Dave wrote on Feb 11^th, 2010 at 11:57pm:
It is complex, and I will try to put something together to provide an accurate description of what is a local call. There are two types of local call - local call (free) which I have been discussing in this thread, and local call (toll), also known as extended calling area. But to answer the question, yes, the local calls of the free type will often, but not always, cross area code boundaries. For overlays, given that there are different types of overlay, I don't have a definitive answer for all types!

In the meantime, the following may be useful to anyone interested:

http://www.usa.att.com/localcallingarea/qsingle
https://www.customerservice.att.com/plancomparison/calltypespopup.jsp
http://www.localcallingguide.com/index.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_access_and_transport_area

I have previously stated that telecoms here are straightforward, and I still maintain this to be true, however the definition of what is a local calling area is not a simple matter to describe.

Dave wrote on Feb 14^th, 2010 at 12:32pm:


It may be useful to have a map available whilst reading this:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=palm+beach+county,+f...

I will try to illustrate by example. I am connected to the West Palm Beach exchange, although I am not located within the West Palm Beach city limits. The West Palm Beach exchange will encompass several other locations, including what the US defines as (incorporated) cities, towns, villages and (unincorporated) 'census designated places'. The NPA (area code) for West Palm Beach is 561. The West Palm Beach exchange has around 247 NXX (central office/exchange codes) allocated, and each NXX is further subdivided into the XXXX subscriber number to yield the familiar NPA-NXX-XXXX format.

Two adjacent exchanges are Boynton Beach (south of West Palm) and Jupiter-Tequesta (north of West Palm). Boynton has the same NPA as West Palm, ie 561, plus 42 NXX. Jupiter-Tequesta also has the same NPA plus 21 NXX.

The local calling area for West Palm Beach means that calls from West Palm Beach to either West Palm Beach, Boynton Beach or Jupiter-Tequesta are free, unmetered and unlimited. The local calling area is shown in the phone book, known here as the "White Pages".

So let us take an example with reference to http://www.localcallingguide.com/lca_rcdist.php

A West Palm Beach NPA-NXX is 561-201 and a Boynton Beach NPA-NXX is 561-880. Entering the above into the link above shows that a local call will result. This is the 'free' call that I have referred to.

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And for a call from West Palm Beach to Jupiter-Tequesta (561-222):

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The exchange to the south of Boynton Beach is Delray Beach. The exchange to the north of Jupiter-Tequesta is Hobe Sound. Delray Beach has an NPA of 561 plus 61 NXX. Hobe Sound has an NPA of 772 plus 9 NXX.

Entering a call from West Palm Beach (561-201) to Delray Beach (561-441) and a call from West Palm Beach (561-201) to Hobe Sound (772-263) into the call checker gives the following results:

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Again, local calls are indicated, but this time, the additional call type of ECS is shown. This is what is known as Extended Calling Service, and again, a summary of ECS is shown in the White Pages.

For West Palm Beach, the ECS area covers calls from West Palm Beach to Belle Glade, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Hobe Sound, Jensen Beach, Pahokee, Port St Lucie and Stuart exchanges. ECS local calls from West Palm Beach are charged at a flar rate of 25c per call, but are still local. I do not know whether the 25c flat rate applies to other areas.

Taking a call from Jupiter-Tequesta to Hobe Sound. Both are within different counties, and both have different NPAs:

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This gives a local free call, demonstrating that local free calling crossed NPA boundaries.

Now onto a call from West Palm Beach to Miami (305-201):

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Even though West Palm Beach and Miami are within the same LATA (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_access_and_transport_area), this is not a local call. As to the cost of such a call, further research is necessary as I have been unable to determine this with any certainty for those with basic phone service.

I hope this illustration makes it a little clearer.

Dave wrote on Feb 14^th, 2010 at 12:32pm:
Are there any time length restrictions on free intra Hull calls with KC?

idb wrote on Feb 14^th, 2010 at 4:01pm:

With you so far, but how does the cell operator in Seattle get paid, if not from the call charge. In Europe there are roaming charges paid by the recipient if you use your cell phone out of the area (country) to which it belongs .

idb wrote on Feb 15^th, 2010 at 12:43am:

I would guess that AT&T roaming coverage is close to universal. What happens if your own operator cannot offer inclusive or additional roaming in an area you are planning to visit.

I guess that with no long distance surcharge, it does not matter to you where your cellphone is "homed", although it will affect your callers. Somewhere miles from the risks of natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes, i.e. Washington DC, would seem to be a good choice! - OK perhaps not.

Sorry for the delay in responding. I think this is an interesting discussion that is worth continuing.


idb wrote on Feb 14^th, 2010 at 2:18pm:

I have read about and appreciate "intraLATA" (within the same LATA) and "interLATA" (crosses boundary between two LATAs) terms. From what I can understand, it would appear that the LATAs have been drawn around the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs) to prevent them from providing connections between different LATAs. So where the same RBOC operates the network in neighbouring LATAs, it is restricted in that it cannot provide a link between the two and must yield to another provider, a IXC (InterXchange Carrier), for which there will be a cost.

The term "local call (free)" would perhaps be clearer if it were just referred to as "local call" and most importantly, "local call (toll)" would be more easily understood if it were termed a "regional call". These terms are like what we used to have in the UK and actually mean something.

What about those who live near to LATA boundaries? For a call to a destination which is only a short distance from them but which is within another LATA, will it be classed as a type of "local" call or will it be a "long distance" one because it requires use of the IXC?


idb wrote on Feb 14^th, 2010 at 2:32pm:

No.

The KC Price Manual shows that the only types of calls that have length restrictions of 60 minutes when they are inclusive are non-geographic numbers 0845 and 0870.

Local KC, local non-KC, regional and national calls have no call length restrictions when inclusive.


idb wrote on Feb 15^th, 2010 at 12:43am:

So roaming on another AT&T network does not incur any higher charges than when on your home AT&T network. That means that in effect AT&T has one big network where subscribers can move anywhere within its coverage and not be charged higher rates when not connected to their local one. This would appear to defeat the object of carving the country up into LATAs. Do they apply to mobile operators or just fixed line providers?

But if you're going to a place that is served by a different operator then presumably you will incur some sort of charge for roaming. And what about others who are with other network providers? What happens when they roam in areas where they don't have their own local network? Do most operators have networks in many different areas?

It sounds to me like it's the luck of the draw as to where you live and whether you are able to move about a large part of the country without paying roaming charges or not.

Dave wrote on Feb 20^th, 2010 at 12:02pm:
The AT&T network is considered as one national entity. My understanding is that wasn't always the case. Having been a customer of AT&T and its predecessor Cingular Wireless since 2005, I have not incurred any domestic roaming costs, even though my bill would itemize domestic roaming calls, which were free/inclusive. I have no idea how LATAs relate to cellular operators, and will do further research. I suspect LATAs only have relevance to the Regional Bell Operating Companies.


Dave wrote on Feb 20^th, 2010 at 12:02pm:
As far as I am aware, an AT&T wireless customer, such as myself, cannot roam domestically on any other GSM network. With other operators, perhaps with the non GSM systems, it may well be possible - I really do not know. When I tried Verizon for a week or so, domestic roaming was an important aspect, and could be chargeable, however as the network was not strong within my area, I didn't research the matter. After mergers and acquisitions, there are now only four major players in the US cellular market - AT&T, Nextel/Sprint, Verizon and T-Mobile. There is a handful of other regional providers, for example MetroPCS, and various virtual operators such as Virgin USA. There may well be roaming arrangements between the regional providers and other regional providers, and perhaps even between the major providers and the regional providers. I will look into this.


Dave wrote on Feb 20^th, 2010 at 12:02pm:
AT&T and Verizon are fiercely competitive in terms of which has the greater coverage. Some of their commercials have resulted in lawsuits. Where one lives does indeed determine waht choices one will have.