Questions and Answers. Why do I drop calls? How do I....Wireless Q & A Why don't my wireless calls go through sometimes? Remember, wireless phones are complex radios. Your wireless call travels over airwaves to another phone, just like music travels over airwaves into your radio receiver. Just like radios, tall buildings, hills, bad weather or the concrete and steel of underground garages, can obstruct wireless calls. If you're moving through rural or mountainous regions, or unpopulated areas, you might enter a dead spot where there is no wireless antenna close enough to connect your call or to hand off your call to another antenna. In densely populated areas, you may approach a wireless antenna that is already operating at full capacity. Unfortunately, many local authorities are not allowing wireless antennas to be built in their areas, so coverage and capacity cannot improve until they grant wireless companies permission. What is the industry doing to improve wireless services? The wireless industry is the most competitive part of the telecommunications market. Wireless companies work hard and invest heavily to serve their customers. Almost 20% of the average wireless phone bill is reinvested in expanding and improving wireless networks. Unfortunately, state and federal governments are imposing requirements more appropriate to a monopoly service, which transfer investment dollars away from expanding coverage and services, and into paying for regulatory decrees. What is the wireless industry doing to improve coverage? Wireless carriers add more than 50 new antennas every day and have invested over $80 billion in the last five years to improve coverage, to add capacity and to better serve you. They monitor their networks, adding capacity and "filling holes" where it is needed most. However, wireless carriers often struggle to get permission from zoning authorities, which is required before a new antenna can be placed. Federal, local and state authorities often resist adding wireless antennas-even though they can be camouflaged on trees, flagpoles and even church steeples. Even more resources would be invested in improving coverage if millions of dollars were not tied up in fulfilling new government rules and regulations that do not address consumers' number one priority-increased quality and coverage. Why are there so many taxes and fees on my wireless phone bill? Government-added taxes and surcharges reach as high as 20% of your total monthly bill. Telecom taxes have risen by more than 60% since 1986. Only alcohol and tobacco are taxed more. Every phone bill includes a 3% Federal Excise Tax. This "luxury tax" was first levied in 1898 to fund the Spanish American War. Today, the tax remains, even though the Spanish American War is, literally, history. Wireless bills also include fees for the federal Universal Service Fund to help provide telecommunications services to rural areas and poor Americans, as well as Internet access to schools and libraries. Most users also pay a 9-1-1 surcharge, which is intended to pay for upgrades to 9-1-1 call centers. Unfortunately, many states have raided these 9-1-1 funds to pay for other items in their state budgets. When will the wireless industry provide location information for wireless 9-1-1 calls? When a wireless call is made to 9-1-1, the signal also includes information regarding the caller's general location. Unfortunately, many 9-1-1 call centers and the local phone companies that relay location data have not upgraded their computer equipment, so they can't transport or process the location information. Wireless carriers continue to invest millions of dollars in upgrading equipment so that a wireless caller's location can be pinpointed. This continual improvement in the accuracy of the location information, however, will be unusable until local 9-1-1 operators and local phone companies cooperate to ensure that access and equipment are available to process the location information. Can my wireless phone be cloned or my calls intercepted? Almost every wireless phone sold today uses digital technology, meaning it transmits information over the airwaves as a series of 0's and 1's. It is extremely difficult to clone such phones or intercept such calls. Wireless phones also have many built-in security features, such as automatic phone authentication and electronic serial numbers. All these features make your digital wireless phone and your digital wireless calls very secure. I've read that some wireless networks are not secure, does that include my cell phone? Your wireless phone uses sophisticated authentication and encryption technologies to secure your calls. Some other technologies-also called 'wireless'-have a lesser degree of security. These technologies, such as Wi-Fi, 802.11 and Wireless LAN, have recently made headlines as having a lesser level of security than your wireless phone. Through a combination of constant monitoring of wireless networks for intrusion or fraud, and unique electronic serial numbers on each phone, your wireless phone has a high level of security. Why do I have to sign a service contract with my wireless company? Most consumer packages contain incentives, such as free or discounted equipment, free minutes or other promotions. In return, wireless companies ask for a contract commitment, which specifies that beneficiaries of the special deal will do business with the company on specific terms for a certain period of time. Most wireless companies also offer a trial period, which allows you to try out the service for between 14 and 30 days, and terminate the contract within that period without penalty. Will wireless carriers continue to provide analog service? Wireless carriers are phasing out analog services over the next few years, for both capacity and security reasons. Analog uses scarce spectrum-or airwaves-very inefficiently, meaning that fewer calls and fewer callers can get through. To support the growing number of wireless users, as well as government users and others who share limited airwaves, we all must use spectrum as efficiently as possible. More efficient technologies also mean lower costs for your wireless services, and more advanced features like text messaging, Internet access, music and graphics. Already, 85% of Americans use digital services, which are more secure, and innovation is moving so quickly that more consumers are 'going digital' every day. What can I do with a used cell phone? Put your used wireless phone to good use! Since 1999, the Wireless Foundation has worked with various charities to collect and recycle used phones. More than 1.5 million wireless phones have been collected to support charitable organizations, such as domestic violence shelters, scholarship funds and numerous other causes. The Foundation has also helped more than 300 charities begin their own collection programs nationwide. Several wireless carriers and retailers have programs that allow you to drop old phones at stores around the country to benefit specific charities. Coming soon, http://www.cellphonegreen.com will offer 100% recycling program for used phones. For now, go to www.donateaphone.com for more information. The Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association (CTIA) CTIA is the voice of the wireless industry-representing its wireless members in a constant dialogue with policy makers, regulators, opinion leaders, the media and the public. CTIA's hundreds of members span all elements of wireless communications. They include wireless carriers, manufacturers, and Internet content providers and affiliate businesses. |
