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December 2001
Technology
Q &A Column - From
our January 2001 Newsletter
HAVING TROUBLE
DECIDING WHICH CELLULAR PHONE IS RIGHT?
Q: I
am having trouble deciding which cellar phone company and plan is
right for my
business. Do you have advice on how to choose the right plan?
A: There
are so many cellular service companies out there, and each with
a myriad
of plans. So how is one to pick and choose? Before picking a cellular
phone
service plan, what are the factors that you must consider?
Here are a
few that you should ponder:
Your monthly
usage, that is how many minutes a month will
you use your phone?
What additional
features you must have. For example: caller
ID, paging with or without text messages, voice mail, free
long distance, and wireless web service.
The charges
you can tolerate. There are rates that range from
$9.99 to $399.00 a month.
The quality
of service where you live or do business.
Is the phone
for business or personal use?
Based on the
above factors, you can determine which service plan meets your
needs best. There are websites that can help you make that choice.
For example
www.point.com/plans offers a point-and-click method of determining
the
service that meets your criteria from about 80 qualifying plans.
If you don’t have
access to the Web, you can check the daily paper for advertisements
that can
give you rates and the cost of features.
Here are some
sample rates from various service providers:
For at least
150 minutes a month with free long distance, here are some typical
rates:
Sprint PCS
Free & Clear 180 $29.99
Verizon (formerly
GTE) DigitalChoice FamilyNet Share Plan 250 $34.99
Sprint PCS
Special Holiday Plan 1500 $34.99
Verizon (formerly
GTE)DigitalChoice 250 $34.99
AT&T Wireless
(formerly CellularOne SF) California 200 $39.99
As for the
type of phone, there are analog (in which the phone sends a
continuous stream or signal), and digital PCS (in which the phone
sends bursts of
digitized signals) to choose from. In either case the phones send
their signals to
a cell that is a geographic region that contains a radio transmitter
and control
equipment, thus the derivation of the term "cellular"
phone. From there the signal
is connected to a regular phone exchange where your call is routed
to its
destination by various means.
Analog systems
were first to come on the scene
over 20 years ago, and now there are different digital systems out
there
competing for your business. The trend is for digital systems to
proliferate
because these systems are more secure, and can handle a higher number
of calls
per cell. Your best choice for a higher quality of service is to
choose a phone that
combines both analog and digital technologies. That way if you are
in regions
where only one or the other exists, you can still communicate.
However, before
you purchase a phone, you should check with the service provider
that you have selected to make sure that it is compatible with the
digital
technology that is built into that phone. It is also prudent to
select the service
provider that provides as many "cells" as possible near
your place of business or
home so that you avoid "dead" spots where cellular service
is not available. Also
check with various service providers to see if they have special
deals where you
can get a free or low-cost cellular phone when you sign up for activation.
Note
that activation often involves payment of a small fee as well.
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