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en103
Member
2012-Aug-9 4:45 pm
I was wonderingWhen AT&T / Verizon would do that. They've been selling off POTS like rats sinking a fleeing ship. The price is decent - $20/month unlimited or $10/month 'add a line' to existing wireless. Only caveat gotta be somewhere where AT&T doesn't have POTS. quote: The offering, dubbed A&T Wireless Home Phone, became available in late July in select domestic markets where we do not offer traditional landline service, an AT&T spokesman told Telecompetitor today.
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| 25139889 (banned) join:2011-10-25 Toledo, OH |
25139889 (banned)
Member
2012-Aug-9 4:55 pm
Re: I was wonderingATT really hasn't sold anything. They're last buyout netted them a HUGE footprint.
VZ has been selling off their Potslines as they don't want them. instead their other company CellCo Partnership is actually bringing in the $$$$. | |
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| rebus9 join:2002-03-26 Tampa Bay |
to en103
said by en103:When AT&T / Verizon would do that. They've been selling off POTS like rats sinking a fleeing ship.
The price is decent - $20/month unlimited or $10/month 'add a line' to existing wireless.
Only caveat gotta be somewhere where AT&T doesn't have POTS. quote: The offering, dubbed A&T Wireless Home Phone, became available in late July in "select domestic markets where we do not offer traditional landline service,"; an AT&T spokesman told Telecompetitor today.
Just give it time. Wherever they can replace regulated copper services with unregulated substitutes, it will happen. Just follow the trail of money. (and regulatory loopholes) | |
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| | 25139889 (banned) join:2011-10-25 Toledo, OH |
25139889 (banned)
Member
2012-Aug-9 4:59 pm
Re: I was wonderingasa they should be able to get away with dumping pots and moving it to a new technology. the copper lines are 60+ years old in most areas, and need to be replaced anyway. So why spend the $$$ and replace them when you can move those customrs to a wireless technology? I've been saying for YEARS that smart companies would get rid of the last mile networks and move to wireless. ITS CHEAPER and easier to maintain. | |
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| | | rebus9 join:2002-03-26 Tampa Bay |
rebus9
Member
2012-Aug-9 5:00 pm
Re: I was wonderingsaid by 25139889:get rid of the last mile networks and move to wireless. ITS CHEAPER and easier to maintain. And UNREGULATED. As an aside... I find it telling, that they claim to have a capacity crisis to justify putting caps on their "unlimited" data plans, yet turn around and try to push everything onto their wireless network. Hmmm. As I said, follow the money. | |
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| | | | 25139889 (banned) join:2011-10-25 Toledo, OH |
25139889 (banned)
Member
2012-Aug-9 5:13 pm
Re: I was wonderingNothing new. Ohio already has UNregulated voice services once its bundled with LD or anything else- and bundled means ON the SAME bill. VZ and AT&T asked the PUC that over a year ago and got it. It's the issue in other states as well. The same as they can pull their wireline services with a 90 day notice to the state PUC. | |
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| | | | 93388818 (banned)It's cool, I'm takin it back join:2000-03-14 Dallas, TX |
to rebus9
There's no data in use with this device, it's voice only. | |
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| | | | | 25139889 (banned) join:2011-10-25 Toledo, OH |
25139889 (banned)
Member
2012-Aug-9 9:56 pm
Re: I was wonderingthe same as with Cellco's- it only powers Voice. And Sprint has one that is similar. | |
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| | | SimbaSevenI Void Warranties join:2003-03-24 Billings, MT ·StarLink
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to 25139889
said by 25139889:asa they should be able to get away with dumping pots and moving it to a new technology. the copper lines are 60+ years old in most areas, and need to be replaced anyway. So why spend the $$$ and replace them when you can move those customrs to a wireless technology? I've been saying for YEARS that smart companies would get rid of the last mile networks and move to wireless. ITS CHEAPER and easier to maintain. BAD IDEA. I can easily see multiple cell towers getting overloaded if everyone switched to this. Sure, replacing copper is a no brainer.. But we need to replace copper with.. FIBER! Having everything wireless is a recipe for disaster. Not to mention the spectrum needed to handle this endeavor would be enormous. | |
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| | | | ncbill Premium Member join:2007-01-23 Winston Salem, NC |
ncbill
Premium Member
2012-Aug-10 1:48 pm
Re: I was wonderingVoice-only.
Plus I'm sure it's a compressed, low-quality codec.
Very little bandwidth to worry about.
My questions are : taxes, and can it back-feed a house's regular phone lines? | |
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| | | | | David Premium Member join:2002-05-30 Granite City, IL |
David
Premium Member
2012-Aug-10 2:04 pm
Re: I was wonderingsaid by ncbill:My questions are : taxes, and can it back-feed a house's regular phone lines? if they made it the same as verizon's home connect box, it should be able to. Their home connect box looked no different than a ooma telo with an antenna on it. | |
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| | | | Oh_NoTrogglus normalus join:2011-05-21 Chicago, IL |
to SimbaSeven
said by SimbaSeven:said by 25139889:asa they should be able to get away with dumping pots and moving it to a new technology. the copper lines are 60+ years old in most areas, and need to be replaced anyway. So why spend the $$$ and replace them when you can move those customrs to a wireless technology? I've been saying for YEARS that smart companies would get rid of the last mile networks and move to wireless. ITS CHEAPER and easier to maintain. BAD IDEA. I can easily see multiple cell towers getting overloaded if everyone switched to this. Sure, replacing copper is a no brainer.. But we need to replace copper with.. FIBER! Having everything wireless is a recipe for disaster. Not to mention the spectrum needed to handle this endeavor would be enormous. Good idea. It is cheaper to add another transmitter than to run copper wires. I am sure this device will have a GPS lock just like with the cell repeater, or it will be locked into one cell tower only. The whole point is they dont have to build up their entire mobile network to handle more mobile phones. These will be fixed in one point, so they only have to expand 1 cell tower to service them. This is fixed point wireless not mobile. I would not be surprised if the cost to run these wireless lines will be well under $1 a month over a 5 year period. They will get at least $19 profit per month per line. | |
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| | | | TheMG Premium Member join:2007-09-04 Canada MikroTik RB450G Cisco DPC3008 Cisco SPA112
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to SimbaSeven
said by SimbaSeven:Sure, replacing copper is a no brainer.. But we need to replace copper with.. FIBER! Having everything wireless is a recipe for disaster.
Not to mention the spectrum needed to handle this endeavor would be enormous. Agreed. Especially once you start talking about replacing DSL. The amount of wireless bandwidth (spectrum) required would be enormous unless they were to put cell sites at every city block. Might as well just run fiber everywhere. Fiber is a high initial cost to build the infrastructure, but once it's in place the bandwidth is plentiful and dirt cheap. | |
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to SimbaSeven
Theres going to be too much maintenance in fibre optics and they will probably be the hardest to find the defects. If you shine a light down a fibre optic and the light doesn't come out the other end it is broken. How do you replace it. They are far too tiny to take out mixed in a cable with possibly hundreds or even thousand of these fiber lines. better ways of transmitting across airways is better. You just need better towers and no operators and all. Think of air ways as walkie talkie systems. You go from person to simply by a dial or digital readout. If you dial the number 544-4103 a computer built in your phone or your own pc will look for this satellite say the 544 is the satellite then in will transmit to the person on this network. It's more complicated I know that this but it can be as simple as that. There really is no need for operators or telephone companies. We just need the government to put up a few satellites and we do the rest. No need for any telephone companies who fleece us like we are just born losers. | |
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| | | | | SimbaSevenI Void Warranties join:2003-03-24 Billings, MT ·StarLink
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Re: I was wonderingUm.. Are you familiar with recent fiber technology? If there's a break in the line (or defect), they can find it rather quickly and can usually trace it to inches or less. Repairing it is easy too since most of the fibers in a fiber bundle have a color-coded jacket.
The main issue is spectrum. They want it all and the intelligent ones tell them to piss off. Would you like the entire spectrum to be utilized for phone service? Heck no. I like my OTA broadcasts, thank you.
As for "Walkie Talkie" systems, that's one particular frequency that's shared between everyone. If you get a few hundred on the same frequency, it's damn near impossible to talk *and* you get to hear everyone's conversation.
Wireless is *NOT* the future, as everyone thinks it is. Sure, it's convenient, but in the long run it won't be able to handle the traffic. As for satellite, are you at all familiar with technology? Do you realize the latency satellite has? I hope you like a 1-2 second delay in your conversation.
Replying to this post has given me a migraine. Better get some caffeine to ward it off. | |
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alltechs to 25139889
Anon
2012-Aug-10 12:23 pm
to 25139889
forget about wireline tech jobs...... | |
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| | CXM_SplicerLooking at the bigger picture Premium Member join:2011-08-11 NYC |
to rebus9
True. I wonder if they will start forcing people to the unregulated service like Verizon is doing. | |
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| | | 25139889 (banned) join:2011-10-25 Toledo, OH |
25139889 (banned)
Member
2012-Aug-9 10:36 pm
Re: I was wonderingwill only force in areas where they don't have minm. standards on POTs or give deals to switch. | |
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| firephotoTruth and reality matters Premium Member join:2003-03-18 Brewster, WA |
to en103
Verizon probably made this secret deal with AT&T to come out first on this plan so they don't seem as scumbag themselves for deploying in all the areas they used to serve with landlines.
Also their price will be the same with different words to describe the level of service. And not collusion. Never. Not even close. Competition! | |
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| | rradina join:2000-08-08 Chesterfield, MO |
Re: I was wonderingThe real question is will Verizon and ATT compete with similar products in the same markets or will they simply target their 1996 breakup wired regions? | |
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| | | 25139889 (banned) join:2011-10-25 Toledo, OH |
25139889 (banned)
Member
2012-Aug-9 9:57 pm
Re: I was wonderingits national. | |
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| | | | rradina join:2000-08-08 Chesterfield, MO |
Re: I was wonderingCurrently this product is only available for select areas. For availability, ordering and pricing information, please locate a store near you. Their web site says different. Where did you get your information? | |
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| 93388818 (banned)It's cool, I'm takin it back join:2000-03-14 Dallas, TX |
to en103
I'd love one of these for the house. It would be very convenient. | |
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| chuckkk join:2001-11-10 Warner Robins, GA |
to en103
A decade or so ago, AT&T started replacing POTS service in parts of Napierville Ill with some sort of RF carrier link. Claimed that it would "improve service" The only thing I noticed was that the voice quality dropped. They refused to allow unhappy customers to switch back. | |
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| David Premium Member join:2002-05-30 Granite City, IL |
to en103
said by en103:When AT&T / Verizon would do that. They've been selling off POTS like rats sinking a fleeing ship.
The price is decent - $20/month unlimited or $10/month 'add a line' to existing wireless.
Only caveat gotta be somewhere where AT&T doesn't have POTS. quote: The offering, dubbed A&T Wireless Home Phone, became available in late July in select domestic markets where we do not offer traditional landline service, an AT&T spokesman told Telecompetitor today.
Verizon started out the same way with their home connect box. Karl even did the news article about it so he should know plenty about it. As time went on verizon expanded into other territories now anyone can get one in or outside of territory. | |
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hmmThats actually not bad for say a senior or something. For me its not worth it because i already have something like 7k in roll over minutes. I very rarely call anybody. | |
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| JimThePCGuyFormerly known as schja01. MVM join:2000-04-27 Morton Grove, IL |
Re: hmmsaid by majortom1029:Thats actually not bad for say a senior or something. For me its not worth it because i already have something like 7k in roll over minutes. I very rarely call anybody. Provided the senior never needs reliable 911. Yea seniors probably don't want reliable 911. Drink some more of that AT&T Kool-Aid. | |
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| | rradina join:2000-08-08 Chesterfield, MO |
Re: hmmI cry foul. There are certainly fringe wireless areas but with the exception of a dead cell phone battery, I don't see any reason why wireless 911 wouldn't be as reliable as wired. Perhaps the location information might not be as good but there's also the possibility that the wired database is wrong (it happens). | |
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IowaCowboyLost in the Supermarket Premium Member join:2010-10-16 Springfield, MA |
This is old newsThey have been selling wireless home phone at the AT&T store at Holyoke Mall (Holyoke MA) for about 5-6 months now.
I had the home phone connect from VZW and I broke the contract as I got an alarm system and wireless home phones will not work with alarm dialers.
I went with Verizon landline for a few months and it was costing me $65 per month so I went back to Comcast for home phone since the alarm company said it did not make a difference (just as long as it is wired properly) and since Comcast offered a sweet deal on a triple play.
Wireless home phones are another gimmick from the cell companies. They are basically a cell phone and they give a false sense of security because 911 calls will be treated like a cell call (no or limited location information) whereas a landline (either traditional or facilities based VoIP like Comcast or Time Warner) will give exact location.
I would not trust my family's safety on a cheesy VoIP or landline replacement service like Vonage or Magic Jack. Either traditional phone service or a facilities based VoIP service fits the bill because they have Quality of Service standards and have battery backup.
They should have a warning on any VoIP or home phone replacement plan that it should not be relied on for emergency communications.
What really bothers me is that my neighbor has kids, has an inflatable swimming pool, and no home phone (cell only household). Imagine if one of the kids drowned (hope it does not happen) and they found their cell battery was dead or try telling a 911 dispatcher where they are located. 911 calls in this area are answered by the state police and transferred to the local jurisdiction. 911 calls from a wireline phone are answered by the responding jurisdiction. | |
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| 25139889 (banned) join:2011-10-25 Toledo, OH |
25139889 (banned)
Member
2012-Aug-9 5:14 pm
Re: This is old newsalarms still dial out? | |
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| | IowaCowboyLost in the Supermarket Premium Member join:2010-10-16 Springfield, MA |
Re: This is old newsAlarms do dial out unless you want to pay 3x as much for the hardware and 2x as much for the monitoring. My alarm company quoted me $545 to install a radio box (monitoring fees would still be the same as the alarm company uses it's own mesh network) but I decided just to go the Comcast Digital Voice route as they offered my a triple play bundle for about $25 more than my double play (internet and phone) vs $140 for the double play and another $65 per month for home phone with Verizon. | |
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| | | djrobx Premium Member join:2000-05-31 Reno, NV |
djrobx
Premium Member
2012-Aug-9 5:40 pm
Re: This is old newsADT quoted us only a few dollars more per month for wireless monitoring. I don't remember what the equipment charge was though. | |
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| | | 25139889 (banned) join:2011-10-25 Toledo, OH |
to IowaCowboy
$199 install by ADT, and $45-49.99 per month depending on your area. All wireless and SIM based. can be reprogrammed by othe companies.
Vivint is a little more to install but they turn your home into a smart house.
So your more expensive really isn't when you factor in the basic package for monitoring is $20+ per month then your landline fee just for that of another $20+ with taxes depending on your area. | |
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| WiFiguruTo infinity... and beyond Premium Member join:2005-06-21 Seattle, WA |
to IowaCowboy
said by IowaCowboy:Wireless home phones are another gimmick from the cell companies. They are basically a cell phone and they give a false sense of security because 911 calls will be treated like a cell call (no or limited location information) whereas a landline (either traditional or facilities based VoIP like Comcast or Time Warner) will give exact location.
Actually the devices have built in GPS to support 911 on exact location of the device... just like cell phones. If you made a 911 call in your house with a cell phone, they would know exactly which part of your house you are in because of GPS. | |
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| digiblur Premium Member join:2002-06-03 Louisiana |
to IowaCowboy
said by IowaCowboy:They have been selling wireless home phone at the AT&T store at Holyoke Mall (Holyoke MA) for about 5-6 months now.
I had the home phone connect from VZW and I broke the contract as I got an alarm system and wireless home phones will not work with alarm dialers.
I went with Verizon landline for a few months and it was costing me $65 per month so I went back to Comcast for home phone since the alarm company said it did not make a difference (just as long as it is wired properly) and since Comcast offered a sweet deal on a triple play.
Wireless home phones are another gimmick from the cell companies. They are basically a cell phone and they give a false sense of security because 911 calls will be treated like a cell call (no or limited location information) whereas a landline (either traditional or facilities based VoIP like Comcast or Time Warner) will give exact location.
I would not trust my family's safety on a cheesy VoIP or landline replacement service like Vonage or Magic Jack. Either traditional phone service or a facilities based VoIP service fits the bill because they have Quality of Service standards and have battery backup.
They should have a warning on any VoIP or home phone replacement plan that it should not be relied on for emergency communications.
What really bothers me is that my neighbor has kids, has an inflatable swimming pool, and no home phone (cell only household). Imagine if one of the kids drowned (hope it does not happen) and they found their cell battery was dead or try telling a 911 dispatcher where they are located. 911 calls in this area are answered by the state police and transferred to the local jurisdiction. 911 calls from a wireline phone are answered by the responding jurisdiction. No way would I trust my alarm system on a wired phone line. Cell system is the only way to go for real security needs. Too easy for the crook to cut the line. The alarm may go off but no one gets called. It wasn't really more expensive per month, and was only an up front cost of like $200 or so. I've saved way more than that by not having a telephone line. You must not keep up to date on E911 services as it sends the GPS coordinates of the phone. VoIP sends the address assigned to the account. And actually the cell E911 is more accurate as if someone had a large property the emergency response would know the farmer was out in the back barn instead of in the front house 300 yards away. | |
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jjoshua Premium Member join:2001-06-01 Scotch Plains, NJ |
jjoshua
Premium Member
2012-Aug-9 5:11 pm
Only $20?Sure... What's the cost after fees and taxes? | |
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en103
Member
2012-Aug-9 9:16 pm
Re: Only $20?probably $60 - just like POTS | |
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Re: Only $20?$60? Exaggerate much? My POTS bill works out to ~$26, nearly half of which can be blamed on the Government:
Phone company charges: Residence-1 Party Flat Rate: $14.93
Taxes/Government Fees: Federal Tax: $0.78 FCC Line Charge: $7.22 USF Recovery Charge: $1.13 State Gross Receipts Tax: $0.37 Sales Tax: $0.21 Telecom Relay Service Tax: $0.08 E911 Tax: $1.50
Total Taxes: $11.29 (43%) Total Service: $14.93 (57%)
Total Bill: $26.22
Mind you, I don't include long distance in that as I rarely make long distance calls, and I found a low cost/no-monthly free (Google 'Telna') carrier for those. Nor do I pay for unnecessary features like call waiting or caller ID. My POTS line exists solely for emergencies and for close friends/family to contact us. Nobody else has or needs the number. | |
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WHT join:2010-03-26 Rosston, TX |
WHT
Member
2012-Aug-9 5:14 pm
Drop Fit Replacement?Will it work for fax machines and dial-up modems? | |
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tkdslr join:2004-04-24 Pompano Beach, FL |
tkdslr
Member
2012-Aug-9 5:29 pm
Been there done that..Already have a similar solution.. Cost me around $48 in hardware and ~$6.60/mo.
Tracfone w double minutes, w376g($30) + 1 yr service(800-1000minutes)($80) Siemens Gigaset One Blue Tooth gateway. $18.. (Officemax closeout)
I have text messaging when needed, caller logs, 7 day battery backup(cell phone). All the features listed by At&t.. caller-id(numbers only), call waiting..
Plus the Gigaset one/(Xlink BTTN) links up to three cell phones to your home phones. Long distance+60 countries calling just uses normal air time.
I use Skype on my PC to dial toll free numbers.. (no charge)..others 0.02$ min.. | |
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Re: Been there done that..but what if a nuke goes off your phone won't work ;'( | |
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| | 93388818 (banned)It's cool, I'm takin it back join:2000-03-14 Dallas, TX |
93388818 (banned)
Member
2012-Aug-9 7:39 pm
Re: Been there done that..telco switches are electronic now - if a nuke goes off, nobody's phone will work | |
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Verizon HAS been doing itVerizon has been doing this for over a year now. I utilize it so I have a "throw away" phone number to give people. | |
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JimThePCGuyFormerly known as schja01. MVM join:2000-04-27 Morton Grove, IL |
All the disadvantages of wireless3.5 hrs talk time during power outages? Crappy 911. Yea, sign me up. NOT! | |
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othas3 join:2002-07-15 Los Angeles, CA |
othas3
Member
2012-Aug-9 6:13 pm
I live in an AT&T (formerly Pacific Bell) Hood.......and I got one of those Verizon things at the beginning of the year...just to have. I still have my AT&T landline because I'm old and set in my ways and I'll never giveup my landline....and my Uverse 24x DSL...and my internet TV....and my FAX machine...and my alarm. | |
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moes Premium Member join:2009-11-15 Cedar City, UT |
moes
Premium Member
2012-Aug-9 6:27 pm
landlineHad my landline for 20 years now, same number and all, they think I am willing to get rid of it, nada gona happen. | |
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wishI would like it being they have copper here already if they would offer landline pots without all the damn fee's attached.. After the initial rape, I might as well have a prepaid phone :-/ | |
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tmh @comcastbusiness.net |
tmh
Anon
2012-Aug-9 6:54 pm
Who would want this?I can't remember the last time I actually used my landline. Come to think of it, I really should cancel it and save a few bucks. | |
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WHT join:2010-03-26 Rosston, TX |
WHT
Member
2012-Aug-9 7:13 pm
And Other FeaturesOk, so it will do 3-way calling and call waiting, and voicemail.
Distinctive Ring? Call-forward Busy (to a different number if busy)? Call-forward No-Answer (to an entirely different number)? Terminal Hunting? Periodic Auto-Redial?
Nah............ | |
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BiggA Premium Member join:2005-11-23 Central CT ·Frontier FiberOp.. Asus RT-AC68
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BiggA
Premium Member
2012-Aug-9 7:50 pm
ProfitableAT&T clearly isn't getting rid of copper anytime soon, but they want to offer a highly profitable service, as voice uses little network capacity, and yet brings in money. Customers should just get Ooma if they are really that tied to having a home phone. | |
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ThatFnGuy
Anon
2012-Aug-9 8:59 pm
DangHad I known this was news, I could have tipped you guys off to this about a month or so ago. It really seems like one of the better things AT&T is doing. This service cannot be added to the new Mobile Share plans. Speaking of which, I'm not fond of those plans. | |
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Why is it so hard?For people to call it POTS? It's not a plural of POT. | |
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Re: Why is it so hard?Plain Old Telephone Service | |
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Copper is Used for DSL TooThese copper lines are used for DSL too, not just POTS. | |
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| 25139889 (banned) join:2011-10-25 Toledo, OH |
25139889 (banned)
Member
2012-Aug-9 10:54 pm
Re: Copper is Used for DSL Toonot when those networks will go away as well. | |
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toro join:2006-01-27 Scarborough, ON |
toro
Member
2012-Aug-9 10:46 pm
Use the SIM in a regular cell ?Does the device use a SIM card ? (I assume it does) So what's stopping a user take it out and put it in a regular cell phone to get unlimited calling for $20 a month ? | |
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Re: Use the SIM in a regular cell ? The SIM card provided with your Wireless Home Phone is intended for use only in your specific Wireless Home Phone device and can not be used in a mobile handset. | |
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PLUS taxes and fees of about $12!Don't forget to add the rip-off taxes of about $12.00 in addition to the service amount.
This is the main reason we dumped an AT&T land line in the first place.
$14 of taxes on a 12.50 bill. TOTALLY INSANE.
If this is coming off a cell tower, it will have the same f****** taxes a cell phone encounters. | |
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I have Verizon Wireless At Home ServiceI got the Verizon Wireless version about 8 months ago.. Its cheaper the At&t phone service because it comes with everything including long distance for $20. At&t cost about $50. It works well. There are a few gripes like dialing. You have to dial the number quick or else it would dial an incomplete number prematurely. But I got around that by dialing the number first on my cordless phone and then TALK. Instead of pressing TALK, waiting for the dial tone, and then dial the number. | |
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