Year 2000 is ready for your call
Fornebu
3 minute read
Telenors network is now year 2000 ready. Phone calls and other telecommunications and data services supplied by Telenor are now taking place on year 2000 ready networks. Telenor has tested and corrected its services with possible year 2000 errors in mind, 6 months before New Year.
For several years Telenor has been working with making its services and products Y2k ready. The systems are tested and corrected individually. Then the individual service is secured by testing the information flow between the different components that are included in the service. All systems for telecom traffic and accounting are corrected and tested so that they will function properly at the turn of the millennium.
In the Y2k effort, Telenor has prioritised vital community functions like health and life saving services, so that these will function as normal.
The emergency telephone services 110, 112, 113 are tested in co-operation with the fire department, police and hospital. These numbers should function without any problems during the transition to year 2000.
"We have emphasised a systematic examination of all our services and systems," says Telenors Year 2000 Director Kjell Engen. "And I feel confident that the coming New Years Eve will take place as any other New Years Eve."
In addition to assuring compliance of domestic infrastructure, Telenor participates in international co-operations, such as testing of inter connect with other international operators. This to reduce the risk for disruption in international traffic caused by the year 2000 problem. Telenor estimates spending approximately NOK 1050 million, with about 700 man-years working with year 2000 activities.
During the last six months of the year, the year 2000 work will be concentrated around making sure that the effects of possible year 2000 errors will be as small as possible, both for Telenor and its customers."Even though the probability for a failure in Telenors systems and products is insignificant, the consequences in some areas are so great that we cannot afford to take any risks," says Director Kjell Engen.
The year 2000 problem arose when many old software programmes used two digits for the year. When we are now facing a millennium transition, a computer will read year 2000, i.e. 00, as year 1900. Most computer systems will still function, but will produce wrong results.
In the Y2k effort, Telenor has prioritised vital community functions like health and life saving services, so that these will function as normal.
The emergency telephone services 110, 112, 113 are tested in co-operation with the fire department, police and hospital. These numbers should function without any problems during the transition to year 2000.
"We have emphasised a systematic examination of all our services and systems," says Telenors Year 2000 Director Kjell Engen. "And I feel confident that the coming New Years Eve will take place as any other New Years Eve."
In addition to assuring compliance of domestic infrastructure, Telenor participates in international co-operations, such as testing of inter connect with other international operators. This to reduce the risk for disruption in international traffic caused by the year 2000 problem. Telenor estimates spending approximately NOK 1050 million, with about 700 man-years working with year 2000 activities.
During the last six months of the year, the year 2000 work will be concentrated around making sure that the effects of possible year 2000 errors will be as small as possible, both for Telenor and its customers."Even though the probability for a failure in Telenors systems and products is insignificant, the consequences in some areas are so great that we cannot afford to take any risks," says Director Kjell Engen.
The year 2000 problem arose when many old software programmes used two digits for the year. When we are now facing a millennium transition, a computer will read year 2000, i.e. 00, as year 1900. Most computer systems will still function, but will produce wrong results.