He said:
>> They are still in use, yes. Their purpose is different from 800
>> numbers, as it gave the called party the ability to restrict
>> incoming calls to selected areas of his choosing, areas as small as
>> a single exchange. That's never been available with 800 numbers.
800 numbers require multiple dips into SCPs, at least one to identify the carrier and another to help route and bill the call.
During the routing stage, the SCP can inquire about where to route the call, or not to route, based on all sorts of "intelligent" criteria, such as time of day, day of week, and originating NPA or exchange or full number. So if you want an, 800 number can be routed based on the full 10 digit ANI. The days of mileage based zones were interesting, but as more and more intelligence gets built into 800 numbers, just distant memories.
Art Kamlet ArtKamlet @ AOL.com Columbus OH K2PZH