Last Call: Analog Cell Phone Service Disappearing:

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,142119-c,cellphones/article.html

When one thinks of networks one usually thinks of a large cellular network. On February 18 analog cell phone service will be shut down permanently. AT&T and Verizon, the “biggest U.S. mobile operators” decided that there will be no more analog service offered on their network. Whether it be for financial, maintenance or other reasons, these companies decided it is not worth their power to have analog service. What does this mean for consumers using analog cell phones? It means that this group will have to find another way to receive cell phone service. Referring to the diagram, the analog cell phone node was a gatekeeper for some consumers to receive cell phone, home security and OnStar services. Customers will have to form a new bridge with the digital node in order to reach the phone companies.

However, some consumers don’t have this luxury. The lucky members of cell phone group C, in the diagram, will not be able to have cell phones at all. This is due to the fact that in some remote areas only analog signal can be used. Analog signal has a much longer range than the new digital towers and therefore is needed in some areas. All early vehicles with OnStar must now be serviced for an updated digital system. Also, house owners with security systems will not be able to use analog service. This means if a burglar cuts a home’s phone line, there will not be an analog cell phone call made to the police. You may think these analog groups are only a few people and only constitute a small percentage of these companies’ consumers, but this group consists of people numbering in the hundreds of thousands.

Cellular Network Graph