Subject: Re: Writing for the text-only's... From: docdon@pinn.net (Don Taylor) Date: Sat, 1 Jul 1995 00:29:54 -0500

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At 07:13 PM 6/26/95 EST, Gess Shankar wrote:
>Sanjay Kapur  writes:
>
>> 
>> Anyone who is using ISDN for a dedicated connection is plain stupid.  The per
>> minute charges pile up. ISDN is very useful for make and break connection lik
>> credit card authorization in a store or for UUCP type connections where 
>> information is transferred in batch or for (semi)mobile computing.  The call 
>> setup time for an ISDN connection is one to two seconds compared to one to tw
>> minutes for dialing and modem negotiation for an analog line.
>> 
>
>I must be stupid, because I am going to use ISDN for a dedicated connection.
>According to the tariff I have from the telco (BellSouth), there is no
>per minute charge. It is flat rate, about $70 a month for residential BRI
>and under $100 for business BRI. And I can get 128kbit throughput and
>with compression, even more. Why is this stupid?
>
Gess:

As far as I know almost everyone charges as follows for ISDN

    o   Flat monthly rate for having it (just like your phone)
    o   Per minute charge for all "off-the-hook" time
    o   Decreasing per minute charge with volume
    o   Package programs of 240, 40, 60, 80 hours etc.
    o   Special per minute rate for exceeding the package volume

For example, last I checked a 24x365 access would cost around $800 monthly
from Bell Atlantic. There was an article on ISDN across the nation in some
business magazine a month or two back but I can't find it just now.

Using ISDN is not stupid if it fits your needs. If a 24x365 28.8 account
costs $200 monthly, just compare the amount of freight you can haul with
ISDN for the additional tariff. Now, do you need the additional freight? If
yes, it's worth it; if not, no.

DocDon

Whoops, just found it. Inc. Apr 95, pg 120 has a table of setup charges and
"Typical monthly cost" for 10 different companies. BellSouth (800-858-9413
for details) reports $60-$250 setup and $91-$94.50 monthly. Warning: PacBell
reports $24.06 monthly and I know that doesn't reflect their usage charge.
If anyone else wants details, you might call the National ISDN Hotline at
800-992-ISDN for up to date info, generalities or a specific contact in your
area. Rates can and do vary by company, state and even outside metro areas.

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