I am not saying too much solid at all about how much the IXC's utilize each others networks. It is really just an impression. I suppose one that I am curious about how accurate it is. The impression again is that AT&T provides end to end service - which is quite different from the Internet where networks keep playing hot potato with the traffic. Sean's comments are interesting - I would love to see something more substantiated just for fun. I would be curious, where two networks exist, how much traffic they might exchange. And then there is the situation which was pointed out where one of two networks does not exist and the first must rely on the second to complete the transmission. I think regulatorily there has been a lot of attention paid to traffic exchanged between LEC and LEC - and traffic exchanged between LECs and IXCs - but not necessarily traffic exchanged between IXC and IXC (again, except in the case of network reliability where one IXC is down and relies upon the other). -B www.cybertelecom.org ------Original Message------ From: Ric Messier <rmessier@Genuity.NET> To: Robert Cannon <rmcannon@mail.com> Sent: July 18, 2000 4:40:44 PM GMT Subject: Re: Telco NOC vs. Internet NOCs (WAS: Wanted: Clueful Individual @ TeleGlobe.n On Tue, 18 Jul 2000, Robert Cannon wrote:

I am curious how often you think that ATT telephone long distance would

traffic off to MCI telephone long distance. My impression of telephone long distance is that it is largely an end to end service (one of the great differences from the Internet). That as far as long distance goes, there is not a great deal traffic hand off (one exception is times of network

hand trouble

where carriers have agreements to hand off traffic to maintain network reliability).

So, what you are saying is that all long-distance carriers have at least nationwide networks and never have to ride another carrier (except for the last-mile service provided by the LEC)? Just trying to understand your remarks. Ric ______________________________________________ FREE Personalized Email at Mail.com Sign up at http://www.mail.com/?sr=signup