AboutSpencer Holcombe Expertise I have been in the telecommunications arena for several years. I've worked in traffic,installation,repair,customer service,fraud,national and major accounts. I Started with Pacific Telephone,went to American Bell, AT&T Information Systems, AT&T Communications, Pacific Bell-SBC - AT&T. I can answer most questions of a service or equipment nature-excluding cellular. From jacks, wiring, phones, to custom calling services, local to long distance.
Experience Bell System and post divesture work for AT&T and Local operating companies. Service rep-to Fraud desk.
Organizations Telephone Pioneers of America
Publications PTM mag. Connections, Update, and other company publications. Also have expert status at AskME.com
Expert: Spencer Holcombe Date: 7/28/2007 Subject: Bell System for Dummies
Question I have so many questions I dont know where to start.
I am very fascinated by the Bell Network ( or what used to be the Bell Network anyway )
I am a WAN Engineer - I would love to learn all I can about the phone network and jack wiring.
Could you provide some good textbooks on the bell system. perhaps even a bell labs shopkeepers notebook or two.
Answer Chris,
I'm more on the historical side of the corp as opposed to the tech. The best books I've found are Telephone by John Brooks, Deal of the Century by Steve Coll. As far as the tech side - online copies of "Bell Labs Record" used to be available at Lucent.com as well as AT&T LONG LINES Technical Journal and Telephone engineering.
I'm not sure what side you're interested in, but these are a good place to start. I'll answer any specific questions I can for you but per above, I'm more into AT&T and how it became the worlds largest company. Good luck in your endeavors.
Spencer
