OT: Cell Phone Service
- Thread starter ABQShredHead
- Start date
So, would you not consider the drop in per-minute charges from 1994 (~$2.50 per minute) to current charges (~$0.03 per minute) a result of increased competition in the marketplace?
Ma Bell may be reforming on the landline side (and even on the Cingular side), but there is still plenty of competition in the wireless side. Four national carriers have emerged where in 1993 there were no national carriers. Add to that the large number of regional carriers and there can be up to (my last count) nine wireless carriers in any one market. I would call that very competitive. And the alternative offering to landline has increased competition to that end as well. Data services coming down the pipe will allow broadband access on the wireless side to even compete with DSL offerings from the landline operator (though most wireless carriers have a landline parent to worry about).
Ma Bell may be reforming on the landline side (and even on the Cingular side), but there is still plenty of competition in the wireless side. Four national carriers have emerged where in 1993 there were no national carriers. Add to that the large number of regional carriers and there can be up to (my last count) nine wireless carriers in any one market. I would call that very competitive. And the alternative offering to landline has increased competition to that end as well. Data services coming down the pipe will allow broadband access on the wireless side to even compete with DSL offerings from the landline operator (though most wireless carriers have a landline parent to worry about).
RequiemX
King of Ithaca
ThornsOfSorrow
Member
There's really only one person that I talk to on the phone, and I usually use my home phone to talk to him, so it's not too hard for me to not use my cell phone much. Also, some people call my cell phone, but I ignore them because they're annoying.DoomsdayZach said:How the FUCK do you manage that!! I usually spend between 30 and 60 minutes a day on my phone... largely with Matt Moliti
ThornsOfSorrow said:Also, some people call my cell phone, but I ignore them because they're annoying.
That's why 99.95% of the time I keep my phone off. It's like my parents' lowjack on me.
"Why don't you pick up your phone?"
"uh... I was underground on the train!"
To me, my cell phone is one of 2 things:
A) A Band Member emergency line. I call with my cell, they see the number, and have to pick up for a band emergency call.
B) An excuse to not talk to people.
A. If I'm at band practice and a member's not there yet, I call them, my number shows up on the caller ID, and they know that we're trying to reach them to remind them we had a practice.
B. I give people I dont like my cell number, and they keep trying that, and keep asking "Why dont you answer your cell?" "Because the ringer and the battery are both fucked up."
A) A Band Member emergency line. I call with my cell, they see the number, and have to pick up for a band emergency call.
B) An excuse to not talk to people.
A. If I'm at band practice and a member's not there yet, I call them, my number shows up on the caller ID, and they know that we're trying to reach them to remind them we had a practice.
B. I give people I dont like my cell number, and they keep trying that, and keep asking "Why dont you answer your cell?" "Because the ringer and the battery are both fucked up."
DoomsdayZach
The Professor was right
Damn, my cell has become invaluable to me. I really don't know how i'd live without it. I mean, despite the bullshit like just chatting when i'm bored or playing games, it's great for doing business and all that happy horseshit.
Plus, my parents don't use it to bother me, so all the better
Plus, my parents don't use it to bother me, so all the better
Part II of the Survey.
1) Has everybody heard of calling groups offered by companies such as Alltel and T-Mobile where you can define a group of numbers to which you will have unlimited minutes to talk to? If so, do you find that offering attractive? Have you signed up for the feature? Would you leave your current carrier if they do not offer such a service to sign on with Alltel or T-Mobile?
2) Do you use data services from your wireless provider? If so, about how often do you use the service and how can it better meet your needs?
3) How happy are you with your carrier? Please restate which carrier you use. If you could change one thing about your carrier, what would it be?
1) Has everybody heard of calling groups offered by companies such as Alltel and T-Mobile where you can define a group of numbers to which you will have unlimited minutes to talk to? If so, do you find that offering attractive? Have you signed up for the feature? Would you leave your current carrier if they do not offer such a service to sign on with Alltel or T-Mobile?
2) Do you use data services from your wireless provider? If so, about how often do you use the service and how can it better meet your needs?
3) How happy are you with your carrier? Please restate which carrier you use. If you could change one thing about your carrier, what would it be?
1. Yes, it does sound like a good offer. I haven't signed up for it and I doubt I would because I don't talk on the phone too often.
2. No.
3. I still use Verizon. It serves its purpose; I'm pretty much indifferent towards it. Sometimes I get crappy reception but that's the case with any carrier.
2. No.
3. I still use Verizon. It serves its purpose; I'm pretty much indifferent towards it. Sometimes I get crappy reception but that's the case with any carrier.
Rose Immortal
Spirit of Hope
- Jun 19, 2004
- 1,425
- 10
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Here are the answers to the questions I actually know the answers to...
Which provider do you use?
Cingular
Where do you use your phone?
At home, in the car (and yes, I make an extra effort to pay attention to how I'm driving when I do, unlike SOME people!). Not in public places, though, as I find this extremely rude.
What have been your experiences with your carrier, from a coverage standpoint and a customer care view?
I still get more dropped calls than I would like, and this happened quite a bit when I lived in a rural area, but I am now close to a city and things seem a bit better. As for customer service, I've never had to call them to complain, so I can't really say. The only thing that really pisses me off is this new digital network they went to...ever since they did that, the audio quality has been (IMHO) absolute shit. I really want to know if that's typical of digital for all carriers, or if that's just Cingular.
What is most important to you when using your cell phone?
1) NO DROPPED CALLS (and when I visit metro DC, this happens a LOT--how annoying!!!!)
2) Audio clarity
3) Durability of the phone. It better not shatter if it hits the floor because accidents do happen and I don't want to have to pay for a new one if I can at all avoid it. My Samsung has been good to me in that regard so far--after being dropped on the hard floor a few times, and on a regular basis tossed over onto my bed, it's still tickin' along great.
LEAST important: For the phone to be the be-all, end-all electronic device. I don't need an MP3 player, Internet, address book, notepad, camera, or any of this extra crap people are piling onto phones these days. I just want it to do its main job well and not have so many "bling" features on it that it makes the damn thing impossible to use. About the only "non-phone" feature I've ever been known to use it for is to check the time if I forgot my watch (or if I think my watch battery died).
What excites you most (if anything) about the future of wireless communications?
The idea that someday somebody might figure out a way to get digital networks to stop sounding like shit. That and the possibility (however distant in the future) that someday it'll go to satellite and that way coverage will REALLY be worldwide--including when Mother Nature decides to beat the crap out of where you live.
Do you know what JD Powers awards are? Do they influence your buying decisions?
Only vaguely, so no, they don't.
Would I use it exclusively and get rid of my landline?
I did that for a time, and it was fine most of the time. However, I also learned the importance of keeping a landline as a backup because for awhile, a natural disaster was screwing with the cell network and it made for a lot of hassles.
1) Has everybody heard of calling groups offered by companies such as Alltel and T-Mobile where you can define a group of numbers to which you will have unlimited minutes to talk to? If so, do you find that offering attractive? Have you signed up for the feature? Would you leave your current carrier if they do not offer such a service to sign on with Alltel or T-Mobile?
I haven't. At this time I really only use it to call family, and maybe the occasional friend...so being on a family plan suffices. Unless my usage pattern changes drastically in the future, this probably wouldn't compel me to move.
2) Do you use data services from your wireless provider? If so, about how often do you use the service and how can it better meet your needs?
No. Honestly I don't even get WHY you'd want to surf the Internet on that tiny screen...it seems pointless and LESS convenient than waiting and using your laptop/computer later. Even text messaging--which I generally only use to respond to someone else--is aggravating enough to me and I never initiate it.
3) How happy are you with your carrier? Please restate which carrier you use. If you could change one thing about your carrier, what would it be?
Reasonably happy...however, I would a) clean up the audio quality on that "upgrade" of a digital network b) do something to stop the dropped calls in northern VA when I visit there...it's in the DC area and I don't care how hilly it is--in a city there's no excuse,
Which provider do you use?
Cingular
Where do you use your phone?
At home, in the car (and yes, I make an extra effort to pay attention to how I'm driving when I do, unlike SOME people!). Not in public places, though, as I find this extremely rude.
What have been your experiences with your carrier, from a coverage standpoint and a customer care view?
I still get more dropped calls than I would like, and this happened quite a bit when I lived in a rural area, but I am now close to a city and things seem a bit better. As for customer service, I've never had to call them to complain, so I can't really say. The only thing that really pisses me off is this new digital network they went to...ever since they did that, the audio quality has been (IMHO) absolute shit. I really want to know if that's typical of digital for all carriers, or if that's just Cingular.
What is most important to you when using your cell phone?
1) NO DROPPED CALLS (and when I visit metro DC, this happens a LOT--how annoying!!!!)
2) Audio clarity
3) Durability of the phone. It better not shatter if it hits the floor because accidents do happen and I don't want to have to pay for a new one if I can at all avoid it. My Samsung has been good to me in that regard so far--after being dropped on the hard floor a few times, and on a regular basis tossed over onto my bed, it's still tickin' along great.
LEAST important: For the phone to be the be-all, end-all electronic device. I don't need an MP3 player, Internet, address book, notepad, camera, or any of this extra crap people are piling onto phones these days. I just want it to do its main job well and not have so many "bling" features on it that it makes the damn thing impossible to use. About the only "non-phone" feature I've ever been known to use it for is to check the time if I forgot my watch (or if I think my watch battery died).
What excites you most (if anything) about the future of wireless communications?
The idea that someday somebody might figure out a way to get digital networks to stop sounding like shit. That and the possibility (however distant in the future) that someday it'll go to satellite and that way coverage will REALLY be worldwide--including when Mother Nature decides to beat the crap out of where you live.
Do you know what JD Powers awards are? Do they influence your buying decisions?
Only vaguely, so no, they don't.
Would I use it exclusively and get rid of my landline?
I did that for a time, and it was fine most of the time. However, I also learned the importance of keeping a landline as a backup because for awhile, a natural disaster was screwing with the cell network and it made for a lot of hassles.
1) Has everybody heard of calling groups offered by companies such as Alltel and T-Mobile where you can define a group of numbers to which you will have unlimited minutes to talk to? If so, do you find that offering attractive? Have you signed up for the feature? Would you leave your current carrier if they do not offer such a service to sign on with Alltel or T-Mobile?
I haven't. At this time I really only use it to call family, and maybe the occasional friend...so being on a family plan suffices. Unless my usage pattern changes drastically in the future, this probably wouldn't compel me to move.
2) Do you use data services from your wireless provider? If so, about how often do you use the service and how can it better meet your needs?
No. Honestly I don't even get WHY you'd want to surf the Internet on that tiny screen...it seems pointless and LESS convenient than waiting and using your laptop/computer later. Even text messaging--which I generally only use to respond to someone else--is aggravating enough to me and I never initiate it.
3) How happy are you with your carrier? Please restate which carrier you use. If you could change one thing about your carrier, what would it be?
Reasonably happy...however, I would a) clean up the audio quality on that "upgrade" of a digital network b) do something to stop the dropped calls in northern VA when I visit there...it's in the DC area and I don't care how hilly it is--in a city there's no excuse,
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