Thread: Dial Plans
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Unread 06-03-2007, 01:44 PM   #8
rec9140
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jenalcom View Post
The original US dialling system (well before the introduction of the "1") checked to see ........needed some way to determine if the number was LD or not - hence add the 1 in front. However I agree with you - they seemed to have messed it up completely!
I've been rather intimiate with the foibles of the NANPA for work reasons, but can't say that I agree with some of the "ASSUMumptions" made for it. Telco people insisted that even before the split you needed that 1 for switching purposes... BZZZTT! Bell of PA NEVER NEEDED IT. I could pick up any Bell of PA phone dial 800-456-7890 and it went thru quite fine. Same with 415-123-4567, or 786-1234 (if it were a toll call) I never dialed a 1 just because it was a interlata or intralata toll call. I spent 20+ years not needing to do this, except when I travelled and dialed a call and the witch came on and I had to remember I was in an area that had FUBAR'd swithces. And this was LONG before the NPA splits were needed. Maybe the old SxS switching couldn't handle things correctly, but once modern switching was in place there was simply no need for it. Alot of telco peolpe and some users insist that a 1 be required because they want to know its LD due to the $$ at that time. Since thats not relevant to me, since if I needed to make the call then I needed to pay for it.

The whole dialing scheme in the US is FUBAR'D for a lot reasons from NPA splits, overlays, and to ACCOMODATE STUPID USERS. 10 digit dialing just because theres and overlay. NO. If you dial 123-4567 then thats different than 789-123-4567. Pretty simple to understand if you ask me, but the telco guys flip out.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jenalcom View Post
In the case of the UK for LD they .......plus another zero. Nowadays they use 00 as the international access code.
I don't even try to understand UK and EU numbers, I just consider it all one big blob, I just can wrap my brain around things like variable length area codes. Just doesn't sink in. Too many years with NANPA. Add non geogrpahic number schemes, "mobile/cell" numbers at higher pricing and my head spins more. While some of this is similar to 900 NPA, 540 & 976 NXX's in the US, most of this never caught on and its died off. I don't even then the old 700 NPA sort of a US non geographic number that ATT came up with is even in use, but I could be wrong.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jenalcom View Post
Also some calls can be charged as local calls even though you have to dial an area code to get there.
You have that in the US or any NANPA area with "10 Digit" dialing. In areas where they overlay an new NPA then you have to dial NPA-NXX-yyyy to get ALL NUMBERS even in the same NPA. I find that stupid. Your willing to cater to stupid users on this 1 toll call thing, but you want to change the rules due to a NPA overlay. Just consider it a flat space and your done.

Quote:
Originally Posted by jenalcom View Post
Here, in Australia, we have the crazy situation where two thirds of the continent is covered by a single area code (08). This encompasses Western Australia, South Australia and Northern Territory and Australia is approx the same size as the US! So from Perth (where I live) I can call Darwin or Adelaide without dialling any area code (Adelaide is about 2500 kilometers away and Darwin about 4000 kilometers!).
We have similar situations in the US, but probably not for long. Many of the Western states like Arizona, Montanna, Wyoming, Idaho etc. Had ONE area code for the ENTIRE STATE covered a pretty sizeable area for places like Montanna and Wyoming... The need for numbers has caused splits in some of these but WY, ID, ND, MT are all still single NPA's for the entire state.

To me if an number is in the same area code, then I should only dial 7 digits or what ever is the length in that area be it 7 plus or minus.

NOT in the US.... One the OLD DRACONIAN Rate Centers still live on in most areas unless your on a calling plan or had what was called in many areas "Metro Service." Your local exchanges could be dialed with 7 digits, and then any thing outside that rate center was a intralata toll call and thus needed 1-NXX-yyyy,URRRGH! , this held true for most areas EXCEPT Bell of PA, which I never could get answer as to why Bell PA was set up this way and no where else was.
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