Bell Atlantic callback feature causes connection problems

A callback feature recently added to Bell Atlantic phone lines in the Ithaca area doesn't work properly on campus and can interfere with modem connections off campus.

This feature is called Enhanced Repeat Dialing. When you dial a number that is busy, an automated voice prompt from Bell Atlantic suggests pressing 3 to receive a call when the busy number becomes available. A fee of 75 cents is charged per request.

If the busy number belongs to a modem pool (including EZ-Remote), your modem may misinterpret the voice prompt as an answered call and then will not attempt to redial the busy number. Modem users who live off campus can have Enhanced Repeat Dialing removed from their phone line by calling the Bell Atlantic residential service office at 890-7100.

Enhanced Repeat Dialing was briefly available on Cornell campus phones, but it did not work correctly. "The Bell Atlantic callbacks would be received by the Cornell phone system, which had no way to tell which phones were used to activate the feature. So dozens of callbacks were being sent to our default destination, the campus information desk," explained Diane Sempler, manager of Cornell's Network and Information Technologies service teams.

Bell Atlantic has removed Enhanced Repeat Dialing from all campus phone lines and said that Cornell phones would not be billed for attempted use of the feature while it was still active.

The Cornell phone system has its own callback feature for calls from one campus phone to another (exchanges 253, 254 and 255). To activate the feature, press *5, wait for the dial tone, dial the number that is busy, wait for three short beeps, then hang up. When the busy number becomes available, your phone will ring with a three-ring sound. Answer the phone to be automatically connected to the number. There is no charge for Cornell's callback feature.

The "@cornell.edu" column runs on the last Thursday of each month and is edited by Beth Goelzer Lyons of CIT. Please send suggestions to citnews@cornell.edu. For more technology news, visit the CIT News web site http://www.cit.cornell.edu/citpubs/news/.