| 31st December - Mobile phone companies
in the United States (carriers) will begin shutting down the analog network in
February. If you have a device that can browse the Internet, then chances are
you won’t notice a difference, but if your phone doesn’t offer more than just
the ability to make a call, and isn’t on Sprint Nextel or T-Mobile (they only
have digital networks running), then it might not work after January. The
shut down will not only affect old mobiles, but may also affect your car communication
systems from 2003 or older from companies including OnStar, Lexus Link, or TeleAid. Also,
some home alarms may be affected, but mostly if they were installed prior to 2006
and do not contain a wired phone service. JOEL’S OPINIONWhen I first
read the headline, I didn’t know what to expect. Thankfully, the majority
of my life is digital, so I don’t believe I’ll be affected, but I’m
sure I know a number of people who will call me wondering if I know why their
alarm, OnStar, or other device no longer functions. I’ll miss analog
for a number of reasons. One in particular occurred a few years back when I needed
to stay connected to the office while vacationing. My advanced phone couldn’t
pull a signal, but when I fired up my wife’s aging mobile on Verizon’s
network, it connected to a network I’d never heard of. It made the call without
issue, but charged me a pretty penny. Regardless, it was nice to have the connection
when needed. I also have a soft spot in my heart for analog and other aging
technology like the Mobitex network. I used to love the first Blackberry, and
that ran without fail on the Mobitex network at the time. I wouldn’t
be surprised if something goes wrong with my house alarm in February. I remember
the sales person trying to sell me on cellular backup, and even though I opted
to not have it, initially the company tried to get it working, so there may be
some programming left that will trigger a problem. There’s also probably
something else lying around that will start beeping that I never realized had
some use of the analog networks still operating. Only time will tell. Back
to News Reports | 
