Text 1017, 123 rader
Skriven 2006-05-09 11:33:00 av Michiel van der Vlist (2:280/5555)
   Kommentar till text 1008 av Dale Shipp (1:261/1466.0)
Ärende: none
============
Hello Dale.

08 May 06 23:47, you wrote to me:


 DS> It seems that in your country, the cell phone industry started out
 DS> with a standard unique number for cell phones to support the idea of
 DS> making caller pay.

From the beginning, some fifty yeras ago when they weren't called cell phones,
but "mobile phone" and were so big and heavy that one needed the entire trunk
of a car to move them around plus an extra dynamo to power it, they have been
aassigned a special number range.

I think this was for technical reasons rather than with the predefined idea of
making the caller pay.

With the older systems, it would have been next to impossible to have a "mobile
phone" fit in the normal fixed line number scheme. One can not connect a mobile
phone to the older mechanical exchanges. The only way was to have a completely
seperate network for the mobile phones and connect them at some point. It is
logical to assign a special number range to that interconnection point.

With the newer electronis exchanges, it ks no problem I suppose, but with the
older mechanical exchanges, belding them in in the normal fixed line numbering
plan was impossible. And although there were few and they were expensive we did
have mobile phones when most landline exchanges were still of the mechanical
type.

Other than that, a special number range for non location bound use make perfect
sense to me. A cell phone does not have a fixed location, so why put it in an
area code associated with a specific location?

Well, I guess it is just what you are used too. Here we grew up with the idea
that fixed numbers are for fixed locations and that area codes reflect the
actual location. Services not fitting that pattern are assigned a special
number range.

Note of interest: Recently the telecommunications overseeers ordered VoipBuster
to return geographical numbers issued to people not living in the area code
associated with the number to be returned. geographical numbers  may only be
assigned to people actually living in the area.


Note of interest 2: This wasn't always so strict. In my grandparetnts pre-WWII
hotel in Oosterbeek there were two public phones. One was conneted to the local
exchange, Oosterbeek, the other was connected to the exchange in the adjoining
bigger city: Arnhem. This allowed the guests to make local calls to "the city".


http://www.vlist.org/tanna/schoonoord.jpg

And what was left after the war:

http://www.vlist.org/tanna/schoonoord2.jpg

 DS>    It seems that they have maintained that, but I note that according
 DS> to Ward, the "standard" is not a European standard.

Indeed, On the European level things become a bit messy. AFAIK all European
countries have special ranges for cell phones, but they differ from country to
country and of course I do not know them all. I just recently learned how to
recognise a Belgian cell phone number from Ward's messages here.

 MVDV>> But over here that is not the case. Cell phone number are
 MVDV>> very recognisable.

 DS>    Not here.

I understand.

And as I wrote, on the European level thing get a bit messy. Very messy really.
For some countries there ius an extra charge if the destination is a cell
phone, for some there is not. And it differs from provider tyo provider. F.e.
My present provider charges 6 ct/min for a call to a fixed line in Belgium. For
a call to a belgian cell phone thet charge an extra 25 ct/min.  A call to a
German cell phone however costs the same as a call to a German fixed line: 6
ct/min.

My previous provider charges extra for the German cell phone too. Add to that
that the rates chage al,most daily and the mess is complete.

I make very few international calls, so for me it is not an issue, but for
people who make many international calls this could be different.

An interesting note is that in the beginning of the cell phone boom, there was
no extra charge to international cell phone calls. And as cell phone calls were
more than twice asexpensive that intercontintal fixed lie calls plus that
incoming calls are free for cell phones this is what transpired:

There was this Telegroup Global Access GSM Callback thing. I had a phone number
in the US. 15157305351. I called that number, let it ring once and hung up. The
system called me back on my cell phone and when I answered I got a dial tone. I
could then dial any number in the world.

So no charges to my cell phone number. the initial call was not answered and
the next one was incoming, no charge. Telegroup charged me of course, but what
they charged was less than calling my neighbour across the street driectly wih
my cell phone.

There was a similar service in Germany.

Of course it didn't last. When the phone companies found out about these
loopholes that *were on their dime* they stopped it by charging whoever they
got the call from for the interconnection fee they have to pay to the cell
phone provider to put the call through.

It might be interesting for you to find out if you would have to pAy extra for
a call to a cell phone in The Netherlands. You may be in for a Surprise...

[..]


 MVDV>> So the cell phone company does not make much money on you. The

 DS>    Nope -- the balance sheet is on my side:-}}



Michiel

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