Utah area code 801 soon mandatory ten digit dialing

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kh_design
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Utah area code 801 soon mandatory ten digit dialing

#1

Post by kh_design »

As a reminder to MLS users in the state of Utah area code 801 with dial-up modem connection to Church Headquarters. You need to add the 801 area code to the MLS dial-up numbers to church Headquarters while it is now optional to dial the ten digit phone numbers, soon it will be mandatory to dial the ten digit phone numbers in the 801 area code and there will be a lot of frustrated clerks who will not be able to MLS dial-up connect to Church Headquarters.

If you have multiple numbers in the MLS dial-up separated by commas you need to update all the dial-up numbers with the 801 ten digit phone number, except for the WATS number (this goes without needing to be said that the WATS number should not be updated).

The other point is, if the 801 phone numbers are not updated with the 801 ten digit numbers, and the WATS number is included in the dialer numbers, we will be unnecessarily costing the church expenses (a simple matter of fiscal responsibility) for all of the MLS computers connecting to Church Headquarters through the dial-up WATS number because the 801 numbers cannot connect if they have not been updated with the 801 ten digit number.
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mkmurray
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#2

Post by mkmurray »

I had no idea what WATS was until your post. So for the benefit of others, here is some info I found from Googling:
WATS (wide-area telephone service) is a specialized form of fixed-rate long-distance telecommunication service. WATS lines are commonly used by businesses and government agencies. Some individuals and small corporations also have WATS subscriptions.

There are three types of WATS lines: IN-WATS (for incoming calls), OUT-WATS (for outgoing calls), or a combination of both services. IN-WATS lines have telephone numbers with certain area codes reserved expressly for that purpose, such as 800, 888, or 877. People calling these numbers are not charged a long-distance toll. Instead, the recipient (subscriber) is charged a fixed monthly rate up to a certain number of hours of usage. Beyond the limit, an additional toll is imposed. OUT-WATS lines are, in effect, fixed-rate long-distance subscriptions.

With most WATS lines, calling-zone restrictions apply. For example, it might not be possible to make or accept WATS calls to or from locations within the state where the subscriber is located, or to or from locations outside the country where the subscriber is located.

So why does the WATS number not need to be updated? Is it already 10-digit dialing? Or does WATS actually look nothing like 10-digit dialing?
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aebrown
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#3

Post by aebrown »

mkmurray wrote:So why does the WATS number not need to be updated? Is it already 10-digit dialing? Or does WATS actually look nothing like 10-digit dialing?
The WATS number is already 10 digits. It's only the 7-digit numbers that need to be updated.
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aebrown
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#4

Post by aebrown »

kh_design wrote:You need to add the 801 area code to the dial up numbers while it is right now optional to dial the ten digit phone numbers, soon it will be mandatory to dial the ten digit phone numbers in the 801 area code.
In case you're wondering what "soon" means in this context, it is March 1, 2009. Starting on that date, if you dial a 7-digit number from the 801 area code, your call will not go through. See http://www.publicutilities.utah.gov/are ... erlay.html

However, since 10 digit dialing works fine now, there's no reason to delay making the change.
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kh_design
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just a small technical clarification

#5

Post by kh_design »

Just a small technical clarification, the WATS number is 11 digits.
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Mikerowaved
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#6

Post by Mikerowaved »

The need for adopting the 10-digit Area Code has been discussed somewhat in THIS thread. The question I originally raised, what, "What format should the 10-digit numbers be in?" since MLS just provides a free-form field.

When our stake clerk asked CHQ specifically about the proper Area Code format, the answer he received was (in his words), [font=&quot]"I got the standard phrase suggesting I search http://clerk.lds.org."

[/font]As I mentioned in the other thread, the MLS training videos show both 7-digit and 10-digit numbers (sometimes on the same screen), but the 10-digit numbers are ALWAYS shown in the format of 801-555-1212. This is what our stake has adopted and I suggest others in the region might want to do likewise.

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aebrown
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#7

Post by aebrown »

kh_design wrote:Just a small technical clarification, the WATS number is 11 digits.
OK, but to avoid confusion, let's not get hung up on the precise definition of WATS. The fact is that the MLS Dialer Number field (on the System tab of System Options) will typically include a local number and a toll-free number (which is what can also be referred to as WATS). The toll-free number will usually be something like 1-888-xxx-xxxx (with no hyphens, but I include them for clarity). The presence of the 1 before the 888 does indeed make it an 11-digit number.

The toll-free number is unaffected by the new 10-digit dialing requirement. The local number must be changed to include the 801 sometime before March 1, 2009.

If the local number is not corrected, starting on March 1 it will take longer to dial, as the local number will be tried first, fail, and then the toll-free number will be tried. It will also cost the Church more money, as the toll-free number may be free to the caller, but costs more to the Church.
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aebrown
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#8

Post by aebrown »

Mikerowaved wrote:The need for adopting the 10-digit Area Code has been discussed somewhat in THIS thread. The question I originally raised, what, "What format should the 10-digit numbers be in?" since MLS just provides a free-form field.
Noted, but this thread is really only talking about the phone numbers used for dial-up connections. These are stored in MLS under System Options. It really has nothing to do with that other thread, except that both are issues related to 10-digit dialing.

In any case, it's always safest to store numbers intended for dialing by a modem as pure numbers with no separators of any kind, so this is unrelated to the format used for members' phone numbers on their household records.
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garysturn
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801 1-800 1-801

#9

Post by garysturn »

A WATS line is just another name for an 800 number. Toll free to the person making the call but a long distance call to the receiver of the call. All WATS calls are charged as a long distance call even if placed from a local area.

Another thing to remember about the new 10 digit dialing requirement is that some 801 numbers will require a 1 before them and some will not have the 1 before them. If the number is local you do not use the 1 and if the number is long distance it must have the 1.

7 digit numbers will need to be changed to 10 digit numbers without the 1 in the dial up list since all current 7 digit numbers will be local and will not have a 1 before the number. This may be confusing to some people since under the old scheme a 1 was required before any number requiring the 801 number.
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#10

Post by lajackson »

Mikerowaved wrote:"What format should the 10-digit numbers be in?" since MLS just provides a free-form field.
I agree with you on the membership record information in MLS, although I prefer periods to dashes.

However, for the dialer string in the MLS system settings, we do not use any punctuation at all, and be sure to include the 1 if needed. (Some places do not need a 1 to dial long distance.)
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