🚀 go-pugleaf

In aus.comms Darrell Clarke <darrell.clarke@dsto.defence.gov.au> wrote:
> Robert Atkins wrote:
> > 
> > manson@smiffy wrote:
> > : In article <32261A4E.518B@bom.gov.au>, Ken Taylor <k.taylor@bom.gov.au> writes:
> > 
> > : For my part, I can't see an economic reason why local calls should be
> > : charged at all. I guy I work with is originally from Canada....a
> > : country with similar size and variation of population density as Oz.
> > : He tells me that local calls are free there...as well as being untimed.
> > 
> > I believe the definition of "local" is different there though... if both
> > phones are on the same exchange it's defined as a free local call. I may
> > be wrong however.

> No, I think you are right.  When I lived in the U.S. a few years back, I 
> discovered to my cost that a "free" local call was very local indeed.  
> My wife chatted on the phone to friends for maybe an hour as she was 
> used to at home, but often it was a timed call even though it was only 
> acouple of Km's away, but on a different exchange and we got a big shock 
> when the bill arrived.  
> It is the Gov. who decide whether we will have free or untimed calls on 
> the PSTN, but we will probably all end up with timed calls if we want 
> enhanced or bundled services like ISDN or payTV and other broadband 
> systems.  I haven't heard so many loud cries about timed local calls for 
> mobile phones!  Crystal ball gazers tells us we will all have our own 
> personal communicators soon -- and guess what -- they will probably be 
> timed calls!  The last 2 people on the PSTN will still have their 
> untimed calls at some enormous connect fee.  ;>)
> Cheers,
> Darrell Clarke
> p.s. How can this chap from Canada tell if the free calls are timed or 
> untimed!
In North America in general you can say that local calls are (free) in the
sense that what ever the local area you only pay the monthly rental,
usually in range of $20 to $30, which is  a little more than the rental in
Australia, but usually long distance calls are more expensive for the
simple reason that they charge minimum of 3 minutes and in 3 minute
multiples, I know there are many complaints in regards to this and
pressure has been put on Telco's to charge by the minute instead. My
sister lives in Quebec and her local call area is similar in size to
Sydney, but like someone in outer Sydney she can call free call to Ottawa
about 35 km away but if they are out of downdtown area she pays long
distance rate in 3 minute multiples.  Anyway to cut this short her bills
are pretty much the same as mine or a little more, for about the same
usage.