I admit it, digital phone service has been a nightmare for me. It sure can drive one to buy a cell phone.
For one reason or another, both can drop a call. You can be without any service...so much for walking to the corner.
QUOTE
AT&T saying good-bye to its last pay phones
By Jon Van and Wailin Wong | Tribune staff reporters
December 4, 2007
After years of seeing its public pay-phone business migrate to cell phones, AT&T Inc. said Monday that it will phase out its pay phones in Illinois and 12 other states by the end of 2008.
...
Simon said pay phones remain important for public safety, especially in emergency situations when cell phone networks suffer major disruptions or overloads, like on Sept. 11.
"We're just trying to survive and provide a good service I think is necessary," Simon said.
He acknowledged that the boom in cell phones has caused pay-phone traffic to drop off sharply, but Simon said the real culprit is the growth of toll-free dialing. Simon estimates that 70 percent of calls made from pay phones and 80 percent of call time are toll-free calls. On his pay phones, it costs 50 cents to make a 10-minute local call.
Full article at LINK
By Jon Van and Wailin Wong | Tribune staff reporters
December 4, 2007
After years of seeing its public pay-phone business migrate to cell phones, AT&T Inc. said Monday that it will phase out its pay phones in Illinois and 12 other states by the end of 2008.
...
Simon said pay phones remain important for public safety, especially in emergency situations when cell phone networks suffer major disruptions or overloads, like on Sept. 11.
"We're just trying to survive and provide a good service I think is necessary," Simon said.
He acknowledged that the boom in cell phones has caused pay-phone traffic to drop off sharply, but Simon said the real culprit is the growth of toll-free dialing. Simon estimates that 70 percent of calls made from pay phones and 80 percent of call time are toll-free calls. On his pay phones, it costs 50 cents to make a 10-minute local call.
Full article at LINK