[USMA:16881] Re: Too many typing errors

[kilopascal]

 2001-12-26   Not all services now charge for incoming calls.  With so much competition, there are so many plans available.  Many give you a certain amount of minutes, usually in the thousands, free every month.  Some have free national long distance.  Some even give you free phones.  It all varies.  And what you may have heard today, might not be true tomorrow.  Take what you hear with a grain of salt.   As for the analogue vs digital, many of those still that have analogue are being given a notice to switch over.  My boss was told last month his older analogue phone was going to be shut off by the end of the year.  So, he took the opportunity to shop around and look for a deal.   One of the advantages of the NANP system over the rest of the world, is we don't pay per time unit.  We pay a flat rate every month of about 25 €.  When you connect to the internet, you don't have to worry about what time of the day you are on or how long you stay on.  If you don't use your phone much, and are on a fixed budget, you can opt for a measured rate service.  But, for most, it is a better deal to go for the unlimited services.  And if you have a plan with a long distance carrier, you can get cheap long distance and international rates.    It is cheaper for us to call Europe then for Europe to call the US.    The bad thing about our system that makes me mad is because I'm more than 6 km away from our Central Switching Office, I can't get DSL.  The analogue lines are too old and the repeaters necessary to boost the signal damage the DSL signals.  And nobody has figured out how to make it better.  I can get a T1 line or even ISDN, but the cost of installation and monthly rental is prohibited.  Our cable system won't be "internet ready" until spring.  So, I have to wait.    The higher costs Europeans pay for phone service allows the companies there to install new technology faster.  Here, we wait until it is old enough to be cheap.  By then Europe has moved on to something even newer.   John             ----- Original Message ----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: U.S. Metric Association Sent: Wednesday, 2001-12-26 10:43 Subject: [USMA:16879] Re: Too many typing errors In a message dated 2001-12-26 08:28:23 Eastern Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: but the stupidest thing I have ever seen it that cell user have to pay for incoming calls and 800s numbers You're paying for airtime -- the convenience of having a phone not hard-wired to the wall; a phone that can be used anywhere, and receive calls anywhere.  Airtime costs no matter who originated the call; it therefore makes sense to charge for it either way.  Many of us have phones that don't charge for the first minute of an incoming call, so if it's a wrong number you can get rid of him and it doesn't count against your airtime allowance.