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From: rees@pisa.ifs.umich.edu (Jim Rees)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: $4 Per Day Roaming Charge
Message-ID: <14378@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 5 Nov 90 16:41:42 GMT
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Reply-To: rees@citi.umich.edu (Jim Rees)
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 793, Message 6 of 11


In article <14280@accuvax.nwu.edu>, DREUBEN@eagle.wesleyan.edu
(Douglas Scott Reuben) writes:

>Wouldn't they make more money in the long run by encouraging the cell
>phone to be used as often as possible, rather than tacking on charges
>that tend discourage use?

I think this is probably institutional inertia at work.  When cell
phones first came out, they cost about $2000 each, so they were only
used by business folks who didn't care how much they cost.  Now that
you can buy a cell phone for as little as $100 (or less if you agree
to extortionate service "packages"), a more people-oriented rate
structure might make better sense.  But the people who set cell phone
rates don't have much incentive to lower rates, especially when they
enjoy a duopoly.

>  Metro> "Is this Boston, Mass. you are talking about?"

Boston, Virginia is lovely this time of year, but I don't know if they
have cell service.

I was fascinated by cellphones when they first came out, but now that
they have come down in price to where I might be able to afford one,
it sounds like the companies are so sleazy that I would rather not
have to deal with them.

Now I have a question.  Suppose I have a cell phone, and service in my
local area, and I travel to a different area and want to place a call.
What do I need to do?  Just pick up the phone and dial?  Call a
special number and tell them I want to roam for the day?  Go visit an
office somewhere and put down a deposit?  What do I need to do to
arrange for incoming calls to reach me?  Can callers use my regular
phone number or do I get a new one when I'm roaming?  What about
roaming in foriegn countries (HK in particular)?  (I looked in the
archives for a cellphone primer but didn't see one.)


[Moderator's Note: We need a good cellphone tutorial in the archives.
To answer your questions: Yes, you generally just pick up the phone
and call. Charges will be forwarded back to your home system via
intercompany settlements; you will be billed a month or two or three
later. You keep your phone number when roaming. Incoming calls can
reach you two ways: The caller can dial the roaming port for the place
where you are. On hearing new dial tone, then dial your number. In the
alternative, many carriers offer 'follow me' roaming. By punching a
certain code in the new city, you tell that carrier to advise your
home carrier of your whereabouts, and to forward calls to you
automatically. In the first case, the caller pays the toll to reach
the roamer port in the distant city; the the latter case, the toll
charge for the call forwarded on to you from your home system is paid
by yourself.   PAT]