Unnamed Administration sources reported that Ben Buxton said:
ISTR +1-888-xxxx being the international equivalent of 1-800-xxxx
False...
The US presently uses 800, 888, 877 and more are coming. We long ago
ran out of space in the 800 "ip block"...
That works from .au anyway, and probably anywhere else with
international direct dialling.
SOME carriers, serving SOME countries, may haul SOME calls to the
the US and pass it off to the carrier handling the ""800"" call.
But there are the following variables:
Originating country
Originating carrier
terminating carrier {each # is served by a carrier}
contract with the customer {THEY pay for the domestic leg,
at least...}
etc....
The UNIVERSAL international 'freephone' number is of the form
"call collect -- 1 202 123-4567 ".....as that's all that will
work from anywhere with international calling [i.e. not from East
Timor's UN compound this week..]