On Thu, 15 Feb 2007 02:26:50 GMT, Tony wrote:


Hi,
We're rather running out of numbers than line capacity(it's digital now)

That's a big problem too, and the causes are pretty well known to
some.

In the US and almost the entire world, the numbers used are Arabic
numbers. Arabs invented these numbers many centuries ago and have
controlled their production ever since. They purposely limit the
supply of numbers to keep the price high. Even large corporations
like AT&T can only afford to buy so many, based on a cost-benefit
analysis. In other words, they can't afford to invest too much
capital funding and have too many spare numbers sitting around not
earning money.

Although some numbers are produced outside of Arab lands, they do that
to save on the cost of shipping. But every production facility is
licensed and strictly controlled the ANPB (the Arabic Number
Production Board). The one or two locations which exceeded their
quota were totally shut down, and the management was got no severance
pay and lost their pensions.

There have been proposals to use other number systems or to create a
new one specifically designed for electronics and telecommunications,
but so far nothing has come of it. Some think that key corporate and
govenment personnel have been bribed to prevent progress in that. I
choose to think it is just the technical difficulties that have made
it slow going.