STORY:
Worldwide Phone Service OK

The millennium computer bug should not disrupt world phone service, despite the fact that many companies are still not completely ready. Those comments were made in an article by the USA Today which quotes the chairman of a U.N. committee charged with dealing with the problem.

''It is my opinion that most services will continue to operate satisfactorily,'' said Ron Balls of the International Telecommunications Union, the U.N. agency that deals with communications regulation around the world.

According to the article Balls said there could be minor problems in telephone voice and data services such as congestion of phone lines by people wishing New Year's Eve greetings to each other, but not as a direct result of the millennium bug.

Balls said the millennium bug does not affect telephone switches themselves, but alarm systems that monitor telecommunications traffic may fail, causing a ''gradual degradation'' of services.

He said a survey by the ITU of 402 telecommunications operators worldwide showed that 36% reported in 1998 that their systems were safe from the millennium bug. The rest said they would be compliant by the end of this year.

Source: USA Today

DATE: 3/04/99

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