TELECOM Digest     Tue, 27 Sep 2005 14:38:00 EDT    Volume 24 : Issue 439

Inside This Issue:                             Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    Google to Remove Boast About Index Size (Michael Liedtke)
    Mediation Begins in Music Copyright Trial (Audra Ang)
    Cellular-News for Tuesday 27th September 2005 (Cellular-News)
    Verizon Inks Franchise Deal With Virginia (USTelecom dailyLead)
    Oakland Calif Conversion From 6 to 7 Digit Dialing? (Lisa Hancock)
    Don Adams Passing; "Maxwell Smart, Secret Agent 86" (Lisa Hancock)
    Why is VOIP Getting Hot Now? (John)
    Re: Getting Rid of "Legal" Spam? (Barry Margolin)
    Re: Getting Rid of "Legal" Spam? (Dave Garland)
    Re: Bell System Phone Label Code? (Lisa Hancock)

Telecom and VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) Digest for the
Internet.  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: Michael Liedtke <ap@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Google to Remove Boast About Index Size
Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 13:01:33 -0500


By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP Business Writer

Google Inc. will stop boasting on its home page about the number of
Web pages it has stored in its index, even as the online search engine
leader continues a crusade to prove it scans substantially more
material than its rivals.

The Mountain View, Calif.-based company planned to remove the index
size late Monday. It will mark the first time in more than five years
that Google hasn't listed the size of its search index on its sparse
home page.

When Google started the practice in mid-2000, the index spanned 1
billion pages; as of Monday afternoon, Google's home page said the
search index contained 8.17 billion pages.

That figure qualified it as the largest in the industry until last
month, when nemesis Yahoo Inc. revealed its database included 20.8
billion documents and images. Unlike Google, Yahoo never listed that
figure on its home page, disclosing it only in a Web posting by one of
its executives.

Yahoo's claim nevertheless came under immediate fire from Google
executives, who questioned its accuracy before finally concluding that
the two companies are counting things differently.

Both companies want the bragging rights to the biggest index because
it can attract more traffic from less sophisticated Web searchers who
equate size with quality.

Google's index is bigger than ever, according to company officials,
although the breadth of the latest expansion will remain a mystery.

Marissa Mayer, Google's director of consumer products, said the index
is three times larger than its rivals and 1,000 times bigger than when
former Stanford University graduate students Larry Page and Sergey
Brin formed the company seven years ago. The index is believed have
spanned somewhere between 25 million and 65 million Web pages then. If
it's 1,000 times larger today, that would put its current size at
somewhere between 25 billion and 65 billion pages.

Mayer said that since apples-to-apples comparison are no longer
possible, Google decided to stop listing the size of its index and
instead invite Web surfers to conduct the equivalent of a "taste test"
to see which engine consistently delivers the most results, Mayer
said.

"We think the absolute numbers have become meaningless, so we are
encouraging users to find out for themselves," she said.

Yahoo, whose search engine is the second most used behind Google's,
welcomed the challenge. "As we've said in the past, what matters is
that consumers find what they are looking for and we invite Google
users to compare their results to Yahoo," the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based
company said in a statement.

On The Net:
http://www.google.com
http://www.yahoo.com

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. 

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily.

For more headlines and news stories with no obligation to log in or
register, go to  http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/newstoday.html

------------------------------

From: Audra Ang <ap@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: Mediation Begins in Music Copyright Trial
Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 13:02:53 -0500


By AUDRA ANG, Associated Press Writer

Four music giants and their local subsidiaries have entered mediation
with Baidu.com, China's largest Internet search engine, over the
recording companies' claims of copyright infringement.

No agreement was reached after more than five hours of discussions
that began Monday at the Beijing No. 1 Intermediate People's Court,
the official China Daily newspaper said. A judge would resolve the
issue if there is no resolution.

It is the second time this month that Baidu, whose share price went as
high as $153.98 after an initial public offering at $27 on the Nasdaq
Stock Market in August, was in a Chinese court dealing with
accusations of copyright violations. Baidu's U.S. shares were up 22
cents at $77.50 in morning trading Tuesday on the Nasdaq.

Universal, EMI, Warner, Sony BMG and local subsidiaries claim that
Baidu made it easy for its users to illegally download copies of 137
of their songs through the mp3.baidu.com search page. The music
companies are seeking 1.67 million yuan, or $206,000, in compensation,
the China Daily newspaper said.

A man who answered the phone at the court Tuesday said the case was
still under mediation but said he was unclear about what progress had
made. He refused to give his name.

According to the China Daily, Baidu defended itself by saying that it
is simply providing basic search functions, not downloading
services. The company also says it advocates improving copyright
protection on the Internet and promises to provide protection if a
company can prove it owns the rights to a song, the newspaper said.

Baidu's lawyer, Li Decheng of the Zhonglun W&D Law Firm in Beijing,
said Tuesday that he could not comment on the case without his
client's permission. Cynthia He, a Beijing spokeswoman for Baidu, said
the company had no comment.

Baidu's MP3 search page is hugely popular among young, increasingly
tech-savvy Chinese. Analysts say it has grown into China's largest
search engine, prompting U.S. search giant Google Inc. to buy 2.6
percent of the company last year.

On Sept. 16, the People's Court of Haidian District in Beijing ordered
Baidu to pay 68,000 yuan, or about $8,400, to mainland music company
Shanghai Busheng Music Culture Media for unauthorized downloads of 46
songs. Baidu is appealing.

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press.

NOTE: For more telecom/internet/networking/computer news from the
daily media, check out our feature 'Telecom Digest Extra' each day at
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html . Hundreds of new
articles daily.

For more news reports, please go to 
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/more-news.html

------------------------------

Subject: Cellular-News for Tuesday 27th September 2005
Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 07:44:54 -0500
From: Cellular-News <dailydigest@cellular-news.com>


Cellular-News - http://www.cellular-news.com

  3 UK Bottoms On Customer Satisfaction Survey
  http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14207.php

39 million UK adults now own a mobile phone, spending on average
US$36.40 per month on their bills. Now that mobile penetration is so
high, the future market will be overwhelmingly that of churners rather
than subscriber...

  Could Telefonica Launch a Bid for KPN and O2 ?
  http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14208.php

A new research note from Merrill Lynch's European telecom analyst
Jesus Romero, has postulated the idea that Spain's Telefonica could
launch a takeover bid for KPN, should the company emerge as a part
owner of a split O2...

  ISP Market Represents Huge Opportunity for African Operators
  http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14209.php

GSM operators in Africa have an opportunity to drive massive growth in
average revenue per user (ARPU) and traffic on their networks by
offering ISP services such as Internet and e-mail access to their
customers. That's ...

  High Taxes Slowing Phone Sales in Developing Nations
  http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14210.php

High taxes in many developing countries have made mobile
communications unaffordable for hundreds of millions of people,
holding back social and economic development, according to a study by
the GSM Association (GSMA)....

  Ringtones are Fashion, Mobile Music is Another Gadget
  http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14211.php

M:Metrics has published some new insights on ringtones and mobile
music. The measurement firm reports that although ringtones are
universally popular among both males and females, there are
significant differences betwee...

  Nokia Twists Again with New Music Phone
  http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14212.php

Nokia has launched a new handset that has an unusual keypad twisting
design. This unique design twists to transform a traditional phone
keypad into dedicated music keys. The Nokia 3250 stores up to 1
Gigabyte (750 songs)...

  More Than a Third of Mobile Game Downloads Are Free
  http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14213.php

Telephia has reported that 64% of all games downloaded in Q2 2005 are
revenue-generating purchases while the remaining 36% are free. Accord-
ing to Telephia's Mobile Game Report, Puzzle/Strategy mobile games 
have the highe...

  SRI LANKA BUSINESS BRIEFS:CDMA For Lanka Internet, Tritel
  http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14197.php

Sri Lanka communication companies Lanka Internet and Tritel have
obtained licenses to sell fixed-line telephones using CDMA technology,
a Telecommunications Ministry official said. The ministry had earlier
given licenses...

  Nokia In Push To Talk Deal With Etisalat
  http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14198.php

Finnish mobile communications company Nokia Oyj (NOK) said Monday it
has signed a contract with Emirates Telecommunications
Corp. (ETISALAT.AD), or Etisalat. ...

  Nokia Introduces XpressMusic Mobile Music Feature Brand
  http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14199.php

Finland's Nokia Oyj (NOK) said Monday it is introducing Nokia
XpressMusic, a feature brand that makes it easy for consumers to
identify Nokia's growing portfolio of music-optimized mobile
devices. ...

  Australia's Telstra Plans To Revamp New Zealand Operations, Cut Jobs
  http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14200.php

Australia's Telstra Corp. (TLS) unveiled Monday plans to revamp the
structure of its telecommunications business in New Zealand to bolster
profits from the operation, but remains noncommittal on building its
own mobile p...

  Nokia To Supply WCDMA Radio Acces Network To TDC Mobile
  http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14201.php

Finnish telecommunications equipment maker Nokia Oyj (NOK) Monday said
it has signed a framework agreement to supply a WCDMA 3G radio access
network to Danish operator TDC Mobile, part of TDC A/S (TLD). ...

  KPN To Bring Mobile Brand Simyo To Dutch Market
  http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14202.php

Dutch telecommunications company Royal KPN NV (KPN) Monday said it
will launch mobile-phone brand Simyo in the Dutch market. ...

  O2 Launches i-mode In UK From Oct 1
  http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14203.php

O2 PLC Monday announced the U.K. launch of i-mode(R), a mobile
Internet service with more than 50 million users in 22 countries. ...

  Deutsche Telekom: Not In Talks With Anyone On O2
  http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14204.php

Germany's Deutsche Telekom (DT) Monday denied it is in talks to buy
U.K. mobile phone operator O2 PLC (OOM.LN). ...

  Portugal Telecom Enters Bid For Tunisie Telecom
  http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14205.php

Portugal Telecom SA (PT) has presented a proposal to participate in
Tunisia's privatization of Tunisie Telecom, a PT spokesman said
Monday. ...

  Microsoft And Palm Launch New Treo Mobile Phone
  http://www.cellular-news.com/story/14206.php

SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones) -- Microsoft Corp. and Palm Inc. took the
wraps off of a long-expected partnership Monday to develop a new
so-called smart phone aimed at challenging the dominance of Research
In Motio...

------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 12:20:04 EDT
From: USTelecom dailyLead  <ustelecom@dailylead.com>
Subject: Verizon Inks Franchise Deal With Virginia


USTelecom dailyLead
September 27, 2005
http://www.dailylead.com/latestIssue.jsp?i=24924&l=2017006

		TODAY'S HEADLINES
	
NEWS OF THE DAY
* Verizon inks franchise deal with Virginia county
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH
* Analysis: Microsoft-Palm alliance could challenge RIM
* Carriers say Rita damage minimal
* News Corp. takes aim at mobile content market
* Rumor mill: Tellabs eyeing Redback
* Motorola wins contract to sell inexpensive phones
* Google goes primetime with UPN comedy
USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT
* TELECOM '05 Security Conference to explore communications challenges
* Telecom Bookstore:  Everything for the Telecom Professional
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
* Next-generation phones may use multiple networks
* Riverstone unveils two low-cost Ethernet routers
REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE
* FCC set to enforce VoIP cutoff deadline

Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others.
http://www.dailylead.com/latestIssue.jsp?i=24924&l=2017006

Legal and Privacy information at
http://www.dailylead.com/about/privacy_legal.jsp

SmartBrief, Inc.
1100 H ST NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20005

------------------------------

From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
Subject: Oakland Calif Conversion From 6 to 7 Digit Dialing?
Date: 27 Sep 2005 09:40:30 -0700
Organization: http://groups.google.com


In reading a book about the Key System railway, older schedules had a
six-digit phone number (2L-4N) while newer ones had seven-digits
(2L-5N).

Would anyone know when Oakland converted?

Also, was six digit dialing (2L-4N) common in a lot of places?  I
though most city dial offices were 5 digit for smaller cities and 7
digit (3L-4N) for larger cities.  The seven digits were used as part
of the panel installation for cities expecting growth and to provide
for automatic integrated dialing to/from suburban areas as well.

------------------------------

From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
Subject: Don Adams Passing; "Maxwell Smart, Secret Agent 86"
Date: 27 Sep 2005 07:22:18 -0700
Organization: http://groups.google.com


Actor Don Adams passed away at age 82.  He was most famous for his role
of a bungling secret agent on the TV show "Get Smart".

The show's basic premise was a satire of the many secret agent movies
and TV shows popular at the time.  It was a very funny, well made
show, poking fun at lots of aspects of everyday life, not just the spy
business.  For example, they had a scene where the spies from opposing
sides went on strike and were comparing fringe benefits.

Max had a bevy of lines that became part of the national lexicon, just
as Seinfeld's did more recently.  These included "Sorry about that
chief", "Would you believe...", "facing constant danger...and loving
it!".

As readers of this newsgroup know, the show was heavy into telephone
and telephone company satire.  Max had his famous shoe phone.  We take
our tiny cell phones for granted these days, but in the 1960s it was
pretty impressive.  Max once refused to give his shoephone to the
enemy because "I still have 13 message units left!".  He often argued
with telephone operators: "Operator, I'm going to give you a top
secret number, you are to forget the minute you connect me!  \ Oh, you
mean Control".

Max's lab always came up with imaginative secret agent devices, which
Max always managed to set off at the wrong time.

Bernie Koppel, who played his enemy Siegfried, later played the doctor
on Love Boat.  When greeting Smart, he always clicked his heels
together in the German style salute.  Smart responded in kind, and
always you heard jangle of him hurting his shoe phone.

TV Land used to run reruns of the show, perhaps in honor of Adams'
memory it will do so again.  I realize some of the humor and certainly
the technology will be dated for our younger readers, but it is
certainly worth a look.

------------------------------

From: John <jbradshaw777@yahoo.com>
Subject: Why is VOIP Getting Hot Now?
Date: 27 Sep 2005 10:53:32 -0700
Organization: http://groups.google.com


Hi,

I am looking for some insight on this VOIP thing.  Why is it, seems to
me, getting hot now? This thing has been around for many years (I
remember using Internet Telephony application almost a decade ago),
why is it getting hot now? why does it take so long for it to get some
tracking?  Is there anything different now that makes it more
appealing than a decade ago?


John

------------------------------

From: Barry Margolin <barmar@alum.mit.edu>
Subject: Re: Getting Rid of "Legal" Spam?
Organization: Symantec
Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2005 23:35:01 -0400


In article <telecom24.436.5@telecom-digest.org>,
nospam4me@mytrashmail.com wrote:

> As for the promoters of PC-EXPO, perhaps a cease and desist letter
> from your attorney is the next step.

They'd have to be spamming you a hell of a lot!  Who's going to pay
those attorney fees?

Barry Margolin, barmar@alum.mit.edu
Arlington, MA
*** PLEASE post questions in newsgroups, not directly to me ***

------------------------------

From: Dave Garland <dave.garland@wizinfo.com>
Subject: Re: Getting Rid of "Legal" Spam?
Date: Tue, 27 Sep 2005 03:09:19 -0500
Organization: Wizard Information


It was a dark and stormy night when hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:

> I do not have the resources to get multiple email addresses.

http://www.sneakemail.com

Free service, generates (multiple) email addresses @ sneakemail.com,
mail sent to those addresses is forwarded to your real address.  But
you can kill the temporary address.  Spam avoidance is one of the
purposes it was designed for.

------------------------------

From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
Subject: Re: Bell System Phone Label Code?
Date: 27 Sep 2005 09:36:30 -0700
Organization: http://groups.google.com


Allen Newman wrote:

> On the number cards/labels affixed to latter-decades' Bell System
> phones, there was a letter M stamped like this:

Could it have meant "modular" since that number card was intended for
modular phones installed by the customer?  They used to give them out
at Phone Center stores.

I didn't care for them since it was a sticker, not a card.  Admittedly,
for most people that what was best.  However, since I knew how to open
a dial, I wanted a card to mount behind it and didn't want some sticker
fouling my dial.  Also, they used a stamper that was in relatively
small type size compared to the bigger size used by traditional
installers.  Of course all they had was all-number, no letters.  In our
area, we were still using letters in a limited manner.  To this day,
the official internal identifier for telephone districts in our area
was the old exchange name from way back.

------------------------------


TELECOM Digest is an electronic journal devoted mostly to telecomm-
unications 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.

Contact information:    Patrick Townson/TELECOM Digest
                        Post Office Box 50
                        Independence, KS 67301
                        Phone: 620-402-0134
                        Fax 1: 775-255-9970
                        Fax 2: 530-309-7234
                        Fax 3: 208-692-5145         
                        Email: editor@telecom-digest.org

Subscribe:  telecom-subscribe@telecom-digest.org
Unsubscribe:telecom-unsubscribe@telecom-digest.org

This Digest is the oldest continuing e-journal about telecomm-
unications on the Internet, having been founded in August, 1981 and
published continuously since then.  Our archives are available for
your review/research. We believe we are the oldest e-zine/mailing list
on the internet in any category!

URL information:        http://telecom-digest.org

Anonymous FTP: mirror.lcs.mit.edu/telecom-archives/archives/
  (or use our mirror site: ftp.epix.net/pub/telecom-archives)

RSS Syndication of TELECOM Digest: http://telecom-digest.org/rss.html
  For syndication examples see http://www.feedrollpro.com/syndicate.php?id=308
    and also http://feeds.feedburner.com/TelecomDigest

*************************************************************************
*   TELECOM Digest is partially funded by a grant from                  *
*   Judith Oppenheimer, President of ICB Inc. and purveyor of accurate  *
*   800 & Dot Com News, Intelligence, Analysis, and Consulting.         *
*   http://ICBTollFree.com, http://1800TheExpert.com                    *
*   Views expressed herein should not be construed as representing      *
*   views of Judith Oppenheimer or ICB Inc.                             *
*************************************************************************

ICB Toll Free News.  Contact information is not sold, rented or leased.

One click a day feeds a person a meal.  Go to http://www.thehungersite.com

Copyright 2004 ICB, Inc. and TELECOM Digest. All rights reserved.
Our attorney is Bill Levant, of Blue Bell, PA.

              ************************

DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE JUST 65 CENTS ONE OR TWO INQUIRIES CHARGED TO
YOUR CREDIT CARD!  REAL TIME, UP TO DATE! SPONSORED BY TELECOM DIGEST
AND EASY411.COM   SIGN UP AT http://www.easy411.com/telecomdigest !

              ************************

Visit http://www.mstm.okstate.edu and take the next step in your
career with a Master of Science in Telecommunications Management
(MSTM) degree from Oklahoma State University (OSU). This 35
credit-hour interdisciplinary program is designed to give you the
skills necessary to manage telecommunications networks, including
data, video, and voice networks.

The MSTM degree draws on the expertise of the OSU's College
of Business Administration; the College of Arts and Sciences; and the
College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The program has
state-of-the-art lab facilities on the Stillwater and Tulsa campus
offering hands-on learning to enhance the program curriculum.  Classes
are available in Stillwater, Tulsa, or through distance learning.

Please contact Jay Boyington for additional information at
405-744-9000, mstm-osu@okstate.edu, or visit the MSTM web site at
http://www.mstm.okstate.edu

              ************************

   ---------------------------------------------------------------

Finally, the Digest is funded by gifts from generous readers such as
yourself who provide funding in amounts deemed appropriate. Your help
is important and appreciated. A suggested donation of fifty dollars
per year per reader is considered appropriate. See our address above.
Please make at least a single donation to cover the cost of processing
your name to the mailing list. 

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 V24 #439
******************************