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Question
#58294. barker111
asks:
Why are the letters 'Q' and 'Z' missing from the telephone buttons?
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kyleisalive
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They aren't on mine. Must be one of those things associated with certain models and companies...
Jul 12 05, 9:23 PM
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satguru
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My guess would be that in the days when exchanges had names, and the names were spelt out using the numbers letter function, Q and Z would have been in so few names it wasn't worth featuring them as redundant letters on the dial (this was long before we had buttons).
In London each exchange had a name made from the available letters till they all ran out, when they switched to numbers to use all the combinations that wouldn't have made a word.
Jul 12 05, 9:25 PM
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MrsAce
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Satguru's answer is what I found also. The Q was even more limited in use because most Q words are following by U limiting the exchange even further. We are really aging ourselves when we can remember numbers like VIking 6-0000 or ATlantic 4-0000.
 http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_378b.html
Jul 13 05, 5:19 AM
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lanfranco
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PEnnsylvania 6-5000!
We did have a discussion of telephone number issues not too long ago. Gmack was interested in 555 numbers.
Jul 13 05, 5:46 PM
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