WESTLAKE : Center Helps With International Calls

After his home phone was disconnected, Robert Estigarribia thought he might have to give up his twice-monthly calls to his parents in Uruguay.

But then Estigarribia discovered the new AT&T; Global Communications Center in Westlake, which helps people make long-distance calls within the United States and to more than 200 countries.

Callers pay cash to use the service based on AT&T;’s basic long-distance rate, said Ellen Ha, the center’s assistant manager.

AT&T; opened the center last month for people who want to make long-distance calls but may not have a home telephone and whose primary language is not English. The center’s staff can provide assistance in English, Spanish and Korean, and AT&T;’s language-line service is available for those who speak other languages.

“Community groups we work with told us there was a need for this kind of service,” said Marguerite McHale, AT&T;’s director of multicultural marketing.

The center has eight phone booths, one of which is wheelchair-accessible, a video phone, fax and photocopying services and conference rooms for occasional use by community organizations.

The phone center, at 2500 Wilshire Blvd., is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.