2003 Year in Review

Cell Phones

The cell phone revolution/evolution has been a boon to the traveling public. You can now keep in touch wherever you are with friends, family or business. Shopping in the mall or at garage sales you can get instant advice while physically holding on to the object of your desire. What used to be a sign of some mental disorder, people wandering around aimlessly and talking to themselves, is now socially acceptable because more than likely they are on a hands-free device.

Cell phone technology was invented and first used in the USA, but I have to report that we are now behind the times and only just catching up to almost every other nation in the world. The major system used outside our borders is called GSM (digital global system for mobile communications) and was developed by a group of government owned national telecommunication companies within the European Community. By its nature it had the advantage of digital technology (as opposed to the analog FM we developed here at home) and a standardized system working across international borders. When China and India and other populous nations realized it would be easier to connect everyone by building cell towers and using cell phone technology instead of stringing wires, the obvious choice for system types was that used by Europe.

On GSM phones the display tells you your signal strength, battery condition and what cell phone system you are currently in reach of. You pay for outgoing calls, but incoming calls are free when you are within your service area. On GSM you don't have to worry about air time or free minutes because you aren't charged for air time. Service areas on the GSM system usually include the whole country. Another feature that we are just getting in the US but has been around for quite awhile on the GSM system is text messaging or SMS (short message service) which is handy and cheaper than using voice mail. You can send a text message to anyone else in the world (on GSM) for pennies and receiving a message from anywhere is free. Calls to emergency services, as in the US, are free. A "call home" feature allows you to send a text message to any mobile phone requesting the receiver of the message to call you back which means that even if you haven't paid your phone bill you can alert someone else to call you. To my knowledge GSM is the major system used in all of Europe, and most of Africa and Asia.

As you might gather I'm not much impressed with the service we get with our mobile phones at home. I'm guessing the reason our current system is, relatively speaking, so expensive is because we have to pay for the conversion from analog to digital technology and also the US market competes with personal computers and e-mail whereas Europe and most of the Third World have encouraged more the use of cheaper to buy and operate mobile phone technology. The competing cell phone companies in the US profit from confusing marketing techniques and roaming fees, so I don't expect it to change any time soon, but someday I'm sure we'll get with the program.

Cell phones are here to stay. Service isn't universal, the interruptions can be annoying as with any phone and there is the safety element to contend with when talking and driving at the same time, but the convenience and ability to get help whenever or wherever needed is invaluable. You can even call me when I'm at work out here in the middle of the Persian Gulf at 011-965-979-1582. It's your dime.

by Marc Adami,
January 24, 2003