Should this number be free?

[FONGO_mike]

This thread is for a specific reason. If you believe a number should be a free call (the number located in a free calling city, the list can be found here) then post the number (area code and exchange only please) so that we can verify the number.

[TheHardy]

Mike -- good luck, I tried before -- however, you mods can move threads too, so you will have better luck!

For the others, please be aware that you can do your own research at:

Ratelookup tool: http://www.freephoneline.ca/ldServices#rl

NPA lookup: http://www.cnac.ca/data/ac___.htm (replace ___ with area code)

Local calling tool: http://www.localcallingguide.com

Best of luck!

[TheHardy]

Mike, and other Fongo-mods, and users in general ... please note that I have started up a thread regarding LCA's around POP's/DID's, which sort of runs parallel to this thread for it's intent ...

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=5460

[TheHardy]

Part of the WINNIPEG LCA, Oakbank has SOME of it's numbers (NPA-NXX's) listed as free, but not others ...

All area code 204...
403 -- $0.02 (Telus Mobility-PCS)
443 -- FREE
444 -- FREE
446 -- FREE
541 -- FREE
817 -- $0.02 (Iristel)
818 -- $0.02 (Iristel)

[TheHardy]

A few more Victoria, BC NPA-NXX's, mostly new ones, mostly Iristel....

All in Victoria proper, not Saanich or Sooke ...

778-265 (Shaw)
778-350 (Bell Mobility)
778-400 (iristel)
778-401 (Iristel)
778-402 (Iristel)
778-403 (Iristel)
778-404 (Iristel)
778-584 (Telus Mobility-Mike)
778-676 (Telus Mobility-PCS)
778-677 (Telus Mobility-PCS)
778-698 (Navigata)
778-746 (Distributel)
778-747 (Distributel)
778-966 (Rogers Wireless)
778-967 (Rogers Wireless)

[TheHardy]

Just to restate something that I learned earlier on, when I did some other research into this...

For anyone using the CNAC website to check on the status/deployment of NPA NXX codes, please bear in mind the following caveat ...

An NPA-NXX is listed as ASSIGNED once it has been approved by the CRTC and is not transitioned _on_the_website_ to "IN SERVICE" until that OCN (codeholder/company that 'owns' the NPA-NXX) submits correct paperwork BACK to CNAC ...

Therefore, NPA-NXX's that show "ASSIGNED" may full well already be deployed, functional and have LINE numbers assigned and in-service, but not SHOW as such on the CNAC website. There's a few drastic examples in 778 by Navigata for the Interior and North of BC that have shown ASSIGNED for well over a year because of paperwork failures.

Outside of CNAC, the only "dated" way to find out IN-SERVICE dates is via the official TELCORDIA NNAG update files (or LERG updates) -- but this is a PAID subscription service aimed at "the industry" not end consumers. This file actually lists the REAL in-service date for any NPA-NXX, as well as other industry-specific information such as CLLI code, switch type, etc which is all meaningless to the end user, unless they are a techno-geek ....

[TheHardy]

Abbotsford, confirmed as a FREE city ...
778-347 - Telus Mobility ... relatively new exchange ... rated at $0.02, not FREE ...

[FONGO_neil]

Thanks for the heads up and will check into these.

[Mallox]

I thought Trois-Rivieres, Qc and it's surrounding area were free-to-call as it is advertise on FPL web site. So why is 819-655-xxxx that is in the Local calling area of Tois-Rivières ( http://www.localcallingguide.com/lca_ex ... xch=174680 ) not free?

And is it me or I saw in the past Joliette, QC into the free calling city?

[TheHardy]

I thought Trois-Rivieres, Qc and it's surrounding area were free-to-call as it is advertise on FPL web site. So why is 819-655-xxxx that is in the Local calling area of Tois-Rivières ( http://www.localcallingguide.com/lca_ex ... xch=174680 ) not free?

And is it me or I saw in the past Joliette, QC into the free calling city?

819-655 St-Boniface-de-Shawinigan ???

As has been stated by Steve, not all CITIES have complete coverage of their whole LCA if Fongo does not have DID's there.

It is valid to ask, as this may be an oversight/error on this exchange, but it may NOT necessarily be a free call.

Joliette _was_ a free call before the tariff update, so it may have been free in error and been corrected.

Or it may have been missed.

Hopefully someone from Fongo can weigh in on both your queries and provide more information than I can. I can only give you what I know from past experience and questions, and it is LESS than official!

[FONGO_neil]

I thought Trois-Rivieres, Qc and it's surrounding area were free-to-call as it is advertise on FPL web site. So why is 819-655-xxxx that is in the Local calling area of Tois-Rivières ( http://www.localcallingguide.com/lca_ex ... xch=174680 ) not free?

And is it me or I saw in the past Joliette, QC into the free calling city?

Hi Mallox,

As Hardy mentioned 819-655 is Saint-Boniface-de-Shawinigan, which is not included in our free calling area, the same applies to Joliette as it is not listed in our free calling area nor has it been in the past.

[TheHardy]

As Hardy mentioned 819-655 is Saint-Boniface-de-Shawinigan, which is not included in our free calling area, the same applies to Joliette as it is not listed in our free calling area nor has it been in the past.

Actually Neil, while Joliette was NOT "OFFICIALLY" listed BY 'FPL' (at the time, pre-Fongo) as an included FREE city, it did _have_ free calling. This may have been in error (and hence UNofficial) and WAS corrected to be a toll call in "The Big Tariff Update(tm)" ...

[TheHardy]

A few more Victoria, BC NPA-NXX's, mostly new ones, mostly Iristel....

All in Victoria proper, not Saanich or Sooke ...

778-265 (Shaw)
778-350 (Bell Mobility)
778-400 (iristel)
778-401 (Iristel)
778-402 (Iristel)
778-403 (Iristel)
778-404 (Iristel)
778-584 (Telus Mobility-Mike)
778-676 (Telus Mobility-PCS)
778-677 (Telus Mobility-PCS)
778-698 (Navigata)
778-746 (Distributel)
778-747 (Distributel)
778-966 (Rogers Wireless)
778-967 (Rogers Wireless)

Confirming that via the RateLookUp tool, these are now showing correctly as $0.00/FREE

[TheHardy]

Abbotsford, confirmed as a FREE city ...
778-347 - Telus Mobility ... relatively new exchange ... rated at $0.02, not FREE ...

Confirming that this one has also been corrected. Thanks Fongo Staff, Neil ...

[TheHardy]

I am aware that there are cities/ratecentres that currently show up as free calls that are NOT part of the official list. And I understand that.

However, if 88% of the numbers in an unofficial free calling city are free, and just some newly added ones are not, are THOSE subject to being "corrected" to free, or we just get what we get because it IS unofficial?

Sake of argument, let's pick NANAIMO, BC ... 778-269 ...

What say you Fongo?

[TheHardy]

Sake of argument, let's pick NANAIMO, BC ... 778-269 ...

The new FONGO website now lists Nanaimo as an OFFICIAL city ... so I imagine that this direct question is a moot point ... I am going to find a specific example that is still broken and attempt to get an answer tho! You cannot avoid the question by adding the city!!

[Jake]

Sake of argument, let's pick NANAIMO, BC ... 778-269 ...

The new FONGO website now lists Nanaimo as an OFFICIAL city ... so I imagine that this direct question is a moot point ... I am going to find a specific example that is still broken and attempt to get an answer tho! You cannot avoid the question by adding the city!!

I was doing some lookups using their name list. I looked on both Fongo and FPL. In the BC list on Fongo Nanaimo is there, where on the FPL list it is not, but Newton is there instead. Newton isn't on the Fongo list.

The only other discrepancy I noticed was Victoria has not been added to the Fongo Ontario list. It is in the FPL Ontario list.

I only mention this because you brought it up

[TheHardy]

The new FONGO website now lists Nanaimo as an OFFICIAL city ... so I imagine that this direct question is a moot point ... I am going to find a specific example that is still broken and attempt to get an answer tho! You cannot avoid the question by adding the city!!

I was doing some lookups using their name list. I looked on both Fongo and FPL. In the BC list on Fongo Nanaimo is there, where on the FPL list it is not, but Newton is there instead. Newton isn't on the Fongo list.

The only other discrepancy I noticed was Victoria has not been added to the Fongo Ontario list. It is in the FPL Ontario list.

I only mention this because you brought it up

Fair that, and brings up the topic and a suggestion back at Fongo -- "Standardize and Synchronize your Free Calling area Lists across all of your BRANDS!"



I sent you a PM about cities with similar names, Jake-- it is a chronic and ongoing problem, I do believe.

re: Newton -- that list has SURREY listed .... Surrey is the actual city, Newton, Whalley, Cloverdale are all "areas" of Surrey and are the actual SWITCH names (for the NPA-NXX's). White Rock is both a separate city _AND_ a switch --- but as a Switch, it serves both White Rock-proper and also parts of South Surrey (much like Fort Langley switch also serves the Port Kells region of Surrey...

[Jake]

I sent you a PM about cities with similar names, Jake-- it is a chronic and ongoing problem, I do believe.

I set up a couple of scripts to crunch some numbers and match the rate center names up with the advertised areas that FPL offer. ( I know what your thinking, and just so you know I thought it first ) I sent what I found onto the people who live their lives on the bleeding edge (hi Dom) who probably promptly filed it in the trash folder

The trouble is, it all well and good me playing with the information, but I have no idea if these are mistakes, or intentions. Either way, I am sure Dom will be pleased to hear I probably won't be sending him any more lists I bet he is regretting asking for them in the first place now.

[TheHardy]

I set up a couple of scripts to crunch some numbers and match the rate center names up with the advertised areas that FPL offer. ( I know what your thinking, and just so you know I thought it first ) I sent what I found onto the people who live their lives on the bleeding edge (hi Dom) who probably promptly filed it in the trash folder

The trouble is, it all well and good me playing with the information, but I have no idea if these are mistakes, or intentions. Either way, I am sure Dom will be pleased to hear I probably won't be sending him any more lists I bet he is regretting asking for them in the first place now.

It depends on what Fongo's true intentions are ... to be a real CLEC and offer real service, or just play at this free VOIP thing half-assed. I mean, I get that they are offering us a great deal, but it seems like a patch-work quilt. And I also fully get the fact that it is cheaper to offer service where you have the POPs rather than terminating on a foreign carrier's equipment. However, the lack of LCA-wide coverage is very very perplexing to me on several levels (see separate thread, I have pounded the agonizing details there) and the seeming lack of a complete, thorough and ACCURATE list baffles the snot outta me.

It is NOT that difficult a thing to do, and it is not like a secret or something ... I mean, WTH ... if Dom or Steve or someone in the 'tariff bureau' provided either yourself or myself with the _real_ information, the complete, accurate list would be ready in a flash, and double-verified to boot! The output could be formattted however the actual 'tariff bureau' needed it for them to just PLUG the results into the master tariff look-up and the whole she-bang would be done and dealt with neatly -- a one time thing. Process the monthly updates after the 1st working day of each month based on the information INITIALLY provided and it is a self-doing deal. Open up a new LCA? Not a problem, there's an app for that (or script) and here's your new output file to plug in to make that happen ....

Not rocket-surgery or brain-science.

As for the REAL areas, the UNOFFICIAL areas and the errors ....

"Currently Fongo offers full LCA coverage to the following metro areas ....."
"Additionally, Fongo offers limited coverage to the following CITIES only ....."
"Fongo is currently testing coverage in THESE cities, but this may change without further notice and this list is not guaranteed to be complete ...."

3 groups, each with a posted disclaimer and limitation, and the accurate list below each .... clean, simple, all-inclusive, easy to understand .... Oh wait, we WERE talking about Fongo, right??

[Bloodsong]

Just making a peep as I haven't be on the forums in a few months. (sorry)
Good to see you and Jake keep fighting the good fight.

Welcome to the FONGO team Neil, good to see fresh blood.

@Jake any chance I could see your script?

[TheHardy]

Well, we'll chain ya down to this topic then, Bloodsong! You can tell by the 20+ days of deafening Fongo-silence *exactly* who is winning the fight, can't ya?

To be brutally honest and completely blunt, I DO make these suggestions in the interest of helping and improving things, not just to be a Meddling Matilda or a Pain In The Arse, but nothing seems to change ... even the most basic core clean up solutions get swept to the wayside ... if I weren't bull-headed and determined, I would be frustrated and give up by now!

Oh, I'll be right back, there's another one of those persnickity windmills I need to go and tilt at .....

[Jake]

This number should be assigned to Ottawa (it's new I think) 613-604-xxxx

613 604 154E Iristel Inc. Assigned Ottawa-Hull

Coming up as $0.02

[FONGO_neil]

Thanks for bringing this to our attention, the correction will be made.

[Jake]

Thanks for bringing this to our attention, the correction will be made.

Thanks Neil.