[Boatanchors] WAS Goodies NOW Bell

[Glen Zook via Boatanchors]

In this city, Richardson, Texas, AT&T replaced all of the copper lines several years ago, going to fiber optics.  Everything, including "cable" television, telephone, and Internet goes through the same fiber.  The "land line" telephone is converted from the copper wiring inside your house to fiber through a conversion box on the outside of your house.  That same box is used as the terminal to convert the fiber to Category 5e that runs inside to the modem, or "gateway" as AT&T calls the box,  for both television and Internet.  The modem also has provision for either 2, or 4, depending on the individual modem, telephone lines that are "VOIP".  However, the conversion box on the outside also converts the land line to VOIP that goes over the same fiber as the Internet, etc.  As such, the actual connection to the system is exactly the same!
But, if you have your telephones connected through the conversion box instead of the inside modem, the charges, per telephone line, are almost triple what they are for "VOIP" through the inside modem!  The conversion box remains, as it is also the connection to the fiber for Internet and "cable" television as well!  Both the inside modem and the outside conversion box have battery backup for when the electricity goes out.
Basically, unless one has only telephone service from AT&T, they are just wasting money by keeping their land line and not going to VOIP because the services are provided over exactly the same system! Glen, K9STH

Website: http://k9sth.net
      From: Richard Knoppow <1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com>
 To: boatanchors at mailman.qth.net 
 Sent: Saturday, April 11, 2015 5:21 PM
 Subject: Re: [Boatanchors] WAS Goodies NOW Bell
   
    You leased the system.  You paid a monthly rent on the phone which 
also took care of the whole telephone plant.  Any repairs or 
replacements were free.  Additional phones were charged for monthly.  
Sometimes there was a one time installation fee.  Telco repair is now 
limited to the entrance to your hose or building, not beyond. Any 
internal wiring is your responsibility.  If you have wireless phones, 
phone on DSL, etc, the rate structure is different.  If you want a 
second cell phone it is charged for and you pay a monthly rate same as 
for the first one.
      On conventional phones and some cell plans you still pay for long 
distance or "roaming" when using the phone outside of a given area.  On 
other plans there is no distance or roaming charge but this is usually 
for deluxe service.  Free long distance and international service can be 
had from web based phone services like Skype but they have their 
limitations.