Expensive NANP Area Codes ; And Caribbean Routing/Numbering History
Mark J Cuccia
> Last weekend, KYW news-radio in Philadelphia broadcast a warning about
> a pager scam, and pointed out that the large number of area codes made
> it easier to pull off such a scam. The scam is paging someone with a
> number which turns out to be an expensive pay-per-call line. (Any
> ideas of what area codes might be involved?) The counter to this (not
> in the words used in that broadcast) is doing your homework by finding
> out where the number you would be calling is.
Things like this have happened on numerous occasions in recent years--
and it includes leaving messages (either live or to answering machines
and voicemail) to call back 976-xxxx, 900-nxx-xxxx, 500-nxx-xxxx, and well
as (international non-US) NANP-Caribbean NPA+nxx-xxxx.
While it is good to be aware of the seventeen (non-US) NANP-Caribbean NPA
codes (sixteen of them split from the long-established "catch-all" 809 for
all of the NANP-Caribbean from 1958-95, with 809 retained for the
Dominican Republic - also non-US but owned by GTE->VeriZon as "Codetel"),
it is NOT to be overlooked that Puerto Rico (787 now MANDATORY split from
809) and the _US_ Virgin Islands (340 now MANDATORY split from 809) _ARE_
the two _US_ (domestic billed) points within the NANP-Caribbean.
(I don't know how billing/rating presently is from Canada, AK, HI, etc,
for calling with PR/USVI -- many of the discount plans from Canada these
days probably rate PR/USVI at the same discounted rate as for Canada->US
calling). Sometime shortly prior to or around divestiture (1984), PR/USVI
were made "domestic" billed with the continental US. They were previously
billed as "international/overseas" ratings.
Also, circa 1980, Alaska (907) became domestic billed/rated from the
continental US, and Hawaii (808) became domestic billed/rated from the
48-states/DC around 1982. I would assume that calling between AK and HI
became domestic-billed at that time as well.
(Calling between AK/HI and PR/USVI might still be at their own rate
schedules, though... but the LD-carriers' discount plans might give the
same discount rates of from 5-to-10-c/min for AK/HI <=> PR/USVI calling
as well).
And since July 1997 with the incorporation of Guam (+671 -> +1-671) and
Saipan/Northern Marianas (+670 -> +1-670) into the NANP, calling between
Guam/CNMI and the US/AK/HI is also domestic billed/rated. I'm not sure
about Guam/CNMI <=> PR/USVI, though...
When/if ever American Samoa (+684) joins the NANP (as +1-684), being a
US posession under FCC jurisdiction, it too will fall under the same
"domestic rate integration" that Guam/CNMI have been placed into. Some of
the "discount dialarounds" or other carriers you can "presubscribe" to
have rates for +684 American Samoa that, while not necessarily as low as
discount plan / 101-XXXX+ 'dialaround' 5-to-10 cents/min, are comparable
to "high noon" domestic-US full-tariffed "coast-to-coast" 1+ DDD rates of
25-to-35 cents/min.
It _IS_ important to note that the FCC-approved tariffed rates (including
discount plan rates) to AK (907), HI (808), PR (787), USVI (340), and also
Guam (671) and Saipan/Marianas (670) _ARE_ at domestic schedules for calls
with (at least) the CONTINENTAL/CONTIGUOUS/CONTERMINOUS 48-states/DC.
Many PBXes have been known to _BLOCK_ access to these _US_ jurisdication
NPA codes. Many "alert" bulletins about "scams" involving Caribbean NPAs
do frequently alert PBX managers to block the international (non-US)
NANP-Caribbean NPAs, but they frequently include PR/USVI, and even
Guam/CNMI (which are in the Pacific, by the way). Many COCOT/COCOT-like
payphones either restrict calling to "non-CON-US" NPAs, or else they
charge per-min coin-rates that are WAY above what the COCOT-owner would
have to pay their LD-carrier. Canadian NPAs may or may not be accessible
as well, and PBX/business customers (as well as COCOT lines, which for the
most part are "classed" as business lines) _CAN_ get discount rates to
Canada that are comparable to domestic US rates.
BellSouth's own COCOT-like payphones don't allow (internal chip rating)
1+ coin dialing to 787/PR, 340/USVI, 671/Guam, 670/Saipan, despite the
fact that all four of these non-CONUS locations _ARE_ "US" _and_
domestic-rated.
AT&T's OSPS-ACTS for "traditional" c.o.controlled coin-lines _do_ allow
1+ coin-rated access (within the AT&T 5E-OSPS "ACTS" system) to these
four US/domestic non-CONUS locations. I think that the present AT&T 1+
domestic coin tariffs are still "low enough" for the escrow bucket in the
payphone to all "full" Automated Coin Telephone Service, without the need
for the live intervention of an AT&T-OSPS operator to do a "ring-forward
and post-pay" operation. (Canada, on the other hand, has risen in 1+
AT&T Coin rates to such a level that the "escrow bucket" in the payphone
can't handle that much coinage, thus live AT&T Operator intervention to
do a necessary ring-forward/post-pay; The non-US NANP-Caribbean has always
involved this from AT&T on traditional 1+ coin access, as well as _ALL_
011+ coin access via AT&T, due to the coin-rates being more than escrow
in the payphone could handle)...
Back prior to PR/USVI splitting from NPA 809, _IF_ a PBX or COCOT were
to allow 1+ coin access to domestic-rated PR/USVI, translations down to
the NXX level (809-NXX) needed to be done, to differentiate between the
domestic-rated points (PR/USVI) and the international-rated points.
This usually involved FULL 6-digit translation of the complete 809+NXX
code. Many PBXes and COCOTs didn't want to have to do this, thus PR/USVI
were completely blocked.
ORIGINATING local Telco central office translations also used to
frequently fully 6-digit translate 809 down to the NXX level (as 809+NXX),
because of AT&T's request to screen out the international non-US 809-NXX
localities if there were Banded-OUT-WATS class-of-service customers in
that central office. Banded OutWATS only allowed access to CONUS, AK/HI,
and PR/USVI (and possibly now Guam/CNMI) -- i.e. "US" rated points).
Prior to around 1986, it was relatively "easy" to differentiate between
PR/USVI and non-US 809 locations...
Throughout the 1960's/70's/early 80's, Puerto Rico was exclusively 809-7NX
(except 809-77X) and 809-8NX -- and US VI was exclusively 809-77X.
"Four-digit" translation or examination of digits could be done -- i.e.,
if the first four digits are 8097 or 8098, then the call is permitted,
but if it is any _other_ 809N (other than 8097 or 8098), then special
procedures (including blocking) may need to be done.
Also, PR and USVI became customer-originated DDD-able from the CON-US
(and maybe Canada?) circa 1966/67, as 809-NNX-xxxx. However, it was still
many years before the non-US 809 points were customer-DDD-able from the
US. Most originating 4(A/M) XB and XB-Tandem toll/tandem switches didn't
want to have to do full six-digit translation on each and every "valid"
809-NNX code. So, 809 was simply 3-digit translated and shipped to the 4A
in Jacksonville FL. Only then would 809 be fully six-digit'd down to the
809+NNX level. If the code of the desired number were NOT 809-7NX or
809-8NX (or if it was for an UNassigned / vacant 809-7/8NX), then
Jacksonville would block the call and play a recorded announcement
instructing that only Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands were customer
dialable at this time -- and to please call the operator for assistance in
calling to other 809/Caribbean points.
And since the Jacksonville 4A had no way of knowing whether or not the
incoming request as 809-NNX-xxxx were from an operator or a customer,
while it was ultimately intended (and TPM billing procedures _did_
"mark-sense" all of the NANP-Caribbean whether US or "intl" as 809-NNX)
that the NANP-Caribbean (including non-US) be dialable as 809-NNX, any
cordboard/TSP/TSPS Operator who could originate as OTD (Operator Toll
Dialing), which was basically the same as the customer's DDD, would need
to reach the non-US Caribbean with special 1XX routing codes -- each of
the major Caribbean islands or groups of islands had their own unique
"Operator / pseudo" NPA codes of the 1XX form. She would key a 1XX
followed by the seven-digit number to dial to that specific NANP-Caribbean
number that was still not yet customer-dialable. Since customers were not
"supposed" to have access to 1XX/0XX network/operator routing codes, the
Jacksonville 4A could recognize the 1XX-NNX-xxxx string and route down to
that Caribbean location, "thinking" that the call was being handled (and
ticketed/billed) by a telco Operator!
MARK_J._CUCCIA__PHONE/WRITE/WIRE/CABLE:__HOME:__(USA)__Tel:_CHestnut-1-2497
WORK:__mc...@mailhost.tcs.tulane.edu|4710-Wright-Road|__(+1-504-241-2497)
Tel:UNiversity-5-5954(+1-504-865-5954)|New-Orleans-28__|fwds-on-no-answr-to
Fax:UNiversity-5-5917(+1-504-865-5917)|Louisiana(70128)|cellular/voicemail-
NWORLASKCG0 (BellSouth #1AESS Cl.5 Local "Seabrook" 504-24x-)
to become a #5ESS (yeah!), NWORLASKDS0, 12:01am SAT-11-NOV-2000
NWORLAIYCM3 (BellSouth-Mobility Ericsson Cellular-MTSO NOL)
NWORLAMT01T (BellSouth DMS-100 "Metairie" Tndm; Cellular routes thru)
NWORLAMA0GT (BellSouth DMS-100/200 inTRA-LATA/fg.BCD Tndm "Main" 504+)
NWORLAMA20T (BellSouth DMS-200 TOPS:inLATA OprSvcTndm "Main" 504+053+)
NWORLAMA04T (AT&T #4ESS Class-2 Toll 060-T / 504-2T "Main" 504+)
JCSNMSPS06T (AT&T #5ESS OSPS:Operator-Services-Tandem 601-0T 601+121)
JCSNMSPS14T (AT&T #4ESS Class-3 Toll 040-T / 601-2T; OSPS routes thru)
NWORLAELH01 (PBX NEC-2400 504-862-3/8xxx, 504-865-4/5/6xxx)
NWORLACADS0 (BellSo.DMS-100 Cl.5 Lcl "Carrollton" 504-86x-;PBX 'homes'on)
=========================================================================
--
The Telecom Digest is currently robomoderated. Please mail
messages to edi...@telecom-digest.org.