It's hard not to notice phone service leaves a lot to be desired: fault all that competition; 'slamming,' 'cramming' are the means to an end: signing up the deceased

Article Abstract:

Increased competition among phone companies is tending to frustrate, rather than benefit, customers. Phone service tactics include 'slamming,' in which bills arrive from phone companies that customers did not choose, or 'cramming' that involves paying for services not ordered. A changing industry landscape is weakening service and making it more complicated, according to phone-company executives and the regulators who track their service. Merger- and acquisition-minded companies are seeking to establish themselves in emerging markets, while investing heavily to provide advanced services such as Internet connections. These companies are attempting to save money by scaling back existing services. Insufficient staffing of operators to handle the volume of assistance request is causing delays. Some companies have relaxed order verification and outsourced marketing, which makes their service more vulnerable to scams. Customer complaints about phone service jumped 14% in 1998, according to the FCC.

Telecommunications, Forecasts and trends, Industry trend, Investigations, Long distance telephone services, Customer service, Long-distance telephone service

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The old phone system is facing an overload, so Sprint has a plan; new network could enable users to make calls, send Internet data all at once; a $200 'meter' to track usage

Article Abstract:

Sprint announces a $2 billion telephone system redesign that could revolutionize the communications services industry. The No. 3 long-distance carrier is counting on its Integrated On-demand Network (ION) to boost call-handling 17-fold and slash long-distance calls by 70% while establishing new service and billing standards. Sprint, which triggered an industry change in 1988 with its all-fiber network, believes the rise of the Internet is forcing systems changes. Its code-named FastBreak features high-speed switches, data-packet routers and optical fiber designed to separate traffic into digital bits and reorganize them at their destination. By comparison, PC traffic data is largely responsible for overwhelming the decades-old system of circuits-switching. Sprint intends to introduce commercial operation of ION later in 1998, charging customers for monthly transmission of digital bits.

Wired Telecommunications Carriers, Domestic Voice Telephone Service, Sprint Corp., FON, Company service introduction, Service introduction, Domestic telephone services

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New service may boost 'telecommuting.' (Integrated Services Digital Network)(Telecommunications)

Article Abstract:

Rochester Telephone Corp and AT and T team up to test integrated services digital network (ISDN) transmission capabilities to home phone customers. ISDN will make telecommuting a feasible alternative since it offers voice, data and video transmission. The project underway will allow home users of microcomputers to directly connect their machines to telephone lines without having to re-wire their homes or use a modem. Regulatory and technical difficulties have created problems for telecommuting in the past, and the battle over whether telephone companies or their customers should control and maintain devices is still raging. The telephone companies' test involves 35 homes in Rochester, New York.

COMMUNICATION, Technological forecasting, Telephone companies, T, Telecommunications systems, Telecommuting, Digital communications, Telecommunications transmission technologies, American Telephone and Telegraph Co., Integrated Services Digital Network, Trends, Telephone Company, Future of Computing, Telecommunications Service, Digital Communication, Data Communications, ISDN, ISDN (Network standards), Rochester Telephone Corp., RTC

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