Local vs. Long Distance from NPA-NXX?
Richard M. Sander
domain resource(s) that can determine, given two NPA-NNX's,
whether a call between the two would be local, intraLATA or
long distance? Thanks in advance!
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John R. Levine
>domain resource(s) that can determine, given two NPA-NNX's,
>whether a call between the two would be local, intraLATA or
>long distance? Thanks in advance!
The good news is that it's easy enough to tell intra-LATA from
inter-LATA from the NPA-prefix lists you can download from nanpa.com.
It's close to impossible to tell reliably what calls are local and
what calls aren't, even if you're willing to pay for the information.
There are services that attempt to collect that sort of stuff, but
their job is made much more difficult by the existence of multiple
calling plans, CLECs that have different local calling areas from each
other and the ILEC, and in some places, "local" message unit calls
that cost more than "toll" calls.
You can't use inter-LATA as a hint that a call is toll; there are many
places that have free local calls across a LATA line, state line, or
even into Canada.
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Roy
I don't see the LATA codes in the NANPA lists I use (CA). The rate center is
there but then you have to know which rate center is in which LATA and I am not
sure that even works.
John R. Levine
> center is there but then you have to know which rate center is in
> which LATA and I am not sure that even works.
Oops, you're quite right, no LATA into there.
Poking around the net, I found http://www.ccmi.com/lcadata.html which is
a local calling area directory you can buy for $200, keeping in mind that
if you want reliable info you have to update it weekly.
Linc Madison
<globaln...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Short of calling the LEC, does anyone know of any public-domain
> resource(s) that can determine, given two NPA-NNX's, whether a call
> between the two would be local, intraLATA or long distance? Thanks
> in advance!
No, and in fact I can say with little doubt that there are none. It's
simply far too complex a matrix to expect anyone to put it up for free.
You can determine whether the call will be intraLATA or interLATA very
easily with public-domain resources, but local versus not-local is much
trickier, especially since there are places where there is a gradual
progression from local to "extended local"/"zone" to "local toll" to
"toll," or where there are optional calling plans and so forth.
<http://www.nanpa.com/number_resource_info/co_code_assignments.html>
has links to the information about what prefixes are in what LATA.
NANPA = North American Numbering Plan Administrator.
If you want to know what prefixes are local to you, your ONLY option
(short of trying to dig through your PUC tariffs) is to call your LEC.
Many of the ILECs will often claim that they can't tell you whether
another company's prefix is local to you, but that is an outright lie;
you should demand a supervisor immediately if any customer service
person tells you such a thing, and ask that the person be reprimanded.
The only way we can squash this recurring lie is to pounce upon it
every time it is repeated.
The LEC most definitely does know with complete certainty which
prefixes, on EVERY SINGLE OTHER LEC, are local to you, their customer.
Otherwise, they would be utterly unable to prepare a bill for you each
month.
Linc Madison
wrote:
> I don't see the LATA codes in the NANPA lists I use (CA). The rate
> center is there but then you have to know which rate center is in
> which LATA and I am not sure that even works.
My goodness, you're right. I mostly use lists from Telcordia TRA, which
do include the LATA but which also cost money (although the monthly
update is free). The lists from NANPA include the OCN and company name,
plus the rate center and switch ID, but not the LATA.
The rate center does tell you the LATA, though. Each rate center is in
only one LATA. For example, here in San Francisco, we have "SNFC CNTRL"
"SNFC MT-EV" and "SNFC JUNPR" rate centers, which are, in plain
English, "San Francisco Central," "San Francisco Montrose-Evergreen,"
and "San Francisco Juniper," also known as San Francisco 1, 2, and 3.
All three are in the San Francisco LATA.
You can check out the Telcordia monthly update files I mentioned at
<http://www.trainfo.com/products_services/tra/nnagonly.html>
Again, those will give LATA information, but nothing about local
calling areas.