New telephone services

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 1, Issue 17, 27 September 1983, Page 3

New telephone services

Ohakune, Raetihi and Waiouru telephone subscribers will soon be able to use the new push-button telephones. Subscribers will be able to apply for the new telephones by returning the forms the Fost Office will be mailing to all subscribers throughout the Waimarino district in October. The new telephones were designed in Britain and were launched in that country last year. They are light weight and each digit sounds its own musical note when pushed. The telephones will be available for installation from early next year. Cutover of the new Ohakune Telephone Exchange is programmed for mid 1984 at which time Ohakune subscribers will be provided with automatic telephone service. Subscribers in all three exchange areas (Ohakune, Raetihi and Waiouru) will then be •kle to dial their toll calls rectly to most parts of New Zealand as well as many overseas countries without going through an operator. For Ohakune subscribers, cutover of the new telephone exchange will enable a range of services to be provided and these are detailed in the brochure the Fost Office will be mailing to subscribers. Some upgrading of partyline subscribers to individual service will also take place in

conjunction with the cutover of the new exchange. The new services include an emergency hotline service, in which instance, if the telephone handpiece is removed and no number dialled, after eight seconds a pre-programmed number is automatically called alerting that there is an emergency. In this way the handpiece can be simply knocked off the phone to make a call in case of a heart attack or other emergency. This service is also of use to a business which makes a lot of calls to a branch office. Another service in which calls can be diverted to any one of nine numbers when a subscriber leaves home is available. These other numbers can be changed at will. Modern electronic business phone systems (SBX and FABX) are also now available, ranging in size from 8 extensions. These systems incorporate a range of special services and use the push-button telephone. Mr Norris and Mr Grant from the District Engineer's Office in Wanganui will be in Ohakune on.the evenings of 3 and 4 October. Business subscribers in the Waimarino are invited to attend a presentation by Messrs Norris and Grant describing the new services and phones, to be held in the Summit Room of the Ohakune Hotel commencing 7.30pm.