposed to rid me of the plague that had descended. Most days, I was able to slog along and there were even times I thought the fixes had worked. But the computer was still agonizingly slow, and the ads and the hijacked Web searches invariably reappeared. Then a month later, I received a bill for $25 from some company I had never heard of. It was for the telephone call my computer had made, to Britain it turned out. The Internet, at once one of the wonders of the modern world and one of its least likable neighborhoods, has suffered a series of afflictions, scams and perversions throughout its brief history. The latest and in many ways most frustrating is the one I was now facing -- spyware. Spyware is a broad category of software distributed online, usually without a user's knowledge, to millions of personal computers around the world, often crippling them in the process. It includes several subcategories, including: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-na-spyware26nov26,1,7307898.story ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 27 Nov 2004 22:37:52 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: TiVo Awaits Verdict on Copy Protection News: by Robin Berger MPAA leads opposition LOS ANGELES Consumers continue to be assured that the promise of digital technology's "any time, any place" access to the media they crave is just around the corner -- the wheels are in motion. At the same time, a considerable backspin continues to be provided by those who currently control its dissemination -- and fear the boogeyman behind remote devices. Yet another tech and media, anti-privacy consortium was formed last month. This one -- Coral -- includes Sony, Hewlett-Packard, Philips Electronics, Matsushita Electric (Panasonic), Samsung, Twentieth Century Fox, RealNetworks and digital rights management company InterTrust Technologies. Apple Computer and Microsoft are notably absent. Meanwhile, back in Washington, the FCC continues to mediate the fate of "digital output protection technology and recording method" providers. The commission certified the following 13 technologies in August: * MagicGateType-R (four types from Sony Corp.) * SmartRight (developed by a conglomerate headed by Thomson) * Vidi Recordable DBD Protection System (Philips Electronics and Hewlett-Packard) * High Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (Digital Content Protection, LLC) * Content Protection Recordable Media for Video Content (4C, LLC) * TiVoGuard Digital Output Protection Technology * Digital Transmission Content Protection (Digital Transmission Licensing Administration) * Helix DRM Trusted Recorder (Real) * Windows Media Digital Rights Management (Microsoft Corp.) * D-VHS (Victor Company of Japan, aka JVC) The FCC's docket indicates that these technologies have been under commission review since at least February, to ensure that content marked with the Broadcast Flag is protected. http://www.tvtechnology.com/features/news/News_Tivo.shtml ------------------------------ From: Luke Nichols Subject: RFID Question Date: Sun, 28 Nov 2004 04:24:35 -0500 Reply-To: Luke Nichols To whom it may concern: Do you have any news on this RFID technology everyone is talking about? If you know of web sites, and news sources about this technology, can you email me, or send me something in the mail? Luke Nichols 299 Old Oakvale Road Princeton, WV 24740 USA ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 28 Nov 2004 22:23:40 -0500 From: Monty Solomon Subject: 'Ringback' Tones May Be Next Big Thing By BRUCE MEYERSON AP Business Writer NEW YORK (AP) -- Ring tones are so yesterday. If wireless companies have their way, the next multibillion-dollar surprise in the cellular business will be "Ringback" tones. Instead of the usual dialing noise that people hear when phoning someone, callers to Verizon Wireless subscribers may soon find themselves listening to a song until the phone is answered. The service, pioneered by SK Telecom of Korea, is debuting in the United States in California and is slated to be available nationally by mid-2005. Verizon Wireless, a partnership between Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC, is charging 99 cents per month plus an annual fee of $1.99 for each Ringback Tone chosen. Other U.S. carriers are said to be considering a similar service. Verizon subscribers can assign specific tunes for different callers to hear, choosing among 2,200 songs from 13 music genres provided by Warner Music Group and Sony BMG Music Entertainment. SK Telcom, which developed the technology being used by Verizon, introduced its "ColoRing" service in Korea two years ago and has since licensed it to carriers in Vietnam, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia. - http://finance.lycos.com/home/news/story.asp?story=45274937 ------------------------------ From: Hemant Shah Subject: International Fax From Vonage VOIP? Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 16:02:30 UTC Organization: Aaja Fasaja & Co. Reply-To: NoJunkMailshah@xnet.com Folks, I am having problem sending fax to India from a Vonage Fax line. I can send fax to anywhere in U.S. and receive fax from U.S. and India. I have a Panasonic fax machine. If I use the auto dial on my fax machine it times out and goes into re-dial mode because it takes long time for Vonage to make the connection. I also tried to dial the number manually and wait for the other fax machine to pickup and press start button, but it does not make connection. Is there something I can do with Vonage setting or my fax machine setting so I can send fax to India through Vonage Fax line? This could be a deal killer for me. I want to get rid of SBC, but I also need to send fax to India. Thanks, Hemant Shah /"\ ASCII ribbon campaign E-mail: NoJunkMailshah@xnet.com \ / --------------------- X against HTML mail TO REPLY, REMOVE NoJunkMail / \ and postings FROM MY E-MAIL ADDRESS. -----------------[DO NOT SEND UNSOLICITED BULK E-MAIL]------------------ I haven't lost my mind, Above opinions are mine only. it's backed up on tape somewhere. Others can have their own. ------------------------------ From: presspley@hotmail.com (Presspley) Subject: Skype and Outlook and Limited Credits Date: 29 Nov 2004 06:13:55 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Is there any software that links Outlook to Skype yet? I want to pass instructions to Skype. Also, I often dial from Portugal on Skype but we have a limit of our broadband upload/download. How could I tell whether Skype is using too many of or the other type of credit? ------------------------------ From: Lisa Minter Subject: China Internet Firms Seek New Sources of Revenue Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 10:39:12 EST HONG KONG (Reuters) - China Internet media firms, which struck gold with mobile phone messaging services last year, are scrambling to diversify after a government clampdown on sex-related material and a billing overhaul. Some have found new lucrative veins in online games, advertising and search services as the companies seek to protect their revenues against clampdowns and reforms by Beijing. Although the shift is being greeted with guarded enthusiasm by investors, analysts warn that the government could also interfere with their new ventures. "If you want high growth, you go for wireless," said UBS analyst Eric Wen, referring to more advanced phone features including multi-media messages. "But then you have some big brothers watching you, and they can hit you very fast. If you want to go elsewhere, maybe you can have more stable growth, but your growth rate will not be all that high." The industry's major players, including Sina Corp., Sohu.com , NetEase.com Inc., Tom Online and Linktone Ltd., have all suffered as a result of the clampdown on messaging -- a business iResearch estimates will top $480 million in revenues this year. Beijing initiated its campaign late last year against billing abuses by companies, including signing up customers who hadn't requested the service, imposing charges for phantom messages and overcharging or double-billing. INCONSISTENT BILLS In China, phone companies keep a commission for each text message sent over a mobile phone, relaying most of the revenue back to the Internet providers. The billing records of the phone companies were not always consistent with those of the Internet companies, according to the government, and it stepped in to impose a standardized billing system. The government also stepped up the campaign over the summer by sanctioning some companies for pornographic and junk mail messages. Sohu, which earned 45 percent of total first quarter revenues from short messaging services (SMS), saw that contract to 18 percent of third-quarter revenues, said Senior Director Caroline Straathof. The company, which was sanctioned in August for sending spam over its multimedia messaging services (MMS), has shifted its strategy to focus not only on mobile services, but also online games, search services and advertising. "We are right in the middle of being sanctioned in one business line, and though there are many challenges we need to deal with there, the other business lines are doing just great," Straathof said. FROM DARLINGS TO DOGS Messaging services for mobile phones had helped Sohu and its peers become Wall Street darlings in 2003 as they cashed in on China's SMS boom to turn in their first annual profits. After languishing for the two previous years, Sohu's shares shot up over 360 percent in 2003, only to drop over 40 percent this year. They have come back a bit since August as investors get more visibility on the situation and diversification efforts. At the beginning of 2004, about 60 percent of revenue for China media companies came from SMS-related services, including news, jokes and games, according to a UBS report. The investment house welcomed the recent diversification drive, saying many of the newer services should see 50 percent growth or better in 2005. Companies said diversifying their revenue streams is an effective hedge against future clampdowns but added they can never factor out the risk of government action against their newer business lines. Online games have already attracted regulators' attention, with authorities closing thousands of Internet cafes and state-run media making frequent criticism of some game content. "There's always the risk factor because investors are worried about how the Chinese will regulate," said Elaine Feng, executive vice president at Tom Online, whose SMS revenues held steady at $14.7 million from the first to the third quarters but accounted for shrinking percentage of total revenues. "For a listed company, what you have to do is make sure your operations and content are in line with the regulators, and that's all I think you can do." *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This Internet discussion group is making it available without profit to group members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of literary, educational, political, and economic issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner, in this instance Reuters News Service. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 12:09:15 EST From: Telecom dailyLead from USTA Subject: Alltel Buys AT&T Wireless Assets Telecom dailyLead from USTA November 29, 2004 http://www.dailylead.com/latestIssue.jsp?i=17752&l=2017006 TODAY'S HEADLINES NEWS OF THE DAY * Alltel buys AT&T Wireless assets BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH * Cell phone operators use phone for branding * BT sells Eutelsat stake; Intelsat takeover in jeopardy * TowerStream takes WiMAX to new heights USTA SPOTLIGHT * Order Telecommunications Billing Systems Today! EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES * DirecTV plans new DVR for 2005 * Wireless security gets an upgrade * Web TV emerges on the scene REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE * Record labels sue Kazaa, other online file-sharing services * FCC questions SBC on Internet phone plan Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others. http://www.dailylead.com/latestIssue.jsp?i=17752&l=2017006 ------------------------------ From: Danny Burstein Subject: Printing Numbers, was Re: Routing Problems To the Cayman Islands Date: Sat, 27 Nov 2004 20:13:35 UTC Organization: PANIX Public Access Internet and UNIX, NYC Paul Barnes wrote in message news:telecom23.569.5@telecom-digest.org: ( portions snipped ) >> I work for Cable and Wireless in the Caribbean, and we have received >> several complaints that in the past 3-4 weeks, that persons in many >> parts of the world (including the US and Canada) who try to call >> cellphone NXX codes in the Cayman Islands have been experiencing >> difficulties. >> We have arranged for test calls to be made to the Cayman cellphone >> NXX ranges from all of the major Tier 1 international carriers with >> whom C&W has agreements to bring traffic into the region: ATT, >> IDT, MCI, Sprint, BT, Teleglobe and CWC. >> Cayman Islands NPA, 345 (part of the North American Numbering plan) >> Test numbers: 345 [ snip] >> 345 [ snip ] Pat, I'd be very, very, cautious about ever publishing letters like this, especially when there are requests to make phone calls to the numbers. a) it could easily be someone trying to harrass the real "owner" of those numbers and b) since these are international long distance numbers (despite the original poster's technically accurate but misleading claim that they are "part of the NANPA) the costs of making these calls could easily come as a big surprise when the bill arrives. oh, and c) it may also simply be a scheme to generate more revenue to the telco carrier ... _____________________________________________________ Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key dannyb@panix.com [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded] [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Just FYI, before I printed that message, I personally called two of the four numbers given. A man answered on each of them. I told him I was calling to verify the request for assistance in testing. He said 'thanks' and asked me where I was calling from. I told him 'Kansas, USA, area 620-330' (because I was using my cell phone.) He said okay, thanks, and we disconnected. My total call may have lasted twenty seconds on each of them. I probably should have added this note to the original message, but didn't. If I get any outrageous phone charges, I will let folks here know. PAT] ------------------------------ From: Dr. Edward F Gehringer Subject: Calling Card Needed -- Short Interaction Sequence Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 12:51:35 -0500 Organization: NC State University There's no shortage of calling-card info on the Web, but my concern is placing a call without going through a lengthy interaction sequence. I can't find any info on this. I typically use cards from payphones when away from my local calling area ... no, I don't have a cellphone with a national calling plan :-( I used to use the cards I got from BJ's. They recently switched to MCI as a provider. MCI has a non-bypassable message that goes something like, "A charge of 30 cents will be deducted from your card in addition to regular charges each time you place a call from a payphone." Going through this message, plus the language prompt, doubles the time it takes to place a call! This gets very annoying when I have several calls to make. Does anyone know (a) of a card with a competitive price that does not have extra messages or prompts, beyond the access code and the phone number, or (b) a place where I can obtain such information? -Ed Gehringer (who posted to this group a lot 10 years ago, but not in the last few years) [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Welcome back, Ed! Nice to see you around again; don't be such a stranger in the future! PAT] ------------------------------ From: Steve Sobol Subject: Re: Trial Shows How Spammers Operate Date: Sat, 27 Nov 2004 11:08:37 -0800 Organization: Glorb Internet Services, http://www.glorb.com jdj wrote: > Looks like Lycos has got the idea: Riiiiight. Except it won't work, and DDoS'ing the site isn't cool regardless of what kind of site it is. But who cares that this "solution" would cost ISPs a ton in increased bandwidth costs? Feh! Screw the ISPs, we don't need 'em anyhow, right? Whatever happened to "don't fight abuse with abuse"? Lycos executives and the project managers in charge of this crap ought to be kicked in the head for even coming up with, let alone approving and proceeding with, this idea. > Looks like spammers will now be the ones going on the defensive > instead of the other way round. > This is going to get interesting ... Only until the ISPs blackhole or nullroute the IP addresses of the sites involved. They'll have to. You do realize that when you are talking about transit between Internet providers, there is no such thing as flat-rate, right? It's all paid for based on how much traffic is transferred ... > The Register reports that Lycos Europe is distributing a screensaver > that is intended to drive traffic on a verified spam site up to very > expensive levels: Oh, and not only that, what happens the first time spam is sent out advertising a website that someone wants to get in trouble? It's happened before. JustThe.net Internet & New Media Services, http://JustThe.net/ Steven J. Sobol, Geek In Charge / 888.480.4NET (4638) / sjsobol@JustThe.net PGP Key available from your friendly local key server (0xE3AE35ED) Apple Valley, California Nothing scares me anymore. I have three kids. ------------------------------ From: T. Sean Weintz Subject: Re: Trial Shows How Spammers Operate Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 11:40:17 -0500 Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com Scott Dorsey wrote: > In the case of the rule I gave, it will send a message to comcast's > abuse address whenever mail sent from a dynamically-allocated comcast > address arrives. There is NO REASON for anyone on a > dynamically-allocated block to be sending mail directly; mail sent > from Comcast users should go through their mail server and not from > their direct address. So the only mail you will ever get from these > blocks will be spam, mostly from zombie machines. Not a good idea. Some of the addresses in the Comcast dynamic IP space are NOT dynamic addesses, but DHCP reservations (that the customer pays an extra $50 per month for) -- they are not leases -- the IP address is reserved specifically for that users MAC address until Comcast manually deletes it. And such addresses have a TOS/AUP that specifically allows the user to run a mail server. So there IS a legit reason for some folks to send mail directly from a Comcast IP. ------------------------------ From: rlangly@gmail.com (Ringo Langly) Subject: Re: Dropping SBC For a VoIP Solution -- Vonage or Packet8 ?? Date: 28 Nov 2004 12:47:56 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com charlie@cdsdetroit.com (charlie3) wrote in message news:: > I dropped my SBC home phone for Vonage last spring. I'm satisfied. I > tested Vonage before dropping the SBC phone and waited until I had a > cell phone that worked at home for backup (Verizon). There were a few > hiccups and things to sort out but the service is a routine part of > life now. > Vonage lets me set things up to ring the cell and home phones > simultaneously so either phone can be used to take a call. No one > needs the cell phone number or even needs to know I have a cell phone. > If my broad band connection goes down Vonage automatically forwards to > the cell phone. The cell and vonage services are a powerful > combination for me. > Charlie Hi Charlie, Thanks for the review! I too like Vonage over Packet8, but Vonage isn't in my local area yet. I thought about going ahead with Vonage and getting a number from a nearby town (closest is about 30 miles away), but long distance is still long distance for friends and family in town. If Packet8 doesn't suit my needs I might still drop them and go with Vonage anyway because I do like the perks Vonage has over Packet8. I'll know tomorrow as that's when the Packet8 device is set to arrive. After that I'll post some reviews on how well it works. Thanks and take care, Ringo ------------------------------ From: Chip G Subject: Re: WiFi Centrino RANGE Increase POSSIBLE? Organization: Comcast Online Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 16:17:10 GMT Michal wrote in message news:telecom23.563.3@telecom-digest.org: > Hi, > I have a Toshiba A50-101 which is Centrino (with Wifi of course) I'm > using Wifi access point from Linksys named WAG54G. I need to use the > computer on other floor than the access point is. It works really > poor. The wifi range is not sufficient. Is it possible to increase my > wifi range by using some sort of PCMCIA antenna or something? > Thanks for any advice! > Regards, > Mike Personally, I use an Avaya Wireless PC Card and find that my reception is much better than using the integrated WiFi on my IBM Thinkpad T-41. I am not real familiar with the PC model you mention but suspect that you will find that a PC Card will work better. The Avaya Wireless card I have also has a little jack on it which allows for attaching an external antenna. 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