Re: IP: Pac Bell says Net use may collapse phone system

["Fred R. Goldstein" <fgoldstein@bbn.com>]

  At 10:36 PM 10/25/96 -0400, James Love wrote:
  >On Thu, 24 Oct 1996, Robert Berger wrote:
  >> When a large number of lines start having phone calls that last significantly
  >> longer than a few minutes radically shift the required ratio of lines to
  >> switching/trunking. 
  >
  >    Maybe I'm missing something here.  Is the length of call the ONLY 
  >important variable?  Isn't the real issue the number of lines that can be 
  >used at any one time....    like the percent of customers who are using 
  >the telephone at the same time?    What is this percent...for the typical 
  >POTS user?  jamie
  
  I suspect it's around 30-40 hours of originating local calls per month for a
  flat rate resi subscriber.  But I don't have the real numbers; they're
  included in some rate filings, though.  Resi busy hour is the evening.
  
  But remember, telcos aren't asking for a rate hike for resi users who use
  modems to call ISPs.  They're asking for massive (several times current
  rates) surcharges on ISPs, whose hunt groups are usually like any other hunt
  group, engineered to handle the incoming load.  And barring that, some
  request outrageous rates from resi ISDN subscribers, on grounds that they
  are likely to be calling ISPs.  Of course this just puts more users on POTS
  and fewer on ISDN.
  ---
  Fred R. Goldstein     k1io    fgoldstein@bbn.com   +1 617 873 3850
  Opinions are mine alone.  Sharing requires permission.