There Are No Cell Phones in Austin

[notthebuddha.livejournal.com]

"I would like to inform you that the service which was setup for your modem is on-hold, as according to our database the zip code 71822 corresponds to the area code 870, which is not matching to the area code provide by you i.e. 903."

Comments

[manuka.livejournal.com]

"according to ME, your database is outdated!"

"Why don't you transfer me to someone in the USA who understands how our area code system works"

more numbers than you can shake a stick at

[wesmills.livejournal.com]

In that case, they're really out of whack. NPA 870 is south/east Arkansas, not Austin, TX. At least 870 and 903 touch (unlike 512, which is separated from 903 by 254).

Re: more numbers than you can shake a stick at

[notthebuddha.livejournal.com]

The manufacturer is in Austin, where apparently they have no cell phones, or at least cell phones from other area codes don't work there.

[notthebuddha.livejournal.com]

The database is accurate, but there doesn't seem to be any notion of cell phone roaming.

[guinevere33.livejournal.com]

Ahh, this was why I waited until I permanently relocated before buying a cell phone, because people really ARE that stupid. (And I don't think I'll ever try explaining cell phone roaming to Grandma.) It could have been really fun, since I moved from area code 205, in Alabama, to 203, in Connecticut. No one would EVER have dialed that right. God help me if I ever move from here to Seattle (206) or Washington D.C. (202).

[thecrazyfinn.livejournal.com]

Won't work in many places.

For example, the area outside Toronto is area code 905, but most cells end up with 416 or 647 area codes (which is in Toronto proper).

[bamatone.livejournal.com]

205!

[guinevere33.livejournal.com]

Central High School, represent! (My father teaches physics & astro and UA.)

[manuka.livejournal.com]

OK, now you lost me. Last I checked, area codes on your cell phone didn't change when you roam.

[manuka.livejournal.com]

Hell, the whole *concept* of area codes is obsolete. It's now no more than an extra 3 digits in a phone number. It's time to get rid of silly geographic distinctions in the phone system (not just area codes, but LATAs as well).

317

[ace-brickman.livejournal.com]

It had to be done (http://www.lyrics007.com/Ludacris%20Lyrics/Area%20Codes%20Lyrics.html)

[kallell.livejournal.com]

If yout to be particular there are a few ways to make landlines work out of an area code, its just expensive

[brownizs.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is called VoIP, and not as expensive as you think.

[notthebuddha.livejournal.com]

It means a cell with area code 903 can be used to take calls anywhere in the cellphone network, even an address that is physically in the 870 area code.

[notthebuddha.livejournal.com]

Although it turns out the way Skype did it (http://www.pbs.org/cringely/pulpit/pulpit20060713.html) offloads the cost onto other people.

Re: more numbers than you can shake a stick at

[jecook]

Rubbish. My 602 based cell worked perfectly fine when I was there in 2000. :)

[jecook]

I heard about that, and that's one reason why I'm not doing VoIP. (Plus, I use a DSL line over a line pair; It'd be stupid for me to run VoIP over a phone line based high speed net link.

I might run a VoIP PBX in my next house, though.

[notthebuddha.livejournal.com]

It'd be stupid for me to run VoIP over a phone line based high speed net link.

There's nothing inherently stupid about it; an actual voice conversation can use less than 10k, depending on how much you want Grandma to sound like a robot.

[kallell.livejournal.com]

that is one of several ways

Re: more numbers than you can shake a stick at

[(Anonymous)]

Not only that, my UK cell phone works there several times a year ^^

[brownizs.livejournal.com]

Please enlighten us, due to only way to have a area code in another City, is either as a business, pay high fees to give a Virtual number in another city, be a VoIP subscriber, having a Virtual number, or have a Cell Phone. There is no other way.

[notthebuddha.livejournal.com]

There is no other way.

Call Forwarding is one.

[kallell.livejournal.com]

Remote call forwarding, a variety of different circuits, are really the main ways, or just creative call forwarding depending on what the needs are

[brownizs.livejournal.com]

Call Forwarding is not a solution, due to it only allows you to forward the calls being received to another number. It does not create a "Virtual" number in the city you are in that is in another part of the country.

[brownizs.livejournal.com]

Yes, that would be correct, But VoIP actually calls it "Virtual Numbering", even though it is the same. I can get a Virtual number at only $4.95 monthly, so it is not as expensive as you think.

[notthebuddha.livejournal.com]

Way to move those goal posts.

Call Forwarding lets you dial a number in one area code and talk to someone physically located in another area code. As for virtual numbers, they're =all= virtual since ESS.

[notthebuddha.livejournal.com]

In the knothead's defense, we already counted VoIP as one of the ways to do that.

[kallell.livejournal.com]

the services I speak of are not VoIP, and are usable in cases when VoIP is not viable. RCF is inexpensive depending on what tricks you have to set it up, wheras circuits will ussually be an arm and a leg (and circuits are the only one of those options to allow an outgoing number to work from a different areacode)