7/99 SmartMoney. Ten Things Your Cell Phone Company Won't Tell You
[Dead-tree version excerpts relevant to G*.]
1. Don't count on us in an emergency.
Notes that FCC is requiring the wireless industry to offer location-providing systems for their phones by 2001.
2. Cell phones will never replace home phones.
Discusses higher costs, interence and lost phones.
*3. Our dead zones can make your life miserable.
Discusses AT&T dead zones and roaming problems 1/2 mile away from the South Carolina state capitol building. AT&T didn't have its own servce or partnership agreement with another carriers in the area. "If you look at the company's financials, it says that 4% of the country is not covered. But, if they say 'national' [in their advertising], it should be national." [Note: G* ads should hammer home this big "national" lie.]
Never mind the annoyance of having a call turn fuzzy and then drop out after you travel beyond a service provider's area. The critical connection problems arises when a cell user gets into an emergency situation in a "dead zone" (a place where cell coverage melts away) and the term becomes chillingly literal. [Note: G* should stress this cell insurance policy.]
"Coverage is slowly getting better," insists Mark Lowenstein, senior VP of wireless communications with the Yankee Group, a Boston-based technology consulting firm. "But it will never be perfect, and carriers will never be able to promise that you will always have coverage. They are marketing that, but they are not refunding monthly fees to customers who can't connect." Before signing on with a carrier, make sure that the areas important to you are adequately covered -- or run the risk that the frustration of dead zones will turn you homicidal.
4. Confused people are our best customers.
Discusses confusing cell company plans/fees.
5. There's no such thing as a cheap phone.
Discusses problem of buying cell phone and then not being able to switch carriers.
6. Our service doesn't translate overseas.
One of the big inconveniences of American cell phones is that they tend to be incompatible with all other systems around the world. A solution was recently introduced by Iridium, which offers a phone that promises to work virtually anywhere. That's great -- until you look at the cost of the thing: $2,300. On top of that, the company is in trouble, its stock having dropped 28% in one day this May after it acknowledged that it had not generated the income or signed up the number of customers it promised its lenders.
"Iridium is way short of its targets," says Communications Daily's Geimann. "They spent billions of dollars to build the network, and it's a niche market that's becoming less and less attractive." Company spokeswoman Michelle Lyle maintains that Iridium's financial woes will not affect customer service. "We're revising the pricing of the product and the service," she says.
The better option -- except in the case of truly remote places, like the top of Mountain Everest, where clear lines to Iridium satellites and a lack of other options make the high price potentially worthwhile -- comes from Omnipoint, which offers the Bosch World Phone ($199). Although its coverage in the U.S. is somewhat spotty,Omnipoint has roaming agreements with more than 40 different countries. And the reception is fine. "It sounds like you're around the corner," confirms a telecommunications executive who uses the phone on her travels to East Asia. "I won't get any service in Dallas, but really, the big concern for me is that I can be reached in Hong Kong. For that, this phone and the prices are great."
7. Don't talk and drive.
Discusses car accidents while talking on cell phones.
[Note: G* car kits could be a nice opportunity as countries/states legislate mandatory hands-free phones.]
8. We keep our best deals a secret.
As the founder of an Internet company based in San Francisco, Michael Goldberg was doing a good deal of traveling and making a lot of phone calls on the road. His monthly bills were coming in as high as $300, with roaming charges contributing mightily to that sum.
Discusses the AT&T Digital One Rate plan problems and lack of service in SF.
9. Cell phones may be hazardous to your health.
[Note: Study posted this week disputes this finding.]
10. People will think you're a jerk.
Discusses cell phone use at concerts/restaurants. |
