Cellular Phone Information

Cellular Phone Information, Type of Service, Cellular Carrier Service Plans and Definitions:

	Price/Month	Minutes	Overage per Minute
Verizon	$35	300	$0.40
Cingular	$30	250	$0.40
www.911Phone.net	$00	000	$0.00
Sprint PCS	$35	200	$0.40
Voice Stream	$30	200	$035
AT&T Wireless	$35	300	$0.40

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• Emergency & Personal Safety Cellular Phone


• Makes Free Emergency 911 Cellular Phone Calls


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• No Contracts Required-Ever


• No Cellular Phone Activation Fee


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Home: AA Communications and the Emergency 911 Cellular Phone

-Suggested Emergency Cellular Phone Usage- There is no doubt that cellular phones are here to stay, and Public Safety would like to remind you that there are potential hazards and safety concerns involved in using a cellular phone, especially while driving. A recent issue of "Via" (AAA’s travel magazine) provided several safety tips to consider while using a phone in your vehicle. Please remember the following tips and/or pass them on...

• Don’t use your cellular phone in distracting traffic conditions.
• Dial sensibly. Wait for a stop light, or ask a passenger to make a call for you.
• Use your cell phone for short calls.
• Be prepared to end your phone call abruptly.
• Try to avoid emotional conversations while driving.
• Use memory dialing options. Learn to use your phone without having to look at it.
• Never take notes while driving.
• Make sure your phone is easily reachable when driving.
• If you see an emergency situation, or any life-threatening emergency don’t hesitate to call 911 (be prepared to give the operator specific locations such as a highway exit, or street names).

-Bundled Cellular Phone Service- When a cellular phone is sold with a 1 or 2 year service contract that allows the customer to place predetermined minutes of airtime per month. The cellular phone and airtime service contract are bundled together. Most often the cellular phone is given away free when a 1 or 2 year service contract is signed. The customer could abuse the service and accumulate a large phone bill because of excessive airtime and not pay the monthly bill, therefore an approved service contract includes an approved credit check.

-Cellular Phone Carrier- This is a cellular phone service provider such as Cellular One or Verizon Wireless that provides cellular phone service for cellular phone customers. Cellular carriers generally bill the customer on a monthly basis for the cellular phone service.

-FCC- The Federal Communications Commission is the government agency responsible for regulating telecommunications and cellular phones in the United States. New FCC rules mandate that cellular phones without a monthly service contract be able to make free 911 calls any where in the US. The FCC cellular 911 ruling takes effect December 1, 1997 and requires carriers to accept 911 calls from non-validated phones (not activated with a monthly service contract) and forward the cellular 911 call to the local public safety answering point PSAP (911 answering center). For more information about new emergency 911 safety cellular phones with no monthly service fee click on the links at the top or bottom of this page.
For more detailed information on the FCC 911 ruling read the following docket published on the FCC website.

FCC Docket on 911

-Prepaid Cellular Phone- Prepaid cellular phone service is similar to a long distance phone card. The customer pays for the cellular phone service in advance. As the subscriber uses airtime the cellular phone account is debited the appropriate amounts of cellular phone service. When the subscriber runs out of dollars in the cellular phone account, they can no longer call until the account is prepaid for additional cellular phone service or airtime. Prepaid cellular phone service does not require applications, credit checks, cellular phone service contracts or monthly bills. Most cellular phone carriers allow the customer to simply purchases the cellular phone service or airtime in 30, 60, or 90 minute increments.

Prepaid will allow you to avoid Start of Service Fees and a credit check. Typically people who have prepaid either don't want to be locked into a contract or don't have good enough credit to have postpaid (monthly paid service fee) wireless (nearly every wireless company will run a credit check before offering you service). With prepaid service you buy a prepaid card or you call in and use a credit card to buy minutes. The minutes come in blocks. The larger the block, the lower the per minute cost. Then you have a certain period of time in which you can use those minutes (usually 30-60 days) before they disappear. Once they are gone, if you haven't used all of your minutes. Because of this you will undoubtedly end up paying more on a per minute basis then if you had postpaid wireless so prepaid is definitely not going to help you financially. To give you an example, usually the lowest prepaid card is going to cost you $25 and will give you 30-50 minutes locally. Compare this with postpaid and most companies will give you upwards of 100 minutes per month for the same cost and may throw in additional off peak minutes. Also, postpaid services come with lots of features like caller ID, call waiting, etc. Most prepaid plans do not include any features at all.

-Cellular Phone Accessories-The cellular phone accessories are optional accessories that the cellular phone owner might consider to make the ownership of a cellular phone more convenient. These accessories include extra batteries, vehicle antennas, battery chargers/conditioners, battery eliminators, handsfree kits, and leather cases. The most popular cellular phone accessories are the extra batteries and the battery eliminator.

-Activated Cellular Phone- The customer registers the electronic serial number of the cellular phone with the cellular phone service provider or carrier for a cellular phone service contract. The cellular phone carrier then programs a phone number in the cellular phone that is associated with the customers cellular phone electronic serial number. The cellular phone service is now activated with a cellular carrier and can place calls.

-Cellular Phone Service Airtime- Actual cellular phone service time spent talking on the cellular phone. Most cellular carriers bill customers based on how many minutes of air time they use each month. When the customer places a call on an activated cellular phone, each minute the phone is placing a call is airtime. Airtime is can be priced from $0.02 to $1.29 per minute and there is an additional charge for long distance calls. A cellular phone service customer has to pay for the airtime when calling 1-800 toll free numbers.

-CTIA- Cellular Telephone Industry Association is a non-profit industry organization that coordinates cellular industry policy with cellular carriers or cellular phone service providers, phone equipment suppliers, and government agencies. The CTIA provides access to an authorized lab that tests various phone models. Passing this test certifies that the phone meets the CTIA performance requirements agreed upon between the cellular phone service providers or carriers and cellular phone manufacturers. This CTIA certification assures the consumer that the cellular phone meets reception and call quality standards.

-Cellular Phone Manual Roaming- A cellular phone service provider or cellular carrier cannot always identify where to bill the cellular phone service airtime for an activated or unactivated cellular phone. This generally happens when a cellular phone is roaming or in other words, placing cellular phone calls outside the customers home cellular phone market area. If the cellular phone service provider or carrier cannot identify the cellular phone and where to bill the airtime, then manual roaming is offered. Manual roaming options to the cellular phone caller are:
-Charge call to a credit card
-Charge call to the callers home phone
-Call collect.

-Portable Cellular Phone- A small battery powered cellular phone most often smaller than a cordless phone used in the home. These portable cellular phones are limited to .6 watts of power to extend the battery life and for safe usage when holding the cellular phone next to the head while placing a call. The cellular phone battery life is typically over 14 hours of standby time (waiting to receive a call) and 150 minutes of talk time. Most portable phones come equipped with NiCd or NiMH batteries, both battery types self-discharge yet the batteries will stay charged for weeks if the cellular phone is not used.

-Refurbished Cellular Phone- A previously owned cellular phone that has been returned at the end of a cellular phone service lease period or for a cellular phone upgrade. These cellular phones are fully tested and meet Cellular Telephone Industry Association specifications. Any cosmetic blemishes or visual defects are corrected. The refurbished cellular phones are generally covered under a 1 year warranty, the same as new phones. Refurbished cellular phones are reduced in price as much as 50 percent of new cellular phones. A refurbished cellular phone provides the same quality of cellular phone service as a new phone but at less cost therefore they are generally used for cellular phone service repair loaners or for a prepaid cellular phone.

-Cellular Phone Roaming - A cellular phone will roam or look for another cellular phone service provider when it is used outside the local cellular phone service providers coverage area. The cellular phone service provider that provides the cellular phone airtime for roaming or calls placed while outside the local market charges the cellular phone service back to the customer by why of the local cellular phone service provider. Cellular phone service roaming charges are then billed back to the customer on the monthly statement from the local cellular phone service provider.

-Cellular Phone Standby Time- The amount of time a fully charged portable cellular phone can be on before the cellular phone battery will lose power.

-Cellular Phone Talk Time-The length of time one can talk on a portable cellular phone without recharging the cellular phone battery. The capacity of a battery is expressed in terms of minutes of talk time and hours of standby time. When one is talking, the cellular phone draws more power from the battery than in the standby mode.

-Transportable Cellular Phone- Transportable cellular phone, or "bag phone" is essentially a cellular phone with the handset, transceiver, antenna and optional battery packaged together in a carrying case. The transportable cellular phone is plugged into a car cigarette lighter or can operate off of a portable battery pack for use anywhere. This is a larger cellular phone that is approximately the size of a typical telephone used in the home that has the dial buttons in the handset. This transportable cellular phone is also called a bag phone or car to car phone since it is often placed in a canvas bag and portable. The transportable cellular phone in most applications does not have the optional battery and therefore uses a power cord that is plugged into the vehicle cigarette lighter for power. This transportable cellular phone also has increased operating range of up to 2 miles over the portable cellular phone because it is operating at a full 3 watts. The transportable cellular phone has a handset with dial buttons that is connected to the cellular transceiver by way of a coil cord. Although technically "portable", the transportable cellular phone should not be confused with the handheld, one-piece portable cellular phone.

-Analog Phone- The traditional cellular phone uses a analog method of modulating radio signals so that they can carry information. AM (amplitude modulation) and FM (frequency modulation) are the two most common methods of analog modulation. All cellular networks offer analog service.

-Cell- The basic geographic unit of a cellular system and the basis for the industry term "cellular." A cellular network is divided into small "cells," each of which is equipped with a low- powered radio transmitter/receiver. The cells can vary in size depending on terrain and capacity demands. By controlling the transmission power and the radio frequencies assigned from one cell to another, a computer at the Mobile Telephone Switching Office (MTSO) monitors the movement and transfers (or hands off) the phone call to another cell and another radio frequency as needed.

-Digital Phone- A cellular phone that offers analog and digital service, digital is the primary service method of decoding information for transmission. Voice conversation is turned into a series of digital bits – the 0s and 1s of computer binary language. At the receiving end, the information is reconverted. The digital service offers the cellular carrier additional capacity to add more customers and it also provides additional services to the customer such as caller ID, improved voice quality, lower service fees increased battery stand by and air time.

-Hands Free- An important safety feature that's included with most of today's mobile phones. It permits drivers to use their cellular phone without lifting or holding the hand-set to their ear.

-Mobile Phone- (Also called a car phone) The type of cellular phone that's installed in a car, truck or van. There are three main types of cellular phones being sold today: mobile, transportable and portable. A mobile unit is attached to the vehicle, draws its power from the vehicle's battery and has an external antenna. The mobile phone operates at 3 watts.

-Off-Peak- The period of time after the business day has ended during which carriers may offer reduced airtime charges.

-Peak- Highest-usage period of the business day when a cellular system carries the most calling traffic.

-PCS Personal Communications Services- Another form of wireless telecommunications services which is only digital and is generally limited in geographical coverage as compared to cellular.

-Service Plan- A rate plan selected by subscribers when they start up cellular service, usually consisting of a base rate for system access and a per-minute rate for usage. Service plans are designed to provide the most cost-effective rates for different types and amounts of usage by the cellular subscriber.

-Voice Activated Dialing- A feature available only on selected phones and handsfree car kits that permits you to dial numbers by calling them out to your cellular phone, instead of dialing them manually. This function is especially convenient for making calls from your vehicle while driving.

-Unactivated Cellular Phone- The customers cellular phone does not have an electronic serial number and associated cellular phone number registered with a cellular phone carrier therefore there is no service contract. Cellular carriers therefore cannot recognize an unactivated cellular phone and therefore do not allow the cellular phone to place calls unless they offer manual roaming.

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