From editor@telecom-digest.org Tue Mar 30 14:43:11 2004 Received: (from ptownson@localhost) by massis.lcs.mit.edu (8.11.6p2/8.11.3) id i2UJhBW16030; Tue, 30 Mar 2004 14:43:11 -0500 (EST) Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 14:43:11 -0500 (EST) From: editor@telecom-digest.org Message-Id: <200403301943.i2UJhBW16030@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 #150 TELECOM Digest Tue, 30 Mar 2004 14:43:00 EST Volume 23 : Issue 150 Inside This Issue: Editor: Patrick A. Townson Vonage to Offer Portable Wi-Fi Phones (VOIP News) VOIP Regulation May Heat up Next Year (VOIP News) VOIP at 'Tipping Point,' Execs Say (VOIP News) NetCentrex and TMNG Partner for Residential VoIP Deployments (VOIP News) Jackson Becomes First Tennessee City to Get VoIP Over FTTP (VOIP News) Voxilla To Issue Encrypted Calling Certificates (VOIP News) Re: A Better Way To Squelch Spam? (SELLCOM Tech Support) Re: A Better Way To Squelch Spam? (William Warren) Making One Spammer Pay (Joe Wineburgh) "Virtual" Call Forwarding (William) Avaya Question (Steven) Re: Customer Disservice (Henry) Re: Correcting 411/555-1212 Info; Unlisted Service (Scott Dorsey) Re: Western Union Clocks (Scott Dorsey) 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: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 01:31:11 -0500 Subject: Vonage to Offer Portable Wi-Fi Phones Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://news.com.com/2100-7351_3-5181617.html By Ben Charny Staff Writer, CNET News.com SANTA CLARA, Calif.--Broadband phone service provider Vonage will make available portable Wi-Fi phones later this year to help defend itself against AT&T's expansion into its market, a Vonage executive said Monday. With the phone, Vonage subscribers can make and receive phone calls within range of Wi-Fi wireless access points normally found in homes, airports, cafes, fast food restaurants and other high-trafficked areas, Executive Vice President Michael Trembolet said. The phone could also work inside any home outfitted with Wi-Fi networks, he said. Vonage also will begin selling its $35-a-month unlimited local and long-distance services to broadband-enabled homes in the United Kingdom, Mexico City, Switzerland and some Pacific Rim territories later this year, he said. Vonage's moves are in response to the formal launch of AT&T's CallVantage phone service on Monday here at Spring 2004 VON Conference & Expo. AT&T, now selling CallVantage in Texas and New Jersey, represents a major threat to Vonage's market leading share of broadband phone subscriptions using voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) technology. Full story at: http://news.com.com/2100-7351_3-5181617.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/ [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: If you have not yet tried Vonage, you may like to to try it for a month of free service. Readers who ask me will receive an e-coupon for a month of service (the second month) at no charge. Whatever service plan you require gets you a second month, new users only. Write ptownson@massis.lcs.mit.edu and ask for your e-coupon. PAT] ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 11:13:57 -0500 Subject: VOIP Regulation May Heat up Next Year Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/03/30/HNvoipregulation_1.html Massive migration to VOIP could hurt government programs that rely on funds from carriers By Stephen Lawson, IDG News Service March 30, 2004 SANTA CLARA, CALIF. -- Next year may be a big one for regulation of VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) in the U.S., according to some Monday speakers at the Voice on the Net (VON) conference here. Several petitions to the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make decisions on the services are currently pending, and some of them legally should be decided within 12 to 15 months, according to Julie Veach, an assistant chief in the FCC's wireline competition bureau, who addressed a one-day policy summit at VON. However, major federal policy decisions on VOIP probably won't be made until at least after the November election, with the uncertainty of a possible administration change looming, said Blair Levin, a managing director at financial services company Legg Mason Inc. and a former FCC official. Full story at: http://www.infoworld.com/article/04/03/30/HNvoipregulation_1.html ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 11:24:48 -0500 Subject: VOIP at 'Tipping Point,' Execs Say Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1556940,00.asp By Mark Hachman SANTA CLARA, Calif. Voice-over-IP services have reached the "tipping point," executives said here Monday, shifting from international to domestic communications. Executives at the Voice On the Net show said that while users understand the advantage of IP calls that aren't metered by distance, cable and especially DSL providers need to offer "naked" DSL service that allows users the choice of what infrastructure they will use to make voice calls. Meanwhile, the consumer market for VOIP will be tested by legislation by Sen. John Sununu Jr. (R-N.H.) and Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Miss.), who plan to submit bills to "open up" DSL and other broadband providers, according to Jason Oxman, assistant general counsel for Covad Communications. "From the perspective of the broadband service providers, it's not in my best interest for someone to ride on my network when I can do it myself," he said. Full story at: http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1556940,00.asp ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 11:17:17 -0500 Subject: NetCentrex and TMNG Partner for Residential VoIP Deployments Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/stories.pl?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/03-30-2004/0002137223&EDATE= NetCentrex and TMNG Partner for Residential VoIP Deployments Brings Project Management to Triple Play Implementations SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, NetCentrex(TM), the leading enabler of converged voice-video-data networks and next-generation services, and The Management Network Group (Nasdaq: TMNG), a leading provider of management consulting services to the global communications industry, announced a partnership through which TMNG will provide integration, deployment and project management services for NetCentrex' IPlay3 solution a residential triple play broadband voice and video communications solution. TMNG's extensive management, operational and technical consulting experience coupled with NetCentrex' expertise in carrier-grade network technologies and communications applications, enables the two companies to offer a unique service to FTTH deployments and regional LECs for VoIP and triple play installations. "The technological innovation is now at the point where VoIP offerings are beginning to gain market acceptance, and the winners will be those that can develop and implement in time-to-market," said Rich Nespola, CEO of The Management Network Group. "The IPlay3 solution will enable FTTH deployments and LECs to deliver advanced IP services to their subscriber base and establish themselves at the upturn of VoIP rollout." TMNG is taking a leadership role in helping service providers prepare and roll out VoIP services. With its extensive wireline and wireless market expertise, the company is positioned to help with market expertise in all aspects of the triple play bundle including; voice, video and data. "TMNG's global network and expertise with the telecommunications community is a significant asset for the IPlay3 strategy", said Alain Fernando-Santana, CEO at NetCentrex. "Working with TMNG enables us immediately to address a wider range of larger implementations." About NetCentrex (http://www.netcentrex.net): NetCentrex(TM) delivers next-generation networking solutions and network-based applications for Voice-over- IP (VoIP), PSTN and Mobile networks. The solutions enable service providers to build converged networks and to offer network-based multi-media services for the residential and enterprise markets. Solutions include multi-protocol residential IP applications, a media server platform, an application development and execution platform, and applications VoIP VPNs and IP Centrex services. With NetCentrex, service providers can build next-generation networks and drive network demand through innovative new services. With individual deployments that exceed 500,000 subscribers, NetCentrex is a true carrier-class VoIP solution. About TMNG (http://www.tmng.com): The Management Network Group, Inc. is a leading provider of strategy, management, marketing, operational and technology consulting services to the global communications industry. With more than 500 consultants worldwide, TMNG serves communications service providers, technology companies, and financial services firms. Since the company's inception in 1990, TMNG and its subsidiaries -- TMNG Strategy, TMNG Marketing, TMNG Technologies and TMNG Europe -- have served more than 600 clients worldwide, including all the Fortune 500 telecommunications companies. TMNG is headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, with offices in Boston, Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, La Jolla, London, New York, San Francisco, Toronto, Utrecht and Washington, D.C. TMNG can be reached at 1-888-480-TMNG (8664) or online at http://www.tmng.com . SOURCE NetCentrex Web Site: http://www.netcentrex.net ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 11:09:24 -0500 Subject: Jackson Becomes First Tennessee City to Get VoIP over FTTP Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040330005041&newsLang=en Jackson Becomes First Tennessee City to Get VoIP over FTTP; Aeneas to Deploy MetaSwitch VP3500 Next Generation Class 5 Switch for Voice Services over Jackson Energy Authority's Fiber Network Spring VON 2004 JACKSON, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 30, 2004--Building on its success deploying the nation's largest fully-funded Fiber to the Premise (FTTP) network, the Jackson Energy Authority is partnering with Aeneas Internet & Telephone, the largest ISP in western Tennessee, to offer voice services to 31,000 homes and businesses. Aeneas has selected MetaSwitch as its VoIP technology partner for the venture based on the company's proven ability working with the JEA's chosen FTTP network vendor, Wave7 Optics (www.wave7optics.com). Using MetaSwitch's flagship VP3500 Next Generation Class 5 Switch, Aeneas will offer Jackson residents a broad range of advanced calling features, along with the ability to manage and configure those services via the Web. Full press release at: http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040330005041&newsLang=en ------------------------------ From: VOIP News Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 12:42:44 -0500 Subject: Voxilla To Issue Encrypted Calling Certificates Reply-To: VoIPnews@yahoogroups.com http://www.voxilla.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=63&mode=nested&order=0&thold=0 VOXILLA.COM News Report Beginning March 30th, Voxilla will offer owners of the Sipura Technology line of analog telephone adaptors the ability to make point-to-point encrypted telephone calls, a first in the VoIP world. Utilizing the built-in encryption capabilities of version 2.0 of the Sipura firmware for its SPA-2000 and SPA-1000 telephone adaptors, callers using Sipura units will be able to talk to one another and their voice will travel across the internet in digitally encrypted packets. Voxilla will issue secure randomly generated private and public keys to users who visit a specially designed series of pages on Voxilla.com. Any two users with a verifiable key from Voxilla will be able to have an encrypted conversation. Encryption is something early adopters, particularly business users of VoIP, have publicly called for. The encrypted service will work with peer-to-peer IP telephony service, such as Free World Dialup or IPTel. Calls to commercial VoIP services and to the PSTN system will not be encrypted. However, New Jersey-based VoIP service provider VoicePulse plans on offering encrypted calls to consumers in the 2nd quarter of 2004. Full story at: http://www.voxilla.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=63&mode=nested&order=0&thold=0 ------------------------------ From: SELLCOM Tech Support Subject: Re: A Better Way To Squelch Spam? Organization: www.sellcom.com Reply-To: support@sellcom.com Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 05:07:12 GMT Just hold the ISP who is enabling the foreign website being spamvertised access to the USA responsible just as if they were knowingly enabling a US spam website. Then watch how fast the spam slows down. Steve at SELLCOM http://www.sellcom.com Discount multihandset cordless phones by Siemens, AT&T, Panasonic, Motorola Vtech 5.8Ghz; TMC ET4000 4line Epic phone, OnHoldPlus, Beamer, Watchguard! Brick wall "non MOV" surge protection. Mini-Splitter log splitter! If you sit at a desk www.ergochair.biz you owe it to yourself. ------------------------------ From: William Warren Subject: Re: A Better Way To Squelch Spam? Organization: Comcast Online Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 16:03:04 GMT Fred Goldstein wrote in message news:telecom23.149.8@telecom-digest.org: > On Mon, 29 Mar 2004, Tom Betz didst uttereth, >>> http://www.technologyreview.com/articles/wo_johansson032604.asp >> The same old 'hashcash' proposal, which penalizes everyone to try to >> stop spammers; and of course, when the spammer is abusing a hijacked >> Windows PC to send spam, which is the typical case these days, it >> doesn't penalize the spammer at all. > Indeed. The article says, >> Money stamps raise other significant issues: Who redeems the stamp? >> Who has taxing authority on the income? Who bears legal liability >> for erroneous or absent stamp validation? Who controls access to >> your mailbox and for how big a stamp? These questions make it clear >> why we and many others distrust money stamps as a solution to spam. > Well, there are obvious solutions to that problem. "Work stamps", > like hashcash, just lead spammers to steal cycles, which, Moore's Law > noted, keep getting cheaper. Money, though, is money. > Here's a way to do it. Let anybody issue money stamps. Let the > issuer keep the money. Let them use the money to build the necessary > server infrastructure, and if it's profitable, fine. A "stampette" > is, in effect, a one-time certificate, and the issuer is a certificate > authority whose certificates can't be cached. I'm estimating a price > of few thousand stampettes per dollar. > The stamps would only be needed for mail from strangers. A user could > create a whitelist of users whose mail would not require a stampette. > Mailing lists would require their subscribers to whitelist them. Or > maybe a permanent certificate (vs. a one-time stampette) would be used > for mailing lists, to prevent spoofing. You wouldn't want a spammer > to get around it by claiming to be telecom-digest, would you? > Now the reason this works is that the recipient does not automatically > accept anything passing itself off as a stampette. The recipient only > accepts stampettes that are validated by an issuer that it knows and > trusts (whitelists). If an issuer charges too little, its stamps may > become attractive to spammers, but that will lead recipients to remove > them from their whitelists, putting the issuer out of business. (An > end user might have the ability to control their own whitelist, but > more typically an ISP would pay attention.) If an issuer charges too > much, nobody will buy its stamps. Very self-correcting. Very "Adam > Smith", free market, decentralized, scalable, end to end, yadda yadda. > Naturally, a lot of "mail must be FREE as in BEER" purists oppose > this, and it has some potential issues, but I don't see how any > cashless system can ever stay ahead of the spammers. More at > http://www.ionary.com/ion-spam.html . Pat, Although I don't often agree with Mr. Goldstein, in this case I concur. The cost of paying for email will be dwarfed by the savings that result from it: not just the lowered cost of an (already overtaxed) infrastructure, but the much higher human cost in wages, agravation, and time. Although privacy advocates might be concerned with a certificate process that exposes its users identities to the world, I'm sure that we could design a system that allows for pseudonymous email at the same cost as attributed material. In any case, few believe that governments can't get access to the identity of email senders when they really want to. The only area left open to debate is how we can, of if we should, keep the system voluntary: I've never met a bureaucrat who didn't want a bigger budget, and governments are very adept at collecting, and raising, taxes. However, there's a large advantage if Uncle Sam gets involved: "money, though, is money", and governments by and large are eager to help each other collect it. That will be a big lever to use on spammers who move offshore: IANAL, but I suspect there are tariff or other treaties that would make it very difficult for the sender to avoid paying for spam sent from foreign countries if it were taxed here. It is, of course, inevitable that foreign governments would offer discounts to spammers willing to contribute to their coffers, but the infrastructure and attitudes are already in place for that sort of thing, so it would (IMNSHO) reach equilibrium fairly quickly. The issue of what to do with hijacked PC's being used as zombie senders is also solved: not only are billing systems very well prepared to cut off debtors, but they're also coded to restrict sudden surges beyond a cusomary average, and that means that the issuing authority would be able to cut off any zombie computer that starting spewing without reason. Even if a spammer had access to a large coral of hijacked machines, the legal effect of causing someone else to spend money without permission is predictable and quick: everybody understands money, and everybody hollers just as loudly at a pickpocket as at a bank robber. FWIW. YMMV. Bill Warren (Filter noise from my email address for direct replies) ------------------------------ From: Joe Wineburgh Subject: Making One Spammer Pay Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 11:10:38 -0500 AOL to Give Away $47,000 Porsche Seized in Settlement By Anick Jesdanun Associated Press NEW YORK -- Finally, some payback for all that spam. It's a 2002 Porsche Boxster S that will be the grand prize in an America Online sweepstakes starting Tuesday. AOL obtained the car in settling a lawsuit against "a guy who by our estimates made more than a million dollars from spamming," said Randall Boe, AOL's executive vice president and general counsel. Although the company has previously won cash judgments and destroyed computers used in spamming, Boe said the latest case "represents us moving beyond that to the toys, the fruits of spam. We'll take cars, houses, boats, whatever we can find and get a hold of." The sweepstakes is open until April 8. Adult AOL members living in the continental United States are eligible, and they can enter only online. The two-door, metallic silver gray Porsche with a leather interior has 18,000 miles on it and retails for $47,000, according to AOL. Boe said the spammer was sued last April and the car had California plates. He gave no other details, citing confidentiality terms of the settlement. In that round of five federal lawsuits, AOL targeted individuals and companies accused of sending a combined 1 billion junk messages to AOL members, pitching pornography, college degrees, cable TV descramblers and other products. Boe said seized assets are usually cash and are used to pay lawyers, develop anti-spam technology and expand the anti-spam team. He said spammers are often forced to sell houses or other tangible assets. AOL made an exception in this case and took the car because of its "symbolic value," Boe said. "Here was a spammer who made some money fast. He bought himself a Porsche." Boe said he hoped the publicity would deter spammers, though he acknowledged it wouldn't end spam. ------------------------------ From: _William_ Subject: "Virtual" Call Forwarding Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 08:43:16 -0800 Organization: http://extra.newsguy.com Question: ================= Does anyone know of a company that allows me to "port" (using the new number portability capabilities) my existing landline phone number to them and then allows me to forward that to a different number without having to maintain an actual phoneline. Background: ================= I have a business cellphone and a personal landline. I no longer need a home landline but I want to keep the number that is assigned to it. I want to get rid of dialtone since I'm moving. I want people to call that number and have it "bounce" or forward to my cellphone. Options Considered: ================= Get another cellphone and port the landline. Problem: Cost and hassle. I don't want a second cellphone. Or a dual-nam cellphone where I have switch between lines. I'd like one cellphone for all my numbers. Plus, I'd have to pay for the second line of service. Have the telephone company do something: I called Qwest (my local provider) twice and spoke to two different people (sometimes, one won't know what's available). They said they don't have any options for this and something they call "Vacation Suspend" whatever that it, might have been an option but is not available in my state. Forget keeping the landline and tell everyone that I have a new phone number. Problem: I have one of the best numbers in the city and I'm a bit attached to it. Without revealing the true number, it's my areacode and all one digit except for the last similar to (xxx) 888-8889. How can I give that up? Also -- I still want a different number for personal and business in case I have to separate them again. Thanks for any ideas. [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Ask your local telco for 'remote call forwarding' if it is available. Using RFC, you have no actual phone instrument; your 'preferred number' is simply terminated in the central office and permanently forwarded to whatever number you request, in this case your cell number. You have no control over changing the forwarding of the number; all that is done by telco in the central office. Telco usually charges some flat rate for remote call forwarding plus the charge for each call forwarded at the rate in effect for same. Whenever you want it turned off permanently just tell telco. PAT] ------------------------------ From: sbrickclick@hotmail.com (Steven) Subject: Avaya Question Date: 30 Mar 2004 09:59:00 -0800 Organization: http://groups.google.com Does someone on the Internet can explain to me about an Avaya (prev. Lucent)'s small business phone system the Partner. Well, one of the Partner systems is called Endeavor. I don't know the diffrence between the ACS and that and all I know is one of the Endeavor has only one line display. Could someone explain me what the dif and what is it exactly. Thanks ~steven - the avaya freak~ ------------------------------ From: henry999@eircom.net (Henry) Subject: Re: Customer Disservice Date: Tue, 30 Mar 2004 08:05:42 +0300 Organization: Elisa Internet customer Monty Solomon wrote: > These Days, Consumers May as Well Keep Their Complaint To Themselves > By Caroline E. Mayer > Washington Post Staff Writer Talk about synchronicity -- this is really resonating with me right now. Last fall, I got very bad service on an expensive purchase -- essentially, they didn't provide what I bought. I got a refund within a reasonable time from the independent local agent, but I wanted the Head Office to know exactly why I was dissatisfied so I wrote them a detailed letter explaining point by point where I thought they had failed me. I had my refund and, really, the matter was closed; I just wrote to them because (a) I wanted to get my unhappiness off my chest and (b) I was curious to see what they would say. That was in November. As the months went by, it became apparent that my letter had simply gone into the circular file. But then, yesterday -- after four months -- I got an answer. It was a very-slightly-modified form letter, about 80% of which had absolutely nothing to do with anything. But in the few lines that were 'personalised' for me, they basically said 'we believe that we are excellent and therefore you have no complaint'. Arrogant bastards. Needless to say, I won't be buying any of their stuff ever again. Cheers, Henry Larsen [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: This reminds me very much of Southwestern Bell (SBC). You get *no* written responses from them *ever* which actually address your complaints, just more promotional letters. PAT] ------------------------------ From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) Subject: Re: Correcting 411/555-1212 Info; Unlisted Service Date: 30 Mar 2004 10:26:08 -0500 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) William Robison wrote: > As stations are added and removed from the loop, everything needs > to be readjusted, and testing of voice loops occurs on a daily/weekly > basis. > "ACE, station xxx, how do you read?" > "station xxx, ACE,we read you 5 by, and me?" > "ACE, station xxx, I read you 5 by 5, good day" I have, on HF radio, heard conversations like: "You are five and nine, old man" "I do not copy." "Repeat, you are five and nine" "Please repeat that." "You are coming in five and nine here." "I copy. You are five and nine also but I can hardly hear you." --scott "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." ------------------------------ From: kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) Subject: Re: Western Union Clocks Date: 30 Mar 2004 10:27:16 -0500 Organization: Former users of Netcom shell (1989-2000) In article , J Kelly wrote: > On Thu, 25 Mar 2004 19:59:41 -0800, Al Gillis wrote: >> So who can explain this about time: Most modern DVD/VCR machines can >> set the time based on signals from a TV station, most frequently a >> public broadcasting stations (CPB?) So how does that work? And why >> does it take so long to set the time? I'd guess there is some sort of >> signal during the vertical retrace interval or something like that but >> I've not been able to find any authorative referances to this feature. >> Explain it, please!! > Participating PBS stations transmit the time signal on Line 21 of the > Vertical Blanking Interval. Many stations transmit time on line 21. Unfortunately, SOME stations don't bother setting things so that they transmit correct time. In the DC area, some stations are as much as two minutes off. --scott "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis." ------------------------------ 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. 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