Some Telephone documents on the web

• The Oftel Numbering Conventions - April 1997.  The Wayback Machine has a number of versions of this document but the only substantive change was OFTEL changed to Oftel throughout!
  Points of interest for me in this document are:
  • B1.5  'Operators are expected to' support clot's level.
  • B3.2  'A map of the UK showing the areas and codes used will [my emphasis] be made available to licensed operators by Oftel'.
   
  
• The Oftel Numbering Conventions - Issue 4 - 1 March 2002.  The Wayback Machine also has a number of versions of this document but I have only looked at one version.
  My points of interest are still there under new section numbers:
  • A2.7  'Operators are expected to' support clot's level.  The wording has been improved.
  • A3.5  'Oftel will advise on the procedure for licensed operators on how to obtain a map of the United Kingdom showing the areas and codes used'.  ['on how' is redundant.]  A suspicious move further away from actually supplying it!
   
  
• Ofcom took over the functions of Oftel but the document cannot be found on the Ofcom site.  At least not on their Numbering page.
   
   
  
• Full automation of the telephone system the White Paper which introduced Charge Groups and STD.  (The phone system was run by a Government department at that time.)  Essential reading.  Uses pre-decimal system (£sd) prices.
   
  
• A User's Guide to Telephone Numbering from Ofcom.  Sections 1.16 and 1.17 are a careful description (with four figs) of Charge Groups.  Curious in that it was written after 1995 (the document reflects the PhONEday changes) at a time when Charge Groups were already dying.
   
  
• The obituary notice for Charge Groups in item 1) of the ReadMe file of 5th April 2004 for the National Telephone Numbering Plan.
   
  

 
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Roger W Haworth   2005 Jan 18