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The Telecom Digest for May 28, 2011
Volume 30 : Issue 135 : "text" Format
Messages in this Issue:
Re: No. 10A Remote Switching System--experience/historical track record?(John Levine)
Re: No. 10A Remote Switching System--experience/historical track record?(Sam Spade)
Re: No. 10A Remote Switching System--experience/historical track record?(John Levine)
Re: Early Voice Mail ("voice storage") systems(Eric Tappert)

====== 29 years of TELECOM Digest -- Founded August 21, 1981 ======

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Date: 26 May 2011 21:48:31 -0000 From: "John Levine" <johnl@iecc.com> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Re: No. 10A Remote Switching System--experience/historical track record? Message-ID: <20110526214831.38695.qmail@joyce.lan> >Now, nearly 30 years later, would anyone know of the actual service >experience of the 10A or similar functional units? It seems like a >good idea, and given the huge drop in the cost of electronics since >that time, probably more such systems have been deployed. That's how pretty much all small phone switches work now, CDOs are remotes to a switch in a nearby town. The remote can complete calls between lines on that remote, but everything else requires the main switch. Since it's all software driven, there's often no physical difference between a switch and a remote. Relatives who run a rural telco in Vermont told me that they reconfigured their exchanges from being separate switches to one switch and a bunch of remotes, no hardware changes, no differences that subscribers could see, but the software cost was a lot lower. R's, John
Date: Fri, 27 May 2011 12:17:57 -0700 From: Sam Spade <sam@coldmail.com> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Re: No. 10A Remote Switching System--experience/historical track record? Message-ID: <NPOdnbiCcPl7ZULQnZ2dnUVZ_o2dnZ2d@giganews.com> John Levine wrote: >>Now, nearly 30 years later, would anyone know of the actual service >>experience of the 10A or similar functional units? It seems like a >>good idea, and given the huge drop in the cost of electronics since >>that time, probably more such systems have been deployed. > > > That's how pretty much all small phone switches work now, CDOs are > remotes to a switch in a nearby town. The remote can complete calls > between lines on that remote, but everything else requires the main > switch. Since it's all software driven, there's often no physical > difference between a switch and a remote. Relatives who run a rural > telco in Vermont told me that they reconfigured their exchanges from > being separate switches to one switch and a bunch of remotes, no > hardware changes, no differences that subscribers could see, but the > software cost was a lot lower. > > R's, > John > I thought a remote had to have fiber optics to the host. Seems like that would have cost a lot of money for the rural telco. When Pacific Bell deployed 5ESS and DMS-100 switches as far as I can determine, they always used a 5ESS where it was to host one or more remotes. I guess their engineers liked the 5E remote. I recall reading about the 5E remote in a BSTJ. If the link to the host went down those connected to the remote could still call each other and the telco pay stations provided free local calls. I also recall that the 5E remote was a dedicated module, different than anything used in a 5ESS. I also found it interesting that all calling features were routed to the host; i.e., all the calling feature software was at the host. I've often wondered what safeguards are provided for E911. Anyone know? I don't know what the distance limit was/is for the remote. The old TOPS system was limited to about 50 miles; but then again, that was before F.O. ***** Moderator's Note ***** There was a 50 mile limit on T-Carrier way back when, although some systems exceeded it and still worked well: I saw one T-Carrier system working over a ~70 mile span. I assume that the "50 miles" limit you mention was due to T-Carrier. Bill Horne Moderator
Date: 27 May 2011 23:26:01 -0000 From: "John Levine" <johnl@iecc.com> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Re: No. 10A Remote Switching System--experience/historical track record? Message-ID: <20110527232601.71884.qmail@joyce.lan> >> difference between a switch and a remote. Relatives who run a rural >> telco in Vermont told me that they reconfigured their exchanges from >> being separate switches to one switch and a bunch of remotes, no >> hardware changes, no differences that subscribers could see, but the >> software cost was a lot lower. >I thought a remote had to have fiber optics to the host. Seems like >that would have cost a lot of money for the rural telco. They noticed quite a while ago that fiber costs approximately nothing and laying it is what's expensive, so they'd been dropping a few fibers in whenever they trenched anything. Hence they already had fiber among all the COs. I think they were already using it for DSL backhaul. >I don't know what the distance limit was/is for the remote. The old >TOPS system was limited to about 50 miles; but then again, that was >before F.O. I think I've read about 100 and more in places in the west that are really rural. R's, John
Date: Thu, 26 May 2011 19:54:17 -0400 From: Eric Tappert <e.tappert.spamnot@worldnet.att.net> To: telecomdigestmoderator.remove-this@and-this-too.telecom-digest.org. Subject: Re: Early Voice Mail ("voice storage") systems Message-ID: <frptt61sbmsueo9auovmvcnmso599lbscj@4ax.com> On Thu, 26 May 2011 11:11:04 -0700 (PDT), Lisa or Jeff <hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com> wrote: >The May 1982 issue of BSTJ has a seires of articles on voice storage. >This technology led to voice mail services. > >As usual, Bell Labs extensively researched the architecture, physical >design, software, office engineering, maintenance, and reliability, >with articles describing in detail the findings. > >The preface says the FCC ordered Bell to cease work on this system as >it violated regulatory policy--it was considered a premium add-on in >violation of "Computer II". So even though in 1982 Bell's competitors >were providing both transmission services and customer equipment, Bell >was forbidden to offer its own premium services. > >How much of this research carried forward to voice mail systems I >don't know. But I can't but suspect that subsequent private >developers benefited from Bell's original research and trials. > > >table of contents may be found at: >http://www.alcatel-lucent.com/bstj/vol61-1982/bstj-vol61-issue05.html Typical of the times. In fact, Western Electric was forbidden by the FCC to manufacture the radio equipment for the first cellular service trial in Chicago. The results created a real political storm as a Japanese firm submitted the lowest bid for mobile equipment. ET
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