[Two answers to this one:]
There are probably two main reasons why this is not done.
1) 0345 services (and 0800, 0898, 0891) were designed to give country-wide access at the appropriate charge rate to a specific number in a specific area of the country. There is also a method of directing calls originating in a specific area to a regional number - eg - 0345 123456 dialled in Brighton would route to a number somewhere in South East England, and the same number dialled in Scotland would route to a number in, say, Glasgow (cf. BT's experts service - Advanced LinkLine). In both cases the renter of the 0345 number pays for the trunk call part of the charge. The PSS service has PADs all over the UK, ie dozens of them, so that PSS traffic is not tying up trunk circuits. That would negate the whole point of the service!. The complexity of determining the 0345 routing to all these local PADs is probably not worth it.
2) The services are currently carried on an overlay network with its own exchanges. By their nature, most of these services are short holding time calls (despite the incidence of children spending long hours on chat-lines & pop music feeds), and the network is dimensioned for this. It is certainly not designed to carry relatively long holding time traffic to PADs!
Perhaps, in the future Intelligent Network Databases will allow this sort of universal number access to lots of local nodes using the existing local network, but that's not imminent as far as I know.
[However, another explanation has been proffered - Ed.]
This question was asked, some years ago, at a `Character Terminal Implementors Group' meeting (a UK group which inputs to CCITT [now ITU] on the X.3, X.28 and X.29 recommendations, now defunct).
The representatives from BT Network Services said that since BT was split up into different commercial divisions, BT Network Services would have to pay the full going rate for an 0345 (or 0800) number. That charge would obviously have to get passed on to the PAD user, and on average it would be higher than that of the phone calls made by the PAD user since the majority of them could make a local call.
That's not a full answer, as there are bound to be savings in reducing the number of locations where PAD lines are located (be they real, or out-of-area lines to a PAD somewhere else), but it seemed as though BT Network Services were well aware of the possibility, and would take decisions on cost grounds. A factor which is obviously difficult to quantify is the value of having a single number which PAD users can call. One slight technical hitch is that an NUI is not necessarily known at all PAD centres.
[Culled from information provided by P.K.Chawdhry@newcastle.ac.uk (Pravir K Chawdhry), clive@x.co.uk (Clive Feather) and pkh@cs.nott.ac.uk (Kevin Hopkins).]
Network Services are available on BT's digital exchanges (System X and System Y) and are usually available on the payment of a quarterly rental, though some are available solely on the payment of a per usage charge.
[PLEASE NOTE: This is just a summary, for a full list and charges please see the seperate posting "BT Network Services information" ]
5 == Retry When Not Busy (when busy tone heard) (System Y) *21*number# Call Diversion (all calls) *261# Call Barring (incoming) *34bar# Call Barring (outgoing) *40*number# Call Charge Advice (System X) *40*number Call Charge Advice (System Y) *411# Call Charge Advice on all calls *43# Call Waiting *51*code*number# Code Calling *55*time# Reminder Call *56*time*programme# Reminder Programme (System X) *61*number# Call Diversion (no reply) *61*number*wait# == Call Diversion (no reply) (Extra System Y facility) *67*number# Call Diversion (on busy)
** 0 Repeat Last Call (excluding Code Calling calls) ** code Code Calling call
*#001# Check which services are active (System X) *#21# Call Diversion (all calls) *#261# Call Barring (incoming) *#34# Call Barring (outgoing) *#411# Call Charge Advice on all calls *#43# Call Waiting *#51*code# Code Calling *#55# Reminder Call *#56# Regular Programme (System X) *#61# Call Diversion (no reply) *#67# Call Diversion (on busy)
#21# Call Diversion (all calls) #261# Call Barring (incoming) (System X) #261*keyword# Call Barring (incoming) [System Y] #34bar*keyword# Call Barring (outgoing) #37# == Retry When Not Busy [System Y] #411# Call Charge Advice on all calls #43# Call Waiting #51*code# Code Calling #55# Reminder Call #56*time*programme# Reminder Programme (System X) #56# Reminder Programme (System X) #61# Call Diversion (no reply) #67# Call Diversion (on busy)
You may have switched your phones to tone dialling but there should be a separate switch to change the type of recall from Earth Loop to Timed Break (which is essential to use Call Waiting fully). Sometimes there is only one switch, three position (LD/MFE/MFT) in which case you want MFT. Some MF phones do NOT have the Timed Break (MFT) option - in which case you would need a new phone to make full use of the service.
The BT price list I ordered finally turned up... it wasn't what I expected - it's a thin leaflet with basically little more information than the residential price guide you get with your bill.
Then it simply isn't the price list. It may be what BT try to fob you off with when you ask for a copy of the price list. Now ring them back and insist on the REAL THING ! (BT reference is TRF/BTP/A100 et seq.)
The person responsible for co-ordinating the price list is Damien O'Reilly. You can write to him at: PP 4029, 2-12 Gresham Street, London EC2V 7AG, or else fax your request through on (0171) 356 7340.
Be sure to phone 152, not 150, and be persistent that such things exist! BT product number A12342. Connection is UKP499.50 +VAT; Rental is UKP358.80 +VAT per quarter (at 10/12/1993), on top of the 'normal' BT charges.
Between Midnight and 6am the charges for all calls or parts of calls in local, regional and national charge bands are suppressed. All other calls are charged at the normal rates appropriate at the time. Premium Calls are barred as normal. All other times normal metering.
Since the charging is suppressed at the pricing computer, not at the exchange, the free calls will show normal charging on real time advice facilities (Select Services Charge Advice, Meter Pulse Facility and ISDN Call Charge Indication).
Break even point was formally approx. someone making a 110 units of calls a night, 5 days a week 52 weeks of the year. Since BT no longer charges in units the break even point is slightly altered, but one must account for the minimum charge. The break even is also affected by any discount options on the line (which reduce the price that would have been paid for the calls were it not a Midnight Line).
Certainly they are. If they are directly dialled, that is !
Yes, with the proviso that you are on a System X or Y exchange, fully-itemised billing from BT is now available. There is no charge for the service. You can choose between all calls, 2-, 5- and 10-unit itemisation, or no itemisation. TXE4(RD) exchanges can also now offer this service.
Delivery of itemisation records on floppy disk is being trialled, and has been so for some time. The size of the trial is to be increased. A single-sheet paper bill is also sent, for legal reasons (including VAT). A charge is made for the analysis software, which runs under MS Windows.
Another suggestion to accomplish itemisation of any call on a bill, which already includes 10 units and over itemisation, has been proffered: Dial 0800 500 005, press 'recall' (not redial) and dial the number. Any number will apparently work, though recorded information lines (you could also try 0800 556677) obviously won't annoy a real person. This will only work if you have 3-way calling.
Some BT exchanges offer ISDN (to find out whether your exchange can offer it, you need to talk to BT sales), and it works out rather more expensive by way of line rental than does an ordinary line, but call rates (apart from special offers) are the same. At least some other carriers also offer ISDN - try asking those that are to be found in your area (for example, I believe Cambridge Cable do). Note that an ISDN connection to Mercury via 131 (even if Mercury have ISDN capability) is probably a no-hoper. Mercury now do ISDN access via 132. It needs to be signed for seperately from the normal Mercury service.
For ISDN2 (Basic Rate Access), the connection charge is UKP400 and the quarterly rental is UKP84. Call charges are the same as the normal PSTN for national calls, but there are differences upon international routes.
Setup Charge: UKP100 Rental : UKP 50 (ex VAT.)
The number can be delivered to any BT line, or cable line (as I was told by a BT spokesperson - so take that as being unreliable!).
"The charges callers pay are aligned to BT's National Long Distance charges. This means that a three minute daytime call will cost 30p, dropping to 20p on weekday evenings and to 10p at weekens. (These prices include VAT.) Calles from overseas will pay the standard international direct dial charges from their country to the UK. Businesses are not charged for the receipt of basic Nationalcall 0990 calls."