TELECOM Digest     Fri, 16 Dec 2005 19:00:00 EST    Volume 24 : Issue 566

Inside This Issue:                             Editor: Patrick A. Townson

    BellSouth Laying Off 1500 Managers, Other Staff (Reuters News Wire)
    Qwest CEO Getting Indicted (Keith Coffman)
    Jury Talks Begin in N.H. Phone Jamming Case (Associated Press News Wire)
    Huge Amount of e-Bay Fraud Going on Online (BBC News Wire)
    Old Phone Numbers (Neal McLain)
    Cellular-News For Friday 16th December 2005 (Cellular-News)
    WideOpenWest Sold to Private-Equity Firm (USTelecom dailyLead)
    Telecom Update #510, December 16, 2005 (Angus TeleManagement Group)
    Re: Wikpedia (sic) Becomes Internet Force, But Faces Crisis (Neal McLain)
    Re: Wikpedia Becomes Internet Force, But Faces Crisis (Thor Lancelot Simon)
    Re: Cell Phone to Land Line (GlowingBlueMist)
    Re: Cell Phone to Land Line (John Levine)
    Re: Using Two ADSL Internet Connections Simultaneously (James Carlson)
    Re: FTC Do Not Call List (Lisa Hancock)
    Letter From Russia (Valentin)
    Christmas Miracle: Hermie the Turtle Gets Braces (Associated Press Wire)

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: Reuters News Wire <reuters@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: BellSouth Laying Off 1500 Managers, Other Staff
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2005 00:28:07 -0600


BellSouth Corp. the third largest U.S. phone company, said on Thursday
that it plans to eliminate 1,500 management positions and other jobs
across the company, resulting in after-tax charges of $95 million. Quite
a few of these will occur in the New Orleans offices of the company.

In a statement, the Atlanta-based company said it plans to recognize
about $50 million of the charges during the current fourth quarter.

The reductions will take place in supervisory and non-supervisory
management positions, including staff support functions. Most of the
reductions are expected to occur through the acceptance of voluntary
severance packages and are to be completed by April 30, 2006,
BellSouth said.

"We have worked hard to avoid it, but many companies our size and
particularly our competitors operate with lower overhead and fewer
management layers," BellSouth Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
Duane Ackerman said in the statement.

Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited. 

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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: It certainly makes for a very Merry
Christmas for the employees of the company, doesn't it ... PAT]

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

From: Robert Boczkiewicz <reuters@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: Qwest CEO Getting Indicted 
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2005 00:29:51 -0600


Ex-Qwest CEO may face charges next week-sources
By Robert Boczkiewicz and Keith Coffman

Prosecutors are seeking a grand jury indictment next week of Qwest
Communications International Inc. former Chief Executive Joseph
Nacchio for personally profiting from the company's overstated
revenue, two people close to the matter said this week.

Nacchio, who left the company in 2002, has been a focus of an ongoing
federal investigation by a grand jury that will reconvene next week
for the last time this year, the sources said.

Prosecutors are likely to ask grand jurors to hand up an indictment
then, said one source close to the investigation.

It was unclear what precise form any charges would take, but a
separate source familiar with the investigation said this week that
prosecutors aim to indict Nacchio for his alleged role in propping up
the telephone company's worth and then selling his shares of its stock
at what later proved to be an inflated value.

The U.S. Attorney's office in Denver had no comment on Thursday.

A judge has given prosecutors until December 31 before legal
proceedings can resume in civil lawsuits that remain open against
Nacchio and other ex-Qwest executives.

This summer, federal prosecutors were granted a suspension of U.S.
Securities and Exchange Commission and Qwest shareholder lawsuits to
give them more time to complete their criminal probe.

In court filings, U.S. Attorney William Leone had said the stay was
required because the SEC case was "directly related to the facts
underlying an ongoing criminal investigation."

The fourth-largest regional telephone carrier in the U.S., Denver-
based Qwest and its former executives have faced both civil and
criminal legal action since the company in 2002 had to restate $2
billion in revenue for 2000 and 2001.

Nacchio has denied any wrongdoing and recently added to his team of
high-profile defense attorneys. Among them is former Iran-Contra
special prosecutor and federal judge Herbert Stern.

Neither Stern nor Charles Stillman, a New York lawyer who also represents
Nacchio, were available for comment on Thursday afternoon.

Six former Qwest executives have been charged criminally in the
alleged securities fraud investigation. Robin Szeliga, the company's
former chief financial officer, is the highest level executive charged
so far.

In July, she pleaded guilty to one count of insider trading and agreed
to cooperate with authorities in the investigation, a plea agreement
filed in U.S. District Court showed.

In her plea agreement, Szeliga said that Qwest's senior managers were
aware that the company was boosting revenue figures through deals
unknown to investors. Prosecutors noted in a September court filing
that Szeliga "has provided significant information related to the
subject of a continuing investigation."

Earlier this month, the second source familiar with the investigation
said that two former top-level Qwest executives, chief legal officer
Drake Tempest and president Afshin Mohebbi, testified before the grand
jury against Nacchio. Mohebbi has been given immunity in exchange for
his cooperation.

In January billionaire financier Philip Anschutz, who founded Qwest,
and former U.S. Sen. Hank Brown, a former Qwest board member,
testified before the grand jury that convenes again next week, a court
filing this week showed.

More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed against Qwest and former
executives by shareholders, including several large pension funds. The
shareholders claim they lost millions when Qwest stock plummeted from
a high of over $64 per share in 2000 to a low below $2 per share in
2002.

Last month, the company reached a $400 million settlement with some
shareholders, but lawsuits against Nacchio remain open.

Last fall, Qwest agreed to pay $250 million to settle a fraud case
brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. In March, the
SEC sued 11 former Qwest executives, including Nacchio, accusing them
of fraudulently reporting $3 billion in revenues while omitting $231
million in expenses from the company's books.

The SEC alleges that Nacchio reaped $216 million in "salary, bonuses,
stock sales and other compensation" based on the inflated numbers.

Copyright 2005 Reuters Limited.

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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html

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



[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: And obviously this will be another very
merry Christmas for Mr. Nacchio as well.  PAT]

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

From: Associated Press News Wire <ap@telecom-digest.org>
Subject: Jury Talks Begin in N.H. Phone-Jamming Case
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2005 00:34:14 -0600


A jury on Monday began deliberations in the case of a former national
Republican Party official accused of orchestrating an election day
phone-jamming plot against New Hampshire Democrats.

Earlier in the day, lawyers concluded their arguments in the case of
James Tobin, President Bush's former New England campaign
chairman. Deliberations were to continue Tuesday.

Tobin, 45, is charged with one count of interfering with voters rights
and several counts of telephone harassment. If convicted, he faces a
maximum 17-year prison sentence and a $750,000 fine.

For nearly two hours on Election Day 2002, hundreds of hang-up calls
overwhelmed Democratic get-out-the-vote phone banks and a
ride-to-the-polls line run by Manchester's firefighters union.

The state GOP's former executive director, Chuck McGee, who admitted
hatching the plot, has completed a seven-month sentence for
conspiracy.

Allen Raymond, former president of Viginia-based GOP Marketplace LLC,
pleaded guilty to organizing the jamming. He hopes a five-month
sentence will be reduced in exchange for his cooperation with
prosecutors.


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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html

For more news and headlines from Associated Press please go to:
http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/AP.html

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

From: BBC News Wire <bbc@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: Huge Amount of E-Bay Fraud Going on Online
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2005 14:13:41 -0600


The online auctioneer eBay has admitted an "extreme growth" in the
number of personal accounts being hijacked by fraudsters.

Criminals are obtaining the secret passwords of eBay subscribers and
using their sites to conduct bogus auctions for non-existent goods.

In a growing number of cases, would-be buyers on the UK's most used
website are paying thousands of pounds to apparently reputable sellers
after winning auctions on the site -- only to find out they had been
dealing with criminals.

In an interview with Radio 5 Live, eBay would not reveal exactly how
many accounts had been hijacked, although a company spokesman refused
to deny that possibly tens of thousands had been compromised.

"Last year there was extreme growth," said Gareth Griffiths, head of
trust and safety for eBay. "Certainly last year it was a high-growth
area for us, it's a painful issue."

In one recent case, up to ten people are thought to have paid a total
of 15,000 for non-existent hot tubs, while another would-be buyer
thought he had purchased a 4,000 camper van - which turned out not
to exist.

Grab and go

In both cases eBay accounts had been hijacked to sell off the non-existent
goods.

"It gets to the point where that is obstructive to our inquiry," said
Ruth Taylor, North Yorkshire Trading Standards.

The hijacking of sellers' accounts is a particularly sensitive issue
for the auction site, which relies to a large degree on the level of
trust between the buyer and seller of goods for its success. There are
more than three million items for sale on the site at any one time.

eBay blames its account holders for not installing proper security on
their home computers and for replying to so-called "phishing" emails.

These are fake emails made to look like official eBay messages and
which demand the secret passwords to users accounts.

Viruses are also said to be infecting home computers by installing
themselves inside hard drives, where they monitor the keystrokes of
eBay users, make a record of passwords before sending them onto the
fraudsters.

'Nothing to do with us'

Describing the problem as an "off eBay" issue, Mr Griffiths said the
problem was "nothing to do with us".

In several cases examined by the BBC the eBay users who had their
accounts hijacked claimed to be computer literate and vehemently
denied that they had replied to phishing emails.

"There is no way I would have done that," said Dr Oliver Sutcliffe a
biochemist from Nottingham. His site was hijacked over the space of
one weekend to sell thousands of pounds worth of electrical goods.

EBay is also under fire from law enforcement officials in the United
States and manufacturers over levels of crime on the site and the
lack of cooperation they receive.

Trading standards officers who regularly investigate crimes
perpetrated on the site have accused eBay of being "obstructive" in
the way it shares information. North Yorkshire Trading Standards says
eBay can take up to two months to provide the names and addresses of
suspects it is pursuing.

"If it takes up to two months, then it is eating in to a lot of time
that we have to make prosecutions," said Ruth Taylor, who heads the
authority's special investigations unit. "It gets to the point where
that is obstructive to our inquiry. Our investigators suggest that
netters _stay away_ from eBay entirely at least for the time being."

Faking it.

Concerns have also been raised about the large amount of counterfeit
goods on sale on eBay.

Adidas told the BBC that it monitored up to 12,000 auctions involving
its goods every day on the British site -- yet it estimated that up to
40% of all Adidas products available were counterfeit.

eBay says it has a special relationship with brand owners, who can
notify the site of auctions involving counterfeit goods which will
then be taken down within hours.

However, the Ben Sherman clothing brand says it recently took eBay
five days to take down an auction of counterfeit clothing -- by which
time much of it had been sold. "We certainly are not going to make it
good for them or the buyers," said Barry Ditchfield, noting that
"I think one must say that it's highly unsatisfactory," said Barry
Ditchfield, Ben Sherman's brand protection manager.

"With all the amount of profits that eBay makes, then there is ample
scope for additional staff. Frankly, it is totally unsatisfactory, not
just for Ben Sherman but for all brand holders. 

EBay have rejected the accusations, saying that the company has a good
relationship with law enforcement officials.

"The satisfaction level is generally very high," said Gareth Griffiths.

Five Live Report: Policing eBay can be heard on Radio Five Live at 1930BST
on Sunday 18 December or afterwards at the Five Live Report website.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/business/4533154.stm

Copyright 2005 BBC.

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. And, discuss this and other topics in our forum at
http://telecom-digest.org/forum (or) http://telecom-digest.org/chat/index.html

For audio news from BBC and headlines/stories from the press please
go to:  http://telecom-digest.org/td-extra/BBC.html


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I have noted from my personal
experience that, like their subsidiary PayPal, eBay has a huge amount
of phishing going on all the time. But unlike PayPal, where if you
send them a copy of the mail to 'spoof@paypal.com' and get back
immediatly an autoack saying 'that email is not ours; thank you; we 
will look into it', eBay does not use the 'spoof' address in the same
way. EBay has a much more involved system they expect their users to
follow in order to report phishing, which apparently works no better,
but just takes longer to send referrals. Like Paypal, eBay encourages
users "send us all the phishing things you get" and when Lisa Minter 
was working on that for me, it often times took several hours per day
scooping them up and forwarding them to PayPal and EBay. I finally
sent email to both telling them, "We only have two people working here
and I am not going to hire someone else just to handle spam" and we
quit cutting and pasting all the time just to help them. Still, the
phishing spams roll in for both organizations. Maybe if enough people,
buyers and sellers alike quit using eBay, that company will start
really taking phishing seriously, if they get sued often enough, etc. PAT]

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

Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2005 10:39:42 -0600
From: Neal McLain <nmclain@annsgarden.com>
Reply-To: nmclain@annsgarden.com
Subject: Old Phone Numbers


I've noticed a curious building here in Brazoria, Texas.  It's an old 
two-story frame building with an ancient sign painted on the front:

          DAVIS
       BARBER SHOP
           AND
GENERAL INSURANCE AGENCY
PH. OFFICE 92    RES 116

I suppose the idea of a combination barber shop and insurance agency
would catch most people's attention.  But of course it was those phone
numbers that caught my attention.

When I first noticed the building, it was standing vacant, and looked
like it was about to fall down.  A couple of years ago, the City of
Brazoria cited the building for several code violations, and ordered
the owner to either fix it up or tear it down.  The owner decided to
renovate it, and hired a local contractor.

One day I noticed the contractor installing siding.  I stopped to ask
him if he was going to cover the sign.  He sort of shrugged and
muttered something to the effect that he hadn't thought about it.  I
mentioned the phone numbers.  That got his attention -- apparently he
hadn't realized they were phone numbers.  He said "you mean like..."
and poked an imaginary touchtone dial a couple of times.  No, I
explained ... back in those days, you picked up the telephone and
asked the operator to connect you.  He stared at the sign for a few
seconds, shrugged, and went back to work.  I took a couple pictures,
figuring that I'd never see that sign again.

The sign is still visible today, although the building is still
vacant.  The contractor left an opening in the vinyl siding just large
enough for the old sign.

I've always wondered if my brief conversation about phone numbers saved 
that sign.

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b85/Cable77422/Image1.jpg
http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b85/Cable77422/Image2.jpg

Neal McLain


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Thanks for passing along those
pictures!   PAT]

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

Subject: Cellular-News for Friday 16th December 2005
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2005 07:49:19 -0600
From: Cellular-News <dailydigest@cellular-news-mail.com>


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

[[ 3G ]]

Orange Combines Wifi, 3G & GPRS to Simplify Mobile Data Access
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15269.php

Orange UK has announced the launch of Business Everywhere - an
integrated mobile solution for connecting to business applications via
the Internet which will include access to over 13,000 Wifi hotspots
across the UK and the rest of the world. Availab...

Czech Operator Optimises its 3G Network
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15272.php

The Czech Republic based Eurotel has selected UK-based wireless
network optimisation specialists Arieso to maximise the performance of
its new 3G network, which went live at the start of December. Eurotel
will use Arieso's pioneering algorithm-based ...

[[ Financial ]]

KT Freetel Confirms In Strategic Alliance With DoCoMo
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15249.php

KT Freetel Ltd. confirmed Thursday it has signed a strategic alliance
agreement with Japan's NTT DoCoMo in which the Japanese wireless
operator will purchase a 10% stake in KTF for about KRW564.9
billion. ...

Intracom: Has Right To Buy 10% Of Telsim From Vodafone
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15251.php

Intracom, a Greek telecommunications and information technology
company, said Thursday it has an option to buy as much as 10% of
Turkish wireless operator Telsim Mobil Telekomunikasyon from Vodafone
Group PLC. ...

Russia's Rezervspetsmet says seizes Bitel's office
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15254.php

Representatives of Russia's Rezervspetsmet have seized the office of
Kyrgyzstan's largest mobile operator Bitel in the Kyrgyz capital,
Bishkek, Rezervspetsmet said in a press release Thursday. ...

RIM Investors Should Prepare For Big Settlement
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15257.php

Investors in Research in Motion Ltd. should be prepared to see the
BlackBerry maker pay close to $1 billion if it settles its
long-running legal battle with NTP Inc. for terms that are looking
both reasonable and possible. ...

Russian CDMA Operator to Invest $100 mln in Network
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15260.php

Russian mobile operator Sky Link plans to invest over U.S. $100
million in the construction of its federal network in 2006, Sky Link's
CEO Raisa Rozinova told a videoconference from Moscow Thursday. ...

Telekom Confirms Exit Plans for Guinea Venture
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15271.php

Telekom Malaysia has confirmed that it has decided to completly
withdraw from the Guinea market where the company had been operating
the local landline and mobile phone network, Societe des
Telecommunications de Guinee (Sotelgui.). TM will continue t...

[[ Handsets ]]

Russia's Euroset opens 12 outlets in Ukraine since Monday
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15253.php

Russia's largest mobile handset retailer Euroset has opened 12 outlets
in 10 Ukrainian cities since Monday increasing the total number of its
outlets in Ukraine to 122, the company said Thursday. ...

NII Holdings In New Handset Purchase Pact With Motorola
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15258.php

NII Holdings Inc. signed a new handset-purchase agreement with
Motorola Inc. ...

US Shoppers Willing to Pay Extra For "cool" Phones
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15261.php

According to new research from Compete, USA based cellular phone
shoppers are coveting "cool" phones and popular features this holiday
season, even if they don't come free. These shopping preferences put
the Motorola RAZR and the Danger Sidekick II a...

[[ Legal ]]

Court Won't Dismiss Ubiquitel Suit Against Nextel
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15252.php

A Delaware judge Wednesday turned aside a bid to block a lawsuit by
Sprint affiliate Ubiquitel Inc. against Nextel Communications Inc. ...

Mobile Email Startup Sues Microsoft On Patents
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15255.php

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)--Mobile email startup Visto Corp. has sued
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) for allegedly infringing on three of its
patents related to how information is handled between servers and
handheld devices such as cellular phones. ...

Ukraine's antitrust opens case against mobile operator Kyivstar 
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15259.php

Ukraine's Antimonopoly Committee has initiated a case against
Ukraine's largest mobile operator Kyivstar, the committee said in a
statement Thursday. ...

Most UK Phones Allow Children to Access Adult Content
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15263.php

Children are just two clicks away from viewing, pornography, adult
chatrooms and gambling websites on internet capable mobile phones this
Christmas says the web filtering company, Blue Coat. With thousands of
teenagers and parents spending their Chri...

[[ Messaging ]]

3G MMS Sent to MS Outlook
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15265.php

General Wireless has signed a contract with Hutchison 3G in
Scandinavia, to deliver its eMMS solution for integrating PC-based
e-mail with mobile text and multimedia messaging. In cooperation with
General Wireless, the mobile operator 3 launched the ...

[[ Mobile Content ]]

Developing Mobile Payment Services in China
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15264.php

China's SmartPay Jieyin and Pudong Development Bank have announced a
broad-ranging nationwide cooperation on mobile payment services. 
SmartPay and Pudong Development Bank will jointly cooperate to allow
banking customers to register for SmartPay mobi...

[[ MVNO ]]

Amp'd Mobile Gets $50 Million In Funding From Viacom's MTV
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15256.php

With its content-laden cellphone service expected to be made available
Thursday, Amp'd Mobile Inc. has announced a partnership with MTV
Networks and closed a $50 million investment from the music and
entertainment concern. ...

Experts Predict Global Brands Will Dominate the MVNO Market
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15268.php

Motricity has published the results of a survey conducted at last
week's MVNO Summit in Miami. The poll of nearly a quarter of
conference attendees indicates that brand affinity will be more
critical to MVNO success than low pricing. Sixty-two percen...

[[ Network Contracts ]]

New Chad Operator Signs Backhaul Contract
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15266.php

Intelsat has signed a contract with Millicom, Chad's newest mobile
operator, to provide cellular backhaul services to multiple locations
within the country. Services have already been launched in the capital
city of N'Djamena and will be available to...

[[ Reports ]]

Western European Billing and OSS market Set for Steady Growth
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15262.php

Billing and OSS vendors in Western Europe should view the future with
more confidence as the market is set to grow at an average annual rate
of 6% over the five year period to 2010 to nearly US$1.7 billion,
according to newly-released forecast data f...

Fixed-to-Mobile Calls Cost Europeans a Big Portion of their Bill
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15270.php

Tarifica's comparison of fixed-to-mobile versus mobile-to-mobile call
charges across a number of European operators reveals that it can cost
Europeans considerably more to call a mobile phone from their fixed
line than if they use their mobile handse...

[[ Statistics ]]

Brazil's Mobile Cos Register 1.1 Million New Clients In Nov
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15250.php

Brazilian mobile phone companies added 1.1 million clients in
November, indicating a minor slowdown in the breakneck expansion in
cellphone usage, according to preliminary figures released by
telecommunications regulator Anatel Thursday. ...

[[ Technology ]]

IPWireless Signs Manufacturing Agreement for TD-CDMA Products
http://www.cellular-news.com/story/15267.php

IPWireless has announced Solectron as the exclusive provider of
outsourced new product introduction (NPI) and manufacturing
services. Under the terms of the agreement, Solectron will be the
exclusive provider of outsourced NPI services for new produc...

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

Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2005 12:32:48 EST
From: USTelecom dailyLead <ustelecom@dailylead.com>
Subject: WideOpenWest Sold to Private-Equity Firm


USTelecom dailyLead
December 16, 2005
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/AknwatagCBqNiplVBE

		TODAY'S HEADLINES
	
NEWS OF THE DAY
* WideOpenWest sold to private-equity firm
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY WATCH
* NTP loses another patent ruling
* Report: IP Centrex and hosted PBX market heating up
* BellSouth trims management positions
* TWC to offer family tier in 2006
USTELECOM SPOTLIGHT
* RFID: Radio Frequency Identification -- Get Your Copy Today!
TECHNOLOGY TRENDS
* Report: Alcatel to expand IP router stable
* Hand-held device melds functions of mobile, PC
VOIP DOWNLOAD
* Google's VoIP moves threaten startups
* Companies demonstrate VoIP over WiMAX
* Review: AOL's TotalTalk not quite ready for primetime
REGULATORY & LEGISLATIVE
* Aussie government reduces Telstra sell-off price by 21%

Follow the link below to read quick summaries of these stories and others.
http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/AknwatagCBqNiplVBE

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

Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2005 11:16:48 -0800
Subject: Telecom Update #510, December 16, 2005
From: Angus TeleManagement Group <jriddell@angustel.ca>
Reply-To: Angus TeleManagement Group <jriddell@angustel.ca>


************************************************************
TELECOM UPDATE 
************************************************************
published weekly by Angus TeleManagement Group 
http://www.angustel.ca

Number 510: December 16, 2005

Publication of Telecom Update is made possible by generous 
financial support from: 
** AVAYA: www.avaya.ca/
** BELL CANADA: www.bell.ca 
** CISCO SYSTEMS CANADA: www.cisco.com/ca/ 
** ERICSSON: www.ericsson.ca
** MICROSOFT CANADA: www.microsoft.com/canada/telecom/
** MITEL NETWORKS: www.mitel.com/
** NEC UNIFIED SOLUTIONS: www.necunifiedsolutions.com
** ROGERS TELECOM: www.rogers.com/solutions 
** VONAGE CANADA: www.vonage.ca

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

IN THIS ISSUE: 

** We're Taking a Holiday
** Bell to Sell Stake in CGI
** CRTC Combines Broadcast and Telecom Groups
** Rogers Promotes Linton, Hires Reynolds
** Telecom Policy Report Delayed
** Price Cap Rules Extended to 2007
** Wade Oosterman Leaves Telus
** Study Blames CRTC for Cellphone Lag
** Bell Mobility Offers Single-Rate Global Roaming
** No Do-Not-Call List Until 2007
** Forecast 25% of Home Lines to Be VoIP by 2008
** Shaw Postpones Target for Wireless Launch
** RIM Wins Another Patent Ruling
** Nortel Names Toronto Lawyer as Chief Counsel
** Ottawa Optical Developer Folds
** Com Dev Revenue Steady
** Wi-LAN Books Large Loss
** Consultants Call for Speakers

============================================================

WE'RE TAKING A HOLIDAY: Telecom Update is taking a winter break; our
next issue will be published Friday, January 6. We wish all readers a
joyous holiday season and a successful and rewarding New Year.

BELL TO SELL STAKE IN CGI: BCE is pulling out of CGI, the Quebec-based
IT services company it first bought into 10 years ago. CGI will pay
$859 million to buy back 100 million shares, and Bell will sell its
remaining 28.3 million "in an orderly fashion." The two companies have
extended their mutual "preferred supplier" agreements to June 2016.

** This deal, combined with the Globemedia sale announced 
   last week, gives Bell well over $2 billion in cash. Asked 
   what the company would do with the money, Bell EVP Lawson 
   Hunter told analysts that more would be revealed at Bell's 
   annual Business Review Conference on February 1.

CRTC COMBINES BROADCAST AND TELECOM GROUPS: This week, the CRTC announced
an internal reorganization:

** The Broadcasting and Telecommunications units are now part 
   of an integrated branch, reporting to Len Katz as 
   Executive Director. A third unit, also reporting to Katz, 
   will provide industry, market, and technology analysis for 
   both telecom and broadcasting. Each of the three units 
   will be headed by an Associate Executive Director. 

** A new section, Regulatory Process Management and 
   Monitoring, will report to Secretary General Diane 
   Rheaume. It will be responsible for the Commission's 
   monitoring reports on both broadcasting and 
   telecommunications and will also handle enforcement, 
   including the National Do-Not-Call List once it is 
   established.

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/NEWS/RELEASES/2005/r051215.htm

ROGERS PROMOTES LINTON, HIRES REYNOLDS: Two important executive
changes at Rogers this week:

** Rogers Communications CFO Alan Horn will leave that post 
   in April. His replacement will be Bill Linton, former CEO 
   of Call-Net Enterprises, which Rogers acquired in July. 
   (See Telecom Update #488)

** Randy Reynolds has been named President of Rogers Telecom, 
   the group that sells voice, data, and wireless services to 
   business customers. Reynolds was previously President of 
   Bell Ontario, Bell Nexxia, and Bell West; he left Bell 
   when the company's western operations were reorganized in 
   July 2004. (see Telecom Update #418)

TELECOM POLICY REPORT DELAYED: The Telecom Policy Review Panel,
originally expected to report by the end of 2005, now expects to
finish its work in mid-January 2006. The report must then be
translated and printed, so it is unlikely to be released publicly
until after a new Cabinet is sworn in, following the federal election.

PRICE CAP RULES EXTENDED TO 2007: CRTC Decisions 2005-69 and 2005-70
extend the incumbent telcos' price cap rules, without change, for one
year -- to May 31, 2007, for Aliant, Bell Canada, MTS Allstream,
SaskTel, and Telus, and to July 31, 2007, for Telebec and Telus
Quebec. (See Telecom Update #481, 487)

** The Commission will begin a price cap review in the first 
   half of 2006, after releasing its decision on local 
   service forbearance (see Telecom Update #479, 499). 

http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2005/dt2005-69.htm
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/archive/ENG/Decisions/2005/dt2005-70.htm

WADE OOSTERMAN LEAVES TELUS: Wade Oosterman, former Chief Marketing
Officer of Telus, is leaving the company. Ossterman's post disappeared
in a corporate reorganization last month, and Telus says no "suitable
alternative role" has been found.

** Oosterman came to Telus as part of its Clearnet 
   acquisition in 2000. He played a key role in developing 
   and maintaining Telus's distinctive nature-themed 
   marketing programs.

STUDY BLAMES CRTC FOR CELLPHONE LAG: A paper published this week by
the C.D. Howe Institute says that "artificially low wireline prices"
enforced by the CRTC are responsible for Canada being 28th among 30
OECD nations in cellphone adoption. The authors say the Commission
should allow wireline phone rates to rise so that wireless service
would be more attractive to consumers.

** One of the report's authors recently filed an expert report
   supporting Aliant's application to have local phone service
   deregulated in parts of Nova Scotia and PEI so that the telco could
   meet competition from EastLink by lowering wireline rates.

BELL MOBILITY OFFERS SINGLE-RATE GLOBAL ROAMING: Bell Canada now
offers a Motorola handset that can access both CDMA and GSM networks
worldwide, and a rate plan of $2.49/minute for all global calls.

NO DO-NOT-CALL LIST UNTIL 2007: The Do-Not-Call legislation that was
rushed through Parliament just before the election was called (see
Telecom Update #508) is unlikely to be implemented until mid-to-late
2007. This week Len St-Aubin of Industry Canada's telecommunications
policy branch told the Ottawa Citizen that "it will take 19 months or
so to get the list up and running."

** South of the border, DirecTV has been fined $5 million for
   violating U.S. Do-Not-Call rules. That's the largest civil penalty
   ever in a Federal Trade Commission consumer protection law case.

FORECAST 25% OF HOME LINES TO BE VoIP BY 2008: NBI/Michael Sone Associates
predicts that Voice over IP services will account for 24% of residential
lines and 15% of business lines by 2008, with incumbents holding a 72%
share of the business VoIP sector.

** NBI estimates the incumbents' present share of the 
   residential market at 69% in Halifax, 87% in Toronto, and 
   over 90% in other centres.

http://www.nbicanada.com

SHAW POSTPONES TARGET FOR WIRELESS LAUNCH: Back in March, Shaw said it
would launch cellular service in six months. Chairman J.R. Shaw now
says the timeline has been shifted so the cableco can focus on
building its home phone service.

RIM WINS ANOTHER PATENT RULING: On December 15, the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office rejected the second of five NTP patents involved in
the ongoing patent war between Research in Motion and NTP. The
rejections are not yet final.

NORTEL NAMES TORONTO LAWYER AS CHIEF COUNSEL: Nortel Networks has
appointed David Drinkwater as Chief Legal Officer. Drinkwater
previously held senior posts at Ontario Power Generation, Bell Canada,
and Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt.

OTTAWA OPTICAL DEVELOPER FOLDS: Metrophotonics, an Ottawa-based
developer of optical networking gear, is going out of business. It
raised more than $70 million over the last five years and had 80
employees at its peak.

COM DEV REVENUE STEADY: Satellite components maker Com Dev
International reports revenue of $123.6 million for the year ended
October 31, a 4% increase from the previous year. Net income was $5.2
million, about the same as the year before.

WI-LAN BOOKS LARGE LOSS: Calgary-based Wi-LAN reports a net loss of
$25.8 million, including about $14 million in one-time charges, for
the year ended October 31. Revenue rose 2% to 25.7 million.

CONSULTANTS CALL FOR SPEAKERS: The Canadian Telecommunications
Consultants Association will hold its Spring 2006 Conference in
Toronto on April 6-8.  Proposals for presentations at the conference
are due by January 6. For information, write ctca.speakers@ctca.ca, or
visit www.ctca.ca.

============================================================

HOW TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR TELECOM UPDATE

E-mail ianangus@angustel.ca and jriddell@angustel.ca

===========================================================

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 late Friday afternoon each week 
   at http://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 http://www.angustel.ca/update/privacy.html.

===========================================================

COPYRIGHT AND CONDITIONS OF USE: All contents copyright 2005 Angus
TeleManagement Group Inc. All rights reserved. For further information,
including permission to reprint or reproduce, please e-mail
jriddell@angustel.ca.

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.

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

Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2005 07:52:12 -0600
From: Neal McLain <nmclain@annsgarden.com>
Reply-To: nmclain@annsgarden.com
Subject: Re: Wikpedia (sic) Becomes Internet Force, But Faces Crisis


Adam Frix <afrix@runbox.com> wrote:

 > The work of experts can be undone by a simple prankster, eh?
 > Sounds like a bad idea to me. Next time it won't be a prankster,
 > it'll be someone who isn't an expert but only THINKS he's an
 > expert -- and then who's to say what you believe?

Every Wikipedia entry has a "permanent link" that links to the article
as it stood at the moment when you looked at it.  Each entry also
includes citation text in various formats so that an author can cite
the article knowing it won't be changed later.  Of course, any author
citing a Wiki article should review it carefully for accuracy before
citing it; but that can be said of any citation.

In my experience, Wikipedia entries are accurate and well-written.  A
favorite example: Wikipedia's definitions "geostationary" and
"geosynchronous" are accurate, unlike WIRED magazine that never uses
the terms correctly, and refuses to print my letter asking them to
correct it.

Neal McLain

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

From: tls@panix.com (Thor Lancelot Simon)
Subject: Re: Wikpedia Becomes Internet Force, But Faces Crisis
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2005 16:30:26 UTC
Organization: Public Access Networks Corp.
Reply-To: tls@rek.tjls.com


In article <telecom24.565.7@telecom-digest.org>, Dave Garland
<dave.garland@wizinfo.com> wrote:

> The exercise revealed numerous errors in both encyclopaedias, but
> among 42 entries tested, the difference in accuracy was not
> particularly great: the average science entry in Wikipedia contained
> around four inaccuracies; Britannica, about three ...

I'm astonished that a 25% difference is considered "not particularly
great".


Thor Lancelot Simon	                              tls@rek.tjls.com

"The inconsistency is startling, though admittedly, if consistency is
 to be abandoned or transcended, there is no problem."  - Noam Chomsky

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

From: GlowingBlueMist <nobody@invalid.com>
Subject: Re: Cell Phone to Land Line
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2005 09:30:40 -0600
Organization: Octanews


<medfield@gmail.com> wrote in message 
news:telecom24.565.5@telecom-digest.org:

> Hello, I need some help.  I have been searching Google all day long
> looking for a solution for a possible Christmas gift.  What I am
> trying to find out is how do I create my own docking station for a
> cell phone.

> My brother has an LG vx4500
> http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01/wireless/detail-page/vx4500-1.gif
> and I am trying to connect it to a Homer Simpson phone (land line)
> http://www.lazerbuilt.co.uk/graphics/phones/805homers.jpg

> I know they make docking stations online, like the dock-n-talk or
> Cidco Merge.  But what I really want to try and do is make the
> connector myself; it really shouldn't be that hard, so figured I would
> ask around online for some tips.

> I know sparkfun had an article for a rotary phone
> http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorial/Port-O-Rotary/portable-rotary.htm but
> that just seemed way to complicated, or maybe it is suppost to be. I
> dont know.

> Any response would be gratefully appreciated.

If you want the landline phone to ever ring when the Cell phone call
comes in you really need to purchase a docking unit designed to
support the cell phone in question.

The old phones take 70-90 volts to make them ring, which most, if any,
cell phones do not have the capacity to generate.

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

Date: 16 Dec 2005 18:45:44 -0000
From: John Levine <johnl@iecc.com>
Subject: Re: Cell Phone to Land Line
Organization: I.E.C.C., Trumansburg NY USA


> What I am trying to find out is how do I create my own docking
> station for a cell phone.

> I know sparkfun had an article for a rotary phone
> http://www.sparkfun.com/tutorial/Port-O-Rotary/portable-rotary.htm
> but that just seemed way to complicated, or maybe it is supposed to
> be. I dont know.

The Sparkfun phone has some complication to handle the rotary dial,
but the circuit for a tone dial wouldn't be any simpler.  The
internals of a cell phone are completely unlike those of a landline
phone.  The signals are different, the voltages are different, the
voice encoding and decoding are entirely different.  (A landline phone
does no coding at all, cell phones do vast amounts.)

The Sparkfun kit is built around a GM862 module which is basically the
entire guts of a GSM phone.  With some electronic skill I wouldn't
think it would be too hard to build the necessary circuits to connect
a GM862 to a regular phone and handle the signals for two-way voice,
dial, and the ringer, but it's a lot more than hooking up a few wires.

R's,

John

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

From: James Carlson <james.d.carlson@sun.com>
Subject: Re: Using Two ADSL Internet Connections Simultaneously
Date: 16 Dec 2005 10:20:50 -0500
Organization: Sun Microsystems


bonomi@host122.r-bonomni.com (Robert Bonomi) writes:

>> - NAT in use, and load balancing on a per-connection basis.  This
>>   automatically balances the return traffic as well, as everyone on
>>   the net thinks you're actually two separate independent IP nodes.

> NO, it does _Not_.  You cannot change the NAT translation _during_ a
> 'session' (a single TCP connection). And if the 'incoming' data
> characteristics change radically _during_ that session, the 'balance'
> goes out the window.

What part of "per-connection" was unclear?


James Carlson, KISS Network                    <james.d.carlson@sun.com>
Sun Microsystems / 1 Network Drive         71.232W   Vox +1 781 442 2084
MS UBUR02-212 / Burlington MA 01803-2757   42.496N   Fax +1 781 442 1677

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

From: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
Subject: Re: FTC Do Not Call List
Date: 16 Dec 2005 07:44:36 -0800
Organization: http://groups.google.com


Mark Crispin wrote:

> The task of updating software on commodity PCs (which you refer to) is
> nothing compared to that of updating other clients, much less the
> servers.  There's a whole world out there that you're apparently
> unaware exists, and not even Microsoft controls it.

That's true -- I know nothing of that "whole world" that makes the
Internet actually work.  Unfortunately, when explanations are
provided, they are very technical and loaded with acronyms or buzz
words I don't understand.

> Furthermore, commodity software updates do not depend upon updates
> from other vendors.  It would take many years (and I do mean *years*)
> for all of the vendors involved to agree upon the new design, new
> protocols, and set an update program in motion.

One of the problems with fraud and abuse is that it's hard to
calculate the total costs to society and then allocate those costs to
individuals.  That is, if you get burned by fraud obviously you've
incurred considerable costs.  But others -- like credit card
companies, ISPs, law enforcement, your banks, etc., -- also incur
costs, both direct writeoffs and staff time.  Further, entities incur
preventative protection costs.  Last is the lost profit from people
like myself who are afraid to participate in Internet commerce.

For example, most businesses must (or should) maintain adequate server
and transmission capacity to handle all the incoming spam to the
staff, anti-virus and spyware protection, etc.  They say the cost of
all that in hardware, software, and staff time, is considerable.

It is entirely possible that the cost of redoing the Internet so it is
properly secured in the first place may result in such savings that it
is worth the effort.

> Just take a look at how long IPv6 has taken, and is likely to continue
> to take.

What is "IPv6"?

> Rather, email postage stamps are a *tax*.  The ostensible purpose of
> the tax would be to pay the government to provide the service of
> policing email.  As with other taxes, the services provided and the
> amount of the taxes you pay will be decided by the government.

The government can and will tax anything it can get its mitts on
unless the public violently objects.  In my area, some advocate
replacing property taxes with income taxes saying that is more fair;
but it is strongly opposed since nobody believes the measure will be
"revenue neutral".  That is, the people expect a new income tax BUT
property taxes won't go down.

Anyway, the government does wants to tax Internet transactions, and
they will find a way, regardless of whatever technology is used.

As an aside, one of the advantages of the old unified Bell System was
that the national network was managed by one entity (Bell) and
standards were issued for everyone (local and independent telephone
companies) to follow.  As technology grew (inter-office signalling),
the standards evolved to meet them.  In the 1960s, anonymous call
harassment became a problem and the technology of the day couldn't
deal with (it was very difficult to trace calls through automatic
switches), but subsequent technology and standards allowed for that.
Call-Trace (*57) has put a lot of people in jail.  When outsiders used
'blue boxes', new signalling measures were devised.

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

From: Valentin <valent@mailrus.ru>
Subject: Letter From Russia
Date: 16 Dec 2005 18:08:08 +0300



[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: I thought about this message for quite
a while, and although it would probably qualify as spam (by virtue of
how many copies were distributed, I personally do not think it is a
scam. If anyone feels inclined to help this fellow, please do so.  PAT]

Dear Friends,

Please excuse me for any inconvice caused by this message.

My name is Valentin. I am student and I live with my mother in small
city Kaluga, in Russia. My mother is invalid. She cannot see and she
receive pension from the government very rare which is not enough even
for medications.

I work very hard every day to be able to buy the necessities and
medications for my mother, but my salary is very small, because my
studies still not finished.

Due to the deep crisis, authorities stoped gas in our district and we
cannot heat our home anymore. I do not know what to do, because the
weather is very cold here already and I'm very afraid that if the
temperature will be lower than 0 degree in our sleeping room, we will
not be able to survive.

I applied to local Red Cross and they explained me that many people
ask them for help every day and they cannot help to each family. They
adviced me to search help from individuals.

Thanks to free public Internet access in our public library, I was
able to find several addresses, including yours and I decided to
appeal to you with a prayer in my heart for a small help. If you have
any old used sleeping bag, warm blanket, warm clothes in size L or XL,
portable heater, canned food, vitamins, water boiler, medicines
against cold weather, any hygiene products, I will be very grateful
you if you could send it to our home address:

Valentin Mikhailin,
Rileewa Ulica 6-45, 
Kaluga 248030 
Russia. 

If you think that it would be better or easier for you to help with
some money, please writes me back to me and I will provide you with
details how to send it safely, if you agree. This way to help is very
good, because in this case I will be able to buy a portable stove and
heat our home during the winter.

I hope to hear from you very soon and I pray that you can help us. I
also hope very much that this hard situation will become better in our
country very soon.

 From all my heart  I wish you a Merry Christmas and  a Happy New Year
2006. Please excuse me, once more,  for any inconvience I could cause
you with this message.

Valentin,
Kaluga.  Russia. 


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: As I said, I do not think this is a
scam, but each person has to decide that on his own.  My suggestion 
would be to send him an international reply coupon (or maybe just
a dollar American money) and ask him to buy a postage stamp to use 
for replying back to you. If he chooses to not so so, then the scam
is apparent.  PAT]

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

From: Associated Press News Wire <ap@telecom-digest.org> 
Subject: Christmas Miracle: Turtle Get Braces
Date: Fri, 16 Dec 2005 00:39:05 -0600


Hermie the Turtle's little defective beak made meal time a
struggle. Unable to close his mouth completely, the tiny 20-gram
reptile's very existence was at stake.

But today, this map turtle has a new lease on life thanks to the work
of two doctors who outfitted young Hermie with braces. Now, some are
calling the orthodontic work a Christmas miracle.

"I've worked on animals before but nothing this small," said Dr. Peter
M.  Virga, a Watertown dentist who along with veterinarian Jeffrey
G. Baier performed the unique procedure.

After receiving Hermie in May, zookeepers at the New York State Zoo in
Watertown's Thompson Park noticed the turtle was having difficulty eating.
Medical exams then showed Hermie's lower jaw growing downward.

"He may have adapted to eat like this, or he may have not made it,"
Baier said.

Turtles, who are toothless, use their beaks to break food down before
grinding it with the plates in their mouths.

After Baier injected Hermie with two anesthetics Wednesday morning,
Virga inserted four pins into the turtle's jaws, according to the
Watertown Daily Times which published an account of Hermie's ordeal
Thursday.

During a meeting with reporters, the doctors placed the immobile
turtle, believed to be between 2 and 3 years old, on a table. As Baier
held Hermie's head, Virga placed two rubber orthodontic elastics -- the
same kind used by children with braces -- on the pins across the
turtle's mouth.

While Hermie recuperates, zookeepers will remove the rubber bands once
a day to allow the turtle to eat. In keeping with the spirit of
Christmas, the doctors chose red and green rubber bands for Hermie's
beak.

"It's very exciting and I was glad to help," said Virga, who's performed
root canal surgery on dogs.

Baier's wife, Angela, the zoo's executive director, said she was
thrilled such a small zoo could take part in such a rare procedure.

"Miracles happen this time of the year," she said. "Hopefully his beak
will be fixed."


Information from: Watertown Daily Times, http://www.watertowndailytimes.com

Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. 


[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Good for Hermie! It is really great
that some people care enough for a small reptile to help it recouperate
in this way. It is indeed a Christmas miracle.  PAT]

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


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 #566
******************************